We were far from the first to arrive in the meeting room, and we were far from the last. November found a seat in a cushy recliner. Absent another open seat near her, and never being one to socialize with new people, I took a seat on the end table beside her and fixed my gaze on the floor beneath me.

“That was an excellent shot, Vem.” It was the mage’s voice. I looked up to see that she had stealthily appeared before us, beaming at November.

“Well, thank you,” November laughed, “though the maze would have been fairly hard to miss!” She grinned. “That was an amazing spell, Echo!”

“Oh, thank you!” Echo replied. “I had been working on it for quite some time. I suppose when you’ve been studying magic your whole life–”

“How did the names appear on the doors?” I demanded, cutting her off. As nice as Echo was, I didn’t care to hear anyone monologue if I didn’t have to.

“Hmm?” She tilted her head thoughtfully. “I’m not quite sure. I suppose it could be some sort of an illusion spell–”

“But how would it know our names?” I interrupted. “And who cast the spell?”

“Arrow, would you just let her finish her thought for once!” November scolded. I crossed my arms in a sulk and looked at Echo expectantly.

I could tell by the look on Echo’s face that she was thinking hard about the answer. “Well, as for who cast the spell, I suppose it could have been the previous owner of the mansion. Clearly there’s an enchantment on the whole building. It’s certainly more complex than anything I’ve ever studied, but perhaps there is an illusion spell that could react to its surroundings on its own. As for how it knows our names…” She paused thoughtfully. “I suppose it could have heard all of our names being said to each other.”

“No, that’s not it,” I responded harshly. “It got my name wrong, and it’s showing a name that I have never spoken to anyone here.”

“I thought you said yours just says ‘Arrow’.” November’s knowing glare greeted me when I spun around to face her. I froze, caught in the lie that I knew from the start would never hold up. A tense, silent moment passed before Vember released me from her gaze and turned back to Echo. “But he’s right. I’ve never told anyone my surname, but it’s on my door now.”

“Hmm.” Echo took another moment to consider this information. “Then I suppose I’m not sure how it knows.” She then broke into a grin. “But I’m looking forward to finding out!”

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Echo returned to her seat, ensuring it wouldn’t be taken by one of the other guild members filing into the room. It was starting to fill up, and I expected that it wouldn’t be long until the meeting started.

“So, what name is on your door?” November’s words were sharp, and I couldn’t face her. My gaze had returned to the floor, and I kept it there, arms still crossed.

“Not one I care to hear repeated,” I muttered.

“Arrow! Look at me!” she insisted. I silently refused. “We’ve been on how many hunts together now, and you still don’t trust me with your real name?”

“Arrow is my real name.” I finally looked at her, and much to my chagrin, the look of betrayal on her face broke me down. I sighed, closed my eyes, then opened them again, dropping my voice to a barely audible whisper. “But it’s not my given name.”

“Then what is?” November leaned in close to me, her face nearly close enough to touch mine. Not used to having someone this close to me outside of combat, I felt myself turning red. I had never been one to be worried about what others may think, but now I found myself growing anxious as I dreaded what everyone would think about me and November. “What’s on your door, Arrow?”

“Halfairo Rouden.” The name came out of my mouth before I could stop it, so quiet I hoped she couldn’t hear it, even as close as she was to me. Overcome with immediate regret, I yanked myself back and straightened my posture. “And you had better not ever repeat it to anyone, especially not me.”

She looked like she was going to say something else, when someone marched up behind me and patted me solidly on the back. “How are you feeling, Arrow?”

November sat back in her seat at Lynx’s voice. I turned to him and we exchanged a silent peace treaty between our eyes. “I’ve been better,” I stated honestly. “There are entirely too many unexplainable occurrences here. I’m not comfortable with this level of magical phenomena, and that goes double when not even the mage knows what’s going on!”

“Echo can’t know everything.” Lynx dismissed my worries. “I’m sure this will all make sense soon enough. We only just got here.” He patted my back once again before continuing to the front of room. He took his place standing in front of the fireplace, surveying the full room, waiting for the last few people to find their seats.

“Why did you change your name?” November whispered, once again encroaching on my personal space.

I offered a faint smile as I summoned my rehearsed answer for the question I had ruefully anticipated for many years. “Because I’m not half-anything,” I declared. “I’m simply Arrow.”

“But what about your surname?” November inched closer, her face brimming with excitement to hear more about the past I had declined to ever share.

I placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m not a rodent either.” I gently pushed her away, contemplating the nickname that had haunted my early years, which Lynx had inexplicably stumbled upon.

“I think everyone is here now,” Lynx announced, saving me from having to answer more of November’s questions. The whole room quieted, and everyone shifted to turn their attention to him. “It’s time to talk about this mansion, the unique qualities it has, and what we’re going to do next.”