Florencia’s expression turned somber as she paled at my words.

“So what was it?" she asked, a hint of apprehension crept into her voice.

I shifted closer to the warm, crackling flames, and said: “The monster? I thought you should know.”

She sank into the pillows next to me, leaning her head on my shoulder. Being so close to her was becoming increasingly comforting, and her smell was now almost intoxicating.

“Jonas,” she said, her voice low. “I’ve never seen or heard about a monster like what you described. Not even second-hand reports. The beasts I told you about were malformed animals, but nothing, not even close to what you said! I don’t understand what this means."

We stopped discussing this topic, neither of us knowing where to take the knowledge, and neither of us wanting to even continue.

Strangely enough, what she said did not surprise me. I had suspected it, though not knowingly. But I had hoped she would shine some light on it, especially because her lodge dealt with these things.

The past few nights, Florencia was sleeping calmly next to me, but I could not. I kept seeing Veneiea over and over again in my mind. I saw the mud so clearly in my mind, and I saw the fear in the wild men's eyes as I caved in their skulls. And I saw the beast. The beast which should not exist here. And the more I thought about it, the more its very presence offended me. I could not get it out of my head. That damned beast. How could it be here? It should be impossible! I understood those were not thoughts of reason, but my immediate emotional responses.

And when Florencia explained about the work she did in the Lodge, I hoped she might have an answer, but she did not.

She was as lost as I was.

No, that would be incorrect. She was even more lost than I was.

“At least the beast is dead, and the city is now safe,” I said, trying to comfort her. But the words were hollow, and I felt ridiculous even speaking them.

“What’s left of the city, and its people,” she whispered. “This is what I’ve been trying to tell them ever since you went away. They’ve never listened. But now they have to take it seriously.”

“What do you think will happen?”

“I don’t know. But an entire city was destroyed. That can’t be ignored!”

“I overheard that the royal advisor asked Ardovar and Philemon about it.”

“You heard them mention Rainier Pitties?” Florencia loudly asked.

“That’s the name. Who is he that made both of them so scared?”

“He is the advisor to the king, and arguably the second most influential person in the kingdom. I'm sure he knows a few secrets even the king doesn't. Nobody wants his attention, especially these days, when he receives bad news more than good ones,” Florencia said. “And, of course, he is the most powerful mage in Lienor.”

“Have you met him?”

“I saw him once,” Florencia said. “I can’t remember why he came to the Academy, but something went very bad with a mission many years ago, and he came to demand explanations. We have much independence in the Lodge and the Academy. The King rarely interferes, and he has less of an influence over us. But when something goes really bad, we still have to answer to him. And usually he sends Pitties to deal with us. And when he does that, when Pitties is here, even our High Council gets scared. We know the King is paying close attention and is, typically, not pleased at all."

“And the king? Have you met him?”

“Many years ago, back when the Lodge was founded. He came to see how we did things at the Lodge. He walked around, inspected everything, and talked to everyone. He was very interested in all of it. And later, he talked with the High Council for a long time. But I didn't want to be involved with him at all, so I kept my distance, and never met him personally. I don't think he even looked my direction, Iscia be blessed! It's funny, Jonas, he was coronated only a few days after you disappeared. I still remember all the colorful festivities. How happy everyone were back then...”

Florencia was not in the mood for much talking after this, and I had no more answers than she did for the questions we both had about Veneiea. And soon the morning turned into day, and the Sun reached high, but could not pierce the thick clouds. A darkness still lay over Bessou, and a strong wind blew from the lake. The news weighed heavily on her mind, and I could tell she was in deep thought as we cleaned up and washed in silence.

“So…” Florencia said, as she tended to the bread sizzling in the black skillet, and added a few cloves of garlic to the melted butter. “I don’t know what to make of this new strength of yours. The Jonas that left me couldn’t even do a basic levitation spell without dropping everything on the floor. But you can now withstand the mind-breaking spells of the strongest mages of Cappesand, and… shoot lighting from your hand. I know you don’t remember, and can’t explain how you learned all of this, but I just had to tell you about it.”

“Then maybe I’m not—”

“Oh, stop it already,” she said and slid the golden-brown bread onto our plates. The entire apartment was filled with the mouthwatering aroma of garlic and butter, and the taste was nothing short of divine. She had expertly fried it so the bread was crispy on the outside, but still soft on the inside, infused with a subtle garlic flavor.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“But I don’t care,” she said, swallowing the last bite of the bread. “Even if we never find out how you came to learn all of that, I wouldn’t care.”

I was about to say that there were many strange things happening when we heard knocking sounds coming from downstairs. It was faint but clear. During the past eight days, we were the only ones in the building, except for the old shopkeeper downstairs, who came in during odd times of the day. Florencia stood up, walked across the room, and peeked from the windows into the side street.

“It’s Jace,” she said calmly. “The Lodge has come. Quickly, let’s put on some clothes!”

“Is your underwear not suitable for company?” I teased as Florencia pulled up a pair of thick woolen trousers, hiding away her lovely long legs, much to my misery.

“I don’t mind you staring,” she said and buttoned up a clean white shirt over her short top. “In fact, I like it. But could you mind your manners when around my associates?”

“Of course,” I replied, still smiling. “You have a reputation there. I’d hate to ruin it.” I wondered if she knew just how hard that would be to not think impure thoughts about her, but a warm tugging on my heart told me she did, and she did not mind that either.

Florencia smiled warmly again and leaned in to give me a long and breathy kiss on my lips before turning to open the door. On behalf of the Lodge came Jace Vialisios—the smiling man from the smoke-filled interrogation room so many days ago, when I was still a prisoner of the Lodge.

