Xaxac had a difficult time sitting still on the rest of the trip. He tried to stand up on his knees and peer out the back window to see the fighters, but the soldier was sitting on the box behind them, so all Xac could really see was his shoulders. So he gave up with a huff and turned his attention back to the windows on the side of the carriage, where he saw the stone fences stretching out, covering a plantation that belonged to someone he did not know.

Agalon had pulled out the same book he had been reading when Xaxac had taken his punishment for running away, and the sight of it brought back memories, so Xac tried very hard not to look at it, but it was of immense interest to Agalon and the vet, and they discussed it animatedly, so it could not exactly be ignored.

Xaxac was just happy to be out of the house again. There were a lot of things at the house worth thinking about, and being away from it numbed those thoughts a little, but it was much easier not to think on things when he had something to do.

“You’re absolutely right,” the vet said, looking over the book, “Not a damn thing.”

“Not a goddamn thing,” Agalon agreed, “I dunno if it’s a loophole, but I’ll get at least a year in until they close it- ow, Xac, god love, darlin, you’re twitchin. Sit down.”

“Sorry,” Xac said and forced himself to sit upright instead of on his knees, “I got a lotta energy. That sugary stuff is really good!”

“Frost, darlin, it’s called frost,” Agalon said and bent to reach under the seat. He came out with the shopping bag Xac kept his knitting in and handed it to him. “Here, make somethin like you like to do.”

“Thanks, Aggie!” Xac hugged him, “I didn’t know you brought it! Thank you!”

“Thought you might get bored,” Agalon said. “And it’s cute to watch. You look all domestic.”

Xac picked up his needles and began to work on the new hat he was making. He had one finished already, which he would probably give to his mother. He needed another for his father, another for his sister, then one for Agalon, Alex, Lee, and Lorsan. He wasn’t going to have nearly enough yarn for that. He only had two skiens left. But they were going to Basilglen, so Agalon might get him some more, in green this time, Agalon’s favorite color, so that he would actually wear it.

Xac went to work and the sound of his needles clack clack clacking filled the small car.

He hadn’t realized he could work so quickly, but his hands moved so fast he had to stop and stretch the fabric, because he was afraid he had messed up his tension. But the band looked exactly as it should, so he switched to stockinette. The world around him seemed to fall away, almost as if he had gone into a trance, and he was shocked when he moved his needle and felt a bit of nothing skittering between his feeding fingers.

The skien had ended and he hadn’t tied it off.

Which made no sense.

Because he hadn’t done his decreases yet so-

Xac looked down and saw that the fabric was touching his lap.

It was a straight rectangle.

Shit.

He picked up the yarn from the new skien to join them and considered his options. He folded the fabric he had made in half and thought that if a person tried to wear it like that they would have two triangles sticking up on either side of their head, like cat ears.

He really didn’t want to unravel the entire thing… it was so much work.

He wondered whether or not Alex would mind being a cat, and thought that he probably wouldn’t. He loved cute things. Xaxac could envision him saying something like, “I’m a kitty!” and actually enjoy it. Xac could play it off as if that was what he intended to do all along.

So he shrugged and began to work on the edge ribbing.

The carriage jostled to a stop and a few seconds later the door swung open and the vet stood.

“Always a pleasure, Kai,” he said cheerfully, hopped down, and the door closed before Xac saw where he went.

“Bye!” Xac called, then asked Agalon, “Where’s he goin?”

“Home, darlin,” Agalon said and stretched out his legs as the carriage jostled forward again, “He don’t live half a day away, quicker if you gallop. That’s how he gets to the house so quick. Tiny little place…”

“But it’s all plantations,” Xaxac said in confusion.

“Eh,” Agalon made a noncomittal noise, “I don’t know that I’d even call some a’ these places ‘plantations’. More of a farm, really… Hey, Honey Bunny, do me a favor. I been preoccupied lately, had a lotta… stress.”

Xaxac climbed into his lap and draped his arms loosely around his neck.

“I know,” he pouted, “Lorry ain’t magiced ya yet.”

“Called a ‘scry’ darlin,” Agalon corrected.

“Can he though? You ain’t got your dirt tray.” Xac asked.

“It’ll show up on anything an earth mage can control,” Agalon explained, “And even if I ain’t got a medium I can tell that he tried. He ain’t tried.”

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Xac said earnestly, “He seems like somebody what can take care of themselves. He took care a’ me. I think you don’t realize how big he is, ‘cause he’ll always be your baby.”

Agalon sighed, and the hands on his waist loosened a little, and Xaxac suspected he was right.

“Why don’t you scry him?” Xac asked, “When we get to Alex’s master’s house?”

