The next morning they woke with the dawn and started on their way. Yacob’s wound was healing nicely, and he could walk for some time without the crutch before the pain was too much. Their pace only quickened slightly as Wali began to teach Yacob about his Aspects.

Wali had Yacob take his boots off to walk barefoot on the hard-packed wagon track. Yacob felt refreshed by this, less tired than before. Wali told him he was now pulling energy from the ley line in the roadway and the dirt. This would help him refill his energy. Like pumping water into a bucket, that water was the energy to use magic. Wali had to teach Yacob like a small child; Yacob was not stupid, just very uneducated. He might never master Algebra, but it wouldn’t be out of his grasp if he studied for a few years. There probably wouldn’t ever be a need for Yacob to learn it anyways. There were so many other things Yacob wanted Wali to teach him.

As they walked along, Wali taught Yacob the very rudimentary basics of magic. About what mana was and why Yacob was suddenly tired after using his magic. How to feel the mana inside himself, and how to manage that. Yacob struggled at first but soon enough got the idea. Wali used his magic sense again and could tell that Yacob had an immense capacity to hold mana without even trying. It was only fire and earth-aspected mana, however. By the end of the second day, Yacob pointed out a square-cut wooden post next to the corner where another cart track joined this one. The signpost read “Cheesemonger Farm”.

“Yacob, it’s decision time. We can walk down this road and move past Holder Mark and Ferd, or we can go down that road to see them. You need to make this choice, not me.” Wali said.

Yacob looked at the signpost and sighed. “I want to get my things, at least some new pants.”

“All right, how far from here is it? It’s going to be dark soon.” Wali said, looking at the setting sun.

“It’s an hour or so walk. Five kilometers or so.” Yacob said. This world didn’t use exact metric measurements, but it was close enough for Wali’s brain to translate it that way.

Their area had some patchy trees, and the weather looked like it might turn on them soon. Wali said, “Let’s go make camp, and then we can go in the morning. We’re not in much of a rush. I don’t think.” Yacob nodded with some apprehension, some fear looming in his mind. Holder Mark and Ferd were the bullies, and Yacob had always been their favorite whipping boy. They moved someway off the road and found a small clearing in the wood. Yacob quickly had a small fire going, gleefully using his magic to light it. Wali strung up his rope between two trees and made a serviceable lean-too that would keep them mostly dry using his blanket as a tarp. Wali could keep himself warm with magic, and he soon taught Yacob how to do the same by circulating his mana through his Fire glyph. A simple dinner of jerky and biscuits from Wali’s provisions was had, and they slept under the patter of rain.

They woke damp and cold, but Wali’s warmth spell dried them both. Picking twigs from his hair Yacob led the way to the farm where he had been raised. The farm was obviously run down in what Wali would describe as a picturesque shallow valley. A stream of water cut a shallow channel through the bowl of the green fields. Three cows and a goat meandered through the grass, munching lazily. The split log fences mainly were gone, rotten posts jutting up from the ground with the occasional cross beam. Wali could see that there had been three barns; one had mostly fallen in on itself, and the other two were in terrible shape. The house itself was a two-story affair that reminded Wali of some Tudor Homes he had seen in a previous life. It was large with white painted wood above a stone base. It was covered in ivy that had been allowed to climb almost to the roof. The tiled roof was thick with moss. Next to the home, someone was chopping wood, the thwack of the axe a familiar sound. As they approached, the man saw them coming. He was built like Yacob but far better dressed. He wore brown cloth pants with leather stitched over the thighs and knees and a faded blue shirt rolled up over his large biceps. He had the same lantern jaw and straight brown hair as Yacob, but his wide nose had not been broken. His sneer could be heard in his voice, “Oi ya git! Now yeh come home. Where have you been?”

“Ferd,” Yacob said tentatively.

“And who is this savage that you brought back with ya? Where’s the money? Did you sell Dottie like we told ya?” Ferd almost shouted as he approached, looking Wali up and down. He carried the axe over his shoulder in a meaty fist. The door slammed open, almost coming off its hinges, and another big man stepped out. This one was older and fatter than Ferd and fit the stereotype of the two half-brothers. He had dirty blond hair and a belt-hanger belly. There was no doubt for Wali now; this was Yacob’s father.

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“Yacob! You worthless piece of shit. Where’s my money!?” He yelled, walking up to them, face reddening in rage.

Yacob shrunk back, stammering, his newfound confidence shattering under the weight of years of abuse. Cringing, he started to say, “Well, H-h-holder Ma-Mark, I got attacked.”

