People were milling about in town, but there was no doubt what the hot topic of the day was. Stone ignored them. He was used to slipping away when the fight was over, but this time was different. He had no reason to leave. He rode slowly along the path that led to Lorik’s property. The path was littered with bodies. It was a grotesque reminder of the battle Marsdyn’s Riders had waged on Stone and Lorik. The young warrior realized that in just about any other circumstances they wouldn’t have survived. Lorik had known exactly what to do, it seemed, and Stone was grateful. He was also tired. His body ached with the need to sleep. His eyes felt gritty and his stomach hurt. He rode slumped in the saddle, letting his horse make her own way along the path.
Vera had not been able to sleep. She and Opal had sat in the barn watching and waiting. The didn’t talk much; they were too worried, too frightened. When Vera saw Stone riding in, she was terrified until she realized that it was her Liam. Her heart leapt and then just as quickly dropped.
“I don’t see Lorik,” she said.
“Maybe he’s behind the horse,” Opal said hopefully.
They both stood up, straining to see, but it became obvious rather quickly that Stone was the only person returning. Vera tried to remain strong. She had gone over the possibilities as the hours passed in the dark night. She knew it wasn’t likely that they would both live. Still, she felt a dark abyss opening in her soul. She simply couldn’t fathom life without Lorik. He had always been there for her. Always strong and caring, he was her anchor and confidant, her lover and friend. Now he was gone and she couldn’t stop the tears.
She hurried down the ladder, Opal following close behind. They lifted the beam and opened the barn door, then hurried out to meet Stone.
“You’re bleeding again,” she said. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”
“No,” Stone said. “I’m fine. Lorik needs you. And Chancy, too. They’re still at the inn.”
“What happened?” Opal asked.
“We killed them all,” Stone said grimly. “You won’t have to worry about Marsdyn ever again.”
“Lorik is alive?” Vera asked. “Is he hurt badly?”
“Yes, although he won’t admit it. He needs you.”
“Here, let me help you down,” she said.
Stone hopped on his good leg until he got his balance. Vera started to lead him into the house, but he made her take him to the barn instead. He didn’t know exactly what Lorik had done to booby trap the house, and the image of Marsdyn with the sickle through his guts was too fresh in his mind. He couldn’t stand the thought of Vera accidentally opening the wrong door. There was hay in an empty stall and he laid down in it, falling asleep almost instantly.
Vera checked Stone’s wounds, wrapping clean bandages around the cuts on his leg. Then she climbed up into the horse’s saddle and then helped Opal up behind her. They rode through the tangle of dead bodies on the path, some burned, others covered in blood and gore. They didn’t look down and once they were past the carnage Vera urged the horse to a trot.
In town, people were starting to gather around the inn. They could see Marsdyn like a horrific scarecrow hanging in the door. Vera could feel Opal trembling behind her. She rode straight to the front of the inn, and some of the onlookers helped them down.
Vera had a small pack with her. It had clean bandages, the needle she used to stitch wounds, and a few herbs. They squeezed past Marsdyn’s corpse and found their men inside. Chancy was propped against the wall, sipping saka, with a bloody shirt wrapped around his head.
Lorik lay on the floor, struggling to breathe. The entire left side of his face was swollen and black. His eye was completely swollen shut, and his shirt hung down where Marsdyn’s sword had cut it. There was blood everywhere, but he was squirming, trying to find a comfortable position.
Vera hurried to him and knelt down.
“Lorik, how bad is it?”
“A few broken ribs,” he said, his voice tightly controlled as he fought the pain. “The cut isn’t deep.”
Vera tore his shirt off and sent Opal for water.
“What happened to your face?” she asked.
“Mert hit me. I didn’t see it coming.”
She gently probed his face with her fingers, causing him to wince, but the bones felt intact. She pulled out a little knife and held it close to his face.
“This is going to hurt a little,” she said.
She flicked the knife quickly, opening a small cut. Blood poured out, and the puffiness around Lorik’s eye eased slightly.
