It hadn’t taken long for Sylvia and I to lead the Stag through the forest at a leisurely pace, once she’d trapped it in illusions. That had turned out to be her plan, which was obvious in hindsight. Of course an illusion ninja would solve a problem through the use of illusions. Whatever she was showing it, the beast was downright docile on the trip back and followed us like a faithful hound.

As we had been making our way back to the clearing, I’d explained our current escape plans. Sylvia hadn’t seemed to care much about the potential fate of the townspeople, which I also shouldn’t have been surprised about. Maybe it was uncharitable of me, but the people of this world just seemed more inclined to brutality. The monsters constantly roaming the land and the need to cull them might play a factor in that.

Either way, once we’d reached a point near the clearing, Sylvia had told me to run ahead and she would send the Stag after me. Following her directions, I burst out of the forest into the clearing behind the manor at a full sprint, with plenty of time to spare. Judging by the sun’s position, I’d definitely gotten back here much quicker than I had last time.

As I ran across the clearing, I tried to inject some panic into the arm-waving I was doing at the guards.

“Hey!” I yelled across the field and pointed over my shoulder. “It’s coming!”

However, by the time I reached the guards, the Stag hadn’t shown its face just yet. The guards looked unimpressed, and Magnus was starting to get a gleeful little smile on his face.

C’mon, Sylvia. Any time now, I thought in rising anxiety.

Magnus started to rise up from his chair in this pavilion, before stopping with a frown. The guards on either side of me tensed, causing me to turn in relief. Across the clearing, the Stag was just now exiting the tree line. Even from here, I could see that it looked confused. Seconds later though, it seemed to catch sight of the large group of dwarves and one human. Letting out a vicious warbling roar, the beast lowered its antlers and began charging across the field at us at a surprising pace. I tensed up in surprise. At the rate it was going, it would reach us in seconds.

With a thud, Magnus landed in front of the guard squad, startling me. It looked like he had jumped straight from the pavilion. “Out of my way, fools.” He grumbled. By that time, the Stag was nearing us. With a sneer, Magnus effortlessly grabbed the charging Stag by its sharpened antlers and stopped it in place instantly, uncaring of the blades on them. In a quick, violent motion he threw the monster onto the grass below us. Lifting a foot, Magnus drove it down on the neck of the beast, snapping it with a resounding crack.

Even from my position, I could see that he wasn’t as satisfied with this kill as he had been with the rabbit-bear. Letting out a huge, put-upon sigh Magnus waved a dismissive hand over his shoulder. “The cattle may leave.” He said irritably.

Stepping away from the guards hesitantly, I tried to gauge if they would stop me. They didn’t though, so I turned around and started to make my way to the still-open gate. Walking through, I turned around one last time to look at the clearing.

Magnus was watching me.

A chill ran down my spine from the look on his face. Completely blank, it was as if he’d been hollowed out, leaving only animal instinct behind. As the gates began to close in front of me, I saw, for a split second, his eyes narrow.

………………………………………

It didn’t take me long to get back to Azarus’s house. The strange encounter with Magnus had only driven my desire to get back even higher. Opening the front door, I didn’t even get a chance to call out a greeting before I heard the clatter of a chair and the rapid stomping of boots. Azarus shortly appeared in the doorway to the kitchen across the hall. Catching sight of me, a relieved look stole across his broad, hairy features. Raising a hand of greeting to him, I didn’t get a chance to say anything before he crushed it against me in a one-armed hug. More of an arm across the shoulder thing anyway.

“Ya all right?” He asked concerningly, letting go with a clap on my shoulder.

“Yeah, actually,” I said to him. “For more than one reason. I’ll tell you about it in a bit. First, though, where’s Grey?”

“Right here.” The man himself said, wheeling into view in front of me. “Is something the matter, Nathan? You…appear to be in much better health than you were last time.”

“Ah, no.” I shook my head. “Nothing is the matter. I, uh, have something for you though. See, I met someone in the forest. Someone that wasn’t supposed to be there. They were looking for you, Grey.”

Grey was visibly startled, before leaning forward in his chair almost hungrily. “Was it a rescue party? Have my compatriots finally found me?” He asked eagerly.

“No to the first, sort of to the second,” I said with a smile. “See, you actually told me about the person I met, briefly. It was your daughter, Grey. I met Sylvia, and she gave me a letter for you.”

“Sylvia?” Grey breathed.

I stepped forward, past a gob-smacked Azarus, and pulled out the tightly folded piece of paper Sylvia had given me. Grey held out a trembling hand and accepted it from me, before fumblingly unfolding it. With wide eyes, he veritably devoured every word on the page. When he finished, he crushed the paper against his chest over his heart and began to weep softly.

“Oh…” Grey whispered. “Oh, my Sylvia. You’ve found me…”

………………………………………

Grey had apologized to us, before asking for some time to regain his composure with a watery smile. While he retreated to his room, Azarus and I sat down at the kitchen table.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

“Ya really ran into his daughter in the forest? Just like that?” He asked in disbelief.

“Hey, I was surprised as you were,” I said wryly. “I didn’t even tell you how I met her, yet. She got me with a rope trap not far in, and started to interrogate me while I was just hanging around.”

At that, Azarus burst into laughter, while I heard a voice from the doorway.

“Yes, that sounds like my Sylvia,” Grey said with a chuckle of his own, wheeling into the kitchen. “She’s always been fond of her traps.”

“You all right now, Grey?” I asked, over the laughs of Azarus.

Grey smiled at me. “Yes, thank you. It was simply…a shock. A welcome one, but a shock nonetheless.”

“I’ll say,” Azarus said, his laughter dying down. “Not every day ya expect your daughter to come riding to the rescue and leave a letter with your new apprentice.”

