Vanya thought her eyeballs would pop out of their sockets and drop on sand having to stare so long at the back door of Rhohaz’s home. She had been on it from the time she woke up and washed her face with the icy cold water that had been in the basin by the garden all night. She had changed her clothes in a rush and barely stepped out onto Tilly’s porch to spot Rhohaz leaving from his front door and walk away disappearing around the corner.

She stared longer, her eyes jumping back and forth between the windows on either side of the back door, she did not know whose room was which. There was no movement in either of the rooms. The one room she guessed was Roza’s had its curtains drawn in and covered.

She was strongly determined today to find Roza and prod her brain, show Roza, who seemed to be exploring things on her own against people’s wishes, that she had a true ally in Vanya and in the meantime, solidify Roza as Vanya’s own ally as well.

Her eyes were dry and had been protruding out of their sockets for so long that the slight sea breeze made them water instantly. She wiped them, peeking from one eye at a time, still watching Rhohaz and Roza’s home.

Is Roza even inside? Rhohaz said she’d be home for dinner last night…

Vanya thought trying to think back to if there was any window in time that Roza may have left before Rhohaz and she just missed her.

With Tilly still in bed and Joan moping around in Tilly’s kitchen, Vanya decided to just go for it. Her bare feet stepped onto the sand and walked all the way past Tilly’s clover garden and onto Rhohaz’s sandy backyard.

She frantically looked around as if she was doing something secretive. She did not know why she was feeling as if approaching someone’s back door to simply knock on it seemed like an evil plan equating it to almost breaking into someone's house.

She climbed the three steps leading up to the back door. She knocked on it lightly. There was no answer. She knocked again, this time a bit louder feeling the hardwood on her knuckles. There was still no answer.

She peeked to see if either of the windows had anyone lurking inside. The house remained silent and empty. The disappointment that her actions were not bringing any results made her sulk. She stared at the door for a moment. And almost as if she expected it, the looming fear in her disappeared and her hand reached for the doorknob.

To her surprise, the knob clicked when turned and the door opened. Vanya gulped debating only for a moment if she should indeed break into someone’s home.

Meh…should be fine…

A familiar sense of confidence took over. She bolted in and locked the door behind her. She felt as if she was back in her own skin again, not that she used to break into people’s homes, but that she felt the usual confidence she carried back in Esmeth finally begin to flourish in her.

Rhohaz’s house was as quaint as Tilly’s. The back door led to the tiny kitchen with dark blue accents and a few dishes piled up. A blue-green flower pot lay on the kitchen table with fresh daffodils pouring out of it. She smiled for daffodils reminded her of Joan, so bright yet soft.

“Anyone home? Roza?”

She waited for a response.

“Anyone?” She asked again just to be sure.

Hearing no response at all, she walked in confidently, her fingers gracing the petals of the flowers while her eyes took in the odd little house. The brick inside was painted in cream, the shadows gave the walls a little interest and a touch of coziness while the sun shone brightly outside covered by the curtains drawn in.

She found her way to a chair by the corner facing the front door. It was big and cozy, a counterpart to chairs Tilly possessed that Vanya was so used to falling asleep on. She sat in it, drowning herself in the velvet-like cloth, her bones relaxing one by one. She let herself breathe in the sweet flowery scent engulfing the room while letting her eyes close themselves. She felt it then, what Joan meant when she said she found the village charming. It was quiet, quaint, and small. Everything she had to focus on was all in a tiny little house. A kitchen to prepare food, a garden to grow her vegetables, a cozy bed to sleep at night, and the sea to keep her company all along.

She opened her eyes, a sense of calmness circulating through her body. A paper on a small stool next to her ruffled catching her attention. She picked it up to read it.

Remember son,

the sea is our world.

Without the sea, we are nothing.

Without the waves guiding us we will be lost.

Always, always respect the sea and its beings.

And they will reward you with wisdom, power, and peace.

You may not understand it yet, but the knowledge we hide from you is the very knowledge that will set you free.

I believe you will find your way back,

For without it, you will never truly protect yourself or anyone around you, for without it you are weaker than ever…

Vanya read it two or three times in a row unable to grasp what was going on. She at first felt it was merely a poem of some sort. Then later, she established it was a father writing to his son.

It’s his late father…

She thought to herself noticing the paper had fresh scribbles on it, a circle around ‘the waves guiding us’ and ‘the knowledge we hide’ underlined. She wondered if it was Rhohaz who had scribbled on them as if he was figuring out something on his own. She wondered what his father wanted him to find his way back to. She wondered if he already had.

