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leaving this life behind.”
    “I am,” she said. “In fact, I don’t think I’ll be able to keep at it much longer.”
    “So stop,” Lorik pleaded. “You can move in here until you’re ready to leave Hassell Point. I have an extra room, you know. My parents would have wanted you to have it.”
    “No, I still need a little more money and I don’t want to leave Quaid in a pinch. He’s looking for a replacement, but it takes time.”
    “You always think of everyone but yourself,” he told her. “That’s why you’re unhappy.”
    “And being selfish would make me happy?”
    “No, not selfish, just human. Everyone needs to take care of themselves sometimes, otherwise they won’t be around to help others.”
    “That’s what I’m doing,” she said. “I’m leaving. I’m going to see a few things other than the shabby old harbor and the endless blue ocean. I want to see mountains and snow. Maybe even a dragon.”
    “A dragon?” Lorik scoffed. “You know that isn’t true. It’s just rumors. There are no such thing as dragons, not in Yelsia or anywhere else.”
    “Probably not,” she said, smiling. “But I like to think it’s possible.”
    “Anything is possible, I guess,” Lorik said. “Are you sure you won’t change your mind, about staying here I mean? There’s plenty of room and I won’t bother you, I promise.”
    “No, Lorik, I can’t. You’re a good friend for offering, though.”
    “You came here to take care of me and I’ve done nothing but tell you what you should do with your life. I don’t think that’s being a good friend.”
    She smiled, and for a moment she was so beautiful that Lorik’s heart ached. He would have liked to have made her smile like that all the time. He knew he would have done anything to make her smile, even if that meant cutting off his own legs. Perhaps the fact that being with him didn’t make her smile was how he knew they weren’t in love.
    “Come on,” she said, “walk me back home.”
    He stood up and tested his arm. It was still extremely sore, but the salve was helping already. It was a thick, greasy mixture and it kept the bandage from aggravating the wound.
    “I’ll just get my shirt and boots,” he said.
    After he dressed they walked back to the Boggy Peat. People smiled and waved when they saw them. Lorik couldn’t help but wonder what people would think when Vera left the Point. She was a vital part of the harbor town’s life and he knew he would miss her, miss their long conversations, and the way she made him feel at ease. There were other wenches, but no one could take Vera’s place. She was more than just a wench; she was his oldest and closest friend. He hated the thought of losing her.
    At the tavern she hurried back to her own rooms while Lorik sat and had a drink. He felt like getting drunk. He wanted to forget the melancholy that Vera’s decision to leave town had cast on him.
    He ordered saka and sipped it slowly. He watched as the light faded in the windows and the atmosphere in the tavern changed. It went from being a lazy, quiet place in the late afternoon to being a lively, loud place once night fell. Lamps were lit on the tables and groups of people began to arrive. They laughed and talked, their voices rising louder with each round of mead.
    Lorik was hungry and was about to leave when Stone came into the tavern. He was alone again, but instead of approaching the bar he looked around the room until his eyes settled on Lorik. He made his way through the crowd, and Lorik felt his stomach tightening with tension. He had his axe, but he doubted he could match the stranger’s speed. Stone had suggested that no retaliation was needed from the Riders, since Grayson had challenged Lorik and the two had fought fairly. Still, it was not uncommon for the Riders to challenge new members to do something to prove their loyalty. Killing Lorik in retaliation was just the sort of deed that would cement his place in their