I flicked my eyes in Azarus’s direction, slightly confused at his words. Apprentice? Since when? Looking back over at Grey, I found him staring at me with a raised eyebrow. I shrugged in an acquiescing manner. With a silent chuckle, Grey nodded at me in confirmation.

All right, I guess I was Grey’s apprentice now.

Azarus missed Grey and I’s silent conversation and continued speaking. “What did she even say in the letter, anyway? Is she coming to get ya?”

“Alas, no. At least not yet.” Grey shook his head. “The letter was written in a code known only to the two of us, devised when she was still young and freshly sapient. It included further code words confirming her presence near Addersfield. She’s been observing the town for some time now before she ran into Nathan here. The town is apparently more than it appears.”

I leaned forward in interest. “In what way?”

“According to Sylvia, none of the products that Addersfield produces are shipped out,” Grey answered me. “Everything is carted off to a small shed on the outskirts of the walls, and disappears inside. Sylvia theorizes that, based on the amount of produce delivered to such a small building, Addersfield must have an underground storage facility.”

Grey and I turned to Azarus at the same time. Unfortunately, he just looked confused.

“Ain’t never heard anything about that.” He said with a frown, brow furrowed. “I thought it was just a regular plantation but now that you mention it…I’ve never seen a shipment leave town other than one of Grens. And all he does is trade with the locals.”

“Interesting,” Grey said thoughtfully, drumming his fingers on the table. “And you have no idea what the purpose of this supposed stockpile is?”

Azarus shook his head slowly before snorting. “No, but it sounds like something the Prince would do. Anguis is a canny, cagey bastard at the best of times.”

“Well, that wasn’t the only thing Sylvia included in her letter. She writes that now that she had confirmation of my presence, she was going to stay for a few more days. She feels she needs to finish her reconnaissance on Addersfield before leaving for the Kingdom. There, she hopes to gather some of my allies and return to possibly rescue me.”

“Yeah, she told me she was leaving soon,” I said to Grey. “Which means we don’t have to go forward with our plans, right?”

Grey looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “I’m not so sure of that, Nathan. There are complications to consider, and I’d feel more comfortable continuing with our plans. Once Sylvia returns with help, we can make contact with her in the forest and consolidate our plans with theirs.” He paused, before continuing slowly. “You…did tell her that I had been branded and collared, yes?”

“Of course I did,” I said, almost offended that he would think I was that absentminded. “I told her about our plans, so she knows about the Ward Breaker.” I paused as well. “You know, she never asked me how I could still use my Status in order to make one even though I was a slave.”

“I’m not surprised.” Grey shook his head. “She has extensive training as an infiltration and scouting specialist. She likely knew that the how wasn’t as pertinent as the fact that you could, in the moment. In any case, she wrote that she should return in several weeks. In that time, I expect you’ll be able to construct a Ward Breaker, Nathan. You’re getting close to fully understanding the concepts involved.”

Yay.

………………………………………

Later that night, Grey and I were drinking again, this time with Azarus included. We’d just finished dinner not long ago, and Azarus had broken out the same Gnollish alcohol in celebration. We were still in the kitchen, nursing glasses of awful liquor.

Eh, whatever. Booze was booze. I took a sip.

Azarus had his feet up on the cleared table, while Grey was relaxing in his wheelchair, nearly slumped over. Sluggishly, Grey reached fumblingly for his glass and took a gulp from it. He’d had the most out of all of us.

Grey didn’t set his glass down, instead sitting up in his chair. “My friends… a toast! To my daughter, for never giving up on her old man! To family!” He said, slurring slightly and raising his glass.

I saw Azarus roll his eyes before taking his feet off the table. Yeah, I guess he wasn’t too keen on his family. Still, he raised his glass as well. “To family.” He said, unenthusiastically. I don’t think Grey noticed.

I pushed down my own feelings and raised my glass as well. “To family,” I said quietly, clinking my glass with the others.

We all took a drink, only some of us fighting down a grimace at the taste.

The group fell silent for some time before Grey broke it again. “You know, Nathan, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you speak on your family before.”

I stiffened.

Grey continued, not noticing. “I know Azarus’s situation, but I know nothing of yours. Getting word from Sylvia made me realize that.”

I took a deep breath, before letting it out. “Not much to say,” I said shortly.

Azarus glanced at me, before Grey spoke again. He must have heard something in my tone. “Oh, I’m sure that isn’t true. Please, share with us.” He said with a wobbly smile.

I stared down into my glass before sighing. “Well, I only really have my father anymore and…” I pushed down a surge of emotion. “I’m not sure he’s still around.”

“How so?” Azarus asked me quietly, while Grey stared at me in drunken confusion.

I didn’t look up from my drink. “Well, I was his caretaker,” I said quietly. “We don’t have magic back home, so you can’t just wave your hand and cure serious injuries. The same accident that took my mother crippled my father. After that, it was always just the two of us. I was an only child, and we didn’t really have any other relatives. They were all either dead or estranged.”

The table was silent for a moment, my words puncturing even Grey’s drunken state.

“Mom’s death was hard on him, even beyond his suddenly being disabled.” I continued, in a low voice. “He…struggled with serious depression for years. Sometimes…most of the time, I think the only reason he stuck around was because I was there. If I’m gone…” I fell quiet again, fighting with myself. “Since I’ve been gone, I’m not sure if he…survived. Either from nobody to care for him or…”

I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

Grey broke the silence, seeming to have sobered up slightly from my words. “Nathan, I’m sorry. I truly didn’t mean to-”

I shook my head, cutting him off. “No, it’s fine,” I said, standing up from the table. “I…try not to think about it. Sorry for ruining the mood.” Keeping my breath even, I walked out of the kitchen.

As I reached the bottom of the staircase to go to my room, Grey's voice drifted to me from the kitchen.

“Damnit.”