Three pairs of eyes peered from the bar area over at the group of four in the back corner of the tavern.
A tall man with waist length blond hair that Emelri identified as Adrian, sat with his arm over the back of a chair of a short man with a curly black ponytail, bronze skin, and several piercings that glinted in his left ear. This man’s hand rested over Adrian’s thigh as he drank from a tankard, and she just knew that had to be Jacques. She recognized the large black man also at their table but didn’t recognize the tall thin person next to him with light brown skin and short brown hair wearing some kind of foreign hat.
They were all chatting quietly.
“Okay,” Toulou whispered. “We need to do this tactfully—Emelri!”
She was gone, already making her way over to the table. By the time the siblings had caught up to her, she was tugging on the large black man’s sleeve.
“Excuse me,” she said, and everyone halted their conversation to look over at her. “Would this be the party of Jacques, resident of New Minoka?”
The androgynous person with the strange hat beamed at her. “Oh wow! I’ve never seen someone of pure Alchemist descent before. Thought that trait had died out.”
“Huh?” She stared at them, and they pointed at her head.
“White hair. It’s a recessive Alchemist trait.” Emelri’s hands shot to her head, realizing she’d forgotten her hair covering. “Woah! Those shoes... are they made of black glass?” She glanced down, and her face flushed.
“Zuri, enough,” the short leader cut in. “My name is Jacques, yes.” He leaned forward grumpily on the table. “What did you three want?”
She glanced behind to see Toulou and Pepin standing right behind her. The eldest gave her a death glare, stepping forward and pushing her back in one motion. “Jacques,” they said seriously. “Finally.”
“Do we know each other?” he questioned.
“Not personally, no. Pep and I have met Adrian and Andre.”
The black man lifted his head in their direction in acknowledgment while the blond next to him blinked in surprise. “Huh?” Adrian questioned. “Wait... I recognize you two! You’re Aveline’s kids.”
“Who?” Zuri asked flatly.
“Aveline. We met her in Lacot? She was friends with my mother. They traveled together.”
“Ohhh, yes. That Aveline.” Zuri made a face, obviously still confused.
“The magic user...”
“Oh! Yes, I remember now.”
“Where’s she now?” Adrian asked, turning his attention back to the teenagers. “It’s been a few months. I was planning on paying her a visit.”
“She’s dead,” Toulou said bluntly.
“Wh-what?”
“A Spiller found out who we were and burned down our home with our mother in it.”
Pepin hid behind his sibling shamefully.
“Holy fuck...” Jacques murmured. He looked between the three of them, then stood. “Why don’t we talk more at the house? You have a place to stay?”
“Sort of,” Toulou said. “We’ve been staying here at the tavern.”
“We’ve waited for months for your return,” Emelri added. “Toulou got a job and everything.”
“Well, you can stay with us for now,” he said. “Andre, Zuri, why don’t you help them with their things?”
“Sure, but don’t discuss anything important while we’re gone,” they said excitedly, standing.
He shot them a look. “Read the room, Zuri.”
They frowned, then went with Toulou who led the way upstairs. Andre went as well.
“Come on then,” Jacques said, approaching Pepin and Emelri. “Have you eaten yet?” They shook their heads. “What are your names?”
“That’s Pepin,” she said, “and I’m Emelri.”
Adrian was by Jacques’s side now. “Yes, I remember you, Pepin. You were so excited to finally see visitors.”
“Pep doesn’t speak,” Emelri answered firmly. “Not much anyway.”
He blinked. “Really? We spoke a fair amount in Lacot.” Green eyes flicked up to him. “I’m so sorry all this happened to you. I wish we’d have known sooner, Pepin. We could have helped. Don’t worry. You’re safe now with us.”
The boy watched him for a moment, then bent his head and wiped his eyes. He stood there for maybe three seconds before Jacques stepped forward and hugged him.
“Woah, hey,” Jacques cooed. “Let’s get you to the house. You’ve been through a lot.”
Adrian watched his partner in slight surprise, a softness crossing his face as Pepin quietly sobbed into Jacques’s chest. Emelri felt like crying too but held her composure.
❀❀❀
The house they were brought to put their tavern room to shame.
The clean, open space had a large kitchen, living room, and dining room.
“How many bedrooms are there?” Emelri asked, gazing around.
