The adventure ended on a Thursday.
Nobody noticed.
There was no final battle.
No ancient evil.
No collapsing temple.
No vampire disappearing into mist while promising revenge.
There wasn’t even a goat.
They delivered a sealed wooden box to a monastery.
The box contained books.
Normal books.
Paul checked.
Twice.
Ellie checked for traps.
None.
Luviana checked for curses.
None.
The Paladin verified the delivery.
Madison obtained a signature.
Jimmy did not keep the box.
Jo Mama carried it the entire way without opening it.
The monks thanked them.
They got paid.
Then they left.
Jo waited until the monastery was out of sight.
“That was suspicious.”
Paul kept walking.
“What was suspicious?”
“Nothing happened.”
“Things happened.”
“Walking.”
“Yes.”
“Books.”
“Yes.”
“Monks.”
“Yes.”
“No monster.”
“No.”
“No secret room.”
“No.”
“No betrayal.”
“No.”
“No one giant.”
“No.”
“No boat.”
“Thankfully.”
“No emergency canoe.”
Jimmy looked disappointed.
Paul continued.
“No emergency canoe.”
Jo frowned.
“Suspicious.”
“It was a successful delivery.”
Jo considered this.
“Bad adventure.”
“It was an excellent assignment.”
“Bad adventure.”
Paul sighed.
They reached the crossroads shortly before sunset.
One road led west toward the capital.
Another south toward the river.
A third curled north into the hills.
The fourth led back toward the town where they’d started.
Madison stopped.
“I need to return to the capital.”
The Paladin nodded.
“So do I. The temple is expecting me.”
Luviana adjusted her pack.
“I need supplies in Ashvale.”
Ellie looked north.
“I have something to do.”
Paul looked at her.
“What?”
“Rogue thing.”
“That is not an answer.”
“It is the only one you’re getting.”
Jimmy pointed toward the market road.
“Hinges.”
Paul stared.
“You are going shopping for hinges.”
“Yep.”
“After everything that happened.”
“Need new hinge.”
Paul paused.
The old monastery hinge was no longer in Jimmy’s bag.
It was doing the one thing Paul had spent months insisting it never would.
Holding up a door at the abandoned watchtower.
Paul sighed.
“Of course you do.”
Jimmy nodded.
“Could need.”
Paul looked toward the north.
“I need to spend some time at the library.”
Everyone looked at Jo.
Jo looked around.
“What?”
“Where are you going?” Madison asked.
Jo considered.
“Dunno.”
Nobody laughed.
Jo kicked a stone.
“Maybe tavern.”
Paul looked at her.
“Which tavern?”
“Silver Stag.”
“You are banned.”
“Outside.”
“That is technically allowed.”
The Paladin sighed.
“Unfortunately.”
They stood there.
Nobody seemed quite sure what came next.
They had spent so long moving in the same direction that standing at a crossroads felt strangely difficult.
Luviana left first.
Jo opened her arms.
Then stopped.
Waiting.
Luviana smiled.
“Hug.”
Jo hugged her.
Carefully.
“Come back?”
Luviana smiled.
“I expect so.”
“Good.”
Ellie was next.
Jo opened her arms.
Ellie looked at them.
“Don’t make this dramatic.”
Jo waited.
Ellie sighed.
“Fine.”
She stepped in.
Jo hugged her.
Not too tight.
“Good rogue.”
“Obviously.”
“Twenty.”
Ellie pulled away.
“I regret everything.”
Jo grinned.
Jimmy started down the market road.
Then stopped.
Turned.
Jo opened her arms.
Jimmy looked at them.
Then at Jo.
“Hug?”
“Yep.”
He walked back.
Jo hugged him.
Jimmy’s bag made several concerning noises.
Paul heard metal clink.
“What was that?”
“Nothing.”
Jimmy continued toward the market.
Three steps later, something fell from his bag.
A brass candlestick.
The Paladin stopped.
“Jimmy.”
Jimmy looked down.
Then back toward the monastery.
“Accident.”
Paul put his face in his hands.
Jimmy walked back toward the monastery.
Jo waved.
“SEE YOU!”
Jimmy lifted the candlestick in acknowledgment.
“Yep.”
The Paladin and Madison took the western road.
Madison hugged Jo.
Then, before Jo could ask, hugged her again.
“First one was goodbye.”
Jo nodded.
“Second?”
“Just in case.”
Jo smiled.
The Paladin opened her arms.
Jo stepped into them.
For once, the Paladin was the one who squeezed too hard.
Jo laughed.
“Paladin hug strong.”
The Paladin let go.
“Sorry.”
Jo grinned.
“Good hug.”
The Paladin smiled.
Then became serious.
“Stay out of trouble.”
Jo looked at her.
The Paladin sighed.
“Stay out of unnecessary trouble.”
Jo considered.
“Define unnecessary.”
Madison grabbed the Paladin’s arm.
“Walk away.”
“But-”
“Walk.”
The Paladin allowed herself to be pulled down the road.
Jo waved.
Madison waved back.
The Paladin did too.
They disappeared around the bend.
Then there were two.
Jo.
Paul.
Paul looked at the northern road.
Then west.
Then at Jo.
“You’re staring.”
“No.”
“You are.”
“Observing.”
Paul smiled.
“Wizard word.”
Jo nodded.
They walked toward town together.
Not because either had said they would.
They just happened to start in the same direction.
