I got back up to the room in the thicket in just a few minutes. I had with me everything we needed for dinner. So I was kind of shocked when I got in and found that Blink was holding a leg of the geson, eating it like a drumstick.

I stopped halfway through the door. “Blink what are you doing?”

She turned and took another bite of the meat and then mumbled around the food, “Eatings.”

I finished coming up and went over to the table, shaking my head. Then I passed out the plates. When I gave Blink hers, I pointed at the plate, and she sheepishly put the leg on the plate. Then I gave Kasidy one of the beers and took one for myself.

Once I did that, I looked at Blink, “Now that we are all HERE. We can eat.”

I served the food, and then we started to eat in awkward silence. I would have thought that someone would have said something, but Kasidy tucked into her food like she hadn’t had a good meal in days. Blink wasn’t even trying with her fork; she was just using her claw-like fingers to rip strips of meat off.

I could understand the silence during the first rush at the food. Kasidy had likely not eaten a good meal in days. What I couldn’t understand was how it dragged out once she got more food and started to slow down. Now Blink hadn’t slowed down at all, only Kasidy. Blink was acting like she was going to eat the whole geson herself. The vegetables were all pushed to the side, but what was I to expect from her?

My brain was trying to figure out how to bring up the questions I had. I didn’t want this to turn into a fight, and I wasn’t sure how to ask my question where it wasn’t offensive. I needed to ask how she could help, but I knew if I just asked it, there would be a fight. I hated new social interactions, and this was the type I hated the most.

I had hoped that she would have said something about the food, and then we could have started to talk, but that didn’t happen. I knew the typical guy question of what do you do wasn’t right at this time, but I was at a loss as to what to say. Even my bonded seemed to be leaving me out to dry on this.

I sighed heavily. “So Kasidy, You said that you were sent to help. Do you know what it is that you are going to help with?”

Kasidy, who hadn’t been doing much more than pushing around food, looked up at me. “Honestly, I’m not sure anymore. I followed the light because I knew that it had to be Bartholomew, but why here I don’t know. I thought the letter was for me but now that I know it is for you I don’t know what I can do.”

I leaned back a little in the chair. “My next move is to leave here. I am going to try to make it to Cloudia. I think it is only a few days away.”

Kasidy shook her head. “Cloudia is harder to reach than you might think. There are only two low passes into the kingdom. They are both on the northern side of the kingdom which makes it even harder in the winter.”

“What do you mean only two passes?”

“The whole kingdom is hemmed in with mountains which is why it hasn’t conquered more. The flying fortresses of Cloudia can only go so high. They can’t even get through the passes themselves as they are both high passes.”

I paused for a moment, trying to remember what Lannah had told me about Cloudia. “Well, I am going north east from here which should take me toward them. I am sure there is a trail I could take through the mountains. Even if it wasn’t one that an army could take.”

Lannah shook her head. “Nope, well yes but no. There’s rumors of several southern passes but they are all overrun by goblins and go into the mountain. If there was even a pass where a single person could go it would be known. Everyone wants into Cloudia.”

I raised one eyebrow. “Why does everyone want in?”

Lannah gave me the look of “how stupid can you be?” “Peace. There might be a few bandits but there is no war in Cloudia. The army is strong enough that they can defend their passes. Everyone that lives in there gets better off because of it.”

“I can see how that would draw people. That said Essex is my goal and so I am going to head that way in just a couple of days.”

Kasidy looked down at her hands. “You’re leaving so soon?”

“Yeah, I am wanting to get up there as fast as I can.”

A tear started to run down her cheek, “I was on a road that was on the south side of Cloudia. I know that the land between here and there is hard. I just don’t know if I can keep up.”

“Well you could stay here if you didn’t want to go.”

She shook her head a little, “I know that I need to be with you. Besides this is the first real meal I have had since I left Miststall.”

“How long ago was that?”

She started to really cry at that question. I hated interactions with people. Sure I needed people, but it was things like this that I didn’t know what to do with. I had practiced how to interact at work is someone started to cry. But not in my personal life and truly not in a case like this. I was out of my depth and knew it.

I reached around the table and laid my hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay we have food for you now.”

She went from sitting crying to standing screaming in just long enough for me to finish speaking. “But when you leave I will only have nuts and fruit! I don’t know how to live out here! I’m a barmaid not a ranger!”

I was getting emotional whiplash, so I held up my hands. “Whoa! I said that you could come with me.”

“And how am I going to do that? I tripped and fell for the past week on my way here. My dress is in tatters, and my shoes have holes in them!” With that, she fell back into the chair at the table.

I sat there for a moment as I tried to figure out what to say. My first response was to tell her it would be okay and that I could get her some new equipment. But my whole talk with Blink came back to me. I didn’t want her to know about the dungeon about my abilities within the dungeon.

I coughed a little, and she looked up. “Look, there is a low level dungeon below you. I can get to the safe room and buy you new gear. It might not be great but it would be something.”

Her eyes got wide. “Is that how you get through to the tent down there?”

“Yes, like I said it is a low level dungeon and so I can move quickly through it. I can get you shoes and traveling clothing and then we can head out.”

She sniffled a little, “I don’t know if it is high level enough but if you can get panpipes I can do more for us as we travel.”

Blink reached into the geson and pulled out another whole leg, and spoke for the first time at dinner, “Daddy, don’t you already have a set of pipes?”

I thought for a moment and then nodded to Blink. “Yeah I think I have those down in the storage room. I had forgotten them.”

I looked back over at Kasidy as I heard her sobbing. This time she was crying with a smile. I couldn’t figure out what was going on. Why was she sobbing like whole shoulders heaving and smiling?

I asked her gently, “You okay?”

“Ye.. Ye. Yes. Just Bartholomew knew I would be here and sent what I needed! If I didn’t already know I was to be here I would know now. If you have a blank book or some scrolls I could have as well that would be good. I think I know why I am here.” She said and then wiped her nose with her dirty sleeve.

“Okay why do you think that you are here?”

“I think that you must be a hero and I am here for your story!”

I laughed, “I am no hero. I am just a guy trying to get by.”

She looked more alive than I had seen her. “No, even a low level dungeon will take people time to get through. You just run through it. Which means you are much stronger than I thought!” She pointed at Blink, “You have a shape-shifter as a bonded companion! Then there is this place that you said you built! I had to be a fool to think that you weren’t a hero at least perhaps even a champion. The magic in this place is as special as any cored fort or castle!”

* * *