《The Stray》 The Witch, The Cat, and the Dragon, Pt. 1 ¡°Stupid, stupid witch." Timothy groaned under his breath. Something loud was going down in the Deepshadow, different from the racing and crashing of Curgars, different from the revels of the fairies. The sound was foreign. Most things in the Deepshadow that weren¡¯t giant, axe-horned bugs or annoying magical whatsits preferred to hunt in near-silence, Timothy included. But here it was, not far from the witch¡¯s position, deep in one of the free-for-all hunting grounds of the Deepshadow. As if that weren¡¯t bad enough,somebodywas screaming, and he couldn''t tell if it was a monster, a wild spirit, or worse, another person. Timothy swallowed hard. "Y¡¯should know better than t¡¯say that frass." The wolf kindre had been fishing at the corner of his own territory, trying to scrape up some more supplies for the coming winter. What with the drought, to say it¡¯d gone bad was an insult to badness. The Deepshadow was an old, thick forest, mostly of black-barked shatham trees, whose grey leaves (and magic) kept the sun away entirely. It was always pitch black under the canopy. The undergrowth was tangly and thick with roots, long vines, and a good number of magical, toxic, or otherwise dangerous plants. Normally, it was the kinda place that was almost too alive, a vast, trackless kingdom of life that all wanted you dead. But the drought¡¯s heat and lack of rain baked the plants dry and thin this year, seeping through the canopy even if the harsh light didn¡¯t. The berries had grown small and hard, his favorite mushrooms were thin and scraggly, and the fish monsters weren¡¯t stopping to bite. The Loren still flowed, but many of its finger-creeks were low and dry. His own small crops had come up brittle, and they weren''t enough to last an entire winter. A winter which, he remembered glumly, would be even colder than this extended summer¡¯d been hot. It always was, since the sun stayed out of these woods. If he wasn''t stocked up by then¡­ Well, he was already skinny as his walking staff. It wasn''t any good complainin'', he knew, but frass, did he want to. So he did, and he¡¯d been dumb enough to say ¡°The fishin¡¯ today couldn¡¯t get any worse.¡± And then the screaming and yowling and bursts of rushing fire had started, replacing worries of surviving later with worries of surviving now! Outside of marked territory, it was anyone''s guess what was going on. The witch was used to sneaking around, so darting from tree cover to tree cover was almost second nature. Of course, that only gave him time to think about the situation, and time to get more and more nervous.On the one hand, a new monster could be an ally¡­ or better yet,he licked his fangs,food. On the other¡­The wolf gulped. The last thing he needed was another impossible jerk like the Nightmares, or the fairies, or¡ª shudder¡ª the Fae Eater. Actually, no, the last thing he needed was for some poor, dumb unfortunate sap to have lost themselves deep in a magic forest. Either way, Timothy had to know, and that meant he had to get in close, and worry all the while. The witch¡¯s stomach rumbled painfully.Aw, can it.Here in the Deepshadow''s eternal night, staying quiet meant staying alive, especially when weird frass like this was happening. And anyway, the last thing he needed to remember was that he was running on thin rations of bark tea and whatever roots he could dig up. For a wolf kindre, this wasn''t the kind of diet you could stay on for long. He¡¯d been on it for a fortnight, and boy, was he starting to feel it.I better not hafta waste energy on magic to get outta this¡­ Suck it up, witch.He thought to himself, sternly.Plenty of lichen on the way.He was getting close now. He took a shallow, silent breath as he made one last run to cover, then a deep, steadying breath as he took his first good peek at the situation. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. And promptly lost that breath like he''d been punched in the gut. Frass!Timothy wasn''t sure what to panic about first! He''d come to a small clearing. Well, clearing was relative, really, considering the Deepshadow made even this just a lighter shade of black. And now that he was up close, the sounds of the fighting hurt his ears. Timothy groaned inwardly at that-- they were gonna wake up acres of monsters at this rate, and he knew from experience that even the most sociable monsters got testy when they were woken up early. At the foot of a tall shatham tree was the source of the snarling that scraped his ears out. An Humoganth-- a kind of smoke spirit that rose from the ashes of those who die in uncontrolled fire. It looked lean, hungry, and frayed around its edges so it occasionally just smoked away. It was a bad season for everyone, after all. Actually, he recognized it-- it was Crisp, one of the summer''s new arrivals, from the fae eater¡¯s last tantrum. They¡¯d crossed paths¡ª and claws¡ª a few times, and having fought smoke cats before, he knew better than to tangle with one carefree. Of course, they knew that about him, too. The smoke cat hadn¡¯t been hunting long enough to know just what it had made the mistake of hunting. Because its glowing red eyes were fixed on a young dragon, driven up a tree like a common woodmunk. A dragon! There''d always been a part of Timothy that wanted to see a real one, and really examine them to see if they matched all the nasty stories the storytellers and old wolves told back west. It would be fascinating if they actually had ¡°claws sharp and long as swords,¡± or ¡°the strength to rip three men in half at a blow,¡± or ¡°scales tougher than inch-thick steel plate!" Thing is, though, Timothy frowned, the little dragon didn''t look like that at all! She was a common dragon, naturally, but too young for him to tell the breed. Really, she was a dainty little slip of a girl, no more than a puppy (er, did dragons call their young puppies?) and clearly terrified. Her scales were a salmony pink color, and while he couldn''t tell how tough they were without borrowing one and takin'' a rock to it, he figured she wouldn''t need to run if her scales were true armor. Which meant the Humoganth would prolly chomp her and drain her life like juice from a berry if it got its claws on her. Not only that, but she was dressed as if she was going out to play, in bright yellow and blue! He tugged his braids.Why the heck are you wearing that!He mentally freaked,It¡¯s like you WANT to be a monster¡¯s lunch! So, yeah, between that and the fact that the kid was covered in mud, dirt, and scratched up, and that he could smell her oddly spicy blood from here, the storytellers were clearly full of it, just as much as they¡¯d been about him. Considering that they were kind of related, he¡¯d always kinda figured as much. The wolf felt a sudden surge of sympathy for the dragoness; she probably didn¡¯t deserve to be here, either. And she had to be pretty far from home.She''s so tiny¡­ ¡­Oh, frass! Timothy stifled a gasp. If he could smell her blood, so could the humoganth, any of its friends, and shadows knew what else around this forest! It stood out against the forest''s earthier scents. Between that and the fact that she was spitting gouts of golden fire at the ''ganth, she had to be on the radar of every monster around by now. He respected the fight she was trying to put up despite smelling of terror, but her aim was dire. She was landing maybe within an axe¡¯s length of her target each time, and it was barely bothering to dodge. Not that magic was a good way to fight these guys. At least her dragonfire wasn¡¯t strong enough to set fire to the underbrush in a forest this powerful, drought or no drought. Timothy pulled back behind the tree, suddenly less intrigued and way, way more nervous.What''m I gonna do? ''Ganths love playing with their food, but the minute Crisp gets bored, she''s finished!She was scared, and alone, and clearly way, way in over her head. More than his fear of the situation, a kinda franticness overrode his mind. She was just a kid! The Witch, the Cat, and the Dragon, Pt. 2 <> Timothy kicked up a swirl of wind as he leapt forward out of cover. Crisp turned in shock as he landed, hard, the wind billowing around him dramatically like he''d just teleported. Timothy took a steadying breath, and set his jaw, standing up tall to make himself look witchy and imposing. Of course, given how short he was, he kinda needed to. <> The Ganth crouched into a combative posture, snarling that same terrible snarl. Then, it spoke, in the ¡®Ganth language of smell, sound, and posture. <> Witches learned to attune themselves to the world of beasts. Their meaning came through, conveyed by whatever means their species preferred, and he used his spirit¡¯s senses to listen and understand them, and even talk back. It was what set witches apart from other magicians¡ª anyone who wanted could pick up the basics of using wildtongues, but witches specialized in learning its every nuance, making it their lives. It ran off magic, like most things in this world, but it was the result of years of practice and training, too; it wasn''t as simple as waving your hands and suddenly understanding. Luckily, Timothy was real good. So it was that he could answer. <> He thanked the shadows that he remembered which Humoganth was which. This one had a faint redness at the base of its body, that tapered to a cinder-filled black by the time it reached its head. He let the windburst die out, but kept a thin stream flowing through his robes, adding an otherworldly billow to his every move. Not a threat, exactly, but an intimidation move all the same. Humoganths hated strong wind. <> The Humoganth growled low. <> <<"Hey, easy. I ain¡¯t here to steal your food, ¡®zactly.">> Timothy nodded, switching to Kinnic while keeping the wildtongues effect going. <<"Fact is, though, neighbor to neighbor, eatin'' that is a real bad idea.">> It dug a claw into the dirt, leaving a long furrow, keeping its eyes on him. <> Its tail flicked, its ears pinned back. It knew of him from his pride, and Timothy sensed it was wary of him. This wasn¡¯t ego talking; if push came to shove, he was as dangerous to Crisp as Crisp was to him. Neither of¡¯em were in shape for a fight though, so it¡¯d be in his best interest to keep this an argument. Didn¡¯t mean he had to let Crisp know that, though. The witch idly flicked his wrist, and the beast flinched. <<"Mmhmm. Crisp, do you know what you''ve got up there?">> The ''ganth rolled its eyes. A feat, given they were literally glowing red-grey jewels. <<"A kindre. Beyond that, I don¡¯t really care, as long as it has blood and spirit to eat.">> Wow, he really didn''t know? Timothy smiled wickedly. <"Sorry, but no. You¡¯ve treed a dragon."> He said that last word with the weight of a tombstone falling. The smoke cat flinched, and Timothy almost blew out a sigh of relief; it knew what a dragon was, at least. Still, he kept up the stern witch act. <> The cat puffed its chest out with bravado-- but Timothy had done that enough times himself to know he was rattled, and faking. <> Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. That was the law of the wild, after all. Okay, now what¡­ Ganths are stubborner than I am. Normally I can respect that, but right now¡­ ugh. Not only that, but if I tick it off enough it¡¯ll stalk me forever to get back at me. Gotta play this just right¡­ The two slowly circled, the ¡®Ganth keeping both he and the kid in its peripheral vision so the witch couldn¡¯t just blast her into the canopy or something. Not that it¡¯d be a good idea. Timothy thought harder. I can smell it getting nervous. It¡¯s young, and it¡¯s got an ego, but I gotta be able to push its buttons if I just¡ª ooh, I know! <<¡°Hey, let¡¯s not get tense, here.¡±>> Timothy stepped forward, drawing a hiss from the ¡®ganth. He ignored it. <<¡°Listen up. If you kill a dragon, y¡¯know what¡¯ll happen?¡±>> He deliberately looked around like they had eavesdroppers, and stage-whispered, <<¡°You¡¯re gonna bring its family!¡±>> Crisp hissed even louder and stepped back. <> And Timothy shook his head. <<¡°I¡¯m sure. But she doesn¡¯t have to.¡±>> He broadly waved towards the dragon and the sky. <<¡°All dragons are connected through deep magic. If her fire dies, her family will know. And they¡¯ll come for revenge.¡±>> Actually, Timothy had no idea how the dragons¡¯ ¡°Great Link¡± worked, but he was betting he knew better¡¯n the cat! The grass beneath the ''ganth began to brown as its hackles and body heat rose. <> Come on, take the bait¡­ He drew on everything he supposedly knew from the storytellers back home. <<"How sure of that are you?">> His voice fell low and dark, the kind of voice that forced your audience to lean in, and strain for your very words. It was time to sell this story. <<"Are you sure enough to bet your life on it? My life? The lives of your pride? It''s a big gamble¡­">> And the moment he saw the Humoganth flicker, he knew he had it. <> <<"This drought sure is awful, ain¡¯t it? This one¡¯s fire is too weak to burn too good, but imagine what a full grown dragon could do to this dry, tired wood.¡±>> His tone dropped to a fang-dripping purr. <<¡°Imagine what a whole thunder could do. You might not burn, but your prey¡­¡±>> He chuckled darkly. <<"Are you ready to risk starving your entire people, for one measly, bony, little dragon? I gotta tell you, Crisp¡­ I fear the dragons, and you should, too. They''d be more dangerous than the Voltcage.">> The beast hissed. <> By now, it was pacing, tail whipping in agitation. <> True enough, it was very dangerous to say a fae''s name aloud, and the fae eater¡¯s in particular. Timothy swallowed hard, and had to resist the urge to look over his shoulder for an unwanted, super-powerful guest. But he couldn''t look, if he wanted to keep the illusion of control going. <<"Look, just think about it, okay? I''m lookin¡¯ out for us both, here.">> Timothy swallowed hard. <<"Don''t do this.">> There was a long standoff, before the ''ganth lowered its head, growling low. <> The last part was added lamely, like it was trying to save face for its own fear. Another feeling Timothy knew well, and he felt a surge of pity¡­ Before mentally scolding himself that giving in would only anger the beast. <<"Go home, Crisp. Find something better to eat.">> The beast hissed, but then stalked off, vanishing into smoke, and then into the trees. Timothy didn''t dare heave a sigh yet. A minute passed, then another. Timothy all but collapsed onto his staff, panting. Holy crap, that could have ended so, so bad! A low whine escaped his throat before he could stop it. Okay, Timothy, compose yourself. He pulled in a deep, shaky breath. You¡¯re not, uh, out of the woods yet. He glanced up the tree at the small dragoness, who was still hiding. And all that confidence just poured away like a pierced waterskin. The Forest Witch, Pt. 1 If Timothy¡¯s head was a book, it had fallen open to two blank pages. His mouth opened, closed, opened again, and just sort of hung there as he stared up into the tree. Well, now what did he do? The witch felt a stab of embarrassment. Aw, frass, am I really worse at talking to kids than life-draining smoke monsters? Apparently, yes! The last time he''d seen another being up this close had been, oh, about seven years ago, so on the one hand, he couldn''t really blame himself. On the other, he was supposed to be a darn witch! Oh, he''d spoken with plenty of strange things in his time here, from monsters to spirits to plants. But all of them were different from talking to another twolegger. Beasts were easy, ''cuz they basically just wanted what he did; to be safe and fed. But with people¡­ Timothy didn''t even know where to begin, except that the last few times he¡¯d met a person, they¡¯d tried to kill him. Or capture him to kill him. Or alerted someone¡­ so they could kill him. His stomach churned, and he swallowed hard. Okay, okay, calm down and think, Timothy, he scrambled in his mind, maybe she¡¯s like a nightwinder? They both have scales and fangs and all. Ugh, no, that¡¯s dumb, cuz otherwise I¡¯m like an humoggi. Argh! Gimme a colony of spiders any day! Plus¡­ these days, he didn¡¯t bother trying to cover up the Lusundra brand on his forehead. He had the symbol of the world¡¯s evillest dragon burned into his face, angry and foul as the day it¡¯d surfaced. It was like a livestock brand, but it would never heal or even be bidden by his fur. He could hide it with a rag, but what was the point? It wasn¡¯t like the monsters cared. And even covered up, if he got too overwhelmed it tended to activate itself, and the harsh light it let out shone right over any covering. (It would also alert pretty much every critter around.) Okay, no, focus! Timothy managed to dig up enough calm from somewhere in his very short witch training to have a real look up the tree. And his heart just fell. The poor thing was shaking so bad the leaves were rustling, and she was still hidden, cocooned in her wings. He could hear her whimpering, and her scent had only grown more sour and burning and sharp from terror. Crap, she probably thought he was hostile after that whole conversation-- especially since she had only understood his half. And she was so tiny! And probably cold and hungry, the poor thing. I¡¯m an idiot. Timothy set his jaw, and took a deep breath. ¡°U-um, hello up there!¡± He winced at the sound of his own voice. It didn''t sound much less growly than before. It wasn''t a problem talkin'' to monsters, but to an already terrified little girl¡­ yipes. Her ears popped out of her wings like they were on a spring, and she slowly, shiveringly swiveled them onto him. "Go away!" she squeaked. Oh, poor thing, she was trying to sound brave. His heart hurt. Timothy smiled encouragingly, before he wondered¡­ Wait, could full dragons see in the dark? D''oh. He almost smacked himself. With a small sigh, he flicked his wrist, and let a pale red flame bloom into being over his hand. Making even this much light in the Deepshadow made him fidgety, but he didn''t have much choice if she was to see him. ¡°It¡¯s okay, littlun, I ain¡¯t gonna hurt you.¡± Timothy''s voice came out softer, gentler this time. "I came because I heard you screaming." The dragoness''s shaking began to slow a little, and she poked her eyes out above her wings. She blinked into the light, and a silly part of him sat up and pointed out that she did have two sets of eyelids, like in his granny''s stories! And she had little bitty twist horns, like a goat! "Y''mean it?" Her voice was a little lower, but still shaky and high. "I promise." And this time his smile came out more natural. "Here, lass, come down into the light before you fall an'' hurt yourself." She didn''t move to climb down, but she did relax her wings. "Who are you?" ¡°My name¡¯s Timothy. I''m sorta the local witch." He waved a little. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m the nice kind, more¡¯r less.¡± Timothy stepped back at her sudden change of expression. Her face flew from anxious to delighted in the span of a second, and she gasped way too loudly. "Ooh! That means you might be able to help me!" The witch smiled cheekily, despite himself. "I mean, I just did." "Well, yeah, I guess, but-- oh, so that''s why you were talking to it!" Her pitch was only growing more excited. "You must be a witch!" Timothy chuckled, though at least half of it came from confusion. "Well, I did just say so¡­" "An¡¯ just t''make sure, you''re not actually a monster or something, right?" Timothy snorted. "If I were, don''tcha think I''da let the critter eat you? Or beat it up so I could eat you myself? Or--" The dragoness actually giggled. "Okay, okay!" Well, at least she was smiling. That was good! Timothy breathed a small sigh of relief. The small dragoness shook herself out like she was stiff, and then clambered down the tree headfirst. Woah! Her claws musta been sharper than they looked to pull that off¡ª even with magic he couldn¡¯t climb that fast. In short order, she hopped up to her feet, and came closer into the light. She was still shaky, but her relief at being saved just radiated from her. ¡°Thanks, mister. That really sucked!" The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The witch just shuddered. "Yeah, seriously." And to his surprise, she giggled again. Then she got a closer look at his face, and gasped. The look of shock on her face made him step back uneasily. ¡°W-why do you have a fake clan brand burned on your head?¡± She stepped back, too. ¡°You¡¯re a wolf!¡± Well, crap. She was gonna think he was some kinda crazy Lusundra cultist or something. He sighed. ¡°No, it¡¯s real.¡± He clenched his fist, and the symbol blazed into harsh white light. She stared in confusion, before blinking and revealing her own¡ª a golden heart, crossed by a sweeping, glittering wind. It was way nicer looking than his eclipsed sun, and unlike his wasn¡¯t anchored to burned flesh. ¡°You¡¯re a halfie? A Lusundra halfie?¡± She stared. Halfie? Seriously? ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a long story.¡± He let his brand burn out, returning to normal. ¡°You should put yours away, light makes you a target in these here woods.¡± Her light winked out a moment later. ¡°What are you doing here? These woods ain¡¯t safe, pup.¡± ¡°I, uh¡­¡± she was still staring at his forehead. Timothy groaned. And this was why he stayed in the woods. ¡°Right¡­ so, what¡¯s your name? You can call me Timothy.¡± When she still didn¡¯t answer, he snapped his fingers in front of her, startling her. ¡°My eyes are down here, y¡¯know.¡± ¡°Oh! Um, s-sorry. I¡¯ve just never met anyone from clan Lusundra. In school they said you guys were all dead, or in the wastelands.¡± ¡°It ain¡¯t ¡®you guys.¡¯ I was born in a Vol village, raised by kindre. Quite a while after the war, obviously. I ain¡¯t one of those scum¡ª so don¡¯t fear me.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Also I just saved your life. Your name, pup?¡± ¡°Um, sorry.¡± The little dragoness looked chastised, and his face softened just a little. ¡°I¡¯m Meri. An¡¯ young dragons are called whelps.¡± To her credit, the little dragoness rallied quickly to change the subject. ¡°Um¡ª what was that thing?¡± Safer territory, at least. Timothy half-smiled. ¡°An humoganth.¡± Timothy explained. ¡°Smoke spirits, born from wildfire-burned bodies. I guess he thought you looked good to eat.¡± Meri gulped. ¡°¡ªEr, nevermind that. Are you alright, littlun? You¡¯re real far from home.¡± She glanced furtively away, but puffed her chest out proudly, like some kind of warrior hero. It looked a little silly on a girl smaller than he was. ¡°I-I''m okay! I''m here on a quest to find the Night Lady!¡± Timothy blinked in confusion. Before he could ask, she gasped and her eyes suddenly got super bright with joy. ¡°Ooh! Wait a second, do you know her? Since you¡¯re a witch and all, right?¡± ¡°Err¡­ I¡¯m afraid I don''t know a Night Lady, little one.¡± Timothy awkwardly tried to return her smile. ¡°Aww.¡± Meri huffed. ¡°Guess it wouldn¡¯t be a good quest if it was easy. Gosh, though, I didn¡¯t think anyone lived here but monsters n¡¯spirits.¡± Beat. ¡°Is it cuz you¡¯re clanless?¡± Clanless¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t call me that, I just told you I ain¡¯t one of those Wastelander weirdos.¡± The Wastelands were full of remnants of Lusundra¡¯s followers, all kinds of horribly mutated wildlife, and wandering undead. Timothy was a marked man, but he wasn¡¯t some kinda Lusundra partisan. Being mistaken for one was yet another reason to avoid people like Meri. ¡°Look, you need to get out of here, Meri, ¡®less you want the next beast to come along to snack on ya.¡± "Naw, I''m a big dragoness! You don''t gotta worry about me!" She lightly pounded her chest, and his skeptical look spoke volumes. "You should know, since you were talkin'' about being scared of dragons earlier!" Hrm. Timothy breathed out a low breath, and had a sudden bad feeling that plan was about to bite him in the butt. He stooped down close to her. "Well, yeah, but you¡¯re a little dragon yet. Your family--" "Oh!" Before he could chide her any more, Meri slapped her forehead. Maybe she felt a lecture coming on. ¡°I gotta find my broom, mister!¡± Before he could stop her, the littlun scampered off out of the clearing, painfully loudly. Timothy groaned under his breath. This is gonna be an issue, isn''t it? Unlike finding her. Well, at least she''s not mad that I used her people as boogeymen¡­ Timothy hurried to follow, chasing the very loud scrabbling and rustling. The kid really wasn''t used to these woods, though, so she didn''t get far before he saw her about to dive headfirst into a spiker bush! ¡°Wait!¡± He thrust his hand out and a lash of darkness sliced forward, catching the back of her shirt and reeling her back. ¡°You can''t just dive into that! You know what that¡¯d do to your eyes? Your throat? Geez, you''re already wounded, pup!" ¡°You can tell?¡± Meri¡¯s eyes were wide. ¡°Gosh, you really are a witch!¡± Well, it was more of a wolf thing than witch thing, but either way. Completely unconcerned with how close she''d come to putting her eyes out on a bush''s long, slender needles, she wriggled free of his magic and plopped to the ground. The wolf groaned. "Meri, I''m serious! Spikerbrush needles can kill if you fall in hard enough." He shook his head and, with another tentacle of magic, reeled her over to him. "Heck, even if ya don''t die, the nasty spirits that like to live in''em will curse the heck out of you. You don''t want any of that, pup!" Meri hopped to her feet, still wrapped in his darkness. "You sound like my big brother-- I''ve got scales!" "Your brother has scales too, so I''d listen to his opinion." Timothy shook his head. "Look, before you go digging around for your flying broom, tell me where you''re hurt." She rolled her eyes, but lifted her left arm to show him. ¡°Here.¡± Timothy winced at the sight of four long, thin gashes. They oozed blood, which was making a kind of ruddy mud from the dirt she was caked in. Timothy hastily sprayed a spirit warding spell onto the wound. The greenish mist settled onto the wound in a shimmering coat. ¡°That¡¯s a ¡®ganth claw wound.¡± Timothy scolded. ¡°You can¡¯t leave that unattended too long. When¡¯d you get it?¡± ¡°One of the cat spirits clawed me when it knocked me off my broom.¡± She giggled nervously. ¡°It¡ª it¡¯s not really that bad, right? It doesn¡¯t hurt or nothin¡¯.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because it drained your spirit from it. Y''can''t feel how much it''s hurting.¡± The witch gulped and shook his head. ¡°We need to treat that before you¡­ before¡­¡± wait. Timothy trailed off. ¡°Wait, did you say ¡®one of the spirits¡¯!?¡± Suddenly, a soft sound rolled through the clearing. It was like frozen wind scraping against groaning windows, and it made Timothy¡¯s fangs itch. Frass! The witch put his staff up, and let the tentacle holding Meri melt away. ¡°How many were there!?¡± He hissed low. ¡°T-three!¡± Meri squeaked, surprised at the change in tone. But she shrank behind him in (fully justified!) fear all the same. And that just confirmed what he was dreading. Out of the corners of his ears, the scraping and groaning melded into a chorus of low growls. The smell of burning overwhelmed the smell of Meri¡¯s blood, and the other forest scents. The air around them slowly darkened with smoke. Three pairs of red eyes glowed in the darkness. The Forest Witch, Pt. 2 <> He struggled to sound calm. <> <> The biggest ¡®ganth spoke up. It was probably the packboss. And yeah, poor Crisp bore fresh frays and oozed smoke from a new wound in his shoulder. He sulked off to the side of the formation. Timothy almost felt bad for¡¯im¡ª ''Ganths could be vicious to one another. <> But then, maybe he was better off worrying about their skins, first. This was gonna be bad. Timothy was far from defenseless. Nature was red in tooth and claw, and so was he. If you weren''t, you didn''t live long, and respect in the wild was won by being dangerous as much as it could come from kindness. Timothy could handle a single ''ganth; it was a fairer fight than he''d like, but he could do it, and beat the fear of¡­him back into them. But two was gambling with his neck, and three was just begging to be eaten. Especially when Meri couldn''t see in the dark, couldn''t fight, and was shaking in terror behind him. Timothy breathed slowly, tensely, slowly sweeping his staff between them. Okay, keep it together, witch. We gotta run. Meri''s a townie, so she''s from up north or down south. Crap, I don''t know which. Okay, okay, that doesn''t matter-- no matter which way we wind up going, we need to get gone first. The wolf gulped. Only one choice, and that''s to¡­ to take her home with me. Frass, I really don¡¯t want to do that. But if I don''t, she''ll die. And I can''t live with that. His stomach churned and boiled, in anger and dread. The thought of bringing her home, revealing where he lived, was just adding to the terror of the situation, and he wished he had just stayed by the river¡­ for a moment. But then he shook his head, and with a swipe of his hand, killed the light. The clearing fell into total darkness. "Civility''s out." Timothy whispered, hoping her big ears gave her good hearing. "Time to run." ¡°O-okay.¡± Meri mumbled. ¡°H-how?¡± Shadow Spikes? No, they were spirits. Grave was out too, and they¡¯d fly right over a Web Burst. Humoganths were weak to wind magic, but they could slash apart any wind he could conjure unless he basically started up a tornado. And there was no way he¡¯d have time to spin up that much power¡ª they¡¯d be on him in a flash. But wait, Meri had been making a huge ruckus. With fire and noise and light, so much that he''d seen her from goodness knows how far away. ¡­He didn¡¯t have to be subtle. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. <> The witch threw his staff at his feet, making the ''Ganths flinch. Timothy set his jaw, and put his hands behind his back. His hands spun through motions he¡¯d done countless times. Fire and light wove together into a tight ball, growing bigger and denser, hidden between his hands. Normally an easy ask, but the effort of controlling the churning energy made his hands shake, now. <> A glowing bubble began to form between his hands. <> Crisp muttered. <> Timothy said with a small, strained smile. Out the corner of his mouth, he fast-talked ¡°Meri? When I give the signal, we¡¯re going to turn and run. Fast.¡± They were still approaching slowly and menacingly, clearly expecting him to try something. They were right! In a flash, Timothy brought his hands together in front of him and dumped as much power as he could spare into the growing ball. It swelled up like an overblown balloon between his hands, bands of light arcing around it. A slightly mad grin spread across his face. The beasts recoiled briefly at the sudden warmth and light that spread around him. ¡°Run!¡± He shouted, and hurled the ball not at the beasts, but at the ground before him. And then he took off behind Meri. There was a tear of wind as the beasts rushed at them¡ª ¡°Eyes!