No.

Devin must not have seen the hard look on my face, she persisted. “I can make her go away, along with all your troubles. There’s no need to bind yourself to her, she’s only making you drown.”

Such tall words.

“I can free you.”

“What a high horse,” I said in my own voice. It was scratchy and gravelly, but it was my voice. A heat washed through me, a relief. Lily gave me a wide eyed look. I ignored her for now.

She tilted her head, “You can speak?”

“Not usually. But that isn’t important. What’s important is that you come back down from cloud nine,” I shoved off her hands and took her by the collar, “And you get real with me. Right now.”

She gave me a lazy grin. “I’m always real with you sweetheart.”

I dropped her and she grunted. “I’m not going to waste my time, so listen closely. I’ve been chosen by god and that angel you claim to be a pixie is my guide to reach my destiny. I need her so you can go ahead and screw off.”

I turned on my heel, ready to jump off the cart and keep walking, when Devin grabbed at my cloak. “Wait. You’re being deceived. There’s no such thing as god.” I turned around. She kept talking. “Everybody knows that god abandoned us years ago. There’s nobody looking out for us anymore. Now it’s just those that deceive that run amok. That pixie included.”

Kicking her off, I said, “I’m a saint but I still get angry.” Using her stupor as a chance, I hopped off the cart and started to walk. Devin took one last glance at me before she picked her way over the cart and somehow ran all the way to the carriage. Apparently she was embarrassed.

The nearest guard was pretty far away, enough so that I could get away with talking to Lily without being heard. After all, it’s been so long since I’ve last used my voice, I wasn’t one to waste an opportunity.

“I know you wouldn’t lie to me.”

Lily sat on my shoulder, “I’m glad you know that Cam. For a moment I was worried about whether you would believe her or me.”

“You’ve been with me for longer.” I said it simply and with a shrug, but I could tell that it meant a lot to Lily. Her face softened and she leaned her head against mine.

“I’m glad god chose you.”

“So he hasn’t given up? On people I mean. He’s still there, watching over us.”

Lily sighed, “Of course Cam. That’s god’s job. He’s always there to look out for us.”

I stretched my arms above my head, wanting to hop back onto the cart and sleep the rest of the way. That was only if there were no attacks from sand beasts. “I thought so.” After all, I couldn’t be a saint if there was no god granting me power. “I thought so.”

“How did you get your voice back?” Lily muttered.

“I thought you gave it to me…” I tried to look at her but she flew away, like there was something that she didn’t want to hear or say. “Bye then,” I mumbled at her retreating figure.

I walked with the Caravan, watching guards change shift and Phillins occasionally come out and asking me if everything was clear. Lily wasn’t around but I was sure she would tell me the moment her senses picked up something, so I told him that all was well and that we should arrive at the capital without much problem. When he invited me back to his carriage I kindly took him up on the offer. Lord knows I needed some rest.

There was a city in between my home town and the capital. It was Vella. Vella was a merchant city, close enough to the port city Veminora to profit from the abundance of trade and commerce. This caravan was going to stop there then head to the port city. It seemed that this is where I leave them. Good riddance. I don’t think I could have handled seeing Devin again so soon.

I waved them goodbye as I went to find myself a hotel room. It seemed that the blacksmith’s guild had a heavy presence in this town. There were at least three blacksmith shops on the main street. As well as small building that boasted being the adventurer’s guild building. It looked more like a home than a branch of the mighty adventurer’s guild.

Perhaps I should stop by there.

“I think that’s a great idea. Our money is running out too.”

I jiggled the coin purse and it was getting rather light. Okay, the the adventurer’s guild we go!