Not for the first time, James thought the Rusty Kettle looked like an old hunting hall transformed into a tavern. The trio took seats at the first of the long tables and benches that spanned the common room between the massive stone fireplaces. The two-story tall walls held paintings and trophies of all shapes and sizes. This was the history of Oakwood and Sebation, the Kettle's owner told through tapestry and decorations. James drank it in, the stained glass, the history, the feeling of the ancient oak floors worn smooth under his boots.

  No matter how hard the day or how far he traveled, the Rusty Kettle lifted his spirits. A broad smile pulled at his lips. Across from him, Sophia raised her hand to flag down a server—Melody, Sebation’s wife, who had come to take their orders.

  Melody appeared as if from thin air, with a tight blond braid tied up like a crown atop her head and blue eyes sparkling in the roaring firelight. A genuine smile bloomed across her face.

  "Three ciders and plates of cooked bass over photos, I'm guessing." She winked at Sophia, who nodded and handed Melody four silver to pay for the meal.

  "How do you do that?" Max asked, "There are hundreds if not thousands of people in Oakwood, and you know each and every one of them and what they need."

  James cringed. Max's accent had slipped again. His eyes darted to Sophia, who seemed lost, staring at something far away.

  "It's just part of hospitality, sugar. Everyone likes to be seen and remembered." In a spin of skirt and apron, she disappeared behind the swinging door to the kitchen.

  "Max." James' tone was low. As he kicked his friend under the table."You did it again."

  "Ow. I did what." James mouthed the word accent. Max nodded, his eyes shifting to Sophia, who still seemed to be staring at nothing. With a shake of her head, she glanced at Max and shrugged before she leveled her eyes at James.

  "Either of you want to tell me what that was all about out there?" Before James could answer, Melody returned, setting their plates down with a wink. The smell of cooked fish and warm cider caused James's stomach to growl, a deep rumbling sound. Sophia took a long pull of her cider, eyes locked on James over the mug's rim.

  With a gulp, James began to recount the events of the day. He started at the temple, jumping over the bits about Max and releasing a god from her prison. Still, he explained that it had collapsed and that they were lucky to get out with their lives. The entire time, his hands were balled into fists under the table. The feeling in his gut grew heavier, and he paused to shovel down some food and drink from his mug, more to break the flow of words coming out of him than to eat or even taste the food.

  "And then, what about the big fellow? What's he got to do with all these?" Sophia dug into her fish, eyes closing as she savored the bite, and raised her head, yelling over her shoulder. "Melody, you've outdone yourself again. Sorry contuine."

  "I don't know. I wanted to get into the Master's place to see what was going on in there. People brush it off whenever I talk about it or find something else to do. And that guy attacked us." James waved his fork between Max and himself. "Weird, right?"

  "Weird." Sophia's eyes glazed over, her fork pausing for a moment on its way to her mouth before she blinked and continued. "Any reason he would be after you."

  James sighed, "Like that. No, I don't know." He took a bite of the bass, finally being able to taste it. The spices and butter mixed perfectly with the delicate taste of the fish.

  "Like what?" Max and Sophia said in unison, their posture becoming aggressive. Their hands were braced against the table.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  "Nothing." James held up his hands. Sebastian appeared at the end of the table, a pitcher in one hand and a worried look across his face. Today, his beard was a brilliant sky blue, with threads of spun gold braided into it. He had shaved all but the hair at the top of his head, which was braided and wrapped into a bun. He pulled back the sleeves of his flowing robe and topped off the cider cups. His orange eyes met James's.

  "Can I borrow Master James here? Only for a moment, I assure you?" Sophia and Max settled back down onto the benches across from James. Sophia handed Sebastian a few coppers for the refills, which he spirited away into the open section of his robes, which revealed a broad chest and just the hint of a tattoo.

  Sophia and Max seemed to shake their heads, a look of confusion mirrored on their two faces. "Sure, sorry, Sebastian. I seem to have forgotten what we were talking about."

  "It's not a problem. Relax and enjoy the cider. James, come with me." With a grip that felt like iron, Sebastian pulled James from the bench and motioned him to follow him to the bar. "It is not good, not good at all."

  "What is sir? I don't understand." James looked into Sebastian's eyes; the spark of humor and jovial nature that always seemed present was replaced by something darker and older. "You shouldn't be able to think about the Master like the others. My, the spell was perfect."