“Yeah,” Agalon said, “Yeah I… oughta do that. He ain’t never gonna get in touch with me. He’ll say he forgot but he just don’t wanna talk to me.”

“He loves you,” Xaxac promised, “He’s just bad at it. Everybody loves their daddy.”

“That’s not true, Xac,” Agalon said, and the way he said it scared Xaxac. His voice had dropped, the green in his eyes grew dull, and the grip on Xac’s waist tightened. Xaxac didn’t like it when Agalon called him by his name.

So he changed tactics.

“Well… can’t do nothin on the road noways,” Xac said with great practicality, “So…” He squirmed until Agalon loosened his grip and slid slowly, gracefully, to the floor between Agalon’s knees, “How about you relax and get your mind off it?”

Agalon snickered and ran a hand through Xaxac’s hair.

Xaxac was confused when the wagon did not pull up to the house, but took a sharp turn and moved to the side and behind it.

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The Leohorn plantation was laid out so similarly to Agalon’s that Xaxac did figure out fairly quickly where they were headed, though. They were moving toward the stables. He thought this was likely where Lee always went, but it was odd that he and Agalon hadn’t gotten out in front of the house where they normally did.

It was even more odd that Kyrtarr and Alex were standing with another earth elf in the stables, almost as if they had been waiting on them. Xaxac stood on his knees again, to look behind them and see if the fighters were still following along behind them, but once again his view was blocked by the soldier, so he huffed, turned around, plopped down on the seat, and waited for Lee to settle the horses and open the door. Then he grabbed his knitting and hopped out into the stable, following Agalon.

“Kai!” Kyrtarr called and grabbed him by the arm to shake his hand.

Xac waved at Alex, and Alex smiled, looked around to make sure there were no elven eyes watching him, then rolled his eyes and used both hands to motion to their environment, as if to say, Can you believe I’m out here in a stable? Which was so funny Xaxac covered his mouth with his hand, because he could not suppress a snicker.

Xac turned to see what was going on with the fighters and saw Lee talking to Bobby, blocking most of his view, but the fighters he could see were waiting patiently. Xaxac still didn’t understand why they were walking. They had to be worn out.

“I am dead,” Agalon said, “Gettin too old for this. Travelin wears me plumb out anymore.”

“Y’all must be starved,” Kyrtarr agreed, “This here is Omylia.”

“Nice to meet you, your grace,” the earth elf said, stepped forward, put one hand in the small of her back and the other over her heart, and bowed. When she did, Xaxac saw the bow that had been strapped to her back with a full quiver of arrows, and he thought of how she was wearing the same uniform as Aymar. He wondered if she would also dislike him, or if Aymar just had some kind of chip on his shoulder.

“God they’re all so young anymore,” Agalon said, “Good to meet you. These are my fighters. That’s who you’re protectin. I don’t need it. Had some confusion about that before. Go talk to Aymar, he’ll get you all set up. I gotta get in the house and get somethin to eat. Come on, Honey Bunny.”

Xaxac darted forward and wrapped his body around Agalon’s arm, as he often did, with his knitting strung over one wrist.

“Oh my god, please,” Alex openly lamented and threw his arms around Kyrtarr’s torso, “Master, I’m an indoor pet.”

“Don’t get whiney, darlin,” Kyrtarr told him, “I know you don’t like to travel. But lord I can’t put up with that sound.”

“Can I just have somethin to knock me out tomorrow?” Alex begged, “I do better passed out.”

“Are you goin with us!?” Xac asked excitedly.

They walked from the stables around the house, though Xac clearly saw that the plantation had a back door, past the laundry area and the cold storage, opening into a kitchen, just like they did back home. It seemed odd to take the long way round.

“Yes, darlin,” Agalon said as if he should have known this already, “Coulda swore I told you that… Might not have. I can’t remember a damn thing anymore.”

They passed through the porch and into the foyer, where Kyrtarr turned to Alex.

“Darlin, run Xac up to Kai’s room, he’s gotta be starved to death and wore out, too.”

“With pleasure,” Alex giggled, leaned in to kiss his master on the cheek, then turned quickly and grabbed Xac by the hand. “Let’s go!”

“Um, ok,” Xac said as he was tugged toward the stairs, “Bye, Aggie! I’ll miss you!”

“Oh my god,” Alex said as soon as they turned the second floor corner and entered the hallway, “There was literally no reason, at all, for me to be in that godawful barn.”

“You don’t do good bein outside,” Xaxac observed.

“Honey, it literally smells like horeshit,” Alex said as he opened the door to the guest suite, “I’m fine outside. I just don’t need that in my life.” He ushered Xac inside and closed it, then continued, “Look at you! You’re adorable! And human!”