“What!? There ain’t nothing out there to attack anyone. I bet you lost the horse, and now we’re going to starve!” Holder Mark shouted and stepped forward, slapping Yacob so hard he staggered back a step. Ferd stepped forward to kick Yacob, but Wali interposed himself.

“You both need to stop this right now.” Wali’s voice was hard and flat. Ferd stepped into Wali chest to chest. Ferd was as tall as Yacob, and Yacob could almost rest his chin on Wali’s head. The bigger man shoved Wali with his chest, but Wali didn’t move. Reddening in rage like his father, Ferd screamed in Wali’s face, “You got nothing to do with this savage! You think you’re going to stop this!?” Ferd’s hand tightened on his axe, but Wali stood unmoving, meeting the bigger man’s eyes and not flinching at the slur.

“Get the fuck out of here wildman. You don’t belong on this side of the river.” Mark shouted at Wali as Yacob recovered.

“Leave my friend alone!” Yacob shouted at his father, anger filling him. Wali was his first real friend. Some of the farm hands had treated him nicely, but none of them ever approached the level of friendship the two young men had reached in just a few days.

“I’m going to kick your friend’s ass.” Ferd sneered and reared back to swing the axe at Wali. Wali was faster, though, the point of the spear pricking the throat of the bigger man who paled as blood welled at the point.

Holder Mark raised his own fist and lunged at Wali. Wali heard the smack of flesh being struck and the crunch of bone as Yacob yelled, “Nooo!” Ferd dropped the axe and turned to run. Wali tripped him up with the butt of the spear and leaped onto the big man, riding him to the ground. “I said leave my friend alone!” Yacob yelled again. Wali glanced back and saw Yacob standing over the supine form of Holder Mark. Yacob’s fist was raised and had the matte gray color of stone.

Wali smelled something and glanced down before stepping away from Ferd quickly. The big man had pissed himself and was shaking. Are all this family so emotional? He wondered to himself. “Just leave us alone!” Ferd screamed, “Get out of here, Yacob! Take your savage with you. Father never wanted you anyways.”

Wali decided to shut the man up. He stood and thumped him with the butt of the spear in the side of the head; he went limp. Wali looked over at Yacob, who was staring at his fist, and at Holder Mark on the ground before him. Mark’s face was a mess all along his left side. Mark’s face was already swelling around his eye. His jowly cheek was dark red, forming a massive fist-shaped bruise. The shiner was going to be epic, especially since Wali rightly assumed that the cheek or zygomatic bone was broken. Zygomatic? That was correct if he remembered his forensic shows correctly. Wali shook his head at the memories.

Yacob looked down at Holder Mark, “I didn’t want to hurt him. Will he be okay?”

“Probably, they’ll both wake up sooner or later with massive headaches and a few more bruises than they started with. Yacob, can I ask you a few questions? Serious questions.” Wali said carefully.

Yacob’s hand returned to its normal color, losing the stone transformation. “Umm, I think so.” He said as a wash of different emotions played across his face. Years of abuse and mistreatment had conditioned him to obey and be smaller than either of these men. Something about this situation just cracked that conditioning. He still held some fear, but now there was some courage to overcome that. Yacob had gained some understanding that they were only men and not superhuman. Fallible and not the titans of his nightmares anymore. Their power over him was gone. He looked up at Wali, “Go ahead.”

“You do know that these men are your father and brother, right?” Wali said slowly.

Yacob sighed, “I am not a part of the family, they both said, just some orphan.” Yacob replied.

“Yes, well, they lied to you. There is too much resemblance for it to be anything else.”

“Really?” Yacob asked.

“Yep. I am 100% sure. See that little dimple in the chin and their hairline? You have those too. I bet you got clothes handed down from Ferd whenever he got new clothes, right? And they fit you just right?”

“Uh-huh, yes.”

“All those things mean that that man is your father and that one is your brother. One thing my people teach us from very early on is that family, real family, are those you choose and not those you are born to.” Wali said.

“I don’t even know what a real family is. I don’t think these two are my family. All they ever did was be mean to me. I really just wanted to come and get my stuff. I didn’t want to hurt him.” Yacob said forlornly.

“Yeah, I get it. These two are not a good view of family. Why don’t you gather your stuff and I’ll keep an eye on them?” Wali suggested. “Maybe we can make it to town today.

“Yeah, okay.” Said Yacob. He turned to the barn and made his way inside. Wali pictured a trio of glyphs and said the word. The two men would stay unconscious for a good long time. He watched as Yacob came out of the barn with a blanket tied around a bundle. He moved to the fallen barn and laid the bundle aside as he climbed into the collapsed structure. After a bit, he came out holding a wooden box which he stowed into the blanket. Hoisting it over his shoulder easily, he nodded to Wali, and they turned back to the road they came in on.