Hump never expected to be so pleased to see Randall, but seeing the arrogant young lord standing at the prow of a reasonably sized fishing vessel, he couldn’t help but smile. Eight other boats trailed alongside, leaving ripples in the water behind them. Hump and the others had gathered up all the wood they could find on the island, and come sunrise they’d struck a fire that shot off enough smoke to be visible from anywhere around Fishers Lake.

“Now that’s a sight, isn’t it?” Hump said, standing at the edge of their small island, the warm fire at his back.

“It certainly is,” Bud said. “Do I ever look that prancy?”

“Nah. Takes a special kind of pompous to look like that. You’re more…” Hump frowned.

“More what?” Bud asked sceptically.

“I’m trying to think of a more obvious word than large.”

“Striking,” Bud suggested.

Hump scrunched his nose and shook his head.

Bud shrugged. “Distinct. Menacing. Towering.”

“Bulgy,” Hump said. “You’re kind of bulgy.”

“Bulgy?! That’s not even a real word! It’s bulging, not bulgy,” Bud sputtered.

“I’m quite certain bulgy is the correct description,” Hump said, projecting an air of wisdom.

“It is not! My tutors would have tanned my hide if I tried to pass ‘bulgy’ off as a word.”

“Listen, only one of us is the learned wizard here,” said Hump as he hid a smirk. “Perhaps if you spent less time being bulgy and more time reading books, you’d know that I chose the right word.”

“Bulgy. I’m not bulgy…” Bud grumbled.

Hump nodded, stroking his chin as any wise wizard does. “Yep, that’s definitely the word. Lose a bit of bulk and maybe you could prance about like a pompous arsehole too.”

Bud sighed, but he couldn’t hide his smile. “So glad to have you back…”

There were cheers as the boats pulled up to shore, and fisherman, guards, and adventurers rushed onto the island with food and water. Hump was pleased to see Skander back on his feet, getting the boats beached alongside Madeline. Lawrence and the town physician went to work, seeing to everyone that needed attention, tending wounds, handing out food and water, and ensuring nobody ate too much at once.

Randall strode up to Hump grinning as if they were the best of friends. He extended his hand, and feeling in too good a mood to disagree, Hump took it. “Good to see you alive, wizard. I’ll admit, I didn’t expect us to meet again.”

“I’m pleased to surprise you,” Hump said. “Bud mentioned you sent them off last night. Appreciate you turning a blind eye.”

“I hope it didn’t cause you too much trouble,” Bud said.

Randall waved the comments aside. “Think nothing of it. Helen is about as far into my father’s pocket as they come. I’ll throw her a few words of compliment and she’ll scuttle off back to Sheercliff happy as a kitten.”

Hump felt his smile strain, wondering what his arrogance might be. “Brilliant.”

“Now then,” he clapped his hands together, dusting them off, “best to show my face around a bit. The people need their Chosen.”

Hump and Bud watched him pass, striding off toward where the townsfolk had gathered, a wide smile on his face.

“Forget what I said,” Hump said. “You’d need to take a few more hits to the head before you could prance around like that.”

Bud laughed.

They wasted little time boarding the ships. Once Lawrence and the physician gave the word, they were ushered on, spread out across the eight vessels. It took a few hours for them to make the trip back, the day nearing mid-afternoon when they docked. It was nice. A welcome party was there waiting for them with more food and drink. People cried in their reunions, and many cried over those that hadn’t made it back. Mayor Arnold greeted them each as cheerfully as one could under the circumstances, and Hump got a chance to meet the Lady Helen Astida that the others had told him about.

She looked far from pleased when she spoke to Vivienne, despite what Randall had said, but it was a problem that could wait. Today would be a day to recoup and recover, to feast and celebrate those that returned. Business could wait.

But it never waited long. The following day started grim. Priestess Elowen hosted a funeral for all those that had been lost, and the mayor announced a statue would be raised in the town square to commemorate them. A small gesture, but Hump felt better knowing Captain Winfrey and all those that had died would be remembered.

They went to speak with Helen that afternoon, and the atmosphere was tense from the moment they entered the command room. As pleased as Helen was for everyone that had been saved, Vivienne had disobeyed a direct order.

“As I’m sure you’ll understand, I have no choice but to pass this on to the Adventurers’ Guild, along with those at the Wizard Society. I’m sure they will be very interested in the temple discovered in the lake too.”

“Of course,” Vivienne said. “Though would you please hold off submitting your report for a week?”

Helen narrowed her eyes. “For what reason should I do you any favours?”

