I kept looking around, telling myself it's so I could memorize the path, but honestly, it's an open field like space so nothing to memorize. It still felt surreal that I had left the house and surroundings I grew up in. I only ever left once, when I was still too young to remember, the consequences hadn't been good, I was told. Recalling again the result of the last time I met any new people, I gave the two men in front of me another suspicious look.

A tingling sensation over my skin, made me take a wary look around then stop short when I saw a house I could have sworn wasn't there a short while ago. "Where did the field go? Where did the house come from?" I asked.

The younger man ignored me, but Rowund gave me a bemused smile. "Ward," he said, and I frowned my confusion. "There's a ward around the house, unless it's someone stronger than me, you don't see it unless I want you to," he explained.

I chewed on her inner lip for a moment. "Does it work both ways? Can someone inside see out?" I asked, with a suspicious look backward.

He contemplated me for a while before finally saying, "yes." I could barely hide my relief. "I feel the need to warn though, I would not go traipsing out there if I were you. Things are not as safe as they used to be," he added with a stern look.

I frowned. "What happened?"

He gave me a sad smile. "All in due time, but first, let us go and meet the others."

He turned and continued forward and I got my first good look at the house. It looked similar to a house I had seen in a book, charming they had called it, probably a polite word for old. It is a single storey, with a front porch and all the work, I have always secretly wondered what that was like living in one. My house doesn't have a porch. Even from the outside, this house looks more inviting than mine ever did, and that scared me. Are they already pulling me in without even really trying? Or is this some kind of magic, like the wards but drawing you in instead of out? I looked away from the house to gather my thoughts, then noticed the outbuilding. It looked like it could have been a barn, but I looked again. Probably not. I saw the start of another building, a bungalow this time, and wondered just how many buildings are in this compound. What is this place? One of the men pushing the door open distracted my musing. I turned and caught their back moving into the house, I only hesitated for a moment. I had already come this far, I might as well go in, so I followed.

I don't know what I expected, but a spacious sitting room, with matching settees and drapes probably wasn't it. My mouth dropped open as I took in the space, with the stools and cabinets with little knickknacks littered on them. The space was clean with everything seemingly in it's place. I again wondered, what is this place?

We didn't stop in the sitting room though, we took a door that branched off to the left with a wide corridor. The older man pushed open the first door on the left, and laughter drifted out before cutting short. I stopped. Voices meant people, more people to meet. More opportunities to be hurt or worse.

Rowund looked at what I assumed to be the occupants of the room and said, "I do not know who owns this study anymore, me or you?"

A deep voice chuckled. "A little birdie told me that you found her. Did you really find her? Where is she?" the voice asked.

Rowund turned towards me from the doorway. "Come Ismene." I didn't budge. He frowned at me for a short while before his expression softened. "Come. Its safe." I swallowed. "No one would hurt you here, I give you my word," he added with a gentle smile. Yeah, I don't trust you either old man that somehow knew my name. I wordlessly searched his face to assess his genuineness. I might not have known a lot of people, but I have always had good instincts. I swallowed my apprehension, then took first one step, then another, until I was right at the door, then he moved for me to see the occupants of the room.

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"So Ismene, you have already met Zenon," Rowund said, pointing to the younger man that came with him to get me. So that's his name. Zenon, makes me think, brooding, which is probably appropriate since he was once again at a window looking out and ignoring the rest of us. Rowund pointed at a girl seated on my right, "that's Rossi." I turned to the girl and saw her studying me with a slight frown, I guess it's another person that has judged me and found me wanting. I controlled the urge to tell her to join the queue. She is pale with thick locks of ebony hair and the brightest green eyes I had ever seen. She looked small to me, but then, she is sitting. Rowund kept quiet like he was expecting something to happen. Rossi also did nothing beyond staring at me like she was trying to solve a particularly difficult puzzle. I fought not to narrow my eyes at her. I thought I was meant to be the socially awkward one not having interactions with society and all that. And I could have sworn I read somewhere that its rude to stare, but what do I know. Rowund continued. "This is Baltha," he said, pointing at a mountain of a man sitting to my right. He looked like he could do a lot of damage, with hands that could probably cover my entire head and a face that looked rugged but still good looking. His eyes a warm brown that seemed inviting, but when he raised his hand in what I later realized was greeting, I barely quelled my urge to run. I managed to stop myself after only a step back though. Progress. It's hard to go against years of advice to always run first and ask questions later. Baltha gave me a wide smile that made his eyes crinkle, trying to look disarming I presume, and it probably would have worked, if his face was detached from his body.

Pointing at the last person, Rowund said, "and this, lastly, is Armtur," he said pointing at the last man, seated in the third seat. The other men are good looking, however, Armtur has the most striking face of them all. I would even take the liberty to call him beautiful, so beautiful that I automatically took another step back. Anything that beautiful has to be dangerous. Nature always equips apex predators with natural weapons to attract their prey. Like a flower I had seen in the forest around my house, beautiful but deadly. He has long shiny hair that he was wearing down his back, it didn't make him feminine though. Somehow he made the look work. He didn't offer me any form of greeting, and I was okay with that. I probably would have run if he tried.

I looked around the room, feeling overwhelmed and avoiding everyone's gaze. Like all the other places I had seen in this house, the room is spacious, with a large wooden table close to the center, and a large settee behind it that no one sat on. There's a shelf on the right wall, filled with books I was itching to go check out and run my hands over. I kept my attention on the books, wondering if I could possibly read the spines all the way from here before Rowund interrupted the silence with a sigh. "Can someone please show Ismene around? I have something to get to and have delayed long enough," he said.

"I'll do it," Baltha said, like he was trying to get it out before someone else volunteered, he needn't have bothered though, no one else even moved. He got to his feet quicker than anyone his size has a right to. I looked up at him and swallowed on dry throat, he was even bigger than I imagined. I looked at his massive hands again and imagined him wrapping it around my throat. I would probably be dead before anyone finds us. Swallowing on even drier throat, I looked up at his face and saw worry, and was that hurt in his eyes? I guess my fear had shown in my face.

He drew back a little. "Maybe someone else should do it," he said reluctantly. His smile dimmed and I felt a slight twinge in my chest.

I am feeling guilty for being afraid and hurting his feelings? What is wrong with me? "It's okay, you're fine, I mean I'm fine," I said, even before I realized I was going to.

His smile brightened a little, but his eyes still looked worried. "Are you sure? I don't want to scare you," he added with a frown.

A snort came from the direction of the window but Zenon never turned to face us. I narrowed my eyes at his back before turning to give Baltha a tumultuous smile. "Yes, I'm sure. Lead the way."

He grinned. "Alright then, come with me," he said with an almost childlike enthusiasm and I even smiled back. What are they doing to me?