With the decision to go after Relian himself and bringing people with him, as well as not having Mateo come, Luke considered other options as they drove, the car having settled into a comfortable silence. A few names sprang to mind right away. Curtis the grump was high on that list, as was Hannah if he could get a hold of her. Penny was out of the question, as he wasn't going to take a high schooler out of school and over state lines. While he didn't think it was illegal, it wouldn't be a good look, and she needed to finish school. Considering Liza, he decided against that option. Support classes were always a good thing to keep with you, but in this instance, Luke wanted to keep the group small, and so he would fill that role himself.

  "You are deep in thought, my friend."

  Luke blinked and drew in a sharp breath, coming back to himself. "Sorry."

  "A heavy disposition for one so young."

  "I'm not so young," Luke said. "And I was just thinking."

  "What about?"

  The street they'd just turned onto made Luke frown, and he sat up straighter to peer out the windows. "You live here?"

  "For the past four years, my family has been so blessed."

  "I lived here until just a little while ago," Luke said as they drove past his parents' street. "My parents' house is down there."

  "A mighty coincidence!" Mateo grinned. "Perhaps I have been responsible for your landscaping, even. Many families in this area use our services."

  "No," Luke said. "My dad still uses one of those old lawn mowers you push around with the manual, whirring blades. Mom keeps pestering him to get something with an engine, but he says he likes the feel of a manual mower."

  Mateo turned onto a side street and nodded. "The honorable man who takes pride in his labor."

  They stopped outside a two-story colonial house near the northern edge of the suburb. A narrow but well-kept garden lined the red-painted wooden building, and a large tree gave plenty of shade over several bushes of red currant, their limbs drooping with berries.

  Luke closed the door of the car and followed Mateo. "Nice house."

  "She is my pride and joy."

  Excited laughter and screaming sounded from within the house, and the door flung open.

  "Speaking of pride and joy," Mateo said, laughing as he bent down to catch two small children, a boy and a girl, who ran straight at him with their arms reaching. "This is Juan and Elena. My twinkling stars, say hello to our guest!"

  They dropped down from Mateo's embrace and waved at Luke before turning around and running into the house, screaming to let their mother know they'd arrived.

  "Energetic," Luke noted.

  Mateo stood tall with pride, then brushed two fingers over his mustache. "To put it mildly."

  The house smelled of chili, heavy with spices and something else beneath it, faint but unmistakable. Chocolate. Also garlic. Lots and lots of garlic. Mateo ushered Luke into the kitchen, where a woman in her early thirties with dark hair, sharp but welcoming features, and joyful eyes was just placing a bowl of what looked like red rice onto the table.

  "My love! This is Luke. Without this man, I would not be here today! Luke, this is my darling wife, Catalina."

  "I'm glad you could join us," Catalina said, walking around the table to take Luke's hand. Her voice was melodious and low, with just a hint of teasing. "My husband speaks highly of you. Thank you for keeping him safe. Lord knows he can be... excitable. I'd rather he didn't go to those places at all, but once he has decided on something, he is not easily discouraged."

  Luke gave a gentle squeeze in greeting and shot Mateo a look. "Yes... excitable. Thank you for having me."

  They sat down to dinner, and Catalina explained they were having something called Mole Poblano with arroz rojo, red rice. It was a chicken dish, and when he took a bite, flavor exploded in his mouth, enough that his eyes must have betrayed just how delicious he thought it was, because Catalina looked at him and nodded in satisfaction. They spoke of simple things, their children, Luke's parents, Catalina's job as a librarian, until the phone rang.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Mateo gestured for his wife to sit and got up to answer in the hallway near the front door. He answered in English but then switched to Spanish.

  "Unusual with a landline, isn't it?" Luke said, turning to Catalina.

  "It came with the house," she said, smiling and nodding to the children who'd just asked if they could be excused from the table. "Teo likes it, and there's no harm in keeping it, since it's almost only his employees who use it."

  "They work him hard, then? Calling in the middle of dinner, I mean."

  "He is a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to landscaping, so he micro-manages a little more than is necessary. And yes, I keep telling him he works too hard, but he can't blame anyone but himself for that."

