“Hey kid, take a hike,” I said to Garland. The kid grinned again and shook a fist at me. Vigil put his hand on Garland’s shoulder. Caern’s charmed bracelet, now a necklace, was visible for a second beneath the Marvel’s Black Panther T-shirt Garland was wearing.
“Come on, little lord,” Vigil said. “Let’s go find some shells for your dad and Ballard.” After they had wandered down the beach out of earshot, Joey and I took a walk among the rocks.
“How is he?” I asked.
“He misses her,” Joey said. “He’s sleeping better, now. He talks to a therapist a few times a week.”
“How about you?”
Joey paused when I asked.
“Breathing,” he said. “Thankful as hell for him. It’s hard, but it will be okay. It has to be, right? For his sake.”
“Yeah,” I said, “it has to be, for him. You’re all he’s got now.” I paused. I wanted to say it again, but Joey shook his head.
“He’d be dead without you, so would I,” he said. “Let it go.”
“Have you?”
“No,” he said. “Most days I want to bash your skull in, usually when things are really bad for him. I can’t say I hate you—he thinks so much of you—you’re his hero and you didn’t have to come back for us, you didn’t have to do a damn bit of what you did at the end. You could have gone on your way, and said to hell with Garland and me, but you didn’t. That counts for something.”
I didn’t answer. We walked a little farther. Behind us, Vigil and Garland were playing. “You’re leaving, aren’t you?” Joey finally asked. I nodded. “You got that look about you. Caern had it for a long time too. She just got antsy at the thought of staying put. After Garland, it passed. Where you going?”
“Away,” I said. “I’m not really sure where. I seldom am. A guy I know in Canada with the RCMP emailed me about some wendigos wandering around Yellowknife in an old VW microbus. He asked for help. I may wander that way eventually. You guys good on money?”
“Yeah,” he said. “He’s rich now, thanks to the money you got off Theo, set for the rest of his life.” Joey looked back toward Garland, who was showing Vigil a shell. “He’s going to miss you a lot, y’know? You remind him of her.”
“No, he won’t,” I said. “I’ll make sure of that. I’ll be around if he needs me. Vigil, or Anna, or Dragon can reach me. He’s a hell of a kid and he’s got a bright future ahead of him.”
“It would have been a damn sight brighter if he’d never met you,” Joey said. The waves crashed and neither of us spoke. Finally, Joey found his voice again. “I’m sorry,” he added. “It’s … it’s just hard.”
“I understand,” I said, “and you’re right. Either of you need anything, anything, call and I’m here.”
We walked back toward Garland and Vigil. They came up to meet us and Garland handed me a little shell. “For you!” he said proudly.
“Thanks, man,” I said and examined the shell. “I’ll hang on to it.”
“Me ‘n’ Vigil picked it out special for you,” he said. I looked at Burris. The knight shrugged.
“Well, you guys got a good eye,” I said.
“Vigil said you got to go help some other people, like you helped us. This will give you good luck ’til you’re back,” Garland said seriously. “You hang on to it and be good, Ballard. Come back soon. You promise?”
“I promise,” I said. “What are you and Pop up to today?”
“Library for story time,” he said, “and then we’re gonna visit Mamma at the cemetery, and then McDonald’s.”
“Sounds like a fine day,” I said and nodded to Joey.
“You want to come with us, Ballard?” Garland asked. I smiled and shook my head.
“Thanks, buddy, but I got to get back.” I knelt down. “Would you say hey to your mamma for me?”
“I will,” he said, hugging me tight. “I always do.”
* * *
Vigil and I were quiet on the drive back to L.A. The radio in the car was playing “Lost Cause” by Beck on some alt satellite station. Finally, Vigil spoke. “You know you could stay.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I know. Why are you staying?”
“Mostly for Garland,” he said. “He’s the heir to House Ankou now. A lot of long ears are not going to like that when he reveals himself. He’ll need training and counsel if he decides to take up that fight. I still feel … an obligation.”
I shook my head.
“You can take the man out of the house, but you can’t take the house out of the man … Sir Vigil.”
“No longer,” he said. “Just a humble member of the Nightwise now.”
“Those ass clowns are lucky to have you,” I said. “So’s the kid.”
“He could use a powerful wizard in his corner too,” he said, carefully keeping his eyes on the highway.
“He’ll have that, if and when he ever needs me,” I said. “So now, I’m a mighty wizard, huh? See, I knew I’d grow on you.”
“Like mold,” Vigil said. We drove again with only the wind and music for a long time.
“Are we … good, you and I?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “You were doing what you thought was your duty. I was trying to save my skin. You fucked up, I fucked up.”
“We fucked up,” Vigil said.
“Sounds square to me. Just look after the kid, okay?”
“You have my word, if that still means anything to you.”
“Better than gold,” I said.
We drove again for a while. Seafret’s “Oceans” filled in the silence. “Did you even consider the Maven’s offer?” Vigil asked. “She wants you back with the order. You proved yourself to her, to all of them.”
I looked out at the countryside streaking past us. “I’m … not much at sticking around. Besides”—I glanced over to him—“they couldn’t afford me.” We laughed for what it was worth. The
