Max closed both eyes and sighed. After that one ended, he took another deep breath and let it out slowly. “We should not talk about these things… if we do, it will attract attention, and if you got a quest, one of us would die.”

Grace shivered at those last words, seeing Max open his eyes and a darkness hiding deep within looking at her.

“I… I’m sorry for prying. I just knew… forget it. What am I supposed to do now?”

“What do you mean?” Max asked as he swept the coins off that table into his hand. “Are you talking about me or the city?”

“The city first,” Grace answered. “If you’re right about how many guards they have, I just took out a chunk of who was left. How long till more arrive, and will the Lord Knight come looking for a fight?”

Scratching his chin, Max stared at Grace, considering what he thought might happen. After a few moments, he stood and grabbed the bottle of alcohol and returned it to its hiding place.

“Honestly, you’re going to be in trouble either way. I’m surprised you haven’t gotten a quest yet, but then again, I understand it’s probably too soon.”

“Too soon?”

Moving back to the table, Max spun his chair around and sat in it, resting his large arms on the back of the chair. “You just took out twelve soldiers, two of whom happened to be emissaries. That will not go unnoticed, but it may take till tomorrow for anything to come from it. There will be a few who most likely will remember you being there. Eventually, they will come here looking for answers.”

Shifting in her chair, Grace let her mind deal with all those possibilities.

“It’s too late to flee,” she said, watching Max nod. “Getting anywhere with Levi would be hard and dangerous right now. Then there is the whole–”

Realizing what she had forgotten, Grace reached into her vest and pulled out the pouch of silver. Opening it, she put ten pieces on the table before putting her pouch where she kept it.

“I took those and a gold coin off of the two knights. I hid the gold coin just in case it was marked like the pouch Michael gave me. If someone does find it, they won’t like what I left for them.”

Max shook his head, frowning at the thought of what Grace was becoming.

“You don’t like it?” she asked.

“I hate that you are having to become what I was… it’s not easy on the mind or soul, but your reason is better than mine was. Tomorrow, you need to be ready to leave if that is required. I’ll send a few people into town to pick up some random things. I will possibly need a little bit more money, but you need to be prepared to be gone in a moment. That requires supplies.”

“What about Levi?”

Ignoring the concern in her voice and the angst on her face, Max shrugged. “You cannot leave him here. Too many people know he is your brother, and that would paint a target on him if you ran. The best case would be someone killing him quickly… the worst would be things you don’t want to even imagine.”

Shuddering, Grace found herself getting angry at the thought of her brother getting hurt.

“So until I get a quest?”

“Sit and wait. Enjoy time with your brother. Go and visit the other gang leaders and share what you feel comfortable with,” Max replied. “You’re smart enough; based on what I can tell, you can figure out who is on your side one hundred percent.”

“And then just wait for a quest?” Grace asked, grunting because she knew that was the correct answer.

Max snorted and nodded. “If there was one thing I hated about those quests, they always came before something went down. How the ones in charge know… I’ll never understand.”

“You seem weird.”

“What does that mean?” Grace asked.

“You’re trying to be nice and play with me, but… you’re like mom when she had something else to do. What is it you’re wanting to do?” Levi asked, frowning at his sister.

Holding the ball in her hand they had been tossing for a bit, Grace realized she hadn’t even been looking at her brother; instead, she was constantly scanning the garden area and relying on her ability to react in time.

“Sorry, I’m just distracted. I hope things will improve, but I’m a little scared after the last few days.”

Levi nodded and walked toward the other kids. “Well, I'll be over here when you want to play with me.”

She watched her brother walk away, and her chest hurt. He knew she wasn’t engaged, and the fact that he had called her out about it made it even worse.

Why does it have to be so hard…

Her head scanned each of the entrances to the garden, always making sure no one was coming in without her knowing it. People were watching her, and Grace’s mind told her she was acting weird, making them nervous by her actions.

Sighing, Grace turned and left the garden. She needed to think, and pretending to be happy wasn’t working.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Crossing the street outside the garden exit, Lilly came from the shadows and matched her stride.

Leaning over, Grace scratched Lilly a few times, earning a rare tail wag.

“Thanks for that,” she said, watching the dog she had loved acting totally different than she had for the last few years.

Is that how people see me?

Moving through the empty streets, Grace couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t herself anymore. The woman she saw in her dream felt like someone else.

How can I be happy? Where could I find love and have a child?

Thinking about Levi and how he had talked to her hurt. An eight-year-old boy knew her well enough to know she wasn’t the sister he had grown up with. He was changing.

Every step she took was further away from her brother and the people she cared about, but right now, Grace felt the need to be away from them. There was so much to figure out, and if the time came to run, would Levi even go with her?

That damn Max! He lied to me!

Knowing she had been correct that Max used to be an emissary like she was troubled and comforted her simultaneously. If he could live without having to obey quests, perhaps one day she could also.

Movement from the corner of her eye caused her to react independently. Grace threw her hand up as she bent down, twisting and catching the rock that was hurtling toward her.

