Xaxac was confused the next day to the sounds of hammers clanging against wood. He knew that autumn was in full stride now, and it was undoubtedly time to start making preparations, but-

Then it dawned on him.

The sounds were coming from inside the house. What he had thought were the sounds of construction were the sounds of moving furniture. What day was it? Had he lost track of time? Were people clearing out rooms? Because it was time for Aggie’s party? He had said he was throwing a party!

“Thesis’s eyes,” Agalon said, threw an arm over Xac and snuggled up to him, “Lay down darlin. Between you squirmin and that godawful noise… I need my beauty sleep.”

This had been said as if it was mostly in jest, so Xaxac cuddled back and replied, “You look great, Aggie. Get up and make me squirm!”

“Well darlin,” Agalon smiled, “If you insist.”

“Master,” Lee announced as Xaxac was making his way from the bedroom into the sitting room in preparation for Agalon to return from breakfast so they could all make their way down to the place where the cage fighters were kept, but he seemed to realize his mistake almost instantly and amended, “Right… he goes downstairs now…”

“Yeah, I don’t reckon Ara wants to eat with me-” Xac began, but he was cut off by Alex who burst past Lee into the room and threw his arms around him.

“Good mornin, Foo Foo!” He shouted, “We left last night! I am wore out!”

“You’re wore out?” Xac huffed, “From all the sleepin? Alex, ya’ got two modes when you get somewhere- bitchy ‘I swear I ain’t sleepy’ toddler or passed slick out. Ya got energy and that just… makes me worried. I can’t… don’t wanna deal with that again. Last time you was orderin me around my own house.”

“Yeah, but now I know you kill folks with you bare hands,” Alex let go of him and draped himself dramatically into one of the chairs at the dining table, before announcing, “Lee, bring me somethin ta eat!”

“Mister Leohorn,” Lee was saying, paying them absolutely no attention, “Allow me to show you to the dinin hall. Master Agalon is entertainin guests.”

He shut the door and was gone.

“I’m tiiiiiiiired,” Alex bitched, laid his head on the table, and Xaxac was deathly afraid he would begin to wail.

“It’s,” Xac glanced at the clock, “9 in the mornin- wait, you woulda had to leave last night. It takes a good day to get here. Did y’all ride through the night?”

“Yup,” Alex reported.

“Why?” Xac asked. He had never known anyone to do that before.

“Ky’s mommy died and he has been absolutely inconsolable,” Alex said to the table, “Oh, Foo Foo, it has tore him up so bad. He is… powerful struck… he ain’t… ain’t been talkin. I’m worried. I’m real worried about him. Wish I could stay with him. I don’t trust him. He’s been downin potions since then. She’s the only parent he had, ya know. He’s… I mean, she was older than Agalon. We knowed it was comin, but…” He pushed himself up and made his way to the sofa, “Lord, Xacy, he’s in a bad way. He loved his mommy.”

Xaxac wondered if Alex loved his mommy, if he knew whether she was alive or dead, but all he said was, “Yeah I can… can understand that.”

“Get me a cigarette, darlin,” Alex ordered, “I’m powerful tired.”

“Yeah,” Xac said, walked into the bedroom to retrieve the cigarette case and glanced out the window. His mother was alive; Xac did not know how long travel took, whether she had arrived at the water continent or if she was still on the ship. He did not ask Alex what the water continent was like these days. He tried his best not to think about the fact that Nancy was likely from the water continent, and when he failed to do that he tried his best not to connect that thought to the fact that she was a slave.

“I’m really hopin the mask festival’ll cheer him up,” Alex said as he took the cigarette case, pulled out a cigarette and struck the matchstick, “He kept sayin that seein them young lovers might do somethin for him. Somethin about youth and life just startin out an all that.”

“I plum forgot about Lorry gettin engaged,” Xac said, “I shoulda made him somethin.”

“You’re all the time makin stuff,” Alex said, “Just give um somethin you already got.”

Xaxac heard the commotion in the hallway before Alex did.

“In front of Ky!” Agalon snarled, “Today!”

The door opened and Takashito hurried inside.

“Holy shit!” Alex shouted, “A water elf!”

“Holy shit!” Takashito mimicked, “A human!” He seemed to be trying to catch his breath, and he kept his back pressed against the door for some time until he felt it was safe to move.

“You alright?” Xac asked.

“No,” Takashito said, “Not really. Thank you for the concern. I think Ara is planning to kill me because your master invited me to his masquerade.”

“On accounta you ain’t got a collar?” Xaxac asked.

