Andy, Arlene, Kermit, Morwen, Sven, and Verin gathered around the table for dinner.

  “Andy, wow,” Verin said, between mouthfuls of sausage and potatoes, “I must say, you display exceptional culinary skill.”

  “Thank you,” said Andy, scratching the back of his neck nervously. He never enjoyed receiving compliments. “I just threw something together, really.”

  “This is so good!” Kermit said, eating his third plate of fries. “I want to eat it every day!”

  “I wish I could make it for you every day,” Andy said, smiling. “But between the preparation and the clean up, It would eat up most of our time!”

  “Oh,” Verin said. “Don’t worry about the clean up.” With the flick of his wrist, Verin cast the Three Butlers spell. Six hands materialized, floating in a broad circle around him. “Tidy up the kitchen please,” Verin said.

  The caravan of hands floated into the kitchen. A few moments later, pots and pans began clanging.

  “The three butlers aren’t so good for complex tasks. They can cook some simple foods, but nothing like this,” said Verin. “That said, they’re great for cleaning up.”

  A hush came over the table as the group continued eating their food.

  Andy had to admit, he had made a delicious meal. The sweetness of the onions perfectly complemented the savory sausage. The juices of both provided an excellent contrast to the crunchy, toasty bread on which it was served. Andy had even managed to find a tear-inducing spicy mustard, using only a very small amount. He had set out to make hot dogs, but he had delivered an elevated, symphonic dining experience.

  Not bad.

  “Silence is the sign of an excellent meal,” came a voice from across the room.

  It was Natham. He looked weak, walking on a cane, but overall much improved from the day before.

  “Natham,” Verin said, rising from his seat and walking across the room. “Are you well enough to eat?”

  “I believe so,” said Natham weakly. “I’ve been circulating energy and using some old spells to accelerate my recovery. And now I’m ravenously hungry.”

  “I’ll make him a plate,” Andy said, standing up and heading to the kitchen.

  In the kitchen, the Three Butlers were hard at work scrubbing the pots, pans, and counters. They had put the leftovers aside, covering them to preserve the heat.

  Perfect.

  Andy placed a sausage and a small amount of mustard on toast, plating it alongside plenty of potatoes. He returned to the dining room, where Verin had helped Natham sit at his place at the end of the dinner table.

  “Here you go,” Andy said, placing the meal in front of Natham.

  “Heavenly,” Natham said, deeply inhaling the aroma and looking up at Andy with gratitude. “Many thanks.”

  Andy took his seat again.

  “Incredible!” Natham said with a spark of vitality after taking a bite. “Absolutely incredible…”

  Maybe Andy was seeing things, but it seemed that the color was returning to Natham’s face.

  “Now, to get to business,” Natham said. “You’ve got a chimera to hunt, no?”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it until you’re better,” Verin said.

  “Look at me,” said Natham. “Not the best I’ve ever been, but I’m mobile. Many of my powers have returned. I can look after myself.” Natham lifted a finger and a french fry floated from his plate and into his mouth. “Mmm… absolutely delicious.”

  “Well I–” Verin began.

  “If you’d like, Sven and I can remain here,” said Morwen. “As far as the mission, Andy, Arlene, and Kermit are the only personnel required. From what I’ve seen, they’re more than capable of running a security detail for you.”

  “I have full faith in them,” said Verin. “I just…” he trailed off.

  “May I ask something?” Andy said. “I understand, and I’m sure you do to, that there is the potential for a guild war in Cresthaven any week now. Why prioritize a hunting trip?”

  Verin leaned back in his chair and stroked his chin.

  Natham looked at him, almost amusedly.

  “Well,” Verin said, “My response to your question is this: such talk is unbecoming at a dinner table. Let’s move to more hopeful topics.”

  “But–” Andy began.

  “Kermit,” Arlene said, cutting in. “We found a lead on Millford.”

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Really!?” Millford said, his face beaming. “Where is he? When can we go?”

  “Well, slow down,” Arlene said, trying to temper his expectations. “We learned we have to go to the northwest, and that we’ll find him in due time. That’s all we know.”

  “But at least that’s one clue!” Kermit said joyously.

  “Exactly,” said Arlene. “So we’re one step closer.”

  ***

  After dinner, Andy took a brief walk outside to get some fresh air into his lungs.

  “Andy!” It was Verin, coming out of the front door of the cottage. “May I join you on your walk?”

  Andy nodded and paused as Verin jogged over to him.

  “Beautiful evening isn’t it?” Verin said, looking up at the vastation of stars hanging in the sky.

  “Yes it is,” Andy said, following Verin’s gaze and seeing the night sky, as if for the first time since arriving in the hot springs back on Mount Aurora.

  “I am sorry for changing the subject during dinner,” said Verin.

