30 The Last Prince of Aerithor

He found his father standing outside the general store talking to the manager. He barely looked up when Gavadiol approached. “Son, go get our horses please. We leave in a few minutes.” Gavadiol obeyed without saying a word. They completed the ride home chatting about various unimportant things but the older man did not ask not even once where Gavadiol had gone, if he had been able to talk with the Shadow Hunter and what they had talked about. The aroma of food greeted them as they approached the cabin. “That can't be our place,” Sorrentino said spurring his horse to a gallop. But it was. The whole place in fact was different. A stack of firewood was placed almost ceiling high, the floors and walls were scrubbed clean and sparkling like diamonds. To cap it all off, Terrilo and Konstantin were sitting at the table, a fine feast arranged in front of them. Gavadiol and his father stopped short at the door staring in disbelief. “We thought we'd give you a surprise.” Konstantin s