“That’s a big pig!” Elijah exclaimed

A giant swine the size of a rhino was walking around a large fenced in pasture.

“That’s Hamilton,” George said “She’s our Milch Swine. We use her milk to make cheese to eat every morning. Lets us see the magical creatures''

“I didn’t know you could milk a pig” Crystal said

“It’s tricky” George said “ Can’t imagine doing it every day”

“Who milks her everyday?” Elijah asked

“We have a dullion named Hamish” George explained “he’s been in charge of milking and processing the cheese making since we got Hamilton”

“What’s a dullion?” Louie asked

“A lesser variant of a golem” Kasha answered “Looks like an animated scarecrow but has a wicked solid center. I’ve seen him lift Hamilton before”

“Are those common?” Louie asked “Dullions”

“I’ve never seen another one” George said “I think making them has become a lost art. We only have Hamish to tend to Hamilton. Concealed Roots was one of the first preserves on the west coast. Our preserve for awhile was the main seller of sight giving food on this side of the country”

“Do you still sell a lot?” Louie asked

“No not really” George admitted “Most of our money comes in through the gnome farms. Potion makers come by regularly to stock up on ingredients. The gnomes are great at raising difficult plants, we work with them to grow the produce the staff eat.”

“Is a preserve like a business?” Elijah asked

“No the preserves are all funded through ancient reserves” George said “We sell to fund personal projects. Brooke is planning on buying magical communicators to place in every safehouse on the preserve”

“What are safehouses?” Louie asked

“Huts placed around the preserve” Kasha answered “From sunset to sunrise they have protections like the house. Follow any path long enough and you’ll find one”

“How big is the preserve?” Crystal asked

“Much bigger than you would expect” George said

“Do you keep a lot of livestock?” Crystal questioned

“We keep a few of the basics” George answered “Some of the creatures on our preserve are more cooperative after having a sheep meal”

By this point the group had arrived at the large cabin, surprising everyone with its size. A team twice their size would be able to live comfortably in the cabin.

“Bedrooms are on the second floor” George said, leading everyone inside “There’s also a den upstairs that has a phone if you need to make any calls”

“The kitchen is fully stocked” Kasha added “Help yourself to anything you’d like”

“Thank you for leading us here” Crystal said

“It’s not a problem” George said, stepping back outside “Theres a bell hanging in the kitchen, ring it and a bell in the main house will ring. Someone will come as soon as they notice”

“Thank you again” Crystal said and shut the door, leaving the team mates alone

“You’ve been asking a lot of questions” Skye said to Louie

“Lance offered me points for any information I bring back” Louie explained

“I’m already down on points might as well earn what I can”

“He did the same with me” Skye nodded

“Really?” Crystal asked “He didn’t say anything to me”

“Not a word to me” Elijah said angrily “So much for top priority”

“What do you mean by that?” Louie asked

“Doesn’t matter” Elijah grunted “He’s probably trying to see who’s willing to work for points. Gives him an idea how to make you do what he wants”

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

“Be careful with Lance” Crystal warned “His curiosity is dangerous. For now lets pick rooms and relax until Josh and Eve get back”

Eve and Josh arrived shortly after and told of their meeting with Blake.

Josh left the group in the dining room and made his way upstairs to his room, the farthest room from the only bathroom. The door was open, revealing a single bed and a wooden dresser were the only furniture in the room. Shutting the door behind him, Josh set his bag and hammer on top of the dresser. With an exaggerated sigh the jock took a seat on the bed, glad today was coming to an end. He began to muse about all that had happened today when a soft cough came from the closet that had been behind the open door. In an instant Josh was on his feet and holding his hammer above his head.

“Don’t strike” a calm voice said and a large figure stepped out of the shadows.

“Blake?” Josh said “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to talk without Brooke listening” Blake explained

“About the hamlet?” Josh asked, lowering his hammer

“Yes” Blake nodded “There’s a few ways we could travel to the hamlet. I wanted to work with you to pick the best for the group”

“That's something you don’t want Brooke to know?” Josh questioned “Seems like something she’d need to know”

“That isn’t the only thing I wanted to discuss” Blake admitted “George told me about you guys, and he told me about the mask”

“Do you know what the mask is?” Josh asked

“No I’ve never heard of anything like this” Blake said “However I know some things about the archaeologist that brought back the mask”

“Brooke mentioned that” Josh said “She said you didn’t like him. She also refused to tell us his name”

“He goes by a lot of names” Blake said “As an archaeologist he goes by Dr. Flint.”