With that she jumped to her feet, carefully placing the paper back where she found it. She got on her tiptoes deciding to turn and walk down the cramped hallway to her right. There were two rooms. She opened one and was greeted by a neatly arranged space with nothing but a single sheet of cloth on a small bed with a neatly folded blanket at the edge, an empty wooden desk in the corner, and a thin layer of dust covering it all. It did not seem that anyone particularly used the room. She wondered if it was Rhohaz’s father’s room to begin with. And that it was left empty ever since he passed away.

She slowly closed the door and quickly moved on to the next room. For some reason, she was running out of time in her head, afraid someone might catch her snooping around.

She pushed the door open to suddenly be greeted by a tiny cluttered room with a bed in the corner with a half-folded blanket, an overly stuffed desk right opposite the bed with piles of paper on it, and fishing gear, garden tools, and a collection of brooms and signs with arrows drawn on them all laying like a puzzle on the floor.

It was too obvious this was Rhohaz’s room. Despite him looking calm and collected, his room was an utter mess.

I guess it comes with the job…

She thought spotting a collection of seashells right next to his bed. Unknowingly, she grabbed one of them to toss in the air while she took an unwelcomed tour around his room, hoping something would grab her attention.

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She peeked at his table. Stacks of papers just lay balancing on each other. She did not dare want to disturb them and have it all come crashing down, yet she wanted to see what they held.

A hefty book with a thick dark red cover lay at the corner of the table. She carefully plucked it, not disturbing Rhohaz’s paper castle.

Slipping the seashell between her fingers into her pocket, she held the heavy book in her arms and opened it. There were rows and rows of names with their birth and death dates next to each one of them. A few pages in, Vanya realized it was probably a book of records of the villagers in Shalom. She had not realized that there used to be so many residents before. She finally reached the pages where the death dates were left blank.

Soon, she spotted Rhohaz’s and Roza’s names.

Rhohaz Yelhi Cassian

Roza Yelhi Cassian

She realized Rhohaz was only a year older than her and Roza only a year younger. She also noticed the page before indicated what looked like Rhohaz’s father's name, Rowan Yelhi with a death date entry next to his name. She wondered if it was Rhohaz who entered that date only last year. And right after Rowan’s name was his wife, Sorah Cassian, with a death date entry from ten years ago next to hers.

She wondered why Rhohaz and Roza had Cassian, their mother’s maiden name, as their last name. Typically children adopted their father’s last name as their’s in the Northern Kingdom. She flipped through noticing a trend. Almost everyone seemed to have adopted a name other than Yelhi as their last name in the records starting around nineteen years ago.

Maybe it's a new tradition?

Seeing that the pages were slowly becoming empty, Vanya flipped through quickly hoping to close the giant book when the pages landed on a collection of loose paper tucked in it.

Her eyes widened in shock. Familiar writing with a seal embossed on the paper caught her attention. It was the royal seal, the seal of the Helfan royal family, her family, in bright red. Under the seal was a detailed sketch of a hefty-looking man, with a dark beard and pale eyes. Under the sketch was his name ‘Rowan Yelhi’ and a couple of words that made her hold her breath, ‘Wanted dead or alive’, with a large sum of money indicated under it all.

She held herself for a moment. Her fingers flipped through the rest of the papers that were stuck with it. There were about six more. Six more sketches of convicts, all with the royal seal and a ‘Wanted dead or alive’ with an equally large sum of money indicated under them all.

Why was there a bounty on their heads? Perhaps, for using magic? But, that’s too large a sum for simply using magic. It must have been a serious crime…

Her mind was racing with questions. All her lessons in history and law poured back. There had been very few handed over for using magic two decades ago. And even fewer were burnt at the stake. In both instances, the bounties were far less in value. She couldn’t understand it.

Suddenly she heard the front door creak open. Voices followed right after.

She slammed the book shut and placed it back where she found it. She ran for the door but the voices echoed louder making their way down the hall. She had to think fast. She looked at the bed. There was no way she could get under it without knocking one of the brooms over. She looked to the window. There was not enough time to get to it, open the window, and fall on her back climbing out of it.

She heard the door knob rattle and she dashed to the closet that was hiding in the shadows. She got inside and closed the closet door just in time for Rhohaz to open his room door to find it empty, just as he had left it this morning.

“Mother’s not happy at all. She says she feels them getting more restless by the day,” a familiar voice spoke making Vanya look through the cracks of the closet to see Garin, whom she only briefly met at the infirmary, right behind Rhohaz.

“Aunt Carmin is usually restless whenever it’s something about them. You should tell your mother I will handle it just fine. I’ll issue a tighter curfew and have everyone in their homes before nightfall starting tomorrow,” Rhohaz spoke confidently.

Hearing that Garin was Carmin’s, the wicked head of the council’s, son made Vanya look at him sourly.

