Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
Maude tightened her grip on the controller and leaned closer to the wide screen. The raid was running smoothly, almost unnervingly so.
Across from her on the big-screen TV she used as her monitor, the moonlit forest of Nightforge hummed with activity. There were fifteen hundred members of the Elthar Enclave who logged in across servers worldwide, but tonight the core group was a tight and efficient three hundred and twenty-eight.
This group knew what they were doing. Spells landed where and when they were supposed to. Tank builds held the line. Healers anticipated damage instead of scrambling to fix it afterward.
At the center of it all was IndigoJayne. Formerly second-in-command, now the new Crown Regent, the position Maude had once held. IndigoJayne was doing a great job, something that pleased Maude to no end. After all, she’d been the one to recommend IndigoJayne for the position.
“Push left—Red Camp scouts coming in fast,” IndigoJayne said into the coms. “If we keep that flank covered, we’ve got this.”
“On it,” Maude said. She smiled and adjusted her own position, fingers moving automatically. She knew this terrain. Knew how to time her attacks. Could pretty much guess when the orcs would push too hard and leave themselves open.
They always did.
The Red Camp charged in with heavy armor, exactly as predicted, brute force over strategy. Within minutes, they were defeated. The field was cleared, loot distributed, casualties to the enclave minimal. As it should be.
“Well done,” Maude said into her headset. “That was a clean run. Nice call on the flanking, too.”
“Thanks,” IndigoJayne replied almost immediately. She added a big, grinning emoji to the chat box. “Trying to live up to the crown.”
“You’re doing it, don’t worry.” Maude sat back in her chair and exhaled.
She hadn’t stepped down lightly. Being Crown Regent of the Elthar Enclave was a big job. It had required real leadership with plenty of responsibility. Fifteen hundred real people trusting her to make decisions, settle disputes, guide strategy.
But IndigoJayne was doing a fantastic job.
Nightforge was like a family to Maude. She had friends in the enclave. Real ones. Yes, it was an online video game, but for a long time, it had been her safe place. Her social community.
But life at the Colony had changed that.
She had new friends in the Queen Bees. A new relationship with Ollie.
Ned to check in on. And now there was Robbie to think of, too.
She had a calendar that filled up on its own.
There were new things that needed her attention every day.
People who knocked on her door to see how she was doing, people who relied on her.
And volunteering at the hospital had only added to that.
She listened as IndigoJayne handled the after-action chatter with calm authority, delegating teams, scheduling the next raid.
You’re doing great, Maude typed in a private message.
A second later, IndigoJayne answered. Coming from you, that means a lot.
Maude closed the chat window and let the game idle, the soft background music continuing as her screen filled with glowing trees and drifting embers.
She hadn’t lost her place in Nightforge by stepping back. She saw that now. What she’d really done was make room for her real life. It was bittersweet in some ways, but that was life, wasn’t it?
Maude typed a good night into the general chat, then logged out of Nightforge and went into the kitchen, the sudden urge for a snack coming on strong. She just wanted something quick and easy, and then she was going to bed.
Earlier than usual, but she had a date with Ollie tomorrow. No idea what they were doing, but he was coming by to get her and had told her to dress comfortably. Like she dressed any other way.
She was still standing there, cabinet door open, considering her options, when she heard Robbie come in.
The front door closed with more energy than necessary, followed by the sound of boots being kicked off and a low, satisfied sigh.
“Hey, there.” She glanced over her shoulder. “I was starting to think you weren’t coming back.”
“You’re not that lucky yet,” he said, but his voice was bright. “You would not believe the day I had.”
She smiled to herself as she pulled the jar of peanut butter from the cabinet. “Oh, yeah? Good day, then?”
“The best kind,” he said, appearing in the kitchen. His hair was disheveled, and there was a smear of something dark on his forearm. Wood stain, maybe. He looked tired, but in the way people did when the tiredness came from doing something they enjoyed doing.
Maude uncapped the peanut butter and turned to lean against the counter as she figured out what to do with it. “Tell me about it.”