“We have information that will be of far more interest to your superiors than the actions of a wizard and some underwater ruins,” Vivienne said. “Give me one week, and you can have it.”

She frowned, looking over them, then over to Randall. The young lord paused a moment then nodded.

“Very well,” she said. “I’m listening.”

Hump recounted what he’d seen in the other realm. After discussing it with Vivienne and the others, they’d decided it was too dangerous to keep to themselves. There were potentially hundreds of rifts connected to the human realm, and any one of them had the potential to grow large enough for creatures to come through. It had to be reported, whether by them or by someone else, and Vivienne intended to spend as much time investigating the temple as she could before returning to Sheercliff City, even if it was in ruins. Whether Helen informed the Society or not, it wouldn’t be long before the Wizard Society were made aware, if not the Pantheon. Too many people had seen it and talked.

Fortunately, with Randall on their side there was no issue getting a deal. He was right about where Helen’s loyalties lay. This had been an opportunity for Helen to prove herself, and with this information, she would.

***

Helen’s party left with Randall the following morning, leaving them the sole party of adventurers in town once more. Hump always found it interesting how quickly things returned to normal after disaster. Sergeant Fredricks had been made captain of the guard in Winfrey’s place, but it would be a while before the guardhouse was repaired. People cleared what was broken, tidied up the rubbish, and moved on with their lives.

They’d finished dinner at the lighthouse when Vivienne requested they share a private word in her study. He followed her up to the familiar room, a mess of books across her desk. She’d been studying the spell formation from the temple.

“Any luck?” he asked, nodding toward the pile.

She chuckled. “Gods no. I’ve yet to figure out what a single rune means. It could be years before I decipher the entire thing, if ever. No, I called you here for a different reason. I’m worried about you. With your permission, I’d like to run some tests to check the health of your soul.”

Hump paused. He’d expected her to ask—if anything he was surprised she’d waited so long. He’d told them all a little about what had happened in the gorger’s dungeon, but spared them the worst of the details. There was no covering up that it had been bad though, and a sustained attack on one’s soul was bound to leave damage.

“No matter what I find, it’ll remain between the two of us,” she said. “I swear it.”

After a few moments more consideration, Hump nodded. “I guess I’ve been worried about that too.”

She smiled. “We’ll figure this out, Hump. You’re strong. I saw that when you first arrived, and I saw that again in your battle against the gorger. You’ll get through this, it will just take time.”

“I bet you gave Master Sethril this talk too, didn’t you?”

“Oh yes. But the damage to his soul wasn’t something I could fix.”

“This is?” Hump asked. “I’ve been marked by a dragon already. I almost lost myself to my own essence, Vivi. To hate. Are you sure it isn’t already too late?”

“We’ll find out. It will take some time, but we wizards always find a way, don’t we?”

Hump snorted. “Then yes. Test away. What are you thinking?”

“I think I’ll need to involve some artefacts for the real testing. Once the inquiry calls me back to Sheercliff City, I’ll collect the necessary tools. Until then, we’ll go back to those aura exercises from before and see what’s changed.” She stepped around to her side of the desk and took out a book from her pile, placing it in front of him. “Have a look at this.”

Hump opened it, finding a catalogue of spells inside, separated into chapters. “Was this my master’s?”

Vivienne shook her head. “No, this is mine. These are spells I’ve invented or redefined, and versions I stand by. I’m no expert in fire or earth, but I have a few lower tier spells of those affinities that would be useful to you. If any interest you, I’ll teach you.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything,” she said. “You’re Seth’s apprentice. I should have truly realised that sooner.”

Hump stared at it, feeling a little bit of the hole inside him filling. “Thank you.”

They took the horses out for a ride that afternoon, just the three of them. It was nearing winter now, and a cold wind was coming in from the lake. They stuck to a trail along the lake shore, where the sun could still reach them.

“We should offer Dylan a spot,” Bud said. “He’s been good to work with while you were gone. A skilled fighter, and has healing abilities that will always be useful.”

“You think he’s interested?” Hump asked.

“Don’t see why not,” Bud said. “He’s only one circle higher than us. Celaine will reach it soon enough, and I get the feeling I’m close to reaching my third blessing. Hopefully I won’t be far behind her.”

“It wasn’t the power difference he meant,” Celaine said. “He seems happy as Vivienne’s assistant.”

“It might work out then,” Hump said. “Vivienne agreed to train me further. She’s going to help with… with whatever the gorger did to my soul. She plans to return to Sheercliff soon, and I thought it a good idea for us to go too. Countess Daston said the Adventurers’ Guild was overwhelmed with requests. It sounds like good business.”

