“It turns out, it was actually my fault.”
“Now how in the realms is it your fault? That makes no sense.”
I braced myself to explain the repulsive creature that was Josten. I hated talking about that vile folk, but the story of his downfall was satisfying enough to make it worth it.
“So, there was this wizard that I used to know…” I trailed off, unsure how to explain without sounding ridiculous.
“Wizard. Right.”
“And he was behind all of it.Allof it.”
He nodded. “Sure. And why was some random wizard causing towns-wide destruction?”
I groaned. “He’s my ex. We used to see each other, ages ago.” I flapped my hand dismissively. “The details aren’t important, but the root of it is, he was trying to get my attention with dark magic. But clearly, it spiraled out of control.”
Redd had an incredulous expression on his face. “Holy shit. Seriously?”
I set my face in my hands. “I wish I was kidding. That jackass did all of this.”
“And in Sunhaven? How did he cause those disasters too?”
“Well, you know how I told you I travel a lot to find trinkets to sell at my shop. I spent some time in Sunhaven during the early freeze season. He was trying to catch my attention there, too.”
“That’s… Wow. That’s a lot.”
“Exactly. So, at the end of the day, technically it is my fault. But if Josten wasn’t such a raging idiot, none of it would have ever happened. So it’s mainly his fault. He’s in the Willowvalley dungeon, by the way.”
Redd cracked his knuckles menacingly. “He better be…”
I snorted. “He is! The mayor said he’d be locked up for years. Decades, maybe. And the best part; his magic has been permanently stripped from him! He’ll never cast a spell or perform a ritual ever again.” I crossed my arms in smug satisfaction.
“I think he deserves a worse punishment, but I suppose that’ll do.”
“It’ll do. Now let’s hear aboutyourtrip.”
We finished our meal together, exchanging stories and enjoying each other’s company. I hadn’t realized how much I missed him until he was back, and the hole he left was filled again.
On my way home, I dropped a letter into a mailbox and tried to suppress the strange surge of guilt that washed over me.
CHAPTER 41
Fiella
The next few days passed quickly, Redd’s presence making the long hours feel shorter.
After a long day of assembling shelves, painting, cleaning up dust, and finding small tasks to keep ourselves busy, I found myself standing in front of Redd’s cottage. I had walked over here with him under the guise of being curious about where he was staying, but really, I was just unwilling to part from him any sooner than I had to.
I was pretty sure that he felt the same way.
“By the way, I’ve been meaning to tell you. I’m thinking about planning some sort of grand re-opening for Fiella’s Finds. It’s common knowledge that things have been a nightmare in my neck of the woods, and I think folk will be too afraid to return until I scream in their faces that my shop is alive and well and I’m ready for customers!” I babbled.
“I think that’s a great idea. We can pick up some pastries from the bakery in the morning, put a sign up, and make fliers to hand out in town,” Redd answered. “But your customers will return anyway, Fiella. Folk love your shop and you know it.”
I flushed, the flattery bringing warmth into my cheeks. “Yeah, well, it feels like the right thing to do. To embrace the situation and make an event out of it.”
“It certainly couldn’t hurt. I’ll have some free time, if you need a helping hand.”
I lingered for as long as I could, talking about anything and everything that was on my mind. Surprisingly, nothing about this situation felt awkward. If there was silence between us, it was peaceful. Comfortable. The two of us simply existing side by side.
