Remember

We found ourselves in a nice room. It wasn't as fancy as the lobby, but it felt comfortable. Three beds lined the left side of the room. A normal sized bed and a queen-sized bed were on our right. Each bed had a nightstand and trunk, except the two-person bed, which had two of each.

I set the basket with Mayliam's and my stuff down in front of one of the beds, then turned to leave.

Mayliam caught my unbandaged arm. "Where are you going?"

"Roof. I go think." I shook my arm from her grasp, and went bsck down the hall towards the staircase.

There was a square door in the ceiling of the top of the staircase. The ceiling was slanted like the roof, meaning no attic, at least here.

I used a small ladder attached to the wall to climb to the door and push it open. Cool night air and starry sky greeted me as I climbed out onto the shingles, then closed the hatch behind me.

At this vantage, I could barely see the tops of the trees beyond the wooden fortifications. Watchmen with torches stood in each of the four directions, looking out into the forest.

Just like the watchman in Farsfield should have been.

I shut my eyes as my breath caught from the memory. Goblins. Men dying. My stand against them in front of the hospital-church. My failure.

I didn't deserve anything. Not companions, not life. I should walk away again.

"Argolex?"

I jumped, spinning around to the voice that called me. Kendalyn was poking out of the stairwell, where I had come out onto the roof. Her green hair swayed in the gentle breeze.

When I didn't respond, she climbed out carefully and walked slowly along the roof. She sat next to where I stood.

"Come, Argolex, sit down."

I sat down, looking out on the street with Kendalyn.

She grabbed me and pulled me close, in a side embrace.

"You remind me a lot of my son, Argolex. Did you ever get to know Jeremua?"

"No. I work where Kalamay say."

"I see. You have a lot of things in common with him. I guess it's hard to not see him in you. You are the same age, as one reason."

I let her speak. Let her say what she wanted.

"I miss him. It's only been a few days, but I miss his smile. His can-do attitude."

"I not him."

"No," Kendalyn replied. She had bags under her eyes, and I finally noticed some wrinkles in her face. "But I would miss you all the same."

A tear leaked from my unbandaged eye. Then another. They slowly increased until I was soaking Kendalyn's shirt with my tears and snot.

She readjusted and brought me into a frontal hug.

"Kalamay is still watching, young hero. So is Jeremua, Stephasha, and Aubrianna. You're not alone, and there is so much that only you can do."

I sobbed for several minutes, letting the grown woman hold me. Finally, the tears dried up, at least in my eyes.

She brushed the left side of my face, the bandage. "You've soaked through your bandage. Let's get it changed."

I followed her down the hatch and to our room. When we returned, Kendalyn shared a look with Elengail. Elengail understood.

A bowl of hot water and bandages sat on a nightstand. After making sure the door and windows were closed, and we had no visitors, I took off my shirt and unbandaged my arm and face. The scars stretched halfway across my chest, but most of them were hidden with my shirt. The black etchings were unchanged over the days.

Kendalyn and Mayliam helped me put bandages on while Elengail kept watch and Faivere stood idly, staring off into space. With the help, it went a lot faster. What had taken me an hour and a mirror took the two women twenty minutes.

"Thank you, Kendalyn, Mayliam." I said once they were done. I pulled my shirt on over the fresh bandages. They felt nice, and were still warm.

"Of course," Mayliam said, "whenever you need to change your bandage, let me know, okay?"

"I can do."

"We'll have to earn money and buy supplies if we want to move on," Elengail noted, after waiting to be sure the conversation was over.

"I kill monsters, sell pieces." I said.

"We can't rely on you alone, Argolex. And with your common as it is, it would be difficult for you to get any selling done. Plus, fighting monsters is dangerous."

"I careful," I glanced at Kendalyn, "I not go meet gods yet."

She nodded, then added, "There isn't a lot of farmland here in the forest. I'm not sure I have many useful skills."

"Ummm..." Mayliam mumbled.

"What was that, Mayliam?" Elengail asked.

"I, uh, would like to learn to fight with blessings from the gods. I could help Argolex hunt monsters, and defend us when we're being attacked."

"With Argolex's confidence, maybe we do need that." Faivere interjected.

"Faivere!" Elengail exclaimed.

"No, she right," I said, "I teach. Do tomorrow?"

Mayliam nodded.

"Then, what about the rest of us?" Elengail asked.

"Maybe you could sell what those two bring back, and I will weave baskets. It's been a while, but I should be able to." Kendalyn suggested.

"I don't mind that idea. What about you, Faivere?"

"I'll keep myself busy."

"Sure you are. Well, I'm not your mother, so I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to."

"Let's get to bed," Kendalyn said, "it sounds like we have a busy day tomorrow."

We all agreed, and chose separate beds. I intentionally selected one of the one-person beds, in case Mayliam or Faivere got any ideas. Elengail ended up with the big bed, and the other three were lined up on the other wall.

For the first time since the goblin raid, I slept soundly.