I woke up to the faint crackling of firewood and the quiet sound of pages turning.
Tory sat across from me, legs folded, nose deep in that weird coded book of his. For someone who'd been through hell, he sure knew how to look calm.
"Did you finish the potion?" I asked, rubbing sleep from my eyes.
He didn't even look up. "Yeah. It's in your backpack."
"Did you look inside it?"
He just shrugged, like it was nothing. "I had to put the bottle in."
I stared at him, my face blank. Inside that bag were things people shouldn't see. Maps, sigils, old notes. Orc's blood. I didn't say anything. Not yet. But the idea that he just dug through it like it was a fruit basket? Yeah, I wasn't thrilled.
Still… he didn't do it to snoop, I could tell. And I didn't want to fight about it. Not this time.
The potion was done. All that was left was mana—enough to cast the illusion spell, to fake the Queen's recovery. But getting that much mana wouldn't be easy… and I couldn't keep hiding my plan from Tory. Unless I planned to leave him.
...Which I didn't. Not anymore.
We reached a village called Win just before sunset. Small place, lazy streets, crooked rooftops. Tory found a tavern tucked near the center, and we slipped inside.
The place smelled like wood smoke and desperation. Locals huddled around mugs and empty plates. No music. Just murmurs.
I slid into a corner booth without saying anything. Tory went to the bar.
He came back with two mugs, something frothy and dark sloshing inside.
"Beer," he said simply.
"Alcohol is a distraction for lost people." I didn't touch it.
He looked at me, eyes curious but not judgmental.
"You talked about your family dying... are you not lost?"
I froze. The words hit harder than they should have. I clenched my jaw, turned my head to the side, and stared out the dirty window.
"Don't talk about them."
The anger came fast. But just as fast, it started to fade. I remembered his house. The bodies. The fire.
His family was gone too. And I was all he had left.
I let out a slow breath.
"It's not that Im lost... Im Just not sure where to go next..."
For a while, we just sat there. Not talking. Not drinking. Just breathing.
Then we heard it—
"HEAR HEAR HEAR HEAR! THOSE WHO ARE POWERFUL! THOSE WHO KNOW MAGIC!"
The tavern door creaked open and people began to file out. Tory and I exchanged a glance and stood.
Outside, a man stood on a wooden crate in the center of the street. White robes, tall hat, big voice.
"I, THE GREAT WIZARD OF WIN, INVITE YOU TO MY MANSION FOR A DINNER! IF YOU ARE POWERFUL ENOUGH TO FIND IT, YOU MAY ASK ME ANYTHING IN THE WORLD ABOUT MAGIC!"
The crowd erupted in murmurs.
I didn't trust it. Not for a second. But if this wizard had enough mana, or at least knew where I could get it… this could be the break I needed.
Or a trap.
Either way, I was going.