“Are you two feeling better?” Mom asked as she placed a pair of cups in front of Lexia and me.

Lexia and I sat at the table for breakfast with the same look. We rested our heads on our arms as we leaned on the table. Yesterday, we locked ourselves in our respective rooms, not leaving unless it was to eat or use the bathroom. And after two weeks of everything running on eleven, we are too tired to move now that we weren’t.

Breakfast helped. Mom gave me an uncooked liver while she gave Lexia lightly cooked sausages and eggs.

“A bit,” Lexia said, not lifting her head off the table.

“Not really.” I buried my face in my arms. “I kinda want to spend the day alone.”

Mom started scratching my back. “Ah, sweetie, you don’t want to go out and hunt, or maybe go and see Evalana while she’s visiting?”

I turned my head and glared at my mother. “Explain now.”

“I sorta want to meet Evalana.” Lexia took a drink. “But what are you talking about, sis? What does Mom need to explain?”

Mom grinned mischievously. “I kept her friend’s visit from her. But I did it because, given Evalana’s condition, it would be best if Lucia wasn’t so aggressive.”

I slammed the cup I was drinking out of onto the table. Thankfully, I didn’t hit it too hard and break either the cup or the table. “Her condition? What happened? Is she alright? Where is she?” I jumped up and grabbed Mom’s shoulders. “Tell me what’s wrong with my friend.”

She just grabbed my wrists and patted them. “It’s alright. She’s in a little pain, but that’s expected. There’s nothing wrong. But she is a little pregnant. So she can’t move too much before she exhausts herself.”

“She’s what?” I don’t want to believe it. Please tell me I misheard her.

“She’s pregnant,” Mom said with a wide smile.

“How?” My arms fell to my sides as my vision started tilting.

“You see, when a female and a male want to mate, they...” Lexia stared off into the distance.

“That won’t be necessary, honey.” Mom scratched the top of Lexia’s head, causing her to snap out of her memorization recital, trance, thing. “She knows all too well how babies are made. She’s just having a hard time accepting that her friend is pregnant.”

“Oh. Why?” Lexia turned to look at me, her tail swaying lazily behind her. “Shouldn’t she be happy for her?”

I shook my head. “Actually, it’s nice that she’s pregnant. But that means she slept with her husband. She slept with Mr. Prissy-Pants.” I covered my eyes, trying to block the mental image from my eyes. “How could she?”

“Mr. Prissy-Pants?” Lexia asked. “You’ve never said anything about him.”

“You aren’t missing much,” I said under my breath. “Let me guess, he’s here too.”

Mom sighed. “Yes, he’s here too.” She flicked my nose. “And he has a name. I suggest you use it.”

I performed an exaggerated pout. “Fine. I’ll behave.” But I still don’t like the guy.

“I guess that’s all the progress I’ll get out of you today, isn’t it?” Mom slumped her shoulders. “Are you still wanting to stay home and not go anywhere? We can go see her tomorrow, if that’s the case.”

Lexia waved her hand. “Nah, she can just take a nap, and she’ll be ready to go in no time.”

“What about you?” I pointed to my sister. “You’re just as tired as I am. I’ll recover faster. You shouldn’t feel obligated to follow me around.”

Lexia smiled. “I’ll be fine. It’s so nice of you to care. But that nap sound nice.” She started staring wistfully at the ceiling.

“Go take a nap, girls. We can visit her for lunch.” Mom grabbed the empty cups and waved her hands towards the bedrooms. “I’ll let Evalana know your plans while I’m in town.”

Lexia turned and stared at Mom while wagging her tail. “So, what are you going to do today? I didn’t know you had a job today? Can I come with?”

Mom flicked her wrist, and the cups glided towards the sink. “What happened to that nap, young lady?”

“But I like watching you use magic. You can do so much.” Lexia bounced from one foot to the other. “Watching you use earth magic to help with the gate repairs was amazing.”

I couldn’t hold back a smile as my sister gushed over our mother’s control of magic.

Mom couldn’t either. “I know you love to watch me use magic, honey. But I don’t think Boris and Brann would like it if I brought you two along.”

“And why would I be coming along?” I asked.

Mom gave me a sidelong smirk. “Because if you learned that I took your sister to hunt rats and didn’t take you, I would never hear the end of it.”

My mother, the most powerful mage in the kingdom, is reduced to hunting rats in a local tavern’s cellar. Yes, it’s the largest and most prestigious tavern, but even still, that’s a little demeaning. It makes sense for Lexia and me since we love hunting things—I’m way better at it than her. But the most important question is... “Why wouldn’t they like it if we came?”

Mom turned to face me, crossed her arms, and glared at me. “Because the last time I took you, you ate the rats in the middle of the dining room on the way out.”

