╚╩╩╩╝ Claude ╚╩╩╩╝

I woke early in the morning, long before Jaime or anyone else in town would have. The sun was still below the horizon, shining little light on the world.

Over the next several hours, I learned more about myself. Being a spirit was strange, though I was swiftly becoming more adjusted to it. I wasn’t sure how, but Jaime could understand my own thoughts. I had no physical body, but shared a small portion of Jaime’s. This gave my spirit senses of its own. I could hear, see and smell all on my own and though I felt these through Jaime as well as myself, I had to rely on her for touching and taste. I could move through walls if I pushed hard enough, though I still couldn’t touch it. Instead, it felt like I was walking against a fierce wind.

During this time, I found I could move other solid objects. It felt like pushing against a stream of water, but if I tried hard enough I could push something small. I wasn’t sure whether or not that something like this would be helpful in the future, but it was nice to know that it was possible.

In my experimenting during the morning, I discovered something very intriguing. In the downstairs latrine hung a small polished sheet of metal to use as a mirror. As I passed by, I caught a glimpse of myself. It was hard with the little light and how dull the reflection was, but I knew it was me in the reflection. In the mirror was a cloud of black mist with two eyes that shone in the darkness, one gold, the other purple. The rest seemed familiar to me somehow, almost normal.

The groaning of wood just above told me that the residents of the inn had begun waking up, which meant that morning had finally come. The door swung open as a patron came rushing in. Panicking, I moved around them and out the open door. In the few moments since morning had arrived, the ground floor had become flooded with guests waiting for the first meal of the day. Now was as good a time as any to eat, and with the dreams she’s been having, Jaime must be starving.

“It’s good you’re here. She isn’t responding to anything I do.” The hostess was standing behind the bar. The one she was speaking to was a man dressed in a short brown cloak and plain clothes. The man had thinning brown hair and eyes of the same color.

“Please allow me to see the child.” The man said, standing from his seat.

I followed the two of them into the backroom where Jaime was currently sleeping. Walking over to Jaime, the hostess lightly shook her shoulder, trying to rouse the girl, but she remained unresponsive. The hostess stepped aside as the man came forward.

Like the boy Hamil had done the day before, this man summoned an aura, only the glow was a deep green color and he did it without pressing his hand to his chest. That green glow ignited a green, flame-like aura from his eyes.

“This child is special.” The man stated. “The spirits swarm to her like a child to its mother. They are the reason that she is unable to wake.”

“How is that possible?” The hostess asked, shocked.

“I have heard stories of individuals that have angered the spirits. They would come while the offender was sleeping and force them into a never-ending nightmare.” The man then stroked his chin. “Though by the look on her face, I doubt she’s having a nightmare. It’s like they’ve trapped her inside a paradise in her mind.”

The sleeping Jaime had a goofy grin and was drooling slightly.

“Can you stop it?” The hostess asked, turning to look at Jaime sympathetically.

“Unfortunately, I am not a spiritualist. I can only see the spirits.” The man explained, regretfully. “I only know one, but he is several days away from here. Spiritualists are very rare among humans after all.”

“That’s alright, thank you. At least we know what’s going on.” The hostess spoke sadly.

“Then I will take my leave. Breakfast smells heavenly.” The man spoke, sniffing at the air. “ I give my complements to the chef.”

“I’ll make sure to let Sadie know.” The hostess replied, smiling.

The man opened the door, letting in the boisterous voices of the patrons who were being fed. Bowing his head, he left the hostess and Jaime alone and closed the door.

“Hopefully Hamil comes to visit today.” The hostess lamented as she brushed her hand through Jaime’s ashen hair.

I moved closer to her and tried to do the same, but felt my consciousness slip as I fell into her dream like I had the night before.

Inside the dream, underneath a towering, pale leaved, dark tree sat Jaime. Surrounding the tree was a field of tall, yellowed grass that bowed with the breeze. Jaime was drawing on a stone tablet with bark from the tree. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought that this wasn’t a dream. Everything looked extremely convincing.

Just beside Jaime was a small wooden platter covered in sweets. She would occasionally reach over and pick up a random dessert and eat it, and each time she did, a tiny ball of light floated down from the tree and landed where she had just taken the dessert from, where it would transform into an identical treat.

