We had to hurry on our way since more howls could be heard in the surrounding area. The noise of the battle and the wolf corpses would be sure to draw more creatures. Miraculously none of us had been injured so we were able to make good time even if I did slow the other two down. I could tell Lux wasn’t impressed with my slow speed, but Ann only smiled at me.
I had us go back the way I came, and we ended up near the docks. We took a break near a rotten shed and I passed around the water bottle again. I was curious about the pair but remained silent while on the dangerous streets. We caught a few glimpses of beasts but made it to the small gate into the wealthy district without incident.
I could tell Ann was eager to see her sister and informed her we were almost there. I also warned them about Shadow so there wouldn’t be any surprises. The mansion looked the same. I hadn’t been gone that long but for some reason it felt like it had been days instead of hours. I had left the back door unbarred so we used that entrance. I hoped Lin had stayed in bed to recuperate. Now that Ann was here, she should be able to heal Lin’s wounds. I was interested in seeing more spells and maybe Ann could teach me how to perform my own magic.
When we got inside, Ann immediately called out in common which got a response from the second floor. Ann and Lux rushed up the stairs while Lin limped out of the bedroom. A touching reunion was had by the family as they all hugged each other, with the girls crying. I stood awkwardly off to the side where Shadow joined me, seeming to be irritated by the noisy display.
Figuring they would be hungry, I picked up Shadow and headed downstairs to get a meal ready. There were more mouths to feed, and I would definitely have to go fishing again tomorrow but should have enough for one meal. The sun was still up so I was able to get a fire going and started the stove. I would cook the rest of the fish and as a celebration broke out some of the preserved food.
As I was in the middle of cooking the fish, I was hugged from behind which startled me and I almost shrieked. I was too used to it just being me and Shadow but luckily I didn’t completely ruin my manly persona by screaming like a little girl. “Thanks for saving my little sister and for helping us out of that tower. Lin told us what happened after we got separated. She had nothing but good things to say about you.” Ann said, giggling at my reaction.
“Oh, um, it was nothing. I was just happy to see someone else for a change.” I said, after clearing my throat. “Shadow isn’t exactly a great conversationalist.” I continued wryly, glancing at Shadow who was on the kitchen counter patiently waiting for the fish to be done. Ann released me and started petting Shadow who purred contentedly.
Ann’s fluffy tail started hitting me while she was busy with Shadow but I managed to restrain myself from touching it. I was glad I did as I turned my head to see Lux and Lin standing in the doorway to the kitchen. As I suspected, Lin had been fully healed by Ann’s magic. Lin rushed over and grabbed my hand and bowed her head repeatedly while saying “Thanks….you.” over and over. Lux also bowed his head in my direction while I scratched my cheek nervously with my other hand.
“Please tell them I was happy to help. Also, you can pick whichever bedroom you like but I haven’t cleaned them yet. Mine is at the end of the hall. The food will be ready shortly and there is a well out back if you want to clean up.” I said, looking at Ann pleadingly. She smiled and relayed my message and the wolfkin family left Shadow and I alone in the kitchen. “It certainly has gotten a lot livelier around here.” I said, absently petting Shadow. She just meowed at me while looking at the fish.
We sat around the dining room table and ate supper. For some reason the girls sat on either side of me while Lux eyed me suspiciously. I avoided eye contact with him while I finished eating then asked Ann what I had been dying to know - how they got to the abandoned city. She gave me a brief summary of their journey. They were hired by their dad’s friend to get him to the city and back again. He was evidently an explorer and something like this world’s version of an archeologist.
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They came from an island nation and were dropped off along the coast to the east of the city. She said no captain would sail their vessel close to the abandoned city because the waters were cursed. I wasn’t sure what they meant by cursed and chalked it up to superstition. They found the overgrown road that ran between South Port and East Port and followed it to the city.
