*Maddox*
We arrive in the village less than twenty minutes after we left the castle. I see the dive shop I’ve been told about pretty quickly and ask Beta Seth to pull into a parking spot not far from the front door. It’s still fairly early in the morning, and most of the activity around the shops is centered around the coffeehouse and the bakery—not the dive shop, which doesn’t even look to be open.
I will not let that deter me.
Hopping out of the car, I make my way to the door and try it. I’m relieved that it is unlocked, despite the fact that the lights are not in, and there being no sign in the window that says, “Open.”
In fairness, and in my defense, there’s no “Closed” sign either.
When the chime above the door dings, I hear an aggravated sigh from the back of the shop and have t
