The Light of My Hearts

Day 18...late night...

Kendrick sat heavily on his bed. His good deed had been easy today: removing a few boulders from a farmer’s field. Granted, the farmhands ran in terror when he showed up, abandoning their tools. Eighteen days and he was still handily winning the wager. No human had even stayed in his presence much less thank him for the deeds. At least he didn’t get shot up with arrows today. He was about ready to strip off his shirt for bed when Twillow flew up into the middle of the room.

“Do you hear that?” Twillow asked, thin ears pricked.

Kendrick tipped his head but he couldn’t hear anything, “No...”

Twillow flew closer to the door opening, listening even more intently, “That...that sounds like Leida!”

Her wings buzzed loudly as she shot out of their home and Kendrick followed after her. As he moved the scent of the woman hit his nose as well as the high frantic scent of panic.

Something was definitely wrong.

It was dark out, late evening but the moon was out so they could see and hear the family’s wagon speeding toward them as fast as possible through the woods. Despite the giant’s lengthy stride, Twillow reached Leida first. Her blue eyes were brimming with tears and when she saw Twillow and Kendrick approaching the panic flashed across her features. Leon and Fina were sitting in the back on a pile of straw and blankets, looking equally scared.

“Kendrick! Twillow!” she cried, stopping her horse team.

Twillow hovered before her, “Leida? What’s wrong?”

Then the tears just flowed freely down her dark cheeks as her gumption broke, “It’s Sig! He’s...he’s been arrested!”

The fae lightly landed on the wagon seat, “Arrested?”

Leida tried to steady the sobbing, panic of her breaths, “He...he’s been arrested on the charge witchcraft.”

“Witchcraft?” Twillow gasped, “You mean...they found out he uses magic?”

“Oh Twillow...!” Leida cried, burying her face in her hands, “They’ll hang him! My Sig...and I...I couldn’t do anything! He-he told me if he was found out and if anyone knew I was his wife then they’d come for me too...our children.”

Kendrick had stopped in front of the cart and knelt down to listen. Ever since he’d come to know Sig, he knew the wizard kept his magic wielding a secret. Many times, he’d expressed caution and fear of being discovered as a wizard since the general populace viewed them as bringers of evil and misfortune. Sig was of course none of those things. He was a healer and never used his magics for anything malicious.

“No one will come for you.” Kendrick replied, eyes starting to harden, “But I will come for them...”

“Kendrick...” Twillow started but he wasn’t listening.

“Tell me where Sig was taken.” He demanded in a voice that sounded like an impending storm.

Leida took a steadying breath and blurted out, “Fowllen. It’s a town several miles to the south of Rumstead. It’s surrounded by a stone wall and has two white pillars on either side of it.”

Kendrick’s massive form rose into the air as he stood, “Leida, you and your children stay here with Twillow. I’ll find Sig and bring him back.”

His huge boot passed over them as he began his stride south.

Twillow looked at Leida and gave a kind smile, “Go on inside. I’ll be along shortly.” She flew after Kendrick. “Kendrick! Kendrick, wait!”

Normally he would for his mate, but Kendrick was on a mission...a deadly one. Her pleas didn’t slow his bullish pace. Twillow flew in front of him to gain his attention.

He gave her a stern look, “You’re not going to stop me, Twillow. Not when my friend’s life is in danger.”

She shook her head, “I’m not trying to stop you...but hear me.”

Kendrick didn’t slow but he scooped her out the air and placed her on his shoulder so he could keep his pace, “I’m listening.”

“I want you to rescue Sig...but I don’t want you to...to punish that whole town.” She admitted in his ear.

“If Sig is unharmed, I won’t have to.” He answered tersely.

She flicked her wings, “You would punish the innocent along with the wicked?”

He gave a small shake of his head, “I don’t know who is innocent...perhaps most, perhaps none. If it means them or Sig, I choose Sig.”

“But that will undo all the good you’ve done!” Twillow protested from his shoulder.

“I’m not getting anywhere with that, Twillow.” He grumbled.

She flew from his shoulder in front of his face and placed herself in front of his right eye.

Her pretty face was pleading and serious at the same time, “Please promise me, Kendrick. Please promise that you will help Sig but you won’t... take vengeance senselessly. That you won’t undo all the good you’ve done.”