¡± ¡ªBefore there was a deafening crack, and light and heat blew through the clearing with the force of a windstorm. His eyes had slammed shut just in time, but even through his eyelids he saw white. The bomb¡¯s boom shook the trees around them, and even his fireproof body felt the heat of it as they ran. He was lucky dragons were fireproof too! The bomb burned out fast. He chanced a glance over his shoulder. The grass at center of the clearing was scorched black, fading to brown away from the blast zone. The smoke cats yowled and thrashed in pain on the ground, clutching their eyes and scattered partially from the blast. Even more noise, good¡­ before the cats could recover, a curgar bug roared into the clearing, axe-horn chopping blindly into trees and smoke alike. And he could hear even deadlier monsters rushing to the clearing to investigate. Ordinarily he¡¯d love to see if any of them were up for a friendly chat, but he knew that there was no talkin¡¯ to any of these guys once they were riled up. ¡­Oh, shadows, he needed to get them both out of here before he totally lost it. And he wasn¡¯t going anywhere on these legs, without his staff. Timothy pulled in a torrent of the forest¡¯s boundless darkness with both of arms. It crawled up to his hips, forming a writhing mass of shadowy tendrils. With a flick of his arms, eight bladed legs tore from the mass, clacking together like a curled up spider¡¯s. He didn¡¯t waste any time, hurling himself forward and letting his new legs catch him. ¡°Meri, go limp!¡± With that, he skittered forward like a greased up spider, faster than he could ever run normally. He tentacle-yanked Meri onto his back as he blitzed past her¡ª she yelped and threw her arms around his neck¡ª and kept running, weaving around trees and hopping over rocks and speeding off towards home. The Forest Witch, Pt. 3 Here¡¯s the thing. Timothy was a fast little runt when he had to be. What he wasn¡¯t was a trained, well-fed, healthy runner. The wolf started the sprint on an empty stomach, tired from hours of fruitless foraging and fishing, setting off a huge Flashsear Bomb, and hauling a surprisingly heavy little dragon on his back. Holding the dark limbs together and pumping them took energy, like all magic did, even if the ambient darkness gave him lots to work with. So, what started as a scamper that would put a wild riding bug to shame soon devolved into an exhausted plod¡­ and then a short fall into the shrubbery as he lost his grip on the darkness. He hit the ground in a shower of mud and dirt. What was left of the legs melted into shapeless black, then misted off from his hips. His heart was pounding like it wanted to smash its way out of his chest. ¡°Ooogh¡­hate¡­ running.¡± Timothy wheezed pathetically. ¡°Gosh¡­¡± Meri hopped off of him¡ª thank the darkness, he could breathe!¡ª and stooped down in front of his face. ¡°Are you alright, mister Timothy?¡± Timothy was gonna say something about dying here on the ground, but bit it back at the last second. ¡°G-gimme a minute, n¡¯I¡¯ll let you know¡­" Oh shadows, how did that work? The adrenaline drained out of him, leaving him feeling like he weighed a million tons. For a moment, all he could do was lay there, panting. ¡°That was so rad.¡± Meri breathed, and Timothy snapped his head up in confusion. The little dragoness had this adorably gleeful grin just all over her face. ¡°What spell was that? With the explosion?¡± ¡°Err¡­ Blazing Light, but as a grenade?¡± Timothy panted. ¡°Some fire, some light, some force¡­ you know.¡± ¡°It was awesome! I had my eyes closed and I could see the blast! And what was that spider leg thingy? Can you teach me? Oh, wait! Are you half kindre half dragon half spider?¡± Meri hopped up and squealed in delight. Timothy¡¯s mouth made an O, as his brain strained to try to understand. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Like in Campfire Creepies! Hated and feared by the world of the light, he spins death in the shadows!¡± The little dragoness was practically bouncing. ¡°Oh! And your extra brand keeps your spider side from breaking free, but sometimes your face turns into mandibles when nobody¡¯s looking so you wear a hood! Duh, right?¡± ¡°I, uh, what?¡± Timothy just gaped at the girl. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a real thing.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s just what a spiderson tryin¡¯ to pass as a kindre would say!¡± ¡°I¡­huh. You have a point¡ª Wait, no! Meri, I¡¯m a kindre!¡± ¡°You mean a halfie!¡± ¡°Fine, yeah, a half-dragon kindre. But that¡¯s it!¡± Meri looked crestfallen. ¡°Not even part bug?¡± ¡°Well, I am an honorary spider, if that helps.¡± He slowly hauled himself to his knees. Meri raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°How does that work?¡± ¡°I¡¯m adopted.¡± Twice over! ¡°Again, long story.¡± ¡°You say that a lot.¡± ¡°And I mean it every time.¡± The wolf slowly hauled himself to his knees. Ouch¡­ The little dragoness looked huffy. ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you gonna explain?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s just rude. And boring.¡± The witch stuck his tongue out at her. ¡°Witches are beings of mystery. Now, let¡¯s get moving. It¡¯s not far to my place.¡± He fumbled around for his staff, before remembering he dramatically hurled it back at the clearing¡­ and forgotten he didn¡¯t have the energy to support the enchantment that should have yanked it back to his hand. Ugh, he¡¯d spent hours on that staff! The witch pouted. ¡°That fight back there prolly woke up half the forest. We¡¯ll hide out and fix your arm, then we can see about getting you home.¡± "Okay!" She chirped, and happily fell behind him. "Lead the way!" Well! She¡¯d gotten over his mark fast. Then again, he did just save her life¡­ and was her only hope of getting home¡­ so maybe it was less ¡®got over¡¯ and more ¡®resigned herself.¡¯ Eh, either way. Luckily, his house really wasn¡¯t far from there. Timothy got to set a much slower pace this time. His territory was actually fairly safe-- well, as safe the Deepshadow could be, at least. He¡¯d carved out a chunk of turf for his own, over years of living in the forest, and his many neighbors knew to respect it. Either he¡¯d won them over the way he preferred, by making friends and cutting deals, or he¡¯d done it the hard way, by cutting monsters. There was a reason the humoganths knew he was not to be trifled with. ¡­Well, that and the fact that good traps make good neighbors. Timothy yelped and all but clotheslined Meri just in time to stop her from stompin¡¯ on one. ¡°Ack! What the heck, Timothy?¡± He pointed at a flat disc of stone carved with a complex knot. ¡°Crushing Vines mine.¡± Meri gaped. ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Yeah. And that¡¯s just the first of many, so, um, maybe you should stay behind me.¡± Aw, nuts, now she was lookin¡¯ at him like a crazy person. ¡°What? It¡¯s better¡¯n marking my turf like monsters do.¡± Air shooters, other spellmines, a few snares and more mundane traps, and a whole pile of others. It took a while to slip through his traps, even knowing the safe paths, when he had a tail who was much clumsier. Not helping was that she couldn''t see in the dark like he could, so he had to either lead her by the hand, or risk drawing attention with a dim red light. It was enough to have Timothy glancing over his shoulders constantly. Oh, his poor nerves¡­ This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. But he could smell the waters of his home. Ahead, the darkness began to thin, just slightly, and Timothy breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°It¡¯s easy going from here. Just stick close.¡± The little dragoness promptly ignored that and ran ahead with a delighted gasp. Then again, he thought with a small smile, he couldn¡¯t really blame her. Ahead was his favorite place in all the forest. Up ahead was a small pond, with glassy, dark waters. Here, the permanent night of the woods faded away to something like the last, blue-black light of a summer evening, thanks to flocks of slowly drifting glowbuzzes all throughout. The little bugs casted a gentle golden light that almost made you forget the rest of the Deepshadow. The soft croaking of Magoron toads broke the quiet, as did he gentle, musical humming of glowbuzz wings and the babble of water entering the eddies of the pond and leaving. Despite his hunger, despite having someone else with him, despite everything, Timothy couldn¡¯t help but relax a little. It felt good to be home. "You live here?" She marveled. "Yep. No more traps from here on in, but watch your step-- the ground''s a bit muddy." He led her into the clearing, breathing deeply of the scent of the waters. The pond filled a lot of the clearing, broken up by a few small islands of mud and dirt. Old logs broke the water''s surface, home to all sorts of small lives. And on the other side was his house. His hut was small, squat, and made mostly of rough-cut wood and thatch, but it was his. It sat on the biggest of the small islands, one that he had partially sculpted with the elements. If you squinted, what with the sloped grass-and-twig roof, it kind of looked like a witch''s hat. A pair of honey pots sat on the sides of the island, enchanted so only the glowbuzzes could smell or get through to them. A few fragrant herbs grew in patches behind the house. He had a small storage shed built next to his main hut. And set around its perimeter were an array of carved wooden poles, thrust into the dirt. They were his ward nodes, and once they were past them, they''d be as safe as they could get in these woods. Timothy gestured to some smooth stones scattered across the pond. "Alright, let''s just hop across the stones, okay? Take it slow, y''don''t wanna take a dip." "Why? Is there, like, a pond guardian?" Meri asked excitedly. Timothy chuckled. "That¡¯d be neat, but naw. The water¡¯s just cold, an¡¯ your wound don¡¯t need it." He took his first hop onto the stones, taking it slow as an example. Meri stopped about halfway across the pond, staring into the water. ¡°Frogbeasts!¡± There was a symposium(their word, not his) of toad-monsters sitting on a circle of logs. Their heads had a long ribbony tail that flowed from the back, ending in a starburst shape. They were purple, with a faint star pattern along their head-tails. Timothy wasn¡¯t surprised they hadn¡¯t noticed him and Meri¡ª they were having a rather noisy argument about magic, as usual. ¡°Toadbeasts, actually. They¡¯re called Magorons. Let¡¯s not interrupt them, they¡¯re workin¡¯ on a big theory. Again.¡± ¡°A big theory¡­?¡± ¡°Magorons are real smart.¡± Timothy said, waving her to continue hopping. ¡°They¡¯re always arguin¡¯ some magic thing or another. I¡¯ve picked up a lot from¡¯em, but it¡¯s best not to interrupt when they¡¯re like this.¡± He pointed at a biggun whose tail was shaking with anger. ¡°When their tail shakes, it means they¡¯re getting¡¯ riled up but good. If you see that, y¡¯better duck, cuz¡ª¡° The shouting was drowned out by two of the older toads hurling tiny bolts of lightning at each other. It quickly devolved into a toad free for all, with spells flyin¡¯ everywhere. Meri yelped and nearly fell off the rock, but Timothy caught her ¡®round the middle with a shadow tentacle. ¡°Cuz of that!¡± ¡°Why are they fighting?¡± Timothy smiled sheepishly. ¡°Search me. I¡¯ll probably hear all about it when I have to patch¡¯em up later.¡± She looked like she was caught between laughing and not being sure if she should. ¡°Does this happen a lot?¡± ¡°Oh, all the time.¡± Timothy ducked a deflected fireball. ¡°We¡¯d best let them have their fun. Come on.¡± Up ahead was the ward line, the very first thing he¡¯d set up when he started building his home. The ward nodes had been the product of all sorts of experiments with carving and enchanting. It¡¯d been a pain and a half to set them up in a place this magical, but they worked well. If you looked between the totems that acted as nodes, you¡¯d see a dense spiderweb of spectral tripwires that could, when set off, project a real shield. He¡¯d even consulted real spiders! And indeed, his spider buddies had inspired the ward-constructs he¡¯d made up to control the wards. The hand-woven spirits were invisible, much like the web itself unless you were using magic to see¡¯em, but they were always there, skittering along the ward web. Now that he thought about it, it was almost time for a visit to his old friends. Distracted, he almost missed Meri rushing headling into his web! He yelped and arm-blocked the overeager dragon pup for the second time today. ¡°Wait! I gotta read you into the wards!¡± ¡°How much security do you have?¡± The dragoness scowled. Timothy grinned sheepishly. ¡°So I¡¯m a little paranoid¡­¡± The spider-constructs that ran his wards clicked and clacked up to the pair, and he told them that Meri was clear. They soon went on spidering about. ¡°Alright, there.¡± With that, he helped her across and onto the island. "What''s in the pots?" She asked. "Honey. The glowbuzzes like it." He explained. "Having them around makes this whole pond safer, because most of the Deepshadow monsters hate light. So I leave out some treats to encourage them to hang out here. The bees hang out near my garden, and they let me have some honey every season in exchange for growing them lotsa healthy flowers, n'' giving them a hand in the winter." <> One of the glowbuzzes landed on Meri''s shoulder. The little bug looked like a black almond, with eyes like blue jewels and a skinny proboscis. It flicked its nose at her shoulder, and she giggled. "They''re cute!" ¡°They are.¡± Timothy stretched a little tendril of darkness out and scritched the little bug¡¯s back. It glowed with obvious cheer. <> <> The glowbuzzes swirled and whooshed around them like embers from a windblown fire, looking Meri over from every angle. <> The chorused ¡®ooh!¡¯ that came in answer was adorable. Seeing the startled little dragoness, Timothy addressed her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they don¡¯t bite. Heck, they can¡¯t, what with the proboscises. They can zap people with light magic if they try to hurt¡¯em, but they¡¯re otherwise gentle little critters.¡± Meri giggled as several lit up in a smiley face pattern. "Don''t the magorons eat them?" "Nah," Timothy grinned. "I helped them cut a deal. This here''s neutral ground for both. The glowbuzzes can hang out without getting eaten, and the magorons don''t get fried, and can copy their light magic. Everyone wins." Meri gaped. ¡°You really are a witch!¡± The witch¡¯s face all but shone with pride. "Heh, of course! I learned the secrets of listening long ago.¡± And to Meri¡¯s glee, the bug fluttered off of her shoulder and whirled around her head in a cheery orbit. It didn¡¯t say real words, but he could feel the thrums of welcome and happiness as it buzzed the little dragoness. The hum of its wings was almost singsongy for a moment, before it flew off to join its friends. ¡°Wow!¡± Meri breathed. Her eyes shone with wonder, and it felt surprisingly good. ¡°Did it, like, say something I didn¡¯t understand?¡± ¡°Sort of.¡± Timothy explained. ¡°Monsters don¡¯t talk or think the exact same way we do. Well, not most of¡¯em. Every monster communicates differently, and a witch¡¯s training makes them receptive to all that meaning. It¡¯s subconscious magic, combined with lots of training. It takes years to figure it out, for most folks.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± Meri breathed. ¡°That¡¯s so cool!¡± Timothy blushed a little. Still, he managed a shy smile. It''d taken him a long time to get even this good, after all. ¡°Aw, shucks. Well then, let¡¯s get indoors.¡± The Forest Witch, Pt. 4 Thanks to the glowbuzzes, it was darker inside than outside. The witch tossed a conjured scoop of smokeless fire into his ash pit, and the dry wood popped ablaze like it was on a spring. Meri followed him once it was light, and Timothy stifled a laugh. She was staring at everything! The potions rack on one side of the room, close to the beat-up and misshapen clay cauldron (but not too close-- he''d learned that lesson when he lost his eyebrows the first time) especially got her interested, but she also examined the strings of dried herbs and roots all around the hut''s ceiling. He wondered how good dragon noses were-- to his nose, the air was a medley of herbal scents. Her eyes passed over his thin and patchy sleeping mat, which was just far enough away from the fire to not catch, and over to his pantry box, on which sat a homemade teapot and a pair of clay cups and bowls. Other than that, there wasn''t really much in the way of personal effects: by now, his life''d drilled the lesson into him that he should carry everything dear to him in his cloak or his bag. But Meri seemed enthralled! "Wow¡­ Is this all your witchy stuff?" "Yep." Timothy nodded to her. "Welcome to my lair!" He set down his bag by the door, and quickly rummaged around inside for his new ingredients."I''ll just put these away first and then we can look at your arm.¡± Meri watched curiously as he set the bottle on an upper part of the shelf. ¡°Are those all potions? What do they do?¡± "Yeah, potions, and raw ingredients. I do a lotta brewing when I have problems to solve¡­ Which is just about all the time." He grumbled. Meri giggled at the look on his face, so he gave her a mock pout. ¡°It¡¯s also how I make medicines for my monster friends.¡± ¡°Ooh, neat!¡± And before he could do more then yip in surprise, she snagged a bottle from a low shelf and popped it open. The dark, metallic smell hit them both a moment later. ¡°B-blood!¡± The witch yelped and lunged for the bottle as she dropped it, barely snagging it with the very tips of his fingers. Whew. With a sharp tug of magic, he yanked the stopper from her and re-sealed the bottle. "Don¡¯t just drop stuff in here! There¡¯s enough alchemy here to blow us sky high if something reacts wrong!¡± The dragoness took a nervous step back. "W-why do you have a bottle of blood there?" Ugh, and after they¡¯d made some real progress, too. "Relax, it''s mine." Timothy waved her off. The little girl didn''t seem reassured in the least. "¡­For healing potions? It¡¯s pretty common in Strenel.¡± ¡®Course, you had to be in good health to give good blood, and you had to preserve it with magic, and¡­ well, he was running low. ¡°But that¡¯s so creepy! It¡¯s like, evil witch stuff!¡± ¡°What? Who told you that?¡± Timothy rolled his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s my blood, it ain¡¯t like I¡¯m going around sticking pins in toadbeasts or something. That¡¯s creepy stuff.¡± Of course, he regularly took blood from creatures he hunted, but that was just the great cycle at work, really. There were a lotta ifs with blood! All kinds of arcana and ritual/alchemy stuff you had to balance. She didn''t need to know that, though, especially now that she was finally calming down. Meri nodded slowly. "Okay¡­" After a moment, her eyes widened. "Oh! I think my big bro talked about something like that at the hospital." Timothy¡¯s smile returned, if a little miffed. ¡°I''m glad. Now, have a seat near the fire; I gotta look at that arm." "¡­You''re not gonna put your blood in me, right?" "No!" ------ Timothy soon washed up, Meri sat down in the light, and they were ready to go. "Alright, let''s see it." The littlun bit her lip nervously as she held out her arm. Her scales were cut through all across her forearm, but they''d done their job. The cuts were shallow, and while they were bloody, it wasn¡¯t that bad, on a physical level. He''d have noticed a blood trail if she''d been leaving it, after all! The witch gently took her hand, turning her arm here and there to get a better look at the wound. ¡°You said it didn¡¯t hurt earlier. Are you numb?¡± ¡°Y-yeah, actually. It kinda hurts now, but it feels kinda like my arm¡¯s waking up from being asleep.¡± Timothy nodded slowly. ¡°I thought so. Humoganth claws aren¡¯t the worst claws around, but they hurt your spirit. They can be real pests.¡± ¡°My-my spirit?¡± ¡°Mm-hmm. Everything has a spirit. It maps t¡¯your body, mostly, made up of anima stuff. The soul¡¯s made up of the same stuff, and it can¡¯t be hurt, but your spirit can get smacked around.¡± Meri gulped. ¡°Am I gonna be okay?¡± The witch smiled reassuringly. ¡°Relax, I¡¯ve done this plenty.¡± After a closer look, he added, ¡°You¡¯re a lucky girl. That bracelet you¡¯ve got on deflected the claws a little, so this ain¡¯t too bad.¡± ¡°So are you gonna magic it fixed?¡± She perked up a bit. ¡°My brother does that.¡± ¡°Wish I could, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯m strong enough to do it.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Meri just stared. ¡°But you¡¯re a witch!¡± The witch winced, rubbing his arm. ¡°Yeah, but, um¡­ Healing magic takes a lot of energy, so if I try something without the energy to see it through, bad stuff could happen. There¡¯s a drought on, y¡¯know.¡± He was frailer than normal right now, and that was saying a lot. ¡°Um, it¡¯s okay, though, this is why we have alchemy.¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Meri nodded hesitantly, and he got up to mix up her medicine. In this case, a drizzle of halana fruit juice, some crushed redcoat stalks, a little honey, and distilled water infused with just the right energies to coax out their properties, all mixed together, formed a pale red poultice that shimmered in the dim light. He carried the bowl over to his patient, who nervously clutched her knees. ¡°Alright, Meri. This will sting a little, but it¡¯ll go away fast.¡± He soothed. ¡°I know it¡¯s scary, but try and be brave, okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Her voice was very small. Timothy took a deep breath, and slowly floated a blob of the medicine above Meri¡¯s arm. Then, bracing himself for her reaction, he gently pressed it in. At first, she only winced, but slowly built up to a hiss of pain. "Be strong, littlun. It''ll be over soon¡­" His magic rippled like water along her hurt arm, working the medicine in and making it easy to absorb. He guided it with a feather light touch of power, so it wouldn''t hurt so much. It was a lot like treating a hurt monster, really, and that made him feel much calmer. Slow and easy. After a time, Meri spoke up softly. ¡°Are you really clan Lusundra?¡± The wolf was too focused on applying the medicine and carefully cleaning her wounds as he went. ¡°You don¡¯t seem, um¡­¡± ¡°Crazy? Evil? Both?¡± Timothy shrugged. ¡°N-no, um, I mean¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Considerin¡¯ the war, I¡¯d be surprised if you weren¡¯t worried.¡± There was a reason he avoided people. How to explain, though¡­? ¡°Without goin¡¯ into too much that ain¡¯t your business, one of my parents was a very bad person. I don¡¯t remember¡¯em, cuz luckily, I got adopted. Unluckily, bad stuff happened. Now I¡¯m here.¡± He paused in his ministrations to look her in the eye. ¡°I promise you, I ain¡¯t a follower of anythin¡¯ those folks stand for. Heck, I was raised Vol, and we fought him and his clan hard durin¡¯ the war. I don¡¯t know nothin¡¯ about nothin¡¯ when it comes to being a dragon, an¡¯ I certainly didn¡¯t ask to be one. I just wanna be left alone, an I¡¯m stuck with this thing¡ª¡° he jabbed his forehead¡ª¡°cuz my blood. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ But, can you hear¡­ him? Like I can hear Oel?¡± Timothy paused. ¡°You hear your true dragon?¡± ¡°Yeah, in my dreams, sometimes. It¡¯s like getting a call from my mom, only way older. I just hafta light it up when I go to sleep.¡± ¡°Huh. Well, no. Lusundra¡¯s dead, so¡­ no madmen whispering in my ear.¡± Though that might explain the nightmares¡­ ¡°Like I said, I don¡¯t know much about dragons. I don¡¯t really think of myself as one, halfblood or not.¡± ¡°Is that why you think we¡¯re scary?¡± She asked with a hurt look. Oh, right, his tale to Crisp. Timothy felt a pang of guilt. ¡°It¡¯s complicated, littlun.¡± He said softly. ¡°Dragons are just people, like anyone else. I¡­ I ain¡¯t good with people in general, so I was a little scared of you. But I¡¯da been just as scared of you if you were a kindre.¡± ¡°Huh? But why?¡± Timothy coughed and tugged down his hood a bit. ¡°I, well, um¡­ It¡¯s a long story. A lot of long stories, which mostly end bad. Look, I mostly just wanted to get Crisp to go away. I¡¯m sorry for bein¡¯ rude.¡± He returned to the treatment, finally moving onto bandages. He bound her arm with fibrous leaves, tied together just tight enough. The pain slowly faded from her posture as the homemade medicine soaked in. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re a scary dragon.¡± Timothy looked up, and was surprised to see a small smile on the girl¡¯s face. It hit surprisingly hard, and he turned away quickly to not let it show. ¡°¡®Course not. I¡¯m a wolf.¡± She huffed. ¡°You know what I mean!¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± he turned back with a half-smile of his own, ¡°That should do it. You¡¯re a brave kid.¡± ¡°Thanks, Timothy.¡± ¡°No worries.¡± Timothy washed his hands once more with some enchanted water, before shooting it off into the herbs. ¡°Did you get hurt anywhere else?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± She said gratefully. ¡°I¡¯m just muddy and my scales are scratched.¡± ¡°Sucks. I¡¯d suggest a swim, but we gotta keep your arm dry.¡± Timothy shrugged. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ll prolly get dirty again on the way back, so probably no point in getting cleaned up just yet.¡± Meri gulped. Timothy hurriedly threw in, ¡°A-at least you can get a bath when you get home, right?¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± There was an awkward, long pause, and Timothy was painfully reminded that his social skills were rusty. Oh¡­ what would he do with a monster in this situation? ¡°So, um¡­ you hungry?¡± Timothy asked. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Holy frass, that worked? Well, Timothy mused as he munched on a mushroom, we¡¯re all just critters in the end. Meri seemed much calmer now that she was tearing into a plate of wild onions, kala nuts, mudhop mushrooms, and smoked bellfish. The fishbeast had caused a bit of a fuss (¡°I-It¡¯s looking at me!¡±) before he realized she¡¯d never had whole-smoked seafood before. Luckily, that was a problem he could solve with a few swings of a shadow blade. And hey, it meant he got to eat the head. She just didn¡¯t know what she was missing. It wasn¡¯t the kind of home cooking a townie was probably used to, but it was all he had to give. And thankfully, the kid knew how to be polite about it. For his part, he was just happy to finally eat something today besides greyleaf tea. Winter was coming, after all. Of course, Timothy couldn¡¯t fully enjoy the food when he had so many questions bubbling away in his head like a pot about to boil over. Of course, he had no idea how to breach any of them to her. Don¡¯t settle for cheap, surface observations! Find the right details, and you¡¯ll find what you¡¯re after. His grandmother¡¯s old advice on witchery came back to mind. So, pretending to focus on his meal, he really examined Meri. The townie girl smelled like mud and stress, but underneath were clear layers of soap and¡­ something else, all over her scales. She looked well-fed, with a healthy sheen and color to her scales. Well, if she was anything like a scaly kindre, anyway. And her outfit looked bright and new, rather than torn and stained like his had been seven years ago. So she probably wasn¡¯t a runaway, and was well-taken care of at home. She''d mentioned a brother pretty cheerily, so she probably had an okay relationship with her family. So why was she here, then? ¡°So¡­¡± he hesitated. ¡°Who¡¯s the Lady of Night, then?¡± ¡°You¡­ really don¡¯t know about her?¡± Meri sounded like she was starting to sweat. She tried to hide it with a big gulp of tea, but she wasn¡¯t foolin¡¯ anyone. ¡°I''m afraid not, Meri.¡± He met her gaze, trying to project as much ¡®wise forest witch¡¯ as he could. The hood helped a little; the brand did not. ¡°You said you were on a quest to find her, right?¡± ¡°Right. Well, kinda.¡± Now that he thought about it, she¡¯d gotten awful quiet after he¡¯d started patching her up. ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡± The witch nodded slowly. ¡°I figured. It¡¯d take a real fool to just stroll in here on a lark.¡± Meri looked up at him with curious eyes. ¡°How come you¡¯re here?¡± The wolf rolled his eyes and jabbed his thumb at his forehead. ¡°Oh. But how, though?¡± ¡°Tell you what.¡± Timothy gave his witchiest smile. ¡°You tell me your story, and maybe I¡¯ll tell you mine.¡± Sometimes you just had to go fishing¡ª another tidbit his old master had taught him. Just throw out the right bait¡­ And you¡¯d snare what you were after. ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Meri Tales The little dragoness picked at her food for a moment before starting. ¡°Well, there¡¯s legends about this forest. They say that this darkness ain¡¯t natural, and that once it was just a normal forest fulla normal monsters. But then the fairies came, and their Queen, the Lady of Night, did somethin¡¯ to it.¡± Timothy thought that over. The Deepshadow fairies were divided into 3 tribes¡ª the Nyxtal, the Vynhan, and the Mientofani. They did have queens, but there was no one queen of the fairies; just 3 powerful fairies who were constantly messing with one another. Which is lucky for the rest of us, cuz it keeps them too busy to cause too much trouble. ¡°Go on¡­?¡± ¡°Well, they said that the fairy queen took her sword, the Edge of Night, and cut out part of the night sky, and covered the forest in it. That shroud made the forest the Deepshadow.¡± As far as Timothy knew, that was wrong. The shroud of the Deepshadow was projected by the Shatham trees, as part of a nature magic process. Timothy bit his tongue hard. It wasn¡¯t that fairies doing weird stuff was too much for him to believe, but this sounded like a bedtime story. ¡°I-I see¡­ And you came looking for the Queen?¡± Meri nodded. "Yeah. They say that she''s still here, waiting in the heart of the forest for someone to be brave enough to seek her out. She''ll give them one final test, and if you succeed, she''ll give you her own sword as a mark of bravery; the Edge of Night." ¡­And the fair folk would never give a gift away for free. Not without enough strings attached to tie down a True Dragon. Oh, Meri¡­ ¡°That sounds awful dangerous.¡± He said neutrally. How the heck am I gonna get you out of here? ¡°Um¡­ and your parents were okay with this?¡± ¡°Aw, they don¡¯t even know I¡¯m here.¡± Meri perked up, as Timothy stifled a groan. ¡°I mean, I figured I¡¯d just fly my broom to the center of the forest, and then fly out. Easy!¡± The wolf pointed his spoon at her.¡°Until you got attacked.¡± Meri winced. ¡°W-well, yeah. But I¡¯m tough enough!¡± The dragoness set her jaw. ¡°I gotta be!¡± ¡°Why do you want this sword so badly? No offense, Meri, but you don¡¯t look big enough to even swing one, yet.¡± ¡°The Edge of Night can cut the darkness outta people''s hearts, like it did from the sky! Or that¡¯s what the stories say.¡± Timothy just stared and tried to find a polite way to say but that¡¯s dumb. ¡°Meri, that¡¯s fairy tale stuff.¡± ¡°Nuh-uh! Psyche magic exists, right?¡± She said stubbornly. ¡°It isn¡¯t any weirder than that!¡± Ugh, she¡­ actually kind of had a point there. Not that he believed for a second that a fairy had ¡®cut down the night,¡¯ but a sword that can cut apart the heart¡ª emotions, mind? Both?¡ª of a person was exactly the kind of crap a fairy would make. Oh man, I hope my gut is right and this is all make-believe. ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ table that for now. That still doesn¡¯t answer my question, though. What do you want to do with that thing?¡± And that¡¯s when she sprang to her feet, fist held high, and declared, ¡°I¡¯m gonna turn Mayor Locke good!¡± Timothy must have looked unimpressed, because after a moment she huffed, thrust her fist up again, and shouted ¡°And the Vol, too!