“Oh…” Xac said, “...right. I… you saw…”

“Ok, darlin, I’m gonna be real upfront,” Alex said as he sasheyed toward the table that had been laid out for them and pulled the cork from the bottle of wine to pour it, “I know I said I wouldn’t scared a no rabbit but Thesis’s glowin eyes, a good ten foot tall-”

“I get taller every time somebody tells this story,” Xaxac said, “There ain’t… I didn’t believe it when they said eight. I think y’all are just seein stuff on account of you’re scared.”

“It’s called ‘hyperbole’ and everybody does it,” Alex said as if Xaxac was stupid for not knowing this.

“It’s called what?” Xac asked as he took his seat, “Say it again.”

“Hyperbole,” Alex annunciated, “Means that folks… might exaggerate a little bit. Big fish kinda thing.”

He sat himself and pulled the covers from their dishes to reveal chilli, and seemed delighted at what he found.

“Oh thank the good lord Thesis above, I was scared it’d be another salad. Which, I guess ain’t nothin wrong with but it’s gettin plum cold of a night anymore.”

“Is there meat in this?” Xac asked, “I get real sick when I eat meat.”

“No, I know there ain’t,” Alex said, “You musta got sick or somethin on account of your master scried and-”

The door opened and Lee and Bobby entered, carrying luggage. They were apparently in the middle of a conversation.

“Everloving shit out of him,” Bobby was saying, “Wish to god I coulda seen it.”

“It was worth seein,” Lee said, sighed and drug the suitcase into the bedroom, “Is that what we’re havin too? Smells so good…”

“Hey Lee?” Xac asked earnestly.

“What, Xac?” He asked as if any sort of question would annoy him.

“How come the fighters are walkin?” Xac asked, “Ain’t that gonna make um real tired? And don’t they gotta fight?”

“Yeah, son,” Lee answered, shouting from the bedroom, “But Lorry took the other carriage. We didn’t have nowhere else to put um. I reckon we’ll put um in Mr Leohorn’s carriage. Don’t ask so many questions. Folks get real tired and then they get snappy. I like you, boy, I’m tryin real hard not to lose my patience.”

“You ain’t got no patience,” Alex accused.

“Don’t start,” Lee warned.

“Yeah, please don’t fight,” Xac begged and broke his cornbread into chunks to put into the chillie, “everythin is kinda… weird?”

“What’s weird?” Alex asked.

“I dunno…” Xac said and watched Bobby walk into the bedroom out of the corner of his eye, “Stuff’s just… weird. Folks have… been actin weird… goin missin…”

“You been thinkin too much,” Alex said, then clasped his hands together as a thought struck him, “Oh my lord, it’s your first rodeo. Let’s talk about that. There’s all kinds’a stuff to see, to buy. Folks compete on all kinda stuff, not just fightin. Folks are cookin, dancin, singin, there’s an art contest.”

“You gonna enter?” Xac interjected.

“For elves, honey,” Alex said as if Xac’s question had been stupid, because it had.

“Right,” Xac said, “So… how much a’ that can we… do?”

“I mean we can see it all,” Alex said, “An’ the food’s good, and the hotel’s nice, and the bathhouse, and we’ll probably get to doubleteam some a’ your hot fighters if they win.”

Xaxac contemplated this because he still didn’t understand why that sounded so appealing.

“And there’s all kinda animal contests,” Alex said, “Not just humans, there’s like, ‘best animal’ contests that folks have raised. If they win they can go on to Satra and then at nationals they slaughter all the ones that win and it’s part of a feast and the Empress comes and you can see her!”

“Wait, what?” Xac asked, “If you win the prettiest animal contest you get killed and fed to royalty? That’s your prize?”

“Honestly Xac,” Lee said as he came out of the bedroom, “Thank god you’re pretty cause you’d never make it on your smarts. I gotta head downstairs, get a bite to eat. I love him to death but I can see why folks keep punchin him.”

“You love me!” Xac said in a tease, and almost hated himself for the tone of his voice. He never really got the hang of being annoying on purpose, even as a child, but he was getting better at all sorts of interactions the more he practiced, and he saw Lee crack a smile before he caught himself.

“You eat your food,” he said.

“They ain’t judgin the critters,” Alex explained as if he was talking to a child, “I mean, they kinda are, but they’re judgin um as food. They’re really more judgin the elf who grew um, their skill at gettin a livestock animal that good.”

“I ain’t never knowed an elf to grow critters,” Xac said in genuine confusion, “humans do that.”

“God, you know what I mean,” Alex said as if he was also getting annoyed with him.

But Xac didn’t.

But he also didn’t want to fight, so he nodded and ate his chilli.