A Night Alone

It’s just after midnight when Keth reaches the Ravenwood family’s old farm. He passes by the destroyed house without much of a glance, heading straight to the small hill on the edge of the property. He sighs as he approaches the grave he and Raiya had dug together, running his hand lightly over the small headstone. With a small gesture he creates the illusion of a bouquet of violets resting in front of the grave and smiles sadly, remembering how proud he’d been the last time and how much he’d had to focus to create a non-chair illusion.
 
“Hey, Mom. It’s… been a while.” Keth kneels next to the grave and sits down, sighing. “So much has happened since the last time I was here. We stopped the Redcloaks. Released a dracolich. Met Eethyl and Sef and Amarille. Raiya got taken. Twice. I’m… not sure we’re going to be able to get her back this time either.” Keth pauses and rubs at his eyes. “She helped me so much last time I was here. And called me her friend. I feel like I owe it to her to try. But at the same time this thing that has her is so powerful and so evil, I’m not even sure we stand a chance of stopping it. And it’s going to hurt a lot of people. Can I afford to focus on doing anything else? On saving Raiya?” He sighs again, this time with frustration. “I wish you were here; you were always so good at knowing the right thing to do. I can never figure any of it out on my own.”
 
He sighs again and pulls out his mother’s book, fiddling a little with the violet bookmark stuck inside. “There are so many other things I want to ask you about too. What is this book? How did you get it? Did you really know magic? And if you did, why did you waste your life here on this stupid farm? And… why didn’t you tell me?” He opens the book and runs his fingers along the handwriting inside. “I had thought that maybe you were like a secret Harper agent or something. And you couldn’t tell me because you were protecting me and doing the greater good and stuff. But it seems like that’s not the case.” He sighs again, looking conflicted and hurt. “It’s just… we talked about magic all the time! And you know how much I loved it! Why would you keep this from me? And send me off to Neverwinter to learn where everyone was a total jerk when you could have just taught me yourself?”
 
Keth spends a few minutes sitting in silence, getting no answers from the quiet forest around him. He rubs a few tears from his eyes and closes the book, setting it down on his lap. “I finally got a lead yesterday. About the lightning pig. Moesko. Or at least on some of Talos’ cultists.” Keth leans back onto the grass, sighing. “Everything has been so crazy and happening so fast, especially with me needing to become more of a leader- Can you believe that, by the way? Worst decision Flicker has ever made. But anyways, I haven’t really had a chance to focus on the pig with everything going on. But now… with an actual lead and no other super urgent important matter to attend to… it’s the only thing I can think about. Getting revenge. I’ve tried to tell myself that isn’t what this is; that I’m going after the pig for justice and because it’s the Right Thing To Do and stuff. But honestly… I’m just so angry.”
 
He pauses for a few moments, finding it difficult to put how he’s feeling into words. “Why did it have to take you? What reason could Talos or his stupid pig possibly have for… You we so good. To everyone. And… I needed you.” His voice breaks and he stops to wipe some more tears from his eyes. He stares off into the darkness of the forest, eyes hardening. “I want to make him pay. Take something from him, show him how it feels. And kill the stupid giant pig. I… know that’s probably not how you’d want me to feel. You never liked it when I got angry and started fights. But it’s so… loud, it’s the only thing I can think about.” He takes a deep breath, the look on his face softening slightly. “I… know I promised you that I’d be someone good. And I’m trying, really, but… I just, I have to do this.”
 
Keth spends a few more minutes sitting in silence before reluctantly standing. Seeing that his illusion has disappeared, he waves a hand to recast it. “I… should get back to the others. They need me to protect them. But… I’ll try and come see you when I can. And I’ll do my best to make you proud. Bye Mom.” He wipes a few more tears from his eyes and turns, walking away from the grave and the rest of the property. As he gets to the edge of the woods he pauses and turns back, looking one last time at his old home. After a long moment he turns and enters the woods, returning to where the rest of the party is camped for the night.