The large amber eye focused on her. Even through his eyes she could see that he was fighting his natural disposition to be vengeful. Finally, his lid closed followed by a sigh.

He growled slightly, “Very well, my light. But I cannot promise a peaceful outcome if Sig’s life is in danger. I... will try.”

She kissed him and flew to the side as he parted the trees ahead, “Be careful.”

...

Far away in the city of Fowllen...

“How did I get so careless?” Sig bemoaned in his own mind as he sat cold and bruised in the Fowllen prison.

It had been a slip in judgement, an instinctual reaction.

He and his family had traveled to the town of Fowllen for their annual Saints Festival. They hadn’t visited the town in a long time due to the distance, but the Saints Festival attracted a lot of merchants and was a great chance to sell his poultices and Leida’s baked goods. They paid their fee for a booth, set up their displays and wares, and everything was going well.

Leida and the children had gone off to look around the festival, leaving Sig alone to man the booth when suddenly the merchant booth next to theirs caught fire, engulfing the flammable cloth tent rapidly. Sig didn’t have time to think, he held out his hands, shouted a spell, and a frosty wind burst from his hands to extinguish the flames. As the frost glistened in the daylight a hushed silence quieted the entire gathering nearby. Sig breathed a sigh of relief but was suddenly aware of all the eyes staring at him.

Hushed whispers began buzzing until someone shouted, “Witch!”

A cold chill, colder than the ice he’d created, chased down Sig’s spine. He felt sick in the guts as panic dug in its claws.

What had he done?

...

Sig tried to deny what he’d done but the proof was glittering next to him and anyone in range had seen the magical feat. The cries of “witch!” became numerous and before Sig could react several town law enforcers were upon him subduing him. He tried to explain but no one was hearing him.

Down the path several booths away he could see Leida and his two children, staring in horror at what was happening. Leida looked like she was preparing to rush to him but he subtly shook his head while shouting his innocence. His children were crying and calling to him but Leida shushed them and rushed away from the crowd with them.

Ever since Leida knew of his gifts, Sig had always emphasized the risks of being a wizard. And he made it very clear that if he was ever discovered as one, then she must not associate herself with him lest she be labeled a witch as well and share his fate. It shredded his heart to see his family forsake him, but knew it was the only way to keep them safe. They needed to get back to their wagon and leave Fowllen before anyone made their familial connection.

Suddenly, all air left Sig as he was punched in the guts and roughly bound before being hauled away to the town Lord and his magistrate. The magistrate was a taller man, eloquently dressed and spoken but seemed to have a permanent look of disdain on his face. Lord Ballas was considerably shorter but dressed in much finery and was pudgy with long curly hair and mustache.

“This had better be good, Captain Neros.” Lord Ballat sounded irritated as he was sampling some sort of food, “I have so many booths yet to visit.”

“Sir. We’ve captured a witch!” the burly Captain explained, yanking Sig’s hair so he was looking at the Lord and the magistrate.

“A witch?! At the Saints Festival?” Lord Ballat sounded appalled.

“Aye, Sir! Used some sort of dark magic to conjure flames and ice!”

Sig tried to protest, “My Lord, I didn’t start that fire! I was...OOF!”

A swift second punch to the gut interrupted him.

The magistrate, whom was the justice of the town, seemed bewildered, “Show us the evidence.”

A quick jaunt down the street revealed a huge curious crowd gawking at the already melting ice on the partially burned booth. It was a perfect day outside, no chance of frost, much less ice.

“See? He summoned that from his hands! Witchcraft if I’ve ever seen it!” the Captain proclaimed.

Lord Ballat and the magistrate seemed in full agreement, “Make sure he is bound. Search him and then chain him in the prison.”

“Sir? Isn’t this proof enough? Witches need to be burned or hanged!” the stout, armored Captain argued.

“All in good time, Captain Neros. But we can’t hang someone during the Saints Festival. That would be disrespectful to the Saints.” The magistrate stated, shaking his head. “And we will have a trial.”

“But Sir!”

The magistrate held up his thickly decorated hand, ”Tomorrow, Captain. Besides...a trial will be a nice conclusion to the festival. You know we haven’t had a witch trial in a number of months.”

Lord Ballat nodded, “Ah, yes. A fine way to conclude this year’s festival.”

Though cowed, the thick-jowled Captain seemed miffed at the rebuttal, but he did as he was told.