“That works,” Celaine said. “I’d feel a lot more comfortable questing with someone that can heal us around. It’s not like it’s permanent if he changes his mind later anyway. We’ll probably need to part ways in a year or so anyway.”

It had been a while since Hump really worried about the Dragon Keeper Trials, and the more he thought about it, the more of a sham it seemed. He had the bloody egg, what did he care if some old pricks in a far off land didn’t approve. But Vamir had said they’d come for him, and he believed the man. “Guess it’s settled then. Let’s give it a few days for things to calm down then invite him to the inn for drinks later and talk it out.”

They turned back soon after that. They were a good few miles away from town now, and it was getting on for evening once they’d returned. Prancer snorted unhappily at the sight of the buildings, clearly not wanting to return to his stable. He’d been cooped up in there a lot more than he was used to.

“Things will work out, you know?” Bud said resolutely at the edge of town. “A year is a long time to improve. We’ll train harder this time. Things have been too close, and it’s time we start better calculating our risk. We’ve all had jumps in strength, and we need to consolidate that.”

“Look at you!” Hump said, beaming proudly. “You’re supposed to be the hero that dives head first into the most reckless battle you can find. It’ll be weird if you turn cautious.”

Bud frowned at him, tight lipped. “I’m being serious. This time we’re going to find us a proper quest chain, and do some rounds hunting monsters. No dungeons, no monsters from other realms, and no evil princes.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Hump grinned.

“He’s right,” Celaine said. “We weren’t ready for this, and people died.”

“People always die,” Hump said. “Neither the gods nor monsters care if we’re ready. We just do what we can when people start dying. Or we run.”

***

Day by day, Hump felt himself getting stronger. He’d eaten more food than ever, replacing more than just the muscle he’d lost, and he’d mostly recovered his essence now. His training with Vivienne was going smoothly, especially so now that he could use his spellbook to cast and better memorise his spells, and he slowly felt himself returning to normal.

It was nights he didn’t like. Sleep came slowly, and he found it never lasted long before something woke him. He’d seen it in adventurers and survivors of other cruel fates before. The lasting damage that the horrors of the world could have on one’s soul, though he’d never expected it to afflict him. He’d grown up living this life, and long since accepted how cruel the world could be. It seemed knowing that didn’t make it any easier once that cruelty made you its target.

It was his egg that gave him solace. He held it close as he tried to sleep. It warmed him when his soul ached with piercing cold, the scars the gorger had left not yet healed. He’d not dared to open up to it again yet, fearing what his thoughts might do. The hatchling needed happy thoughts and experiences, and right now Hump wasn’t sure he could maintain that long enough to form a connection. So he contented himself in having it close. Celaine had explained that it was the reason they knew he still lived. He wondered what would have been if they hadn’t come for him. How close he was to falling back into its clutches, even with their aid.

Eventually he drifted off as he always did. He returned to that dark place where there was no sound. Just him and the gorger, and the icy cold of its will.

The click of a door pierced the veil.

Hump jerked awake. He scrambled back until he smashed up against the wall behind him, his heart pounding as he searched the faintly lit room frantically. He searched for the threat. Then he spotted Celaine—not the gorger—staring at him from the doorway, wide eyed, her hand still on the handle. Light streamed in from the open window in the hallway behind her. It had to be nearing noon already.

He was home. He was safe. He was no longer the gorger’s prisoner.

“Sorry to wake you,” Celaine said. “I didn’t realise you were still sleeping.”

Hump breathed, trying to calm his racing heart. He gulped and licked his lips. “What is it?”

She frowned. “We’re heading back out to the temple, remember?”

“Ah, yeah right, of course,” Hump made a show of wiping the sleep from his eyes. “Just give me a few minutes and I’ll be downstairs.”

“Are you alright?” she asked.

Hump nodded. “Don’t worry, I’m fine. It was just a bad dream. I’ll be downstairs in a minute.”

Her frown deepened. “Are you sure there’s nothing wrong? You missed breakfast.”

Hump smiled. “Just tired. Five minutes and I’ll be down. Now you better get out as I’m not dressed under here.”

She didn’t laugh. She didn’t even pretend to smile. She gave him a long look then nodded. “We’ll be downstairs.”

She closed the door behind her, and Hump jumped as it clicked shut.

He took a long, shaking breath, and glanced at the other bed. He’d lied. He definitely wasn’t okay. Lucile sat there on the edge of the bed, propped up on her hands, her legs dangling over the edge. She was wearing a plain white dress and sat back as if bathing in the morning light.

She tilted her head, smiling at him. “Well what are you waiting for? Celaine said it’s time to go.”