The remainder of the escort passed without incident, Dassel's gratitude at the coast generous enough that the return leg felt almost like a holiday, and Garrick found himself, more than once, simply enjoying the company without the familiar weight of secrets pressing quite so heavily against his thoughts. It didn't erase what he carried. But it made carrying it, for those few days at least, considerably easier. They returned to Wolfsbane Crossing to find a second commission waiting almost immediately, a request from a nearby farming community plagued by a wyvern that had taken up residence in the nearby hills, picking off livestock with increasing boldness. "Simpler than Emberfall," Ilvara said, briefing the party before departure. "One creature, well documented behavior, manageable with a competent team. I want the four of you handling this one directly. Consider it a step up in responsibility." The farming community sat half a day's walk from Wolfsbane Crossing, a cluster of mo

Garrick found Wren in the practice yard the next morning, going through her usual drills before the day's business properly began, and the words came out steadier than he expected once he'd committed to actually saying them. "I need to ask for some time away," he said. "A relative of mine has taken ill. I'd like to go see her while there's still time to." Wren lowered her practice blade, sympathy immediate in her expression. "Of course. Take whatever you need." Fenn, arriving a few minutes later to find them mid-conversation, offered the same easy understanding once Garrick repeated himself, no hesitation, no doubt, simply the plain acceptance of one friend trusting another's word. It was Reyn, catching up to the three of them near the guild hall's entrance, who stopped short. "A relative," he repeated slowly, something puzzled crossing his face. "Corin, didn't you tell us, at the fire on Dassel's escort, that you didn't have any family left? No brothers, no sisters, no one w