Chapter 66
HAMILTON
A forest path unfurled in front of Hamilton. Light seeped through the canopy and strange birds called in the distance. Trees with impossibly glossy leaves flanked him as he ran with a cheetah swiftness toward the elven village.
In Realm of Rangers, every horizon beckoned to Hamilton. How ironic that he embraced danger in this treacherous imaginary world while the mundane town outside his door terrified him.
Maybe more pathetic than ironic.
Yet, he’d built a life despite his limitations.
Surely, that counted for something. He held a steady job, doing IT and database management.
He managed an online guild of a thousand people who shared a hobby and a passion.
And for the first time in decades, he was part of a friend group in real life, too.
A community. Nicholas texted him from grocery stores, asking if he needed anything.
Miles burst inside after school, to play games and get homework help.
Sophie and Lily-Ann competed with him on the New York Times puzzles, while Mrs. B brought rugelach and told him in painful detail the plots of TV series she’d watched.
Ocean scolded and encouraged him in equal measure, and he enjoyed that, too.
At the moment Anthony was in the other room listening to a book on tape. Choosing to spend time in Hamilton’s space. Hamilton rarely clicked with other men, and never with guys like Anthony. Until now. He felt a flush of gratification as he opened a chat window in his game.
There was still nothing from PB Cyntria, the “player behind” the Realm of Rangers character, the cop he’d asked for information about Sunny Wheeler’s murder.
Nothing yet, but once he secured the map from the Elf Queen’s alchemist, Cyntria would send him every scrap of evidence from the police servers.
Hamilton was doing everything he could to help.