A bright pair of amethyst eyes greeted David when he managed to open his eyelids.

  The room was quiet, with a backdrop of bird sing-songs. He could hear Niala's slow breathing as she stared at him. In a bed. That they were both on.

  He yelped, recoiling and falling off the bed in a tangle of limbs, hitting his head on the wooden floor.

  He was awake now.

  As he rubbed the back of his head, Niala's face popped over the side of the bed.

  “Are you alright?”

  He looked up. “Yeah, it's... actually I hurt everywhere. Head's the least painful.” He groaned, shuffling his back against the wall and sitting there.

  “Why... huh...” He hesitated.

  “Why were you in my bed?”

  He nodded.

  “Last night, when we got home, you could barely stand. As springy as it is I thought my bed would still be better than your floor mattress. When I managed to get you upstairs and right up to the bed you collapsed on it, dragging me down with you.” Her cheeks tinted pink.

  “I tried shuffling out of bed but you kept tightening your grip on me so... I thought I'd wait for you to roll over or something but I guess I fell asleep as well.” She explained, ears wiggling.

  “... I'm sorry.” David said, dragging his gaze away from Niala's.

  She smiled before crawling off the bed and coming to sit next to him against the wall. She fidgeted with her hands.

  “Thank you David. I don't remember everything that happened last night, but I remember enough to know that you saved my life.” She said softly.

  The birds continued to warble and trill, the trees rustled.

  “It's strange. I thought I'd want to chide you for putting your life in danger like that.” David said. “But this morning, I'm just happy you're ok.” He turned his head and smiled.

  “I – I'm – I'm happy you're OK too!” She stuttered, blushing and focusing on her hands.

  “You said you hurt everywhere right?! I'll go brew you a double-strength old woman!” She blurted out, jumping to her feet and leaving before he could say anything.

  As he watched the small catkin woman retreat, her tail swishing left and right, he just smiled.

  With a filling breakfast in him and a warm old woman in hand, David recounted last night's events from his point of view to Niala; the confusion when she left, the desperate race after her, the strange strength she displayed, and how the wind creature seemed to appear from within her when he disrupted her channels by pulsing his mana.

  She listened attentively, offering no interruptions.

  “I remember snippets; it all feels like a vivid dream.” She said once he'd finished.

  “What do you remember?” He asked.

  “I remember I had a task, that it was important, that something bad would happen if I didn't do it. I had to go north and offer myself to guard something.” She swallowed. “Sacrifice, from what you said I was trying to do. Sacrifice to keep something sealed underneath the altar.”

  He nodded. “That's why you... blew it up. How did you do that? How did you keep the bag handle charged?”

  She pursed her lips before sighing.

  She locked gaze with him. “That night on the day we met, you told me to keep your secret to the grave.” She recalled.

  He nodded. “I'll keep yours too.”

  She kept looking at him. “I can weave mana.”

  Surprise flashed in his eyes, replaced with concern. “... who else knows?”

  “Alive? Me, and now you.”

  He tilted his head. “Not even your dad?”

  She shook her head. “My mom made me promise. Nobody should know.”

  “Niala, you know that weavers are required by royal decree to report themselves, right?” He asked.

  “I know. That's why I promised.” She said, gazing downward.

  “Your mother was very wise. It's a good thing I don't really care about royal decrees either.” He took a sip of old woman and smiled at her.

  She glanced at him, a small smile gracing her face. “Can I ask you a question? About your own... secret?”

  “Ask. I'll answer if I can.” He replied.

  “It's not weaving, is it? What is it? Is it a... gift like weaving, just something people are born with?”

  “No, nothing like that. I guess you could call it boosting. It's a... let's say it's a learned ability. It allows me to imbue my mana into my body or anything I hold. Makes me faster, stronger, more resilient, but I don't have fine control over it like weaving does. It's mostly brute force.” He explained.

  She suppressed a giggle.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “What's funny?”

  “Sorry! It's just... a brute force ability is very you.” She said, barely controlling her mirth.

  “I'm not a brute. I have a big brain too.” he retorted.

  “A big brawny brain.” She snickered.

  “I would like some respect for my big brain. It doesn't like being insulted.”

  She held up her hands. “Ok, ok, I'm sorry. Consider your big brain respected.”

  “That doesn't feel genuine.”

  “I'll act and talk as if it was.” She grinned.

  He sighed.

  They grow up so fast.

  “About Hodge, how did you figure out he was an incarnation?” He asked, changing the topic.

  She squirmed in her seat. “I didn't exactly... figure it out. I just had a hunch.”

  “A hunch good enough to bring back an arcane monster or two back to town?” He quirked an eyebrow.

  “It turned out fine right?” She retorted. “I mean, both times we dealt with him he talked about a deal being done, and you're the first that should admit his room full of stuff isn't natural.” She continued.

  He slowly nodded. “...Do you think he's dangerous?”

  “I'm not sure. He did say he didn't want fighting around his house, and he did capture the wind creature, Anaakendi.” She replied.

  “Hmm. Well, we can check with the Mayor when we turn in the posting. If he has an incarnation in town, he should know.” David said.

  Niala perked up. “You think the job is done then? Nobody else will get enthralled and sent up north?”

