Epilogue

"Okay," said Kasumi. "Who here knows how to make a campfire?"

Couzinet sighed and raised her hand.

"Alright! Kitty's cooking. I'll go get the firewood." With that, the hero tromped off into the forest.

They'd found a nice spot to spend their first night. The ground sank and rebounded underfoot. A brook burbled nearby and dragonflies made short work of any mosquito foolish enough to show itself. Soaring pine trunks around them created a dim, subdued atmosphere that reminded Mylo of the great halls he'd wandered through under Old Edule.

"Can I help?" he asked.

"Not if you're going to turn our dinner into ash."

"Please, I make my own meals. I'm no chef, but I manage."

Couzinet relented, if only to get the food made all the sooner. At first they used her kit, which was clearly sized with a single serving, a single person in mind.

"Please tell me you have a saucepan or something in that pack of yours."

Mylo nodded. "I do, but it's down at the very bottom."

He began unpacking onto his tarp, one layer at a time. First came the clothes, wrapped around the doped beryl and other other fragile items. Then his other lemming-boss drops, then the little bit of kitchenware he could call his.

"Here it is."

Lifting the saucepan, Mylo discovered another layer beneath. He extracted a large brown paper package.

"What's that?" asked Couzinet.

"I don't know."

The top was secured with twine and an easy knot. Inside, familiar envelopes stared back at him with his initials. At the top, a bold red card directed Mylo to 'Read this First!', so he did.

Hey Mylo,

Can we stay in touch? I'll try to ask you in person later, but don't know if I'll get the chance, so I'm asking here, just in case.

The second spell I gave you should let your letters fly to me or anyone else you know—just fold it to look a bit like a bird.

Yeah, write me about whatever, but mainly if you encounter any interesting monsters out there. My mother's been bugging me for leads on the fasral, etc. for her next compendium.

And yes, the letters below are for you. I guess you could read them.

Take care,

Ezre Lafferty

Mylo smiled and nodded to himself. "So that's why my pack was so heavy."