After a while, Jo spoke.
“Paul.”
“Yes?”
“You going library?”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“I don’t know.”
“Days?”
“Probably.”
“Weeks?”
“Possibly.”
Jo kicked another stone.
“Oh.”
Paul glanced at her.
“Why?”
“No reason.”
“Jo.”
She shrugged.
“Just ask.”
Paul waited.
Jo did not continue.
He knew better now.
Sometimes you had to leave space.
They reached town after dark.
The inn was warm.
Busy.
Normal.
Jo and Paul ate dinner.
Jo ordered too much food.
Paul read while eating.
Nobody attacked.
Nobody asked for help.
Jimmy did not appear with emergency equipment.
Luviana did not flirt with anyone.
Ellie did not roll badly.
The Paladin did not correct Jo’s interpretation of a law.
Madison did not write anything down.
The table felt enormous.
Jo looked at the empty chairs.
Paul noticed.
Neither said anything.
After dinner, Paul closed his book.
“I’ll leave in the morning.”
Jo nodded.
“Okay.”
“My room is upstairs.”
“Yep.”
“Goodnight.”
“Night.”
Paul stood.
Walked three steps.
Stopped.
Turned.
“Jo.”
She looked up.
Paul hesitated.
Then:
“I’ll probably be finished at the library by next Thursday.”
Jo stared.
Paul continued.
“If you happen to still be around.”
Jo’s face changed.
Only slightly.
“Yep.”
“And if everyone else happens to be back.”
“Yep.”
“We could…”
Paul looked annoyed with himself.
Jo waited.
“Have dinner.”
Jo smiled.
“Same table?”
Paul looked at the empty chairs.
“Yes.”
“Same time?”
“Approximately.”
Jo leaned forward.
“Next week?”
Paul sighed.
“Yes, Jo.”
Her smile widened.
“Okay.”
Paul went upstairs.
Jo sat alone for another ten minutes.
Then she finished everybody’s abandoned bread.
No declaration that the party would continue adventuring together.
There was only:
“Same time next week?”
Sometimes that is enough.
The next Thursday, Paul arrived six minutes late.
Deliberately.
He had decided this was the safest way to avoid looking as though he had been waiting for the dinner all week.
He opened the tavern door.
Jo was already there.
Seven chairs surrounded the table.
Tea waited beside Paul’s chair.
Jo waved.
“Late.”
“Six minutes.”
“Late.”
“I said approximately.”
Jo smiled.
“Saved chair.”
Paul sat.
“Obviously.”
The door opened.
Ellie entered.
Jo looked up.
“Twenty!”
Ellie turned around.
Jo laughed.
“Come back.”
Ellie came back.
She sat.
The door opened again.
Luviana.
Then Jimmy.
He carried a hinge.
A new hinge.
Paul saw it.
“No.”
Jimmy sat.
“Market.”
“I did not ask.”
“Good hinge.”
Madison arrived.
Then the Paladin.
Jo counted.
Once.
Twice.
Seven.
Nobody mentioned that she had counted.
Jo opened her arms.
Then stopped.
Waiting.
Madison opened hers.
Jo hugged her.
Then the Paladin.
Carefully.
Mostly.
Everyone sat.
Seven chairs.
Seven people.
For a while, nobody said anything important.
Jimmy described the market.
Ellie refused to describe her week.
Luviana had acquired three new medicinal compounds and one invitation to dinner.
The Paladin had spent two days studying maritime regulations for reasons she refused to explain.
Madison had submitted her reports.
Paul had completed approximately half his research.
Jo had visited the Silver Stag.
From outside.
The ban remained active.
Then Madison asked:
“So what are we doing?”
Silence.
Everyone looked at Paul.
Paul frowned.
“Why are you looking at me?”
“You plan,” Jo said.
“I did not plan anything.”
Everyone looked at Madison.
She shook her head.
“I came for dinner.”
The Paladin had nothing.
Luviana had nothing.
Ellie had nothing.
Jimmy reached into his bag.
Paul pointed.
“No.”
Jimmy stopped.
Jo looked around the table.
“No quest?”
“No,” Paul said.
“No emergency?”
“No.”
“No monster?”
“Not currently.”
Jo thought.
“Could just eat.”
Everyone stared at her.
Jo frowned.
“What?”
Ellie smiled.
“Nothing.”
They ordered dinner.
It lasted seventeen minutes.
Then the tavern door slammed open.
A man stumbled inside.
Mud covered his clothes.
Blood streaked one sleeve.
He looked around wildly.
“Please!”
The party stood.
All of them.
At once.
The man stared.
“Our village-”
Jo was already moving.
Paul grabbed his pack.
Ellie checked her knives.
Jimmy grabbed the bags.
The Paladin went to the injured man.
Luviana reached him first.
Madison threw coins onto the table for the unfinished meal.
Nobody discussed whether they were taking the job.
Outside, rain had begun.
Jo looked at the others.
“Everybody?”
Paul stared at her.
“Obviously.”
Jo smiled.
The Paladin would make sure they were helping the right people.
Luviana would keep them alive.
Madison would remember what really happened.
Jo would have an idea.
Nobody had decided to become friends.
Nobody had decided to become a party.
Nobody had decided this would continue.
They had simply kept coming back.
Same table.
Different chairs.
Same chaos.
And when somebody opened the door asking for heroes, all seven of them walked through it.
BOOK ONE
END