He stayed because of the deal. Or perhaps, because of the guilt.
On the shore, in the ruins of the old inn, a chimney that had been cold for five years suddenly coughed and sputtered. A spark caught the dry kindling someone had left behind. Smoke began to curl into the sky. silvani tobrut
Then, a sound. A deep, resonant thrum from beneath the hull. It vibrated through the wood of the boat and into the soles of his feet. He stayed because of the deal