Quintessential Tales: A Magic of Solendrea Anthology by Martin Hengst

comfortable life. You can have that. All you need to do is walk away.”
    Serena hated that there was a part of her that wanted to do just that. To walk away, leaving her brother to die, and becoming richer than she’d ever imagined in the process. There was something more important than money though, and Declan had been all she had more often than not. She couldn’t just walk away from him.
    “I can’t,” she screamed at the guardian, tears of anger and frustration joining those of sadness. “I can’t. Okay? Is that what you want to hear?”
    Shoving her hands in her pockets, Serena took the treasure she’d pilfered and threw it at the old man. The coins stopped in mid-air as soon as they left her hand. They hung there, mocking her. The guardian waved an open hand in front of the coins and they clattered to the floor, rolling off in every direction.
    “Why?”
    “Why what?” Serena’s voice sounded far too small and timid for her liking.
    “Why not walk away?”
    “Because he’s my brother. He’s annoying. He’s sanctimonious. He’s a know-it-all. He’s a royal pain in the ass at times…but he’s my brother, and he being with me is more important than all the riches in the world.”
    “Then you refuse my offer. Are you ready for judgment to be handed down?”
    “Yes,” Serena said, wiping the last of the tears from her cheeks. “May I make one request?”
    “You may, though I cannot promise to honor it.”
    “Please make it quick? I don’t want Declan to suffer any more. He’s gone through enough because of me.”
    “I promise you will feel no pain.”
    The guardian shook his hands free of his robes and brought them together. There was a brilliant flash of light, then nothing. The world went dark.
    The afterlife was much more fetid than she’d have imagined, Serena thought. Then she giggled. She opened her eyes and watched insects dance in the shafts of sunlight filtering down through the thick jungle canopy. Flashes of where she had been and what she had done raced through her memory. She sat up in a panic.
    Declan was laying beside her in the brush, his head pillowed on a clump of moss. He was snoring softly. No blood stained his ears or neck , and his face was relaxed, not drawn back in lines of indescribable pain.
    Serena shook her head, trying to rid herself of the fog that seemed to cloud every thought. She patted her thigh pocket. There were two vials there, outlined by the fabric. Had she been dreaming? It all seemed so real.
    “It was not a dream,” a soft voice said. It was a familiar voice. The voice of the guardian. She turned to see him leaning against a tree.
    “I thought you were going to pass judgment on us?”
    “I did. You made a choice. You chose to give up your avarice and everything you dreamed of to save your brother. It was a wise choice.”
    “What’s going to stop us from coming back here?”
    The guardian smiled. It was the first time she’d seen him show any real emotion.
    “I will still be here. Do you really want to do this again?”
    “No. No, I don’t.” Serena sighed. “So where do we go from here?”
    “You go home, Serena.” The guardian produced something from inside his robe and tossed it to her. She caught it and opened her hand. She couldn’t believe it. It was the ruby she’d taken from the archway outside the treasure room.
    “You’re rewarding bad behavior?”
    The guardian shook his head. “No. I’m giving you the opportunity to live a different life. It is up to you to make the most of it.”
    Declan stirred beside her and Serena looked down at him. She was happy. No matter what happened, they’d have each other. That was all that mattered. She turned back to thank the guardian, but he was gone.
    “What happened?” Declan asked groggily. “Where are we?”
    “Everything’s fine.” Serena patted his hand. “We’re going home.”
     
     
     
     

 
     
     
     

     
    Troubled Waters
     
     
    Faxon winced as a bullet hit the