Things had indeed turned out as Ruger suspected, and he had played a part in it himself. He had actually found Zorn-or rather, Zorn had found him. It began when Aisijin and Big Silly Hum received sincere greetings from the islanders, along with a steady stream of grilled fish pressed into their hands by enthusiastic people. Swept up in the mood, the two Dragonborn Kobolds conferred with their furry companions and decided to show off their skills. They brought out their grill and soup pot on a spacious street corner, and as the enticing aromas drew a crowd, Zorn appeared among them.
Ruger immediately restrained Little Fairy, who also wanted to show off.
The little fellow was raring to go, eager to flit through the crowd and even fly from one end of the street to the other, making the wine in everyone's hands taste better.
Under normal circumstances, that would have been perfectly fine. But with Wizard Zorn here, that would be a one-way trip.
Little Fairy's status as a Wizard Apprentice offered a bare minimum of protection.
But Ruger feared the little fellow would be stuffed into that exposed chest hair before getting a chance to speak.
Of course, he was not stingy either. He took out several bottles of his own excellent wine and gave them to Zorn. He had wanted to do this for a long time. Naturally, when he had delicious wine, he wanted this man to taste it, but he had not seen him in years.
Then Zorn slept all the way through to the following afternoon.
By then, the bells marking the time on the island had already rung several times.
A Wizard like Zorn could not possibly have failed to notice the events and noises around him. But just as he allowed