¡± The wolf froze. His heart just plain stopped for a moment, and he felt his blood run cold. If he still had a tail, it woulda shot right between his legs. ¡°What!?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª He couldn¡¯t move. The ropes that bound him to the altar were too tight. The night air was freezing. But all around him were torches, held by people who were supposed to be his friends. The drums pounded a frantic beat. Their voices rose and fell in a chant that filled his heart with dread. He didn¡¯t know what they¡¯d done to his family. But he could smell smoke, mixed in with the stink of their anger, their hate, their¡­ their fear. Why were they afraid of him!? He couldn¡¯t ask, because his mouth was muzzled. He tried to call the magic, but he couldn¡¯t move enough to call more than a small shower of sparks, and they¡¯d clubbed his head so hard he¡¯d seen stars. Tears stung his eyes. He couldn¡¯t see their faces. He saw knives flash in the darkness, and the circle converged on him, blocking out the night. Their chanting called up something from within them, something that burned in the night, something that made his fur stand on end and his heart freeze in his chest. A foulness, an evil made of countless smaller evils, that swarmed around them like locusts, blotting out the world. Uncle Charon yanked Timothy¡¯s tail up, raising a gleaming knife¡­ The knife fell, and Timothy began to scream. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Wisps of smoke curled up from Timothy¡¯s clenched hands. Stay calm, stay calm! His clan brand blazed to life angrily. The pile of scar tissue where his tail¡¯d once been throbbed with pain. He took a deep, painful breath. But the calm he was scrabbling for wouldn¡¯t come. His people had taken everything from him. His tail, his face, his family. Even though he¡¯d been born one of them, one of the tribe. Even though he¡¯d been diligent and loyal and everything else they¡¯d ever wanted. The moment the brand appeared, they had taken him, and tried their best to kill him. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Um, Timothy? A-are you okay?¡± Meri¡¯s voice snapped him back to the present. The little dragoness was looking at him with concern. ¡°Y-you look awful pale.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± He said softly. ¡°Are the Vol¡­ around, here?¡± The question seemed to surprise Meri. ¡°I, um, yeah. Fresa¡ª the town I came from¡ª is right near the border and stuff, and there¡¯s a Vol town called Jawbone Ridge not too far off.¡± Damn it. Timothy took a shuddering breath. He tried to stop his trembling with a huge gulp of tea, like it¡¯d warm up his frozen insides. It didn¡¯t work. Even years after his escape, the thought of his old culture overwhelmed his defenses. He really thought he was farther from the border¡­ And he could tell Meri was putting two and two together. She gasped. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re a wolf¡ª You¡¯re Vol, right? And you¡¯ve got that mark¡­¡± Meri looked up at him with worried eyes. ¡°They did something awful to you, didn¡¯t they?¡± The witch sighed. Well, she already figured it out. It¡¯s no good lying now. ¡°Yeah, they did.¡± He said quietly. ¡°Many of the bad kindre I mentioned were Vol.¡± ¡°¡­Is that why you live alone out here?¡± ¡°Something like that, yeah.¡± He didn¡¯t want to think about it further. There was a long pause. Then Meri slammed her cup down, making him choke on his tea. ¡°Then that¡¯s another reason for me to get the Edge of Night! Mostly I wanted it to fix Locke¡ª¡° ¡°Who?¡± ¡°¡ªBut maybe I can use it to make the Vol nice too! It¡¯s the best plan!¡± Determination blazed in her voice like fire. ¡°It¡¯d fix everything!¡± I¡¯ll have to ask about this Locke later. Timothy was slowly coming back to himself, and he was way more worried about this so-called plan than before. The witch took a long, slow sip of his tea to collect his thoughts. Those were, of course, mostly a brew of worry and pity for the girl in front of him. Anger at whoever had started that silly legend. And a tired, heavy thought: how was he going to convince her to leave if almost getting eaten hadn¡¯t? The fact was, the girl before him was just that¡ª a little girl who¡¯d latched onto a fairy tale, and made some seriously bad decisions as a result. Ones motivated by¡­ justice? Or something? But bad decisions nonetheless. Meri slowly deflated and sat back down, not quite meeting his gaze. ¡°You¡¯re gonna tell me to go home, aren¡¯t you.¡± ¡°Well, yes. I kind of have to.¡± Timothy set his mug down and stared her down. ¡°You¡¯re way too young for this¡­ plan of yours, you realize?¡± ¡°My sis was knocking out teenagers when she was ten!¡± Meri boasted. ¡°And I¡¯m a dragon like her. I can do this!¡± Okay, then I guess it¡¯s time to play town witch. He¡¯d overheard gran do it a few times, and she¡¯d taught him the basic strategy. Look for the gaps in their defenses, then attack. He took a deep breath. ¡°Meri, you know those Humoganths back there? They¡¯re far from the most dangerous thing in here. I¡¯d say they¡¯re about middle of the pack.¡± The dragon froze. ¡°And I had to bail you out. And I must remind you, even as a witch who¡¯s on okay terms with the ¡®ganths, we still had to run away." ¡°W-well, that¡¯s, um¡­¡± ¡°And we didn¡¯t fight them because they would have won. And that was just three among hundreds in this forest. Along with Curgars and Nightmares and Arkhamids and worse.¡± He paused to take a deep breath. Control. ¡°And Meri, I¡¯ve lived here for seven years, and I still go out of my way to keep my head down.¡± Meri had grown pale slowly as he ran down the list. He didn¡¯t know how many she recognized, but it was apparently enough. ¡°E-even with all your witch magic?¡± ¡°Even so.¡± He could put up a terrific fight, but just one wrong move and he¡¯d just be worm food. The witch took another drink of his tea, trying to look calm and collected. ¡°You¡¯re talking about rushing right into a fight with things I tend to avoid unless I¡¯m bearing gifts an¡¯ ready to talk fast.¡± ¡°B-but¡­ if I get the Edge of Night¡­?¡± Her voice was suddenly tiny. And that hurt to hear. But he needed to make his point, like a witch. ¡°Meri, do you even know how to use a sword? It¡¯s harder than it looks. And I know you don¡¯t know Psyche magic. I only know how to block it, and I¡¯m willing to do some crazy alchemy. Psyche magic is terrifying and dangerous, even in the hands of an expert. In the hands of amateur? I don¡¯t wanna think about the awful things it could do to someone.¡± Meri swallowed hard. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ really that bad?¡± ¡°Meri, Psyche magic is restricted for a reason. And that¡¯s all assuming you could ever find the thing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s at the heart of the forest!¡± Meri protested, but weakly. ¡°I just gotta head north!¡± ¡°Alright. So which way¡¯s north?¡± Timothy asked pointedly, and she flinched. When she didn¡¯t answer, he added, ¡°And the heart of the forest is beyond dangerous.¡± ¡°Why¡­ why¡¯s that?¡± ¡°The heart of the forest is fairy country. And the tribes don¡¯t take kindly to trespassers.¡± Timothy grimaced. ¡°They¡¯re dangerous, they¡¯re unpredictable, they eat people¡ª and they think they¡¯re funny. I¡¯ve run into them before, and you¡¯re lucky you didn¡¯t on your way here. The fairies are not nice spirits. And they don¡¯t give gifts, so even if the sword exists¡­¡± he winced at the hurt look in her eyes, ¡°You¡¯re not getting it. More likely they capture you and make a toy of you.¡± ¡°Y-you could help me!¡± ¡°You think I can fight a swarm of fairies?¡± Timothy shuddered again. ¡°Meri, they¡¯d eat me alive if I was lucky, and do something way, way worse if I¡¯m not. And in case the brand didn¡¯t clue you in, betting on my luck is a terrible idea. No, Meri,¡± he shook his head slow for emphasis, ¡°You gotta leave. You seem like a sweet kid. This ain¡¯t a good place for you.¡± Meri hugged herself with her long tail, and Timothy suddenly felt guilty. Had he been too harsh¡­? He''d tried to talk to her like his mom would have, or even his gran in a serious moment. But maybe that was the wrong thing to do? She was just a little kid. ¡°But¡­ but what about the queen?¡± ¡°Meri,¡± he said softly, ¡°There is no fairy queen of the Deepshadow. There¡¯s 3 queens for three tribes, and they hate each other. Pup, you¡¯ve been had.¡± Meri whimpered, and suddenly looked like a heavy weight had fallen on her. The little dragoness seemed to curl up on herself tightly, then: ¡°I knew this was a stupid idea.¡± Then, Timothy was horrified to hear her sniffle. Oh, no, he had gone too far! ¡°I just wanted to do something like my sis would do¡­¡± ¡°Your sister¡­?¡± Meri sniffled again. ¡°She¡¯s super tough. I bet she coulda made it to the Heart, no sweat.¡± Timothy sighed, but smiled sadly at her. ¡°You are pretty tough for a kid, Meri. But I think your family would want you to come home safe more than any magic sword.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s say we get you home, alright?¡± ¡°¡­okay.¡± The Long Way Home, Pt. 1 Of course, sayin¡¯ that was one thing, doing it was gonna be a whole ¡®other one. Meri was still healing, and he was still tired, and they were both still upset. With little else he could do, he just kept brewing tea for the two of them, and tried not to dwell on his old tribe too much. At least I¡¯m safe from¡¯em here. Warriors or not, nobody likes coming in here. As it was, he was edgier than he¡¯d like to be. He couldn¡¯t see the sky here, but it felt like rainclouds were gatherin¡¯ over him. Having to plan this whole mess didn¡¯t make him feel any better. True night will fall soon, so all the nastiest monsters will be hunting. Ugh, the ones that didn¡¯t get woken up earlier. Timothy could sneak through the night, and he¡¯d had to before plenty of times, but with Meri behind him they¡¯d be easy prey. It¡¯d be easier if he could just keep the dragoness here for the night, but that had problems of its own. Mostly, he couldn¡¯t feed a second mouth that long. Heck, he couldn¡¯t feed his own! Damned drought. But it¡¯s not just that, either. If I have her stay the night, her family might come looking for her¡­ and get lost too, or worse. The longer this situation sits, the worse it¡¯ll get. More missing people meant more riled up monsters (and, y¡¯know, more loss of life. He couldn¡¯t shelter everyone here.) And if enough ruckus got raised, the Voltcage would wake up, and then they¡¯d all be screwed. It was bad enough he¡¯d set off a bomb to escape the ¡®ganths, without knowing where the fae eater was sleeping. So no, somehow Meri had to get home, tonight, and he was going to have to somehow make that happen without being seen in the process. In short, he felt a headache coming on. Soon, Timothy cleared away the dishes from lunch, washing them out outside. The dragoness followed him. ¡°So, um¡­ How bad is this gonna be?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ it¡¯s like this. If we could march at my best speed the whole way, it¡¯d take a little under half a day to make it to the forest¡¯s southern edge.¡± ¡°Well, that doesn¡¯t seem so bad¡­¡± The dragoness had hesitated. He floated the bowls back to where they belonged before continuing. ¡°Yeah, but we¡¯re both already tired, and we probably woke up acres of forest with that fight. Then those might have woken up more and more trouble. We¡¯re going to need to waste a lot of time sneaking past monsters. And it¡¯s already past noon, so we¡¯re gonna be trying to outrun nightfall.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s no day or night in here, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, but critters still sleep, and most of the strongest here are nocturnal. When true night falls, this forest gets deadly.¡± Meri gasped. ¡°Ooh!¡± Timothy whirled to see her holding up her wounded arm¡ª no, her bracelet. ¡°I could just call my big sister! She can pick me up!¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± That was what he was trying to avoid! ¡°No, y¡¯can¡¯t!¡± ¡°She can come fly here and just grab me!¡± And before he could do more than stammer a protest, she slapped the bracelet hard. ¡°Valencia!¡± Timothy froze, half-expecting one of the dragons the tribe had told stories of to crash out of the sky, flattening his house and smashin¡¯ him into wolf jelly. Instead, her bracelet grew hot against her scales, and spat a few elemental sparks. ¡­That was it. ¡°Um¡­?¡± ¡°Valencia! Valencia Ashborne-Murphy!¡± Meri¡¯s voice grew high and anxious. ¡°Please?¡± Murphy? The witch raised an eyebrow. What kinda name¡ª no, wait, bigger issues. It only took him a moment¡¯s thought to realize the problem. ¡°Uh, Meri, that¡¯s the arm that got slashed.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± He tried to leave a bigger hint. ¡°The one an humoganth slashed.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She wasn¡¯t getting it. Timothy stifled a sigh. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Humoganth claws suck the energy outta stuff.¡± ¡°Wh¡ª aw, no!¡± Meri squeaked, and tore off the bracelet. Timothy snuck a quick look, using a little eye enchantment. The anima core of the bracelet was set in a small blue jewel, and it was mostly intact, but the braided cords of enchantment that ran through the rest of it were mangled so bad, he couldn¡¯t even really tell what it was supposed to do. It was also leaking invisible spectral energies, so mangled was putting it lightly. ¡±Yeah, um, that thing¡¯s totaled. I wouldn¡¯t even know where to start with fixing it.¡± Meri bit her lip. ¡°Well, you¡¯re a witch, right? Can¡¯t you fly us back?¡± ¡°I live under a pretty thick canopy.¡± Timothy rubbed his neck. ¡°I never bothered learning. Come to think of it, couldn¡¯t you fly up and out?¡± Meri scowled and crossed her arms. ¡°My wings aren¡¯t big enough yet.¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°Oh! You could teleport us! Or have one of your animal friends help us?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how to teleport, either.¡± The witch was starting to get a little embarrassed. ¡°And I don¡¯t boss¡¯em around, I just live with¡¯em.¡± The girl just sat back down, defeated. ¡°So we just gotta walk? All the way back?¡± ¡°Looks like.¡± Well, I wasn¡¯t expecting an easy way out, anyway. ¡°Hey, at least you can brag about having survived an ¡®adventure¡¯ in here, right? D-don¡¯t look for more of them, though.¡± Meri giggled, just a little. ¡°I know, I know.¡± It seemed she¡¯d gotten the point, though, as she seemed to get serious much quicker. Well, good¡ª this wasn¡¯t gonna be a frolic. They didn¡¯t talk much for a while, as he prepped for the journey. The hardest part was scraping together provisions, since his cupboards were mostly bare. He brewed another pot of greyleaf tea, and filled a few clay bottles for later, since the drought had dried the creeks. He wrapped up what little food he had left in leaves for the journey. The way he¡¯d been forced to ration lately, it represented several hungry days, and he had to figure it¡¯d be gone by evening. Maybe I can find something to hunt along the way. I won¡¯t have time to prep it, though, He thought glumly. He thought about bringing some potions, but he didn¡¯t really have anything that would help right now. He tended to keep his alchemy as raw ingredients, for more flexibility. He always carried a halana draught in his bag, along with a basic antidote, but other than that¡­ ugh. And of course, he couldn¡¯t use blood tinctures on her that came from his blood, so that was out. Well, no point in whining about what you don¡¯t have. What else¡­ protections. His magic dagger, Mandible, was strapped to him as always. He had staves. His mind ward was fully charged, as always. ¡°Meri, you wearin¡¯ any mind talismans?¡± He asked. The little dragoness gave him a funny look. ¡°No? Um, are you?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± He slipped a small wooden pendant out of his shirt. ¡°Last thing you want out here is a monster getting in your head.¡± He hovered a similar pendant from a small box by his sleeping mat. ¡°I¡¯ll spot you this one, it¡¯s my spare.¡± It was a simple circular token, about as wide around as one of Meri¡¯s eyes and only as thick as a trichip. It had a circle glyph carved in its front and back, and hung off a cord of woven plant fibers. He didn¡¯t need to look to see the very simple, shapeless enchantment attached. Meri giggled. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to take magic from strangers!¡± The dragoness¡¯s laugh rose up loud and strong, startling Timothy. Still, despite a small chuckle, he kept serious. ¡°Oh, what, you¡¯re gonna walk into a cursed forest and then start worrying ¡®bout safety?¡± He stuck his tongue out at her. ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Meri flung it around her neck, and shivered at the brief sensation of its powers. He was used to the feeling, by now; when you put it on, it felt like a pitcher of cool oil getting dumped on your head. ¡°There, now. That¡¯ll give any psychic jerk a real headache.¡± Timothy nodded sharply. ¡°You¡¯re still not to go lookin¡¯ for trouble, mind.¡± The dragoness sniffled, and Timothy briefly worried he¡¯d made her cry again. But, to his surprise, she ran over and threw her arms around his stomach. ¡°Thanks, Mr. Timothy. I mean it.¡± Awk! Timothy wheezed and squirmed, because she was strong! Well, that and he was brittle, but still! He felt like she was gonna squeeze his lungs out through his mouth. Nope, nope, he didn¡¯t like this! ¡°A-aw, it ain¡¯t anything big¡­." He croaked, hoping to disengage her that way. ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡± He took in a huge breath when she let go. Geez, he could see where her overconfidence had come from. Dragons really were strong! The little dragoness gave a sheepish chuckle. After a moment to catch his breath, the witch stuck his head out the door. The clearing seemed as peaceful as ever, with the magorons softly croaking or splashing in the water, and the same quiet hum of wings. No sign of any monsters from earlier. Still¡­ there was a tension in the air, he felt. "Alright. Let''s be off." Timothy said, ¡°We need to make a few quick stops before we can really haul, anyway¡ª I have a bad feeling about tonight." The Long Way Home, Pt. 2 The first thing was to talk to the pond dwellers. The fight earlier had caused a big ruckus, and those things had a way of rippling through the Deepshadow. As the closest thing to an alpha around here, he figured it was best to let them know what¡¯d happened, and warn them of possible trouble. For the most part, they took it alright. <<¡°Alright, guys. My traps are set up and you all know the score. Just be careful, okay?¡±>> ¡°You¡¯re really worried, huh?¡± Meri squirmed a little as they finally left the pond, heading northeast. ¡°Worried enough to make a whole announcement¡­¡± ¡°Well, I couldn¡¯t just leave my friends in the dark. Nobody here¡¯s up on the food chain, y¡¯know?¡± Timothy tried to smile. ¡°Hopefully I¡¯m worrying over nothing.¡± Meri hugged herself. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d cause so much trouble just comin¡¯ in here. I¡¯m real sorry, Timothy.¡± The message had really sunk in that she¡¯d screwed up. Timothy squirmed a little at her obvious upset. ¡°Hey, hey, easy.¡± He said softly. ¡°They live in the Deepshadow, they¡¯re used to danger. It¡¯s the Great Cycle at work.¡± Meri sniffed, and wiped it away on her sleeve. ¡°But I made it worse.¡± ¡°Well, yes.¡± He was hardly gonna lie to her. ¡°But everyone that lives here wakes up knowing they might end the day in another monster¡¯s stomach. Even me. They¡¯ll be okay. Let¡¯s worry more about getting you home safe, okay?¡± It took a little for her to calm down and refocus. ¡°Okay.¡± Well, maybe this will cheer her up a little? Timothy thought as he read her into the next ward fence, allowing her to pass into his garden behind him. Here, the wards were different, and more complicated than his house wards. The forest up ahead looked unremarkable and dark¡­ until they crossed the invisible line. Then, light bloomed all around them, filling the clearing with a strong, steady false daylight even greater than the glowbuzz light. The woods here were open, with large distances between the large trees. Here and there, glowing mushrooms cast a sunny gold light in wide circles, illuminating patches of vegetables, herbs, and even flowers. Another branch of the same creek that fed his pond ran through, babbling gently. The air here smelled sweet and wild, the product of gentle wind through the flowers. And fluttering around the various plants were cheerful, buzzing Darkwood bees. They were soft with grey and black fluff, perfect for blending in among the trees of the wood. Their stingers glittered faintly in the light, but normally they¡¯d be almost invisible. Even their buzzing was soft, with Timothy only catching it from experience. Meri stepped back in surprise, passing back out the wards. ¡°Woah!¡± ¡°Heh. Good wards, huh?¡± he smiled. ¡°These¡¯uns are just there to hide the light, and my bee buddies.¡± ¡°It¡¯s crazy bright. What¡¯s the deal with the mushrooms?¡± He led her back through the wards. ¡°Those¡¯re Clustersuns. They¡¯re rare mushrooms that mostly grow in the fairy territories.¡± Seeing the look on her face, he added, ¡°I got mine from the Nightcaps, though.¡± The dragoness looked at him, puzzled. ¡°Nightcaps?¡± ¡°Mushroom folks. They¡¯re small, like about up to your ankle, an¡¯ live in a few scattered tribes around the forest.¡± He made a few hand gestures. ¡°They¡¯re not super friendly, but they¡¯re willing to trade with me for poisons and junk.¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°Poison?¡± ¡°Yeah, they drink it.¡± The wolf couldn¡¯t help but giggle at the look on her face. ¡°I dunno why, they just like to. So I brew up the, um, good stuff in exchange for mushrooms they farm. Including these babies.¡± ¡°Being a witch must be so weird.¡± ¡°Only if you¡¯re doing it right!¡± He winked. ¡°¡­So then why are we here?¡± Meri asked. ¡°Not that it isn¡¯t super pretty.¡± ¡°We¡¯re here to talk to the bees, of course.¡± <<¡°Hey, Daffodil!¡±>> He addressed a particularly fluffy bee as it buzzed by. <> She buzzed back. The fluffball of a bee fluttered over, carefully landing on his walking stick¡¯s head. <> <<¡°Same as ever, hon. Hey, would you mind lettin¡¯ the queen know I need an audience?¡±>> <>The bee went rigid, her bright black eyes going blank and unfocused. ¡°Um, is she okay?¡± Meri looked nervous. ¡°Oh, yeah, she¡¯s fine. Just give them a second, the Queen needs time to show up.¡± Before Meri could ask anything further, Daffodil¡¯s eyes went very wide and brighter than before. They were almost too bright, like there was burning light behind them. Timothy would think it was weird, if he weren¡¯t so used to the queen¡¯s entrances. The bee on his staff took off gracefully, flying up to eye level, and Timothy gave a slight bow. <> Instead of Daffodil¡¯s cheerful, almost singsong tone, the voice that came now was regal and calm. <<¡°Hello, your highness.¡±>> Meri scrunched up her face in confusion. ¡°Huh? But you just called her Daffodil. And I thought bee queens didn¡¯t leave their hives or somethin¡¯.¡± Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The witch glanced between the bee and his charge. ¡°Huh, I¡¯m impressed you knew that. Anyway, Deepshadow bee queens can kinda borrow their subjects when they need guidance.¡± ¡°Um¡­ borrow?¡± ¡°Um¡­ think of it like this. That¡¯s still miss Daffodil in front of us, but the Queen¡¯s in there too right now. They¡¯re sorta sharing¡ª the queen sees through her eyes, and can talk through her. I¡¯ve heard dragons are kinda similar?¡± Meri gasped. ¡°Bees have a Great Link?¡± ¡°Yeah, that. Anyway, just a sec.¡± <<¡°Sorry, your highness, she doesn¡¯t hear like me.¡±>> <> She said warmly. <> <<¡°I just came to warn you to be on high alert tonight.¡±>> Timothy quickly explained the situation, describing that there had been a fight, and that the disturbance had been worryingly loud. <<¡°I think the garden wards will keep you safe, but you may wish to keep your bees in the hive tonight anyway.¡±>> <> The bees antennas twitched as she thought it over. <> The witch smiled in relief. The queen was quicker on the draw than he was. The magic nectars were in fact potions¡ª ones that were little more than storage for magic energy, <<¡°I think that¡¯d be wise. Thank you for listening, your majesty.¡±>> <> <<¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯ll certainly try, at least.¡±>> He said lamely. Daffodil¡¯s eyes returned to normal a moment later, and after a few more bee pleasantries, she fluttered off to her duties. It was time to go. --- ¡°How do bees talk?¡± ¡°A mix of buzzes an¡¯ flight patterns.¡± Traveling with Meri was a new experience for the witch, in a day of new experiences. Timothy''d barely seen another being for seven years, let alone spoken with one. His only company had been the monsters of the wood, and while many were fairly smart critters, they weren''t exactly big on talk for talking¡¯s sake. Except for the fairies, and the mere thought of''em made Timothy shudder. And now here he was with a little dragon who could jabber his ear off while keeping up a steady walking pace. The kid was curious about everything they passed! Timothy had to keep them kind of quiet, but he did answer a lot of questions. ¡°So how come you¡¯re a witch and not a wizard?¡± ¡°¡®Cuz I like talking to beasts more than reading magic books.¡± ¡°How come you don¡¯t wear a witch hat?¡± ¡°Technically, any hat I wear is a witch hat.¡± ¡°Yeah, but witches don¡¯t wear hoods! It¡¯s like, wrong or something.¡± ¡°Hoods are more practical! And besides, I tried weaving a witch hat once. It made a better beehive than hat.¡± ¡°Do you really have spider friends?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. They¡¯re very sweet, clever little things once you get used to¡¯em. Well, and to eating bugs with¡¯em.¡± ¡°Eww!!!¡± Things like that. Despite himself, it was actually kinda fun. The kid was lively and energetic to a fault, and even though he did wish she¡¯d keep her voice down, it was really nice to hear a friendly voice at all. He couldn''t imagine someone like Meri back with the Vol-- they''d probably have been smacked around by village elders constantly. Y''know, like he¡¯d been. Fresa must be a good place to grow up. Anyway, keeping her talking quietly would probably help keep her calm and the journey short, so¡­ ¡°Do witches go to like, witch school or something?¡± ¡°We do an apprenticeship, actually. A master witch trains us to be full witches.¡± ¡°So¡­ that means you know what Anima magic is?¡± Meri asked innocently. ¡°Anima magic is the magic of the spirit, the aspect of motion and animation.¡± Timothy recited. ¡°All things have spirits, and we can create enchantments to interfuse with them, out of the same stuff our spirits are made from.¡± ¡°And Force?¡± ¡°Force magic deals with manipulating and conjuring the elemental forces of the world around us. Makin¡¯ shields, throwing fireballs around, even complicated stuff like energy constructs.¡± Timothy shook his head. ¡°Meri, c¡¯mon, I¡¯m a full witch. You don¡¯t gotta test me.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m curious and bored! What about Psyche?¡± The wolf decided to humor her. ¡°Psyche is the manipulation of emotions, minds, and personalities with magic. Puttin¡¯ the whammy on someone with suggestions, stopping that with brain spikes, even good stuff like telepathic links. It¡¯s complicated and dangerous, but thankfully countering it is easier than doing it. It¡¯s also super illegal, except in self defense, Meri.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not gonna let me forget that, are you? Life.¡± Timothy rolled his eyes. ¡°Healing magic. Biomancy. The manipulation of the elements of life, from vital energy to spiderwebs to bones to plant¡­ stuff.¡± ¡°An¡¯ necromancy!¡± ¡°Eh, a lot of that¡¯s anima, actually. Not that I know how to do it,¡± he said at the eager look on her face. ¡°Aww¡­ okay, um¡­ Alchemy.¡± ¡°The study and practice of making stuff into other stuff. How substances react and change. Transforming things.¡± He smirked. ¡°Occultism?¡± ¡°Er¡­¡± ¡°Beep!¡± He said after a moment. ¡°The answer is: weird stuff that falls outside the other categories. Ritual magic. Rule magic. Warping. Futzing with natural laws. Information magic.¡± Meri stuck her tongue out at him. ¡°I¡¯m impressed you have them all mostly memorized, though.¡± Meri smiled brightly. ¡°When I grow up, I wanna be a wizard so I can study monsters! Like a biomancer, or a tamer!¡± ¡°Or a witch.¡± Timothy said thoughtfully. ¡°Eh, maybe. But I gotta know my magic first if I wanna do it!¡± She cheerily hopped behind him. ¡°So I study lots when I can!¡± ¡°Good on you.¡± And he meant it. ¡°You study monsters, too?¡± She blushed. ¡°W-well, I listen to monster stories on the radio¡­¡± Uh-huh. The path they took was windy and rough, moreso than the one he''d usually take. The Deepshadow was pathless, of course. Nobody else really lived here to lay one down. Best you¡¯d find were the occasional game trail, and the curgar tracks¡ª though steering clear of those was always a good idea. To go to the southern border, he¡¯d normally have carefully followed several game trails, swung across some chasms with magic, and maybe scorched through a few Spikerot thickets. It wasn¡¯t a straight path, but it was as close as one could get. Of course, normally, the monsters would be quieter, and he wouldn¡¯t have a very slow tail behind him. ¡°H-how are you doing that?¡± Meri panted, and the wolf turned back in confusion. The little girl was struggling to make headway without twisting her ankle in the underbrush. By contrast, Timothy flowed easily back to her side, making barely a sound. ¡°Years of practice.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Can¡¯t teach that in a day, sadly¡ª¡° Then before he felt a familiar, wet chill creep on them. ¡°Meri, get down!¡± Timothy pulled Meri down prone yet again, flopping hard into the thick undergrowth. The cold grew heavier and heavier on their bones, several nearby plants turning brittle and icing over. With a wave of his free hand, he tossed a nearly invisible cloak of magic over them. A filtering spell, designed to keep things in rather than out. ¡°Whatever you do, don¡¯t fall asleep!¡± Moments later, a Nightmare drifted into view. The Long Way Home, Pt. 3 It was a ghostly figure, made of loose rags and billowing mist, formed vaguely into a horsebeast. Where it floated, the cold was so bitter that the grass shattered. Its eyes were like bottomless pits; Meri shuddered beside him as they swept the clearing, slow and menacing. Then it exhaled, and billows of the same cold, dark, glittering mist that made up the monster poured forth all around them. The sound was just awful, like rusty swords scraping against rock-hard ice. As the mist swirled, a drowsy haze fell over the clearing. All the sounds of the wood slowly faded, muffled like their ears were covered in pillows. Timothy¡¯s brand started to activate, but he clamped down just in time. The cold grew so bitter that Meri pushed up against his cloak for warmth. Timothy struggled to keep his limbs still. The cold felt like it was sucking out what little strength he had. Death of cold. His brain felt like it was floating in honey. Again and again the Nightmare scanned the clearing, trying to smell their emotions. More breath, more nightmare mist. A comfortable weight pressed down on all Timothy¡¯s senses. His eyelids began to feel like pebbles, then rocks, then tombstones, weighing down more and more. Timothy bit the back of his hand hard to keep from falling asleep. All he could do for Meri was grip her arm tightly. Then, it moved on. Meri all but fainted next to him as heat slowly returned to the world. The sleeping curse¡¯s grip loosened. Timothy didn''t relax just yet, though. Nightmares were smart. For one, then another tense minutes, they waited, shivering as their energy returned. Finally, the witch felt just safe enough to let his charge up, letting the shield vanish back into him. "What was that?" Meri was shaking all over. "A Nightmare." The witch bit his lip to control his breathing. ¡°We¡¯re lucky they¡¯re almost blind." He helped her to her feet. She was kind of unsteady, and he didn''t blame her for it one bit. "Man, I hate those things." ¡°I thought you liked monsters¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no talkin¡¯ to a Nightmare.