...

Sig was only in his underwear as he sat alone in the cold, dark stone cell. He was chilled and sore from the beating he’d received from the guards who stripped and bound him. His arms and wrists hurt from being tied by the coarse rope. They didn’t want him to be able to conjure anything. Not that he could without a talisman and they took his necklace.

He sobbed quietly, not only for himself but for Leida and their children. They had gotten away undiscovered thus far but would that always be so? Leida was a distinguishable figure due to her darker complexion and the fact that she was recognized in Rumstead for her baking.

Would someone here in Fowllen testify that she was with him? Would she be hunted down and incriminated as a witch too? What would become of their children if that happened?

The man ran himself in panicked mental circles just considering the implications of what he’d done.

He’d be hung or burned at the stake. If there was a trial it would be a formality at best. Witch trials were a sham of paranoia and hearsay that condemned mostly innocent people...and that was without concrete proof. Too many witnesses had seen what he had done. Forget that his magic had saved someone, himself, and a livelihood. It didn’t matter. Magic was the devil’s work and fear clouded rational thought.

Sleep would not come for Sig tonight.

...

Even for Kendrick the walk to Fowllen was long. For Leida it took her a full day to get home. Longer still to get out to Kendrick’s mountain. It took him half a day...or rather, night, as he came in sight of the settlement near the break of daylight. Fowllen was a larger human city with a tall stone wall that was at least up to waist. Two distinct white, stone pillars were situated on either side of it, rising as tall as Kendrick himself. They seemed to serve a decorative purpose rather than a functional one.

Somehow Kendrick remembered this place. It had been a chunk of his forest at one time until the humans cleared the trees and made a settlement there. Mere negligence of the southern regions of his territory was the main reason he’d never taken violent action. Seems it had been quite a while since he’d seen it.

He stared carefully at the town in the distance, taking note of its design. Walls made of stone usually meant fortification, which meant guards and weapons were situated there for defense. He had no desire to turn into a pincushion for arrows, but he needed to rescue Sig and quickly before something horrible occurred. He hoped he wasn’t too late. The only question was: how would he find the wizard amongst so many other human smells?

Another thought he had was how would he be able to rescue Sig and make it look completely random and not intentional? He had to make it look arbitrary otherwise suspicion would fall on Sig.

He growled gently, psyching himself up for what he planned to do. Truthfully, he hadn’t invaded a human city since he was a teenager. The week after his father had been blinded. That was the last time he’d done so and no humans living currently had born witness to that day.

It wasn’t often that Kendrick ran; he never truly had to. But with a couple powerful hopping strides he picked up momentum and charged forward. The ground quaked violently with each impact of his feet. They’d feel him coming but there was nothing they could do to stop him. His running stride ate up the distance in no time. Any Fowllen guards who felt and saw him coming didn’t have the time nor the gumption to act before he vaulted over the stone wall and landed mightily on the other side, his boots smashing a house to rubble.

He didn’t let it deter him from his mission as he scented deeply, trying to find Sig’s odor amongst so many other scents. But he wasn’t distinguishing anything except the oppressive scents of thousands of humans and everything within the city all congealing together.

In no time the humans of Fowllen became fully aware of what was happening as the quaking impacts and thunderous sounds woke them from their early morning slumbers. And then the panic ensued. Screams, running, ducking back into houses and other shelters.

A sharp, familiar prick hit Kendrick’s back: arrows. He turned quickly, glaring venomously at the small group of guards who had shot him. They tried to reload but he swatted them off the parapet like crumbs from a table. One of the guards was only grazed by his hand, spinning wildly in place. A quick snatch saw the man grabbed up.

Kendrick stared at him a moment before asking, “Who is in charge here?”

The look the guard gave him was that of terror and shock. Perhaps unable to believe he had the power of speech.

He didn’t answer and Kendrick prompted with a gentle squeeze, “Who?”

“L-L-Lord B-Ballat.” He squeaked out.

The giant nodded saying in a curt but polite sounding voice, “If I release you, will you bring him to me? I would like to discuss some matters with him.”

Again, the guard seemed stunned but his head nodded quickly.

“And...be quick about it. Don’t make me search for him. No one would enjoy that.”

...

Shortly thereafter...

