It was well past park closing when Mayor Tram finally got every non-villager and/or park employee to leave. Plenty of strangers were still around, but not in the park. Around the perimeter and inside Emberwood Forest? Sure—there was a new world tree, of course people would be interested in checking her out.

  “Okay people! Look alive!” Tram shouted inside town hall, the only building within the village that could hold everyone. It was also the courthouse, school, and a massive supply closet for a number of rusty things. “We’ve got another day or two before the princess arrives and who knows how long until a crime boss arrives. So—we need ideas, people! How do we handle this!?”

  Everyone was packed into the room like canned fish, villagers and park employees mumbled amongst themselves. And yet, no one addressed the room, not even the peeved Elven Consort. Jear sat beside Luka and Annie, her knee bouncing rapidly with unease.

  “You okay?” Luka asked her.

  The high elf’s eyes darted to him then to the floor. She gritted her teeth, stilled her nervous knee, and swallowed down her pride. “What if I’m not a good mother?”

  That was… not the answer he was expecting, if Luka was honest. He expected some quippy comment or deflecting groan, not the actual issue. Still, he answered to the best of his abilities. “You can’t know and you won’t know for many years how good of a mother you’ll be.”

  Jear glared at him. “Reassuring.”

  He just shrugged. “I thought I was an amazing father up until my wife divorced me and I learned my daughter secretly loathed me.”

  Annie went stark still. She forced herself to thaw. “I didn’t loathe you, I just was done with you.” She hesitated a moment before adding, “But not… not anymore.”

  Luka saw the tightness in his daughter’s chest. For as close as they’d become these last two months, there was still a hole buried deep within her. She, rightfully so, feared him leaving again and breaking her heart. And sadly, there was no fixing this issue with words. He had said everything he could—and only time would mend the last of the scars.

  Still, Annie’s response was perfect for what Luka was trying to express to Jear. He raised his hand and gestured at his daughter. “See?” he asked the high elf.

  Jear mumbled something under her breath, shook her head, and returned her attention to Tram. A villager in the back of the room was sharing his idea of “not allowing the princess and crime boss into the park.”

  It wasn’t a well-received idea. “Anyone else?” Tram asked. She sighed when no one responded, then looked at Luka.

  Taking his cue, the World Walker stood and said, “I think we should be business as usual.”

  “Explain?” the mayor asked.

  “They are VIPs, nothing more. They have no sway in park matters or management. Anything they say we will respectfully take under advisement.”

  “But doesn’t their renown give them special privileges?” someone at the far edge of the room asked. “If the princess wants us to rename the WHEEL to something that befits her, shouldn’t we?” A curt round of grumbles sounded from this—most of the room seemed to agree.

  “No,” Luka answered firmly. “I don’t care if the princess demands something like that. The answer is ‘no.’ World Walker Park isn’t hers to change. The moment we allow things like that is the moment the park changes for the worse.”

  Tram studied him. “You allowed the consort to plant her child here. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, it just seems counterproductive to the point you’re trying to make.”

  Luka sighed. She was right—he had allowed that, even if he said he didn’t. Yes, Jear planted Ressen without properly asking or explaining what would happen. But it wasn’t the same.

  He shook his head and said, “Jear didn’t ask, nor did I try to stop her, yes. But she wasn’t trying to change the park to her image. If Jear started demanding changes from here on out, the answer will be ‘we will take it under advisement.’” Luka locked eyes with the consort. “Sorry, but that’s how it has to be.”

  Jear wasn’t surprised nor did she seem to care. She limply shrugged. “My only worry is my daughter. As long as you don’t firebomb her, we should be fine.”

  “Wasn’t planning on it,” Luka replied instantly. “But we do need to talk about hotels. You said you’d help.”

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  “World Tree trunks are hollow… and as soon as Ressen’s done with her tantrum and talking to me again, I’ll ask her to create hotel rooms and amenities.”

  Luka shared a glance with Tram. Both eyed the consort suspiciously. Was what she said even possible?

  Annie leaned over to Jear’s ear, whispering something. The high elf then nodded, and the pair stood up and moved to leave. “Dad, we’re going to go talk to Ressen,” she said to Luka.

  “Okay,” he quickly said. “Find Vlad and take him as well. When we finish here, I’ll bring over dinner and we can have a nice family night picnic.”

  Annie gave him a squeeze then departed, dragging Jear along. Everyone in the room watched them go before Tram cleared her throat and drew everyone’s attention.