“I’ve got everything out of my truck and into the shop,” he said, pacing just a little because he clearly couldn’t help it. He gestured with his hands, full of excitement. “The bench is in place. The tools are mostly up and arranged.” He grinned. “That space works so well. I lost track of time.”
“That’s all right. It’s a good sign,” she said.
He nodded. “I think so. I roughed out a new design tonight. It’s still got a long way to go, but it’s really solid. The tabletop joint held exactly like it was supposed to.” He shook his head, grinning. “I don’t remember the last time something came together that cleanly.”
Maude studied him for a moment, taking it all in. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen him this energetic.
“I was thinking about grabbing a snack,” she said. “Want something?”
“Only if you’re making it,” he said. “Because I’m starving.”
She snorted and grabbed two plates, then got two apples from the fridge and started slicing them. “Sit. You can talk and eat at the same time.”
Robbie laughed and dropped into a chair. “True.” He let out a sigh. “It’s good to sit, actually.”
As she spread peanut butter on the apple slices, she listened to him explain about the new design.
About getting the proportions right. About how quiet the place was once the roll-up door was down.
About ideas that kept coming faster than he could write them down.
How he’d stopped by a drug store to pick up a new notebook and had begun sketching out the ideas to keep track of them.
It wasn’t just him being excited. It was him making plans for the future in a way that felt really fresh and good. She held out a plate for him. “Here.”
“Thanks.” He took the plate, clearly starving, and practically devoured the first slice in a single bite. He talked around the food, calmer now. “I should’ve done this sooner.”
“Maybe,” she said. “Or maybe this is the exact right time you’re supposed to be doing it. You ever think about that?”
“You mean that everything in my life has led up to this moment? Don’t tell me you believe that.”
She shrugged and ate a slice. Two bites, though, because she wasn’t a wildebeest like her brother. “I don’t not believe it. Moving here led me to reconnect with Ollie. You think that would have happened if I’d moved to the Keys like Mom and Dad wanted?”
“No, but…I don’t know.”
Maude changed the subject as she watched him polish off another apple slice. He pulled the plate a little closer and picked up a third before he was even done chewing. If he wanted more, he was getting it himself.
“You think you’ll be ready for the arts and crafts fair?” she asked. “Four weeks isn’t a long time.”
Robbie wiped his hand on the half-sheet of paper towel he’d grabbed to use as a napkin.
“Ready enough,” he said. “I’ll have a few finished pieces and a couple in progress.
Might not look like much compared to some of the booths, but it’ll be the best I can do.
Plus, I should be able to knock out about a dozen or so of those charcuterie boards.
If I sell all of those, that will more than pay you back for the booth rental. ”
“The best you can do is all that’s required,” Maude said. “And listen, if you give me a solid price on those boards, I’ll let the Queen Bees know and get you a couple of preorders.”
“I’m thinking twenty-five bucks is fair and a couple of them already told me they wanted one when we were at Shooters. Which reminds me, maybe we can take a picture of one? Get it up on the website with a note about any state available? What do you think?”
“I can do that tomorrow, but if you’re going to sell stuff online, you’ll need to set up an online store. Which I can do. But I need to know how much a thing like that weighs to calculate shipping and all that.”
“Okay.” He took another apple slice. “But maybe that should wait. I don’t want to get bogged down in small stuff yet.
I know it’s important, but for that fair, I want at least one big thing there that I’m proud to put my name on.
Something impressive that shows what I can do.
I’m leaning toward a table and a sample chair, but I’ve thought about a rocking chair, too.
Anyway, if I can get one of those ready, I’ll be happy. ”
“You’ll get there,” she said. “And I’ll be available to help you the day of the fair. Not just loading and unloading but working the booth with you. Helping to sell. Getting the names of people who are interested. Whatever.”
That earned her a quick grin. “You’d do that?”
“Hey, I’m invested in this. I need you to be a success.”
His grin turned into something much more serious. “Yeah, so do I.”