I shrugged. “They make a great snack. And I worked up an appetite catching them.”

Mom’s glare darkened. “You offered a woman a half-eaten rat.”

“She wouldn't stop staring at me. Maybe she wanted to try it.”

“She fainted.”

“So?”

“You know better, and the fact that you laughed the entire way out the door proved you did,” Mom said through her clenched teeth.

“It was kinda funny.” I gave Mom a sheepish grin.

Lexia snorted as she tried to cover her laughter. When Mom glared at her, too, she copied my grin. “It was.”

Mom dropped her arms and rolled her eyes. “Kids.”

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I scurried up to my mother and hugged her. “But we’re your kids, and you love us.”

Lexia joined in. “And we love you too.”

“You’re right,” Mom said as she hugged us close. “But I know when you’re manipulating me,” she whispered in our ears.

“Is it working?” I asked in the same whisper while wagging my tail.

I could see the internal struggle on her face. She wanted to say “no,” but our combined cuteness was too much for her to deny us outright.

“Yes.” Our mother squeezed us tighter. “But not as much as you want it to,” she quickly added.

“Oh, and can we check up on Fina later today too?” I asked as we broke up the family hug. “She’s probably feeling as bad as we are.”

“Absolutely.” Mom shoved us towards the bedrooms. “Now go take your nap like children.”

As if on cue, Lexia yawned. “Yeah, I think I will. Sis’s probably already feeling better.” She headed towards her bedroom. “I’m a bit jealous of her recovery aptitude.”

“Coming from the one who learned how to read in one day, that doesn’t mean much.” I tapped my chin. “You know what? You’re right. I am feeling better. I guess I don’t need that nap.”

“Alright, you two.” Mom stepped in between the two of us. “You’re each special in your own way. Even as twins, you both excel in areas the other doesn’t.” She turned and pointed at me. “If you’re feeling better, why don’t you go see Fina now? I’m sure she really wants someone to talk to right now.”

“Tell her ‘hi’ for me, would you?” Lexia called as she resumed her march to her bed.

“I will.” I waved my hand. “Sleep tight. We’ll get you for lunch. Evalana will definitely treat us to something special.”

Lexia closed the door behind her as Mom headed to grab her cloak. I looked outside and didn’t see any clouds.

“Do you think it’s going to rain today?” I asked.

Mom tied her cloak. “No. You might not feel it, but it’s a bit breezy today, and it’s colder than usual.”

Is it? I guess I haven’t felt anything. Even though Lexia and I shed just before our mating season, it’s still not that chilly. But it is the water season, it could start raining at anytime. And the one time I don’t take my cloak, it’ll be the time I regret it.

I grabbed my blue magical cloak decorated with the edges embroidered with yellow snowflakes. As I held it out and hummed.

“What is it?” Mom looked at the garment. “Is there something wrong?”

“No. For some reason, I just now realize the irony of this cloak.” A smile crept across my face. “When I won this cloak, I never would’ve guessed that I could use ice magic. Honestly, I just liked the way it looked.”

Mom chuckled. “I guess that is kind of ironic. Although, I really wish I could’ve watched you. That would’ve been a sight to see.”

“Maybe when Aurtour has kids and they grow up, a festival will be held for them. And if that elf shows up again, I can show you.” I winked.

Mom wrapped the cloak around my shoulders and tied the strings. “Okay, sweetie. Just take it easy today. If you decide you want to go hunting, take your sister. I don’t care if she’s still sleeping. Don’t go into the forest alone.”

“Why?”

“This last week there were rumors of an orc warband.” Mom frowned. “The worst part is, nobody’s been able to catch them. They move too quickly and intelligently. Something’s not right about them.”

“Then I would be the best one to track them down and catch them.” I haven’t had a mission since I got back from the one to the Wild Kingdom. I’ve been itching to stretch my legs. “But how do they know it’s orcs? Has anyone been attacked?”

Mom shook her head. “No, some trackers found marks from their sleighs. How they got this far in again, I don’t know. But it feels like that time when you showed up.” I laughed. She stuck a finger in my face. “Don’t get any ideas. I can see it in your eyes. You want to go find them. Don’t, not unless Captain Aenwyn gives you the mission.” It suddenly became harder to breathe. “Promise me.”

I stared at the finger inches from my nose. “I promise that I won’t hunt the orcs unless Captain Aenwyn gives me the mission.”

The dark, foreboding feeling vanished immediately as my mother stood up straight and smiled. “Now be a good girl and go have fun cheering up your friend.” Mom scratched the top of my head for a few moments before turning for the door.

