Page 10 of The Glass Unicorn: Part 13

At that moment, Liesel, who was still making the rounds hugging us, whistled. “Geoff will be out in a moment.”

And sure enough, he came running out to greet us. “Did you get rid of the key?”

I nodded. “Yes, we did. We destroyed Devastey, but Zaran is still out there and he’s going to want revenge. We’ll tell you all about it once we get settled in.” I turned to Liesel. “Is there room enough for us to stay here for now?”

She nodded. “Of course. Bring your things inside.” She paused and then added, “I haven’t heard anything from HQ since you left.”

“We’re here for good,” I said, feeling like I was destroying her hopes. “We’ve pretty much confirmed it.”

Liesel let out a long breath. “Well, then I’m glad I’ve been putting away goods for the winter. You’ll have to tell us everything.”

We settled in and I took some time to cuddle with Star. She was bigger—by now, she was almost the size of a German Shepherd. And I knew she’d just keep getting bigger. I looked into her eyes and felt the most welcoming embrace, as though a cloak of hugs settled around my neck.

“I’m home,” I whispered. “And when you are grown, you’ll be able to go out with me on adventures.”

Purring deeply, she sprawled across my lap and fell asleep. I gently lifted her off me and set her on the cushion, then joined the others at the table. Liesel had set out everything we needed for lunch.

“Welcome back,” she said, raising a glass. “A toast to a mission completed. And…I suppose…a toast to coming together, to creating a home, and to forging friendships in the midst of trauma. I suggest we make this land our official compound. We can form our own tiny village here, and we can make the rules. All in favor, raise your hands.”

All of our hands shot up, and it was settled. We were creating our own community in a world we still didn’t fully understand. But we’d do it together, and we’d battle whatever threatened to destroy us. In time, Ray and I would be called out on quests for Otsiano, and we’d take them on willingly.

But for now, we were with friends—no, we were with family, and we were safe and our bellies were full. And that’s all that mattered.

And, in the back of my mind, I thought I heard a voice whispering, you’ve leveled up, with stronger stats, better weapons, and bigger, badder, bosses.