Page 77 of Ties of Legacy

“Actually, I don’t think he ever saw me.”

Corbett whistled softly. “So he never saw you, and he didn’t know about the lamp. It sounds like we had a fortunate escape. One of the innkeepers was certain Clarence had heard some things he shouldn’t have in the taproom on his last visit. But the man swore that while he’d heard about Avery being crucial todestroying the beast, no one had actually mentioned the lamp.” His expression turned grim. “He apparently did, however, learn that his brother was already dead, and that if we couldn’t deal with the creature ourselves, we were going to have to ask for help from the capital, thus exposing our ruse in the process.”

“Has it been so bad here?” Elliot asked.

Corbett ran a tired hand over his face. “Bad enough. The creature killed an older resident first, so we tried to go after it. It mortally injured one of the group who attacked it—a young, strong man—and so we didn’t dare try again without the lamp. We instituted curfews and kept the children close to home, thinking we could wait for Avery’s return, but then it went after a merchant caravan like Cook said. It killed two of their number, and now no travelers will come near our region. If you had tried to come by boat, you would have had trouble finding one to take you.”

Elliot shook his head. If they hadn’t been avoiding all the towns and keeping to the unused roads, they would probably have heard the rumors about the dangerous beast in the woods around Bolivere.

“But how are you surviving without any trade?”

Corbett winced. “I won’t deny that folks have been hurting, both in lost income and in a lack of supplies. Our medical necessities in particular are running low, and if Avery hadn’t turned up by the end of next week, I was going to escort our healer downriver to resupply myself. We’re desperate to have this matter dealt with so we can properly restock and have a chance to trade before winter.”

“So my uncle would see people harmed or even killed for the sake of stealing an inheritance that was never his,” Elliot said. “I can see why you don’t want him in my father’s place. But if he knew the truth of my father’s death, why didn’t he report you himself?”

“From what you saw, did he seem like the type to inspire trust?” Corbett asked wryly. “Especially among guards or nobles. Without any official position, he would have had to make a big fuss to even get a hearing, and I suspect he was afraid that making a lot of noise about Bolivere’s inheritance would bring you out of the woodwork. He wants that five-year timer to begin, but he doesn’t want to attract too much attention in the process.”

“But now that I’m here, claiming my inheritance, any danger from my uncle is passed?” Elliot clarified.

Corbett nodded, and Elliot breathed out, trying not to think of how close he had come to never returning. A home had been waiting for him—one that needed him—and he had nearly missed it because he had let hurt rule him.

He wouldn’t do so any longer, though. He would prove to the people who had faithfully waited for him that he could be worthy of their trust. The group going after the creature would have the lamp with them, so he had always known he would need to accompany them, but he hadn’t thought of it as his fight. Since entering Bolivere, however, that had changed. He would lead the attack, not hang back at the rear. He would repay his people for the stress he had caused them.

Only one thing marred his determination. Returning to his true place had led him inevitably to the end of his road, and he was a little afraid that Avery would have already reached the same conclusion. Despite his momentary fear earlier, he didn’t really believe she would flee. Avery would feel bound by her promise, regardless of his lack of openness, and she had promised to help him free himself from the lamp. She was far more likely to insist on facing the monster at his side than she was to flee.

Elliot had a responsibility to Bolivere, and he couldn’t abandon it to travel with her. But neither could he bear to see her get hurt for his sake.

“What’s the plan with the creature?” he asked Corbett. “When will we be going after it?”

Corbett smiled at his use ofwe. “The chosen fighters will be gathering mid-morning tomorrow.”

“The plan is well-known throughout town?” Elliot asked. When Corbett nodded, he continued. “In that case, I’d like to request a small amendment. But this time, let’s keep the change quiet.”

Chapter 26

Avery

With Elliot’s disappearance, the crowd calmed enough for the mayor to lead Avery and Mattie to the inn. A buzz still filled the air, and everywhere groups of people stood in excited conversation, their eyes constantly turning toward the manor. Avery had expected the townsfolk to be enthusiastic about finally receiving the lamp, but the lamp seemed to have taken a secondary role in the celebratory atmosphere that pervaded Bolivere.

“So Elliot is the son of the late lord?” Mattie asked the man leading their horses alongside them.

He sucked in a breath, giving her a disapproving look.

“They don’t talk about their lord’s death openly,” Avery muttered to Mattie, who raised her brows.

“But surely it can’t be kept a secret now that the son has returned,” she said. She looked innocently at the mayor. “That was the reason it was secret, right?”

Avery frowned, but from the expression of both the mayor and the man with their horses, Mattie was right. She had onceagain seen straight to the heart of the issue while Avery had been left in the dark. And she prided herself on reading people well.

Looking back, there had been more than enough clues. She should have guessed the truth given everything Elliot had told her about his past, including the timing of his father’s death and the way he reacted to any mention of Bolivere.

The only conclusion was that it had been willful blindness. She had closed her eyes to any suggestion that Elliot had a home and a reason why he couldn’t live a nomadic life. Even when she had wanted to distance herself after his reaction to their kiss, she hadn’t really meant it. On a deeper level she had trusted that whatever was wrong with Elliot, it wasn’t about her or even them. Because Elliot was tied to her.

It didn’t matter if there was a temporary misunderstanding. She had been secure in the knowledge that the two of them would have time to sort it out. Even if he wanted to walk away, he couldn’t.

Except he just had. She had made the fatal mistake of forgetting that Elliot wasn’t tied to her but to the lamp she carried, and from the moment they arrived in Bolivere, the lamp was no longer hers. Elliot wasn’t tied to her any longer. The lamp was in Bolivere and so was he—and apparently Bolivere was where he belonged. He could remain here forever, without need of her assistance. There was nothing stopping them from becoming strangers again.

The idea was incomprehensible, and it shook Avery’s self-confidence in a way that not even her abduction had. Elliot had just walked away, and though she would presumably see him again the next day, her mind couldn’t shake the image of his retreating form as he walked away and left her behind.

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