Kendrick waited impatiently for the guard he’d caught to bring the Lord of Fowllen. The city had quieted from the first initial panic he’d caused and now seemed to be holding its collective breath as he sat on the turret of the outer wall. Finally, he spotted a procession of guards surrounding a short man dressed in finer clothes and a striking maroon and gold sash across his chest. It appeared to be a marker of some kind regarding his political station. The group moved with purpose but great caution as they marched down the street. Kendrick could smell the fear clearly.

When they were within a couple hundred yards they stopped and the man in the sash called out in a slow speaking voice, “Gray Shadow...you wished to speak with me?”

“Are you the leader of this city?”

"I-!” his voice seemed to crack but a quick cough brought out his name, “I am Lord Ballat.”

“Fine. You’ll do.”

The man seemed shocked by the giant’s manner of speech, always believing the Gray Shadow to be a mindless killer monster that lived in the North Woods.

“Why are you here? What do you want?” Lord Ballat asked, unable to hide the shaking of his voice.

“Ah, uh. I’ll ask the questions.” Kendrick chided, waggling a finger.

With a small scoot he hopped off the ledge of the wall, shaking the ground. The Lord and his guards jumped and fell silent under the enormous presence.

“How long have you been Lord of this city?”

“S-sixteen years.”

“And how long has this city existed?”

The Lord seemed confused but thought a moment, “Fifty-eight years...I think.”

Kendrick ran a finger over the ridge of a nearby roof, touching the wooden shingles in a casual fashion, “So did you know that your city is built onto my territory?”

The men all glanced at one another and then Lord Ballat for the answer.

“N-no.” was the quiet reply.

“Speak up! I can’t hear you when you whimper.” Kendrick snapped.

“No!” he shouted louder.

Kendrick leaned into the stone wall a bit, “Do you know what happens if humans infest my territory?”

“Y-Your territory? Fowllen isn’t in the North Woods!” the Lord protested.

“It was eighty years ago. You humans cleared this spot from my forest for your little town.” Kendrick explained dangerously. “And since then, I have received no offerings of appeasement for this intrusion.”

“B-b-but we didn’t know!” it sounded like Lord Ballat was going to pass out.

The air reeked of fear now.

“So, you claim ignorance then?”

“Yes! We had no idea!” the Lord agreed.

Kendrick dipped his head a bit, “Very well. Then if you bring me offerings of appeasement, I’ll consider the matter forgiven this year.”

“Th-This year?”

“That’s right. Consider it...a yearly “tax” for living in my territory. Unless you would rather I “repossess” what is mine?”

“No! No. That won’t be necessary!” Lord Ballat held up his hands. “Just name what you want and we’ll bring it!”

Kendrick let a slow smile lift his lips, “Good.” He seemed to think a moment, “Bring me...some of your finest smoked meats, fifty bags of wheat, thirty thick blankets, and...how about twelve of your city’s most beautiful, expensive dresses.”

“D-dresses?”

Kendrick raised a brow, “Did I stutter?”

Lord Ballat shook his head, “We’ll bring them at once!”

“Oh. And one more thing...” Kendrick added, “...I want a human sacrifice.”

The fear smell intensified.

“But not just any human...how about something exotic? A witch or a wizard perhaps?” he pondered.

Lord Ballat nodded, “Of course! We just captured one yesterday! I’ll have him brought to you immediately.”

“Gotcha.” Kendrick thought.

...

Sig had somehow fallen asleep for a short time despite his cold, wretched state and the impending death that was breathing down his neck. But the relief was not to last when suddenly the sound of metal clanking against metal and the rattle of chainmail and armor filled the stony room. Sig sat up wearily only to hear the squeal of the metal door being opened and two men hauling him to his feet.

This was it. He was going to be dragged out and if there wasn’t a trial he’d be hung or burned at the stake. Morbidly he hoped for a hanging instead since it would be quicker. But there was no getting out of the sentence destined for anyone tried for witchcraft. He wasn’t an important figure. He didn’t have connections with royalty. He was just...Sig.

“Damn. You’re probably the unluckiest bastard in the kingdom.” One of the guards commented as they took him up the stairs that led out of the underground chamber.

“That’s no shit.” The other guard agreed, “What are the chances?”

Sig frowned, looking at the stairs. It almost sounded like they felt sorry for him.

“Am I going to get a trial?” he asked quietly.

“No.”