“Wow,” he said. “It feels better now.”
“I need to check your ribs,” she told him. “Don’t hurt me, I’m only trying to help.”
“Why would I—” he started to say, but she touched his side and the pain took his breath away. It took all his willpower to lay still as she pushed and probed his side. Finally, his vision began to blur and the room started spinning.
“I think I’m going to vomit,” he said.
Vera rolled him onto his good side just as his stomach erupted. The spasm was more than he could take and he passed out.
“Is he gonna be okay?” Chancy asked, his words slurred.
“Yes, he’ll be fine. I just need to get him stitched up,” Vera said. “Then I’ll take a look at your head.”
“It’s fine, just a scratch.”
“Chancy,” Opal said sternly, “don’t be stubborn.”
“I’m not, I’m not,” he said.
Vera found their bickering hard not to laugh at. The truth was she was so relieved she felt giddy. There was nothing she could do about Lorik’s broken ribs except tie a very tight bandage around them. She stitched up the gash, which took the better part of an hour. Lorik woke up briefly, but as soon as she helped him move to a more comfortable position he fell asleep again.
Opal helped her get a bandage wrapped around him and then two men from the village carried Lorik to one of the empty rooms. Vera pulled off his bloody pants and boots, then covered him with blankets.
Chancy’s forehead was cut. Marsdyn had sliced him open trying to get Lorik to rush into the building to save his friend. The cut had bled profusely, the blood running down into Chancy’s eyes and causing him to panic, but the wound wasn’t worrisome. Vera stitched it and then added some herbs to the wound before wrapping it in a bandage.
“He needs to get some sleep,” Vera told Opal. “I’m going back to Lorik’s place to check on Liam. Then I’ll come back here.”
The day was long for Vera. She managed to rouse Liam after she had seen to Lorik’s horses. She had to add a few more stitches to the cut in his thigh, but otherwise he seemed okay. He was sore and bruised, but not seriously hurt, so she helped him back on his horse. Together they went back to the inn.
When Lorik woke later that afternoon, Vera fed him broth and gave him a drink she mixed with saka and some herbs to help ease his pain and help him sleep. They spent a week at the inn before Lorik was back on his feet. Stone slept almost two days, then he saw to the bodies on the path. It was gruesome work, but it had to be done. Then he dismantled the booby trap Lorik had rigged on the other door to his small home. Vera cleaned everything, and Opal make sure everyone was well fed.
They sat outside the inn, eating under an awning at midday, with a cool breeze off the ocean ruffling their hair and clothes. Chancy was his old self, and Vera and Stone were obviously deeply in love. Lorik, on the other hand, felt more lost than ever.
“We’re leaving the Point,” Vera said.
“What? You can’t leave. This is your home,” Chancy said cheerfully.
Lorik looked up at Stone. He’d been expecting it, but the news still made his heart ache.
“I’m with her,” Stone said.
“I can’t go back to your house, Lorik,” Vera continued. “All I see is death when I’m there.”
“Where are you going?” Lorik asked.
“North,” she said. “I’m not sure where we’ll end up, but it’s time to leave the Marshlands and start fresh. Will you take us?”
“Why not take a ship?” Chancy said.
“I’m not a sailor,” Stone said. “Stones don’t float.”
Chancy laughed and poured everyone more mead.
“Sure, I’ll take you. I need to haul that last load from Pallsen to Yorick Shire anyway. I guess this means our partnership is over.”
“I’m sorry,” Stone said.
“Don’t be. In fact, take the Mascogee and a couple of my horses. It’s a gift, and it’ll get you started wherever you settle.”
“I can’t do that,” Stone said.
“Sure you can. Besides, I’m not giving them to you. I’m giving them to Vera.”
“I accept,” she said quickly.
“Good,” Lorik said. “That’s settled.”
“What are you going to do?” she said with concern. “You could come with us.”
