There was a stillness in the air. Eric hadn't felt this useless in a very long time. Sure, he was helping keep the estate cleaned up, he was checking on people, but he just felt… in the way. Like he could be doing more. And so, he had retreated away from everyone, to the room he had claimed, where he stored his belongings: clothes, paints, canvases, and various spreadsheets for his business. Keeping his hands busy usually helped when he felt this way, but no matter what, he couldn't bring himself to pick up the paintbrush, he couldn't find the inspiration no matter how hard he tried. Mike was busy, like usual, as Trace had hired him to run the estate, and Evals had decided to help him, so he couldn't talk with them. Trace and Flora spent all their time together, even more than usual lately, though he didn't know why. The Basitins were running around constantly, as were the wolf brothers. Sythe and the Datters had nothing in common with him. So that just left… "Would you like some tea? I made a fresh pot." Kathrine walked in with a smile on her face.

"Gladly. Thank you." He took the tea and tasted it. "Peppermint… with anise?"

"Trying something new today."

"I'm not complaining." He turned back to the blank canvas in front of him, wishing he could do something with it.

"Inspiration won't come to you?" Kat asked with a frown.

"It's more than that." he said with a sigh. "I know that everyone else has things to do, people to care for, but I just feel alone here. Sure, I have you, but I feel like I'm just taking up space some days. I wish I was good for more than just making paintings. Sure, I'm also a scholar, but between Trace, Sythe, and Lynn, I just feel like I'm being left in the dust."

Kat walked over to him and stared at the canvas with him. She noticed that there were many blank canvases lying around. "Where did all your other paintings go? I thought you had more than this?"

"Sold them."

"What? You did? To who? When?"

"A few days ago. I went down to town, and started trying to sell them. Most I practically handed out, but some of them sold well enough. A few collectors had a small bidding war over a couple, saying that they'll be worth a lot someday, so I'm pretty pleased with that."

"But why? You worked so hard, you made so many, and you loved everyone one of them. Why would you sell them?"

"Because all they were were reminders. It seems… it seems like when this is all over, everything will change. Everyone else is letting go of the past, so why not do the same? If Trace can battle a literal demon, if Natani can survive without the mental link, if Keith can go from exile to General, if the dragon folk can figure out magic that has eluded them for years, then why can't I do something just as monumental? I'm going to bankrupt my business by freeing all of the slaves I still own. So, I want to be ready for that. Selling my old paintings was a way to get some cash for when things go wrong like they usually do."

"You really intend to go through with it?"

"I won't let my past define who I am anymore. I won't let anyone stand in my way. Not Trace, not the Templars, not even… not even Rodrick." His body became downcast as he mentioned his brother. "This will be the beginning of a new life for me. For all of us. But I can't yet. It's not the right time."

A smile suddenly came to Kathrine's face. "Well, then show me what that new life will look like! I want to know what you see in the future, in our future! If you want to make it happen so badly, then prove it, and show me what it will be like!"

Eric couldn't help but smile back. She had a way of making him feel better. "That's not a bad idea. And I think I know right where to start too." He set down the teacup, and picked up a pencil, sketching on the canvas. "It's start here… then go like this. And it will extend out, like a tree with infinite branching paths made of gold! The sky will be black and blue swirls with unnumbered stars, with the edges glowing like the horizon just before dawn! We'll walk on the path before us, but we'll be stopped at a fork, ready to choose the path ahead. Fate won't be able to stop us forever."

Kathrine stepped back as he spoke, his arm flying from one side to the other, a wide grin on his face. "I'd like that. And… which way would we choose?"

Eric stopped, and turned to her. "Any way we want."

…

There was a hollowness in his chest, a feeling of worry that he couldn't shake. Zen was recovering fine, but that wasn't what made him worry. It was the dreams. He didn't usually remember his dreams, but these were different. These were nightmares. Every time he closed his eyes, he could see it: a mountain, standing alone and barren, cold and dark, and buried within was a strange red pillar, that glowed and pulsed like a heart. Shackles and chains moved around him, and made to bind him, grasping at his wrists and his face. But the pillar… it called to him by name. He could hear the voice, calling for him, he could hear the pounding of hammers and anvils, he could hear the clanking of armor, he could hear the wailing of people in agony, and he could hear the pillar as it pulsated in time with his own heart. But the voice, he could hear the voice so well. Deep and resounding, it carried power beyond anything imaginable. And he could hear him calling out. "Trace… I see you… come back to me… you are mine… Trace…"

"Trace?" He was shaken from his stupor by Flora, whose gentle hand on his shoulder brought him back to reality. "Another nightmare?"

He sighed. He couldn't hide it from her. "Yeah. I wish I knew what it meant. I wish I could hear him say anything else. I wish I could tell them to leave me alone, but I don't even know who he is. I wonder if this is like what Raine experienced. Richard said she had a few visions. I should ask her when she gets back."

Flora's brow dripped with sweat as they worked to tend to the greenhouse. It had become their escape together, when the world seemed to be too much to handle, they came up here, where the gardens were beginning to bloom. "You were talking in your sleep last night. You haven't done that before."

"I'm sorry. I hope I didn't keep you awake."

"No, but you were saying the same thing over and over. 'Thandolin'. Who's that?"

Trace frowned as he heard the name. "It sounds… familiar. Maybe they're someone from before I lost my memory. Another demon of my past, coming back to haunt me." Trace pulled at some weeds that had begun to grow around Stoney's memorial. "I just hope that when this Thandolin shows up, things go better than last time."

"I hope so too. I wish… You left everything behind. You moved on to a new life. You've changed. I wish that everything that kept chasing you would just go away. I don't want to have to worry anymore about what might be lurking around the corner. I want our child to have a life filled with love, not one filled with fear. They should spend their time playing and learning, not looking over their shoulder. I just want them to be happy."

"They will be." Trace pulled her close, not caring that they were both covered in dirt. "They'll be happy, because we have a family who can help us weather the storms of life. We aren't alone in our fight. We've got each other."

"But we won't always have them. They have their own lives too." Trace frowned. He hadn't even considered that they might all go separate ways.

"Well… then you'll have me. And I'll have you. I'll never leave you."

"I know, but…" He could tell that she was working to something, but she struggled to find the right words. "I just… I know I won't always be there. My life…" She sighed and let it all out. "Keidran lives are so short. I don't want our child to grow up not knowing why my life was so short. I hope that they inherit your long life, rather than my brief existence. I want our child to truly live. But what if they don't live as long as a human? What would you do, knowing you had so little time with them, knowing that they'll only be here for a brief few decades, and then they'll be gone, just like me?"

"Then I'll love them for their entire lives. Just like I'll love you for your entire life. I'll make sure they know everything about you, from your kind heart to sharp claws, and everything in between. Even if they don't live for long, I'll still love them. And I'll still love you."