  “I think so. Anaakendi seemed to be the one enthralling the people. Now that she's in Hodge's pile she shouldn't be able to do anything.” He frowned.

  “That's assuming Hodge keeps her there. At the same time, he, huh, stored the beast so... she wouldn't have a reason to keep it up?” He posited.

  “It all feels pretty messy... we still don't really have answers.” She lamented.

  “Maybe the tome will tell us.” He said.

  “It's mana locked.” Niala reminded him.

  “Well yes, but Castello should give us permission to exhume his great-grandma or something so we can unlock it.”

  “...his ancestor called Anaakendi, the name on the tome.” Niala said.

  “Yes, the... same name as the wind creature...” David slowly realized.

  “How much do you want to bet her bones are out at the chapel and not in her grave?” She asked.

  “...I'm going to have to go back there and sort through over a hundred corpses' worth of bones to find hers, aren't I?” David said, shoulder slumping.

  Niala stood up and walked over to David, tapping him on the shoulder, a sad smile on her face.

  “I don't like this job anymore.”

  A few bells later, David and Niala were giving their slightly redacted report to Mayor Caleb and Guard Captain Ma-Ke-Lo, leaving out their abilities to mana-boost and mana-weave.

  The mayor dogkin observed them, hands clasped on his desk.

  “And the stone sphere that you surmise is an arcane beast. You said you... gave it to someone in town for safekeeping?” He questioned them.

  David and Niala shared a look.

  “We did.” She said.

  “Could I know who?”

  Niala chewed her lips. “Old man Hodge.”

  Caleb frowned, leaning back somewhat. “And what made you think an old man could look over an imprisoned arcane beast?”

  “He is... more than most people know?” She ventured.

  The mayor quirked an eyebrow before leaning in and speaking quietly.

  “I would ask that you keep Mr. Hodge's true nature a secret. He has done nothing hostile towards the town. In fact, he has helped us quite a few times.”

  David and Niala glanced at each other before both nodding.

  Caleb relaxed and leaned back. “Very well. I agree with you that the danger should have passed. We will investigate further on our own, and if you do manage to get the tome opened, please afford us access. With that said...” He retrieved a folded piece of paper from his desk, opening and signing it before handing it to David.

  “I consider your posting completed with full satisfaction. I will even disregard the destroyed door and the two guards that the frenzied grumble bear injured. They will thankfully make full recoveries.”

  He got up and escorted them to his office door. “You can turn in that note to the clerk in charge of the treasury. He will pay out both rewards.”

  They gave their thanks and made their way to the treasurer's office, located deeper in the town hall, behind an iron door flanked by two guards. The clerk, a ratty man, greeted them.

  David turned in the signed note. Reviewing it and nodding, the clerk retrieved two small pouches from the small vault behind him. He gave one to David, and the other to Niala. Puzzled, she looked inside, only to stare wide-eyed at David.

  “Five princes?! Is that part of your reward?”

  “I have my full six princes here” He said, showing his own reward pouch.

  “That,” He pointed at Niala's pouch. “Is the two extra princes for undue danger, and another three for being the Pancho player for Castello. I negotiated for those after you decided to take on that risk.” He grinned.

  “David...!” She exclaimed.

  “I asked for more, but the mayor didn't want to. I did get him to agree to have regular guard patrols up to your shop, though. Should help making people feel safe when they visit you.” He added.

  Eyes moist, she slammed herself into him, hugging as hard as she could.

  He didn't know where to put his hands. He resolved to give her a few gentle head pats. He heard a few strained sobs.

  “Are you ok?” He asked.

  “Yes. Give me a moment.” She whimpered, tail swishing.

  “...did you hug me before you knew what you were doing, and now you're blushing and you're using my shirt to hide it until you get yourself back under control?”

  “...please shut up.” She said tersely from within his shirt.

  David looked at the clerk and shrugged.

  The clerk shrugged back.

  With nothing else urgent and with money to burn, the pair shifted their focus back on Niala's home.

  Their first stop was the town hall's land office, where Niala purchased a small parcel of land where she wanted to build the bat's new home.

  Deed in hand, they set out to find a carpenter, giving them Niala's rough plan for the bat's home and paying extra to have the job done as a priority. The carpenter assured them it wouldn't take more than a week. They also made an appointment with them to have Niala's existing furniture repaired or replaced, and ordered shelves and work tables to fill out Niala's workshop and store area.

  Next on the list was the local glassmaker where Niala put in an order for a small greenhouse to replace the caved-in gazebo and the indoor plant room that she was turning into a bedroom, as well as replacement windows for the entire house.

  They then went to the town's bricklayer, contracting him to add a new door to Niala's would-be brewing room.

  Their last stop was with with an upholsterer where they placed an order for three new beds and to have the couches refurbished.

  Her money pouch now rather limp, Niala felt pretty confident all her bases had been covered. They quickly stopped at the market square for a few ingredients and, with a huge, satisfied smile on Niala's face, they made their way back home.

  David helped prepare the ingredients while Niala cooked. They chatted about their adventure, about the future, hearts light and buoyed by success, and the bells flew like motes on the wind.

  Neither noticed nor cared.

  They were both alive, healthy, and in good company.

  All was right in the world.