Looking up from her drawing, Jaime met my eyes and smiled.

“Hi dad!” She called, waving her arm wildly.

Looking down at myself, I found that I looked exactly like I had before the war. It brought back a flood of memories, all of which were trying to convince me to stay here, away from the pains of the world.

“Hey sweetie. What’re you drawing?” I asked as I sat down beside her.

She looked back down to her drawing and pouted.

“I’m drawing mom, but I can’t get it right.” She answered.

“What are you getting wrong?” I asked, leaning in to see the drawing.

“I don’t know. I don’t remember what mom looks like. Can you help me?” She asked, turning to look at me.

“Sure.” I replied, finding a more comfortable seating position.

Jaime handed me the tablet and sat staring at me with bright eyes. I assumed it was because we were in a dream, but she had drawn amazingly with just a simple piece of bark. I knew there was no way that I could draw my Jaime, but I could at least point out things that were wrong.

As I stared at the tablet trying to picture her, a realistic image of the Jaime that I had married appeared on the stone under what Jaime had already drawn.

“Ah, I see it now!” Jaime cried out and took back the tablet.

Watching her work with the bark felt like watching a master, and soon enough, she was done. Seeing the image of my wife again brought back even more memories. I was about to surrender to the comfort of the dream when another voice came from the other side of Jaime, startling me.

“You’ve got some good tastes, sweetie. No doubt you got that from me.” It was the voice of a woman. The familiarity of the voice left me trembling, frozen.

Sitting on the ground with the tray of sweets on her lap was my Jaime, the Jaime that I had spent my life with, the Jaime that had passed away nearly ten years ago. Seeing both Jaimes sitting next to each other like this. It was like someone took my Jaime and shrunk her. They looked nearly identical in every way. Both with the same ash colored hair and enchanting blue eyes, though the younger Jaime was paler. My Jaime was even wearing a flowing purple dress the same color as Jaime’s.

“Come on, honey. Stop staring at me like that. I know I’m beautiful, but that doesn’t excuse it.” My Jaime teased before shoving a pastry in her mouth.

“Mom!” Young Jamie cried out as she rushed to hug her mother.

“My aren’t you just the cutest thing?” My Jamie cried out as she squeezed back.

The two of them sat there for a moment before the younger Jaime started to cry.

“It’s so scary! I don’t have you or dad anymore!” Young Jamie cried.

My Jamie started stroking our daughter’s hair.

“That’s not true. You might not see us, but your father and I are always there. We’re always watching over you.” My Jamie spoke softly, comforting her in the same way she had our two sons when they were scared. “If you’re ever feeling lonely or scared, you have your father’s cloak. As long as you have that, you will always have his arms around you, right.”

“But what about you, mom?” Our daughter asked, sobbing.

My Jaime pulled back for a moment, reached behind her neck and removed her necklace. A small glass heart on a simple, metal chain. I had given it to her after we got engaged. She never took it off after that day. Leaning forward, put the necklace on young Jaime.

“As long as you’re wearing this necklace, our hearts will be connected.” She spoke, then whispered. “That’s what your dad said when he gave it to me.”

“I don’t want you to leave.” Young Jaime whimpered, looking to my Jaime and me.

“We aren’t leaving. We’ll always be with you, sweetie.” My Jaime comforted. “Now it’s time for you to wake up.”

Young Jaime nodded her head, sniffling and took a deep breath before standing and walking a few steps away.

My Jaime stood as well, coming over to me and extending her hand. I grasped her hand as she pulled me up, but before I could say a thing, she pulled me in and kissed me.

“I’ve worried about you for so long.” She whispered.

“I’ve lost so much. What’s happened is a miracle.”

“Take care of her. She needs all the help you can give.” She said, lowering her eyes. “I have to go. I’ve used up all the time I have.”

“Can I do this on my own? You were the one who raised Callum and Levi. I hardly did anything.”

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Jaime raised her hand and gently stroked my cheek and reassured me. “I know you can. Take care of the kids. Protect them. And make sure they get along.” She said with a smirk.

“Alright. I won’t let anything happen to them.”

Her eyes turned sad as tears formed in both our eyes.

“I know you won’t.” She spoke sadly.

I knew this body was fake, but the emotions I was feeling were the realest thing I’d felt for a very long time.