¡± Timothy shuddered. ¡°And the things they can do to you¡­¡± "Yeah, like makin¡¯ you cold!" To his surprise, Meri was actually smiling again. "How''d you stop it from seeing us?" Timothy started walking again before answering. "Filter shield. They feel emotions. They can see a li¡¯l, but their eyes are better at picking out auras than bodies. If we¡¯d fallen asleep, we¡¯d have never woke up.¡± The horrid dreams they caused were bad enough, but they fed on the life force of sleepers directly through¡¯em! "Cool! Well, I mean, not really good, but still! I''ve never seen one of them before." "Be glad of that. They''re nasty." He brushed himself off. "Ugh, we really woke up half the forest. We¡¯re nowhere near the Mists.¡± For a few moments, they walked in quiet. "Y''know, my mom used to kill Nightmares." Meri said it so matter-of-factly that Timothy almost said something flippant. Then his brain caught up with his ears. ¡°I¡­ what?¡± Meri giggled. "My mom was a merc! She gave it up when she met my mama, though. It''s also cuz she got run through by a nightmare lord, but I think mama was the big reason." Timothy all but tripped over his own feet. There was a lot to unpack in that statement. And again, the little girl said it like she was talking about the weather or something. "No, really, what?" Nightmare Lords were horrible, awful monsters, the kind that great warriors feared. Timothy had thankfully never met one-- even his awful luck had its limits. When enough Nightmares gather, they struggle and begin to eat one another. The one left was the meanest, the deadliest, the darkest of all, and in absorbing their lessers they became something else. A greater spirit of fear itself, capable of commanding legions of fell beasts and spirits. The Lords themselves were terrifying even without their armies, though. Their blades could destroy the mortal spirit (though thankfully not the immortal soul.) They could force entire towns into cursed sleep, drinking of their lives. And their mere passing brought winter storms even in midsummer, destroying crops and killing the wilds. The Dark Dragon¡ª his ¡°patron¡±¡ª had controlled several for his armies, and they were some of the most feared generals he had, causing devastation all across Strenel. The only generals who were more feared were the Blood Moon Witches. And here Meri was nodding so fast her ears were flapping, all at the thought of killing one! "Uh huh! She got him, and his army, too! It was intense!¡± Pride burst through in her voice. ¡°We tell the story every year at a festival in town. Twenty-four years ago, a Nightmare Lord rose from the Deepshadow, born from th¡¯ nightmares who got away from Lusundra. Their forces swarmed a buncha towns, trying to put everyone to sleep! We held them off at the border, but it was getting bad. But then my mom appeared, called by Elder Rankin, an¡¯ her team, too¡ª the Red Suns!¡± Meri stopped walking to tell the story better. ¡°There was a crazy long fight, and the Nightmare Lord made it stay nighttime around town for days with its Nightbringer aura! But my mom dueled him one on one when he busted through the town¡¯s guys, and she punched a hole right through his chest¡ª¡° she punched her palm¡ª ¡°an¡¯ he died! She got real hurt, but they won!¡± ¡®She got real hurt¡¯ could mean a lot of things when a Nightmare Lord¡¯s involved. Timothy shuddered. "Yikes." And Meri was again way too eager. "It''s true! My mom got stuck in town because she couldn''t even move with her spirit busted. So she stayed with my mama and fell in love, an¡¯ adopted my biggest sister, and eventually made the rest of us!" Timothy blushed at that one. "Oh, um, I see. You, um, said your other mom''s a baker, right?" If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "Uh-huh! She owns the town bakery. She''s really good! Her bread''s the tastiest around." Meri licked her lips, and Timothy wondered how much dragons needed to eat. "She says that''s how she caught my mom." Meri paused. "What''s your mom like?" Bad question, but he wasn¡¯t gonna tell her that. ¡°Oh, uh, she was a blacksmith.¡± Meri may have been a kid, but she wasn¡¯t stupid. Her face fell. ¡°Oh. Um, sorry.¡± ¡°Nah, it¡¯s okay. It was a long time ago.¡± It still hurt, though. ¡°She was a good mom. Tough, but kind.¡± The little dragoness seemed distraught, so Timothy hastily changed the subject. "Anyway, uh¡­ you mentioned having sisters earlier, right?" Meri took a moment to rally. "Um, yeah! I have a big brother and two big sisters. Two helions and a slime!¡± ¡°A slime?¡± Timothy blinked. Adopted like me, huh? There¡¯s probably a story there¡­ ¡°Yep! She¡¯s the oldest. She runs the bakery with my mom! Her name¡¯s Maisie. She¡¯s cool! Sleepy, but fast upstairs. An¡¯ my big brother Mat¡¯s a journeyman healer, so he¡¯s usually at the healing house in town. He¡¯s quiet and kinda scary looking, but he¡¯s really nice to me.¡± ¡°Nice!¡± Given his own weak attempts at both, bakers and healers both merited a good chunk of respect. ¡°And your other sister?¡± ¡°She¡¯s called Valencia, but we just call her V. She works at the bakery, and also the town watch! She¡¯s tough! She works out a lot, so she¡¯s got huge muscles! She an¡¯I listen Fireballs on the radio together!¡± Timothy wondered just how big was big to a dragon. It took him a minute for the last bit to catch up. ¡°¡­Wait, fireballs? And what¡¯s a radio?.¡± Meri¡¯s giggle from earlier turned into a full blown laugh. ¡°Not the explosion kind! And the radio¡¯s¡­¡± They were getting into the same territory as their broom talk from earlier, and Meri seemed to realize it. ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t know what a radio is?¡± ¡°I guess not?¡± Timothy awkwardly rubbed his arm. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Timothy listened for at least an hour as Meri went from explaining radio (some kinda magic that played sound over great distances? Or something?) to explaining the plot of the last few episodes of Punch Judy, Muscle Wizard! Which was apparently a show she listened to on the thing. Time passed as she explained about kidnapped princesses, and evil wizards, and a heroine who solved all her problems by punching them very, very hard. The outside world is weird, Timothy thought. After a while, a thought hit Meri, and she turned to Timothy with a confused look. ¡±Hey, Timothy? How come you didn¡¯t just beat up the Nightmare? Or the cat things earlier?¡± Timothy frowned. ¡°I didn¡¯t have to. The ¡®Ganths can be reasoned with.¡± ¡°But what about the Nightmare?¡± She pressed. ¡°Witches are good at, like, cursing stuff, right?¡± She sounded genuinely curious. ¡°I mean, that¡¯s how it is on the radio and all.¡± ¡°Ah, but that would be a very, very even fight. Not good.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You never want to fight someone on their terms unless you have no choice.¡± The wolf lectured. ¡°And especially not fairly¡ª in a fair, even fight, you¡¯re gonna walk away injured even if you walk away.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ I feel like my sis would disagree.¡± Meri frowned. ¡°She¡¯s always sayin¡¯ she wants a real even match someday.¡± Huh. Sounds like some of the duel-chasers back home. ¡°Well, she¡¯s also a huge dragon, y¡¯said. I ain¡¯t.¡± Meri giggled, and he smiled wryly. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll protect us if I have to. You just focus on keeping those ears out.¡± There were plenty of monsters. Between Meri crashing through the woods on a broom, and Timothy having set off a brilliant explosion, the woods were good and stirred up. That¡¯s what happens when everyone¡¯s hungry. They found themselves falling quiet often as Timothy snuck them past monsters, ran them across monster territories, and hid them in bushes and such. It made Timothy nervous¡ª they were losing a lot of time, and if the monsters were already this rowdy today, the night would be awful. So as the day went on, Meri¡¯s cheer and chatter began to fall off. All this walking through the rough forest lands took its toll on the little girl, and by evening she was panting and huffing with every step. Timothy wasn''t doing much better. Between the thin rations and trying to keep a little girl calm and safe, he was getting worn out. They were both heatproof, but the dry air sucked the water right out of them. They had managed to sneak in a few short breaks, but with night falling soon, they had no time to dally. He couldn''t see the sun, but he knew that soon the worst monsters would be coming out to hunt. The Deepshadow was huge, dense, and pathless, and this would have been a rough walk at the best of times. And with the witch and the dragoness both having started late, tired, and hungry, this really didn''t count. Timothy did his best to keep his cool, but suddenly there was a very real chance they¡¯d have to find somewhere to set up wards and camp. "W-wish I hadn''t busted up my broom." Meri wheezed, leaning heavy on her staff. "Can we take another break, please?" Timothy bit his lip. ¡°The monsters are about to wake up, Meri. If you''re not gone by then, we''re gonna be on the menu." ¡°Oh¡­ okay¡­¡± she gasped out. Her limbs were shaking. ¡°My legs and feet hurt¡­¡± His heart just about broke. "I''m sorry, Meri. I-I have a healing potion in my bag, and that could help, but that''s all we''ve got." They didn''t have time for him to try and heal her sore muscles himself, especially given how weak a healer he was. But even though she had kept walking with no complaints-- and he really did respect that-- the poor kid''s pace had slowed almost to a stop. It hurt to see the cheery girl so beat down. And it was way too familiar. His curse brands writhed and itched. His stomach growled viciously in accord with hers. This couldn''t go on. ¡°Alright, stop." Meri fell to her knees with a faint cry. Timothy wished he could collapse too, but he knew he had to keep them going. He reached into the bottom of his bag, and pulled out a small, carefully wrapped clay flask of potion. Wishing there was enough for him to get some too, he pulled the cork, and passed it to Meri. She chugged it in one swallow. As she sat there panting, Timothy made up his mind. He unslung his bag, rolled his shoulders, and got low next to her. ¡°Here''s what we''re gonna do. Get on my back, Meri." The dragoness didn''t need telling twice. She gratefully wrapped her arms around his neck and clung tight with her legs and wings. Instantly Timothy stifled a grunt and wobbled under her weight. The dragoness was pretty slim, but she had to weigh more than he did! Not that he was exactly a heavyweight, but shadows! Not that he was gonna tell her that; he had a lot of rough edges, but it would take a real ass to insult a little girl''s weight to her face. And anyways, it was probably a dragon thing, so¡­ He tied her onto his back with his bag straps, took up both walking sticks, and slowly, agonizingly got walking once more. ¡°T-thanks, Timothy.¡± she panted. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± He grunted. ¡°We''ve gotta be getting close by now. Just make my job easy and hold on tight. The potion should kick in soon.¡± Having two sticks helped, because by now he was really, really depending on them. Even with them, his pace was slow and plodding. And the forest night as beginning to fall. His stomach was an empty, shrunken sack at this point. He was used to being footsore and achy, but even he was gonna hit a limit soon. The Long Way Home, Pt. 4 ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She mumbled into the back of his hood. "Don¡¯t¡­¡± Timothy panted, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It''s a long walk, n¡¯ you¡¯re a townie.¡± "No, I mean¡­ I¡¯ll make this up to you. I promise." Yeah, sure. He shook his head, barely listening. ¡°Just keep holding on tight." For a time, they walked in silence. Meri began to shiver, and he could see her resisting trying to breathe fire on herself. Again, his heart went out to her. Though he was exhausted and needed every bit of strength he had left, he stopped for a painful moment to weave a blanket of heat energy around her. The fire energy glowed faintly, warming her and trapping her heat. The littlun snuggled up to his back in thanks. ¡°When we get there, you should stay for dinner. I-I can hear how much your stomach''s rumbling." Timothy tripped over his own walking sticks and nearly fumbled into a tree. "You can hear that?" "Dragons have big ears." He felt a little breeze tickle his hood as she probably flapped¡¯em. "My mom''s a really good cook. She cooks for an army, so there''d be plenty for you." She shook a little on his back, and he almost turned up the heat spell before realizing it wasn¡¯t the cold. "She was gonna make my favorite tonight. Autumn poli stew. With veggies and potatoes, and fresh bread, and apple cider, and brownies¡­" Timothy swallowed hard to avoid drooling. To have all of that at once almost didn¡¯t seem possible. For him, it never had been. What would it be like, never to worry about food? He could spend a whole season working until his hands were raw and spirit spent every day and still end each night hungry. The thought made his steps slower and heavier. "What, is today a holiday?" He finally managed, swallowing a mouthful of drool. "No, Mom just loves to cook. And has to feed four dragons an¡¯ a slime." Meri giggled sleepily. He just couldn¡¯t fathom it. Even back home, his mom and him rarely had more than some vegetables and, if they could afford it or kill it, some stewed monster tripe. Even the thought of that made his stomach rumble these days, though, and the memory of his mother''s cooking weighed heavy on his heart. "What¡®s your favorite food?" Meri asked, missing his soft distress. And it was the bitterness that bubbled up that made his answer "Whatever garbage I can scrape together in this waste of a wood. Can¡¯t eat half the frass here.¡± He regretted his outburst as soon as it left his mouth, though. Witches don¡¯t throw hunger tantrums! Not to mention¡­ ¡°But, that means¡­¡± she gasped. ¡°You gave me most of th¡¯ food you had, like, in the house, didn¡¯t you?¡± "Y-yeah. I can manage fine on just this, though.¡± His stomach rumbled. ¡°Done it before, ¡®ll do it again.¡± "But, but, you''ve been carrying me! And protecting and guiding me, and, and¡ª" Her claws suddenly clutched his shoulders hard enough to make him gasp. Timothy didn''t answer, instead focusing on putting one foot ahead of the other. Meri''s sniffles turned into outright crying. Aw, no! "I screwed up everything today! I got you into a fight! I ate all your food, and you had to waste a day looking after me! A-and my moms are probably worried sick, and my sister''s gonna be so mad, and my big brother''s gonna be disappointed in me!" She took several shuddering breaths. "And nobody''s called! Even with my bracelet broken, they should be able to call me, at least! Are they that mad?" This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. And she wound up sobbing into the back of his neck. Well, frass. The witch didn¡¯t know what to do. The Streneli in him said it''s her fault, and she has to learn somehow. After all, here he was hauling her through the woods instead of gathering food to try and survive this winter. But the gentle, witchy part of him that had lived alone and been hungry and tired and miserable, the part that remembered every moment of his life here, said: She doesn¡¯t deserve this, even though it is her fault. The better part of him, the part that never forgot being cold, small, and utterly alone. And the part of him that always felt like a bad person, and was just sick with guilt now, stood up and answered. "Meri, sweetie¡­ it''s all right." He said, in a voice so low only her ears could have heard. "It''s not as bad as all that." "B-but, but¡ª" "You''re alive, littlun. And before you say anythin'', sometimes you ain''t that lucky." In a gentler tone, he added, "I''ve made plenty of mistakes too, and mine cost more, and never got better.¡± Man, that was an understatement¡­. ¡°Today, you made a bad decision. But you lived, y¡¯know? You lived to learn from it, and the worst that''s come of it can all be fixed. And your family''s probably been trying to call all day, if I understand your spell correctly. The Deepshadow''s a harsh place, and you ain¡¯t seen the really weird junk yet. They might just not be able to get the spell to you." "But, but¡­ What if they''re so mad that, that, they won''t¡­" Meri sniffled. Timothy sighed. And not for the first time, he wished he were a better witch. "Your family is probably upset, but only because they love you so much they can''t lose you. And this won''t change that. A good family''s like that." Meri sniffled. "You''re not a bad person, sweetie, far from it." And he meant it. "Probably the nicest one I''ve met in¡­ a long time. You¡¯ve been nice to someone like me, even. Don''t ever say that kinda stuff about yourself. You made a bad call, but you''re still a good person." "Timothy¡­" The little dragoness sighed, and lay her head against him once more. "Thank you." Timothy smiled, and thanked his gran for her lessons. "That¡¯s what witches are for." For a time, they walked in silence. Her weight truly began to exhaust him, and he had to struggle for each step. "You never did tell me your story." She finally said. Aw, come on, Timothy groaned internally, now you remember that? "Well, there''s not really a lot to tell you." He wheezed, trying to force breath down his throat. "You promised, though." Meri murmured. "And I wanna hear it." Timothy opened his mouth, but when he tried to form the words, or any words, they wouldn''t come. Yeah, he could have been like the elders back home and told her off. Y''know, to shut up and mind her own business, and crud like that. But he never wanted to turn into them. Plus, the kid had earned a little indulgence, right? But where would he even begin? ¡­And what was that crackling sound? "Oh, frass!" Timothy dropped to the ground and projected a solid black barrier of darkness, only faintly translucent enough to see through. And not a moment later, a brilliant bolt of blue lightning blazed through where his head and Meri''s had been not a second earlier. Timothy''s heart turned to ice as the darkness slowly filled back in. The Voltcage was here. Now they were in for it. The Voltcage, Pt. 1 Timothy slowly, painfully hauled himself to his feet. The air smelled oily and charged, and burned with the smell of fairy. It was a hard smell to describe. Horribly sweet, like a poisonous flower, mixed with honey somehow rotting. Fairies were dreadful, wretched creatures, and worse; this one knew him. Timothy gulped. Its foul blue light stained the trail and far beyond, making Timothy glad for his dark shield. The Voltcage floated with affected laziness, right where they''d been trying to go. It had been waiting for them. The fairy was massive, bigger even than the Queens of the Wood and certainly bigger than him. He couldn¡¯t tell what kind of fairy it had been before the Queens had twisted it. It barely even looked like a fairy anymore; now it looked like a bulbous cross between a balloon of skin drifting over the ground, and a rotting onion. It was transparent, with its light coming from a pulsing, grabbling knot of lightning that pulsed within it like hands attacking it from within. It wore a mockery of a witch''s hat atop its head, woven from dead branches.Its arms were long like a dead tree''s, and each ended in claws instead of fingers. Instead of legs, tentacles of the same rotten skin of its form grabbed and clawed from beneath it. It held a long staff with a crystalline head the size of a watermelon. Every now and then, faces formed in the light within, frozen in pain. Fairies, captured on the brink of death, and absorbed into it. And its face¡­ it looked like it had been gashed in with a knife, with too-wide, triangular eyes and a grin that stretched far too far across its face. And then its mouth opened, and out cracked, "HELLO¡­ FRIEND." There was a pregnant pause, as smoke from burning trees began to fill the air. He could feel Meri¡¯s eyes on the back of his head, but it was washed away in his sheer horror. Static seemed to fill his head. ¡°We don¡¯t have to do this.¡± Timothy managed. ¡°I have a child with me.¡± Even so, he put his hands up in a ready stance, and let darkness burn in them in warning. ¡°There¡¯s no sport here.¡± The horrid thing¡¯s smile seemed to spread like cracks in a tree, forking and splitting all over. ¡°SHE CAN PLAY TOO! AFTER ALL, YOU TWO KNOW HOW TO MAKE SOME NOISE.¡± ¡°What IS that?¡± Meri¡¯s voice squeaked. Before Timothy could answer, the twisted fairy cackled. ¡°I¡¯M TIMOTHY¡¯S BEST FRIEND!¡± It drifted towards them, and Timothy shot a warning burst of darkness in front of it. It didn¡¯t slow down. ¡°HE¡¯S PROBABLY BEEN EXPECTING ME EVER SINCE YOU STARTED PARTYING.¡± Crap, crap, crap! Timothy swallowed hard. There was no way he could take the Voltcage on in a fight, especially not right now. The witch let more darkness bubble and swirl im his hands. ¡°Alright, then you asked for it.¡± He said, making himself keep his voice even. The Voltcage just grinned wider. ¡°YEAH! LET¡¯S PLAY¡ª¡° Timothy slammed his palms together, and a wave of dense black smoke blew out all around him. He yanked his own shadow off his back and sent it sprinting off to the east. The fairy turned and snapped off a flurry of thin thunderbolts, blowing apart tree after tree in showers of burning splinters. That was the opening he needed. Shadow spiderlegs burst from his body once more and he took off in the opposite direction, hoping to veer south as soon as he was past the ¡®cage. ¡°HAHAHA, YES! TAG¡¯S MY SECOND FAVORITE!¡± Meri threw her arms around his neck as he veered off left like his non-existent tail was on fire. After another flash and crack, A horrible cackle rose behind him like a dark cloud. ¡°Figured that wouldn¡¯t fool him long.¡± Timothy gasped. Meri¡¯s claws dug into his chest. ¡°What is that thing!?" "Voltcage! Evil fairy!" "Why is it after us!?¡± The witch felt the hairs on the back of his neck lift up. Gathering as much force into his tired limbs as he could, he threw himself and Meri hard sideways, narrowly dodging another blaze of blue lightning. The trees weren''t so lucky as a torrent of fairy lightning blazed through them. The lucky ones just got scorched and died instantly. The unlucky ones got scorched, and began to burn with flames that were already spreading. He landed clumsily in a shower of dirt, but he didn''t let that stop him from running. ¡°Because it¡¯s crazy! It¡¯s worse than the other fairies!¡± Timothy all but wailed. ¡°It kidnapped me once as a kid and I got away, and now it has it out for me!¡± There went all that effort to seem wise and in control earlier. ¡°Okay, but why is it here!?¡± ¡°The same reason the whole cursed forest is after us! We got too loud!¡± "Well, what do we do!?" This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. "Duck!" Timothy crushed himself against the earth as another bolt of lightning ripped the air apart. Meri screamed. It was so close he could feel the air ignite around him, and only a fast yank down of the heat cloak stopped poor Meri from getting flash fried. They were fireproof, but not lightningproof. This blast was far too close to the underbrush, setting it ablaze. The flames licked at Timothy and his charge painlessly, but the fire spread quickly to the trees, filling the air with even more smoke. And then the trees started falling over. Timothy yelped and lunged forward just in time to not get crushed into chunky jelly, even as the earth shook from many other impacts. The pair tumbled and rolled to a painful stop just before a tree crashed in front of them. Dizzy, in pain, and feeling his strength fading, the spiderlegs spell was too much to hold. It fizzled out painfully. It took far, far too long to even start to haul himself up. ¡°Timothy!¡± Meri cried out at him. Oh, good, his shield had kept her safe¡­ he coughed painfully, and slowly clawed his way to his stinging, scraped knees. The forest was now well and truly burning, stinging smoke filling the air. The embers swirled in storms as more and more trees caught. He was ankle deep in burning grass and bush. The dense smoke and intense flames hid them from the Voltcage, but they couldn¡¯t see him, either. ¡°W-why didn¡¯t the trees crush him?¡± Meri panicked. ¡°I saw one go right through him!¡± ¡°He¡­ he can turn ghostly.¡± Timothy coughed softly. ¡°And shield besides. Unless he¡¯s killed in an instant, he¡¯ll not get hit.¡± ¡°THIS TIME WHEN I CATCH YOU, I¡¯LL KEEP YOU FOREVER!¡± The same horrible voice singsonged. ¡°YOU CAN BE MY TOY! I WON¡¯T BREAK YOU TOO MUCH!¡± ¡°He also never shuts up.¡± Timothy murmured. ¡°W-what are we gonna do?¡± Meri coughed from the smoke. Oh no, dragons weren¡¯t smokeproof! Timothy threw together a wind mask spell and pressed it over her mouth and nose, before doing the same to himself. His body was starting to feel heavier and heavier. The strain of all the magic, on top of his physical exhaustion, was becoming too much. And he didn¡¯t have an answer. He could still hear the Voltcage, even if he couldn¡¯t see it through the wildfire and smoke. He couldn¡¯t keep running¡ª sooner or later, it was going to hit him. Even fresh, he would never be a match for a greater fairy, let alone one who¡¯d eaten so many of its kin. And he was far, far from fresh. ¡°Every other time I¡¯ve escaped him, it¡¯s been luck and trickery.¡± Timothy rasped. ¡°We were close to the fairy territories, and they hate him too. But now¡­¡± ¡°We can¡¯t just give up!¡± Meri¡¯s small fist pounded on his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re a witch!¡± Honestly, Timothy was trembling like a pebble about to blow off a cliff. And his mind was hazy and weak. But¡­ one thought did rise out of the mire. It was only after him. Meri was just caught in the way. And so was everything else that was burning. He could hear cries of fear and pain from small lives ending in flames. Flames that monster started to get to him. He was a witch. He had to do something. Even if he couldn¡¯t outright win¡­ and he probably couldn¡¯t. And he could feel Meri trembling on his back. Unlike him, there was someone waiting for her. A family with moms like his, who were probably looking for their daughter. Who might never see her again, if he made the wrong call. The thought made him feel even heavier. Mom¡­ Timothy clenched a claw. Timothy didn¡¯t want to fight. He didn¡¯t want to kill. And he didn¡¯t wanna die. But he couldn¡¯t run any further. He just didn¡¯t have the strength left. Even if this was all her fault, there was only one recourse. He bent the shadows around his hand into a knife. ¡°We¡¯re close to the forest¡¯s edge.¡± His voice came out quiet, but firm with a witch¡¯s purpose. He knew what he had to do. And he struck. The dragoness yelped as she slid from his back onto the dirt, cut loose. ¡°Timothy, what¡ª¡° ¡°Hush. Listen to me.¡± He turned and looked her right in the eye. ¡°That potion shoulda refreshed you. I want you to get running south. Get as many trees between you and this as you can.¡± He fought to still his shaking. ¡°If you hustle, you¡¯ll make it out of the woods.¡± ¡°What?¡± Meri yelped. The little dragoness looked exhausted and terrified, and he hated to see it. ¡°W-what about you!?¡± ¡°Y¡¯ain¡¯t got time to worry for me.¡± He said softly. And he pulled himself to his feet. ¡°That monster is after me, but its attention span isn¡¯t that long. If it keeps this up, it¡¯ll eventually run out of steam and go home.¡± He held out a hand, and when she took it, he pulled her to her feet. ¡°I¡¯m a good sneak, an¡¯ fireproof besides. But I can¡¯t sneak around with you on my back, so you gotta go.¡± ¡°But, but¡­¡± Meri sniffled. ¡°You said yourself you¡¯re no match for the fairies!¡± Timothy smiled, for real. ¡°Hey, you were listening!¡± He didn¡¯t have the heart to tell her this was probably gonna end bad for him. Another wild cackle, and a lightning bolt flashed in the distance. Good, it really didn¡¯t know where they were. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. We¡¯re out of time.¡± He pulled the last of the shield cloak off of himself, stabilized it with a shot of energy he really couldn¡¯t afford to lose, and gently wrapped it around Meri like his own cloak. The little dragoness seemed to feel it was very heavy, from the way she clutched it. ¡°Timothy, please¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯ll all be fine.¡± He felt something weird in his heart. Like he needed to say something else, to the last being he was likely to talk to, even if he lived. But he couldn¡¯t think of anything. Another lightning blast, this one closer. He gave her a tight hug and pointed south. Then, as soon as she began to move, he ran east, into the flames and toward the lightning. He needed to make enough of a distraction for her to get clear, and then get to ground. He knew some spells, if he could just keep his strength going long enough to cast. But the moment she was out of sight, though, everything went wrong. ¡­More wrong. A lightning bolt crashed just in front of him, tearing through the canopy like a dagger through flesh. The explosion of it hitting the ground knocked Timothy off his feet. He slammed onto his back hard enough to knock all the air out of his lungs, painfully. ¡°OH, THERE YOU ARE! I SEE YOU~¡± He felt it coming before he could even get on his feet. In a panic, he raised a shadow shield on his arm, but it was the wrong shape¡ª and blockin¡¯ lightning with darkness was about the worst call he¡¯d made. The lightning crashed into the shield, crushing him into the blazing ground. Then it snapped, and he screamed as his arm was engulfed in searing, agonizing pain. The Voltcage, Pt. 2 Timothy slowly came back to himself, trembling in pain. His arm¡­ he looked at it, and he had to look away. The skin under his fur wasn¡¯t supposed to be that color. Or that texture. He looked like the kinda meat you left behind after a hunt. Bile rose in his throat. There was a metallic ringing in his ears, and his nose was clogged with the scent of his own cooking flesh. The pain felt distant, like a roaring sea held away from him by thin glass. The Voltcage looked almost disappointed. "WHAT, DONE ALREADY? COME ON!" Timothy coughed and tried to sit up, but by now his muscles had just about given up. He found himself flat on his back once more. So much for tryin¡¯ to play hero¡­ "¡­YOU''RE TOO QUIET." The Voltcage suddenly said. "COME ON, SCREAM FOR ME LIKE YOU ALWAYS DO! I KNOW I DIDN''T HIT YOUR LUNGS." Timothy tried to say something, but all that came out was a scrambly whine. The pain was seeping in, splintery and wet. The fairy just groaned and shook his head. "...AWW, BORING. AH, WELL, YOU''LL HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO MAKE IT UP TO ME. I¡¯VE SAVED A SPECIAL PLACE INSIDE ME FOR YOU!" And it smiled that same, horrible, gashed in grin. The Voltcage lazily floated before him, a twisting and crackling ball of lightning the size of Timothy''s head forming above its finger. With his one good arm Timothy tried to raise a dirt wall, or a shadow barrier, or anything, but the magic wouldn¡¯t come. He was cornered. He refused to close his eyes, though, even as he shook with pain and strain, he glared at the Voltcage. ¡°My death curse will haunt you forever.