Sleeping in such a nice bed was disorientating for Cal when he woke up. It wasn’t just that he wasn’t used to it, but he felt that somehow he didn’t deserve it. He slept well enough though, he barely had any nightmares just the less extreme ones about tombs and fire.

  When he did finally wake, he found Veil curled up on top of the quilt with a muddy trail leading out of the room. The strength of the light coming in through the window led Cal to believe that it was still early morning. He considered rolling over and going back to sleep but decided against it. There was preparation he could do. He climbed carefully out of the bed, being sure not to wake Veil and got dressed in a set of light clothes, then walked to the door and slipped out only pausing briefly to check Veil hadn’t woken up.

  Outside his room, Cal jogged down the stairs and then down into the kitchen, where Kaila had set up her bedroll and was sleeping under the table. She had explained that the fanciness of the house made her uncomfortable and had brought up some memories she didn’t really want to face, so she’d opted to sleep down there.

  Cal did his best not to wake her, walking past to the pantry where he got a bread roll and filled a water-skin. On his way back Kaila stirred.

  “Cal? What time is it?” She asked, sleepily.

  “Early still.” He told her. “I’m going to go for a ride. You should sleep. You’ll need your energy later.”

  “Okay…” She said before dozing back off. Cal smiled at her. In the week they’d been together he’d grown to like her, perhaps even to care for her. Powers or no.

  He walked back out and headed straight for the front door. As he opened it a voice behind him said, “Going for a run?”

  Cal turned to find Meliana, dressed in similarly light clothes, no leather cloak in sight and only a few skulls on her body. “A ride. I want to get a look at the area we’re going later so I have a good mental image for when it’s dark. Plus yesterday was the first day since I met her that I didn’t ride Melt so I wanted to give her a run.”

  “I’ll join you if you don’t mind.” Meliana said, jogging down the last couple of steps and walking up to Cal.

  “Sure, it’s been a while since we rode together, just the two of us.” Cal agreed.

  “I mean… like, a week.” She countered.

  “Oh yeah, you’re right.” Cal agreed. “I guess I do mind then?” He said it as a question mocking her.

  She rolled her eyes, ruffled his hair and opened the door to leave. "Come on Little Blade."

  They went out to the stables and twenty minutes later they were ready to go, leading the horses out into the square and mounting up. They rode slowly through the city, just a simple walk so as not to risk hurting anyone, but there weren’t many people out so they probably hadn’t needed to be so considerate. Miners would usually be off to work around then, but being barred from the mines meant that they were free to sleep in. With no workers leaving early, the cooks who made them breakfast had no reason to prepare their stalls and with no silver the silver smiths had no reason to start their forges. The only people up were shop owners or farmers and it was the farmers that were the most in their path.

  “So did you want to talk about something specific, Liana, or just miss me?” Cal asked, grinning as he looked over at her. He then frowned at her expression. She looked concerned. “What?” He asked.

  She looked over at him and brightened a little. “It’s nothing. I just… tonight is going to be an ordeal.” She said.

  They rode through the city gates and away from listening people. “You’re worried about the job?” Cal asked.

  She nodded. “I’m worried about the job… and about you.”

  Cal raised his brows. “About me?” He repeated.

  “I know that when this all started you didn’t want to join because you didn’t like to work in groups.” She said. “I made you come with me but… we’re about to move forward, this is the point of no return so, as your friend I wanted to give you the chance to back out. You can keep the pay I already gave you, there should be enough to pay off the debts you owe and you can take Melt. No hard feelings.”

  Cal frowned at her, his feelings somewhat hurt. “You don’t want me going along?”

  “It’s not that.” She assured him, looking over. “You’re my friend, Cal, I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t give you a chance to get out of danger.”

  Cal eyed her for a long moment and then looked out ahead of them. The sun was still rising in the east and people were just now making their way back and forth from the farms. There were a few travellers coming in from the south as well, but it was still very quiet.

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  It’s true, Cal hadn’t wanted to join this mission. He hadn’t wanted to join a group. He hadn’t wanted to get close to people and care about them. He hadn’t wanted to watch them walk into a dangerous situation, knowing that he could lose them.

  But he had done all of that. He’d almost lost them all, almost had to kill Kaila himself in the goblin caves. He shook his head and sighed, a little annoyed at himself for his decision. “I can’t just walk away knowing all of you are going into danger without me.” He said. “I couldn’t do that to Kaila, to Veil or to you. I could maybe do it to Teth.” He half joked. “And besides; isn’t the whole reason I’m here to watch your back?”

  Meliana smiled, though there was a sadness to her smile. “You’re right. I was being stupid. Sentimental in my old age.”

  “Aren’t you, like, a hundred and fifty? That’s young for an elf isn’t it?” Cal asked.