Jace entered Florencia’s apartment with hesitant steps, taking in the small home with a look of curiosity on his face. He was a man of average height, and slender build, and impeccably dressed in a brand-new light-blue wool coat. Not a crease or smudge of dirt could I notice on it, and his entire appearance was immaculate and meticulously maintained; his dark hair was combed over his head, and his dark goatee was neatly trimmed short.

But most I noticed his smile. It wasn’t a jovial, carefree smile, but a content one, but without the shallowness that usually comes with people who were too happy. I sensed a depth within the man but kept my sixth sense in check for the time being.

“Good evening, Warden Regalla,” Jace Vialisios said, and almost was about to bow before he caught himself, but his smile never left his lips.

I liked him from the start.

“And good evening Jonas Espian,” he said, turning to me and extending his arm to shake mine. “The entire academy is filled with rumors about you. Whether you really are the long-lost Jonas, or someone posing as him. Your story is quite famous in Cappesand, even though the dean tried to suppress it for years.”

Jace turned to Florencia again and said: “I apologize for coming here personally, Warden, but Ardovar commanded me. He hoped you would come earlier, and he was growing…”

“Impatient?” Florencia asked.

“No, not impatient. Nervous,” Jace said, still standing in the doorframe awkwardly, rolling the sleeve of his coat between his fingers. “I’ve never seen him this nervous before. Warden, they—”

“Jace, please, come in,” Florencia said and guided the man toward the kitchen, where she sat him down and put on a teakettle.

“I’m sorry,” Jace said again, now sitting down and holding onto an empty clay cup. “It’s so strange seeing you like this.”

“How? Homely?” Florencia asked and leaned against the wall opposing the fireplace.

“No, um, smiling,” Jace said, tripping over his words, and I couldn’t help but laugh. Florencia was not amused, but her face showed nothing.

“Are you saying you’ve not seen me smile?” Florencia asked, clearly not amused.

“No, it’s not that at all,” Jace stammered, searching for the right words. “It’s just that, before, you were stern and cold—professional! I meant professional. But now, you look happy, and it’s jarring.”

“I’ve had a wonderful week,” Florencia said, choosing to ignore most of Jace’s awkward words. Her eyes were almost sparkling as she smiled at me. The smile was brief, but meaningful, and warmed my heart more than the fire ever could.

Jace, however, caught the secret exchange, risky as it was, and his curious gaze shifted between Florencia and me. But he said nothing, choosing instead to take a curious look at the fireplace, his expression returning to a gentle smirk with no hidden bitterness.

For some time, Jace and Florencia chatted about various simple topics. She also attended to the fire, stoking it a few times to keep it burning steadily. She carefully added some thick logs on top of the burnt ones to keep it hot enough to boil the water. Then she took a spoonful of orange-colored powder mixed with some dark green herbs and stirred it into the warm water, and quickly the apartment was filled with a delicious aroma of sweet cinnamon.

“So, Jace, what were you saying about Ardovar?” Florencia then asked.

“Ardovar asked me to bring you to the Lodge. And you, Jonas, as well.”

“When?”

“Tonight,” Jace answered, knowing full well his answer was not what either of us wanted to hear. “You were gone for over a week. Ardovar hoped you would come in earlier, but you did not, so he sent me. And I don’t know for certain, but I heard from Rian that Ardovar received a warning. There’s an assignment for you and me, Florencia. Somewhere here in Lienor, but that’s all I know.”

Florencia let out a deep sigh as she settled down onto the bed beside me, her body relaxed as she leaned against my side. Jace watched us with his amused expression, his face betraying no ill thought.

“I hoped to have more time,” Florencia said, sinking further against me, and I felt her unease over the news.

“Me as well?” I asked.

“I’m afraid so,” Jace answered, and looked away onto the darkened streets. “For why I do not know, but he ordered me to bring you in.”

“Ordered to bring me?” I repeated his words back to him and smirked.

Florencia stiffened and straightened her back.

“Jonas…” she said.

I managed to soothe her with a soft gaze, but she remained cautious, sensing an anger brewing within me. Jace, who sat only ten paces away, noticed Florencia tense up but did not understand why.

I had told Florencia most about what had happened to me, but I kept from her the promise I made to never willingly submit to the Lodge’s control. If I went back to the Academy, Ardovar could imprison me again if he so wished. In that case, I would fight back, and everything would devolve into something violent and nasty.

After a few more moments of palpable tension, Jace finally caught on to what was causing my unease. He spoke up, sounding remorseful: “I’m sorry, Jonas, I forgot about what Ardovar and Sofia did when you were imprisoned—the circlet, the interrogation. I can understand why you might be hesitant to come with me. But I assure you that you’re safe and you won’t be harmed.”

He gave me an earnest look, trying to convey his sincerity and reassure me of his promise, but also sensing how meaningless his words were. It was not his decision to make. I extended my mind ever so slightly, trying to detect any deceit, but found none.

There were no lies in his words.

“Jace, you can’t promise me that,” I said. “Even if you wanted to. It’s not your decision.”

“But you are still under the custody of the Lodge,” he said.

I looked around me, and said: “Am I?”

Jace went pale as he understood what I meant, but did not move. This was Florencia’s breaking point, though, and she shot up from the bed.

“Jonas, please! You are under my protection. I won’t let anything hurt you. Please don’t make me choose between you or the Lodge.”

I wanted to tell Florencia I will never make her choose between the Lodge and me. But I didn’t.

That was not a promise I could give. I would not go through the gates of Cappesand again, but I didn’t want to put Florencia into this impossible position, either.

So what could I do?