“Four,” Adrian answered, “and two bathrooms. Sorry about all the boxes. We just barely got back with a lot of my things from Nebrasia, so it’s a bit of a mess—”
“Two bathrooms?” she repeated, eyes bulging. “Is that even possible?”
He chuckled. “Yes. We have two.”
“Amazing.”
He laughed again.
The three teens now sat around a large dining table with the four adults. Pepin looked a bit more cheerful now as he ate quietly. Toulou sat beside him with Emelri on their left. Jacques was at the head of the table next to Adrian while Andre and Zuri sat across from the teens.
“We’ve been traveling a long while trying to find you, Jacques,” Toulou said, all the food on their plate already gone. “I’m hoping you have some answers.”
“There a specific reason why it has to be me?”
“You’re the only other magic user we know of and also, the only person who knows what happened to Carnadine.”
“Carnadine?” Something like fear flashed over his face. “How do you know that name?”
Their nose scrunched up. “She’s the one... the Spiller that arranged our mother’s death.”
“Arranged? Did she not carry it out herself?”
“No. She pushed it onto her subordinates before leaving our town. The only reason I know this is because one of the Spillers I fought squawked; told us who they worked for. After what happened, we followed Carnadine’s trail, knowing she was headed to Elden Town. She took everything from us.”
“Why are you trying to find her then? Shouldn’t you want to lay low since she doesn’t know of your existence?”
“What makes you think she doesn’t?” Zuri asked, listening intently from their end of the table with the tip of a carrot resting between their lips.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“Trust me. If she knew, you’d both have been caught by now. It’s best if you stay far away from her.”
“She doesn’t deserve to live while our mother is dead,” Toulou spat, fist curled on the table. “I won’t rest until this is settled, until she’s gone for good. I don’t care what it takes.”
“What are you talking about?” Jacques exclaimed, giving a quick exhale. “You’ve been trying to track down one of the most infamous and dangerous Spillers in all of Elderian? That’s a fool’s errand.”
“That’s what I said,” Emelri chimed in with an air of sass.
Toulou scowled. “Just tell me where you saw her last. I don’t need your blessing to make my own choices.”
They met Jacques with a challenging look which the shorter man returned. “She’s dead,” he said flatly, and Toulou’s expression melted. “She was killed in battle. I saw it myself.”
“You did?” Adrian asked, eyeing him.
He gave a small nod, not looking at his partner. “I landed a blow on her and watched as the light faded from her eyes.”
Adrian folded his arms. “When was this?”
“Before the portal sealed itself.”
“Huh.”
“About the portal,” Emelri cut in, “you wouldn’t happen to know how it opened, would you?”
“We opened it,” Adrian said matter-of-factly, receiving a thwack on the arm from Jacques. Annoyed blue eyes met warning brown ones. “What? They have a right to know that at least.”
“You opened it?” Toulou asked in disbelief. “How the fuck did you do that?”
Jacques gave a sideways glance. “Does it matter?”
“Could you open it again if you wanted to?” Emelri interjected.
“Yes, but we shouldn’t. It’s too much of a risk, and I already vowed to never open it again.” Adrian frowned at that. “Why would you want it open anyway?”
“Oh, I don’t,” she assured. “I’ve just been wondering this whole time how and why it opened for me.”
“Huh?”
“Emelri came from the old world,” Toulou explained, and she nodded in response.
“Wait what?” Zuri shouted, hacking on the half-chewed carrot they’d accidentally swallowed. “You’re from the old world?”
Every eye was on her now.
“Well, I’m from Yayma,” she corrected. “It’s much smaller than anything that exists here in Elderian. Just a handful of islands and there’re no organized armies or kingdoms. The portal was open, and my village was under attack, so I had no choice.”
“Under attack?” Adrian repeated.
“Yes. We always got raids from time to time, but this was different. I’ve never seen so many Spillers before, and they’ve never shown such an aggressive posture. I think they knew the portal was opening. They’ve been eagerly waiting for it to reopen for centuries now so they can reunite with the Spillers they hoped were still in Elderian. It’s why my village especially is such a hot spot for attacks.”
“Why would they want that?” Jacques asked. “Don’t the Spillers know it’s been centuries since the portal last opened? It’s not like they know anyone on this side.”
