He slept soundly, and profoundly, for a very long time, and awoke in a small, windowless room, with a stone floor and a stone ceiling, and lit by a pair of lanterns. Odo and Maya were both there -- Odo, his axe propped up against the wall, was sitting on a stool, snoozing, while Maya was looking away, pensively, apparently lost in thought. When Arai stirred, she immediately went to his side and knelt down by his bed.

  "How are you feeling?" she asked.

  "Maya," he murmured. "It's been a long time."

  "It has," she said. "For you, anyway, and for the world. Has it really been two years?"

  He nodded. "Two long years," he said. "A lifetime."

  "It's hard to believe. One minute I was fighting at your side, at the top of the Nightfall, and the next, I was digging my way out of a cellar with a little elf girl, who was frantically trying to explain what had happened to me, and who kept going on and on about Vex and a demon and a Night Queen that wasn't a Night Queen anymore." She stopped there. "She's really an elf, isn't she?"

  "Her name is Shell," he affirmed. He tried to get up, but Maya pushed him back down. He probably wouldn't have made it very far anyway; he was still sleepy, and sapped of energy. On the other hand, the pain in his side was no longer screaming at him; it was nothing more than a dull ache now. He suspected that Maya had plied him with some kind of drug.

  "Easy," she said gently. "You've lost a lot of blood."

  He allowed his head to sink back into the pillow. "How long have I been asleep?"

  "All night, and most of the morning. It's nearly noon."

  "Where am I? What's been happening?" He stopped, suddenly alarmed. "Where's Lillandra?"

  "You're in an inn in Hammersvik," she said. "What's been happening? Quite a lot, from what I understand. Where's Lillandra? A few doors down, with Shell, and this other man, Sir Estil."

  "Sir Estil," Arai murmured. "He's alive? He defeated Rollaug?"

  "Yes, but..." She frowned.

  "Tell me."

  "He won't survive. I did what I could for him, but his wounds ran too deep. He clings to life, somehow, but I don't expect him to live out the day."

  Arai sucked in a deep breath, summoning all his strength. "Help me up."

  "That's not a good--"

  "Help me up," he insisted.

  She sighed, wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and helped him to his feet. It took several minutes -- Maya practically had to drag him along -- but eventually they arrived at the room where they had placed Sir Estil. Lillandra and Shell were indeed there, at his bedside. Shell's eyes were full of tears, and she was clinging to Lillandra, whose eyes were also red.

  Sir Estil himself appeared to be sleeping peacefully. He was shirtless, but a great bandage had been wrapped around his arm, shoulder, and chest. Arai's heart sank to see him like this. The knight had always been a larger-than-life character, tall and proud, but without his armor, and in this fragile, infirm state, he looked like the old man he really was.

  Arai stumbled over to the girls and sat down beside them. "You're awake," Lillandra noted.

  "How is he?"

  But her only answer was to shake her head sadly.

  "Is there anything you can do for him?" Arai asked. "Some spell, some potion..."

  "It's too late for that," Lillandra said. "Not even my Golden Apple could have brought him back from this."

  Shell started sobbing. Arai reached out to comfort her, but before he could say anything, Sir Estil suddenly stirred, his eyes flickering open. He turned his head to look at them, and when he saw them, he smiled under his mustache. "My friends," he whispered.

  "Sir Estil," Arai greeted. His own eyes, he realized, were now filling with tears as well; he wiped them away.

  "It is not so bad," the old man said, "to die like this. I gave everything I had, and now, in the company of my friends, I go to meet the Perfect Knight. Shell?"

  She sniffled. "Yes?"

  "I want you to have my flute. And I want you to remember...to enjoy your youth. You have many years ahead of you, but you will only be this young for a short time."

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  "I'll remember," she said, between sobs. "And I'll learn how to play your flute."

  "Lillandra," Sir Estil continued, turning his eyes to her. "I wish you happiness. You deserve it, after all you've been through. And Arai...Arai?"

  "Yes, Sir Estil?"

  He took a deep, shuddering breath and continued. "Thank you for allowing me to accompany you on your adventures. There could have been no finer gift for a man of my years. And...thank you for giving me the chance to...to demonstrate the principles of knighthood to the people of Velon."

  Arai would have liked for his parting words to have carried more meaning, but in his grief, all he could think to say in reply was, "Thank you, Sir Estil. For everything."

  The old knight gave him one final smile, closed his eyes, and allowed himself to be carried off to sleep.

  * * *

  Though he was desperately tired, and deep in mourning for Sir Estil, Arai forced himself to soldier on -- he had many more questions about the current state of things. Lillandra helped him back to his room and sat him back down on the bed, and explained to him some of the things that had been happening since he had been asleep. Odo was still there, snoring.

  "Sir Estil's battle with Rollaug lasted nearly three hours," she told him. "It was the most extraordinary fight anyone had ever seen, apparently. Sir Estil finally managed to kill Rollaug around the same time we killed the Demon King. The Al'mud were so impressed with Sir Estil's bravery that they actually helped carry him back to the Graile."

