Braxton POV

Emera remembered those two as well. “I wasn’t a fan of those two either. They weren’t welcoming when I met them.”

“What happened to Polly Wog then?” I asked. Everyone seemed fine with Master Renaldy and Analee being dead. I wasn’t about to let them sweep it all away.

“I only faced two people. It was killed or be killed.” The girl’s eyes were sad. She didn’t want to brush past their deaths either. That gave me a bit of relief. There was another man who appeared when Myrra first found me with my injuries pushing me to the brink of death. He called me a monster and warned Myrra against helping me before he vanished.”

Polly Wog walked away from this battleground, which meant we could face adventurers coming after us sooner rather than later. Two dead bodies were out there in the leftover slush. One was a man who irked me to no end and the other was a spoiled little princess. Choosing to follow these girls may be the most dangerous path Silas and I could take. Was Emera’s cute fluffiness worth the risk?

I nodded at the girl. Her wounds supported her story. She gave Emera a squeeze before coming to sit between Silas and me. “Em, can you grab some wood? I need to have a chat with these boys.”

“I’ll get the wood, but we all need to talk, not just the three of you.” Emera stood her ground toward Ro.

“Got it,” Ro acknowledged, and Emera headed off to get wood.

When she left, Ro turned back to both of us. “I think we need to start from the beginning. My name is Rosewyn. You can call me Ro. And, you boys are?”

“My name is Silas. His name is Braxton. Through a strange set of circumstances involving the Wizard’s Guild, we ended up running into Emera a few times. We teamed up to go against the dragon and rescue you. As of this morning, we gave Guildmaster Myrra of the White Rapids Guild our word to take care of you two though I am not sure it was a good decision.” Silas explained.

Ro took a minute to process everything Silas had shared. There was a heavy pause in the air. I could see Silas was doing his best not to ask Ro thousands of questions. Ro looked at him with a mix of appreciation, anger, and something I couldn’t name. Her body tensed like she couldn’t decide what to say first. Ro looked weak now, but she still had some fight in her.

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“Okay, Silas. I don’t know why a stick has been knotted and twisted up your ass, but I will say ‘thank you’ for helping us.” Her face was serious. “I admit we could use your help if you are willing to lend it to us.”

Silas kept his intentions guarded with his expression. “Braxton and I will help on the condition that you tell us everything. We need to know what we are getting into. I think that starts with who you are, Miss Rosewyn.”

Ro didn’t flinch. Her expression remained unchanged as she shifted into a comfortable position. Emera came back with a load of wood for the fire. She wasted no time in feeding the fire until the flames stood tall. Emera settled next to Ro on the ground, doing her best to support her friend. These girls have been together for a long time. They supported each other through everything. Emera whispers to Ro out of concern for the silence between everyone.

“Relax, Em. I was just waiting for you.” Ro says, patting her friend on the head. “Silas, I accept your terms with the understanding that what is said can never be shared.”

I am still reeling as I watch Silas agree for the both of us. Ro confirms Silas’ suspicions. She was born to a wolf-beast mother and a human father who has been dead for a long time. She was raised by family friends who raised Emera as well. They were adventurers once until Ro began to struggle with her magic a few months ago. Her magic item helps her channel her magic, but she still lacks control. She has been on the run since and stole a book to learn more about her magic item. The dragon chased her down because some dark elf wanted her magic item. Now, the whole Gleaca Council is after her for being a hybrid.

“You don’t look like a hybrid. How would anyone know?” I asked. This woman was allegedly the familiar to Emera. Was she really a wolf a few days ago? Sure, they had the same color hair, but it seemed impossible such a hybrid existed. She looks like a normal human.

Ro wasted no time allowing red sparks to fly around her. The same red lightning as the wolf. Rosewyn was the wolf. There was a spark of anger in her eyes as she looked at me. Fangs were beginning to protrude from her lips. Her hands balled up into fists, trying to hide her claws.

“You can’t control your magic, can you?” Silas asked.

Her pale cheeks redden. “No. I can’t.”

Silas became fascinated by Ro from her confession. “Now, that’s intriguing.” His mind was in researcher mode all of a sudden. “Is it due to your hybrid status?”

“I don’t know.” Ro became visibly uncomfortable with the way Silas was looking at her.

Emera glared at Silas before looking over at me. ‘Do something’ she mouthed. Me? There was no way to break Silas away from his new fascination, but maybe there was something we could do here. “All right. Let's do this. Silas and I will help you with your magic if you let Silas study you, Ro. Honestly, he won’t stop trying to understand you anyway. This will give us a reason to travel together, and it will be a good reason for Silas to protect you both.”

Silas immediately grinned at the idea. This was good motivation for him to face his sister when we made it home. “Deal.”

“We need the help, Ro,” Emera added.

I could tell Ro didn’t want to. This was against her nature. She bit her lip looking from me to Silas before huffing in resignation. “Okay. Nothing weird though.”

Silas chuckled. “Define weird.”