“Yeah, well, Spillers are extremely loyal to their own kind, so knowing more are on the Elderian side makes reaching them a top priority. They’ll do anything to strengthen and join their own.”
“What happened to your village then?” Adrian asked worriedly. “Last I saw, it was in flames.”
She blinked over at him. “Yeah... That’s how I saw it last too.”
He shook his head seriously. “I hope others were able to escape as well.”
“About that... I’m worried that some Spillers may have followed me out of the portal. I’m not sure though.”
“They didn’t,” Jacques assured. “Other than you, no one else from your world made it over, unless there was someone else with an invisibility charm who snuck in at the same time you did.”
She shook her head with a small laugh. “No one else has one, at least, to my knowledge.”
“What a relief,” Toulou said, arms folded as they leaned back in their chair, and Pepin nodded in agreement.
“Your village...” Zuri said very seriously. “How do they dress? What’s the culture like? What language do they mainly speak? I need to know.”
She blinked. “Uh, the Alchemists speak mainly ancient Elden, but the Spillers and non-Alchemists speak Venwi, which is similar to Venish—”
“You’re an Alchemist?” Jacques cut in, searching her face. “There are more of you?”
“Yes, many more.”
Something like emotion passed through his eyes. “That’s... that’s wonderful.” She blinked at the change in character. “I thought the culture was long dead.”
“Maybe here, but not in Yayma.”
“You speak ancient Elden?” Adrian asked, and she was surprised to hear the question addressed in her native tongue.
“Y-you speak it?” she countered, switching as well.
“Yes! Oh, to meet a native speaker is just amazing.”
“Pep and I speak it too,” Toulou chimed in. “Aveline taught us it as well as Elden.”
He blinked. “Oh? Where’d she learn all that from?”
“Gabrielle, her old research partner. That was your mother, right?”
His eyes sparkled. “That’s right. They were good friends. You both really speak Elden?”
Pepin beamed at him, giving a formal greeting in Elden that caused a broad smile to spread over Adrian’s face and an expression of shock to cross Toulou’s.
“Oh, splendid!” he responded in his native tongue. “Your mother really was an amazing person.”
The boy smiled shyly in response.
“Okay, okay,” Jacques griped. “Speak in a language we all understand.”
“How do you know so many languages?” Emelri asked in Venish, directing her words to Adrian, who she was growing more and more fond of. “Oh! Is it because you’re the former king?”
He blinked in surprise. “You know who I am?”
“Toulou told me.”
His blue-eyed gaze shifted over to the eldest. “Oh, I suppose Aveline must have talked about me.”
“Yup,” they answered.
“That’s why you live in such a nice house,” Emelri stated bluntly, and the former king’s face flushed.
Zuri laughed. “That’s right, kid,” the inventor said. “He benefits off the crown, and we benefit off him.”
“You make it sound so illicit,” Adrian mumbled, clearly embarrassed. “It’s not, and I can always tell Tony to stop sending money—”
“No! Don’t do that! You’re not a parasite, Adrian, I swear, just don’t get rid of the house!”
Andre burst out laughing. “No, he’s not, but you are, Zuri.”
They folded their arms. “Whatever. You’re no better.”
He shrugged good naturedly. “At least I admit it.”
“Anyway,” Adrian cut in. “I’m not really a royal anymore. I renounced the crown. I’m just plain Adrian from New Minoka now.”
“Right. You’re a whole different person,” Jacques said sarcastically, giving a piece of his partner’s long blond hair a small tug. Adrian shot him a look to which he replied with a smug little grin.
“And everyone knows who you are?” Emelri asked.
He shook his head. “Well, some do, like my mentor, Boden, but most do not suspect a royal lives amongst them.”
“Oh wow. Did Jacques know you were the king when you first met? How did you two meet? I want to know the whole story. Who liked who first—”
“Emi,” Toulou interjected irritably. “You can ask them that later. There’re more important things to discuss.”
She folded her arms grumpily. “Hmpf. Killjoy.”
They frowned at her for a moment before looking back at the adults. “Jacques. Adrian. The thing is, since we know now that Carnadine is dead, that leaves us with nowhere else to go. We…” They hesitated. “We were wondering if perhaps we could stay here, at least until Pepin reaches adulthood. We have no other options except living at the tavern and that’s not the most viable option. Will you take us in?”
Pepin and Emelri put up truly pathetic looking faces.