Monsters attacked them several times, but they persevered. Their father’s friend was ecstatic when they arrived in the city and pushed a little too hard to explore. It ended up with them caught out in the open by a pack of jungle wolves which caused the party to be split up. I rubbed my chin in thought for a minute then asked “Does anyone still live in East Port? The city farther up the coast?” Ann looked confused and relayed my question to the others.
They talked for a little while before she answered. “The only thing farther up the coast is a small fishing village amongst some ancient ruins. Compared to it, this city is amazingly preserved. We have to reach the village to meet the ship which stops there once a month.” Now it was my turn to look confused. From what I had read in the books both cities should have been from the same time period.
“How old are these ancient ruins and how old do you think this city is?” I asked, starting to get a bad feeling. “No one knows for sure, but they are hundreds of years old at least. Only rumors of this being a cursed city persist and no one except my father’s eccentric friend and us were crazy enough to visit it since all previous expeditions never returned.” My mind was reeling, there was no way the city was that old. I would have guessed it had been abandoned for maybe 10 or 20 years tops, not hundreds. Especially in this humid climate and with the tropical storms I could only assume there was some kind of preservation magic at play.
I was silent for a while, lost in my own thoughts while the others spoke to each other in common. “If the kingdom has been gone for so long, why do mages still speak old empire?” I asked curiously. “Most of our magical knowledge comes from the old empire so of course we still speak it.” She replied. “Are you a citizen of this city that survived somehow?” she asked excitedly. I had to put a stop to her enthusiasm and explained how I was summoned a few weeks ago from another world. It had the opposite effect and if anything, she seemed even more excited while she repeated my story to the others. They had shocked looks on their faces and asked questions here and there during my story which I tried to answer.
I decided to move the conversation to the study where I pulled out the map of the kingdom. When everyone found a seat Ann spoke up. “There are legends of summoned heroes, but I never thought I’d get to meet one.” She smiled happily. Lin looked excited as well, but as usual Lux had a scowl. Lux studied the map while the two girls were busy studying me for some reason.
“Ahem…I’m not much of a hero but as you can see, this city is called South Port and the ruins you described must be East Port. The capital lies beyond the jungle.” I said, pointing at the map while trying not to be embarrassed at the fact that they thought I was some kind of legendary hero. The girls finally glanced at the map. “To think there was another larger city deeper in the jungle, it’s amazing.” Ann said excitedly. “Yes, but getting to it would be tough and who knows if it is preserved like South Port or an ancient ruin like East Port.” I replied.
“Do the legends say why the cities were abandoned?” I asked. “No, just theories like a war or natural disaster. No one really knows.” Ann replied glancing at the books in the study. I grabbed the introductory magic book and placed it on the desk. “I’ve been studying this book but can’t seem to get any spells to work. My world doesn’t have magic. Do you think you could teach me some spells?” I asked sheepishly. “Of course, leave it to me. I’m sure a hero such as yourself will learn magic in no time.” Ann replied, grinning widely. I could only hope I met her expectations.
With the remaining light, I helped clean out two more bedrooms. Ann offered to just sleep with Lin but I figured we might as well clean enough out for everyone. In any case, it didn’t take long with everyone helping. I also carried up another barrel of water for the second bathroom. Lux seemed surprised at my strength which was understandable as I didn’t think I looked particularly strong.
After that I checked that the mansion was secure and said goodnight while retreating to my bedroom. I left the door cracked open in case Shadow wanted in. Tomorrow would be another busy day. I felt exhausted so it didn’t take long to fall asleep. When I woke up, I felt a weight on my chest and opened my eyes expecting to see Shadow. Instead, I was greeted by a sleeping Ann who had her head on my chest with her arms hugging me. The rest of her was covered by the blanket. I was shocked and didn’t know what to do. I frantically looked around the room, but we were alone with the door firmly shut. I breathed a sigh of relief as I’m sure her dad would kill me if he saw us together. This could certainly complicate things.