  “No, no,” Andy said. “I admit it was rude of me to bring up such a difficult topic so bluntly.”

  “Well, I wanted to give you an answer,” said Verin, “but I had to consider my words. Now I am ready.”

  Verin steered onto a small trail that circled the cottage, passing by some herb and flower gardens. The full moon bathed the landscape with silver light.

  “The truth is,” Verin said, “I do not know if I will ever have another opportunity to hunt the chimera.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “For precisely the reasons you began to outline at dinner. You see, you’re right. A guild war is coming. It’s on the horizon. And I may be caught up in it. I may in fact lose my life. And that’s something I have to deal with.”

  “Do you plan to take up arms?” Andy asked.

  “Worse,” said Verin. “I am about to tell you some very privileged information. I want it to remain between us, ok?”

  Andy nodded.

  “As you know, I come from the nobility.”

  “Yes.”

  “But I am not on their side. In fact, I want nothing more than the total collapse of noble power in Cresthaven. I tire of the decadence of the ruling class at the expense of the common folk. I tire of their tedious and vain ideologies.”

  Andy nodded as they continued a few paces in silence.

  “Morwen tells me you met Gimotria,” Verin said.

  “Yes,” said Andy.

  “She told me you learned of the region’s Dissidents.”

  “Yes. What does that–”

  “She told me you learned of Schelling, the Dissident warlock.”

  “Yes, and Morwen said we shouldn’t utter that–”

  “Schelling goes under a different name these days,” said Verin. “His name is Natham.”

  “Oh,” said Andy, stopping in his tracks.

  Verin stopped too, facing Andy.

  “Our story is a long and tangled one,” said Verin. “I won’t bore you with the details, but I will just say that I fell in love with him. And our loyalty is to the cause of freedom, not the nobility.”

  “I see,” Andy said. “So you’re a double-agent with Dissident sympathies?”

  “Precisely,” said Verin. “Now, please understand, I’m really trusting you to keep this between us.”

  “I understand,” said Andy.

  “Because of my precarious situation, I never know which day might be my last. I never know if and when Knight Omega might show up to my door and take me off to the dungeons. But here’s the thing… the hunt for the chimera has been my dream ever since I was a child. And there are two reasons I must attempt it one last time.”

  The two men resumed their walk along the path, circling around to the back of the cottage.

  “The first reason is this,” Verin continued. “Because if any interested parties happen to be tracking my movements, it will behoove me to look like I’m a typical noble-born dandy, gallivanting around the continent on frivolous adventures, unconcerned with the politics of Cresthaven.”

  “That makes sense,” Andy said. “I hadn’t considered that.”

  “And the second reason is because it is a childish dream, my childish dream, and we can’t deny our childish dreams, even in difficult times. Otherwise, what are we struggling for?”

  Andy nodded. Even if he wasn’t entirely convinced, he had to admire Verin’s passion.

  The two continued their stroll, coming back around to the front of the cottage.

  “How are your endeavors shaping up?” Verin said, facing Andy as they approached the front door.

  “They are… confusing,” Andy admitted.

  “How so?” Verin asked.

  “Well, I was on track to progress in the Fighter class, but now, between Gimotria’s prophecies and Morwen’s advice, it looks like I need to pursue levels in Warlock.”

  “Mmmmm,” Verin said, nodding sagely.

  “The thing is, I hate the Warlock class, at least from what I’ve been exposed to.”

  “It is rather nasty, isn’t it?” Verin said.

  “I don’t like using the Drain feat… it utilizes a kind of hatred that I simply don’t want to entertain. And I do not trust Antoine, the Warlock guildmaster, at all. And yet you say you are in love with a warlock,” said Andy. “So they can’t all be bad, can they?”

  “Yes,” said Verin. “It is very difficult to practice warlockery while retaining your soul. But it can be done.”

  “How?” Andy asked.

  “This would be a conversation you should have with Natham,” said Verin. “Perhaps when we return from our hunting trip, he would be willing to discuss these things with you.”

  Andy nodded.

  “But let me say this: if you choose to go down the path of the Warlock class, it will be a tremendous asset to the Order of the Behemoth. Sethor, the presumptive heir to Duke Pym’s throne, is a Warlock under Antoine’s tutelage. If you were to infiltrate the Warlock guild, you’d have more access to the inner workings of the nobility than anyone in the Fighter class could hope to gain.”

  “But how can I live a lie like that without slipping up?”

  “You'll find a way.”

  The sound of crickets emanated from the woods to fill up the silence.

  Andy nodded. “Ok, I’ll have to continue thinking about this.”

  “Continue thinking, but try to get some rest,” said Verin. “We leave for the cliffs of Siren’s Bay tomorrow.”