Chapter 99
Back in my room, I closed the door behind me and looked around.
It was strange. A few days ago, this had simply been a guest room in an unfamiliar cottage. Now... it felt oddly difficult to leave.
I immediately shook the thought away.
"Don't get sentimental," I muttered to myself. "You've known this room for less than a week."
I pulled my satchel and my bag onto the bed and began packing. There wasn't much to take: clothes, a small pouch of coins, some dried herbs and bandages, some snacks for the travel. One by one, everything found its place.
Finally, my eyes fell on the living map. I carefully opened it across the bed. The silver lines shimmered faintly in the afternoon light, and the lone mark upon the Ashen Crown remained exactly where we'd left it. It hadn't changed-not a single line.
Beside it lay the compass. I picked it up and turned it over in my palm. The cool bronze felt strangely familiar now.
The grief that had weighed on me yesterday was gone. In its place was something quieter. Resolve.
I looked down at the compass. "You've dragged me into quite the mess," I murmured.
I rolled the map with deliberate care. Unlike my clothes... unlike everything else... these weren't leaving my sight. I slid the parchment into a protective leather tube before placing it securely inside my satchel. The compass followed.
Only then did I fasten the straps.
"There." I gave the satchel an approving nod. "Professionally packed."
A moment later, I frowned. "...I've definitely forgotten something."
I looked around the room:
The chair.
The wardrobe.
The window.
The bed.
Nothing seemed particularly eager to confess. I stared for another moment.
"...Nope."
I shrugged. "If I forgot it, it clearly wasn't important."
Satisfied with that flawless logic, I dropped onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.
---
The following morning arrived far earlier than I would have preferred. I stepped into the courtyard to find Rhaevan already waiting, his travel pack resting neatly at his feet.
Mine... was noticeably larger.
He glanced at it once, then at me. "I see you've packed lightly."
"I exercised tremendous restraint."
"I see."
I looked around the courtyard, hoping to spot a carriage. There was none. I frowned. "Rhaevan... how exactly are we travelling?"
"We're teleporting."
I stared at him. "How do you expect me to teleport with all these bags?"
He smiled, then casually lifted one hand. A circle of pale blue light unfolded in the air beside him, expanding into a dark, rippling space no larger than a doorway.
I stared. "...What?"
Without the slightest ceremony, he picked up his pack and tossed it into the darkness. It vanished. Then he reached for mine.
"Wait!"
He paused. "What?"
"Do that again."
He blinked.
"I'd like to watch."
A faint crease appeared between his brows. "...Watch?"
"It's incredibly cool."
"...It's merely a spatial storage spell."
"Merely?" I stared at the empty space where his bag had disappeared. "You opened a hole in reality and threw your luggage into it as though that's a perfectly ordinary thing to do."
The corner of his mouth twitched. "May I?" He gestured toward my bag.
I nodded eagerly. He lifted it and tossed it into the darkness, where it disappeared instantly. Then he reached for my satchel.
I quickly hugged it against my chest. "Not this one."
His expression turned questioning.
"The map and the compass are in here," I patted the satchel. "They're staying with me."
He considered that for a moment before nodding.
"Besides," I added, "if the map suddenly decides to reveal another ancient secret, I'd rather not have to climb into your magical luggage cupboard to read it."
This time, he actually smiled. "I don't believe that's how spatial storage works."
"Whatever." I adjusted the satchel against my shoulder. "I'm learning that... it's actually amazing. And extremely useful."
"All right," he said, sounding suspiciously amused.
Before I could ask what that was supposed to mean, a familiar chirp came from across the courtyard. Morning sunlight spilled between the trees, carrying the scent of pine and damp earth from the surrounding forest. Benedict was already waiting near the gate, and beside him sat Muffin.
The little moonfox perked up the moment it saw me. With an excited chirp, it bounded across the courtyard and launched itself at my legs.
"Oof." I laughed as tiny paws clung stubbornly to my boots. "Good morning to you too."
Muffin looked up at me with enormous silver eyes before rubbing its head insistently against my ankle. I crouched and scratched behind its ears. "I'm going to miss you too."
It answered with another soft chirp.
Benedict stood exactly as he always had, his hands folded behind his back, his expression warm and unhurried. Only this time... there was a quiet finality to it.
Rhaevan stepped forward first. "Thank you. For your hospitality. And for keeping your promise."
A gentle smile crossed the old man's face. "It was a promise worth keeping." His gaze shifted to me. "Take care, child."
I hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and wrapping my arms around him. "I will."
The old man stiffened in surprise. Then, after the briefest pause, he returned the embrace, one weathered hand resting gently against my shoulder.
When I finally stepped back, Muffin chirped indignantly. Apparently, it had decided it deserved equal attention.
I crouched once more and gently booped its tiny nose. "You'll take care of him while we're gone, won't you?"
It puffed out its chest proudly. "I'll take that as a yes."
Rhaevan raised one hand. Magic gathered around his fingertips before unfolding into a familiar teleportation circle across the ground. The runes shimmered quietly beneath our feet.
I adjusted the satchel resting against my shoulder, instinctively checking that the map and compass were still safely inside. Then I looked back one last time:
The little cottage .
The vegetable garden.
The crooked fence.
Benedict.
Muffin.
Somehow... it already felt like a place I'd remember long after this journey ended.
Benedict raised a hand. "May your road be kinder than the one behind you."
I smiled. "I hope so too."
The circle beneath us brightened. The world dissolved into light. The last thing I saw before everything disappeared was Muffin waving one tiny paw enthusiastically in our direction.
I couldn't help waving back.