When they returned to the room, Brot was sitting on the floor, inspecting his leg.

  “Enjoy your meal with Navarin?” Toshie asked.

  “She is not as bad as you all make her out to be,” Brot said as he fiddled with the Stinger Bracelet.

  “She’s cold, cruel, and can kill us. Not exactly my type,” Sally said as she hopped back into her hammock.

  “Yes, about that.” Brot continued to fiddle with the bracelet. “It does seem like there is quite potent poison in these devices. However...”

  “Yeah?” Toshie said, leaning close to Brot. “Did you figure a way to take them off?”

  “Sadly, no. It seems they are kept in place by some highly powerful Magic.” He raised his hand to Toshie’s face. The tips of his fingers were black.

  “Are you okay?”

  “They are only a little burnt. Thankfully, I know a thing or two about healing.”

  Toshie was surprised by the extent of Brot’s injuries and his attitude toward them.

  “That thing did that to you?”

  “In a sense. When I pried a bit too hard, there was a bit of an explosion. I would recommend not attempting to remove it yourself.”

  Toshie’s eyes went wide. “And this is from the mother of someone you just said is ‘not as bad’ as we say?”

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  “But when I took his place, I realized he was only he because he was he.” Brot seemed to be reciting something.

  “Is that some scripture of yours?” Toshie asked.

  Brot looked up and nodded with a big, toothy grin. “We are all who we are because of our situations. There lies a kind heart within Navarin. But she has few opportunities to use it.”

  “Not eating our sandwiches would have been a nice start,” Yrlith said as she got into her hammock.

  “Well, yes, I suppose that was not nice of her. She wants to show dominance and the ability to control her space. But oh well. We cannot change her. We must do what we can with what she gives us.”

  “Is serving someone like her part of your mission?” Toshie was curious about what exactly Brot’s religion wanted him to do.

  “My Mission is undefined. I must discover it. You three saved me, and I am in your debt. Master Navarin’s current position is a result of her leading you all.”

  “I wouldn’t say she’s leading us,” Sally said.

  “Of course not. You still think you’re in the lead,” Yrlith said, reaching out to poke Sally.

  “Royalty comes with its perks,” Sally said with a laugh.

  Toshie rolled her eyes. But the truth was, as long as she wasn’t sure what to do as the Hero, helping an estranged Princess and her lover live their lives wasn’t the worst plan.

  Toshie sat on her bedroll. “Brot, could you tell me about your religion?” She laid her head down.

  “Oh, my, of course! It all began when the Goddess Elma decided existence would be good.”

  Toshie fell asleep.

  She dreamed of a standard day at her bank job. Clock in, customers complain, a confused man tries to cash an invalid check, a slow period where some other tellers would try to talk to her. Oh, Tosh, put on a few pounds? Oh, Toshy (So few of them could pronounce her name. Thanks, Mom.), your hairstyle is neat. It’s so brave of you not to dye that gray stripe. Blah, blah, blah. Clock out. Drive home. Cry in the car for a few minutes. Go inside. Mom is watching TV. Always watching TV. Couldn’t she do something more interesting with her time? Time. What happened to the time? Time for dinner. Don’t want to talk to Mom. Get food with friends. Drink too much. Get a cab home. Sleep. Wake up. Time for work.

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