Sig’s stomach twisted as his throat tightened to prevent himself from vomiting out of fear, “Then...what is the sentence?”

Both guards shared a look.

“Don’t tell him. He’ll just panic and make our job harder.” The one on the left hissed behind Sig’s head.

But the other guard seemed to take pity on Sig and said grimly, “You’re going to be sacrificed to the Gray Shadow.”

Sig lifted his head, “The Gray Shadow? He’s here?!”

“Didn’t you hear that monster jump the wall? Shook everything in Fowllen.” The left guard remarked with a shiver. “Never in my life thought I’d see the Gray Shadow in the flesh.”

Tears started flowing down Sig’s pale cheeks. Then he began to laugh. Both guards stared at him, certain their prisoner had cracked under the pressure of insanity.

At the top of the stairs stood Captain Neros. He seemed fidgety and the sight of the wizard laughing annoyed him.

“What are you so fuckin’ happy about witch?” he snapped.

Sig still had happy tears in his eyes but tried to reign them back to avoid another beating from the temperamental Captain. The burly man stared at him skeptically. Quite abruptly he grabbed Sig’s arms and yanked him away from the two lower guards.

He got in Sig’s face, “You summoned that monster here, didn’t you?”

Sig shook his head automatically.

The Captain roughly slammed his back into the wall, “Tell the truth, witch! Did you summon him?”

Sig winced, “No! I don’t have that power.”

He looked like he was going to rough up the wizard some more but time was wasting away the longer he delayed.

“We’ll see...” he warned ominously as he shoved Sig in front of him.

…

Later…

Kendrick took a seat again on the wall’s parapet, awaiting Sig to be brought before him. It took a while but soon the offerings began arriving from all over, directed to their place by nervous guards who kept their distance as Kendrick watched. These things were just frivolities. All he truly came for was his friend.

And finally, Sig was brought, bound, bruised, and barely clothed. The muscles in Kendrick’s jaw tightened, fighting to keep his anger under control and his expressions sterile. Sig glanced up at him and he could see a look of relief in his puffy blackened eyes.

“This is the wizard?” Kendrick asked, a hardness creeping into his deep voice.

Lord Ballat jumped at his voice but nodded resolutely, “Yes! Yes! This is the wizard we caught yesterday.”

Kendrick tipped his head slightly noting Sig appeared bruised on his pale skin. It enraged him but he kept up his act.

“Is this all I requested?” he probed.

Lord Ballat confirmed with a couple guards who were keeping tabs on the amount, “Yes. This is everything.”

All that remained was Sig.

The Captain suddenly moved and pulled Sig’s back to his chest. Kendrick saw the flash of a blade at Sig’s neck. It took every ounce of emotional control not to react.

Lord Ballat seemed horrified, “Captain! What are you doing?”

Not fazed by his protest, the burly man shouted loudly, “My Lord, don’t you find it a remarkable coincidence that the Gray Shadow showed up right after we captured this witch?”

The shorter Lord’s expression seemed to ponder the assertion.

“Don’t you see? This witch summoned him!” he shouted, putting more insistent pressure on the dagger.

“Summoned me?” Kendrick inquired.

“Play dumb all you want, monster. But you won’t allow your master to be harmed.” Captain Neros blurted out, “Now, you will leave Fowllen or I’ll kill your master.”

To that Kendrick narrowed his eyes. This Captain Neros was dangerously paranoid…but he was actually observant. He believed Sig had used some sort of spell to call him. Sig would become a wanted villain just as bad as himself if he went with his initial idea. He’d never be able to live in peace like he did now. Kendrick had to think of something more…out of the box.

He huffed at the Captain, “No human can summon me little man.”

The scent of blood hit him as a cut opened at the base of Sig’s neck. Sig made a noise of pain but remained a compliantly still hostage.

Kendrick couldn’t control the dangerous glint in his amber eyes but he smirked, “Believe your delusions if you want, Captain. But if you kill my offering, you’ll be taking his place. I’m not picky.”

The stalwartness of the Captain began to falter. He seemed to be fighting his paranoia while trying to preserve his own life. His self-preservation instinct won. With a shove, he released Sig. The blonde man touched his cut neck to assure it wasn’t a lethal wound as he staggered forward and fell to his knees before Kendrick. He was shaking.