“Of course, you can live with us—” Adrian began, but Jacques cut him off.
“Sweetheart, I must disagree. We’re not babysitters. I won’t be responsible for three more people.”
Emelri narrowed her eyes at him. “We’re not little kids, you know.”
“I’m not budging on this.”
“Jacques, how can you be so heartless?” Zuri interjected, shaking their head. “You took me in when I was about their age.”
“That was different. We were all around that age, and you were just one person, not three. Plus, I wasn’t playing the role of a guardian. Nuh uh. Not happening.”
“You would turn us out into the street then?” Emelri questioned boldly. “Good luck having that on your conscience.”
Jacques gave a quick exhale. “Excuse me?”
“For the record,” she continued, her nose in the air, “we’ve been handling ourselves just fine on our own. We don’t need adults talking down to us and telling us what to do, like we haven’t had to live like adults already ourselves. We’re not anyone’s responsibility, and none of us need a guardian. We just need food and shelter, and we’ll work for that, you know. Toulou’s already been holding a job this whole time, so don’t you dare treat us like we’re helpless little kids who will just be a burden.” She was seething, her chest heaving with the effort.
Keeping a steely gaze on him, she never broke eye contact. She’d had plenty of practice dealing with a difficult adult, so this man, magic user or no, was no different.
“Oh, damn,” Zuri said, looking impressed while Jacques glanced to the side guiltily. “You tell him, Alchemist girl.”
“Enough, Zuri,” he grumbled. “Adrian and I will discuss it later tonight.” The blond watched him for a moment before nodding. “You three can stay here until we figure something out.”
“Thank you,” Toulou said, and Pepin nodded his own thanks. “We owe you.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Adrian reassured. “You don’t owe us anything.”
“We’ll work hard for our keep if you decide to let us stay for good,” the eldest continued. “Emelri’s right. We won’t be a burden.”
He looked over at Jacques who in turn, wouldn’t meet his gaze. “We’ll talk about it later,” the short man insisted, and something like frustration crossed Adrian’s face. “In the meantime, let’s get you three settled in your room for tonight.”
❀❀❀
Jacques and Adrian covered the first of two beds with sheets, grabbing a blanket next. They’d had to move quite a few boxes and random items from the room after Adrian explained once again that they’d just moved them in the day before.
Zuri sat on the second bed, chatting with the teens. The room was massive compared to anything the three had encountered previously, and the thought of getting her own bed left Emelri’s stomach full of butterflies.
“So, you ran from Carnadine for years?” Emelri asked, and Zuri nodded very seriously.
“She chased us everywhere. Near the end, she followed us from Elden Town to Mermortiva and back before she died on the other side of the portal.”
“Really? How’d she manage to track you that far?”
“Apparently, in Mermortiva she somehow boarded our ship and stayed hidden until Elden Town. Such a freak...”
“A ship?”
They nodded with a grin, seeming to enjoy the attention, bouncing their foot up and down on their knee. “Jacques took it out of the sand dunes. It’s an Alchemist ship that runs on energy crystals.”
“I’ve seen it!” Pepin joined in excitedly. “When you guys came to Lacot.”
Toulou considered the boy’s outburst in surprise.
Emelri’s face lit up. “That’s so amazing! I wanna see it too! We have little canoes in my village that are powered by energy crystals. Kind of a pain to use though since you need to find a magic user to work it. I’ve never heard of a full ship before, though!”
“Canoes? Well shit,” Zuri said. “I wanna see that.”
“Zuri, get,” Jacques warned, shooing them off the bare bed. “You’re not being helpful, you know.”
“Oh, I’m aware.”
He sighed, but before he could counter, Toulou, who’d been sitting and quietly listening in the corner, spoke first.
“Let me get this right. Carnadine boarded your ship in Mermortiva, and went with you all the way to Elden Town?”
They all looked at them.
“Yes, that’s right,” Jacques said, tucking the corner of the sheets underneath the mattress.
Toulou leaned back against the wall, taking the information in. “So, she was with you, when you stopped in Lacot... several months ago?”
“Yeah, I suppose she was—” They stiffened the same time Jacques seemed to realize it too. “Oh, fuck. You don’t think...”
They slowly stood, their fists tightening at their sides. “You brought her to Lacot. Carnadine killed our mother because of you.”