¡± He hissed. Its grin only grew wider, splitting its face open grotesquely. "GOOOOD. I''VE WAITED SO LONG FOR THIS." And he pointed his finger at Timothy. Then, he heard a whistling from above, like something crazy heavy falling from the sky. The monster looked up¡ª Only for a pink and brown meteor to crash out of the canopy in a shower of branches and leaves! Timothy caught a glimpse of a wildly grinning face for a split second before it slammed into the monster''s head, and right to the forest floor in an explosion of dirt, flashing electricity, and glowing blue ectoplasm. The Voltcage never had a chance to react. Timothy just stared, as the smoke and kicked up dirt cleared. It was a dragon-- a full grown one, with the same scale color and eyes as Meri. She was clad in thick bug chitin armor, a bright blue, short stole over her shoulders, all of which seemed redundant over her tough, gleaming scales. She was huge, like a living statue, with broad shoulders and big, strong muscles all over. Four of him, maybe five, could fit inside her huge frame with room to spare. A pair of heavy, stone-like ram horns grew from her head, and he could tell they packed a terrific wallop. She made him look like the toothpick he was, with her sheer, stout bulk. He wasn''t even sure he''d come up to her broad chest. She didn''t even skip a beat after diving through thick branches and one of the most terrifying monsters in the Deepshadow. She just grinned wildly, crossed her burly arms, and all but shouted a booming laugh. ¡°That''s what you fuckin¡¯ get!" And sure enough, Meri''s arms were wrapped around the big dragoness''s (really thick) neck! "Timothy!" Timothy''s jaw just hung open. Meri had gotten away¡ª then come back for him? She could have gotten away, but she chose to get her sister to-to save him? He couldn''t believe it. ¡°Y-you splatted the Voltcage!¡± Like it was just a pile of jelly and not the worst monster in the woods! His head was spinning worse than ever. The dragoness shot him a cocky, carefree grin. ¡°Hell yeah I did. Name¡¯s Valencia, an¡ª¡° The words cut off as she stared. "Holy shit!¡± In an instant, her eyes dated from his bad arm, to his many wounds, and¡­ to the brand on his forehead. He was pretty sure it was active again, too. Emotions from shock to confusion to disgust flashed through her face. "Yeah¡­" He mumbled. His vision was starting to swim. The pain of his wounds was at once all he could feel and not enough. Nerve damage. Shock. Adrenaline. Probably his spirit trying to use what little energy he had left to hold him together. A mercy, considering. "Ow." Meri looked very green. Poor kid¡­ ¡°S-sis, we gotta get him to Mat.¡± The warrior stared at him, before glancing at her sister. The tearful look on Meri¡¯s face seemed to settle whatever internal argument she¡¯d had, and she shook it off. She tossed her grin right back on, even. "I, uh¡­ right! Of course I''m gonna help him! Man, though, you guys fuckin¡¯ trashed the place. The whole forest¡¯s going up! Y¡¯can see it from Wolfpack Road, even!" Timothy chuckled hoarsely, just relieved to have help, for now. "Hey, blame him, not me¡­" She cheerfully waved him off. "Hey, this joint ain''t my problem. Figure burning it to the ground''s the least that thing could do, eh?"The dragoness swaggered over to him, then. "Guessin'' y''can''t hold onto me with that arm? "Huh?" She rolled her eyes. "So I can fly you outta here, shorty." "Oh." His head was spinning from more than just the shock, now. "Um, sorry. I don''t think so." The dragoness shrugged. "Eh, no prob. Doubt pancake fairy over there''s gonna trouble me, so¡­" Valencia stooped down, and effortlessly scooped him up in her arms. She was surprisingly gentle about it, too. "Come on, let''s getcha outta here, little man.¡± But something behind her caught Timothy''s eye. A blue light, that slowly began to fill the air, coming from the crater she''d left with her dive. All the warmth of being carried by a dragon drained away. "He''s not dead." He breathed. "HAHAHA¡­ HAHAHA¡­" The Voltcage''s voice sounded distorted and muffled, like it was coming through a rolled-up sock. "WELL, WHAT DO YOU KNOW? YOU DO HAVE OTHER FRIENDS!" The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. To Timothy''s horror, Valencia just turned, looking at the glow with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, you''re still here." With a small scowl, she added, "Mess with my sister again and you won''t be, shitheel." "OH, NEW GIRL, YOU WOUND ME. HOW COULD I NOT PLAY WITH TIMOTHY''S OTHER FRIENDS?" Light flooded from the crater. Electricity crackled and popped, along with a horrible sound like bones being crunched, squelched, and chewed in a great beast''s mouth. Timothy''s mind was racing. "It can go untouchable. It musta done it with you halfway through it." So instead of it turning into glowing blue pudding, it had just gotten squashed up a bit-- and fairies were horribly, famously good at coming back from that! "He''ll be up and fighting in minutes, and that''s if we''re lucky! And I''m not!" "HE REALLY ISN¡¯T, YOU KNOW." And Valencia just grinned, even broader. "Well, I guess I could stop to take out the trash first¡­" She cracked her neck confidently. "I ain''t had a good fight in ages." "No, we gotta get Timothy to Mat!" Meri cried. "It''d only take a minute¡­" V pouted. But then she looked down at Timothy''s distraught face, and his probably dying body (he was starting to go properly numb. Probably bad, but appreciated,) and changed her mind. "Ugh, a minute too long, though. Sorry, pancake fairy. Got bigger cakes to bake tonight. You have fun down there." The dragoness took a deep breath, and then unleashed a torrent of sand. It blew from her mouth in a great storm of wind and grit, burying the Voltcage in a swirling, churning prison of the stuff. With that, Valencia turned her back on it, and with a mighty kick, surged into the air. Timothy clung to her as best he could with only one arm, keeping his eyes firmly locked on the hole. She soon tucked him to her chestplate, though-- hey, good quality chitin-- and leveled her horns to smash back through the canopy. For a second, all he heard was the crashing and crunching of branches. Then she broke through, and Timothy gasped. Below them, the forest was a vast, burning ocean. The fires had engulfed vast swaths of the woods. He couldn''t tell where home was from here, hidden among dark towers of smoke. But above and all around, he could see a sea of stars. A town stood in the southern distance, with stone walls he could see from here. All around it, the lights of torches and spells swarmed around like glowbuzzes to honey, and the town itself was a jewel of flickering light in the darkness. Mera and Lua, the moons, were full, filling the sky with light Timothy hadn¡¯t seen in years. The wolf couldn''t help but stare. They hovered for a moment as she oriented herself towards the town. The wind caressed his cheek. Then she leveled her head to charge once more, and her powerful wings kicked in. She let him away from her chest a little, but still held him close as she burst forward. It was just safer that way, because the formerly gentle wind was buffeting and blowing at his head. "The whole town''s outside." Meri marveled. "Were they all looking for me?" "Yep." Valencia grunted. "You had everyone real panicked, Meri." "I''m sorry--" Timothy yelped and pulled his head back as a vast tree of lightning split the sky behind them. It burned a great hole through the forest canopy, and its thunderclap filled him with dread. "It¡¯s coming!" His stomach flipped over as Valencia took a hard midair somersault to look. Her sister didn''t even seem surprised by that, just holding on a little tighter. "Tch. Can''t paste it while carrying you guys." Then she gave them a slightly strained grin. "Better hold on-- this is probably gonna get bumpy." Then the Voltcage burst out of the canopy, and there was no more time to talk. Its first bolt forced V to soar up higher, wings straining hard against the air. This time, it wasn''t doing the forest-wrecking columns, though; it was shooting faster and lighter to try and knock them out of the sky! The sky was lit by flash after flash of blue lightning. "LET''S PLAY A GAME! DANCE WITH ME, MUSCLE GIRL!" The fairy cackled. "YOU TOO, TIMOTHY!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had better offers!¡± Valencia growled and threw herself into dodging. Timothy, having never managed to fly before, marveled at how good she was at throwing her weight around. She dodged the first few blasts with room to spare. But then the Voltcage began to chase them, and with both hands throwing lightning, the pressure was soon truly on. The dragoness struggled to weave around the lightning blasts being hurled from behind. She rolled and dove and soared and juked, but she was straining against so many forces, and her bulk and muscle worked against her in the air. Timothy could hear her panting as she struggled to keep them airborne. The witch was just struggling to hold onto her at all, while still keeping an eye on his so-called friend. With his right arm practically useless from pain, to say nothing of how battered he was after everything, it wasn¡¯t easy. And the pressure was too great to even counterattack. He was too hurt, Meri was too little, and Valencia had her claws full trying to keep them from getting fried. Finally, it happened. Valencia hurled herself right to dodge a blast, and the weight of her passengers threw her off balance. She flared her wings to right herself, but that meant she was holding still, and horribly open, for precious seconds. The Voltcage threw its hands up, and wild fingers of lightning cracked from its hands. It was readying up for a blast that¡¯d knock even a dragon out of the sky! For a horrible moment, Timothy wanted desperately to try and save himself. Just take back the shield he already had on Meri, and add onto it with his good arm. Just wrap it around himself, and let the dice land where they did. The panic crushed his heart like Valencia had crushed the monster. But then his conscience flared, and he knew he couldn''t do such a thing. Meri was crying. Valencia was straining. They were fighting to protect him, too, otherwise Valencia could have just dropped him. If anyone back home were in this position, they would drop him. Even knowing what he was, they still fought for him. So he couldn''t let them die on his behalf! And with that thought, the night sky imploded before him into a dome of iridescent black. He didn¡¯t even realize he was making the shield until it was in front of him. The growing blobby mass of darkness absorbed Meri''s shield and grew wider. Meri yelped and pressed herself to her sister''s back before staring as the stars seemed to vanish. Timothy threw everything he could into one last wall of shadow, thickening the darkness as hard as he could. The air grew cold as the darkness began to seethe with power. He fell limp and his vision went blurry and red as his strength left him. The creature cackled and loosed the bolt. It was tremendous, bigger than Valencia, and it was coming straight for him, so bright he could see it around the shield¡¯s black edges. "Valencia! Roll forward, now!" And she did. The bolt struck his shield and exploded, in one long, chained blast. Vast branches of lightning sprouted into fractal twists all around him and the dragons as it splashed off the shield. The force of it hitting his shield crushed him into V''s chest like a great vice smashing them together. He screamed in pain-- he''d be crushed to dust! But something else happened first. Lightning was only a step away from light, and it burned the darkness. The shield wobbled and pulsed and strained as he struggled to keep it together one-handed. But it couldn''t stand the lightning forever. The lightning finally broke through, and the last of the power struck him. All he knew was blinding light and heat, and the terrible feeling of his body twisting and churning against itself, and then he fell into a deep, black ocean. Scars, Pt. 1 The cliffside was empty and grey as ever. Howling winds pounded and ground at it, lesving the hard surfwce covered in burnt and bleached grit. The winds blew and faded like breath in a rotten lung. The sky was green. Timothy¡¯s legs dangled off the edge. His brand burned on his forehead. He felt a pull, like something inside the pit was pulling him in by the head. But there was nothing inside the pit, a nothing so profound and deep that it seemed to suck in all heat, all life. He¡¯d often wondered what would happen if he let it take him, too, but he¡¯d never had the guts. It¡¯d been close, though. He sat there for a long time, the cold wind roaring, staring into the abyss. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Pain and noise. That¡¯s what met him when the cliff faded. ¡°I don¡¯t care if the queen of all dragons vouches for him! Question him, and have him cuffed, damn it!¡± Shadows, it hurt. His hearing was dull and flat, and the angry voice stabbed them cruelly. And then another one piped up. ¡°Look, my sister told you everything already. Lay off, will ya?¡± Her voice¡­ it ground with frustration, but it was familiar¡­ ¡°Are you forgetting that your sister caused all this!? And that idiot¡¯s an accomplice!¡± Timothy felt drier than old jerky, and about as alive. A long, hoarse breath pulled free from his throat. His eyes cracked open, and it was like ripping stuck parchments apart. Everything was blurry. His everything hurt. His chest, his arm, all of it throbbed as he struggled against his own miniscule weight. Where am I¡­? The wolf felt cool sheets beneath him. A bed, thicker and more comfortable than anywhere he¡¯d ever slept. All around it were pale curtains, on rolling stands. The air smelled of burned fur, alchemical medicines, and dragon. And anger, a lot of it. He could barely move his head. He blinked his dry eyes, and the world slowly got clearer. The room was lit brightly, so he could make out two silhouettes through the drawn curtains. A woman so huge she could only be Valencia, standing at attention but in a sagging, exhausted way. He thought she was still in her armor. She was facing someone else: another woman, from the voice, tall and lean for a kindre. The other woman held what was clearly a fighting staff before her, and judging from her stance she was barely holding back from using it. Timothy tensed at the sight, and wow, did that hurt. Am I a prisoner¡­? He thought sluggishly. His pulse barely quickened in his exhaustion. I can¡¯t move¡­. But I¡¯m not tied down, I think¡­ his eyes moved like slugs in bowls, slipping to his body. What he saw shocked him, even through his exhaustion. There shoulda been mortal wounds where the lightning had struck. Instead, his body looked whole. Well, mostly. His arm and chest were intact, but bare of fur, revealing tender, thin pink skin. He looked like if he was poked too hard he¡¯d bleed out, but it was still whole. He¡¯d been stripped of his outerwear, leaving him in his loincloth, and so even his legs were treated in a few places the lightning had lashed with fingers. Mandible, normally strapped to his chest, was gone. The fresh skin was covered in a thick green paste, which smelled strongly alchemical. They healed me¡­? Valencia stomped her foot, pulling his weary eyes back to her. ¡°Don¡¯t talk about my sister like that!¡± She growled. Urgency was slowly flooding Timothy¡¯s veins, like fire and ice brewed together. Have to stay awake. No candles inside the curtains. I can see them, but they can¡¯t see me. There were no windows inside his curtains. He barely stopped himself from chuckling¡ª Yeah, you¡¯re gonna escape out a window right now. That¡¯ll happen. ¡°Bring her into this?¡± The older woman hissed. ¡°Your fool of a sister burned down the Deepshadow! Her little adventure¡¯s put us all at risk!¡± He couldn¡¯t just lie here¡­ he patted himself down quietly, hoping for any of his gear to be around. But duh, they wouldn¡¯t leave him anything else useful. Mandible couldn¡¯t get to him. Magic¡­? He turned his palm up in bed, and tried to make a sliver of darkness. The effort sent a spike of pain through his bones that knocked what little wind he had right out of him. That¡¯s when he saw Valencia¡¯s large ears twitch in his direction, and her head half-turned his way. Frass! Timothy didn¡¯t dare breathe. She heard me! ¡°Oh, don¡¯t even get me started on him, Ashborne. I don¡¯t care if he is a wolf, no innocent man would wear that symbol. I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re protecting him, but it will end.¡± She¡¯d seen the motion too, but she didn¡¯t interpret it as her having heard him. Timothy¡¯s heart was pounding loud enough he could almost imagine her hearing him. But what did she mean, protecting him? ¡°I, uh, well, uh¡­¡± Valencia sounded nervous now, and he saw her ears still trained on him. Then her ears pinned back slowly, and he heard her snarl. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, because he ain¡¯t broken any law I know! So I ain¡¯t budging, y¡¯hear me?¡± And, to his surprise, she circled around to face him¡­ and the other woman circled so her back was to him. That was deliberate! Timothy¡¯s jaw dropped. Her tail was twitching now with nervous energy. No way. A faint hope sparked in his chest. Is she really on my side, here? Against one of her fellow townsfolk? ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t talk about Timothy like that!¡± And this time the voice was Meri¡¯s, coming from somewhere to his right. He didn¡¯t dare turn his head to look. She was alright! Relief flowed through him like warm tea, soothing his frazzled nerves just a little. ¡°That¡¯s enough out of you, child. And more than enough out of you, Ashborne!¡± The woman stepped right up to Valencia, and poked her chest. ¡°I give that mother of yours a lot of leeway¡ª¡° ¡°What leeway? You ride her ass over¡ª¡± ¡°But this time you¡¯ve gone too far! This is how your loyalty lies, is it? Protecting some Lusundra-loving savage, who helped set our woods on fire, and brought a monster to our gates? How dare you!¡± How formidable was this woman to be able to step to a dragon with no fear? Timothy wasn¡¯t surprised at all by what she was saying, but having the guts to say it to Valencia, a woman who could flatten the Voltcage¡­ she was dangerous. But Valencia hissed in rage, and suddenly seemed to tower over her opponent. ¡°How dare me? How dare you, you fuckin¡¯ hag!? This has nothing to do with us being dragons, and fuck you for implying it! My family¡¯s lived here for decades! I was born here! And you¡¯re just gonna come in here and say I¡¯m some kinda traitor for showing basic empathy to the guy who saved my sister¡¯s life? How dare you!¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. By now the two women were inches away from each other, both looking ready to stop yelling and start striking. ¡°I¡¯m just calling them like I see them, dragon.¡± The other woman hissed. ¡°I¡¯ll remember this.¡± ¡°Remember all you like.¡± Valencia spat. ¡°This wolf¡¯s not getting questioned or fuckin¡¯ arrested until we¡¯ve had a chance to figure out what happened. Until then, he¡¯s just another victim of the attack. Now, if I were you, lady, I¡¯d buzz off before my mom gets here. I¡¯d bet the captain would love to hear you think she¡¯s some kinda neo-Lusundrite.¡± There was a long, tense moment. It didn¡¯t look like either woman was gonna back down. Timothy shivered. Even through the curtain, he could feel her glare at Valencia, then him. Then, with a grunt, she stomped out, slamming the door behind her. "Wait a second for her to go." The dragoness murmured. And almost as if to dispel any doubts he¡¯d had, she looked right at him! Timothy stared back. The spark of hope he¡¯d felt toward her burst into a small flame. Meri was safe. And this tower of a woman was on his side¡ª or at least, not jumping to him being some kind of puppy eating monster, yet. It was as close to acceptance as he¡¯d had. After a long minute, Valencia heaved a sigh. ¡°Ancestors, I thought that bitch¡¯d never leave.¡± She walked over to his bed, and pulled aside the curtains slowly. The dragoness who stood before him looked exhausted, still in her chitin armor and smelling of burned cloth, his own burned fur and flesh, and ozone. She was covered in soot from even flying into and out of the wildfire. But she still tossed him a friendly, almost cocky smile. ¡°Glad you ain¡¯t dead, shorty.¡± ¡°He¡¯s awake?¡± Meri cried. ¡°Timothy!¡± But Timothy only had eyes for his protector. He didn¡¯t understand. Timothy croaked, staring up at her. ¡°Why help me¡­?¡± Even breathing that much hurt. The dragoness seemed surprised by the question. She didn''t even seem to make the connection to his brand, instead just saying ¡°Cuz it was the right thing to do, yeah?¡± That answer just about struck him like a bullet. ¡°What, did you want me to feed you to Locke?¡± His head was spinning, bad, and only part of it was from shock. His vision was starting to swim again. Valencia¡¯s eyes widened, and she grabbed his good shoulder. ¡°Shit! Hey, stay with me here! Mat!¡± He heard Meri shout in alarm and her feet hit the floor. ¡°I¡¯m coming!¡± The voice that answered was bassy but soft, even in alarm. Another dragon burst into the room, clearly part of Meri¡¯s family. He wore pale blue healer¡¯s scrubs, with a medical bag strapped to his hip. He was smaller than V, though still huge enough to loom over the helpless wolf. His dark eyes darted around the wolf, taking in the details. ¡°Right.¡± The dragon¡¯s hands flew to Timothy¡¯s chest, and the wolf instinctively flinched (well, twitched.) But the healer¡¯s touch was warm and gentle. Heat bloomed through the wolf¡¯s chest as the healer¡¯s hands lit up with bands of vital energy. Life flowed back through Timothy¡¯s exhausted body, washing away some of the fatigue that weighed him down. His vision slowly cleared, and he felt control, if weak, return to his limbs. The dragon continued for a moment more, before sitting back with a breath. ¡°There, that should help a little. You¡¯re still very weak, so take it easy, and no magic.¡± Timothy just lay there, not quite managing to pull himself together. All three dragons were standing over him, and none of them looked too happy. ¡°T-Timothy¡­¡± Meri mumbled, holding onto her sister for comfort. ¡°T-Thank you.¡± The words took effort to say. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ Mat, right? Meri¡¯s brother.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Pleased to see you awake, Timothy.¡± The healer smiled a relieved, gentle smile. Combined with his soft, deep voice, he was handsome as a tallbloom in the sun! Though, that may have been the exhaustion and thankfulness talking, a little. As for their sister, Valencia just heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Shit, don¡¯t scare me like that. Thought you were gonna bite it... A-and in front of Meri, too!¡± She tried to play it off, but she looked real freaked out. ¡°Death keeps chewin¡¯ on me, but I¡¯m too stringy to swallow.¡± He managed a weak grin. Valencia chuckled, prolly more at his nerve than the joke, and managed to snap out of it a little. Mat didn¡¯t seem too amused, though, just giving a grimace. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t joke, considering how close you were to slipping off for good.¡± The healer¡¯s hand plunged into his hip satchel, pulling out a silver wand. ¡°Your right arm was barely hanging on. You were scorched all over, and considering our biology, that¡¯s a real trick. Not to mention¡­¡± his face softened with worry. ¡°You have a lot of scarring, all over you. Your tail is missing, too, and you were so emaciated and weak I couldn¡¯t even put you under without a wand to hold back the spell. You¡¯re lucky to be alive.¡± V shuddered, and Timothy realized she¡¯d had time to get a good, long look while he was lying there. And the tough dragoness flinching, and the way Mat put it, made it sound a whole, whole lot worse. Timothy¡¯s grin slipped right off his face. Meri¡¯s tail curled around her legs, and she nibbled on her nails nervously. ¡°That said,¡± and the healer brightened just a touch, ¡°You¡¯re out of the woods, more or less.¡± ¡°Th¡¯ woods¡­ wait, the Deepshadow! The fire! Th-the battle!¡± It all came rushing back into focus. Timothy leapt from the bed¡ª or he would have, if his body was working. He sort of lurched hard enough to lift the blankets, before Mat gently stopped him. ¡°Is the fire out? What happened to the Volt¡ªthe Fae Eater? Are we still under attack? Wh¡ª¡° ¡°Slow down, okay?¡± Valencia grimaced. The atmosphere darkened as all three dragons shared a Look. Meri looked almost tearful, and Mat looked reservedly sad, but nobody looked happy. ¡°We¡¯re not under attack anymore, the Voltcage¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say its name!¡± He interrupted frantically. ¡°You¡¯ll call it back!¡± Meri blanched. The big dragoness swallowed hard, and continued. ¡°W-well, it went back to the woods. But the little bastard¡¯s been throwing a lightning tantrum out there.¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± Timothy¡¯s heart fell. ¡°How bad is it?¡± Valencia sighed, and crossed her arms. ¡°It¡¯s fucked. Everyone¡¯s on duty now because monsters have been fleeing all night. I¡¯m no ranger, but¡­ I think the Deepshadow¡¯s finished, Timothy. Even from the air, the only part that wasn¡¯t on fire was¡ª¡° ¡°The forest¡¯s heart. Figures the fairies would protect it.¡± V nodded. Timothy had cursed that damn forest many a time over his years. It was an awful place, full of plants that could eat you, dreadful monsters, and fairies. He hadn¡¯t seen the sun proper in seven years. Its food chain was so aggressive and competitive and full of nasty, inedible monsters that even a Streneli like him was always hungry. It was a terrible, dangerous place to live, and only dumb luck, cunning, and aggression had kept him alive. But it was home. And it was gone. Gone was the house on the hard-mud isle, that he¡¯d spent weeks building, twice. Gone was the garden he¡¯d sowed, that he¡¯d helped the bees settle, and filled with sunlight against all odds. And his friends¡­ Deadhall was protected by his enchantments, but would they hold against a fire this harsh? Goldblossom had many bodies, but this heat could burn them all. All those years struggling, and in one night, it¡¯d all gone to ash. He was homeless again, and he was alone. He felt it as a churning, horrible sickness in his gut. As a choke in his throat. As bitter cold burning his heart. And all he could manage without crying in front of the three dragons was ¡°Damn it.¡± His eyes stung. Scars, Pt. 2 Meri just about burst out crying, throwing her arms around him. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! This is all my fault! If I¡¯da stayed out of the woods¡­¡± And, well, she was kinda right. If this day was like dominoes, then yeah, in a cosmic sense she had caused all this. And part of him did wanna blame her, make it all easy by hating someone within reach. But honestly¡­ listening to her sobbing, and having spent the whole day with her¡­ Well, he just had to buck up and be an adult, no matter how much he wanted to go crawl in a hole. ¡°We already had this talk.¡± He returned her hug. ¡°You weren¡¯t the one shooting lightning around during a drought, right?¡± ¡°N-no, but..¡± ¡°And I don¡¯t think you set off a flash grenade in the middle of the Deepshadow, either.¡± He said it lightly, but it made him start to wonder if he was the one responsible for all this. The thought made his guts churn even more. Still, he¡¯d done what he had to, and he also wasn¡¯t the one frying trees. ¡°But I started it all by flying a broom headfirst into the Deepshadow, like a, like a moron!¡± ¡°Sis¡­¡± Valencia scooped up Meri, hugging her close. ¡°Come on, you¡¯re eleven. Makin¡¯ mistakes is part of the territory. Heck, I came home with a black eye every other week for a while.¡± Timothy tried to imagine what could actually hurt the hulking dragoness, and drew a blank. ¡°And th¡¯ shorty¡¯s right, it ain¡¯t like you knew this would happen.¡± Meri sniffled. ¡°¡­I still feel awful, though." "All you can do is learn from it and do better." Timothy said. A sentiment that was directed his way, too. "As long as you''re still alive, you can keep fighting." He still felt miserable, though. Merida sniffled, looking from her sister¡¯s faint smile to Timothy¡¯s clearly taped on one. And she whispered something in V¡¯s ear. The surprised dragoness let her sister down a moment later, and Meri hugged Timothy again. ¡°You probably need a hug, too.¡± It really hurt, with her scales poking his thin, raw skin. But the feeling of being held was the last push that sent him over the edge into tears of his own. Turned out he could toughen to lots of awful, but a hug would cut right through his armor. It had been a long time since he¡¯d let himself cry, really cry. But now he couldn¡¯t stop, and it was ugly and inelegant and made him feel weaker than before. Meri seemed surprised at the sudden intensity of his tears, but set her jaw and held him all the tighter. There was something soothing about being held while he cried, even if it was a little kid he ought to be shielding from it. As for the other two, Mat and Valencia respectfully looked away. Valencia looked particularly awkward. Timothy cried for a long while. But every creek dries eventually, and eventually the witch managed to quiet down, hiccuping and feeling like a very wrung and embarrassed sponge. ¡±I¡¯m s-sorry.¡± Was the first coherent thing he managed. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t h-have to see that. An¡¯ to cry on a kid¡¯s shoulder¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, it kinda kills the ¡®Lusundrite bad boy¡¯ thing you got going.¡± V said. ¡°V!¡± Mat and Meri both scolded, with Meri sounding particularly angry. ¡°He already told me he ain¡¯t with¡¯em!¡± ¡°Hey, he has the brand.¡± The older dragoness pointed out sullenly. ¡°I covered for him to Locke, but that needs explaining.¡± Meri still looked furious. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Meri.¡± Timothy said softly. ¡°It¡¯s not!¡± ¡°Look¡­ Valencia?¡± Timothy looked her straight in the eyes, and tried to will himself to stop sounding like he¡¯d just cried. ¡°Y-You ain¡¯t got a reason to trust me yet, really. But I want you t¡¯know that I ain¡¯t like those wastelanders. I didn¡¯t get this brand by choice. I ain¡¯t ever even met another dragon, and it¡¯d be a heckuva trick to be a kindre dragon supremacist.¡± By now Valencia was looking very pink in the face. ¡°I was kidding!¡± ¡°Well, I ain¡¯t. I need you to know that I ain¡¯t some with those lunatics.¡± He said it grimly. ¡°I was raised Vol Streneli, by my mom and grandma.¡± ¡°Wait, how¡¯d a kid with the brand live in Strenel!?