Jeremy thought about his options as he walked back through the cavern. He wanted nothing more than to bypass Serenveil entirely. The political quagmire waiting for him was a headache he could feel in advance. He suspected Mayor Thalorin had ties to Karn’s scheme—too many coincidences—but suspicion wasn’t proof. Accusing a man of Thalorin’s stature without evidence would only dig his grave deeper.

  If it came to it, he could stand on the Rune of Truth again and testify. But the thought made his stomach twist. He still couldn’t read those runes, not fluently, and had no way of knowing if one had been tampered with—if a rune had been laid to punish honesty with death, or if such a thing even existed. The uncertainty gnawed at him.

  When he walked to the hole they had dropped through he sent Mel up to check the surroundings for enemies.

  “The area is clear. You can come up,” Mel said.

  Thankful for being a frog Jeremy squatted low and leaped clear through the hole and about five feet too high.

  I’d be pretty good at basketball back home, Jeremy thought evaluating his vertical leap to be at least twelve feet.

  “What is basketbaw?” Mel said.

  “It’s ball. Basketball. It’s a game that is extremely fun to watch, but I was never really good at playing it. Let’s put it this way, I got cut my sophomore year in high school even though the team would only have six players. I would have been the seventh. That’s pretty bad.”

  “Will you show me this game?”

  “Yeah, I’ll show you. I think you will like it.”

  Jeremy evaluated his situation. It was dark and the moons were pretty high. Jeremy assumed it was probably close to midnight.

  “I believe if we can get back before dawn, we can rent a room, get some more rest, then get up, go sell our stuff, and then try to get a ride back to Elaria. I’m going to try and avoid the mayor.”

  [I believe he will know when we arrive. He will have someone watching for us, I’m sure.]

  “I thought you were supposed to be positive. I think that was the most negative thing you’ve ever said.”

  [It was only truth. Not negative. Negative would be to say that I believe you will be caught and tortured upon our arrival.]

  “Jeez,” Jeremy said, looking at his friend suspiciously. “You’re right! That is definitely negative.”

  They made it to town in about 20 minutes. The gate was closed, but the guard let Jeremy in without question. They walked to the inn and booked a room for the rest of the night.

  “Night’s almost through, but I’ll take yer coin,” the inn-keeper said. “There’s some left-over stew if yer hungry. It’s cold, but it’ll fill yer belly.”

  “We’ll take the room and the stew, thank you,” Jeremy said. He handed the old man a gold coin and received 40 silvers in change. Moments later, the man returned with a bowl of thick stew. Jeremy wished for a microwave.

  [What is a microwave?] Mel asked.

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  “It is an amazing invention that can re-heat or cook food in a very short time. Like fire in a box, but it’s really difficult to burn things unless it’s popcorn. Ugh. Burnt popcorn smells awful.”

  [What is popcorn?]

  “I’ll show you when we get to Earth, inquisitive one.”

  The stew tasted fine even though it was a little salty. Jeremy ate a bite then shared a bite with Mel until the bowl was empty. They went to their room, locked it, and went to sleep.

  They were rudely and loudly awakened a few hours later by the royal guard.

  ?

  “I am surprised you didn’t come here first instead of going to the inn,” Thalorin said. “Where is Karn and your companion?”

  “They died,” Jeremy said.

  “Tell me what happened.”

  Jeremy looked around for runes, but didn’t see anything. He could either tell the whole truth, tell some of the truth, or lie completely. If he didn’t handle this right, the mayor could turn his life into a nightmare.

  “The Moonwarden was very powerful,” Jeremy said. “I wouldn’t have survived without the sacrifice of my companions and the blessing I received from Nivalár.”

  “What blessing?” Thalorin asked. Jeremy wasn’t sure if he would continue to probe and ask questions attempting to catch Jeremy in a lie, so he stuck with as little truth as possible for now.

  “Nivalár restored my mana and guided me to say the Moonwarden’s name and his daughter’s name. Repeating her name angered him. He lost his grip on the spiritual world and became corporeal. I was able to use my abilities, amplified by the Tear of Nivalár, to finally defeat him.”

  “How did Karn die?”

  Crap! He would have to tell him something. “Fire. He was burned to death by a soul flame which penetrated disregarding flame resistance. He died fighting, with his sword in his hand.”

  “And your companion? The bald one?”

  “Eli,” Jeremy said. “Eli was stabbed to death with a sword. He died while throwing me a mana potion that boosted me just enough to win the fight. I would not have survived without their help.”

  “Hmmm,” Thalorin contemplated. “Yes, indeed. I believe you would not have survived. Well, what is done is done. Are the bodies still in the Veil? And Karn’s things?”

  “Sir, the bodies are there. I took the potions and food Eli was carrying. I left Karn with his armor, because I was unable to carry it.”

  Jeremy was hoping this line of questions was over. He hadn’t lied, yet, but if the questioning continued, he would have to.

  “Okay,” Thalorin said. “I will send some soldiers to retrieve their bodies, and we will send Eli's body back to Elaria for proper burial. If you will excuse me, I have other business to handle as well. Good day.”

  He seemed to be a little irritated, which Jeremy believed was because the scheme had failed.

  After leaving the mayor’s mansion, Jeremy’s first visit was to the alchemist shop. The alchemist had created several vials of antidote for Jeremy’s venom.

  “How much do I owe you?”

  “A few silvers will do…to pay for the vials and the crate. I learned a lot from your venom which is already priceless. If I could extract more, I will give you the vials for free.”

  Jeremy took the case and flipped the lady a gold coin. “I believe I’ll just take the vials and leave. You keep the change. I have to find a way back to Elaria today…as soon as possible.”

  “The cart at the end of the street is owned by my son. He will take you for a few silvers. He doesn’t go in that direction for trade any longer, but he is always willing to make a few coins.”

  “Thank you...for everything.” Jeremy said as he walked out.

  He found a general store and sold the candle holders for a gold piece each. He probably could’ve bartered for more, but he was more interested in selling things and getting out of town.

  Just around the corner from the general store was a jeweler. He bought the common gems as a bundle deal for five gold pieces total.

  “Hey,” Jeremy said to the jeweler. “Do you know someone who can craft magical items?”

  “The mages in the burrow can do that for you. They are a little strange, but they are good with magic. They may even have some things available for trade. I don’t know. I try to avoid them.”

  Well, that was ominous.