I listened to the rhythmic sounds of my mother’s footstep as they steadily grew more distant. This family is one I wouldn’t trade anything in this world for. When it was just Mom and me, I thought it was great. Finding Lexia, however unlikely it was, has made our little family so much more... Complete. Yeah, that’s a good word, complete.

After I walked out the back door and took a deep breath of the fresh air, I looked to my left and saw Lexia’s window. Even though Lexia and I had more than a reasonable amount of arguments over the last two weeks, it wasn’t all our fault. Our biology has just made us more intense. We love each other, and we were never in danger of hurting each other too badly. If I were ever in trouble, there’s nobody I would want at my back more than Lexia.

I looked out at the field of potatoes still yet to be harvested. Our house sat on the edge of the farmland of a lovely family. They’re nice to me since I’m free pest control. Normally, I charge for that kinda service. The breeze ruffled the green leaves of the potatoes. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this is the most peaceful things can get.

I shook my head as I walked towards the field. That couldn’t be further from the truth. The demon king is coming, and he has sins working on manipulating mortals to bring him to this world. I don’t know what his plan is when he gets here, other than that it’s supposed to be bad. At least that’s what The Voice said when it sent me here.

There was an unusual scent in the field as I walked around. It didn’t smell like the usual small pests that hide and forage in the crops. Whatever it is, it can wait. Fina has probably been pretty lonely for the last two weeks. That’s another reason to like Bosco and his wife, Lentilee. Taking in Fina like they did was strangely nice. Most humans would’ve let her wander around homeless. They gave her a job, food, and housing. All until she got her feet under her. She’s basically a farmhand, but after their kids left home, they need the help.

I wrapped my hand around my wrist. A silver bracelet roughly an inch wide hugged my arm. Victor... I’m so thankful you understand. We can’t have kids, not while there is such an enormous threat looming over the world. I guess that’s why you went and joined the Brilliant Crusade. And you needed a job. It was the only thing Allen could do to help you out. You and Gifford will one day be knights worthy of joining the fight. But until then, wait for us.

I couldn’t help but laugh. We are one big family of knights. Mom was a knight for Excelsior. Then Lexia joined me in The Maidens. And both our mates joined the Brilliant Crusade. Fina might be the only normal one of us. She just wanted something quiet and peaceful.

I stepped up to our neighbor’s door and gave it a knock. The door opened and revealed a human woman. She was short, with curly black hair reaching her shoulders. Her heavily tanned skin was only outshined by her brown eyes, which looked like they would like nothing more than to go to sleep.

Her face held plenty of wrinkles, but her expression softened as she craned her head to look me in the eye.

“I didn’t expect to see you today,” Lentilee said. Her voice, while normally high-pitched, sounded as tired as her eyes looked. “But I’m glad you’re here. Your friend...” She turned back to look inside. “She’s a bit out of it. You told us what to expect, and she told us what to expect, but this isn’t something I can’t handle.”

“What’s wrong?” I pushed past the short farmer’s wife. “Where is she?”

“Hey. Watch where you’re walking, girl.” Lentilee stomped behind me. “But if you must know, she’s been locked in her room all day, weeping.” Her footsteps died down. “She won’t come out for food. She’s not talking to us. If it weren’t for her sobbing, I‘d question if she were still alive.”

I glared at the woman. “You have locks on your doors?”

“No,” a voice from another room called out. Heavier footsteps followed the voice, and another human joined us. “She blocked her door and window. The lady wants to be left alone.”

Bosco looked old, and I imagined he felt old as his shoulders were perpetually slumped forwards. His black hair started showing gray roots, almost matching his pale blue eyes. He looked like a worn piece of leather that had been left out in the sun without being properly treated.

“And crying alone in a room like that ain’t healthy, you know that.” Lentilee jabbed her finger through the air at her husband. “We just can’t leave the poor girl like that.”

The man pointed behind him with his thumb. “If you think you can help her, by all means, do.”

Lentilee grabbed the edge of my cloak. “There’s some food on the table for her. Some bread and butter with some fruit and a few pieces of fat that she likes.”

Not a bad breakfast. “Fine, but I’m going to suggest you leave. She might want a bit more privacy.”

Bosco flinched and paused for a moment. “Bah, whatever. I’ve planned to check the back fields, anyway.” He grabbed his wife’s shoulder as he walked by. “That, and we need to make sure we don’t have any uninvited guests in the barn.”

I stood and waited until the pair left the building before heading to where Bosco pointed. Everything was silent, but there was only one door closed. With a gentle rap on the door, there was the sound of something being dragged across the floor.

When the sound stopped, the door opened. “I heard you,” Fina said softly.

I stared at the lynx beastkin woman, and my heart pulled me towards her. She didn’t look at anything but the floor in front of her feet as she held her wrist. A copper band similar to my silver band clutched to her arm.

Poor FIna.