Vell looked at Sonder for a moment.
"What about you, Sonder? I said what I meant before. You don't have any obligation to come with me."
She seemed surprised, but before she could speak, Vell continued.
"I mean it. Maybe you could stay here with the Yellow Mage. You could have a place here. Or you could go somewhere completely different. Somewhere nice. Perhaps some quiet village. Or a city. Somewhere where nobody knows you, if that's what you want."
Sonder listened quietly.
"You could settle down. Have a quiet life. Find some work. Make some friends. Do whatever people normally do. You've been through enough. You don't have to keep chasing after problems just because I am."
Sonder looked down at the table.
"I could not do that. I could not stay here, or go somewhere else. I would not like it. I want to go with you."
Her words were resolute and left no room for a wavering heart or mind.
"You sure?" Vell asked.
"Wherever you go, I will be by your side."
She looked up and smiled.
"A quiet life is not for me. There are times that I wish that it was, but it is not."
"Any reason why?"
"Maybe I do not know what I would do with one," she said, and then her smile grew bigger. "Maybe I would get bored."
That made Vell laugh.
"You might."
She looked back at him.
"If I stayed here or somewhere else without you, I would probably spend all my time wondering where you were."
"That would be rather inconvenient. And I would spend my time thinking about you."
"I will go with you."
"So be it. Suppose this makes things easier, and I won't get so lonely. Though… I should ask what you expect from this journey."
She thought about it. "I want to help. I also want to know if he; if Endrith is out there."
Vell nodded. "That seems reasonable, but I don't want you to spend your whole life chasing him, though."
"I know."
"I really mean it. If after some time we haven't even found an inkling of him, then I think you should let it be. We can still travel together, but your mind should be focused on something else. You know, I am not just going because I have nothing else to do. I just want to be sure."
That seemed to have been the end of the discussion, but after a moment, Vell raised a good point.
"Actually, where exactly are we going next? Where's the next major city?"
He looked toward the Yellow Mage.
The Yellow Mage had been quietly listening.
"If my memory serves me right, then the nearest major city would be Seroti."
"How far?"
The Yellow Mage did not answer immediately.
Instead, he pushed his chair back and stood.
"Wait here."
Vell watched him leave the table.
"That's ominous."
A moment later, the Yellow Mage returned carrying a rolled piece of parchment.
He placed it on the table and carefully spread it out. He had some trouble doing so with only one arm, but it was clear that he did not want any help.
The parchment was a map.