Arthur's Point of View

Pendragon Estate

“I take it you wish to speak with me?” Camoa inquired as I found her in the kitchen making some dinner.

“You’re not wrong.” I replied. “Although, I wasn’t expecting you to be in the kitchen. Honestly, I’m only used to using like three rooms in this place. Figured I’d start wandering around looking for people. This seemed as good a place as any to start.”

“Well, you did say you wanted to speak with me upon your return. Given that you’re here and not on the throne in Helmsforth Temple, I will assume the Priestesses still live.”

“Camoa, I gotta say, you’ve been taking this incredibly well.”

The Druid merely shrugged as she went back to making her food. “The Priestesses don’t mean anything to me. They came to me for help, and I helped them, but I don’t approve of many recent events.” She paused for a moment before one of her vines opened a cabinet. “Although it’s apparently not their fault.”

I rolled my eyes at that. “Yes. I know. Everyone, and everything, keeps reminding me of that. At this point, I care less about Rudnurth’s manipulations than I do about Thana’s end goal or thought process.”

Camoa didn’t agree with that, as she frowned. “That seems rather irresponsible. Understanding others will allow you to-“

“Thana could have the noblest goal in the world, but have you ever heard the saying, the ends don’t justify the means? In this case, I don’t care about the ends or the means. Bunch of uppity fucks continue to cause me nothing but headaches. Fuck ‘em.”

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The Druid slowly turned to Marina, who only shrugged in response. “What of my forest? Do you care about that?”

“Uh, yeah.” I said plainly. She looked surprised at that. “Just because I don’t care about some people’s reasoning or goals doesn’t mean I feel that way about everyone.” Motioning to her, I explained. “Far as I’m concerned, I owe you a great debt. You stuck your neck out for me. It needed no prompting or deal to be struck. If you want that forest, we’ll figure something out.”

She slowly nodded at that. “That is good to know.”

I quickly raised my hands to stop her from going further. “That being said, I’m honestly unsure of how to proceed. Whatever is controlling those wolves is, it’s definitely not another Druid. Unless Druids can control beasts as strong as the Priestesses. They may be mostly mindless, but still… It’s concerning.” Crossing my arms, I cocked a brow as I turned to Marina. “I’m surprised you three weren’t continually harassed by them.”

Marina floated forward slightly. “We were. Why do you think there were so many animal bones in Rock’s Quarry? They would try many times, but after some time had passed, the attacks eventually stopped. One time was when Mara was present.”

“That’s an impressive feat.” I stated.

“Very impressive.” Camoa agreed. “However, I fear we haven’t gotten off track. I will keep your offer in mind going forward. The forest is massive, and it has become like a second home to me, but I doubt it would be wise to return there anytime soon. Especially if I am being hunted. Avoiding beasts, whether they be manticores, wolves, or those giant chickens-“

“Giant chickens?” I asked, but she ignored me.

“It is different if someone is deliberately out for me. Would you allow me a place to stay for the time being?” Camoa questioned. “Your home is close enough to the forest where I could enter easily enough should it be required.”

“Done. Find a room that’s empty and go to town. Don’t worry about keeping it clean unless you want to. Plants and whatnot don’t really bother me.”

Camoa smiled at that. “Good. Then it will be easy enough to live here for the time being. Thank you.” I gave her a curt nod.

Then I turned to Marina. “Are there really giant chickens in there?”

Marina nodded. “There are.”

My brows shot up in surprise. “Well, that’s horrifying. How big are we talking?” Given the trees range anywhere from a few dozen feet to hundreds, it might not be too bad. “They can’t be that large, can they?”

“The largest we saw was well over thirty feet tall.” Marina answered.

“That’s even more horrifying.” I said slowly, but then I really thought about the possibilities. “But now I’m hungry.”

“Not that this isn’t amusing,” Camoa interrupted my thought about possible chicken dishes. “Didn’t you wish to speak with me? I doubt it was about giving me a room here.”

“I mean, I probably would’ve offered sooner or later, but you’re right. Truthfully, I was hoping you’d be willing to make a potion for me.” I told her as I moved across the counter.

She was mixing some stuff in a bowl at this point. “Making potions is simple enough. Sometimes a single ingredient alone can accomplish more than some potions. That all depends on the potion, though.” Camoa stated as she looked at me and waited.

Placing my hands on the counter, I leaned in slightly. “What do you know about potions that allow you to see the future?”