The speed with which we exited the castle was absolutely harrowing, with loud cries of tomfoolery and some short chases by the guards that were left huffing and puffing in the dust. I kinda knew that Mary was pretty strong compared to the average woman, but people were really made of something else out here - and she wasn’t about to stop when we hit the dirt outside the castle, no!

  That just meant we had a downhill slope to accelerate with!

  The night was dark, but the wheelchair’s constant squeak made sure it was anything but silent as we hurried on out of there. All the while, Adam and Mary were giggling like schoolgirls as he ran along. We had the time of our life all the way out of the village gate, and before the moon had moved more than an inch in the sky, I was in front of the door to the Sherr Residence.

  “I’d ask about your cardio, but seriously… you guys are tough.” I managed with a trace of reverence. Adam and Mary were still huffing and panting, sure, but this was still a level of stamina I wouldn’t have expected from pretty much anyone real, back in my old life.

  “Dunno… what ya expected… longshanks.” Mary replied, leaning on the wheelchair as the pair who’d sped like a rocket through the streets now slowly ambled to the door.

  Adam just gave a harrumph. “Gonna need to rest.. My feet… after that. I’m… gettin’ old…”

  My eyes bugged out a little bit at the idea - how strong was this guy in his prime, if this was ‘getting old’?!

  Adam went to grab the knob on the door, but it opened without him needing to do a thing. Chloe’s eyes flicked to Adam and Mary with concern, then to me, and I found myself wrapped in a hug I wasn’t ready for.

  “Are you alright, dear? I heard about what happened from Ionos. Does it hurt? I have some tea that can help with that…”

  “He’s all potioned up, honey.” Adam replied, putting a hand to his forehead. “Honestly, he’s a pretty tough kid. Just dehydrated from the blood loss.”

  “All the same, it would be good for him to have some tea and rest. I baked a few things while I was waiting for you to get back…” Chloe replied, turning in a smooth motion that caused her ponytail to smack me in the face as she got up from the hug. I guess I’d really worried these guys…

  My smile grew as I thought about the past couple weeks. They’d brought me on as a farmhand, taught me the ropes of the job, indulged me when I had a strange reptile to take care of, and made damn sure I didn’t spend the night alone in a hospital bed…

  I don’t know how many people I really knew in my old life that were this unreasonably kind, but I was thankful for the ones I had now. Getting wheeled into the house and sat in front of the fireplace, I found a warm, thick blanket laid to rest on top of me in short order… and shortly after, something else practically tore across the house, skidding, across to the fireplace.

  “Luster?” I asked, knowing without turning as my bonded beast was quick to skid across the house, scamper over, leave me worried about a sudden leap… before plopping herself firmly down on my feet, directly in front of the fire, and laying on top.

  I was a little surprised, given how insistent he was on cuddling closer earlier, but Chloe spoke up. “We… had a conversation about animals on the furniture. A little while ago.” she mentions, holding a small piece of parchment she’d rolled in a manner eerily similar to newspaper. “As well as about animals on counters. And animals in the cabinets.”

  “She’s one day old and already figuring out cabinets and counters.” I said with a proud smile forming on my face.

  “And thus requiring quick discipline to learn not to do such things in my house, right, Mister Noah?” Chloe asked with a tone that sent a shiver down my spine.

  “Uh… yeah. Yeah, for sure, it does. I’ll be sure to teach her right. Yeah.” I stumbled on my words, before a mug of something was placed in my hands. Tea, with just the right amount of milk and honey. The warmth of the mug spread through the handle and touched on my cold hands with a healing touch I felt in that moment no spell could match, as I took a few seconds just to smell it.

  “Thank you, Miss Sherr.”

  “Chloe.” She repeated sternly, placing her hands on her hips as she demanded me to look in her eyes.

  “...Thank you, Chloe.”

  The Sherr matriarch gave an appreciative nod and a satisfied sigh.

  “Anytime, dear. Enjoy your tea, keep warm, and get some rest.”

  Chloe adjusted her skirt as she walked over to Adam with a stern look. “As for you - you went from a full work-day to staying up for Noah. You are marching off to bed. Do we understand?” She asked.

  Adam’s tone turned grumble. “I still haven’t gotten a bite to eat or-…!”

  I couldn’t turn around to see Adam or Chloe fully - both were behind me in the chair and Luster was equal parts heavy and kinda fragile, but I could see Mary sticking her tongue out at something, as they both went silent, but for a few sounds of contact.

  “Understood, Ma’am, right off to bed we go, Ma’am.” Adam’s footsteps trotted directly away with a spring in their step I wouldn’t have believed from a man so tired, and Mary just groaned.

  “Sigh… so, you wanna get me updated on what happened, Noah?” She asked with a sag in her voice. “Dad says you’re all fixed up, but I still don’t understand why you got all banged up in the first place.”

  I gave a frown. “Noble attacked me in the middle of a conversation, and I was… defending myself.”

  Mary frowned. “Conversation with who?”

