Chapter 34: The Mouse

They arrived at Waltham a bit behind schedule, but still with a few hours of daylight left. Their trip left nothing to be desired as Shrai slept the entire way curled up on the cart seat, and Heldon wasn’t much for words.

Even the hawk had followed them, soaring above the car and sometimes perching on the sunshade. It seems he even came to his senses and left Tival behind. Not even the other two guards said much, except that they couldn’t believe they were getting paid an adventurer's rate to camp out in the forest.

Heldon felt bereft.

It was if he had lost a limb or one of his five senses. His attention kept grasping out toward the cart, thinking that at any moment he’d feel that tingle of a gaze down his spine.

He kept expecting the blond’s voice would ring out in a peal of laughter. He yearned for his smirk, the twinkle of his eyes, his calloused touch, his focused attention. Getting over Tival would take a lot more time than Heldon really wanted to spend.