  "Are you telling me you did this?" James waved back towards Sophia and Max, his anger boiling up inside him. "Sebastian, what did you do?"

  "Kept Oakwood safe." His eyes locked on James with a familiar glare, one he had seen on the face of the Sister, on Sondia, on the Vessel of Storms. Then it softened, and Sebastian smiled his knowing smile. "James, there are forces in this world that are all pulling on you, on the vessels that are awaking. I don't know why or how, but the gods want to walk the planet again. Don't get me wrong, it would be great to see Dad and some of his buddies, but that's beside the point. Stay out of the Master's place; what he did there was terrible, and if it wasn't for the Bishop coming to town, I fear the Master would've done it to the town, and then there would've been nothing left."

  Sebastian put one hand on the counter, his eyes pleading with James to understand.

  "Do you see that painting, the one with the large Oak and glowing lights strung through it?" Sebastian pointed up over one of the massive fireplaces to a painting of people dancing under an oak tree at five times that of a normal tree; lights of every color hung from its branches, and the people seemed genuinely happy. " That was long ago before we called this place Oakwood. It was just a group of tents and small farms. I remember it as if it was yesterday; we would dance with the elves and the creaturefolk. Every week, we offer our thanks to the forest and the old oaks that watched over us. Slowly, as more humans came, the city grew..."

  James watched the painting move, the scene shifting to show the figures dancing slowly, trees thinning out, and wagons bringing more and more people in. The elves looked scared, and the animals, satyrs, and centaurs moved away, pulling back into the trees.

  "The creturefolk left first. Humans thought them monsters and did terrible things, and then the elves left and took the songs of the forest with them. Retreating to the courts and their magics. It still breaks my heart to not hear those notes on a breeze or to welcome them in under the laws of Hearth and Stone, but their magic stayed. Deep in the roots here, you can feel it." Sebastian placed James' hand flat against the wood top of the bar. "That's it. Close your eyes. Let the wood speak to you; feel the roots deep beneath the floor."

  James could feel something, like a buzzing, a thrum of something old. Much older than the Kettle, than Oakwood, the buzzing didn't speak in words but in feelings. James knew he was safe and protected, or at least that was the feelings the wood and stone gave him. He opened his eyes to meet Sebastian, and understanding formed in his mind.

  "How old are you?" James asked, pulling his hand away from the barkeep.

  "One thousand two hundred and ninety-six next Tuesday." Sebastian's eyes sparkled, and his beard seemed to glow the softest of blues. James couldn't believe what he had heard. He blinked at the older man, his mouth moving but no words coming out. "I know, I don't look my age."

  The words seemed to snap James back to the moment, and he regained control of his voice.

  "Why...Why keep people out of the Master's house?" Sebastian turned away from the question, shame dancing across his face.

  "Because of all those who died there. He killed them James, and I am trying to honor them, all of them, or at least what the Master left. I should have seen what he was long ago but was blind. I thought him just another cruel human, or elf, with schemes and plans. Not what he had become. He murdered those who didn't want to go with him. So I am putting them to rest. Burning their prison so they could be welcomed into the halls of paradise. The last step of the ritual is to set the pyre to that haunted place and send their souls on, but with the old laws governing my family. Won't let me set the fire. I would ask you, but I fear it would only feed the rumor of you being the monster of Oakwood." Sebastian cried then, tears falling down his face; he pulled an embroidered piece of cloth from his sleeves and wiped away the tears. James' mind flicked back to the hallway, the vision in the dark of Oakwood ablaze and a figure holding Bow-Breaker. His power stirred. The Sister seemed to be waiting inside his head, listening to what he would say next.

  "I'll do it. I will burn and finish the ritual." James slammed his fist onto the table. He was angry; part of him knew why the Master had left. Ser Edwin had told him what had happened before in Arrows Fall, of the dead there. But hearing it now, hearing the truth from Sebastian, it broke Something inside him, and he knew this was the right thing to do. One final act of service, one final act of rebellion to the Master.

  "Good, now go be with Sophia and Max. Get what you need, for I fear once you do this, the town will only see the monster they think you are, and you will be forced to leave." Sebastian's hand fell hard onto James' shoulder. "You still have the compass I gave you?"

  "I do." Confusion and worry bounced around James' head. "Why and what do you mean the monster?"

  "Good, remember it will always lead you home." Sebastian gave James a large grin that made James' arm hairs stand on end. "Good people don't burn down buildings, James. That’s the work of monsters."