The bark is rough under my hands as I lean against a tree to peer around at the voices. “Oh, my,” I mutter under my breath while I shake off four of the five ants that marched onto my hand. The last one gets flicked off, then back to leaning against the tree. One voice is definitely Levon’s and a girl and some creepy looking man. Definitely a creepy short man with a bald head but little tiny specks of hair are growing out of it.

“How does he know we’re right here?” I turn to ask Talis Man. But he’s gone. Talis Man is gone. “Hey,” I whisper, looking around wildly. “Hey, Talis Man” I say, “get back here.” But it’s just me and the dirt and leaves under my feet. And of course, an ant which found it’s way back onto my hand. “Ew, ew.” Another flick and it’s marching on a leaf once more.

Levon says, “Tessa, you’re going to love my little sis. She’s pretty great. I mean,” he says, “usually.” And right as he says that, he steps into view. He stops and Tessa bumps into him. “The hell?” he says. “Why are you literally, right friggin’ here?”

“Uhm,” I say. Tessa is just a bit taller than Levon. Bright red hair, brown eyes, tan skin, and ridiculously pretty. Levon is clearly smitten. “Is this your girlfriend?”

Levon brushes his hair from his brow. “Yeah, well,” he says, “it’s more like she’s my Protector and I’m her Leaver.”

Tessa smiles, a beautiful one. She drops her head in a bow and says, “For them, not I.” Then she blows a bubble and let’s I explode on her lips. She peels the gum off and glances with doe-eyes at Levon. “This is her? Your little sister?”

His charming smile and gentle, “Yes,” changes immediately as he stares at me. “But she’s basically my girlfriend. Did you friggin’ read dad’s notes or not because I don’t believe you if you say you friggin’ did.”

“I read like three sentences,” I say.

Tessa smirks every single time he says friggin’. It gives me this weird feeling but it’s not like the feeling the Talis Man gives me which is he’s so imposing I want to hide in the groundhog hole next to Levon’s foot. It’s more like the basement door. Seeing the chair moved. The breeze escaping between the door and the frame. Like the TV off. Like a used cough drop. Actually, not the last one. That was definitely Levon as some point considering he used to do the same thing back home.

“Levon, babe, we need to go back to-” she whispers the rest in his ear. “Honey, it was marvelous meeting you today. I can’t wait to get to know you better.”

“Sis, get back to The Host. I’ll def be home tonight so we can hang out and stuff…”

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He says a few more things. But there’s this bracelet on Tessa’s wrist. It has a charm and it’s shaped like some strange bird, one I’ve never seen. It’s yellow. Like pastel sunflowers. Like yellow sundresses. Why does it shine when sunlight isn’t hitting it?

The man clears his throat.

Levon says, “Alright, so this is Siegrist, your trainer. He’s cool and knows what he’s doing.”

“Yeah,” Tessa says. “He’s a legend. He’s trained like three-hundred Leavers and you are the last one on his friggin’ list before he can retire.”

“What happens when you retire?” I ask Siegrist.

He’s my height and his eyes are dark but tinged with purple. He has a sparse mustache above his thin lip. He gives a polite smile but it sends a shiver down my spine. The way his lips press together. The way he bows his head but the rest of his body is stiff. The way his eyes haven’t moved from me. It’s those little things that make me thankful when Tessa interrupts Siegrist as he begins to speak.

“Talk later. We have got to get back to the seam.” Tessa says. She squeezes my shoulder. “See you later, sweetheart.”

Levon says, “Lyla, go back to The Host, okay? It’s not good for you to be wandering alone out here.”

“Well, what they hell are you three doing?”

“Siegrist is three-hundred years old,” Siegrist says as he runs his hand over his nearly bald head. “Do not question Siegrist’s actions. All of actions are purposeful.”

“But to answer the question,” Levon says, “we’re patrolling along the seam.”

“What-”

“No. No questions, Lyla. Just wait until I see you tonight.”

Siegrist grunts. “Where is Host located, Lyla?”

My brows raise while I gesture to where I walked from. “That blue house right there.” It’s just visible between the trees, broken hinges and all. It’s a stark contrast to the dim woods and the sunlight shining on its roof and the yard calls to me. Tells me to head to it. And I know how it sounds, the sunlight calling me to the house, but it’s the only way I can explain it.

“Thank you, Lyla. Now Siegrist knows where to find you for training tomorrow.”

“Wow,” Tessa says. “You can see The Host? I thought it was only the Leavers and Protectors assigned to it.”

Siegrist doesn’t seem to look where the house is, just in the general direction. Even Levon squints at Tessa’s words and even more so as he studies Siegrist pretend to look at the house, or apparently, The Host.

“Siegrist is granted many abilities,” Siegrist says.

Tessa twirls a strand of hair. “Amazeballs. Well, we better head out. See you later, Lyla.”

They walk away but not towards the house or the yard. They walk deeper into the forest, they’re heads bob in the darkness, becoming single pinpricks until they disappear fully. And the moment they’re gone, a speck of sound behind me and most definitely not too far from me sings. And as I turn my head to the source, Talis Man blocks my view.

“We must go, Lyla,” he says.

I gasp and startle, eyes wide. If I had my charm right now. I’d hold it in my palm. I’d close my eyes. Breathe in air. I’d see if it’d tell me to listen or not. See if it warms my hand.

But the charm might just be in front of me, holding onto my arm, spreading warmth from the tips of my fingers to my shoulder. Oh my, oh my.

This is my charm.

The Talisman, Tula.

This is the Talis Man.

Libertas perfundet omnia luce

Freedom will flood all things with light