“No,” he said quickly. “I’ve got unfinished work to do. You know I can’t stand it when I leave a job unfinished. And I want to explore a little. I want to find something that makes me truly happy.”
“You need a good woman,” Opal said, pouring more mead into his cup.
“He said he wants to be happy,” Chancy said. “Don’t ruin it.”
They all laughed. They spent the rest of the day planning. Lorik agreed to lead Vera and Stone out of the marshes, but after that he would go west to Yorick Shire while they went north up the coast. Lorik loved them both and staying together was tempting, but he didn’t want to crowd them. They needed space and Lorik planned to give it to them.
It took a week to arrange everything. Lorik needed a little more time to heal before they set out, and Stone was in no hurry to leave his friend. They spent time together everyday. Stone helped with small chores around Lorik’s property but stayed with Vera at Chancy’s Inn. When they left Hassell Point, Vera wept. She wasn’t sad to be leaving, but she had spent her whole life in the small village, and leaving dredged up memories that made her melancholy.
The trip through the marshes was uneventful. It was odd for Lorik to be traveling with a woman. He was used to being very disciplined in camp; he would rarely cook, and he’d make use of every minute of daylight. But this time was different. This time they moved more slowly. They cooked meals over the small campfires and stayed up late talking and laughing. Lorik was surprised how comfortable he felt around Stone and Vera. He had expected to feel out of place, but they didn’t flaunt their physical affection in front of him. When he did catch a glimpse of them kissing or talking in hushed tones, he didn’t feel jealous or lonely as he had expected. It made him happy to see the two of them together.
At the edge of the Marshlands they transferred all of Vera’s belongings from the marsh schooner to the Mascogee Lorik kept hidden in some brush. He had brought four Shire horses, leaving only the old broodmares behind. He gave Vera the stallion and one of the other mares, along with the Mascogee wagon.
It took two more days to reach Pallsen and even though the trip out of the marshes had been good for Lorik, he still planned to part ways with them once they reached the trading village. It was late when they reached the inn where Lorik and Stone had defeated Thuryk, and they were welcomed in like heroes. The innkeeper insisted they take complimentary rooms and wouldn’t hear of taking payment for their supper or drinks.
Vera sat back and listened to the locals telling exaggerated stories of how Lorik and Stone defeated the outlaws. The next day, Lorik went to the warehouse where the load of rice he had delivered for Hollist was waiting.
“You’re back,” Roran said happily when he saw Lorik. The white-haired candlemaker looked extremely happy.
“We got in last night, but I’ll be leaving soon,” Lorik told him.
“Where you headed?”
“I’ll take this load of rice to Yorick Shire. From there, I may do a little exploring. I’m not in a hurry to get back home at the moment.”
“Looking for anything in particular?”
“No,” Lorik said. “I just want to see what’s out there.”
“Well, good luck with that,” Roran said. “I’ve always preferred to stay close to home, myself. Griff’s been around some, but he’s a wanderer like yourself. Oh, hello, Stone. Good to see you again.”
“And you as well, Roran,” Stone said as he walked up to where Lorik was hitching his horses to the wagon he had just loaded with the bags of rice. “And where do you think you’re going?”
“I’ve got one job to finish,” Lorik said. “Then, I’ll go wherever the wind blows me, I suppose.”
“You haven’t taken Vera where she wants to go,” he said in a light tone, but Lorik recognized the pain Stone was trying to hide.
“That’s your job now. You two don’t need me meddling in your affairs.”
“You aren’t meddling and we want you with us. You and I are partners, remember?”
“Were partners,” Lorik corrected. “You have what you need to start your own business now.”
“Vera and I have talked about it. We don’t want you to go.”
“I appreciate that,” Lorik said. “But I think maybe I need some time. I don’t know what’s missing in my life, but I know that something isn’t right. I need to discover what makes me happy.”
“I don’t think leaving your friends will make you happy.”
“I’m not leaving you,” Lorik explained. “I’m giving you a chance to make a life for yourself.”