Chapter Three, Second Burial

Upon my first trip to town that spring, I learned how to lie. "Where is your Grandfather?" was the first question out of every merchant's mouth, suspicious that such a seemingly young boy had driven the horse and wagon all the way to town on his own.

"He's testing me, I'm supposed to pick up some new supplies and be home before dark." I found that these sorts of simple lies came easily to my lips, but that the lingering pain of my Grandfather's loss still stung down deep.

"Well then! Let's get you loaded and back on your way!" they would all say. And so, I filled my wagon with goods, and traded in a few of the minor healing potions I had brewed over the winter, as well as a few antidotes of the local snake-bites. They all assumed my Grandfather had made them, of course. But how proud I was to have fooled them all!

After getting a large, and rather expensive, air-tight metal chest and key, I turned back around and made it home from town just before dark. All of this, and not a single bandit to try out my new skills on! How Grandfather had managed to find the quietest place on Havorra, I'll still never know. Of course, it was probably full of bandits before he arrived… but no one ever mentioned it to me!

The very next day, I put together all of my Grandfather's effects. His notes, his journals, his every item, and carefully packed them into the metal chest. After I dug a huge hole and put it down in there, of course, for I knew I was too small to move the chest once it was full.

After I had finished, I sealed the chest with the key and some candle wax, and buried it in the fertile soil out back, ten paces behind my Grandfather's favorite tree. This was, in a way, a second burial, and it brought the memory of my Grandfather back in full force. I held back my tears, and reminded myself that I must do his memory proud, die trying, or both.

Kooraw watched all this with his beady black eyes and surprisingly didn't say a word.

How empty the house was then! Except for the livestock, the personal effects I had decided to keep, including several of my favorite poisons and antidotes, as well as the daggers and other more dangerous assortment of items I had found within the house, there was nothing left but furniture.

The next week, I traded the livestock to the neighbors for a promise to keep an eye on the house, which meant I had to explain my Grandfather's death, and lied that I was going to Drakeleaf to live with a cousin who had sent word for me. They easily believed this lie, fed me, and sent me on my way.

I covered the furniture after boarding the place up and locking the doors, then buried the keys near the chest in a small box, and set out for the road and certain adventure!

It wasn't long before adventure found me, riding in the wagon with Kooraw on my shoulder in my newly purchased Black and Grey cloak, hat, and boots, away from the only town I had ever known.