  I blinked a few times, my mind slow to remember the context beforehand. “Victor, that jerk I told you about before.”

  Mary crossed her arm. “The jackass who threatened to throw you off the castle walls?”

  I gave a nod. “Yeah, though I’d still keep that quiet. Actually… he did save my life here, I suppose.”

  Mary’s nose turned up as she said that, brushing her hair out of her eyes as she thought the statement through. “...Well, guess I do have to thank him for that.”

  “...He was the one who dragged me there by lying, though, and he had just finished threatening me to do whatever he wanted.”

  That got a scoff from the tomboy, crossing her legs as she leered towards the fireplace. “Nevermind then. What’s his problem anyways? I bet he hired that jerk.”

  “No can do. He’s not that rich. Plus, it’s… honestly not his style, I think.” I admitted, scratching at the back of my head.

  “Doesn’t like hiring others?”

  “I guess I don’t know if he even looks at anyone without superpowers as mattering, but he also seems to really dislike people who aren’t efficient, or… good at their jobs, even. And nobleguy sucked.”

  “Gee, how nice of him.” Mary rolled her eyes, giving a shrug. “So this whole trip was a waste of time, then. And now I’m too wound up to get back to sleep.”

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  “Yeah, Guess so.” I replied, sipping my tea. Mary was silent for a bit after that, though she kicked her feet off the couch with the same energy she normally had right after lunch.

  Eventually she spoke up.

  “I’m so glad you’re okay. I really got worried there. I’ve gotten too used to your big stupid face helping out around here, and it would’ve sucked having to train a new farmhand, you know? Not even talking about how you’d have left us with the tall crocodile here.” She noted, motioning to Luster’s snoring form.

  “I’m not going anywhere.” I replied, but my voice felt waxy, far off.

  “...Noah? Are you awake? Yoohoo?”

  “..Yeah, of course.” I replied, a moment of confusion sticking in my brain as she seemed to not hear me.

  “...Conked out, huh? Can’t blame ya…”

  I went to reply, but I realized a second before the lights in my head went dark that I hadn’t actually been moving my jaw at all these last couple replies, and that sleep had decided it wasn’t waiting for me anymore.

  —

  By the time I woke up with a surprised shudder, the fire was roaring with fresh logs, and the sunlight was streaming in through the window.. Looking back and forth, Mary had disappeared, Chloe was currently in the kitchen tending to a meal, my legs were feeling a little less wobbly, and while I couldn’t see Luster, I could hear her squeaky voice somewhere nearby.

  The Sherr family was probably feeding her, I could intuit, and it made me feel a little pathetic to know that I was not only being so well taken care of, but that in a lot of ways they’d already taken care of Luster more than me. I grimaced. I couldn’t expect them to shoulder so much of the work taking care of my animal!. I needed to be a lot more proactive in taking care of her personally in the future.

  I got up to my feet in a drunken stagger, and Chloe’s voice rang out from the kitchen. “Good morning, Noah! Get cleaned up, breakfast’s in a couple minutes.”

  The prospect of home-cooked meals here gave my legs the stability they needed to get to cleaning, and I was quick to wash my face and hands with the given bucket and a mirror, towel off, and get back into the kitchen, eager to sit down and have a meal, when a firm knocking on the door startled me to a stop in the middle of the hallway.

  “Oh, just come in, Ionos! No need to knock.”

  In through the door, the elderly wizard walked on through the doorframe, his gnarled staff making a distinctive tap against the floor with every single step forward. I noticed he was not using his signature pipe when he came in, but he did give a very signature harrumph.

  “Perhaps not by familiarity, but a poor example I would be to the up-and-coming spellcasters of the age if I start giving off the impression that a wizard is simply entitled to walk into and out of any dwelling at his or her convenience, disrespectful in even the most fundamental of manners.” Ionos replies, his whiskers twitching this way and that, though his grumpy fashion was interrupted by a long, purposeful sniff that led to a soft smile. “My dear Chloe, your kitchen still smells so distinct even compared to a castle’s grand feast.”

  “Oh stop it, uncle Ionos!” Chloe replied with a giggle I wouldn’t have expected from someone of her age. “Honestly, it’s mostly just pancakes and sausage. You could get the same from the castle.”

  “If I can, then no one’s told me how. Those buffoons focus so much on overly ostentatious presentation that they miss the fundamentals of a hearty meal at times. And they miss the beauty of the smaller treats in life. Which reminds me…?”

  Ionos looked at Chloe with a slowly raised eyebrow and the look of a man awaiting a big surprise, before a jar was pulled out. “Dried apricots. It was a little harder than I expected to get some, but I managed to trade with Maggie, and we weren’t really using all the raisins we had, so we both got a deal out of it.”

  “Bless your heart!” Ionos cheered, with a rare smile that reached his eyes.

  I finally felt the need to stop shifting uncomfortably in the hallway as they spoke, and aired my question. “Uhm, not that I mind, it’s nice to see you Ionos, but… is it normal for you to make conjugal visits like this?”