  Arai had never even heard of the Al'mud doing something like that; Sir Estil must have made a very great impression on them indeed. "Then what happened?"

  "They carried off Rollaug's body as well, and built a huge funeral pyre for him. Allugog ignited it with the Black Maelstrom." She paused. "I don't think we have anything more to fear from Allugog. I saw him cast the Maelstrom, from the Graile; there's virtually no magia left in it. And Allugog himself is just an ordinary sorcerer. I suspect he found that zemi somewhere up in the mountains; it's very unlikely he made it himself."

  "What about the Al'mud? Have they attacked the Graile yet?"

  She shook her head. "No, and I don't think they will."

  "Oh?"

  She reached into her coat and removed an unusual-looking relic, made of horn, bone, and leather. "Your Dragon's Bit?" Arai ventured.

  "I called two large dragons out of the Frozen Mountains as soon as I got my hands on it. It took them a few hours to arrive, but they're currently perched on either side of the Graile's gates. I've got a thousand stipewolves and some ape-men under my control as well, though it'll take a little longer for them to get here." She shrugged. "Fortunately for us, Velon happens to be crawling with monsters at the moment."

  "Are you sure you can keep them under your control?"

  She scoffed at that. "I've had a lot of practice."

  "But will they really be enough?" Arai pressed. "To hold off the Al'mud?"

  That question was answered only a few minutes later, however, when Grizz came to visit them. "Arai! You're awake."

  "Barely," he said. "What's the situation?"

  A broad grin broke out over his face. "They're retreating."

  "Really?"

  "It's the dragons that did it," he said, grinning now at Lillandra. "The Al'mud have an especial fear of these creatures. Some of the warrior clans actually worship them, and these had no desire to try their luck against the two Leila summoned. They're not as big as Catalyus, but they are big." He exhaled slowly. "Your plan worked."

  "It almost didn't," he admitted. "If Sir Estil hadn't bought us more time..."

  Grizz's expression darkened. "I'm sorry I didn't get to speak to him before he died," he said. "You should have seen his fight. I only caught the final hour, but it was the most incredible thing I've ever been privileged to witness, a bard's tale brought to life. They'll be telling stories about him here until the end of time."

  "I hope so," Arai murmured.

  "It remains to be seen whether these dragons will intimidate the Holy Legion," Grizz continued. "But they've bought us some time, at least." He stopped to examine Arai. "Are you going to be all right? I heard you ran into some trouble at the Nightfall..."

  "Vex," he said. "He took it over after the Night Queen...died. He had his own agenda."

  "I see," Grizz said gravely.

  Vaix appeared then, with some more news and updates, and Grizz was obliged to take his leave. Lillandra, too, went to find Shell, leaving Arai alone in the room with Odo. The big man seemed to have been sleeping through the entire conversation, but now he cracked an eye open and fixed it on Arai. "Grizz doesn't know. About Lillandra, I mean."

  "No," Arai said. "He doesn't."

  Odo crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Arai squarely. "I don't trust her."

  "I don't blame you."

  "She hasn't put a spell on you, has she?"

  "Not that I know of."

  He leaned back in his seat, considering. "You've fallen in love with her."

  "Yes," he said unflinchingly.

  He shook his head, dismayed. "Well, at least you're honest about it. But damn, boss. How the hell did this happen?"

  "We've been together for the last two years," he said. "Through thick and thin. We've fought monsters together, and pirates, and demons, and swordsmen. She helped me escape from a prison in Grand Skir; she saved me from a sorcerer called the Aeromancer. We've crossed deserts, and mountains, and seas. I helped nurse her back to health after she was stabbed by an Elentish assassin in the Scarred Lands." He looked up. "I told you before, she's not what we thought she was. She was a confused, grief-stricken girl when she conquered Velon, and she's making up for it now, as best she can."

  "She tried to kill us. And she turned me to stone."

  "She turned you back."

  He snorted. "True enough. Very well, then. I won't stand in your way. I only hope you know what you're getting yourself into."

  "Thanks, Odo."

  The big man nodded at him, then got up and left, looking for something eat. A moment later, just as Arai was settling back down into bed, he noticed Maya peeking her head into the room. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop," she said hesitantly. "But I heard some of that."

  "Ah." He invited her in with a wave, and she sat where Odo had been sitting. "I suppose I should explain myself," he said awkwardly.

  "There's no need," she said, brushing a bit of blonde hair over her ear. "The heart wants what it wants."

  "I've heard that before," he said, sighing.

  "I would like to know more about her, though," she went on. "And about your adventures. I suppose the elf girl is proof of it, but it's still hard to believe. Were you really thrown to the other end of the world? Did you really cross the Scarred Lands?"

  "Yes," he said. "And I never would have made it home without Lillandra."

  "Tell me."

  He propped himself up on his pillow, and after taking a moment to gather his thoughts, he told her.