Lost In His Own Home

Violet Watkin

The last 3 years have been interesting, to say the least. Ever since the magi games, Kenny's spent more time outside, hunting and training. He doesn't interact with the village kids as much, but at least he spends time with us. Food also isn't a problem anymore – for anyone – since Kenny has become the village's huntsman.

Even though he's my kid, he kind of intimidates me. Tess's military professionalism probably rubbed off on him. I fully expected him to be a normal kid, after all, we don't carry any noble blood in our veins, no less pure blood either, yet his way of speaking and the way he carries himself is so mature.

I know it's selfish, but I hope Kenny becomes a great mage. I'm sick of this village lifestyle.

Raymond Watkin

I don't believe in miracles, but Ken has been a blessing to us. Our crops are constantly being run, one of our harshest winters to date went by without a hitch and somehow money hasn't been a problem for us at all.

Tess says that he's been doing great at the magi games and that he's racked up enough merits to attend school for free. A villager. Attending school? It's almost unheard of.

I'll miss the little runt. I'll also miss all the time off he's given me, getting back into shape for hunting duty has been awful. I really hope Kenny secures a post in the military in Patria, this village stuff is getting kind of annoying.

Kenny Watkin

The last three years have been a nightmare. I've hit a plateau with my current knowledge of magic, I've been stuck in the same routine for months and to top it all off, most of the village hates me. Unless I'm bringing them food, they look at me with either scorn or fear. Because of their jealous kids, they think I'm some tyrant who'll threaten them into doing whatever I want.

Whenever I try to approach someone, they either yell and run or suddenly become blind and deaf. Even the village outcasts don't want to associate with me, which makes me wonder what the hell I am to these people.

It doesn't bother me though, if they don't like me then so be it, what I can't stand though, are the villagers saying I'm some kings' bastard son, or that my father is an exiled noble. Fortunately, the people of the village know better than to cross me or my family and I've used that to my advantage to milk them dry.

I would've loved to hunt for the villagers at a measly 250 crowns per family for an entire winter, alas their behaviour has forced my hand to charge them three-fold.

I swear I'm not a tyrant. Not entirely at least.

In three months, the beginning of the new year, I'll be attending school. According to Tess, it'll be a two-year programme, a requisite for applying to an academy. School will be another two years wasted since they don't teach children anything about magic, it's purely for learning about the world, languages, past kings and queens etcetera.

The bright side though, is that I'll be away from this village and its inhabitants, I'll have plenty of time in the libraries and I'll be with Marshal. Just three more months…

Tess wasn't showing up. She was supposed to arrive three days after the new year and It's been a week. No call, no mail, no nothing. She wasn't the type to be late, nor the type to let herself get caught by some lowly bandits and if she was indeed busy with work, she would've let me know by now.

"Don't worry Kenny, Tess probably got side tracked or maybe she's tried calling but the communications are messed up? Let's just wait a little longer, okay?" Violet tried to hide her worry, but I wasn't buying it. We both knew that she was a by-the-book person, even though she acted like a child sometimes. After all, during the past three years she hasn't been late for the magi games even once.

"Mom, this isn't like her. I say we should go to Patria right away, or at least send someone out. If it was work related, she would've sent a message already.'' I relayed my thoughts.

"I know hun, and I think you're right. I'll-"

"Great. I'll leave right away."

"Absolutely not. I'll ask the constable to go."

"Oh, please mom, what's that piece of work gonna do? All he's good for is drinking and gawking at the village women. If Tess really was captured by bandits, she'd think he's another goon."

"Kenny, watch your tone. I know you care greatly for Tess, but this could be serious. I just don't want to put you in any kind of danger."

"At least let me go with the constable then."

"I won't allow it. Sorry." She said softly, before spinning on her heel and leaving me alone in my room.

-"I'm sorry too, mom."-

Come nightfall, I snuck out of the house. The floorboards creaked and doors squealed as they opened. The porch door was always the loudest as it was made from a certain metal.

"Already in your rebellious phase, huh boy?"

I froze in place, the porch door still halfway open.

"How much trouble am I in?"

"None at all. Not yet at least."

I slowly turned around to see Raymond's towering silhouette in front of me.

"Why not yet?" I asked, hesitantly.

"Because I'm going to give you a choice, Ken. Either, you go back to your room and respect your mothers wishes or you continue through the door.''

"Dad, please understand what's at stake here. Tess could be in need of help right now. I'm a hunter, I could easily track her down if she's nearby-"

Ray put his hand up. "Kenny, you don't have to convince me, it's up to you to decide what you want to do. I'll be going back to sleep now. Whatever you decide to do, just be prepared to face the consequences. Goodnight kiddo.''

I wasn't a big fan of the rain. Clothes became uncomfortable as it clung to its wearers flesh, it was cold, and it reminded me of that night. Callus, the mare I was travelling on, seemed accustomed to the rain and would get startled at the occasional flash of lightning.

"Callus, what on earth am I doing? Tess could be perfectly fine, drinking a beer at home, and here I am, wandering around in the rain like an idiot."

Callus neighed, as if annoyed.

"I know right! Still, I worry."

Callus stopped trudging through the mud. I tried to get her to move again, but after she shook her head and neighed, I knew something was wrong. I knew better than to question a horse's intuition, so I got off and conjured a small roof over myself and the mare.

I looked around. Nothing out of the ordinary. No signs of life when I used mana sense. Callus seemed fixated on something. The military carriage Tess would usually come in to pick me up, laid scattered by a tree. Three to four tracks of horses veered off to the left of the foot path off of the main road towards the Holy Woods. The prints weaved in between trees into a denser area of trees so the rain hadn't washed them away yet.