  She smiled sadly at him and nodded, looking ahead again. “Lets give them their run, huh?” She said, kicking her horse into a gallop and speeding away before Cal could ask her anything further.

  Cal watched her ride off and for a second wondered what their lives would have been like if they’d stayed with Varian and the Blades. He wondered where they were now, what they were up to. But then he leaned forwards and called out, “Catch up to her, Melt!” Squeezing with his legs to motion her forward, though he had learned already that he didn’t need to.

  Melt leapt from a walk to a gallop instantly, moving as fast as her legs could take her. They followed behind Meliana, taking them further south and east. Their playful race and run was a perfect cover for why they were seemingly running off in no particular direction. It allowed them to go one way and then round to another, getting a good look at the whole area before eventually turning towards the mines without anyone paying them any mind.

  It was quite clear when they were getting close to the mine because the grassy fields became gravelly. There were pieces of mining equipment laying around - mostly broken and discarded, but some that had been stacked ready for use.

  As they drew closer they slowed down and Cal caught up to Meliana. They rode along towards where they knew the mine entrance would be, and soon enough a wooden frame with about ten guards appeared ahead of them. The guards looked relaxed, but when they saw Cal and Meliana they stood up, ready to defend.

  “Ten of them,” Meliana said, leading Root to turn so that they were no longer riding towards the entrance. She made a show of waving to the guards so that they didn’t think that they were being suspicious and then they continued riding.

  “I’d guess the mayor pulled guards from elsewhere for the collection so he could keep this main entrance guarded.” Cal replied. “Veil’s side entrance will have less guards. He saw two last night. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was just one this morning.”

  “Lets not go check.” Meliana decided. “Right now they probably think nobody knows about it, but if they see us they might reinforce that post.”

  Cal nodded his agreement. “When we get back I’m going to settle Melt then goget some supplies from the village, then there’s nothing much else we can do except wait for the evening.”

  Meliana led her horse to turn again, aiming them back towards the town and Cal followed suit. “There’s one last thing I wanted to talk to you about.” She said a little more seriously.

  Cal frowned. “What is it?” he asked.

  “The necromancer.” She said. “You’ve been spending a lot of time with her.”

  Cal turned to look at Meliana, a brow raised in confusion. “At your instruction.” He reminded her. “My responsibility right?”

  She nodded, conceding the fact. “True, but, it seems like more than watching. It seems like you’re growing close and I need to know that if things go bad you’ll have my back.”

  “I don’t think they’ll-”

  “Cal. You know what power is like.” She said. “Now I don’t care about death magic or fire magic or ice magic or whatever. Power corrupts. People with some seek out more. The item we’re after is a necromantic artefact, who knows what she could do with it.”

  Cal frowned, recalling her explanation two weeks earlier. “I thought you said that it was used to give someone necromantic powers.” Cal reminded her. “What could she do with that?”

  Her eyes ever so briefly widened in a surprise, then she seemed to visibly relax, as if she had been being silly. “Yes, you’re right. Just…” She reached over and grabbed Cal’s shoulder, causing him to turn and meet her eyes. “Eyes open, yeah?” She said, leaning forward.

  Cal looked across at her, leaning his head against hers in a familiarly nostalgic motion as he smiled and said “Yeah.”

  When he said that Melt side stepped, parting the two of them and nearly pulling Meliana off of her horse. They rode the rest of the way back to the village in comfortable quiet. As they arrived back they were able to watch the sombre procession of guards, out of work miners and wagons as they left to gather the bodies, just as Cal had expected.

  Meliana leaned over to him. “You were right.” She told him. “The job goes ahead tonight. Go prepare and I’ll see you later.”

  She turned and rode off, back towards the house.

  Cal took a deep breath and watched her go. He still couldn’t believe that she’d asked him to leave the group. Well, not asked so much as offered to let him. He turned away from her and didn’t immediately follow her orders, instead hewatched the villagers filing out of the city.

  At any other time he’d have gone with them, helped them gather the dead, helped them deal with the emotional turmoil of it all. Meliana had even given him the out to go do that, but today he was in some ways the cause of their worries. Not really, but after Meliana’s offer he was in that kind of mood.

  As much of an asshole as it made him, he knew he should have taken her up on her offer. He could have paid off his debts and gone back to drinking and making more right away. He had no business being in a team, not after last time, and yet… he knew that if he left and things went wrong without him he’d never be able to live with himself. He’d both never be able to join a team for fear of it going wrong and never be able to let people go without him, for fear that he might have been able to protect them if had been there.

  Cal sighed. He truly was a nonsense person. He reached for Melt’s reigns, content to just be annoyed with himself and she turned, then started heading back for the house without being told.

  “One last team job.” He told himself.

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