  “Let’s put a pause on VIP talk and get through the rest of tonight’s meeting. First on the docket is line cutters. How should we better deal with them…”

  ***

  Luka walked through the dark of the forest holding two baskets of food, wine, and jrum—coffee. Dire-wolf Leo followed beside him, sniffing the ground for little critters to snack on or spots to mark. As they walked, streetlights erected in their wake. World Walker magic twisted metal posts with wooden planks, forming stiff poles topped with fa?ade lanterns. They flickered as if lit by flame, but in reality, a single purposefully ill-created light glyph sat within.

  Sol had taught him the small trick. Sometimes, to get a desired effect, the structure of a glyph could be altered. In this case, the runic lines connecting the power source were over encumbered, allowing wicked surges of energy—surges that mimicked the wild flicker of open flame.

  Little Leo and Luka entered the clearing surrounding Ressen. Luka had long found his magic had a range of sorts—if he tried to move things too far away, he found it straining. He took a long lap around the World Tree’s base, planting streetlights as he went. Eventually the whole clearing was masked in orange torch light.

  As they went, they passed random people. Some were families visiting the new world tree, others were scholars personally viewing something they knew would be in history books. It was late, but the moon hung overhead, singing a happy tune. Today, like most days around World Walker Park, was a happy day.

  Luka and Leo found themselves back at the entrance path from the park. They spotted Annie, Vlad, and Jear standing at the base of Ressen’s massive trunk. Jear had her hand pressed flatly into her daughter’s bark with her eyes closed—Annie mimicked the gesture. Vlad stood a safe distance away, watching his wife and her new friend.

  “Go see if Vlad wants to help set up, please,” Luka said to Leo. The little wolf barked once then dashed ahead, B-lining toward the formerly human and now elvish man.

  Wood floated idly through the air, Luka’s magic gently morphing a few thousand loose sticks into long wooden beams. It was a habit he had long picked up: he was a hoarder of materials. The forest discarded wood like it was common trash, and after treating it for impurities, bugs, and then drying it, the wood was as good as any other—and free.

  A table formed in moments; a common design Luka had made several dozen times for the park. From his basket, he removed a white tablecloth and slung it over the wood grain, smoothing out the folds. He added a small light glyph to the center, illuminating their seats in the low light. It was intimate, it was homey, it was perfect for a recovering family… plus an elven consort.

  “Hey,” Vlad said, approaching with Leo circling around his feet. “So, I see the park has a new guardian.”

  “Ressen? I suppose so,” Luka replied, taking their meal from the basket. Cheese, bread, spreads and dips. It wasn’t a lavish feast by any means, but only so many smashburgers and churros could be eaten before they became gross.

  “No, Jear.”

  Luka looked at his son-in-law. “Jear’s going to protect the park?”

  “Not so much the park but instead the surrounding land. Well, forest, really.” He gestured at all the people staring at the world tree around the clearing. “Apparently, and this is according to Jear so take it as you will, but there are poachers on these lands.”

  Luka raised an eyebrow. “There’s game in this forest?”

  “Not like you’re thinking. Apparently, people poach the magic from trees, plants, rare flowers, and herbs.”

  Lost for words, Luka just shook his head. “I get the feeling Jear’s making up a reason to stay near Ressen.”

  Vlad grunted. “I didn’t think of that.” He reached for the other basket of food and helped create a charcuterie spread. “She’s worried, you know? Who’d have thought the wife of a world tree would have the same fears as Annie and me when we had our first.”

  “Amazing, isn’t it?” Luka asked. “Love comes in all shapes and sizes here.”

  Vlad nodded, craning his head back to look at his wife. They had been together for years, died together, and reincarnated together. And yet, when he looked at Annie, he still smiled like a little kid. “Yeah,” he said quietly.

  A warm silence passed between the two men.

  Luka sat at the table, Vlad doing the same. The former poured himself a mug of jrum, the latter a glass of wine. Leo nuzzled up at their feet, eating a raw steak his rider had brought with them.

  “Did you bring the root beer?”

  A look of horror burst onto Vlad’s face. “Yes,” he said slowly.

  “And?” Luka asked.

  “Jear said she liked it a lot and that it was ‘much better than local root beer.’” He pointed near Ressen’s base. A metal keg sat, smashed between the ground and an unearthed massive root. “Then Ressen got upset she couldn’t drink any and smashed it.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah.”

  Both men leaned back in their seats, sipping their drinks.

  “That sucks.”

  “It was my best batch, as well.”