Hello, Everyone!
Happy Thursday!
Are you ready for the final chapter of this part of the story? Lord Dwendel’s journey to the elves is over but Mary and her friends have many more adventures to go on!
Last time, they had just arrived at the magnificent walls of Myth Adofhaer and were watching as lord Dwendel’s wagons and carts enter the elven city. Mary parted ways with William, the six-year-old son of the lord, and… kinda promised to marry him when they grew up, I think?
Jared was going to stay with the elves, that's what he told the others when they gathered again. The final carts were already entering the city and the party were preparing to say their last goodbyes.
"Are you serious?" Aurum said. "I thought you were coming back to Pamagos with us."
"Yeah, did all that we went through together mean nothing to you?" said Mary.
"Look, I like ya guys an' all but the elves got cash an' they don't. Like ya, I mean." and he glanced at Bruno.
The dwarf shrugged.
Before they could continue their conversation there was a stir up at the far end of the opening, near the road.
A single figure approached fast on horseback and when Mary saw their uniform her heart made a leap. But it wasn't Volos. It was another Bearer, a young woman with a bald head and dark cloak. The pegasus patch on her shoulder flew up and down with the movement of her horse.
All the commotion of the lord's entourage entering the city stopped abruptly. The elves stepped back and made way for the rider to pass. Everyone looked expectedly to whom she was headed.
She stopped in front of Bruno.
"You're very hard to find." she said, formally, and handed him not one but three letters.
He looked a bit puzzled but took them and started reading. His face went from serious to worried to annoyed, to surprised, and to worried again. Then he folded the letters and put them in his belongings without saying a word.
By that time Mary had missed her chance to talk to the Bearer. After she'd passed her news, the woman had nodded to the gathered people and had ridden away as fast as she could. That's what Bearers were supposed to do, after all. Only Volos used to keep around.
Mary’s eyes were still following the woman’s movement when lord Dwendel approached. He gave them their due payment, thanked them for taking care of him and his family and, for their surprise, gave each of them a hug.
Mary's was last. She hugged him long and sincere and before she pulled away she whispered in his ear.
"We'll find her. We'll find Dorina."
He stepped back, stricken. Mary looked at him and smiled. She'd been thinking about his lost daughter for the past three days, how hard it must have been for him and his wife. And for William, too, not having a big sister like Leefie had her.
(like Leefie used to have you before you went on adventuring, something inside her said menacingly.)
(But I will come back, she protested to herself, I won't disappear like Dorina did! And also, I will find Dorina and I'll bring her back and William will have a big sister, too, you'll see!)
Lord Dwendel nodded, though a bit shaken, and they finally said their goodbyes.
When they were left alone outside the wall, Mary and Aurum looked at Bruno expectedly.
"Sooo, what did you get?" Aurum prompted. "The letters. Who are they from?"
"My sister."
"Which one?" Mary said remembering Bruno's long list of siblings.
"Paulina, the youngest. My father's had an accident in the mine."
"Oh!"
"And then some treasure was stolen."
"Oh?"
"My brother went with the search party to retrieve it. They entered--and you won't believe this--a very slimy tunnel."
"Worm-sized, I suppose?" Aurum suggested.
"So, when are we going?" Mary asked. "We are going, right?
"I have to. You don't if you don't want to." Bruno said.
"Yeah we do!" Aurum said. "It's your family we need to help, right?"
"I'd appreciate that" Bruno smiled.
Yay! A new adventure! And we get to see Bruno’s huge family!
I hope Paulina is cool!
(Spoiler: She’s cool. Mary likes her a lot!)
(Another spoiler: the road to Bruno’s home has a few stops on the way, so be patient. We’ll get there!)
Thank you so much for reading! I hope you like it, really!
Check out the next Interlude, it's something really special!
Take care and be well!