“That boy should be waking Jaime up now. Goodbye, Claude. I love you.” She spoke as she faded away.

“I love you, too.” I replied, feeling myself get pulled away.

The world around us faded as we said our goodbyes, the last image I saw was my Jaime smiling like she did the day that we were married.

I jolted back into the real world as Jaime’s room came into view. Kneeling by Jaime’s bed was the boy named Hamil, the hostess standing just to his side.

Hamil’s eyes were emitting the same purple aura as before. He had his hand positioned above Jaime’s head, the plain, white ring pulsating gently in between. Suddenly, the ring began to pulsate more rapidly and emit a sharp humming noise as hundreds of tiny beads of multicolored light began to appear on her body. These balls of light separated from her body and gathered in the air where they began to shape themselves into the same necklace that my Jaime had given to her. The light then wrapped around her neck, forming the chain, and the necklace fell, resting on her chest.

“Did-did you do that?” The hostess asked, startled.

“No, I-I’m not… sure… what happened.” Hamil said, struggling to breathe.

Jaime’s eyes flicked open, and she jolted upright. Panicking for a moment, she looked down and saw the necklace hanging from her neck and felt a warmth fill her body that only grew as she held my cloak close. Her heart that was once filled loneliness was now filled with peace and hope.

“How do you feel?” The hostess asked.

Jaime paused for a moment as her stomach growled.

“Ah, I’ll bring some food.” The hostess spoke before exiting the room and leaving Hamil and Jaime by themselves.

Beads of sweat were dripping down Hamil’s pale face. Using magic like he just did, it must have been exhausting. He got up from the floor and sank into a creaky chair that sat against the wall.

Jaime wrapped the cloak around herself and stepped out of bed, cringing as her injured feet pressed against the floor. They weren’t bleeding anymore, and the bandages covered most of the bottoms of her feet, but they were still incredibly sore.

“A-Are you okay?” Jaime asked, watching Hamil who was still breathing heavily.

“Yeah, I’m just a little tired.”

Hamil took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his brow.

“Are you sure that you’re okay?” He asked.

Jaime reached a hand up to her chest and felt the cool glass of the necklace on her fingers.

“Yeah. I don’t know what happened, but I’m okay.”

The hostess opened the door with a large wooden tray in her hand. I wouldn’t have expected her to be able to carry something like that, but she did so without a hint of strain.

“Food’s ready you two. Come and eat.” She said, gesturing out the door. “There’s a pair of shoes by your bed, Jaime. They should be the right size.”

Jaime looked down and found a pair of gray shoes up against the bed. She quickly put them on, wincing as the hard soles pressed on her feet. They were a little big, but fit snugly after she tightened them.

Leaving the room, we were surrounded by the loud chatter of the guests who were still enjoying themselves. Some were still eating, while others were socializing or playing games at their table. The hostess led us to a table in the corner where she set down the food. Fresh bread, a bowl of warm stew with chunks of meat and potato floating in it and a clump of pale cheese. Jaime’s eyes lit up as she gaped at the meal.

“Hurry and eat. You don’t want it getting cold.”

At the hostess’ word, Jaime began greedily eating, hardly taking a moment to taste anything. The way she just shoveled the food into her mouth reminded me of how my boys ate, eating like every meal was their last.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Someone spoke from nearby.

The one who spoke was a young woman was standing beside the table wearing a simple apron covered in stains. Her auburn hair was tied behind her head in a ponytail. She looked to be just past her teens, but her pale, blue eyes still held a youthful aura.

“This is my daughter, Sadie. She helps me in the kitchen.” The hostess spoke, gesturing to Sadie who had a wide grin on her face.

“I can see that my old shoes fit you well.” She spoke, tilting her head so that she could see Jaime’s short legs kicking under the table.

Jaime, having finished her meal in record time, stood up from her chair and thanked the young woman, immediately being pulled into a hug.

“Oh, I’ve always wanted a little sister!” She cried out, squeezing Jaime. “Can we keep her, mom?”

Jaime nearly passed out before Sadie released her.

“It’ll be a couple of days before anyone travels to Renae, so you’ll be staying with us for the time being.” The hostess explained. “You’ll be helping Sadie in the kitchen.”

“I’ll take good care of you.” Sadie spoke with an even wider grin.

