V said goodnight to him outside the last room in the hall. By then, the skies had truly turned red and orange, and neither of them was really steady on their feet.

“Arright, jes’ sleep in there, okay? There’s a bed.” She rubbed her eyes. “G’night.”

“Good night, V. Thanks for everything.” She waved him off sleepily as she turned and staggered back to her own room.

The guest room was, frankly, too big. It was bigger than his hut, not that It was a palace. He ignored the dresser and mirror and everything else, only pausing to open the closet out of some lingering suspicion (it was empty, of course.) Nothin’ under the bed, either. He was alone. The thick curtains were drawn, so it was comfortably dark. The wolf finally hopped up into the dragon sized bed. It took him a few seconds to crawl to the pillows. Timothy lay back, feeling a lot like the last lonely pea on a plate. I hope my friends are alright. I did everything I could to warn and prepare’em, but… Life was cheap in the wild. And here he was, lying in a bed stuffed with feathers and wrapped in a thick blanket. He rubbed his forehead. Don’t feel guilty. You lost your house, your entire winter store, and nearly your life. Frass.

His thoughts turned to Meri. The kid had been through a lot today. He didn’t wanna play misery high-card, but it had to have been the worst day of her life. At least she was alive to regret it. She’s a good kid. The thought floated up into his head from somewhere close to his heart. Even after everything, I can’t regret saving her. He only hoped she’d get better. A bad enough day had made him into… him, after all, and he didn’t want that for a bright, sunny kid like her.

This whole place was bright and sunny. It felt almost dreamlike and false to him, and he didn’t know how to cope. Larue, and Kate, and their children had welcomed him into a safe, warm home and given him an absurd amount of food. He could have rationed that meal out for weeks in the Deepshadow. Mat had healed him for free. He didn’t really know what the healer’d meant about the township or the county paying him, but it meant he wasn’t in debt— at least, not for goods. And they had seen his mark first. That was what really knocked him dizzy. They were really one of a kind.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

And then there was Valencia. He saw that moment, staring at each other in a whirlwind of flames. She could have killed him. She knew from his brand that he was some Lusundra mess. She could have left him there, and let the Voltcage or the smoke or his bleeding kill him. It would have been safer, with no question of his loyalties or safety. In her shoes… a cold pit weighed in his gut. He would have probably left himself to die. Right…?

But she didn’t. Nobody would have known except her kid sister and a dead man. She could have said whatever she wanted. But instead… she saved him. She took him, held him tight and safe and put herself in danger to get him out alive. She could have dropped him “on accident,” but she didn’t. And sure, the same could be said of him and Meri, but Meri was a child.

If the rest of her family was one of a kind, Valencia was something even rarer. Someone out of a myth, that wasn’t supposed to exist in real life. He didn’t understand. He couldn’t understand… The ceiling didn’t have any answers for him, no matter how long he stared. And stupidly, even though his body was one big throbbing ache, he didn’t know if he could sleep.

I don’t know what tomorrow will be. And the thought was scary. Even when his tomorrows were normally spent struggling to get food, it was consistent. Now he was somewhere completely new, a strange world of light and people. A world where finding food and not being eaten weren’t his main concerns. Alien.

But he was safe. For now. There would be food for him, for at least a little while. Timothy was full, warm, safe in a house full of creatures stronger than he was by far. If they were right— and they knew more of the outside world than he did— nobody would be coming for him tonight. A thought that was scary and reassuring both. Still… “Mandy, are you awake?” His dagger didn’t respond. “Frass.”

Hey, now that I’ve eaten, maybe… He brought his open palm up, and brought forth an image in his mind. And sure enough, after a few slow, painful moments, the magic bubbled into his palm, taking form slowly and weakly. Soon, a small shadow spider stood in his palm, blinking up at him cutely with 6 faintly glowing eyes.

"Hey, cutie." He whispered. "Keep watch for me, okay? Gimme a nip if someone walks in." The spectral spider nodded, and skittered up to the top of the bedpost, where it lay in wait. And as for Timothy, despite his worries, his body didn’t have much else in it. Despite everything, he’d managed to survive another day. That was something to be… maybe not proud of, but at least some cold comfort.

It was comfort enough to let Timothy let go and drift away into deep, dreamless sleep.