“Uncle Rowan was the same. He felt them restless and begin to wander off at night quite often back in the day. I remember him staking outside all night especially during the winter to have them rounded and taken back to their cave. It’s not that you won’t do a good job, cousin, it’s just that it’s your first time dealing with them,” Garin said leaning against the open door while Rhohaz began to shuffle through a few signs lying on the floor closer to his bed.

“And he could have educated me on how to do so before he fell sick. Now, that would have helped a lot and not made me look like a fool in front of everyone.”

Rhohaz was comfortable talking about his shortcomings with Garin. It was quite easy for all they had as friends was each other growing up in a lonely village.

Garin let out a laugh, not seeming like he was like his mother at all, “Uncle Rowan would have loved to, I’m sure. By the way, I hear from Kev that you and the girl you just met seem to have something going on between the two of you?”

Vanya felt embarrassment creep in despite her not being a part of their conversation. She watched as Rhohaz rolled his eyes at Garin. His eyes were tired as if he had been up all night reading. His nose, which Vanya punched the night before, completely healed with no indication of her achievements. Rhohaz pulled himself up to reply, “That’s just Timmie spreading rumors.”

“Rumors? Well, Kev was so sure it wasn't one of Timmie’s imaginations. Stu and Ronal too confirmed it. They were very sure. It was me who was defending you, saying you’d never like a girl from a city, especially one from Esmeth.”

Rhohaz huffed and nodded in agreement, “You are absolutely right, cousin. I would never. I can always count on you to have my back.”

Vanya rolled her eyes. A part of her feeling angry that Rhohaz confirmed Garin’s statement so quickly. She made a face in retort, unable to clap back at him verbally for she was currently eavesdropping in his closet.

“Now, for the sign. I only have one that says ‘Beware of dog’,” Rhohaz held a small sign on a flimsy board in his hands.

“That should work. I can mark off the ‘dog’ and replace it with ‘Betsy’,” Garin said, pointing to the writing.

Rhohaz let out a laugh and handed it to Garin.

“Will you be joining the crew heading off to Elioth for the market next week?” Rhohaz asked shuffling through some paper at his desk.

Garin thought for a second, “Probably not. Mother was wanting me to assist with some things. Are we down some people?”

“Yes, I think I have about two spots left. We’ll have to do a draw then, figure it out that way.”

“Hopefully, you get to rest and not be a leader for a couple of days.”

“We are in Elioth for business, Garin. I’m still the leader of Shalom,” Rhohaz replied, nonchalantly.

He handed over some papers to Garin and continued, “I think that should have everything Aunt Carmin wanted from me.”

“Perfect! And my satchel? I’m hoping you still have it with you and haven’t lost it like last time,” Garin said, moving aside for Rhohaz who was nodding furiously making his way to the closet.

Vanya panicked seeing Rhohaz approach. She was holding herself in place in the tiny closet with barely any room inside it. There were a couple of clothes hanging from here and there, a pair of shoes at the bottom where she squeezed herself into, and right next to her sat the satchel Garin spoke about. There was nowhere else to go. She held her breath clasping her palms over her mouth hearing Rhohaz grab the closet door handle.

He pulled it open faster than most, laughing away at something Garin said, and suddenly paused mid-laugh. His body realized it faster than his mind. He blinked a few times before his eyes rounded in realization that Vanya was hiding in his closet. He was speechless. He could only stare back at her terrified and equally embarrassed eyes.

“What is it?” Garin’s voice broke the silence and Rhohaz immediately thrashed the closet door closed.

“Looks like I lost it once again, cousin. I will look for it and send it your way tomorrow,” Rhohaz hurriedly grabbed onto Garin’s shoulders and guided him out of his room.

Vanya may have not breathed for a good ten minutes before gasping for dear life hearing Rhohaz and Garin’s voices linger in the living room.

She was sweating from head to toe. Her heart was beating way too fast.

What am I going to do?

She thought terrified of what was to come. There were going to be questions upon questions. And she was sure Rhohaz was going to bring her in front of the council for this. She could not even make up a lie, say she was here to meet Roza.

Why did I even come into his room?

She berated herself listening to Rhohaz opening the front door for Garin and their voices lead outside.

Rhohaz hadn’t had Garin become such a nuisance in a while. Garin wanted to keep speaking even at the gate when Rhohaz politely asked him to leave three times already. But Garin insisted on reminiscing over their childhood days when they used to camp by the seaside and run to the waves in the mornings. He waited there listening, not wanting to be rude, and not wanting to appear suspicious in any way.

And as soon as Garin bid farewell, Rhohaz bolted inside and into his room. He whipped the closet door open to find it empty with only Garin’s satchel next to where Vanya sat cramped. He went to the window and looked outside hoping to spot her in the garden on her way back. He could not see her. He went his way back through the hallway, past the kitchen, and through his back door, and stared at Tilly’s porch. She was nowhere to be found.

What were you doing in my room? What did you want?