Chapter 65: Fond Farewell

  FISK POV

  A day ago, Fisk had never heard of dragons.

  Now, he was watching his childhood friend talk quietly to the second dragon they’d seen. This one was smaller, yet still huge compared to an elf, easily able to grasp and pick up any of the explorers in its talons. Unlike the vegetation-covered Kesseken, the newcomer – called here through magic by Kesseken – showed sleek scales and revealed that it had large, leathery wings. Its scales were a soft yellow that deepened in shade to a gentle brown at the base, and its head had a narrow reptilian snout full of sharp teeth.

  The dragon itself sure didn’t view the rest of them as equals, yet somehow Tastka had fallen into an easy friendship with it. Fisk wasn’t sure, but it seemed like his friend was already closer to the dragon than to him.

  He had mixed feelings about that. A pang of jealousy was there, and he was mature enough now to recognize it. Tastka was just a friend, but she had been a good friend, growing up. Ever since her Choosing, she’d become more and more quiet and centered on self-contemplation. She’d always been willing to help him, or talk to him when he asked, but she never sought him out. She was always so serious and – if he was honest – easily distracted by her own worries.

  Seeing her with ears twitching, tail swishing in excitement, and talking animatedly… it reminded him of how she’d changed. She hadn’t been the girl that snuck out with him to gorge on fuzzfruits until they’d gotten sick in a long time.

  Then again… he wasn’t that kind of person any more, either.

  The brush rustled as two of Fisk’s companions joined him, Eyssa coming up on his left and Kelas on his right. They were quiet, both watching the enthusiastic dialogue from afar, just as he did. He let the silence reign for a few moments.

  “Will there be a problem passing back through your village, Kelas? Will you be staying there or coming with us after we return?” Fisk finally asked the question without looking at the other two. He did hope Kelas would go with them. With the loss of Tastka, they’d need someone to make up for the lack of a caster. Dashe could only do so much.

  Kelas flicked an ear downward. “I’m not going back. I should… they’ll want to hear what I’ve discovered.” He lowered his spear, running the tip through the undergrowth in a distracted fidget. A startled animal hopped away, but Kelas ignored the scaly thing. “But they’ll want me to stay until I mate again, and that could take a while.”

  He poked the earth with his spear, then straightened it up and looked over at Fisk and Eyssa. “My people take in a little knowledge at a time. It will take forever for them to decide to seek out this… edge. I want to see it. Even if I die and am forgotten on the way.”

  Fisk twitched his own ear in an affirmative motion, then turned to Eyssa. “What about Solen? Is she coming or going back with Tastka?” The [Hunter]’s attachment to Tastka wasn’t exactly a secret, even if Tastka herself didn’t seem to notice. Fisk wasn’t sure if it was some protective desire, or something deeper, but he had already planned on Solen staying with the clan.

  “She is coming with us,” Eyssa answered, surprising Fisk. “I asked if she was sure about it and she told me not to ask again. She’s made her decision.”

  Fisk scratched at his chin and sighed. “That’s everyone. Back to seven of us, but it will be harder without Tastka.” His ears folded down grumpily. “I never really understood her, but I’ll miss her.”

  A sharp jab in the ribs from Eyssa’s elbow made Fisk jerk up sharply. “OW!”

  “Stop looking at my sister like that,” Eyssa chuckled. “You’re mine, remember?”

  Kelas gave the two an odd look, but Fisk just winced. It wasn’t unknown for this sort of thing to happen, but he’d never thought it would happen to him. He wasn’t sure when the [Horizon Bearer] had decided he would be a good mate for her, but Fisk had a feeling that even if he were a [Clan Guide], Eyssa wouldn’t take no for an answer.

  Not that he minded. He liked her well enough, he just couldn’t figure out why he was never in control when she put her mind to something. That was literally his class – to be in control – and she led him around with no effort.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  He glanced at Kelas for some support, but the Aravel just spread his hands. “Don’t look at me that way. You Calen elves are strange, and I’ve never won an argument with Eyssa yet.”

  Fisk felt his ears lift in amusement, but couldn’t contest that. Before he could say anything more, his eye caught Tastka moving away from the dragon, approaching him at a brisk walk. The other four slowly meandered over as well, until all eight elves were in one place, to hear what Tastka had to say.

  Some of the joy in Tastka’s face and posture faded as everyone came together. She looked at each one, her ears drooping slightly further each time she met eyes. Finally she turned back to Fisk and sighed. “Is anyone coming back with me? Or are you all headed Nightward?”

  “Do you want any of us to come back with you?” That was Vedas, leaning on his spear and showing actual curiosity with his question. His eyes flicked to Solen and Eyssa, but quickly returned to Tastka.