I could feel the nervousness building inside Jaime. She didn’t know anything about working in a kitchen and was worried that she would end up disappointing them. Though, like before, she reached a hand up to the necklace feeling the cool glass against her fingers and the nervousness disappeared.

“Ma’am, can I speak with you?” Hamil asked, quietly.

Hamil had hardly touched any of his food. His hands were trembling.

The hostess nodded her head and walked him back to the room where Jaime had slept while Sadie brought Jaime back into the kitchen.

I followed Hamil and the hostess into the room and hung around the door, watching the two of them.

“What did you need to tell me?” The hostess asked, failing to hide the hopefulness in her voice.

“I’ve decided to leave.” Hamil answered bluntly.

I was behind the hostess, so I couldn’t see her face, but I knew she was happy to hear what Hamil was saying.

“Can I assume that you’ve thought this all through?”

“Yes. I have all of my belongings packed and hidden nearby. I assume the girl is going to Renae. I’ll go with her. I’m sure whoever is taking her will appreciate what little abilities I possess.”

“What about after that?” The hostess asked. “I know your father doesn’t tolerate desertion.”

“I’ll join the military. I’ve heard that specialists of any kind are in demand right now.” Hamil answered.

“No!” The hostess spoke fimly. “I have seen too many young men and women throw their life away.” She pulled Hamil in and squeezed him.

“What else can I do?” He spoke into her chest.

The hostess paused for a moment, then let go of the boy. “I believe Pert is going with Jaime to Renae. I’m positive he’ll take you in as well.” The hostess shuddered, then spoke again after a long, agonizing pause. “Hamil, I’m sorry for keeping this from you, but I knew your mother.”

Hamil’s eyes went wide.

“She managed to get away from your father and came to me. I watched over her much like I do with everyone that you leave in my care. I helped her escape back to her people, though she left me with something.”

The hostess moved to one part of the room and opened a secret compartment in the wall. From the compartment, she pulled a small bundle of cloth.

“She said you would be a special child. That you had inherited her abilities, as well as her compassion. She knew you would eventually try to leave, and that when you did, that you would come to me. She was a strange woman, but I still believed her.”

Hamil reached out a hand and grabbed the cloth, gripping it tightly. He unwrapped the cloth, revealing a small, circular medallion. It looked wooden, but had a polish to it that reflected his face. He touched the medallion and all the color drained from his face, as his breath grew more erratic and rough. The hostess grabbed onto his shoulders, gently shaking him.

The boy quickly regained his composure and straightened himself.

“Mom… I’ll right this wrong.” He whispered, staring at his reflection on the medallion.

Slowly, he hung the medallion around his neck and let it drop under his shirt.

The hostess went to leave, Hamil close behind her, and for a brief moment, I could see a look of pure fury on the boy’s face.

As we entered the main room of the inn, the front door burst open as two men entered the inn. I immediately recognized the men from both their brutish appearance and from their smell. They were Campo’s men.

“A’rright people! Where’s the girl?” One of them shouted.

Both of these men were large and rugged, covered in scars that were visible because they had no shirts on. They looked near identical to each other, the main difference being that one of them was bald, while the other had a very poorly made wig, most likely fashioned from a skunk from the smell coming off the man.

The hostess approached the men, crinkling her nose at the stench coming off the bewigged ruffian.

“Can I help you… gentleman?” The hostess asked nervously.

“Don’ play with us, lady. You know our boss.” The foul-smelling man spoke.

“Yeah, we know you got the girl.” The other man added.

“The girl? I’m sorry gentlemen, but I don’t know whom you’re referring to.”

“Yeah you do. My brother saw her come here. Now you tell us, or things’re gonna get ugly.”

Suddenly, a rush of pain and fear overwhelmed me. I turned around to see a third man, identical to the other two, but with a peach-fuzz mustache this time, come out from the kitchen.

“Thought I’d get a lil’ snack and look what I find.”

In one hand, he had Jaime’s arm and in the other was Sadie’s.

“That’s her!” Shouted the skunky man.

The man dragged the two girls toward the center of the room. The entire inn had grown quiet by this point, save for the sound of wind rushing through the open door.

“Thanks for the help.” Said the bald man.

Campo’s men slowly started for the door, but a voice caught their attention.