Quite suddenly, Kendrick’s hand shot over Sig’s head and with two precise fingers pinned the Captain to the ground like a hapless mouse. The man cried out, stabbing away with the dagger but Kendrick ignored the cuts. One of his fingers moved with force and the Captain’s knife arm cracked away from his shoulder. He screamed in agony.

The amber eyes above him were sadistically gleaming, “No human can summon me…but anyone can provoke me.”

Captain Neros was wearing an armored breastplate. Kendrick rested two fingers against the metal plate and applied pressure. With slow, torturous movement the metal armor began to cave inward.

Sweating from the pain of his broken arm the Captain suddenly realized his own armor was slowly pressing into his ribs, “N-no! Stop! Please! I surrender!”

The metal dented even further, restricting his breathing. He flailed with panic but feverishly tried to undo the clasps with his uninjured arm. By some miracle he managed to get them undone but it wasn’t enough to slide out of the breastplate. Then the pressure ceased momentarily, allowing him to breathe again. The giant’s fingers moved to the sides of the breastplate and with a minor lift and shake the Captain was free of his armor.

Kendrick held the breastplate over the man’s prone body, “Are you done trying to command me?”

Captain Neros nodded painfully, “Yes! I’m sorry.”

With a hard pinch, Kendrick folded the armor into a distorted flat plate right over the man’s body, showing him how effortless his death would’ve been. He tossed the crushed armor aside.

He then glanced at Lord Ballat who was frozen in place, “Do you have any protests?”

The Lord’s head shook furiously.

“Good.”

With a gentle grip he reached back and retrieved Sig, lifting him up. The man went limp between his fingers. Kendrick gave him a brief sympathetic look. He knew he wasn’t going to like this. At first Sig had a relieved expression but that changed in an instant.

“Sorry little buddy…” Kendrick whispered, barely moving his lips.

In one quick motion Kendrick popped Sig into his mouth. Lord Ballat and any other assembled humans looked away until they heard the audible swallow.

“That wasn’t a wizard…” Kendrick stated firmly.

A cold ball of dread hit Lord Ballat’s guts as whispers flew through his guards, “Wh-What?”

“Didn’t taste like wizard. You screwed up and caught something else…”

There was a harsh pause, the humans wondering if their offering had been rejected and what that might mean.

“But…it’ll do.” Kendrick concluded, standing up and gathering the net full of his items. “You have a good day now.”

Without a further incident he climbed over the wall, slung the net of offerings over his shoulder, and headed off toward the woods in the distance. When he was out of sight, he set down the items, opened his mouth, and spat Sig gently into his hand. The young wizard was absolutely soaked with saliva and shaking with a horrified look on his face.

Kendrick gently used his shirt to wipe him off, “Sorry about that, Sig. Are you all right?”

Sig nodded dumbly as he seemed stunned, “I-I’m...Y-yeah.”

“I just had to make it look like you were…”

“Yeah. Yeah. I understand. It’s just...that was...AGH!” he released a sound that was almost scream but also sounded relieved near the end, ”Shit.”

“Sorry.” Kendrick apologized awkwardly, “Good news though...you don’t taste very good.”

A neurotic giggle came out of Sig that faded quickly.

“Are you sure you’re ok?”

Sig nodded as he gripped the giant’s shirt and slowly wiped off his bruised face with ginger movements. He was quiet for several moments and Kendrick started to feel badly that scared the man irreparably. And then Sig broke and started crying, leaning into the wall that was Kendrick’s chest. The giant tensed, unsure what was happening.

“Th-thank you. Thank you, Kendrick.” He sobbed.

“Oh…you’re…you’re welcome, Sig.”

So that’s what it sounds like…

Though Sig’s gratitude didn’t count in the wager, it was startling to hear. He was pretty sure this little rescue had messed up any good deeds he’d done earlier. However, he was pretty sure he hadn’t killed anyone...maimed certainly...but not killed.

That was rare.

It took a few moments for Sig to compose himself. When he did, Kendrick put him in his shirt pocket gently.

“Let’s find some water and get you washed off so you can get back to your family. They were missing you.” He announced, beginning to walk again.

Sig let his arms drape outside the giant’s pocket as he rode with the powerful sway of his gait. He sniffed, grateful that he was alive and able to reunite with his family again. Internally he laughed ironically. He was probably the only human for a hundred miles who was actually happy to see the “Gray Shadow”.