  Tastka’s ears lifted some, but Fisk could tell she was putting on a brave face. “I do, but I know that’s selfish of me.” She looked again at each one in turn. “I’ll miss you, but you’ll come back, right? Tell everyone the stories of what happened, and what you saw?”

  Eyssa’s ears flicked up, her tail rising to sway. “Of course. We’ll be thinking of you when we see the end of the world! We’ll be back before you know it! How far can it be?” She paused and looked at Tastka. “Do you happen to know?”

  A droop of her tail told Fisk the answer even before Tastka replied. “No. It will take more than a turn of the seasons until you are back, but I don’t know how much more.” She tilted her head, looking toward Kelas. “Are you going with them, or returning to your home?”

  The Aravel firmed up his grip on his spear. “I’m going to the edge with them,” he confirmed, repeating what he had told Fisk. “This is the only chance I will have to grow this much. I want to return strong, and to teach my people something.”

  “We have all thought it over,” Solen agreed, stepping forward. “You brought us here for a reason, with some kind of guidance, and now we’ve been given this… quest.”

  Fisk gestured to Solen with his tail in agreement. “The System seems to be urging us to go farther. So that’s what we will do. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” His ears perked in humor. “Don’t worry, I’ll teach Kelas some proper manners.”

  Ignoring the Aravel’s indignant snort, Tastka let out a giggle, showing another glimmer of her old self. “If you’re going to go that far, then I… I do have something for you all.” She stepped forward, and Fisk startled as she grasped his hands, tilted her head up – Tastka was slightly shorter than him – and gave him a light bump on the snout.

  “Take good care of all of them, Fisk,” Tastka implored. “I don’t know all that you’ll face, but I know there’s so much more you can all be. Find your Second Paths…” She hesitated, released Fisk’s hands, and turned to Eyssa to give her a light nose bump, too. “And your Third.”

  Everyone’s ears tilt up sharply at that, with glances spared all around. It wasn’t strange to unlock a Second Path – Fisk was counting on it – but this was the first time any of them had heard of a Third Path. How does one manage three Primary Classes?

  Fisk glanced to Kelas, but even he twitched an ear in the negative, and questioned it. “Are you sure?”

  “Who can say what’s possible?” Tastka giggled, giving Kelas a dismissive tail flick. “You might remember a lot, but you’ll be going places that nobody has seen… and you may find a new class that you weren’t expecting.”

  Dashe moved forward, and he touched fingertips with Tastka in a light farewell. “I’ll keep them safe. Don’t worry.”

  Tastka wiggles her nose lightly. “I know you will. Maybe you can pick up another caster class, too. Without me there, I worry about them.”

  A sudden grab from Vedas squeezed Tastka’s shoulder, and Duvad laughed and ruffled her hair vigorously, mussing it up so her mane was all over the place. Duvad grunted, “We’ll make sure Dashe doesn’t have to wear himself out. Vedas is getting a lot better with his spear. I’ll make a [Spearman] out of him yet!”

  Vedas flicked his ears with a bashful huff. He muttered, “You just don’t want to go without fish…”

  Duvad laughed, but then he softened his tone, becoming more serious. “Take care of yourself, Tastka. I’ll need a smart and strong mate when I get back!”

  That made Tastka blink, her ears stilling in shock and her tail tip twitching. “Um… we’ll see when you get back.” Her ears darkened some in a flush. Fisk had to chuckle… Tastka never really thought of that stuff, but Duvad was… blunt. He’d said something similar to Eyssa not that long ago. It was a compliment, for him.

  Though the glare Solen gave him had the tall elf holding his hands up, “Only if she wants, yeah?”

  Solen stared at Duvad a little longer, before turning to Tastka. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” she murmured, taking Tastka’s hands. The younger elf gave Solen’s fingers a squeeze… then squeaked in surprise as Solen leaned in, bumped snouts, and nuzzled her cheek. She whispered something into Tastka’s ear before drawing away, leaving the [Soulkeeper] even more flustered than after Duvad’s bold declaration.

  Showing remarkable tact, Kelas spoke up then. “Everyone here owes you thanks, Tastka. Even me. I promise even after I return to my people, I will try to speak to your clan more.”

  That seemed to snap Tastka out of her flustered stare. “I… I’d like that. And I think that would be good…” She flicked her ears up in a grateful expression to Kelas, then turned back to Fisk. “I’d better get going. Hadrask is fast, but he said it will be close to nightfall when we arrive.”

  She paused one last time. “Just… try to be careful.”

  “Don’t worry about us.” Fisk inclined his head and tilted his ears up. “This is what I’ve always wanted, I think.”

  Afterlife