Entering Hungry Eyes Village.
The large group stood around in the main entrance square, all looking about nervously. People were quietly talking, hugging one another, preparing to leave. There had to be five hundred people here. Only two hundred were leaving. It did not have a party atmosphere. This felt more like a gathering after a funeral service.
The boom box from the guild was out here, and it was sitting open with a cassette loaded inside, but it wasn’t playing.
Still, there were people occasionally smiling, laughing.
I remembered that feeling I’d had just a few short days ago at the end of Faction Wars, with the people throwing the flowers down on us, cheering. These people here were those who had dared to stay, dared to fight on, doing our best to just make it one more day.
Nobody knew if this was truly goodbye. Nobody knew which side, those going or those staying, was the one in more danger.
Someone had set up a table, and Louis was handing out cookies. Bautista stood next to him with several clay teapots in a row.
Linus was there pouring tea into the cup of a waiting crawler named Karac, a level 62Armchair Pacifistknown for some particularly brutal chainsaw kills.
“Carl,” Bautista said, bowing, “I think this is goodbye. For now.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked, lowering my voice. “You know the risk, right?”
Bautista gave me a sly smile.
“Compared to what? Staying with you? I will take my chances.” He paused. “Perhaps we will get out. I was speaking with a group of others who wish to get to India. If I can, I will go with them.”
Louis had cookie all over his face, and he grinned big. “Yeah, you can go check up on my kid.”
From my shoulder, Donut sucked in a breath.
Carl: That was probably the wrong thing to say.
Louis: My bad.
Bautista just looked at Louis for a long, awkward moment before the tiger broke out in a grin. He gave Louis a heavy pat on the arm. He nodded. “Yes, my brother. Before I go check on the child you’re having with my girlfriend.”
Imani was suddenly next to us. She and Chris stood side by side, and she leaned up against him, despite the heat. Her skin crackled red, and I realized she either had a skill or a charm or an item that was protecting her from his presence. That was new. He had his massive hand on her shoulder.
“I am going to miss your tea,” Imani said.
“It’s good,” Chris added.
Prepotente was also suddenly here, as was Florin. Tran and Zhang also approached.
“Generals,” I said to Tran and Zhang.
Zhang scoffed. “You only made me ‘Colonel.’?”
I grinned. “Be safe.”
I turned to Tran and grinned. “I see you’re wearing a red shirt now.”
The man with the mechanical spider legs held out his arms. “How do you like it?”
Donut jumped to Zhang’s shoulder and headbutted him. She repeated the process with Tran.
Prepotente appeared and got tea from Linus. He started loudly and obnoxiously announcing how delicious it was. He demanded Linus give him a blow-by-blow on the recipe.
Daniel bowed again. “It has been a pleasure serving you, Miss Imani and Chris.” He paused. “And the rest of you as well. My family, we always thought that serving friends was a very special, holy thing. By honoring our friends and our community, we were honoring God. I used to worry that I wouldn’t find myhome when this was all done, but I have found peace, despite all that has happened, despite some of the regrettable choices I have made. It will be my honor to serve you at least one more time, and no matter what comes after today, I know I will be recognized on the other side.”
“Let me get you all cups,” Linus said, disengaging himself from Prepotente. “Imani and Louis, I know you both like it really hot, so I have this one ready for you.”