As Son watched her rush about the garden, he mulled over his conversation with her. A strange sadness rested on him that he didn’t fully understand. As he turned to go back into the barn, he took one final glance at Maren and whispered a prayer.
Maren arrived in Laor tired, sweaty, and dirty from working in the garden. She had traveled at a near-running pace the entire way with a sword dangling from her waist, and it took longer than she had anticipated.
Once again, there was a tent encompassing most of the town’s square, and she could hear laughter and merriment going on inside. When she looked around, she noticed that the tables full of food and dessert were gone but the man with the long, gray hair was in his usual place, looking over papers that were scattered about the table. She swiftly approached him and asked, “Are all of the sweets gone?”
The man looked up from his papers with sudden wide eyes and a half-smile. “Oh hi, Maren,” he greeted. “No, the sweets aren’t all gone. We have moved them inside today.”
Maren wrinkled her forehead and pressed her lips together. “Why?”
“Because today is the grandest party of them all before we move on,” he answered.
The girl felt her chest tighten with excitement when she heard those words. Eager to get in, she said, “Well, I brought a sword to give you.” As she unsheathed it, she remembered how Faymia gave it to her before leaving for her hunting trip with Dulnear. It seemed special to her at the time, but now what mattered was not missing out on the festivities.
The man looked over the sword with interest before turning his eyes back toward Maren. “It really is a grand sword,” he said. “But I’m afraid the only way to take part in our final celebration is by joining our crew.”
Something about what the man said excited and worried the girl at the same time. After reading so many books about swashbucklers and adventurers, she wondered what it was like to be a part of a crew. “What do I have to do to join you?” she asked.
“Well, you promise to come with us, and you help out with different things,” he said.
That didn’t sound so bad to the young girl. She squinted, pushed out her lips, and asked, “Would I have to come with you for long?”
The gray-haired man cocked his head to the side curiously and answered, “Why, yes. But it’s a good life. There are lots of celebrations, new friends, and plenty of sweets.”
The thought of abundant sweets thrilled Maren, but she didn’t feel comfortable going off for an indefinite amount of time. As she pondered this, Micah appeared beside her, once again holding a tin plate filled with dessert.
“You made it!” he cheered.
The girl pushed her forehead into a pile of wrinkles and asked, “Made it to what?”
“To the best celebration of all,” he answered enthusiastically. “Today is a pirate adventure show!”
Maren’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?! I love pirates!”
“I know,” the boy replied. “I told them about that and they’re putting on the show especially for you.”
“But they want me to join their crew and go off with them,” Maren explained. “I don’t know if I should do that.”
“That’s okay,” Micah assured her. “I joined the crew and I know it’s going to be great!”
Maren began to squeeze her ear as she thought about the offer before her. The last several days had been wonderful for her. She had been entertained, made a friend, and ate whatever she wanted without Son pressing her to make better choices. She was tired of chores and responsibilities, and Faymia and Dulnear were hardly around anymore. Her eyes widened a bit, and she asked, “Will I get to see Earl?”
“Earl?” the gray-haired man asked.
“My donkey,” she answered, surprised he didn’t know that.
The man’s expression changed to a sardonic grin as he replied, “You mean our donkey.” He then relaxed and continued, “Of course you can see the beast. Maybe even get to ride him.”
“Well, then I suppose…” she began, before her attention was drawn to the man suddenly standing a few steps behind the table. She recognized him as Sevuss. His clothes were dark and fine, and his wiry hair was neatly combed back.
“Did you come to enjoy the pirate show?” he asked her with a tobacco-stained smile.
The girl didn’t enjoy looking directly at the man because his appearance made her uneasy. There was something about his presence that made it difficult for her to look him in the eyes. “Yes,” she answered as she continued to massage her ear.
“Well,” he continued with a false kindness. “Since you’re so young, we’ll need to be gettin’ a signature from your mom or dad.”
A painful sensation turned in Maren’s chest as she heard those words. She had no parents to sign the man’s paper, so she answered plainly, “My mom and dad aren’t here.”
Looking put out, Sevuss replied, “Then I’m afraid you can’t join us today. Go on home.”
Struggling to get the words out, the young girl muttered, “Th-they’re dead.”
An edacious expression crawled across the man’s leathery face. He reached over his assistant and pushed the paper closer to Maren. “I’m sorry to hear that,” he said insincerely. “Go ahead and make your mark here, and you can run off with Micah to the party.”
Dulnear stopped and looked across the landscape as the rocky crags and outcroppings to the west gave way to steep, rolling hills that gradually evened out as they moved closer to their destination. Though he was cool and confident in his demeanor, the tension in his neck gnawed at him. “This is taking too long,” he lamented.
Breathing heavily from their quickened journey across country by foot, Faymia concurred, “I agree, and we’ve already lost so