“Yes,” Takashito explained and frowned as he watched Xaxac take the cigarette case back from Alex and select one for himself.

“You had a collar?” Alex asked.

“Are you alright?” Takashito asked, “You look… drugged. Or as if you are under a spell.”

“I don’t like travelin,” Alex explained.

“Perhaps you should rest-” Takashito began, but he fell silent at the sound of Ara’s shrieking.

“Don’t care who you’re kin to!” Her voice shook the halls, “You gonna fool around and get us all killed! He ain’t some exotic coach, he’s a goddamn war criminal! We need to get him back to the prison, now! You done lost your goddamn mind if you think Ima let him go trapsin around the nobility! He ain’t a trick pony to show off! He’s gonna hurt somebody!”

“You done?” Agalon asked, “Because I ain’t havin this in my house. You started this shit with Ky and his mommy just died. They scried him last night. You think he needs this shit today?”

“I’m sorry as I can be,” Ara said, “But you can’t have that water elf here and the house packed! It ain’t gonna happen!”

“I can have anything I want in my house,” Agalon said coldly, “An you know, missy, I’m starting to get right tired of people tryin to tell me I can’t. I own this district. I’ll put him in costume and have him shakin hands with landowners if I want to-”

“You don’t own the Northern Mountains Province,” Ara told him, “We don’t answer to you. I know you think you’re important but you ain’t the empress. You ‘bought to get the hell outta my way and let me get at my prisoner before you fuck around and get somebody killed.”

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“Takashito is to stay here,” Agalon said, “Under order of the Duke of the Agricultural District.”

“Duke of the Agricultural District ain’t got no authority over the people of the Mountains of Death,” Ara told him, “Die mad about it.”

The door pounded, and Xaxac intuited that it was Ara pounding on it, so he shoved Takashito out of the way and locked it.

“Now, goddamn it!” She hissed.

“Stop it!” Takashito said, “I have to go with her.”

“Nuh-uh,” Xac said, “You heard Aggie. You’re stayin here by order of the Duke of the Agricultural District.”

“Xac,” Alex warned, “This ain’t our business.”

“Ain’t your business,” Xac corrected, “This here’s my coach, trainin me for my cage fightin career. Aggie’s gonna give me the rest of Billy’s matches.”

“How is Billy?” Alex asked.

“Walkin around lookin like a rag doll somebody made from scraps of fabric,” Xaxac giggled and pushed his weight against the door, then shouted, “Aggie she done lost her damn mind!”

“Yeah, I noticed,” Agalon said, “Let her in; she seems like she wants it real bad.”

Xaxac shrugged, moved to the side, and opened the door.

Ara came barreling in moving toward Takashito, but Xaxac saw Agalon point and rushed between them.

“Get ahold a’ the dangerous criminal, darlin,” Agalon said, and Xaxac threw his arms around Takashito in a fierce hug, “Now officer Sylhice, you know if you damage my property I’m gonna have to turn it in. How much you reckon that cute little bunny is worth?” He entered the room and kicked the door shut, “How much you reckon I paid for him? How much you reckon that investment has appreciated?” He turned the lock and asked, “How much did you reckon I’d let you young bucks push? And push? And push? How long, realistically, did ya think I was gonna let that go on?”

“Getcha human offa him, Agalon,” Ara said, turned to him, and raised her staff.

“You ain’t pointin that at me,” Agalon laughed, “You know you know better.”

“Aggie?” Xac asked.

“Little girl,” Agalon said, “I have forgot more about magic than you’ve ever knowed. Wanna come over here and take a look at my medals? Wanna know about the two tours a’ duty I served under the Emerald Knight?”

“I don’t believe you,” Ara said.

“I don’t reckon I give a damn what you believe,” Agalon said as he walked to the curio cabinet and opened it. He stared down at the items within and eventually came out with one of the small figurines there, carved into the shape of a rose. He smiled and said, “Takashito, catch!”

He tossed the rose into the air, and Xaxac let go of Takashito so that he could catch it.

His eyes flew open, and Xaxac knew something was happening.

“What is that?” Ara demanded.

“You look thirsty. I reckon we still got our breakfast glasses. Let me run an get you a glass of water,” Agalon said, “Honey Bunny, run and get our guest somethin’ to drink.”

“Yes, master,” Xaxac said, and turned on his heel to head to the water closet.

He had not expected the pain, did not know that he needed to move quickly enough to dodge it.