In a single motion, she spun around, arm raised and ready to throw the rock at where it had come from. And then she froze.

“You’ve improved so much. I felt it prudent to come and congratulate you before everything changes.”

She wanted to move, but her body couldn’t. The man who had given her this title and power was coming toward her. He wore the image of the older man she first met. The one who promised her immortality. Promised her the ability to strike back at those who had hurt her and protect Levi.

“Oh, forgive me,” he said with a grin, snapping his fingers.

Every muscle in her body relaxed, and Grace recovered, standing while squeezing the rock in her fist.

“Now I would toss that idea right out of your mind,” he warned Grace, seeing how she fidgeted with the rock. “You aren’t near strong enough for that and won’t be for some time to come. Perhaps you can challenge me one day, but not for a while.”

The wrinkles on his face and forehead came together as he smiled, those white teeth displayed as his dark eyes watched her every move.

“Why… why have you come?”

He cackled, laying his head back and roaring toward the sky. After he settled down, catching his breath, the man returned his gaze to Grace, smirking at her now.

“I told you already. I’ve come to congratulate you. What you did in that house and how you set everything up was exquisite,” he replied. His voice sounded as if he was sincerely happy with what she had done. “Those poor men had no idea until it was too late, and the use of your abilities was perfection.”

He clapped his hands, slowly walking around Grace and looking her up and down.

“That armor is a bit lacking, but still, it serves a purpose. You’ll need to find better armor soon with what you are going to face. Plate armor would be best, yet that will be difficult to acquire in your size.”

He turned his gaze from her to Lilly, who sat on the ground, those black eyes following him as he walked.

“She has been a marvelous companion. Turned out better than I had hoped. Keep her with you, and Lilly will be something even greater in time.”

“What did you do to her? I mean, what happened to the dog I knew?”

The older man frowned, his eyes narrowing at Grace and that question.

“She’s different like you. Changed in ways I cannot begin to describe. Just know that she feeds off you. As you grow, she will grow. The little dog that chased its own tail and ate its own crap is no more.”

Looking at Lilly, Grace felt guilty for what had happened to her dog.

Is this my fault she’ll never know joy or happiness again? Is she really that much like me?

“Those thoughts aren’t worth considering, especially with what is about to happen. You need to prepare, and you need to consider your choices.”

Turning her attention to the man, Grace stepped back when she saw the old man's facade was gone, replaced with the younger, stronger-looking man that sometimes appeared. His jet-black hair and darker eyes were staring at her in a way that made her want to hide.

“The end of this city is coming, and with it, things will go one of two ways. Your choice will determine the path you and your brother will take.”

She started to ask a question, but her body and tongue froze again as she stood there, mouth open wide.

He grinned, shaking his head as he did.

“Listen and learn, little one. You asked for this path and power. I gave it to you. Now is the time to decide if you meant the words that you said.”

Waving his hand, a map appeared in the air before Grace.

Looking at it, she realized it was a top-down view of the city. The drawing of the streets and buildings looked how she imagined them now. Burnt-out husks of buildings littered three-fourths of the city, while the northwest part still looked like a building or house should.

“Watch carefully,” he said, snapping his finger.

Fire began to burn from the edges of the northwest, coming down and around the city until it consumed every part except the northwest section.

“If you do not fight and win, this will happen to the city. Even if you take your brother and flee, know that every person in the city who you claim to care about will die.”

He leaned close, his breath smelling foul and feeling warm on her face, and glared.

“Every… single… life…” he said, accentuating each word. “They will die, and you will be weak.”

He snapped his finger on his left hand this time, and the map returned to how it had been a moment before.

“Now, if you do what is required and become what you must, this will happen.”

Snapping his finger again, a portion of the northwest side was reduced to rubbles, most of it contained within the area she knew was the keep and the guard areas. Slowly, the parts of the city, starting in the southeast corner, began to change, turning from burnt husks to livable homes and buildings.

“If you do this, you will still need to leave at a point, but lives will be spared, and those you claim to care about will once again thrive,” he stated, grinning as he did. He gave her a wink, holding up an arm, and suddenly, his sleeve was gone, showing a massive and well-defined muscle. “Do what you must, and you will be strong. Stronger than most could ever imagine at this stage of your journey.”

Bringing his hands together, his black clothes appeared on his arm again, and he clapped once, the map disappearing, and Grace felt the cords of whatever was binding her body vanish.

“Any questions?” he asked as he stared at her.

Swallowing, Grace knew what he wanted her to say. Her mind was filled with about a hundred questions, yet she had no doubt there was only one correct answer.

“No. What do I need to do?”

Laughing like a person who had just heard the greatest joke in the world, the man began to shake, hugging himself. When he finally stopped, taking a long breath and then flashing the evilest smile she had ever seen, her vision was filled with red boxes.

“Good luck!” he said, waving as he walked off. “You have your answers.”

Grace couldn’t watch him as he vanished. Instead, she was reading all of the quests that had just appeared.