My tummy had settled down by the morning. Myth and I lazed around until midmorning, chatting about this and that. Both of us were stalling—putting off the inevitable for as long as we could. At last, we could delay no longer. It was time for us to dismantle our camp.
We packed up our belongings much more slowly than usual. Both of us knew what would happen when we finished. I would head to the Holding Dusk—to my auntie and my home. Myth had no home now. All she could do was roam onward until she found a place to call her own. Our paths would part. And we would never see one another again. Despite our dawdling, we completed our task all too soon.
We faced one another.
“So,” said Myth.
“So,” I replied.
“You’re off to Dusk, then?”
I nodded. “I suppose it’s time for me to return to my auntie.”
“No more following the elf around for you, then?”
I shook my head and said, “No. I mean… I’ve enjoyed traveling with you. But I don’t want to become a burden.”
Myth chuckled. “Now you worry about being a burden.”
I punched her arm gently. “Admit it. You’ve enjoyed having me around.”
“You’re right, I have. Quite a lot, actually,” said Myth.
“Good. I’ve enjoyed following you, too. So, um, where will you go next?”
Myth pointed to the west. “Someplace else, I suppose.”
“Why go west?”
Shrugging, Myth said, “It’s someplace else.”
“You know, I’ve always wanted to see someplace else. Perhaps I’ll journey there some day. I’ll take little Mythie with me. That will be fun! Still, it won’t be the same as traveling with Auntie Mythilda.”
“Well… I know people are waiting for you. And I’m sure you miss your aunt terribly. But… I wouldn’t mind if you tagged along with me, if you wanted to.”
I needed less than a second to make up my mind. “Do we need to leave this minute? Or do I have time to write a letter to my auntie? I should let her know that my plans have changed. I’m sure we can find a courier in the City Proper who will take it to Dusk.”
Myth smiled at me. “There’s no rush. Someplace else isn’t going anywhere.”
I wrote a letter to Auntie Julie, beaming while I did so. Though I wrote hurriedly, I spared time to tell her all about Myth and our adventure in Narrows. The letter was rather bulky by the time I finished writing it. As I had predicted, finding a courier to deliver it proved no problem.
Ready at last, we turned our backs to the City Proper. In gay moods, we headed towards someplace else—and towards a hero called Myth.