It stung, like he had fallen on his back into a patch of briars and there was something wrong with them, itchy and painful, and he remembered feeling it before, so long ago, when Lorsan had grabbed his arm. The itching turned to burning, and he felt whatever it was moving from his back through his blood to every place on his body. It hurt so badly his first instinct was to claw at his clothes, but faster than it takes to tell it he was doubled over with the force of it, then on his knees.

Xaxac did not see Agalon reach into the curio cabinet; did not see him retrieve the staff housed within. But he heard the crack of metal hitting bone, heard Alex shriek, and heard Agalon exclaim, “God damn, my back! I can’t do this shit no more!”

The pain did not subside instantly, but Xac was a survivor.

How bad do I have to hurt you before it takes? How bad do I have to hurt you before you can’t heal from it?

Worse than this.

Slowly he felt the nettles fade, slowly the itching became bearable enough that he was able to turn and lie on his back.

Agalon was standing with the staff in one hand, bent at a strange backwards angle with the other hand on the small of his back, Alex was hiding on the couch with only his eyes peering over the back of it, and Ara was lying on her face on the ground.

Takashito was staring at his hand, which was dripping with blood, though he had cupped it and held most of it pooled in his palm, muttering to himself.

“Please,” he begged, “please!”

The rose in his hand glowed with a faint, blue light.

“They’re not… none of them are…”

“I woulda got you water,” Agalon said, but Takashito didn’t answer him.

“Mama,” he said, “Papa… nobody’s… nobody’s answering… maybe they just do not have a crystal, maybe-”

“What’s that?” A voice asked and Takashito began to cry.

“You can not… you can not be…”

“You’re castin too hard,” Agalon said, “We can hear you. Pull back, Taka, you’re castin too hard.”

“You’re alive!” Takashito shouted.

“What’s that?” The voice asked, “Who is this? I can’t hear so well. Hold on. Love, can you hear this?”

“Who is it?” Another voice asked.

“It is… Takashito,” Takashito said through his tears, “You probably do not remember me-”

“What?” The first voice asked.

“TAKASHITO,” the second screamed, “Who is that? Who are you?”

“I… how are you alive?” Takashito asked, “It has been over a century-”

“When did Impy know you?” The second voice asked, and Xaxac felt that he had heard it somewhere before, but he could not remember where.

“At the mage academy,” Takashito let the tears flow freely as he spoke, “I was a student when he was the student body president. I really looked up to him, but then… the war and… when his husband died-”

“I’m not dead!” The second voice said as if it had been insulted, “Who told you I died? Who’s been telling people I’m dead?”

“Who’s dead?” the first voice, which Xac intuited to be Impy- Imperious? No… no Imperius was human. He couldn’t be alive; he had been a young man a century ago. He was human.

“Nobody died!” The second voice said, “Takashito, from school! Is scrying! He’s alive!”

“What path does he walk?” Impy asked.

“I… I do not know what that means…” Takashito said.

“Then we gotta go!” The second voice said.

“No, wait!” Takashito begged, “Please! Please! Draconis, wait! I swear I am not the enemy! I have been in prison!”

“Prison?” Draconis asked.

“Who’s in prison?” Impy asked.

“Takashito!” Draconis answered.

“Who?” Impy asked.

“I don’t remember,” Draconis said, “I guess we went to school together?”

“You… you do not remember me…”

“I do not remember many things!” Impy declared, “At my age, I barely remember my own name! But if you do not know what path you walk, I am severing the scry.”

“No!” Takashito begged as Xaxac picked himself off the floor and went to massage Agalon’s back. “No! Please!” His begging became a cry, then a wail, and he eventually slumped to a sitting position, staring at the blood in his palm.

“Takashito?” Xaxac asked timidly, “Where… where’d all the blood come from?”

“From me,” he whispered, “It is all I have.”

“Yeah, well…” Agalon said, “Let’s get you to the water closet and get you cleaned up.”

“Aggie?” Xac asked, “Is… Officer Sylhice dead?”

“Probably,” Agalon said, “She ain’t movin and it’s been a minute. She ought not have attacked you. Attacked him while his back was turned; all y’all saw it. I got a right to protect myself an my property, ‘specially in my own house.”

“He is the only one,” Takashito said to himself as Agalon helped him to his feet, “He is the only one who answered. And he would not speak to me.”

“That don’t mean they’re dead,” Agalon said to comfort him, “Might just not’a had focuses. Come on, youngun, let’s getcha cleaned up.”

“With water?” Takashito asked.

“Yeah, kid,” Agalon said, “With water.”

Xaxac looked down at what he suspected was a corpse and watched Agalon lead Takashito to the bedroom.