Back in Yew, Lora proceeded to return to her home, while leaving Michael still locked up at the ship. Now that she had recovered the Mystics and destroyed the criminal organisation, she no longer needed to wear the Mystic Armour or carry the Mystic Sword. However, she refrained from removing the armour because she had nothing else to wear.
After checking that all the other Mystic sets were still in place and leaving the sword with them, Lora walked to the office of Lenora, who took care of the system of justice at the time. Once there, Lora told her of everything she was put through lately, and made sure to tell her about the criminal organisation as well as her prisoner, who should be tried by the Court of Yew.
Going out of the office, Lora saw a tall figure, whom she had never seen before,
go into the jail. He was tall and handsome, with a red cloak following his every
step, as did his three companions. Just as he disappeared into the jail, Lora
realised that she found him attractive. Utomo, who was running around town at the
time, went beside her. "He be mighty fellow, be not he?" he told her.
She nodded silently.
"He be Avatar." he informed her.
She looked incredulously at Utomo's face. "What?"
"Avatar."
If he was really the Avatar, he would need the Mystics in his quest. Lora did not want to part with the weapons and armour for which she troubled so much, so she hid and waited for his next move. After a while, the man came out of the jail, and pointed at the Slaughtered Lamb to show a companion their next destination. And indeed, they went into the pub. Lora remained hiding, while thinking to herself whether she should give the Mystics to the Avatar or keep them herself.
The Avatar might need his weapons if he is on an important quest, she thought. But she went through so much trouble to acquire those weapons. "Well, maybe he isn't the Avatar after all." she thought, in order to keep the weapons and hide from herself that she had fallen to one of the eight sins of Britannia - Covetous.
The man whom Utomo signalled as the Avatar came out of the Slaughtered Lamb just a minute later with the Rune of Justice in his hand. "It must be really him." she thought to herself, knowing that the Avatar was known to collect the Runes in the past. With the prized Rune in his hand, the Avatar left the town of Yew, and Lora came out of hiding. Utomo came upon her again. "He really be Avatar." he told her. "He come to my shop before and buy swamp boots. Then we talk for some time and he tell me he be Avatar. He good man." She nodded again, ashamed at having failed to give him what is his by right.
She returned to the ship with a dropped head, to bring Michael to the Court of Yew. When she opened the cabin where he was locked, she found it to be completely empty. Cursing, she went back to Lenora. "The Court will have to wait." Lora told her, "He escaped."
© by Daniel D'Agostino 2002-2025