“So who is he really?” Josh questioned “Do you think he’s responsible for the murders”

“Who he is” Blake began “is complicated. No one truly knows who he is. Many are unsure if he's even human. All you need to know is that he is a very influential person in the magical society. Always on the move and buried beneath decades of lies and secrets, he does as he pleases. He has the resources and connections to do anything he wishes. People like Brooke consider him a force of good in the world"

"You disagree," Josh said, more of a statement than a question.

"I can't deny he helps people often" Blake said "but some of the methods he uses are harmful to others. He often conspires with demons, witches and all forms of dark creatures. He is ruthless and has no limit to what he'd do for his goals"

"What are his goals?" Josh asked

"Just as big of a mystery as he is " Blake let out a defeated sigh "did Brook say why he came to this preserve?"

"No she didn't" Josh shook his head "I assume he wanted something in the hamlet"

"He claimed a former resident left a journal in the hamlet" Blake explained "Full of notes that relate to the treaties of several preserves. He wanted to come in quickly and retrieve it before someone else could get their hands on it. I wasn't allowed to join the mission so I don't know what he actually did while he was here. All I know Is he came back with a lot of artifacts and said his mission was a success"

"I'm gonna guess he didn't mean the journal" Josh assumed

"I would bet my life on it" Blake confirmed "I explored the hamlet just a couple days after he left but I didn't see anything wrong. The hamlet is a protected area and doesn't hold any prisoners or magical items. I truly have no idea what he did but I'm certain it has something to do with the mask you found"

"Why tell me this now?" Josh questioned

"I want you to have an idea of who we're dealing with" Blake explained and pulled a rolled up paper from his back pocket. Opening it revealed a map of the preserve.

"We could get to the hamlet by early evening tomorrow" Blake continued "however that path would send us through several of the more dangerous areas of the preserve. We can take a longer route to avoid those creatures but that would add hours to the journey"

Josh took the map and tried to locate the hamlet.

"Tell me about the creatures we could face" Josh requested "let's work out what my team can handle"

"Josh!" Eve called from down the hall "Lance is on the phone for you"

An hour had passed as Josh and Blake discussed the various creatures they may encounter on the way to the hamlet. Josh left Blake in his room and quickly made his way to the den a few rooms down from him. This room held the only landline in the house and one of two phones on the preserve. Eve was walking out of the room as Josh approached. She didn't say anything just pointed into the room and continued down the hall.

As Josh brought the phone to his ear he was met with Lance’s crazed laughter.

“Lance?” Josh said tentatively

“Josh!” Lance stopped laughing immediately “This world is incredible! I thought we got lucky with Harry Potter but now we have an entirely different magical world at our disposal”

“Magic in this world seems a lot different than Harry Potter” Josh noted

“That's the best part!” Lance exclaimed “Magic in this world may be able to do things that are impossible in Harry Potter. And vice versa. We need to create positive relationships in this world. What are your thoughts on the staff of the preserve?”

“The caretaker Brooke seems friendly enough” Josh said “She has some projects that need funding. I’m sure she’ll help if we pay for everything. They have some magical plants growing here, they might work for some of the potion recipes in Harry Potter”

“Eve mentioned those” Lance agreed “She mentioned the gnomes ran them with the talking animals”

“Yeah we met a talking Macaw named Kasha” Josh said “Always sitting on George’s shoulder. George is the second in command here. The others said he was nice to them and answered any questions asked. Speaking of, did you bribe Skye and Louie to get information for you?"

"Yes I did" Lance said without hesitation "Information is the most important tool we can find in movie worlds. I want our team members hunting for information every chance they get. Offering them points is only to reinforce the behavior"

"Of course” Josh sighed “Well Elijah doesn't seem happy he wasn't included in the deal”

“He’ll be fine” Lance said dismissively “Tell me your thoughts on Blake”

Josh paused as he realized he hadn’t told anyone Blake was in the house.

“Blake is actually in my room at the moment” Josh said