I had no idea what to do. Before this predicament, I thought I would be able to follow through with saving Tess if necessary. Now though, I didn't know if I should continue to Patria to call for help or look for Tess myself before it was too late.

The rain calmed down by now, coming down to a light shimmer. The speed at which Callus was running made the rain feel like mist on my face. The tracks started to fade the closer I got to the edge of the woods. I wanted to rest and warm myself with a fire, but the tracks would be gone soon, I had no time to spare.

The prints led me to the edge of the Holy Woods where they looked brand new since the rain barely broke through the thick boughs of the overlapping trees. Once again, I was faced with a decision. I either turn back and tell the officers of Patria or I follow the tracks through the woods. Alone since callus had no intention of venturing into the misty forest with me.

"What should I do? If I go back now the tracks will be completely washed away when I return, but if I enter, I risk my life over potential fruitless labour. Then again, I also risk losing Tess by doing nothing. Ahh! Why the hell did I do this in the first place? I'm not some hero, what's gotten into me? I'll do the smart thing and head back. C'mon Callus."

Before I could mount the horse, green tendrils reached from within the forest and dragged me into the mist. The world spun in a blur as I thumped into a tree and fell to the dusty ground.

"You shouldn't venture so close to the walls, what's a kid your age doing out at this time anyway?''

"That's not a very welcoming greeting." I said, getting up from the ground while conjuring stone walls on my sides to protect myself. "Who are you? And where are you?" I feigned confusion. I indeed didn't know who or what was talking to me, but I could tell that it was in a nearby tree thanks to mana sense.

"Please, do not feel frightened. I can tell you know where I am by the way. I can smell lies as well as fear. Anyway, what are you doing out here? Surely you know how dangerous these woods are boy?"

"You can't tell me to 'not feel frightened' after pummelling me into a tree! And I'm looking for a friend. I'm not sure if she passed through here, but I saw her carriage with tracks surrounding it. It's how I got here. Have you perhaps seen a group of people pass through here? Maybe a woman with black hair and dark blue clothing?"

"Boy, these woods are strange. Even for us beasts it's hard to traverse. I haven't seen people in these woods for decades. Well, for me it's been decades, in the outside world probably a few months? I digress, I haven't seen anyone pass through here. Thank you for entertaining me though, boy. I best be on my way and so do you." Before I could refute, the same green tendrils threw me outside of the woods.

I wanted to go back in when I realized it was mid-day and Callus was gone. The lush grassy fields of the glades running along the edge of Holy Woods were replaced by dark-green sludge filled waters, trees covered by moss, lizards crawling and swimming about and mist suspended in the cold air.

''Great. That beast screwed me. I guess I was fucked from the second it grabbed me."

"Indeed, you were, child. I assume you wandered into the woods and got spat out here in the swamps of Duratus. Truly unfortunate. You seem a strange one though, you're looking directly at me even though I'm hidden." Said a woman, her voice silky smooth. "Truth is, I'm actually behind you."

I was looking at her core, about fifty meters in front of me, submerged underwater, yet her hands slithered around my neck and chest area. Regardless of her intentions, I released mana from my neck and ignited it, engulfing her arms with flames hot enough to scare her off, but not harm her.

"Futile. I can't be hurt by fire, although that was quite witty of you."

"You shouldn't play with your food. If you want to eat me, get it over with."

The beast groaned. "People always assume I want to eat them or kill them. But all I want-" Her cheek brushed against mine. "-Is a friend. It is oh so lonely in these swamps and I won't let this opportunity slip away from me. Please, come with me."

"If I refuse?"

"I'll have no choice but to string you up on a tree to ward off unwanted visitors."

"What if I run?"

"You can't."

"It seems you're right." My feet were bound by plants.

"Any other questions or propositions?"

"I'll ask again, what do you want?"

"And I'll say it again, a friend. Now, come with me."

The faceless humanoid creature walked with me through the misty swamp. Her emerald-green scales shimmered in the faint sunlight as she walked with grace. The knee-deep water made it hard for me to walk, but the water looked as if it moved with her, like it made space for her legs to move as to not slow her down.

"My name is Hera, by the way."

"Kenny Watkin."

"Are you still afraid of me Kenny?"

"I guess I've calmed down a bit. I still doubt that you simply want to be my friend though."

"I understand your fear, but you are in an unknown place and you need help, correct? So, I am offering you my hospitality. I've always wanted a human friend but, as I said, they usually run away in fear or try to hunt me down for my precious scales. The closest I've gotten to making a friend was a young girl who trampled into my swamp. She was travelling with a group, they got chased by Jirrils, she broke her leg and they left her for dead. I ended up saving her and took care of her for a few weeks. Even though she rarely spoke to me, I thought that she trusted me, but as soon as she recovered, she left for Duratus. Didn't even say thank you or goodbye."

"Did you at least get her name?"

"No, she never told me, she was afraid out of her mind whenever I tried talking to her. You know us beasts can smell fear, right?"

"You can also smell lies. Or so I've heard."

She guffawed "No Kenny. That's some tale that the lower beasts spin to get what they want from humans, to scare them. We really can smell fear though."

"Hmm. I assume fear smells like salt? Or maybe-"

"Exactly. It's a bitter, salty smell. Have you smelled feared before as well?"

"No, it would just make sense since people tend to sweat when they're scared. Us humans can't smell it, but it would make sense for a beast to smell it since you guys have enhanced senses, correct?"

"You're quite smart for such a young fellow. Are all humans like you?"

"No. I'm a… special case."

We continued walking and talking for about an hour until we reached Hera's home. She lived in a series of bridge connected huts underneath the boughs of large trees. Everything was covered in moss except for her home, which was built out of seemingly polished dark-brown wood.

"Do all beasts live this lavish?"

"Only the intelligent ones like myself. Please, make yourself at home."