  Ionos turned to me, and his face turned from simple joviality to fire running through his eyes. “No, it is not, short of special occasions. This would be one such - and I am not here simply to enjoy breakfast. Let us walk in the back, young Noah, while breakfast is being readied. There are things to discuss between you and I.”

  I swallowed with some trepidation, wondering what was going on now, but I nodded, opening the back-door for Ionos as we headed into the proper farm area.

  “Ahh, seems it’s going to be time for planting again in a few days…” Ionos spoke up, looking to the fields of recently cut wheat that I’d harvested myself.

  “Yes, sir! I helped with that over the last week or so. It quite literally saved my life when… things, happened.”

  Ionos gave a low nod. “You will be a little too busy for the next few days to help prepare the soil, lad.”

  I quirked my head. “Something the king wants of me?”

  “Something I want of you.” Ionos would reply. “You mentioned wishing to learn the Message spell the other day, is that right?”

  I gave a nod, my voice quite still as Luster hopped up next to us, and I instinctively leaned down to scratch her head.

  “...Marvellous creature you have, there, Noah. Is that some kind of dragon?” Ionos asked, looking down with a mixture of wonder and caution.

  “Don’t worry, she’s not dangerous sir, she’s my bonded animal. Just hatched. She’s called a Giganotosaurus, where I'm from. Probably not even related to dragons.” I replied, giving a smirk when the little dinosaur decided to nibble on my bootstraps… probably something to discourage her from, in the future, but it was probably fine for now.

  “A bonded creature… I have heard of druids with such a power before, though rarely. I believe it was discouraged among the order for… some reason. I lack the precise knowledge of why.” He spoke up, a frown on his face. “Whatever difficulty a normal druid finds in such a skill, however, I am sure a hero will not face to the same extent.”

  I gave a nod as I eventually convinced her to let go of the straps, and Ionos and I continued walking.

  “Under normal circumstances, learning this spell would take you a few weeks. I am going to spend enough time with you over the next few days to ensure that, if you do not learn it just from working with me, you will at least understand enough of the spell to finish learning how to use it on your own. And as you have not chosen the path of the shifter, it is wise to show you magic fundamentals that may aid your capabilities, regardless.” Ionos would note.

  “...Why the hurry? Is there some particular… y’know, reason?” I blurt, looking from side-to-side.

  Ionos let out an exasperated sigh. “I shan’t give you all the details. I cannot. But I am on orders from the king. It has been decided that it is of utmost importance that you are taught this cantrip, that you may issue urgent requests for help, or similar communication, should you be in dire straits.”

  “So I can take it the assassin problem’s not exactly a ‘done’ one, then?” I asked with a frown. I was really hoping that this would be tied up with a whole kingdom’s resources bearing down on it, but I supposed that might have been a little optimistic, thinking back to what ionos had told me before.

  “...Much I cannot say, for it must remain secret for now. What I will tell you is that Revanche Ravencroft has been killed. His body was destroyed from within, by dark forces.”

  “D-dark…?” I asked. “...I thought the whole ‘dark forces’ thing was seasonal, and on the outs right now?” I blurted. “Uh, that is, that they weren’t here yet.”

  Ionos shook his head. “Though The Black Court was expelled from our lands a millenia ago, many remnants remain, usually in the form of mindless monsters, but there was another thing they left upon our lands - a blight that was not grown, or forced upon the lands, but taught. Dark Magic from the unbound realm still pollutes the lands, and while it is primarily the domain of those monsters that have the wit - or instinct - for spellcasting, there are still a few who remember the old magics. Such was one who left his mark on the Ravencroft noble, whose body tore itself to shreds.

  “To shreds you say…?” I asked, visceral depictions in my head leaving me a little nauseous.

  “I shall not state what I saw of him, but the pact mark he had taken burrowed too deep for anyone’s magic to save him. Perhaps if the taint had been noticed sooner… In either case, the sight was horrible enough to give even I pause at the sight of his body. A terrible fate has befallen someone who took a foolish deal.”

  Ionos gave a deep sigh. “I did know Revanche growing up. Certainly, I did not like him, but it is difficult on one so old to see the young die for this foolish choice or that. I perhaps lack sympathy for his fate, but I feel regret that I nor anyone else could have talked him out of such a doomed path. Regardless… This leaves us with many questions, and few answers.”

  “Well, I don’t think I can offer more.”

  Ionos nodded. “Indeed. For right now. But you do seem to remain a target of whatever organization attempted to assassinate you. So, for your safety, it seemed pertinent to give you at least a basic spell that might allow you to contact someone if you get in trouble again, among other reasons.”

  I gave a nod, before we heard the door open behind us. “Ionos! Noah! Breakfast is ready.”

  The Wizard just gave a smile. “Well, let’s both go and eat then, shall we? I am quite famished. And you’ll need all your energy. My training is not nice training.” he added with a dangerous wink.

  I gave a nervous laugh, hoping to hear Ionos join in, since… he was kidding, right?

  As he maintained silence, I just slowly reduced my laugh into a sigh.