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t have it, then. I was clean when my mom adopted me, and for eleven years I was just a normal Vol puppy.¡± He had some fond memories of that time. ¡°I lived in the village n¡¯all. Communal everything. The whole Vol experience, y¡¯see. Didn¡¯t last, though.¡± Timothy¡¯s face darkened. ¡°When I was eleven, I got into a scrap with another kid. He¡¯d been pushing me around awhile, and Vol kids brawl. It¡¯s normal there. Then he insulted my mom for adopting me, and I saw red. And¡­ something happened. My forehead exploded with pain, and I couldn¡¯t see anything. There was this harsh, white light. I saw him go from smug and snarling to terrified, and then fire spilled from my hands, my mouth, my everything. I didn¡¯t know any fire magic before then.¡± ¡°Holy crap.¡± ¡°Everything was on fire, including me. But I wasn¡¯t burning. I passed out from the smoke, and when I came to¡­¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª His whole body was in pain when he awoke. First, his mother had hugged him. She was a tall, strong she-wolf, a blacksmith, with arms scarred in places from the forge. Her eyes were gray like a stormy day; and it fit her stoic, stern demeanor. She was serious and quiet, but he knew she loved him, and he loved her dearly. After all, they¡¯d chosen each other. She had never been a hugger, though, and Timothy felt anxiety build at this. His grandmother, for once, wasn¡¯t grinning. The old vixen had always been a wily, tricky teacher, inviting him to question everything about the world around him. She had taught him magic with her wild fingers, had shown him book after book, and had taught him stuff she said was ¡°more important than magic.¡± Logic, ¡®lateral thinking,¡¯ creativity. But from the moment he¡¯d been able to toddle, he couldn¡¯t remember any time she¡¯d looked so grim and joyless, and¡­ and old. And so, so tired. Kind of like he felt, all of a sudden. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°What¡­ what happened?¡± Timothy¡¯s voice came out hoarse. Like the wolves who¡¯d spent years sucking on smoke pipes. ¡°Something we¡¯d hoped would never happen.¡± Granny said. ¡°A curse has been awakened in you.¡± ¡°What?¡± Timothy asked. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°They found you and Goran¡¯s boy in the west cornfield.¡± His grandmother shook her head. ¡°The fire took out the entire thing. The boy¡¯s only alive because Ettie was fast. But you¡­ they found you in the worst of the flames, completely untouched.¡± ¡°What? B-but, I don¡¯t know any fire magic!¡± Timothy protested. But even as he did, he remembered: anger, pain, then fire. It¡¯d felt like his blood was being drained out of him. His chest had hurt like his heart¡¯d exploded. Now, his blood ran cold, and his forehead hurt, and, and¡­ Timothy began to tremble against his mother¡¯s chest. ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡± ¡°I know.¡± His mother spoke up for the first time, in a soft, even voice. ¡°But it happened. And now we have choices to make, and you must know things.¡± Timothy swallowed hard. ¡°L-like what?¡± ¡°You know I¡¯ve told you that I adopted you.¡± His mom said, in a soft, even tone. When he nodded, she continued. ¡°The truth is, I know who your birth parents are.¡± Timothy looked up in disbelief. ¡°You do!?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She said, like it was obvious. ¡°Neither of them were worthy of parenthood. Both were cowards, both made poor decisions, and in the end, they put themselves before you.¡± Timothy thought that one over. ¡°But you stepped in.¡± Mom nodded. ¡°I couldn¡¯t sit by and let an innocent child suffer for poor parents. Make no mistake¡ª you are my son, and I wouldn¡¯t give you up for anything.¡± ¡°Even now?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± And she said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. It made the boy feel a little better. ¡°Unfortunately, what you are now suffering is something of your father. His father¡ª¡° ¡°I have a grandpa?¡± ¡°Not anymore, sonny.¡± Granny shook her head. ¡°Who he was isn¡¯t important, anyway. What is important is that he was there when The Dark Dragon was slain.¡± Timothy gaped. He¡¯d been told stories of the war, and he knew all about the death of Lusundra. ¡°But what does that have to do with anything?¡± ¡°Everything, my boy.¡± She shook her head. ¡°When Lusundra killed himself, he turned his body, spirit, and most of all, his hatred, into a terrible weapon. He tore apart the land, filled the sky with poison, and cursed all that was with one break in the world.¡± The wolf had heard stories of the Shattering, but never from one who¡¯d been there. He shuddered. ¡°The true extent of his damage is so deep, it¡¯s never fully been understood. But¡­ in my time as a crone, I have made inquiries. Done what research I could in these hard times. And it seems¡­ the invading armies were tainted.¡± The air seemed to grow colder at that last word. ¡°Not just their bodies, but their very spirits.¡± ¡°Their spirits¡­?¡± And the old woman sighed, her shoulders slumped. ¡°Deep within my own spirit, around my womb, is a twisted, hateful fragment. A remnant of Lusundra¡¯s own spirit and will, buried so deep I could only find it with the most powerful rituals I knew¡­ and even that soon slipped away from me, with age. It is silent, invisible, does nothing. I only thought to look because I was there, with Lunacy Corps.¡± Timothy just stared. Grandma never talked about the war. And¡ª she had Lusundra in her!? ¡°But there was never enough time, or power, or support to investigate it properly. I tried!¡± And she was shouting. ¡°I tried, I told those in power, but they refused to listen to me, declared me a mad crone, rather than see what could be a terrifying truth. I was once the Great Sage who Lifted the Mountains¡­ but now, I am just old, child. I was old when you were born, and long before. My skills have long since passed. I was no match for a spell twisted into being by the Dark Dragon. The child put it all together and gasped in terror. ¡°So he¡¯s still alive in us!?¡± ¡°No.¡± His mother¡¯s voice struck like her hammer. ¡°He¡¯s dead, and nothing can change death.¡± ¡°But then¡­¡± Grandma stooped down before him, and took his hands in hers. Hers were shaking, even more than his, and felt so brittle. ¡°I believe that you inherited a fragment of Lusundra¡¯s spirit. I could not check, but that fragment must have been passed down to your father, harmlessly, and then to you. And¡­ it altered you, in ways I couldn¡¯t detect, since perhaps you were in the womb. I could never tell. I am so old¡­ the spell too subtle, and it doesn¡¯t live in you where it lived in me. I thought you were safe. But I was wrong. So very wrong. And all this old crone can offer is her sorrow.¡± The witch reached into her robes, and took out a mirror. Slowly, she lifted it to Timothy¡¯s face. A choked gasp left his throat, and his mother held him tighter. Because the eyes that met him were blood-red. And on his forehead burned a symbol¡­ Lusundra¡¯s own eclipse. As he watched, it began to burn a harsh white. ¡°The curse wasn¡¯t meant to kill us, I see it now. It was meant to pass down, when children were born, and¡­ change them. I suspect it has been working since you were very young¡­ you¡¯ve always had a very high appetite, and never feared the dark, like other children. You are half-dragon, Timothy, and Marked of clan Lusundra.¡± Johanna said softly. ¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°What!? You¡¯re trying to tell us that Lusundra cursed¡ª like, the entirety of the Streneli? That¡¯s impossible!¡± Valencia looked shocked. ¡°The Death Curse of a powerful magician can cut unfathomably deep, and this wasn¡¯t just some mortal wannabe. This was the Tyrant.¡± ¡°But- but wouldn¡¯t everyone know? You just said everyone there was cursed!¡± Timothy shook his head. ¡°The curse was, and is, really subtle. The mind of one of the world¡¯s greatest and most twisted mages, in a moment of pure hatred for¡­ existence itself? Would you really want to bet he couldn¡¯t do it?¡± Her silence spoke volumes. By then, Mat was holding a frightened Meri. ¡°And after the war, there were few gifted magicians left in Strenel. They don¡¯t exactly make a lot of them, an¡¯ a lot of them bit it in the battles with the Bloodmoon Witches. And when Grandma found it¡­ Even the few people she trusted wouldn¡¯t believe her, and shunned her for even suggesting it.¡± ¡°But¡­ if babies were being born funny¡­¡± Meri said with her eyes wide. Timothy swallowed on a dry mouth. ¡°I showed the curse late. I think¡­ that made me one of the lucky ones. My grandma said¡­¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Grandma sighed. ¡°I suspect¡­ though I do not know, as my connections and resources have long decayed, that the curse is widespread among the Vol, fainter among the other Streneli, and only seldom among the peoples of other races. Our people, and those of Tyriandes, were the greatest enemies of Lusundra. It was our heroes who led the invasion, who stopped the Bloodmoon Witches, who destroyed the Impaled Workshop. In his wrath, his last impulse was to get revenge upon us by utilizing his greatest talents; his skill with biomancy and the spirit. He knew that ours are a prideful people¡­ an many of ours would kill their own children for showing half-breed signs.¡± she looked mournfully on his distraught face, ¡°Many would never admit to something draconic in their bloodline, whatever they had to do to hide it. A curse designed to hit our people¡¯s great weaknesses, through our own blood.¡± ¡°We never thought the curse had passed to you. I wanted to believe you were safe. Oh, my son¡­¡± And his heart hurt at the forlorn voice of his mom. His mind filled with noise, drowning out even the simplest thoughts. He could only sit there as his mother hurried to pack, and his grandmother explained that they needed to run, that very night, and there was no time for goodbyes. That all of Two Rivers wanted him dead. That from that moment on, they only had one goal¡ª escape to Berrygrove. His mother couldn¡¯t stop gathering their little food to comfort him, though he could tell she longed to. Even his grandma left him, to cast what few enchantments she could manage to try to keep them safe. They¡¯d only gotten this much of a reprieve because his mother had promised to kill him before he woke. That made the noise even louder. Then the windows crashed in, and torches followed, and the noise was drowned out by the cries of angry men and women. Scars, Pt. 3 By then, V¡¯s crossed arms had fallen away in shock and horror, and Mat was holding Meri with fierce protectiveness. ¡°I guess they knew my mom would never sacrifice me to save her own skin.¡± Timothy said softly. Fresh tears threatened to spill from his eyes once more, and he barely held them back. ¡°I¡­ I shouldn¡¯t say any more with a child in the room. I don¡¯t want another kid to experience what happened next, even secondhand.¡± And he didn¡¯t want to relive it, even with seven years of distance. ¡°Holy shit.¡± V breathed. ¡°So you¡¯re¡­. What, a refugee? A fugitive? Why were you in the Deepshadow?¡± Timothy¡¯s fists clenched. ¡°I was alone when I made it to Berrygrove. And I didn¡¯t trust anyone anymore. I figured a cursed forest would be a good place to give any hunters th¡¯slip.¡± And, at the time, he¡¯d been ready to bite it in the woods. He didn¡¯t say that, though. ¡°As for what I am, I¡¯m neither of those. I¡¯m the Witch of the Deepshadow. I¡¯m an alchemist, a hunter, a survivor. I¡¯ve stood on my own two feet even when they were torn an¡¯ bleeding. And I¡¯ll never be a victim again.¡± For a brief, satisfying moment, Timothy felt as big as the title he¡¯d dropped. But then his aches piped up, and his extremely empty stomach hurt, and his fatigue weighed him down. The warmth faded away, leaving him just an empty, sad wolf in a cold bed. The witch of a burning forest. ¡°I¡­ I was...¡± ¡°Timothy¡­¡± Meri sniffled. Mat held her just a little tighter. The kid couldn¡¯t say anything to help at this point. Realistically, he was a dead man now that they¡ª and this mayor Meri was so desperate to change¡ª had seen the mark. He didn¡¯t even know why he¡¯d spilled his guts. It was only a matter of time before either they spilled that he was some kind of Lusundra mongrel, or that woman from earlier would. He¡¯d be dead by daybreak, and that¡¯s if he was lucky. He didn¡¯t have an escape in him, not with the town on high alert. What could he even do¡­? He didn¡¯t really register just how awfully guilty Valencia looked at first. He wasn¡¯t exactly at his best. But the dragoness had gone from shocked and horrified to angry and back again. ¡°I¡­ while you were out, and Mat was treating you, I took a look at your clan brand. It was burning pretty bright, and all. It¡¯s the real thing, as far as I can tell.¡± She bit her lip. ¡°Mat said the burn it leaves on your forehead happens sometimes when the Bonding is done wrong.¡± Timothy smiled bitterly. ¡°I always kinda wondered. Guess I get to know before I bite it.¡± The dragoness gaped, and Meri twisted around in her brother¡¯s grip to yelp. ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s only a matter of time before word gets out, then it¡¯s torches and pitchforks all over again.¡± The wolf slowly, creakily swung his legs out to a sitting position. ¡°Last time, I lost my tail. I¡¯m fresh outta spare limbs, so I figure I¡¯m probably done for.¡± His head hung low. So he didn¡¯t see Valencia scoff. ¡°Yeah, like hell.¡± He looked up slowly. The dragoness walked up, looming over him, and he expected his end to come immediately. But, she instead dropped into the bed beside him, lightly kicking him up from her weight. ¡°So, I know you¡¯re Streneli, but you know here in civilization we have laws, right? Anyone tries to give you the ol¡¯ pitchfork special, and the town watch¡¯ll toss¡¯em in the lockup. And, in case you missed my stole, I¡¯m one of the watchmen.¡± She tossed him a small grin. ¡°We call th¡¯ thought of fighting me a deterrent, y¡¯know?¡± Timothy blinked. ¡°One dragoness can¡¯t stop a mob.¡± ¡°This dragoness probably could,¡± she boasted, ¡°But a town watch has more than one sentry to begin with. We run a tight ship. You have my word as the Fresa Town Watch¡¯s strongest that anyone who tries anything¡¯s gonna get laid out on the dirt, and that¡¯s a fact.¡± Timothy just gaped. ¡°None of us are disclosing anything you¡¯ve just told us, either.¡± Mat said gently. The healer carried his sister over, and sat down in front of Timothy. ¡°It¡¯d be wrong.¡± At Timothy¡¯s skeptical look, he added, ¡°Also, I¡¯d lose my license for violating your private medical information, and V¡¯d lose her stole for putting you in danger..¡± ¡°An¡¯ I know how to keep a secret!¡± Meri tacked on. ¡°There¡¯s still the mayor. And any townsfolk who sees either the brand light or the brand scar.¡± Timothy said. ¡±Either she can order you and the watch to do it, or she can just send a message to the Streneli right across the border. The border I really thought was farther away, n¡¯ all.¡± Valencia and Mat exchanged a concerned look. ¡°Uh, Timothy? No, she can¡¯t. Trying to do that would also be against the law. Also, she didn¡¯t see it lit, only the scar.¡± Mat pointed out. ¡°It flickered out when I started to get you stabilized.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°And given that her trying would give me an excuse to deck her into next week¡ª¡° she paused and amended, ¡°and also would probably get her sacked for abusing her power, she ain¡¯t gonna do a thing like that.¡± The wolf was dumbfounded. ¡°But she¡¯s in charge.¡± Valencia glared, but not at him. ¡°Nobody¡¯s above justice. Trust me, she can¡¯t stir up a mob either.¡± ¡°And nobody here wants more attention from the Streneli. Not that they could do anything anyway¡ª we¡¯re in Berrygrove, and more¡¯n that, we¡¯re in Rosan proper. You have rights, and they include not being murdered in the street.¡± ¡°But those are just¡ª just pretty words and ideas. They ain¡¯t gonna save me from some townie with a gun and a bellyful of anger.¡± The only power to protect yourself is your own fangs. Right? ¡°No, but the promise of getting thrown in jail for th¡¯ rest of their life¡ª REAL jail, in Naran, not just our drunk tank¡ª and the promise of eating a knuckle sandwich lovingly handmade by yours truly are a real good deterrent.¡± And now V smiled more confidently. ¡°You¡¯re safe here.¡± ¡°An¡¯ this town¡¯s full of nice people, Timothy!¡± Meri smiled brightly. ¡°They¡¯ll be nice to you, too!¡± By now, Timothy¡¯s head was spinning. The mayor hadn¡¯t seen the light? He had a chance to bluff her? And all they were saying about the town had to be lies, right? Or exaggerating, at least? If all they were saying was true, then the world would be paradise. Right? Valencia must have seen the ¡®I jes¡¯ got Mind Blasted an¡¯ my brain¡¯s oozin¡¯ out¡¯ look on his face, because she surprised him once more. She put a heavy arm around his shoulders. ¡°Look, I ain¡¯t saying there aren¡¯t some jerks around, or that everyone¡¯s gonna love you. I mean, we¡¯re dragons from normal clans and we still get looks and lip and junk. But Meri¡¯s right. Fresa¡¯s a good town, full of mostly good people. And,¡± she smiled warmly, ¡°If you¡¯re a half-dragon too, then you¡¯re one of us, and we stick together. You have me in your corner. Count on it!¡± ¡°And me!¡± Meri chirped. ¡°Me, too, and our moms¡¯ll be glad to meet you.¡± Mat¡¯s smile was soft but warm. ¡°And, anyway¡­ you saved my little sister¡¯s life, and you took a lightning bolt to the chest for the two of us.¡± Valencia¡¯s voice was softer, but still confident. ¡°None of us will forget that. I know I won¡¯t.¡± She added the last part on very quietly, almost to herself. ¡°Then¡­ what happens now?¡± He couldn¡¯t stop himself from sounding like a lost dogbeast. ¡°You all were talkin¡¯ like I was gonna stay here, but I¡¯m broke. I don¡¯t even have the chips to pay for getting healed, if I¡¯m being honest.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t charge.¡± Mat said kindly. ¡°The county and the town pay healers n¡¯ alchemists. As for staying¡­¡± his expression turned serious. ¡°Timothy, as your healer, I would strongly recommend against trying to leave town in your state. I¡¯ve done my best with your physical wounds, but even once I¡¯m done, you¡¯re going to need a lot of recovery time to get your strength back. Especially considering your overall health. Your spirit is strained and worn all over. You¡¯ll start doing serious, permanent damage if you push it.¡± ¡°But, I seem to remember that my whole family owes you, big time.¡± Valencia patted his back hard enough to double him over!. ¡°I bet we can put you up while you get on your feet!¡± Timothy stared in disbelief. She wanted him to stay at her house? With her family? A complete stranger!? His mouth hung open. ¡°I-I¡­ really? But you don¡¯t even know me!¡± This has to be a trick. R-right? ¡°I know you!¡± Meri chirped. ¡°You saved my life!¡± And then, the littlun hopped onto the foot of the bed. He could feel her legs still shaking from fatigue. ¡°And, and you almost got fried for it, twice!¡± The little dragoness¡¯s look was fierce. ¡°Not to mention nightmare¡¯d and bug chopped and, and¡ª¡° She looked away. ¡°You helped me, and you got messed up. I wanna help you now! And besides,¡± she said brightly, ¡°I promised you dinner!¡± Valencia laughed again, that same booming laugh like back in the woods. ¡°Not to mention you saved my life back there. Yeah, I know it was mutual,¡± she smirked at him, ¡°But come on, man. I think you¡¯ve earned a little trust. Heck, you¡¯re a halfie, so you¡¯re practically one of us already.¡± They say all dragons are blood. He gaped. He hadn¡¯t expected this, not one bit. They¡ª could they be honest? Were they trapping him after all? But Meri was looking at him with bright, hopeful eyes, and Valencia seemed like she¡¯d be an awful liar. And she¡¯d called him one of them¡­ Would they really have gone to all this trouble to manipulate him? Spun a con that long? Been able to? The thing was, Timothy didn¡¯t trust easy. If people he¡¯d known all his life could tie him to an altar and lop off his tail, then nobody could be trusted. Faith in anyone made him vulnerable, and that was something he hated more than anything. But, all of a sudden, there was part of him that desperately hoped they were sincere. The feeling of being told that he belonged with someone was like being offered a blanket on a frozen night. They owed him. That much was true, given what he¡¯d lost because of Meri. He took a long, slow breath. Mom, gran, what would you do? ¡­Well, they sure as frass wouldn¡¯t be freezing up like this. When there¡¯s only hard ways and hard ways, you take the hard way. ¡°Are you sure?¡± He said softly. ¡°Yeah!¡± Meri said. Nothin¡¯ else for it, then. ¡°Then¡­ I will. Thank you all.¡± There just wasn¡¯t. Meri cheered. Her sister clapped him on the back¡ª much more gently this time, which he figured came from Mat¡¯s shooting her a Look¡ª and Mat gave him a broad smile. ¡°Well! Let¡¯s get you patched up, then, and we¡¯ll take you home.¡± Scars, Pt. 4 He¡¯d never been in a proper Rosanian town. Two Rivers, his hometown, didn¡¯t count¡ªStrenel was proud of its independence. Once, as a child, he¡¯d seen this town from a great distance. Then, it had been a crown of lights against the snow, bright and colorful. Now¡­ well, it was bright, mostly. Magic-powered lamps glowed here and there to light up the town¡¯s roads. Houses formed rows, with windows that shone brighter than anything in the Deepshadow. And there were stars overhead. To the east, over the town¡¯s earthen walls, he could see the night sky painted in grey and red from the wildfire, and while the fires were out, they passed at least one house whose roof had a great hole in it from the lightning. Something his grandma¡¯d taught him: missed spells still hit something. The Voltcage didn¡¯t watch its fire at all. Timothy was dressed in a hospital gown, in the smallest size they had for medium-type kindre. It was still too big on him, a fact that had both amused and horrified V in equal measure. So the gown that was supposed to open in the back fit more or less like a normal robe, and it hung to his shins. He was leaning on a cane Mat had offered him, and good thing too¡ª he was a good long-walker, but today¡¯s march had left even his legs like lead. It felt good to have a stick on him, even if it wouldn¡¯t be much good for hitting. And at least he still had his knife on his leg (though Mandy was too starved to help,) and his burnt up bag on his back. It felt good to be fully regrown, minus the tail. He thought he might have actually lost a few scars, and the fur Mat had grown for him was thicker and warmer than the stuff he¡¯d grown himself. They were lucky, tonight¡ª they¡¯d caught glimpses of other watchmen and other people on patrol, but they hadn¡¯t been stopped. It made sense, considering Valencia and Mat walking by him. Who could mistake them for anyone else, right? Valencia carried Meri in her arms with surprising tenderness. Other than the four of them, and the occasional patrol, nobody else seemed to be out. ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous right now to do a lotta repairs. That all starts tomorrow.¡± V explained. ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡± And sure enough, they stopped, after another street, before a pair of large buildings. Before they stopped, Timothy was distracted by his poor stomach throwing a fit. The air smelled delicious, like fresh bread, and sugar, and baking in general. Then they actually stepped in front, and Timothy just gaped. ¡°Holy crap, they¡¯re huge.¡± ¡°Well, we are dragons.¡± V winked. There were, basically, two buildings right next to one another. On their left was the bakery Meri had mentioned. It was dark inside, and the displays were empty, but it was decorated beautifully with painted dragons inside. A sign that said The Dragons¡¯ Lair hung out front. On the right, Timothy suspected, was where the dragons actually lived. It was huge! Or rather, it was scaled up¡ª it wasn¡¯t a house that screamed ¡°rich noble¡± so much as it was like a large kindre¡¯s house and then some. The doors were double doors, the individual floors were bigger, and so on. It had to have been built special for the dragons, or maybe for very large kindre. ¡°Welcome to our house, Timothy.¡± Mat said. ¡°The dragons¡¯ lair?¡± Timothy said blankly. ¡°Yeah. Mama thought it was funny.¡± The healer chuckled. ¡°Nobody actually calls it that, though.¡± The healer quickly unlocked the door, but didn¡¯t enter. ¡°I¡¯m still on duty for a few more minutes, so I¡¯m gonna go see if mom needs anything on the wall.¡± ¡°Fly low, Mat. We dunno if that thing¡¯s still out there.¡± Valencia warned. Mat shuddered. ¡°Right you are." Then he slapped his own wrist. ¡°Right, I almost forgot¡ª¡° he rummaged around in his medical satchel, and produced a bright blue potion in a glass phial. ¡°Timothy, you¡¯re going to want to drink a dose of this before your meals for the next week or so.¡± Timothy took the phial from Mat, and examined its label. ¡°Famenin? What is it?¡± ¡°Your body needs calories, but you¡¯re suffering from severe malnourishment. Famenin will help smooth things out and help your body adjust to eating full meals.¡± ¡°Um. What happens if I don¡¯t take it?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll probably die of shock.¡± Mat said firmly. ¡°Take the potion as directed. Two capfuls before every meal.¡± "Er, right, then. Stay safe." Timothy smiled at the dragon. "And thank you for everything." The healer returned his smile. "Same to you. Welcome to Fresa, Timothy.¡± And he set off walking towards the walls. Before he got out of sight, Timothy saw him make a strange hand signal, with three fingers in and the outer two out, and out it to his ear. It glowed with magic a moment later, and he spoke quietly as he hurried. A communication spell? Timothy worried about what he was saying, though, until Valencia interrupted him with ¡°Oi, you mind getting the door? Kinda got my hands full.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t hafta keep carrying me, sis¡­¡± ¡°Pretty sure I do, actually.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, sure.¡± Timothy said, and opened the door for her. It was light inside. Valencia led the way in, and Timothy followed. ¡ª¡ª¡ª The first thing that struck Timothy was how pleasant the house smelled. The scent of ginger tea filled the air, mixed with notes of cinnamon. Timothy breathed in deep of it. The house looked comfortably lived in¡ª more organized than his own hut, but then there was a lot more room. Valencia kicked off her shoes sorta into alignment with a row of others. Underneath the sweet tea smell, Timothy¡¯s stomach rumbled at delicious smells of food. Both dragons smirked at him. ¡°Mama, we¡¯re back.¡± Timothy heard a feminine gasp from the next room, followed by fast, heavy footfalls. And in yet another surprise for the evening, instead of another salmon-scaled dragon, a rhino kindre charged to meet them. ¡°Oh, thank goodness, you¡¯re both safe!¡± She snatched both girls into a crushing hug, and Timothy was shocked to see she was strong enough to pull Valencia! Then again, he could see the resemblance. Not in clothing¡ª the rhino lady wore overalls over a pink shirt, and a fluffy pastel apron. It wasn¡¯t really her figure, either, as she was utterly dwarfed by her eldest daughter. There was a tenderness and daintiness to how she moved and held her daughters, but she was sturdy and strong even though she seemed soft and plump. No, the similarity was in her eyes; they were an earthy brown unlike Valencia¡¯s blue, but they were filled with the same warmth he¡¯d seen when the dragoness looked at Meri. Being a large kindre, she also towered over him, but Timothy didn¡¯t feel intimidated in the least. She just seemed too¡­ soft and squishy to be scared of, and her aggressive cuddling of her daughters didn¡¯t exactly make her any scarier. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Mama!¡± Meri sniffled, and buried her face in the lady¡¯s chest. Her older sister, meanwhile, made an overdramatic croaking noise. Their mother just laughed with pure relief before slipping off of them, taking Meri with her. Her face just glowed with happiness, like warmth from a roaring hearth. ¡°Oh, I was so worried! I know you called earlier, but after everything¡­¡± Timothy noticed a dented steel rolling pin hanging from her belt. There was a story there¡­ ¡°Aw, mama, you know I can handle myself.¡± Valencia smiled sheepishly. ¡°An¡¯ I did tell ya we were safe.¡± ¡°Yeah, but when even we slimes can¡¯t get any good info, it¡¯s hard not to freak some.¡± The other voice was low and a little husky. Timothy saw the slime sister enter then, from the kitchen. She was a sort of chalky cream color, nearly opaque with swirling mass. Real different from the inky, tarlike slimes he was used to. She looked like some kind of baked treat, with colorful swirls and even something that almost looked like sprinkles in her membrane. It was weird to see a slime with a face, a pair of bubbles forming half-lidded eyes over her slime maw. ¡°Sis!¡± The little dragoness basically lost what composure she had left, bawling into her mama¡¯s arms as her other sister stretched to pat her back. ¡°Oh, darling¡­¡± She addressed the little dragoness she was snuggling with that one, ¡°Where were you? The whole town was out looking! Oh, I feared the worst when that monster showed up¡­¡± The poor dear¡¯s answer came between sobs. ¡°Maaa! I-I went looking for the Lady in the Deepshadow, and I got lost, and there were monsters, and, and¡ª¡° The poor little dragoness just cried into her mama¡¯s chest. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I won¡¯t do it again!¡± ¡°Shh, shh¡­ It¡¯s alright now, sweetie¡­¡± Timothy¡¯s heart twinged, and he suddenly felt a little cold. Out of place. ¡°You¡¯re home. It¡¯s over.¡± That¡¯s about when the Rhino¡¯s gaze fell on him. Timothy belatedly realized he wasn¡¯t hidden behind V anymore. It was harder to be a confident, powerful witch when you were exhausted and too weak to do magic. Without really meaning to, he shied away, head low. ¡°Oh! Who are you, dear?¡± ¡°U-um, I¡¯m Timothy, ma¡¯am.¡± He said softly. ¡°I found Meri in th¡¯woods.¡± And he forced himself to look up and meet her eyes. He trembled slightly as her eyes widened. Anyone could tell how weak and frail he was, now. No better¡¯n a beaten animal. The robe and staff made him look like a witch; a too-big hospital gown and walking stick made him look like easy, fresh prey. Only to then squawk as she pulled him into the same hug Meri was in! Timothy¡¯s family had never been big into hugs, and neither were most monsters. So the witch was super unprepared for what it felt to just be held by someone. Her grip was gentle, warm¡­ soft. It was kinda weird, and embarrassing, and awkward¡­ but soothing in a way that seeped into him like a warm bath. Like just for a second, everything was fine. ¡°Thank you so much for saving my little girl.¡± She let him down a moment later, looking him over. He shivered as her eyes passed his brand scar. ¡°Oh, dear, you¡¯re so skinny¡­ I bet you could use a hot meal, right?¡± Timothy gaped. ¡°U-um, well, I, um¡­¡± And the rhino laughed, this time much more cheerfully. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be shy, dear, you¡¯re safe with us. Dinner¡¯s still warm. I bet V and Meri here are starved too.