"Annnnnnd...done." Amadeo sets down his quill, sighing and rubbing his writing hand. "I gotta say, I may need to use that method more often. Dunno why I didn't think of it before."

"Guess it's a good thing I was here." Hope sits back, munching on a cookie.

"You're right. I should really keep you close." Hope stops mid-chew, opening her mouth to speak and choking on a bite of cookie. Amadeo chuckles, closing his own book and passing Yuri's back to him. "Now to see if it works..." He takes a piece of fine copper wire Yuri hands over, holding it between his thumb and forefinger. Focusing his mind on his target, Amadeo takes a deep breath and sends the words he speaks out into the aether.

"Rhys. It's Amadeo. Please listen to me. I need you and Valora to come back to Misery. Your father wants to speak with you."

There's silence for a brief moment, followed by a reverberation in his mind as a voice much unlike the boy from his childhood, responds in an even tone. "Amadeo? It's so good to hear from you! I don't know what this is about or how you're speaking to me, but in regards to-"

The voice cuts off, and Amadeo lays his head in his hands. "What's wrong?" Hope asks, reaching out and laying a hand on his shoulder. Her concern goes unwarranted, however, as the wizard starts laughing. "I forgot to mention it can't handle alot of words at once!"

She chuckles, sitting back and waiting for him to finish. He holds the wire up again, focusing once more. "Apologies, you can only respond in short phrases Please come back home. I'll explain everything as soon you and Valora arrive."

There's a long pause in which Amadeo worries he might have said too little or too much, and then comes the next response. "I'll get with Valora and see how she feels about it. We'll bring our families, make a trip of it."

Amadeo sighs, sitting back. "Rhys is gonna talk to his sister and decide from there. I can only hope they think it's worth it."

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"What happens if they don't?" Cassie asks, flopping down on the couch next to Hope and flipping her book open to study. Hope fidgets a bit, but otherwise doesn't react to her close proximity.

"Then we lose our bargaining chip and this turns into a real fight. He only said 'if you reach out to my family', but that's no guarantee. If they don't show up, he might go right back to where he was and we won't have any way to reach him on an emotional level." Amadeo closes his eyes and shakes his head. "I'm gonna need a night's rest before I can contact them again."

"Well, it's nearing about four o'clock, so maybe we should head back to the house for dinner." Hope rises, pulling Amadeo to his feet.

"Yeah, dinner sounds nice. Master, Cassie, we'll see you again." The wizard waves to his mentor and his old friend.

The child waves at them as they pass. "Be careful on your way home."

Cassie watches the two exit out the door, tilting her head. "He's grown up alot in just a few weeks, huh?"

"He certainly has. But now, back to your studies. The key parts of a spell for creating an explosive flame, go!"

"Master, that's an easy one! It's sulfur and bat sh-"

Amadeo watches the evening sun, the sky gradually darkening as they head into the village. "It's gonna be cramped in the house tonight."

"But at least we'll all be together, safe and sound. I bet your family will feel alot better with you there." Hope takes his arm in hers, her breath visible in the dimming light. "It's getting cold fast, though. Reminds me of last night."

"Yeah. Maybe we'll all just snuggle up in the same room again."

"That sounds lovely." Hope stops, spotting something in the fog, a shadow of a figure that disappears as soon as she looks at it. "This place really messes with your mind."

"Stay close to me. We're fine for now, but trust me, we don't want to be out once the sun fully goes down." He picks up the pace of their walk, shivering as the hairs on the back of his neck begin to rise.

The streets begin to empty out, people returning home after their day's labor. Even in such a large group, eyes shift left and right, ever on edge. "You'd think they'd be used to it by now after living with it this long." Hope mumbles, one hand shifting to the hilt

"Some do, but it's still a powerful feeling. She gets stronger every year, her influence more potent. Even I'm..." His words drift off in the cold evening air, though Hope does notice he shifts his body closer, waving a glowworm through the air to create the familiar sparkling globes of light.