Andy and Arlene made their way back to the cottage, passing back through the quiet forest.

  “A great darkness? What do you think Gimotria meant by that?” Arlene asked, breaking the silence.

  “I'm not really sure,” Andy said.

  The crone's words were cryptic. He didn't want to dwell too much on such an uncertain, if ominous oracle.

  “Well, everything she predicted seems to line up with what we know about the current situation,” Arlene said. “She knew we were searching for Millford, and told us which direction to go. She explained the Green Dragon, the drama around the noble court and the guild war… all of it.”

  “I'm not saying she's wrong,” Andy said. “I'm just saying I don't know what her words mean… at least in my case. Your oracle was pretty clear… you're going to be a badass fighter.”

  “She did say that, didn't she?” Arlene smiled.

  Andy smiled with her, but his sympathy was short-lived. He felt himself withdrawing, his mind racing around the enigmatic divination he had been given. What did Gimotria mean by a great darkness?

  “Oh lighten up,” Arlene said after a while. “It’s one of those classic fortune-telling tricks. You give somebody a very general, vague idea of what may or may not happen, and then you let confirmation bias do the rest of the work. Great darkness… that could mean a great night's sleep for all we know.”

  Andy chuckled to himself. “I guess you're right,” he said.

  At least I hope so…

  The pair continued back down the road out of the forest. Soon enough they cleared the tree line and saw Natham's cottage in the distance.

  “And can you believe she thought we were lovers?” Andy asked. His heart immediately jumped into his throat.

  Why did I just say that? Why did I just have to make it weird… gah!

  Arlene stopped, looking at him with widened eyes, an expression of surprise…

  Then she smirked.

  “Yeah, I can believe it,” Arlene said as she continued to walk in front of him. She glanced back at him and smiled as she continued ahead.

  That look put butterflies in his stomach.

  “Wait… what?” Andy whispered almost inaudibly.

  I really hope I'm not reading too much into this… But I think she just made a move.

  Andy stood for a moment, lost in thought as he saw Arlene, who was now potentially something more than a friend. This was what the millennials called the “talking” stage. That is, if he was reading the situation correctly

  That's a big ‘if.’

  Arlene, now several dozen feet ahead of him, turned around and walked slowly backwards as she called back to Andy. “Are you coming or what?”

  ***

  The pair passed the small grove where Andy had meditated the day before. They descended the stone steps and entered the cottage yard.

  PL slept loudly under a nearby tree, with Sven snoring, head propped up by PL’s hind leg. Kermit slept on PL's back.

  “Sleepy boys,” Arlene said, heading for the cottage door.

  Andy followed close behind her.

  A Three Butlers spell tinkered on the cottage windows, nearly completely repaired from the previous day's mayhem. Disembodied hands swept up debris and replaced glass window panes.

  “Welcome back,” came Morwen's voice as Andy ducked through the entryway. She stood by a counter, slicing an apple and placing it on a tray of other fruits and cheeses. “How was your trip?”

  “Eventful,” Andy said, unstrapping his scabbard and pack, setting his gear against a bare section of wall.

  Verin and Natham were nowhere to be seen.

  Probably resting, Andy thought.

  Arlene took a piece of fruit and leaned against the counter, throwing Andy a knowing glance and a smile from behind Morwen.

  “Care to elaborate?” Morwen asked.

  “Well, we happened upon a Dissident, does that mean anything to you?” Andy said.

  Morwen smiled as she picked a cube of cheese from the tray, popping it in her mouth nonchalantly. She chewed slowly, lost in thought.

  Is she buying time to think out a response? Usually she has a quick answer for everything…

  “Yes, that does mean something to me,” Morwen replied after some time. “What does it mean to you?”

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  Andy approached the tray and picked a piece of cheese for himself, a chunk of something akin to brie with a honey walnut crust. The crunch, sweetness, and tangy creaminess worked together perfectly…

  “I think,” Andy began, reaching for a water pitcher and pouring himself a glass of water, taking a sip. “I think it means this continent is much bigger and more complicated than I had imagined.”

  “I would agree,” said Morwen. “And who was it that you met?”

  “Gimotria,” Arlene said.

  “Who?” Morwen said, spinning around to look Arlene in the eye.

  “An old witch,” Andy said, answering for her.

  Morwen spun back around to face Andy .

  Arlene came to stand beside him. Her shoulder brushed him lightly.

  “Gimotria,” Morwen muttered quietly under her breath.

  “She was very nice,” Andy said. “In fact, she read our fortunes.”

  “That's a rare opportunity,” Morwen said. “You may not realize it, but Gimotria is one of the more powerful spellcasters in the region.”

  “Really?” Andy said. “She was just tending an old shrine. She made us some tea and tossed some coins around. That's it.”

  “What did she tell you? There are people who would pay a fortune to have her perform divination for them. You must recount every piece of information she gave you.”