¡± Meri nodded fervently. ¡°Oh yeah.¡± V agreed. ¡°¡®Sides, Meri promised ya, right?¡± She didn¡¯t even care about the brand¡­ Even the slime hadn¡¯t remarked on it! ¡°Right. Um, thank you, ma¡¯am.¡± Timothy shook himself out of it, and a shy smile bloomed across his face. ¡°I appreciate it.¡± ¡°Please, dear, you can just call me Larue. Miss Larue or Mrs. Ashborne if you¡¯re feeling formal.¡± She turned that warm smile on him without warning. ¡°I¡¯m Maisie. Knowing my kid sister, you prolly already knew that.¡± The slime gave a squishy kinda nod. ¡°Here, follow me to the kitchen.¡± The next few minutes were a whirl of activity. Timothy found himself plunked into a tall chair at the kitchen table along with Meri (V hauled herself upstairs, groaning about needing to scrape her armor off.) Miss Larue all but danced through the meal prep, using magic and swift, darting movements to bring the meal out. The scent of poli stew hit Timothy like a charging beast as it came back up to a simmer, and his stomach groaned. It wasn¡¯t long before he found himself staring at more food than had ever been in front of him at once; a heaping, dragon-sized bowlful of stew, whose scent was even more intoxicating up close, and a huge hunk of steaming, freshly warmed bread. At first he thought he was to share it with Meri, but then a similar portion was dished up for the little dragoness, leaving him speechless. "Oh, my.¡± Timothy breathed. Miss Larue just smiled and finished by pouring three cups of tea. ¡°Eat up, dears. Especially you, Timothy.¡± He briefly studied the potion Mat had given him. There were way easier ways to kill him than poison, and the stew was calling. He threw back two capfuls of the acidic tasting potion and dug in. The stew was rich and flavorful, full of vegetables and lots of delicious meat. He''d never had this much meat at once, and it made his wolf body tingle. The bread had a crispy crust that crackled beneath his jaws, but a soft, delicious crumb that all but melted. Timothy lost himself in the food, forgetting everything else as he all but dove into the bowl. He didn''t even come up to breathe until the stew was gone. That''s when he finally sat back, briefly, and his eyes met a giggling Meri and a very impressed looking Valencia. "Damn, dude, you eat like me." V grinned. ¡°Or like us.¡± The slime almost sounded impressed. ¡°Respect.¡± Timothy blushed. "I, um, sorry about my manners. Lack of manners. Sorry." The mother just smiled gently. "Don''t worry, that''s just proof I made a good meal. Seconds, dear?" "Oh, ye--" The wolf caught himself halfway through. "I mean, uh, I shouldn''t be selfish." ¡°Oh, none of that. There¡¯s more than enough. Here, love.¡± And she cheerfully dished up another huge bowlful and more bread. Timothy could only stare for a moment. Bein¡¯ honest, Timothy had never been able to eat till he was truly full. Even before he¡¯d been revealed as a halfbreed, he¡¯d had a monstrous appetite. His mom hadn¡¯t known any more than he did that he was a halfbreed and needed more food, so she had done her best to help him control his appetite instead, teaching him to chew certain herbs and roots to stave off hunger. Oh, she did her best to keep him fed, even though they were poor, but he had never really been able to eat as much as he wanted, even with her¡­ with her giving him more of their dinner than she ever got. The thought made his heart ache. And of course, once he¡¯d been outed and run out of town, it was all hungry days and empty nights. He¡¯d always been a skinny boy, but those hungry, frozen nights that long winter had left his bones sticking out. He¡¯d never truly recovered, either. Every winter, he got sick early and was fighting off illness almost constantly. His highest-end magics would knock him right out if he wasn¡¯t careful. Heck, his magic knife had been asleep for weeks for lack of energy to share. And of course, living in the Deepshadow with its slim pickings and lack of real prey left him weak and puny, even now. He would never grow into a big, strong warrior. So the fact that this sweet woman was including him, feeding him like he was one of hers¡ª her own family ate ravenously as he always wanted to, which made him suspect it always was a dragon thing¡ª broke something within him that he didn¡¯t think he¡¯d ever be able to explain. All he could do was mumble out a soft ¡°Thank you, ma¡¯am.¡± And while she may not have known completely, he could tell she understood. ¡°Of course, dear. Now, eat up before it gets cold.¡± Scars, Pt. 5 This time, now that he wasn''t completely empty, he stayed somewhat sentient as he dug in. Valencia had reappeared at some point during his first bowl, now unarmored. A black shirt with a picture of a buff lioness flexing, with a flaming fist, had replaced it, along with blue jeans. The shirt, he noticed, was torn at the sleeves, putting her arm muscles on display. Her really nice arm muscles, he had to add. She still looked sooty and tired, but she devoured the stew like him. Unlike him, she was apparently helping Meri tell the day''s events to miss Larue. The rhino wound up standing behind Meri and fretting over the little dragoness as she ate. "Aw, mama, I''m okay!" Meri protested. ¡°Yeah, real convincing, sis.¡± Maisie¡¯s eyes were fake, but she could definitely still roll¡¯em. "Yes, don¡¯t ''aw, mama'' me." miss Larue scolded, though she hugged her anyway. "You can bet you''re not leaving our sight for a while, young lady." "Aww¡­" ¡°Yeah, so I found Meri just as she was running out of the wildfire. So I dove down to grab her, but she grabs my shirt and tells me we have to go back for her friend!¡± She looked at Timothy with respect. ¡°Timothy here stayed behind to distract the ¡®cage so Meri could run for it.¡± Miss Larue looked moved to tears, and thanked him profusely, even hugging him again. It wasn¡¯t any more expected, or any less chest-bubblingly pleasant. ¡°And, that¡¯s not even all! You wanna talk ballsy? So we find the wolf and get flying, and the poor guy¡¯s barely livin¡¯. But the Volt¡ªUh, don¡¯t say it¡¯s name, call it the Fae Eater, it didn¡¯t take when I flattened it, and it starts chasing us into the air!¡± The way V described it, it¡¯d been a great adventure rather¡¯n a scrabble to stay alive. ¡°Well, it¡¯s shooting tons of lightning at me, and even I can¡¯t dodge all that lightning! The monster has me in its sights, and Timothy yells for me to roll over. And you know what the shrimp does? He puts up a shield so tough it takes a direct hit that woulda out me in the ground, and then in the ground. This guy¡¯s got the stuff, ma.¡± The slime looked at him with some respect, then. ¡°You must be the real thing, if V¡¯s tooting your horn and not her own.¡± The dragoness stuck her tongue out at her. ¡°W-well, it was the thing to do, y¡¯know? Valencia saved my life¡¯n all.¡± Sheesh, she was really talking him up. Still, it wasn¡¯t that unpleasant. Especially when both Meri and her mama were looking at him like¡­ well, like he wasn¡¯t just a mangy halfbreed. He hid a small smile behind a sip of tea. ¡°And¡­ you said you lived in the Deepshadow, dear?¡± Larue released him, looking him over with concern. It registered faintly that she was already using past tense. Ouch. ¡°I didn¡¯t think anyone could live there.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not easy. Or, um, it wasn¡¯t.¡± He winced. ¡°The drought and all.¡± Miss Larue asked a lot of questions about how he kept fed, about his life alone, and about his health in such a dangerous place. At first he thought she was just worried about where her poor kid had been. But she was clearly fretting over him, too. "¡­And I have a small garden, where I grow potion herbs and some vegetables." Timothy explained over his third bowl of stew. "It doesn''t grow as much as I''d like, though, so a lot of my larder comes from foraging all over the woods." "Alone with the monsters?" Larue fretted. "Even in the dead of winter?" "Well, um¡­ I get by more or less okay." The rhino didn''t seem to agree, flitting over behind him for another hug. Timothy was embarrassed to admit he leaned in and melted a little, like a snowbank only getting sun on one side. Don¡¯t get used to it, don¡¯t get used to it¡­ Just then, the door opened again. Timothy flinched, hands trying to fly into a casting stance, but nobody else reacted. "We''re back." A woman''s tired voice came. ¡°Mom!¡± V got up so fast her chair went skidding. Timothy let out a sigh of relief, though he still bit his lip at the thought of another new person. The woman who walked in looked like an older Valencia. She was a little leaner and a bit more wiry rather than Valencia¡¯s sheer bulk, but she still looked mighty. She wore similar armor to her daughter¡¯s, but her stole (the kind you wore over ceremonial robes, not the evening dress kind) was blue with gold-colored glyphs, marking her as someone In Charge. She was flanked by a brow-furrowed Mat. ¡°Honey!¡± Miss Larue rushed over to her wife, and swept her up in a relieved kiss. When they parted, the relieved smile on both their faces made him smile. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°No worries, Rue, V. Mat¡¯s seen to me.¡± The dragoness scanned the room, looking over her children, before her gaze fell on Timothy. ¡°And you must be the witch.¡± Timothy gulped as she looked him over. Then, she nodded to him, and tossed off a casual salute. She was ignoring the brand, too!? ¡°Thank you for your help today. I¡¯ve heard good things.¡± Timothy glanced at Mat, who winked at him from behind his mom. Well, that explained that. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mat didn¡¯t fluff you up too much. All he hadda say was ¡®This guy took a lightning bolt for my daughters¡¯ to get you in my good books.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Oh. Well, thanks, ma¡¯am. Boss. Captain?¡± ¡°Sheriff, actually, but I¡¯m off the clock.¡± She shrugged. ¡°You can just call me Kate if you want. Or Sheriff Ashborne if you wanna point me out and not my wife.¡± With that, she shot him a quick smile before rounding on Meri. ¡°And you¡­¡± she hugged her youngest fiercely. ¡°We¡¯ll have to talk more later, kiddo, but for now, I¡¯m just gonna be happy you¡¯re safe.¡± Meri sniffled. ¡°¡­You¡¯re totally grounded though.¡± The exhausted captain kissed her wife and hugged her other children before slumping into a chair. While she spoke to miss Larue and Meri, Timothy suddenly had a thought. He turned to Valencia and said, ¡°So wait¡ª all three of you are half-dragons, um, too?¡± ¡°I said you were one of us, right?¡± V winked. ¡°What¡¯d you think I meant?¡± Timothy stuck his tongue out at her. ¡°I thought it was just, like, dragons and dragons and stuff.¡± The wolf said. ¡°I didn¡¯t think there were a lot of¡­ us.¡± ¡°There ain¡¯t, really.¡± V bit off a hunk of bread and continued through a mouthful. ¡°Mom¡¯s a speranz, an¡¯ most of those tend to marry, like, within the community if they can. But she kinda fell head over heels for Mama during the whole nightmare siege thing.¡± ¡°Meri mentioned that.¡± Timothy said as she swallowed. ¡°¡­What¡¯s a Speranz, though?¡± ¡°Y¡¯don¡¯t know?¡± V asked, eyebrows raised. After he shook his head, she said ¡°Well, you are Streneli, right? I guess it kinda makes sense. Basically, after the war, the bigwigs of both Rosan and the old country¡ªuh, Sarro-dur¡ªgot together and started a bunch of cultural projects to try and make sure we wouldn¡¯t just wind up fighting again in a few years. One of¡¯em was basically that a buncha dragons and kindre would move into the other country, get everyone used to each other¡¯n stuff. They called¡¯em Speranzes.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. Now that you mention it, I think I mighta heard about that as a kid¡­¡± ¡°Prolly. It was kinda a big deal, y¡¯know?¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Timothy scratched his head. ¡°If you¡¯re like me, shouldn¡¯t you, like, look like kindre¡­?¡± ¡°Oh, that?¡± V shrugged. ¡°Half-dragons take after the mom that, like, carried them. Mama carried all 3 of us, so we¡¯re kinblood dragons. Your Kindre mom musta carried you, cuz you¡¯re a dragonblood kindre. Either way, we¡¯re all halfies.¡± "That brand is gonna draw some unwanted attention, however." Kate returned her attention to Timothy. "It already has, actually." Timothy swallowed hard. "¡­The chief, right?" "The mayor, yeah." The captain scowled. "She''s pissed. She blames Meri and you for the wildfire and the attack. She wants you in particular for questioning." The food was suddenly like sand in his mouth. He set down his spoon with affected calm. ¡°I-I see.¡± He really hated that his voice was shaky. ¡°Am I under arrest, then¡­?¡± ¡°What? Like hell.¡± Kate said casually, catching him off guard. ¡°You saved both my girls tonight. I¡¯m pretty confident you¡¯re not some mad arsonist-slash-summoner-slash-master actor.¡±Something about the way she said that got a snort of laughter from him. She smiled. ¡°That said, I do need some answers about tonight. I have a town to reassure after all.¡± A notepad tugged itself free from her pocket to land in her hand. ¡°So, would you mind helping Meri tell the story one more time?¡± Timothy glanced at Meri, who gave him a determined nod. ¡°Okay, then.¡± ¡°Alright, then.¡± She flashed him a small smile. ¡°Just about today, mind. If I don¡¯t know about it, I don¡¯t gotta tell her, y¡¯see?¡± Timothy chuckled, despite himself. And so they told her. Kate didn¡¯t pry about the brand, so he figured that would wait for another time. At some point V pulled out a notepad of her own and started scrawling something, too. It took a long time, and he felt like he''d lived through the day again by the time he was done, but it was done. V clapped his back as he finished. "Okay, thanks." Kate said. "Man, you both had a real bad day. Y¡¯have my sympathy.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Valencia chewed on her pencil. ¡°So like¡­ Locke can be as pissed as she wants, but there¡¯s no crime here. Right?¡± Kate frowned. ¡°Nothing concrete, but she might try to get Meri and Timothy for kiting.¡± ¡°Kiting?¡± Timothy asked. ¡°Assaulting someone by luring monsters their way.¡± Maisie answered. ¡°It ain¡¯t common. But, well¡­¡± she frowned. "Nobody''s going to go along with that." V protested. ¡°A forest got burned down tonight. It was an accident, but people are gonna ask questions.¡± Kate shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not too worried, legally speaking. Still¡­¡± Meri looked distraught, and at some point in the story Larue had pulled her into her lap. "I-I didn''t mean it¡­" And Kate sighed, looking sadly at her daughter. "I know, kiddo, I know. Y¡¯couldn¡¯t have known this would happen.¡± ¡°The Fae Eater is unpredictable.¡± Timothy said softly. ¡°It¡¯s mad, and its idea of fun involves destroying as much as it can. Meri was just in its way tonight.¡± It wanted me. ¡°And what with the drought, this was gonna happen at some point.¡± ¡°It could have gone a lot worse, though. Nobody got badly hurt¡ª except you, of course, Timothy¡ª and all that really happened here in town was property damage from the missed bolts.¡± Mat was pensive, taking slow drinks of his tea. "Meri lives here, and the first thing we teach kids to do when there¡¯s trouble is run for the walls. She was out of bounds, but that¡¯s not a crime.¡± "Yeah." And a ghost of a smile flicked across Kate''s face. "I''m proud that you two managed to deal with that critter pretty good even before I got there. Nice work." Her gaze fell on Timothy. "You too, Timothy. I respect a mage who can keep their cool under fire." "Mmm." Timothy picked at his food. Guilt made everything less appetizing. ¡°Practice makes perfect, I guess.¡± ¡°Pssh. This guy. Don¡¯t worry, you ain¡¯t gonna get locked up.¡± The captain said. ¡°You¡¯ll have to talk to Locke sooner or later, but you won¡¯t get any trouble from my people. I¡¯ve got what I need from you.¡± Valencia looked at Timothy, and then to Mat. ¡°So, we were thinking, given that he saved Meri¡¯s life and all¡­¡± ¡°Mat filled me in. Yes, he can stay here.¡± Kate happily leaned back in her seat. ¡°It¡¯ll really piss off Locke.¡± Eh, he¡¯d take it. Scars, Pt. 6 Dawn had started to spill across the sky by the time Valencia showed Timothy to their guest room. Miss Larue had hustled Meri off to bed already, and Kate had been content to rest in her seat at the table as everyone bustled off. Mat¡¯d already worked a triple shift, so he staggered off to get tidied up downstairs with a somewhat slurred goodnight. Maisie surprised him by saying goodnight and then slobbling off to the actual bakery building. Valencia, having already cleaned herself up, instead got charged with finding a towel and some spare clothes for the wolf. So the curious wolf found himself following the dragoness to her room. ¡°Alright, fair warning, the place¡¯s kind of a mess.¡± She rubbed her arm. ¡°I¡¯m just gonna find you some of my old gear, it oughta be stuffed in the closet somewhere.¡± ¡°Thanks, Valencia.¡± The wolf wasn¡¯t entirely certain about being alone with Valencia, if he was bein¡¯ honest. She wasn¡¯t gonna beat him up, obviously, after all the trouble she¡¯d gone through to help him stay here, but¡­ she had more muscle in one arm than he had in his whole body. It was a little intimidating, for multiple reasons. She chuckled as she opened the door. ¡°Only mama calls me that. You can just call me V, arright? Everyone does.¡± V¡¯s room was done up in purples and blacks, with posters hung on almost every inch of every wall. Pictures of other really buff men and women flexed at him from all sides. He thought they were characters from something, maybe, since many were in elaborate costumes and harnesses. He¡¯d seen the radio downstairs, and the dragoness had a bigger one of her own, built boxy and with a sturdy handle on top. Her bed was tossed and rumpled, with a mix of long pillows and normal ones. Several big jars with names like ¡°PROTE-MAX¡± and ¡°ARM FUEL¡± were stacked atop each other in triangles along the walls, like they were a display. And there were tons of thin books all over, with extremely colorful covers featuring action of all kinds, from gunslinging horses to the same lioness from her shirt punching out some wizard lookin¡¯ guy. V blushed as his eyes fell on a poster above her bed of a particularly handsome silver dragon posing across a durawn-drawn carriage. Timothy¡¯s jaw went a little slack. ¡°I¡ª¡° ¡°S-shut up.¡± V coughed into her fist. ¡°He¡¯s hot.¡± ¡°Y-yeah.¡± Timothy blushed a little, not quite wanting to look away from the immodestly dressed drake. Were¡ª were guys like that just walking around in towns like this? Cuz if so, holy frass, there really were perks to living outside the woods. Not to mention the war party of attractive men and women that were plastered on every wall. Of course, the staring got a double take from V. ¡°Oh, you like guys?¡± ¡°I like both.¡± He managed to tear his gaze away, a little embarrassed to be so distracted. ¡°You?¡± ¡°Just dudes. The, uh, badass chick pictures are more¡¯ve a ¡®goals¡¯ thing, y¡¯know?¡± She had a silly little smile on her face as they both examined the pinup. ¡°Ricardo, man¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s his name?¡± ¡°Hell yeah. It sucks he lives in Sarro-dur.¡± She sighed. ¡°Wish we had more sexy dragon guys around here. Or even regular ones.¡± The wolf blushed. ¡°Not a lot of¡¯em?¡± ¡°Nah.¡± She said it wistfully and tore her eyes away from the poster like she was dropping a jewel off a deep cliff. ¡°I ain¡¯t ever met a dragon who wasn¡¯t my blood. Sucks.¡± After a moment, the dragoness seemed to feel vulnerable, crossing her arms and blushing. ¡°A-anyway, the clothes should be in here,¡± she gestured at a closet door with her hips. ¡°You can sit on the bed, this might take a minute.¡± Timothy carefully hopped up onto the bed. The dragoness planted her feet before hurling open the closet door. Not a moment later, an avalanche of more booklets, flat cases with bands on the fronts, a few battered chunks of chitin armor, and more rolled up posters smacked into the dragoness. It ended a few moments later with a stuffed animal bouncing down the top of the pile. ¡°Oh, my.¡± Timothy gaped. ¡°It¡¯s cool, it¡¯s cool.¡± Valencia grumbled. ¡°My box of old clothes should be here somewhere¡­¡± The dragoness sighed and started sorting the books and bands into stacks. ¡°Just sit tight.¡± A minute passed¡­ ¡°Hey, uh¡­ thanks.¡± Valencia blurted out. She slowed down her sorting. ¡°Huh? What for?¡± V grumbled and shook her head. ¡°It was mutual, but you saved my life back there. An¡¯ more important, you saved my sister. I won¡¯t forget that.¡± Timothy shyly rubbed his neck. What could he even say? The dragoness stopped sorting. She didn¡¯t turn around. Her shoulders fell, and she continued in a quiet voice. ¡°Look¡­ I¡¯m sorry for kicking you right in the trauma back at the hospital.¡± She picked up the stuffed kitty who¡¯d bounced down the pile. ¡°I didn¡¯t think anyone could do that to a kid.¡± The wolf tried a smile. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s in the past.¡± ¡°Still. What those fuckin¡¯ wastes of oxygen did to you wasn¡¯t right. Honestly, when I think about it¡­¡± He could see her shaking. ¡°I wanna fly over to Strenel and crack some heads together. To do that shit to a kid who can¡¯t fight back¡­ it¡¯s beyond low.¡± Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°It¡¯s the Vol way. Threats to the pack must be culled.¡± It was just how things were. He even understood, in a grim sort of way. ¡°No one is worth protecting over the whole.¡± He paused. A thought that had been bothering him the whole time came to the fore, an¡¯ he was too tired to fight it. ¡°Seriously, why are you helping me? You¡¯ve had tons of chances to get rid of me, and nobody would have complained.¡± V looked offended, hurt¡­ and a little awkward, like he¡¯d struck a nerve. ¡°Oh, come on, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re lookin¡¯ a horse in the mouth? I owe ya, it¡¯s the right thing to do, and you¡¯re a halfie. Simple as that.¡± ¡°Valencia, I saw the way you looked at me back in the woods.¡± The shock, the disgust. ¡°I don¡¯t blame you, of course, but it does make me wonder why you didn¡¯t let the mayor have me. Unless it was just because Meri and Mat were watching.¡± That made her flinch, and the hurt took over her expression. He should have shown some diplomacy, but he was still dangling on the end of his rope. ¡°It just¡­ it doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± He drew himself together, holding the hospital robes close. ¡°It doesn¡¯t.¡± ¡°¡­I got a real good look at ya back when Mat had you on the operating table, you know. Carried you there myself. And you know what stuck in my gut?¡± Her body tensed. ¡°You weigh almost nothing. You know that? I know a skinny hummingbird girl, and you weigh less than she does. And you looked beat to shit, but more than that¡­ the way your skin looks, you¡¯ve been beat to shit more than you¡¯ve ever been healthy. And it¡¯s probably all because of that brand, and¡­ that ain¡¯t fair. Even if you don¡¯t blame me, I¡¯m sorry I looked at you like that. And brand or not, if a guy so badly off could give up so much to help my kid sister¡­ Look, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯da done if I¡¯d lost Meri today. She could have died out there, alone in the woods, and I¡¯d never have even found her. But you stepped up, put your own ass on the line for a girl you didn¡¯t know.¡± And the dragoness turned to face him, eyes blazing with inner fire. ¡°She told me what happened when that monster showed up. You had to know what you were risking by sending her off to escape. You as good as gave your life for her. For us.¡± Her hands fell on his shoulders with a grip that felt like sun-warmed steel. ¡°Whatever else you are, man, you deserve better. I owe you. And if someone, anyone tries to hassle you about that doodle on your forehead, I¡¯ll kick their ass myself. You got that?¡± She was so close he could feel the heat of her breath. He was lost in her fire, like he was going to burn away from just being next to her. His heart was pounding, with terror and excitement in equal measure. All he could manage was ¡°Y-yes¡¯m.¡± You deserve better. He¡¯d never expected to hear that outside his own head. And she said it so sincerely. She was so sure¡­ His eyes were wide and locked with hers. Wow. Valencia broke the tension with a small, almost bashful grin, stepping back. ¡°S-so don¡¯t ask dumb questions like that.¡± His face felt hot, and he suddenly really wanted to fan himself. Holy frass. ¡°I think I¡¯ve almost got it, so lemme just¡­ there!¡± Sure enough, under one last patch of books was a box of old clothes, with a staff sticking out the back. Timothy was still reeling from the force of her¡­ her, but he noticed the weapon. ¡°Is that a staff?¡± ¡°Huh, let¡¯s see¡­¡± V picked up the box effortlessly, and dropped it near the bed. She plopped down next to him, and Timothy gasped as her weight slid him to her side. Woah, she was warm¡­ Oblivious, the dragoness kicked open the box. ¡°We got some clothes from before the growth spurt. Jeans, old T-shirts¡ª you¡¯re lucky I¡¯ve never been super femmy¡ª and yeah, that¡¯s my staff from before the growth spurt.¡± She lightly kicked it up into her hand. ¡°Er, well, what¡¯s left of it.¡± She passed it to Timothy. Sure enough, the haft had been splintered from some sharp impact, lookin¡¯ like it¡¯d been smashed over something a bit too hard. It was beautiful, though, even under a layer of dust, made from dark, shadowmarch wood. Its finish was still smooth and lovely after years of waiting in the closet. Even ending in a jagged bloom of splinters, it was still beautiful. V noticed the way he was looking at it. ¡°You like?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a lovely weapon. A little whittling could smooth its second head back to perfection.¡± He felt Mandible hum faintly in its sheathe. The meal must have started to wake it. ¡°I love a good staff.¡± V smiled at him. ¡°Why don¡¯t you keep it, then? It¡¯s way too small for me anymore, especially with a good chunk of it gone.¡± Timothy stared. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah, man! It served me pretty good, so I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll serve you just fine. Let you replace that cane with some real ordinance!¡± She cheerily clapped him on the back. ¡°Let¡¯s get you into the shower, while I blast the dust off these. ¡°What¡¯s a shower?¡± ¡°Oh, shorty.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Showers, it turned out, were amazing and beat the hell out of bathing in the river. He washed and washed until the soot and mud and blood stopped making the water run all ruddy, enjoying the feeling of using soft-scented shampoo bars rather than his rendered fat soap back home. The towel V¡¯d tossed him was big and fluffy enough that he could probably wear it as a cloak. V kindly left him a shirt and pants, which he slipped into. They were still a bit loose on him, but the soft pants at least could be tightened. And these are her clothes from when she was normal-sized? Sheesh! He returned to V¡¯s room not long after, following the sound of wind blasts. He left the hospital robe in a hamper, carrying only his knife and strap. By now, the sun was starting to rise, dying the sky with purple and red as the stars faded. ¡°I¡¯m back, V.¡± Timothy slipped into the room. A small, standing twister of dust spun slowly in a corner as V magically blasted the clothes one by one. She stopped and tossed the last one in a somewhat neat heap as she turned. ¡°Showers are the best.¡± ¡°Heh, yeah. Your timing¡¯s good, I¡¯m just about done with this.¡± She looked him over. ¡°It¡¯s a little baggy on ya, huh? Take a look.¡± She pointed to a mirror near the closet. Timothy stepped into view, and yeah¡­ the shirt had a loose, baggy fit, almost like a loose half-robe, and it settled around his hips. It was a nice shade of purple, though, and it hid his tail stump. The grey pants were loose around his spindly legs, but they wouldn¡¯t fall, at least. He made a mental note to pin up the ankles, though. ¡°Thank you again for your kindness.¡± He smiled politely. ¡°They¡¯re very comfortable.¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s no big deal. Tomorrow we can dig up some of Mat¡¯s stuff too, so you can dress a bit more¡­uh¡­¡± she winced. ¡°Manly-like?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind. I mean, I¡¯ve worn my gran¡¯s witch dress for years now.¡± He smiled at her. Despite everything, he was pretty proud it¡¯d survived this long. It took a wildfire to destroy it, long after it was held together by a quilt of patches. ¡°These are lovely. Thank you again, Val¡ªV.¡± Valencia smiled and nodded, before a massive yawn overtook her. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Let¡¯s get y¡¯to the guest room so we can be done with this day, yeah?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Scars, Pt. 7 (Book 1 Finale) V said goodnight to him outside the last room in the hall. By then, the skies had truly turned red and orange, and neither of them was really steady on their feet. ¡°Arright, jes¡¯ sleep in there, okay? There¡¯s a bed.¡± She rubbed her eyes. ¡°G¡¯night.¡± ¡°Good night, V. Thanks for everything.¡± She waved him off sleepily as she turned and staggered back to her own room. The guest room was, frankly, too big. It was bigger than his hut, not that It was a palace. He ignored the dresser and mirror and everything else, only pausing to open the closet out of some lingering suspicion (it was empty, of course.) Nothin¡¯ under the bed, either. He was alone. The thick curtains were drawn, so it was comfortably dark. The wolf finally hopped up into the dragon sized bed. It took him a few seconds to crawl to the pillows. Timothy lay back, feeling a lot like the last lonely pea on a plate. I hope my friends are alright. I did everything I could to warn and prepare¡¯em, but¡­ Life was cheap in the wild. And here he was, lying in a bed stuffed with feathers and wrapped in a thick blanket. He rubbed his forehead. Don¡¯t feel guilty. You lost your house, your entire winter store, and nearly your life. Frass. His thoughts turned to Meri. The kid had been through a lot today. He didn¡¯t wanna play misery high-card, but it had to have been the worst day of her life. At least she was alive to regret it. She¡¯s a good kid. The thought floated up into his head from somewhere close to his heart. Even after everything, I can¡¯t regret saving her. He only hoped she¡¯d get better. A bad enough day had made him into¡­ him, after all, and he didn¡¯t want that for a bright, sunny kid like her. This whole place was bright and sunny. It felt almost dreamlike and false to him, and he didn¡¯t know how to cope. Larue, and Kate, and their children had welcomed him into a safe, warm home and given him an absurd amount of food. He could have rationed that meal out for weeks in the Deepshadow. Mat had healed him for free. He didn¡¯t really know what the healer¡¯d meant about the township or the county paying him, but it meant he wasn¡¯t in debt¡ª at least, not for goods. And they had seen his mark first. That was what really knocked him dizzy. They were really one of a kind. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. And then there was Valencia. He saw that moment, staring at each other in a whirlwind of flames. She could have killed him. She knew from his brand that he was some Lusundra mess. She could have left him there, and let the Voltcage or the smoke or his bleeding kill him. It would have been safer, with no question of his loyalties or safety. In her shoes¡­ a cold pit weighed in his gut. He would have probably left himself to die. Right¡­? But she didn¡¯t. Nobody would have known except her kid sister and a dead man. She could have said whatever she wanted. But instead¡­ she saved him. She took him, held him tight and safe and put herself in danger to get him out alive. She could have dropped him ¡°on accident,¡± but she didn¡¯t. And sure, the same could be said of him and Meri, but Meri was a child. If the rest of her family was one of a kind, Valencia was something even rarer. Someone out of a myth, that wasn¡¯t supposed to exist in real life. He didn¡¯t understand. He couldn¡¯t understand¡­ The ceiling didn¡¯t have any answers for him, no matter how long he stared. And stupidly, even though his body was one big throbbing ache, he didn¡¯t know if he could sleep. I don¡¯t know what tomorrow will be. And the thought was scary. Even when his tomorrows were normally spent struggling to get food, it was consistent. Now he was somewhere completely new, a strange world of light and people. A world where finding food and not being eaten weren¡¯t his main concerns. Alien. But he was safe. For now. There would be food for him, for at least a little while. Timothy was full, warm, safe in a house full of creatures stronger than he was by far. If they were right¡ª and they knew more of the outside world than he did¡ª nobody would be coming for him tonight. A thought that was scary and reassuring both. Still¡­ ¡°Mandy, are you awake?¡± His dagger didn¡¯t respond. ¡°Frass.¡± Hey, now that I¡¯ve eaten, maybe¡­ He brought his open palm up, and brought forth an image in his mind. And sure enough, after a few slow, painful moments, the magic bubbled into his palm, taking form slowly and weakly. Soon, a small shadow spider stood in his palm, blinking up at him cutely with 6 faintly glowing eyes. "Hey, cutie." He whispered. "Keep watch for me, okay? Gimme a nip if someone walks in." The spectral spider nodded, and skittered up to the top of the bedpost, where it lay in wait. And as for Timothy, despite his worries, his body didn¡¯t have much else in it. Despite everything, he¡¯d managed to survive another day. That was something to be¡­ maybe not proud of, but at least some cold comfort. It was comfort enough to let Timothy let go and drift away into deep, dreamless sleep. Book 1 Break! Thanks for reading Book one of The Stray¡ª The Witch of the Deepshadow! It¡¯s been a really fun journey getting to share my work with you all, and I appreciate every reader and every comment! The main story''s gonna take an intermission now: just for a little while, as I get Book 2, To Wear the Hat, ready to share with you all. In the meantime, leave any questions you have about the characters or the world of Regna in the comments below, and I¡¯ll have my characters answer them over the coming weeks¡ª along with some small omakes and maybe some lore. I don¡¯t plan on leaving you guys hanging! Updates will be a little smaller and a little slower, though, because I''m hard at working cooking up the next full book! This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. A huge shoutout to my beta reader, HDO_Photo. You were my first audience, and I will always appreciate all you do for me. Also a shoutout to my friends over on the Book or Bust discord, y¡¯all make a great community. Once again, thank you so much! Timothy¡¯s misadventures are just getting started, and I¡¯m so happy to share them with all of you! From, K. Bear Still Kicking (Omake B1-1) ¡°You sure you¡¯re alright, mom?¡± Kate¡¯s eldest daughter eyed her. ¡°I can stick around if you need a hand.¡± The dragoness smiled gently at Maisie. ¡°I¡¯ll be alright, Mais. I just need to breathe a little while.¡± Maisie, of course, was old enough to¡¯ve seen her trashed before. She gave an I¡¯ll leave her to you I guess kind of look to Rue, before giving a slow nod. ¡°Fine, then. I¡¯ll be next door. If you need me, you¡¯d better call.¡± ¡°Count on it.¡± Kate promised. Finally, Maisie wobbled off. Whew. To Kate¡¯s experience, what she was feeling was painfully normal. After a fight this big, a night this awful, a brush this close with death, there was an awful sense of unreality when she returned somewhere safe. The fact that she was home, surrounded by her loving family, and safe at last, it needed a little while to become more real than the lingering terror of the fight, and the awful day before it. But it was real, and she¡¯d survived the worst day she¡ª or the town, probably¡ª had had in five years. Somethin¡¯ to be proud of. Kate¡ª finally not Cpt. Ashborne, but Kate¡ª managed to smile and tap her nose. ¡°Our kids really showed what they¡¯re made of today. I¡¯m so damn proud.¡± ¡°Same here, darling.¡± Her wife smiled at her gently. ¡°We¡¯ve raised some amazing children, you and I.¡± She placed a hand gently on Kate¡¯s. ¡°Which means I know you pretty well too. Are you ready to talk?¡± D¡¯oh. ¡°Can¡¯t slip anything past you, can I?¡± ¡°Darling, you didn¡¯t even slip it past Maisie. You think you can hide things from me?¡± Ugh, no fair! Rue was giving her those warm, tender doe eyes. And her tone was soft and sweet, not pressing, just inviting. ¡°I think you¡¯ll feel better if you get it all off your chest.¡± Oof, bad choice of words. Kate winced. The dragoness¡¯s ears twitched, just to make sure their children and the witch had moved on. They were alone. Kate breathed a long, tired sigh. ¡°I feel fried and breaded, babe. Like burned schnitzel that got dropped in the dirt.¡± The captain¡¯s armor was scorched through or melted in several dangerous places, and she was missing several scales in awkward patches. Not only that, but she was filthy with soot and ash from her armor and clothes getting scorched by the Voltcage. ¡­And, she was kidding herself if she said it was just the armor that looked battered to bits. She shook her head. ¡°Mat looked me over, so that¡¯s the worst of it, but still¡­ ugh. Armor¡¯s melted all over me.¡± Rue bit her lip in worry. Kate couldn¡¯t keep up the reassuring front for her wife, and Rue wouldn¡¯t want her to, either. The exhausted dragoness all but collapsed over the nice, soft tablecloth. Her wings were so sore, and now that she could do so, she let them hang limp by her sides like wilted fronds. Her wife sat down beside her, pulling a chair so close she could rest her hand on Kate¡¯s shoulder. She wasn¡¯t just doing it to steady her, though. ¡°Alright then. Let¡¯s start on that armor, dear.¡± The dragoness rolled her head to look at her.¡°Aw, babe, y¡¯don¡¯t gotta¡ª¡° ¡°The sooner you get it off you, the sooner you¡¯ll feel better. Get that ¡®breading¡¯ off you.¡± And she fixed her with those eyes again, and Kate knew there was no arguing. ¡°Okay¡­¡± Kate dragged herself to a sitting position. ¡°I kinda had to field weld it, so it¡¯s gonna take some doing¡­¡± The watch armor was usually pretty easy to put on, especially compared to some of the crap active soldiers or mercs wore. Rue knew how to undo its straps and buckles, and Kate helped too, but tonight that¡¯s where the easy part ended. The boiled chitin plates had sloughed and fused into each other, where they hadn¡¯t just burned away. Some of that was her own doing, having to get the suit combat ready in a hurry after V and Mat hacked it off the first time. Soon, it was less stripping her armor off and more scraping chitinous sludge off of her, chunking away huge lumps where possible. Going too fast hurt, because the chitin goo had melted to her scales. Poor Rue was getting filthy with bug scraps, but it didn¡¯t slow her down none. If anything, that made her set her jaw and form a knife of light to help hack the mess apart. ¡°Ugh, between battle damage and my hack job, this thing¡¯s had it. Gonna have to take it to the Scrubbis for recycling. Sucks.¡± ¡°At least it took it worse than you, right?¡± Rue carefully sawed the last big glob apart, and the armor went slack. ¡°Oh, thank the sun. There we go, dearest.¡± Kate winced, knowing what was coming as her wife slowly peeled the damaged armor off. Larue gasped and dropped the slagged plate to the ground with a hollow ¡®tok.¡¯ The charred scraps of Kate¡¯s underarmor, her shirt, and even her sports bra crumbled out in a small shower of ash. Kate sheepishly chuckled, knowing exactly what she was looking at: where most of her body was covered in scales, a huge starburst patch of bare, freshly regrown skin now lay over her heart and a vast part pf her chest. It looked nasty. ¡°Oh, Kate¡­¡± Rue breathed. ¡°What happened?¡± The dragoness forced a smile. ¡°It ain¡¯t as bad as it looks¡ª¡° she stopped as her wife gave her a look. ¡°Uhh, right. Well, V and Timothy already told you their side of things, mostly. So¡­ I¡¯d been flying over Wolfpack Road out west, just in case Meri¡¯d decided to, I dunno, go on an adventure to Strenel or something. Just as I was heading back, I saw the massive lightning strike, and put two and two together, y¡¯know?¡± She smiled weakly. ¡°Right.¡± Larue swallowed hard. ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°Well, I rushed over as fast as my wings could get me there¡ª not as fast as I¡¯d have liked, since I¡¯d spent so long looking for Meri from the air. I got in close enough to see the monster chasing V.¡± And boy, it was a real bad feeling as a seasoned ex-merc to see a monster you don¡¯t recognize. It was an even worse feeling to clock that V had her little sister on her back, and someone else in her arms, leaving her at the monster¡¯s mercy! ¡°It didn¡¯t take a sage to see that it was some kind of fairy wizard asshole, and that it was gunning for the kids. I tried to rush in and pull the heat off her, but I wasn¡¯t fast enough, and the monster got¡¯em. Well, it would have, except someone cast a really strong shield at the last second. At the time I thought V¡¯d pulled out a hands-free shield spell out of desperation, but I guess it was actually Timothy having his hero moment.¡± Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. She couldn¡¯t, and didn¡¯t want to, describe the relief of seeing that spell that should have fried her daughters splash off of a shield, even if it wasn¡¯t a perfect block. Her kids were alive. Relief, then fury. ¡°Well, I saw red. I wasn¡¯t gonna give that sack of crap another shot at my daughters! So I rushed it. I flew right over the kids and started blasting.¡± Embers of a small, fierce smile burned. ¡°I don¡¯t think it was expecting th¡¯likes of me, and in the moment the shock of melee hit, V booked it, yelling she¡¯d be back.¡± ¡°That¡¯s our V.¡± Larue sighed, half exasperated, half fond. ¡°And then he got you?¡± ¡°Not right away!¡± Now that the chestplate was gone, it was easy to pull off the rest of the suit, and her wife did so as she kept on telling the story. ¡°We got into a nasty dogfight. All close combat, lightning vs sand and claws. Slippery bastard kept going intangible, so I kept whiffing slashes what should have torn its gasbag to shreds. I got frustrated, and I overcommitted, and, well¡­ it got me.¡± ¡°Got you¡­?¡± She gestured at her de-scaled chest. ¡°It kind of¡­ shot me point blank with a lightning blast?¡± A sharp dive had got her behind the monster, and her neck was pulling back for a sand blast, when it just twisted on itself like an empty balloon, and boom, pain. The volt exploded across her body, locking her throat and chest mid breath blast, making her would-be sandstorm choke and churn out of her mouth like vomit, turning into molten ribbons of glass from the heat. The sheer force threw her away in a wild, uncontrolled tangle of wings. Her watch PAT¡ª her Personal Armor Talisman¡ªburst into flames, because it was never meant to protect from such a vicious spell point blank. Kate fished it from her pocket, showing the charred wreck to Rue. ¡°Blew out my PAT, turned my sand attack into a flurry of glass, the works.¡± Her wife¡¯s warm hands squeezed her shoulders hard. ¡°Kate¡ª¡° ¡°Don¡¯ worry, though! My heart¡¯s fine. My PAT soaked the hit some, I¡¯m an earth dragon, and my sand breath sucked up some of the charge.¡± She hastily tried to reassure Rue. ¡°And, you know I¡¯ve had way, way worse.¡± Memories of seasons in a wheelchair after the Nightmare lord flashed through her mind. She shuddered. ¡°Plus, V bailed me out. Soon as it got me, she dropped out of the clouds and sandblasted it. The town bell had started ringing at some point, so the rest of town popping spells and gunshots and whatnot from the ground sealed the deal. The fairy fucked off back to the woods, and V lent me a wing right to the hospital.¡± Kate looked down at her chest. ¡°Before Mat healed you,¡± Rue asked softly, ¡°How bad was it?¡± Even healed, the answer was pretty obvious. A helion dragon¡¯s scales were extremely tough, and her chest scales were the toughest of all. Kate was a sand dragon, further insulating her, as did her PAT¡¯s warding. And even now, after being healed, massive parts of her chest and stomach were new, thin skin, courtesy of her son. And even after all the healing magic and potions he could spare, she still ached badly. Hell, you could see her old scar from the Nightmare Lord, just a hair above her heart, a jagged gash that to this day left the skin around it blue. Kate swallowed hard. ¡°Like I said, it burned, and coming from a dragon, that¡¯s a red flag and a half. It could have been way worse, though. I¡¯m lucky all our children are pretty great.¡± ¡°And lucky that you¡¯re so tough.¡± Her wife¡¯s smile was weak, but relieved. ¡°Mat says you¡¯ore okay, though?¡± ¡°Yeah. He was busy keeping the wolf from dying, but me and V did some first aid on each other til he could get to us proper. I¡¯ll be fine. He does want me to stay put the next few days though.¡± She grumbled. ¡°¡­Didn¡¯t you go back out, though?¡± Rue raised an eyebrow. ¡°I mean, yeah. I¡¯m in charge, you know? Don¡¯t worry, though, most I did was coordinate fighters and provide some caster support. Any fight you can walk away from, right?¡± Half bravado-fueled catchphrasing, half honest merc philosophy. ¡°While we¡¯re sharing stories, what happened to you?¡± Kate asked. ¡°Huh?¡± Kate flicked a wrist, and Larue¡¯s steel rolling pin flew off her belt into the dragoness¡¯s hand. It had an impressive dent all along its side. ¡°I know your favorite pin didn¡¯t start today like this, babe.¡± ¡°Oh! It¡¯s a lot less of a story, dear.¡± Larue waved her off. ¡°This monster¡ª I dunno what it was, some kinda tangly planty thing¡ª jumped out at me when I was looking around the southeast fields. I had no time for its nonsense, so I bashed it one but good.¡± Something a lot of people tended to forget when they looked at Kate¡¯s sweet, dainty wife was that she¡¯d spent her youth rolling around in the dirt, playing football with teens from all over, and generally being the cutest li¡¯l tomboy (Kate¡¯d seen photos.) Combine that with wrangling four kids and hauling sacks of flour and trays of bread, and Larue was far stronger than most gave her credit for. And given the trouble she¡¯d seen over the years, few would guess at her wife¡¯s ferocious, steel will. Kate almost felt sorry for the monster. But not really. Ancestors, she loved this woman. ¡°How far did it go flying?¡± Kate asked with a knowing smirk. ¡°Oh, a few yards.¡± Rue waved it off. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m a rhino. it should have known better.¡± It really, really should have. ¡°And then what?¡± ¡°It ran like the Flying Mountain was chasing it, of course. It kind of rolled away like a tumbleweed, but in a real hurry? I barely paid it any attention once the fight left it. Bigger fish to fry, you know?¡± ¡°A tumbleweed, huh¡­? Sounds a little like a bumblelash.¡± Kate shrugged. ¡°It prolly jumped you out of fear, they¡¯re cowardly li¡¯l things.¡± ¡°Well, it ran off, so who cares?¡± The rhino shrugged. ¡°So long as it doesn¡¯t get between me and mine again!¡± ¡°Trust me, one clobber from your pin and anyone¡¯d learn not to mess with ya.¡± Larue pouted. ¡°Aww, you make me sound like such a brute!¡± ¡°Naw, I make you sound like the badass babe I married.¡± Kate winked. Guess the Deepshadow had a population of bumblelashes¡­? She¡¯d have to ask Timothy about them later. She shrugged it off, some of the ashes of her shirt crumbling off her chest as she did. ¡°I guess now I¡ªoop!¡± Kate let out a soft grunt as her wife threw her arms around her. She didn¡¯t care that the dragoness was filthy, and stank of scorched-up sweat, leather and chitin. Even though she smelled like heaven itself. The dragoness just melted into her arms, finally just getting to rest. ¡°You¡¯re safe. We¡¯re all safe.¡± Rue whispered. ¡°Me too.¡± ¡°I was terrified, you know.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Kate hesitated. ¡°¡­I was too. And now I¡¯m worried about everything that needs to happen now¡­ with Meri, and the town¡¯s safety, and the Deepshadow, and the repairs, and¡­ Larue kissed her, gentle as a butterfly alighting on a petal. ¡°I know. But it can wait until tomorrow. Thanks to you and everyone else, we can rest tonight.¡± She glanced at the window, where the moons were sinking. ¡°At least for a few hours.¡± ¡°A few hours¡­ honestly, I¡¯ll take it.¡± Kate smiled at her wife. They stayed like that for a long while, until the fear of the day finally left them both. Nothing more needed to be said¡­ and the town would just have to take care of itself til morning. The Worst Kind Of Group Call (Omake B1-2) While Timothy was still unconscious in the hospital¡­ ¡°June, any sign of the gasbag?¡± Walker spoke into one hand. The other was already flickering with colors and shapes as her fingers flew through her next dial. ¡°Negative, ma¡¯am.¡± June¡¯s crisp voice crackled from the spell, loud enough only for Toby and Walker to hear. ¡°It¡¯s chaos out there, though. Monsters are fleeing the burning woods en masse.¡± ¡°If any of them close in somewhere, let someone nearby know. Otherwise, keep spotting, and stay in contact with someone. Keep an eye out for the gasbag thing. Walker out.¡± She flicked a few fingers and the spell changed color while she brought up her other hand ¡°Amos, what¡¯s the word?¡± ¡°It¡¯s pretty bad, Miz Walker! Fluff Honey¡¯s really flammable!¡± There was a shout from the other end. ¡°We¡¯re forming a bubble brigade to put out the hives an¡¯ houses, an¡ª¡° ¡°Breathe, kid!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be okay! Creekside¡¯s turning up now that they¡¯re back from upriver. I¡¯ve been sending hurt folks to the green sun flare, okay? How¡¯s Ella?¡± Walker chuckled, but even that sounded tired. ¡°Kid, your girlfriend can handle herself. Focus. Walker out!¡± Hand switch. ¡°Ranell, expect more burns coming your way¡­¡± It had been like this all night. All day, really, but worse now. At least then it was the captain coordinating stuff¡­ Everyone had been scattered looking for li¡¯l Meri when that gasbag thing barreled out of the woods and started hurling thunderbolts wildly. After that, chaos. The Captain and V had been dogfighting it, but both got blasted, and were at the hospital. At least the fight was hard to miss, what with the monster¡¯s screaming and casting, so even without orders, enough of the town¡¯s fighters and even civilians managed to shoot at it to drive it off. But that was only the start of their problems tonight. The beast had sown chaos everywhere with its lightning. V and the Captain holding its attention definitely had kept the worst case scenario away, but it still missed enough shots to set off some nasty fires, not to mention the intentional shots it took at the eastern fields and, eventually, the Deepshadow itself. In short, there were fires all over, and the closest thing to a coherent chain of command was ¡°everybody saw the captain get shot, so Walker¡¯s probably in charge, right?¡± Well, not just Walker. ¡°Fire extinguished in the southern fields.¡± The gruff voice of Jacob Tarkas crackled from one of Walker¡¯s fingers. ¡°Those militiamen are heading east to make sure the power plant doesn¡¯t burn.¡± Tarkas was commanding most of the militia, and whatever townsfolk had looked to him/them for instructions. Two chains of command, formed of tons of disorganized and weirdly connected links, and knotted together clumsily at the top. It was kind of working, but¡­ ¡°Ari and her people already got that, Tarkas!¡± Walker clearly was biting back some choice words. ¡°I¡¯d split those people between the eastern fields and the walls. We¡¯re seeing¡ª¡° ¡°Lots of monster activity. We know.¡± ¡­It was wasting time they didn¡¯t have. Because the Watch and Militia weren¡¯t well integrated, nobody knew where anyone was. Everything had to go through Walker or Tarkas to the other, because nobody was talking properly to anyone besides their immediate circles. The Watch was scattered all over, and there were precious few of¡¯em to begin with. Walker was talking herself hoarse trying to keep June¡¯s spotting intel going where it needed to be, along with the intel from the walls, the requests for supplies from the field stations, the small scuffles that¡¯d broken out when fleeing monsters got too close¡­ and because info was flowing up and down wildly in two streams that only sometimes crossed, people were being sent places that had already been fixed, or were completely misunderstanding where they needed to go at all! It was infuriating.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. And to top it all off, it was time to set another bone. Toby tried to tune out the crosstalk and his own squeamishness to help poor cousin Allie¡¯s arm. Oh, he hated first aid duty. Breathe, breathe¡­ ¡°Breathe,¡± he said aloud, to remind them both. ¡°Ready, Lassi?¡± ¡°Starting.¡± The healer slime hit Allie with a pain blocking spell and Toby pushed her bones back into position in the instant her pain vanished. Lassi finished off with a surge of healing magic that sealed the bone right back together. At least the healing stations were outside the logistical mess of their communications. They were just impossible to miss: three bright flares high above, in different colors, in the shape of the Kindly Sun symbol. Every healer was out beneath one of them, fixing burns and other injuries from the firefighting or the attack. Green was out in the eastern fields, Blue here in Wright Square, and Red down south somewhere. That, at least, was hard to screw up. That was hospital protocol, they¡¯d trained for it, and the healers knew what they were doing. That was keeping this from becoming a total pile of hillapples, along with his poor near-granny¡¯s hollering herself hoarse into the phone spells. It was hard to know how bad things really were without good info, or eyes in the sky that were talking together. ¡°Thanks, doc, cuz.¡± Allie groaned. Lassi waited a moment for the pain truly vanish before lifting the painkiller spell. ¡°Some night, ain¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Hrm.¡± Toby grunted in reply, far too tired for much talking. Just as Lassi moved on to her next patient¡ª ¡°Walker! There¡¯s a giant beetle! It¡¯s going nuts near the Crocker farm!¡± Walker swore violently. Toby wasn¡¯t any happier. Already he was scrambling to remember who was where, and the old rabbit was clearly struggling just as much. She lost the other call she was making to Post as she counted personnel on those fingers. The old lady shoulda been asleep hours ago, not coordinating a town¡¯s defense! Toby prepared to set her down and barrel off himself. ¡°Damn it,¡± the rabbit groaned in frustration. ¡°Who¡¯s close? Who¡¯s even there¡­!?¡± ¡°Me!¡± The captain! Walker sighed a very relieved sigh as a new signal broke into the call. ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late. Amos, get its attention and lead it on a wild goose chase. Lead it back to me in two minutes.¡± ¡°R-roger!¡± ¡°Are you in any shape to be fighting, scales?¡± Walker asked, cutting off Amos¡¯s signal to talk to the captain one on one. ¡°Nope.¡± The captain admitted. ¡°I have a plan, though. Bubble brigade, to me!¡± She left the line open even as she yelled orders in person. ¡°I¡¯m taking command! Charge up a tandem water blast and hold for my signal!¡± Huh? Toby raised an eyebrow. Walker, though, realized what she was doing a moment later, and smirked. ¡°Ah, the old scream of terror, is it? Glad to have you back, Cap.¡± Then, businesslike. ¡°V?¡± ¡°Alive, but down for the night. That monster¡¯s spells hurt.¡± ¡°Damn. In that case, get airborne as soon as you can. We need eyes other than June.¡± ¡°Perfect.¡± Then to whoever was around her, ¡°Be ready! I¡¯m gonna give you an opening, and then we¡¯ll all pile on!¡± Right as she said that, another call hit Walker. ¡°All fires within the walls are suppressed!¡± June sounded satisfied. ¡°I¡®ll let Ella know so we can move people to bigger problems.¡± ¡°Good lass.¡± Walker looked up at Toby with a tired grin. ¡°Fancy a game bug cookout, kid?¡± The tortoise chuckled low. ¡°Hell, it¡¯s something.¡± About time the tide turned. The Streneli Way (Lore B1-1) A Vol Streneli¡¯s first gift is the breath of life. The second and third are their first dagger, and their first bow. As soon as they¡¯re old enough to toddle, a young Vol is given a soft, padded dagger, and a weak, small bow, with twiggy arrows and stuffed cloth heads. These are lovingly made for them by their elders, that they may begin their education in that which the tribe values most: the hunt. It¡¯s not uncommon to see young toddlers happily shooting each other from across the village road, having mock swordfights, and play-hunting each other. This is encouraged, in fact: to be a proper Vol is to be a hunter, no matter what trade you take up. This tradition forms the cornerstone of Streneli society. Streneli, no matter the tribe, believe in starting their children in their tribe¡¯s ways very young. The Eev Streneli spend their baby years in the saddle, often bonding with their first slep or kiridir as soon as they can walk. The Kal spend their first years of life happily mixing up paints, dyes, and sauces, in preparation to become alchemists. Young Skri ride upon their parents¡¯ backs, getting used to the feel of the air, the tug of her currents, the subtle changes that bring the weather they love and fear. And so on, and so forth. The exact nature of the gifts bestowed, and the training given, will of course vary from clan to clan, village to village. But the Streneli have a saying: ¡°An apple seed must be watered from its first day.¡± The Vol approach produces extremely skilled hunters and woodsmen, famously stealthy, masters of both the chase and the ambush. As they grow, they¡¯re given toy axes, toy spears¡ª the other two members of the Vol¡¯s Sisters of the Wood, the most valued and prestigious weapons in their culture. And indeed, Streneli of all tribes have a reputation for being masters of their tribe¡¯s craft. Streneli live this way because they believe that to be helpless is to be dead. The first Streneli escaped vampire slavery through cunning, might, and speed; and ever since, they have sought to instill those traits in their young, that no matter what happens, they will be strong enough to face it. They live in some of the most hostile lands on the Rosanian continent, with powerful monsters, difficult terrain, and harsh seasons, and have learned to thrive there. The name Streneli means ¡°unbowed, and indeed, their pride in standing defiant and unconquered after generations burns at the heart of their shared culture. Every Streneli tribe is different, every clan is different, every village, every house, and so on, but as a people, the will to resist is Strenel. Streneli were the first to escape the vampires, and they returned to settle the score with stakes, salt, and burgeoning magic as part of the Dawn Rebellion. When the Dawn Monarchs came to power, they argued and fought to remain independent, trusting no king or queen to rule them. When Atrea and Rosan collided to form the modern supercontinent, Lutroa, they defended their independence from Sarro-dur, while stubbornly refusing Rosanian protection. And of course, Lusundra warred against them in the night long before he began to prey on the rest of the world.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. It¡¯s said that the Streneli bow to no one, and never will. That said, this approach to life and childrearing has caused poor outcomes in the past. The Streneli are a stubborn people, and they hold the traditional ways of their people as almost sacred. Like any people, the mores of their philosophy¡ª referred to by them as The Way (sometimes Streneli Way)¡ª can be bent for practicality, and often are. Every Vol is a hunter, they say, but go to any Vol village and you¡¯ll find farmers, fletchers, healers, and so on, living life mostly within their village. But bending the ideal is one thing; when the Streneli perceive someone as leaving the demands of The Way, the end result is often tragic for everyone involved. You won¡¯t find a ¡°little Strenel¡± in any Rosanian city, but here and there, if you know where to look, Streneli whose crime was simply not fitting in can be found throughout the lands. To say nothing of the ones whose exile leads them to banditry or the creation or small enclaves of outcasts. If Streneli life is hard, theirs is often harder. It¡¯s the tribe¡¯s Way or the highway, in most of Strenel. The Way, and the attitudes it fosters, have led to a historically difficult relationship with most of the known world. Streneli have a reputaion for being difficult to deal with in any capacity. Some would say it¡¯s largely for this reason that they remain, in essence, an independent state that is only Rosanian on paper. Still, their somewhat cool relationship with Rosan proper is downright cuddly compared to their relationship with the dragons of Sarro-dur. Even before the war, border conflicts and banditry between the western Streneli and clans Lusundra, Raonis, and even occasionally Oel were unfortunately common. The horrors Lusundra visited on the Streneli people have only deepened their mistrust and resentment for dragonkind. It has been many years since I flew on Strenel¡¯s harsh winds. In the years since Lusundra¡¯s War, their isolationist tendencies have only grown more severe, and while it¡¯s certainly not impossible to cross the Forest of Pain to visit, hospitality towards visitors is at an all time low. They can hardly be blamed, though¡ª what news I¡¯ve gotten from traders, mercenaries, and soldiers has painted a difficult picture. The Devil¡¯s Wasteland that now roars on their border, apart from being a font of horrific monsters and terrifying phenomena, has made the already rough terrain and often-harsh Streneli weather worse. The war took many of their fighting-aged men and women from them, many now roaming the wasteland itself in undeath, a bitter reward for helping slay the Dark Dragon. They say there are whole villages simply gone, forced to abandon their lands and melt into other villages for sheer lack of people. And with circumstances being so difficult, many of the remaining Streneli youth, coming of age in a world where their people are worse off than ever, turn to mercenary work around the lands of Rosan to support their people and families. Will the proud Way of the Streneli ebb away, as so many of those proud people lie dead? Will it only grow darker, harder, fiercer in the face of the war and all it did? Or will something different arise, out of necessity and violence? What will become of the Streneli people? ¡ªBlair Elliott, ¡°Echoes and New Voices: Postwar Rosan on the Wing¡±