Hadrian caught up, and they rode side by side. Royce expected he’d talk. For once, they had a lot to discuss. The two hadn’t had a private moment in more than a day, and a lot had happened over that time. But although the sky was clear, as it always was in Dulgath, Hadrian didn’t say a word. He spent most of the trip looking at his reins and playing with the knot.
Farms faded behind them as the trail began its upward grade. Even hunting shacks disappeared as the left side of the path fell away and the right became a cliff. They were nearing the gap that led out of Dulgath and back into Greater Maranon, to that open world where herds of horses roamed.
They’d reach Mehan sometime after dark and get a room at one of the inns. The next morning, they’d head due north, and if they pushed hard, they’d make Ratibor by nightfall. An easy day would see them in Aquesta, but he’d press Hadrian to keep going. With luck, they would reach Medford in five, maybe even four days.
Royce wanted—needed—to see Gwen’s face again. Just knowing they were headed that way made him feel better.
She must be very special. You’re turning down a title and an estate that would make you wealthy and respected for the rest of your life.
He’d would never admit it, not to Hadrian, and certainly not to Gwen—didn’t even like thinking it to himself—but somehow Gwen had become his fifth thing. To survive, Royce had only ever required four things: air, food, water, and sleep. He was less bothered by heat and cold than others and could live in a forest or field if need be. But those other four things were absolutes.
Reluctantly, he had discovered Gwen had become the fifth. He could last longer without her than any of the others, but if too much time past, he felt the effects. Sick wasn’t the right word; empty was closer, but even it didn’t fit. Thin. He nodded to himself at the thought. That was it. He felt translucent, as if less of him existed when she wasn’t there.
I just never noticed how little of me existed before; I was a shadow without a person.
He didn’t know when it had happened or how he’d let it happen, but somehow when he was without her he felt less than whole. Gwen had stolen part of him and—No, she hasn’t taken anything. She’s given me something I’ve never had, and now I can’t live without it. The idea was unsettling, and he bristled, frowning at himself under his hood.
Royce began to wish that Hadrian would start talking, some nice pointless blathering about flowers on the roadside or how a cloud looked like a girl he’d once known, except that she parted her hair on the other side of her head.
Then, as if Hadrian could read minds, he said, “Well, look at that.”
Royce glanced over, assuming Hadrian would be pointing at a rock and insisting it resembled a turnip. Instead, he found his partner staring back toward the village.
Fearing that the villagers had changed their opinions and were now in some fanatical pursuit, Royce whirled his mount around and then sat, stunned.
From their position high on the ridge, they could once again see the whole valley of Dulgath, the village below, the castle and the ocean beyond. And there, arching over all of it, was a rainbow. Clear as stained glass it stood out beneath a single gray cloud as if painted for them.
“What do you suppose that means?” Hadrian asked.
“It means it’s raining down there,” Royce said. “But there’s sunshine, too.”
<<<<>>>>
Afterword
Well, there you have it. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading The Death of Dulgath; I know I certainly had a blast reuniting with the pair. Some may know that my wife has a bit of a crush on Hadrian, and there is nothing better than seeing her just before and during a new Riyria tale. That said, I can always write stories for Robin and be happy leaving it at that. Publishing them is another matter entirely, and as I’ve mentioned elsewhere, whether there will be additional Riyria books “out and about in the world” will depend largely on the desires of other people. If the pair starts to overstay their welcome, I have plenty of ideas I can turn my attention to. If people want further adventures, there is no one more excited about that prospect than me…well except maybe Robin. So, don’t be shy; drop me a line at [email protected]. I might even have a little free short story for you as a way of saying thanks for taking the time to write.
Before we part, I have a few other things I’d like to bring up. First, I want to let you know about www.michaelsullivan-author.com/maps.html where you can find high resolution copies of the maps which will allow you to zoom in and see more detail then I can provide in either the print or e-book versions.
Also, I want to take just a minute to encourage you to leave a review (or simply a rating) at sites like Goodreads or your favorite retailer: Amazon, Audible, or Barnes & Noble. Good, bad or indifferent, all I care about is honesty. I’m not sure readers understand just how important these reviews are. Being able to hear from third-party sources can really help those on the fence decide if the book is right for them. Your comments don’t have to be comprehensive, just a few words about what you liked (or didn’t like) will help others decide. Even if that means they don’t pick up the book, that’s fine. I realize that no book is a good fit for everyone, and I’d rather have that reader go on to find a different book they can love, than spend time reading my book that turned out not to be a good fit for their particular tastes.
Speaking of Goodreads, I started up a private and secret group there called, The Dark Room. It is a place for lovers of the series to hang out. In The Dark Room I can answer questions, talk about things that aren’t yet public knowledge, and even offer exclusive extras from time to time. If you want an invitation to join, just email. Please put DARK ROOM INVITE in the subject line so it’ll stand out.
Lastly, or maybe second to last, I wanted to mention that if you read The Death of Dulgath in print, or listened to it on audio, then I want to make the ebook available to you at no cost. Again, just drop me an email, and let me know what file format you would prefer, and I’ll send one over. A copy of your receipt would be highly appreciated, but I’m not going to make a big deal about “proof of purchase.” After all, it’s not like you won’t be able to find a pirated copy of the book.
After finishing a book, there are always little things that cross my mind that I wish I could talk about. Things like why I decided path A versus path B and of course those funny little things I thought of but just couldn’t put into the book (mainly because they just didn’t fit). Robin and I shared a great laugh about something that would have been especially fun in chapter twenty-four. In any case, we’ve collected all these little odds and ends, along with some behind the scenes stuff in a free e-book called The Making of the Death of Dulgath. It won’t be made public on e-book sites because it’ll contain massive spoilers. For this reason, I only give it away to people after they’ve finished reading. And you guessed it—just send me an email to get your copy.