  “Well,” Andy began. “She told us we'd find Millford in the northwest… she told us the Green Dragon was working at the behest of the Wizard Pendrake, and she predicted division and strife in Cresthaven.”

  Andy decided to leave out their more personal oracles, at least for the moment.

  Morwen nodded. “That checks out.” She looked at the floor, lost in thought for a moment.

  “She talked about some of the Dissidents too,” Arlene said. “Pendrake, Pabst, and I think a warlock? Named Schelling.”

  Morwen looked up quickly, an expression of alarm coming over her face. “You must not utter that name in this house!” She spat in a harsh whisper.

  Arlene raised her eyebrows. “Sorry, I–”

  “It's not your fault. I'll explain later. But for now, forget that name.”

  Arlene nodded.

  What’s got Morwen so bothered about the name Schelling?

  “So what does this all mean?” Andy asked.

  “It means that when we return to Cresthaven, things are about to change. Control of the Noble Court will go to Sethor soon, and he will be intent on consolidating power. The Order of the Behemoth will likely oppose him, and loyal guilds will defend him. We may find ourselves in an armed conflict. And if we do… well…” Morwen trailed off.

  “What?” Andy asked.

  “I need to know where the two of you stand,” Morwen said. “I assume you would fight on behalf of the commoner, alongside the Order of the Behemoth, but I need to hear it from you.”

  There was a beat of silence. Andy began to realize that the situation was serious. Making an alliance with Morwen and the Order of the Behemoth was not something to do lightly, especially when violence was on the horizon. Still, he had seen enough of the nobility to despise them.

  “I am no friend of nobles,” Andy said.

  “Me neither,” said Arlene.

  “Very well,” said Morwen. “We’ll talk more about strategy later. For now, just know that after your mission with Verin, you’ll be level 1 fighters. You’ll then be able to progress in the fighter class and earn new feats. You’ll need to grind it out, and I mean fast. We don’t have time to lose.”

  “What about other classes?” Andy asked.

  “What do you mean?” Morwen asked. “You’ve already sunk so much time into Fighter. I suppose you could multi-class, but you’d need to join a different guild. It would slow down your progress… Why do you ask about other classes?”

  “Well, Arlene had the oracle that she would be a great fighter,” Andy said, gesturing toward his friend.

  Morwen nodded. “She will, indeed.”

  A faint trace of a smile crossed Arlene’s lips.

  “But I was told something more… vague I guess,” Andy continued.

  “Go on,” said Morwen.

  “I was told that I would experience, and I quote, ‘a great darkness.’ She didn’t mention anything about progressing in the fighter class for me.”

  Morwen paused as Andy’s words hung in the air.

  “I told him it was a silly thing to get worked up about,” Arlene said, breaking the tension.

  “Perhaps,” said Morwen, “but perhaps not. If Gimotria confirmed your progression in the fighter class but not Andy’s, then it’s at least something to consider… I’ll think things over.”

  “For the record,” Andy said, “I’d prefer to remain with the fighters and progress in the fighter class.”

  “Good to know,” said Morwen. She took another bite of cheese, chewing slowly. “Maybe Arlene is right. You never know with the more cryptic prophecies of diviners.”

  Andy nodded. Morwen was taking this much more seriously than he had imagined. It seemed that Gimotria really did command respect, at least from Morwen.

  “On another note, I have more news to report from Verin,” Morwen said. “He’s currently tending to Natham, but we spoke this morning. I suppose you should know more about him, since I won’t be accompanying you to Siren’s Bay.”

  Andy nodded.

  “Verin is a noble, albeit a minor one,” said Morwen. “But, he is aligned with us. He fancies himself a revolutionary and despises the decadence of the Noble Court.”

  “Makes sense,” said Arlene.

  It made sense to Andy, too. Verin seemed quite different from the other nobles he had met, more down to earth.

  “He has been spending the last few weeks covertly visiting the Dissidents of the Cresthaven region, attempting to establish allyship between them and the Order of the Behemoth.”

  “Oh,” Andy said. “That’s a big deal, right?”

  “Yes,” Morwen said. “A very big deal.”

  “Has he had any success yet?” Arlene asked.

  “Not yet,” Morwen said. “He has only just begun. These things take time. But I bring it up to give you some context here. Verin is a noble, yes, but he is risking his life to establish a coalition powerful enough to challenge the Noble Court. If he were caught, he’d be killed… or worse.”

  “So he’s a double-agent,” Andy said.

  Morwen nodded. “And he’s ultimately on our side. But you need to be careful how you speak about him. As far as you’re concerned, he’s a noble-born huntsman who spends his time chasing game all across the region. Got it?”

  Andy and Arlene both nodded.

  “If this is all happening, why is the hunt for the chimera a priority?” Andy asked.

  “You’ll have to ask him,” Morwen said.