Page 75 of I Ran Away to Evil #3

Every Reason He Adored Her

Julian

Julian didn’t like the look of the mysterious ball of fire three times as large as any star that shone overhead, but seeing Gerda nonplussed alleviated some of his worries.

“I can’t believe we actually get to watch Madame Potts make a Cast,” Sir Tully exclaimed.

Visha shushed the human.

The troll bit her lip while she thought.

“Alright,” Gerda said, opening her eyes as the crystal in her hands lit up with a sharp white light that warred with the soft yellow magic lights they were using to see by. She smiled and pitched her voice just so.

“Hello, everyone, this is your friendly neighborhood Madame Potts.

My apologies for the late-night Cast, but as you can all see, we have an impending magical disaster approaching from the eastern sky. Luckily, it is being handled with care by a professional. You can go about your nights simply appreciating the cosmic phenomenon.

Peldeep is looking for a new assistant guild master for their adventuring guild. Congratulations, Gemma, on your promotion. And I wish you and your new househusband a fine Happily Ever After.

In exciting news, the identity of the mysterious and enigmatic Madame Potts has finally been discovered.

That’s right, folks, my secret identity has been revealed to the public.

If your assassins could please schedule attacks between four and seven p.m. on Monday evenings, and Thursdays from eleven to noon, it would be much appreciated. Thank you.

The Continental Council has ruled I may only Cast portents in realms that give me leave, which is currently Nilheim, Peldeep, and North Sumbria. So please tell your family and friends who live abroad that Servalt is going to have a drought next year, and they should start preparing now.

There’s going to be a rockslide where the Baldorin Mountain Range meets the Galer Plain. And later this week, Drendil will have the chance to see a pod of rainbow whales off the western coast.

Should anything happen to the whales, it will go very, very poorly. I’m talking to you, Pirate Abra. Don’t do it.

Have a good rest of your evening, all,

Madame Potts, signing off.”

The entire time Gerda spoke into the crystal, she had this sassy smile that melted Julian’s heart.

She was funny and brilliant and beautiful.

Her voice carried her personality through the Cast, but watching her tease the entire continent with a straightforward ruthlessness brought back every reason he adored her.

“So, who is dealing with the star?” Sir Tully thrust a thumb over his shoulder at the comet.

“A very powerful if irksome mage,” Gerda told the human, putting away her crystal. “He’s been preparing all year, and I think he’s pretty much ready to go. Honestly, the comet was a side quest I rushed through to unlock other routes because it committed the greatest fantasy sin.”

“What?” Julian asked, not entirely sure what she meant but wanting to hear more anyway. From her hints, he’d already figured out who the mage was.

“ Math .”

There was a pause.

“Math?” Jeffry asked, affronted. “But math is the foundation for our magical system, the basic underlying principle of our reality and our place within it. It cannot be a sin. Math is life itself .”

“So says the party strategist. Of course you like math.” Gerda shook her head.

“I respect the art. I am even good at it. I love baking, and I understand the importance of managing mana costs. I have even gamed the tax system … but when a handsome mage is trying to tell me about the ratio of an angle of a line for a world-saving arcane magical weapon, it is going in one ear and out the other.”

“You think Thomas is handsome?” Julian raised an eyebrow at that.

“Skinny nerds aren’t my type,” Gerda replied. She looked Julian up and down before meeting his eyes. “I prefer someone with more muscle. And trauma.”

Visha, his prim and proper second-in-command, snorted loudly; she covered her mouth with the back of her hand and coughed to hide it. Jeffry still looked taken aback that the troll didn’t like math, while Sir Tully was enjoying the back and forth between them. Pram frowned.

John had shadowed ahead and was preparing for their arrival at the fortress. Speaking of which.

“Laugh all you like,” Julian told Visha, flicking his reins and leading his horse back onto the path. “But do so in your own time. Let’s continue home.”

“Only you would call a cold stone guardhouse home ,” Sir Tully told the duke, joining the line as everyone followed after Julian.

He smiled. “Home is where you hang your hat.”

“You don’t wear a hat,” Sir Tully pointed out.

“Miss Gerda, a question, if you will?” Pram pulled up beside the troll and spoke softly.

“Go ahead.”

“What will happen if a rainbow whale is hurt?” Pram asked. The selkie had lived his whole life in North Sumbria, and loved learning facts about the sea.

“Rainbow whales maintain the balance of the ocean’s natural mana reserves by filtering it from the water and releasing it from their spout.

They can grow as large as a dragon and will release giant mana laser beams if threatened,” the troll explained.

“They are the reason we don’t have many undersea dungeons. ”

“How often do they migrate close to Valaria?” Sir Pram asked, intrigued.

“Every three years or so,” she told the selkie.

He nodded. “Perhaps we will have found the dungeon by then, and I can travel to see it.”

Gerda stared at Pram for a long moment. “Why wait?”

“I am loyal to my lord.” The selkie sat straighter on his horse. “And I am dedicated to this quest. No matter how long it takes.”

Julian stiffened in his seat.

He knew that every member of his party was here willingly … but they had sacrificed much to follow him to the North. John had less time with his family, and Jeffry was leaving his work as viscount to his sister, while Sir Pram rarely saw his cousins near the shoreline anymore.

Granted, John made enough money to buy a palace, and Jeffry had outright told Julian he wanted an adventure before settling down … And Pram … Well, Pram’s family was exiled from the Underdark. He wanted purpose and had sworn to follow Julian for life.

Everyone was here for a different reason.

On a side note, Sir Tully was here on forced community service after insulting a foreign dignitary, and Visha was a spy sent by his mother.

Gerda cut into Julian’s thoughts with a simple, “No need to wait, Sir Pram. I can take us all to see the whales this weekend.”

Sir Pram waved a hand in rejection. “I couldn’t; not while on duty.”

“It’ll be fine.” Gerda leaned in closer, speaking quietly but still within hearing of everyone present. “I was going to take Julian there on a date anyway.”

“Were you now?” Julian asked, butting into their conversation.

“I was,” Gerda told him. “I’ve been thinking about visiting to see how Drendil is adapting to a less xenophobic leadership.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Julian told her.

“Is that … ?” Gerda asked, peering into the darkness ahead.

“Yes.” Julian nodded. A group on horseback was headed their way.

John had come out to greet them.