  "Oh?"

  "Well, yes," Catalina said, trying to add more food to Luke's plate. "It is his company, after all."

  Luke waved in surrender. "Thank you, but I'll explode if I eat any more. He owns the company?"

  "Yes."

  "Huh," Luke said, leaning back in his chair. "I didn't know that."

  She got up and started carrying dishes over to the sink. "Teo is not one to brag, even when he should, sometimes. So I have to sing his praises for him."

  "Want help with those?" Luke asked.

  "You are our guest. Please sit and rest." She narrowed her eyes. "Where was I? Oh yes. Teo works hard and is a good father, but still thought it was his duty to touch that damn orb."

  Catalina gave Luke a look that he couldn't quite read, as if weighing him. "He told me you are a healer. That is good. Keep close to him and let nothing happen to him, yes?"

  "Well, yes," Luke said. "Except I'm going away for a bit."

  "Away?" Mateo asked, standing in the doorway. "Where are you going, my friend?" Something must've given it away, because Mateo nodded in understanding even without Luke having answered. "You are going after that man."

  "I am," Luke said, not wanting to lie.

  Mateo nodded again. "I must come."

  "You will do no such thing, Teo!" Catalina said, her voice full of steel. "Your place is here. With your family."

  "She's right," Luke said. "I'm sorry, Mateo, but you can't come."

  A thick silence hung in the room, with Catalina glaring at Mateo, who looked uncomfortable. His shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry, my friend, but my darling wife is right. I have a duty here. Honor to uphold."

  Catalina's voice was cold now, like ice. "Duty? Honor?"

  "Duty of love, of course, mi vida! Honor of mi corazon!"

  She softened, and they exchanged a few words in Spanish that Luke couldn't follow. Soon, they embraced with quite a bit of warmth. After that, they spent an hour or two just talking and kicking a ball back and forth with their kids in the backyard as they got to know one another. Once it was time to leave, Mateo offered to drive, but Luke decided to head over to his parents' house instead and spend the night.

  By the time he made it over there, they were already asleep. Luke snuck in, up the stairs, and into his room. The place felt strange to him now, somehow smaller. Still, it didn't take him long to fall asleep in his old, comfortable bed. Rising well before dawn, he left a note to his parents and set off running back toward the city. After thinking about it a bit more, he'd firmed up his decision to leave and settled on a few people he wanted to invite to come along. Together, they would create a well-rounded but small party.

  Luke: "Hannah. I'm heading out to hunt for Relian. You should come."

  Luke: "Curtis, hey. Come with me to kill Relian. I know you want to, asshole."

  Luke: "Ray! Wake up! Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up. Still asleep? Did you become an agent, or what? I'm going out to kill Relian."

  Curtis: "Come with you where?"

  Luke: "Fort Wayne, then probably farther east. We'll hit dungeons on the way when we can."

  Curtis: "Fine. Quit my job yesterday, so I'm free."

  Luke: "Really?"

  Curtis: "Sold some corpses."

  Luke: "My man. What was your job?"

  Curtis: "Marketing."

  Luke: "Really? Thought you hated people."

  Curtis: "Can't be in marketing if you don't hate people. When do we leave?"

  Luke: "Tonight."

  Curtis: "Fine."

  Luke kept running for a while, enjoying the cool air of morning but wishing he'd made a cup of coffee first. No need for breakfast, since he was still full from Catalina's cooking, but a morning brew wouldn't have gone amiss. The exertion woke him up, though, and he soon found himself enjoying the steady sound of his feet against asphalt as he ran on the side of the road.

  Luke: "Hiroki. Heading to practice now."

  Hiroki: "Don't be late, or you'll regret it."

  Luke: "So listen. We can talk about this more when I arrive, but how would you feel about a trip? A dangerous trip."

  They hashed out the details, and in the end, Luke had hired Hiroki to come along as a bodyguard and instructor, but with the price quoted, he thought Hiroki was pleased to be coming along.

  Luke: "Ken! How is your heart doing?"

  Then Hannah sent a reply.

  Hannah: "I would like to come, but I'm afraid. The Deep Dweller sings to me when I dream."