Phoenix Maplewood lentando

Ashlar thought he might make the entire journey uninterrupted. If he was honest with himself, he wasn’t traveling as quickly as he could be, but he dreaded what he might find. What if the Rise was gone?

Ashlar’s ear flicked as he heard a familiar voice, and he turned towards Arric with surprise that quickly turned to relief. Arric! The smile he gave didn’t last as long as it might have, but it was genuine, and for the first time in months his eyes shone with actual happiness.

I forgot, this is near where you live, isn’t it? He stepped forward to give the other man a greeting, somewhat hesitantly at first. It had been a while since he’d seen a friendly face.