“Guys like you really get on my nerves. Interrupting a perfectly good meal.”

A man in his early twenties stood from a nearby table and stretched. He had long, muddy brown hair that hung to the middle of his back and piercing blue eyes that narrowed as he looked at Campo’s men. He wore a long, black cloak that faded near the bottom.

“And now you’re trying to take the chef! I know the food is good, but that’s a little much.”

A blue light rushed through his body before reaching his eyes, releasing a blue, flame-like aura from them that spread completely through his body, covering it entirely..

The man rushed for the one holding Jaime and Sadie, baby-stache, grabbing at his face and squeezing. Baby-stache started yelling out, releasing the girls and reaching for the man’s hand, trying to pry it from his head. The man used his free hand to punch baby-stache in the gut, then grab him by the arm, throwing him through the open door. Baldy and skunky rushed out the door, after their brother. The man followed after them, as did I. The two brothers helped up baby-stache and turned to face the man as he stepped out of the inn.

Baldy rushed towards the man, pulling a knife from his belt, but the man dodged the small blade and thrust his fist into baldy’s side, throwing him a good distance away. Skunky had, at this point, managed to pull a short sword from his belt. He had struggled with it for a brief moment, but finally got it out. He charged the man, swinging wildly. The man dodged to the side, avoiding the blade and spun to kick skunky across the side of his head, but by some miracle, skunky had ducked in time for it to miss his head, but not his wig. The lump of smelly fur flew from his head, slapping against the side of the inn. Skunky panicked, dropped his sword and ran to the pile of rancid fur, only to be stopped by a swift kick to the side, throwing him against the wall of the building across from the inn. An audible crunch could be heard as the man’s foot connected with skunky’s side, so he was most likely out of commission. Baby-stache stood ready to attack, but unlike his brothers, he didn’t immediately charge forward. He pulled a short sword from his belt and waited. Eventually, the two men charged each other. Baby-stache thrusted his sword forward, but the man ducked under the blade, sweeping his legs. As baby-stache fell forward, the man slammed his fist into his chest. Unlike with his other attacks, this one released a flash of blue light as the man got sent high into the air.

Skunky laid against the wall of a nearby building, unconscious and very hurt. Baby-stache got launched into the air and landed flat on the ground on his back, creating a louder cracking sound than when the man had kicked skunky. Baldy, however, was a good distance away, shaking in fear. The man seemed to not care about baldy as he stepped over to the body of the weeping baby-stache.

“Bandits always leave a bad taste in my mouth.” The man murmured and spat on the bandit’s face.

A woman came out of the inn and strolled up to the man. She had short, tan hair, tied into a ponytail and vibrant, orange eyes. She grabbed at his hair and started to yank down, causing him to cry out in pain.

“You’re forgetting something!” The woman shouted in his ear. “Stop acting cool and finish what you started!”

The man recomposed himself and looked at Baldy in the distance who immediately turned and ran.

“He’s too far. I could rush him, but then I’d be out of mana.” The man said, shrugging his shoulders. “Why don’t you get this one.” He told the woman before strolling over to the wall of the inn and leaning against it.

“I swear.” The woman mumbled under her breath as a blue light rushed through her body, releasing a blue aura from her eyes.

She raised her right arm as a plain, white ring appeared in front of her hand The ring pulsated as markings started to carve themselves into their surfaces. Once the carvings had finished, the temperature of the air dropped as everything in front of her froze solid, reaching all the way to where Baldy was running. Once the wave of cold reached him, he froze in place, falling to the ground.

“Why don’t you go and get him now? He’s not going anywhere.”

The man sighed and trudged over to baldy, grabbed him by the ankle and dragged him back in front of the inn.

Seeing the victorious battle, the inn’s patrons started cheering. The man strolled over to Jaime and Sadie who stood just inside the inn. He tipped his head to the two girls.

“How can I repay you?” The hostess asked.

The man thought for a moment and spoke, “Seconds?”

“Right away.” Sadie replied, hurrying to the kitchen.

“Might I ask your names?” The hostess asked.

It was the woman who answered her question as she appeared next to the man, resting against the wall. “I’m Astrid and this guy’s Damian. We’re Freelancers. Oh, and I would also like seconds!”

“Got it!” Sadie shouted back from the kitchen.