Meeting Friends

Returning to his room, he went to the baggage he had brought and pulled out a small pouch from within it. He opened the pouch and looked to confirm that the contents were still intact. They were. Taking it, he returned to the living room where his mom was sitting, needle and thread in hand as she mended an apron.

Carefully, as his mom looked on, he dropped the small pouch on the bench she was sitting on. "What is that?" His mother asked curiously.

"Money," he replied, "I want you to take it and take the girls shopping later today. And don't come back until nightfall." He considered telling her about Reynard's warning but eventually decided against it. If Reynard was wrong, he would make her panic for no good reason. Better to just get them out of the house for the day.

His mother gave him an incredulous look. "You want us to spend an entire day shopping? For what? You do realize we are not in the city, right? I can count the number of shops in this village on one... two hands."

"Mom, please. Alright, you don't need to go shopping, just take the girls out today and don't come back until nightfall."

His mother went quiet as she studied his expression. "Jah, is something wrong?"

At first, he tried to deny it, but faced with his mother's determined expression, he caved and revealed the truth. "Before he left, Reynard warned me that we shouldn't stay at home today."

"Did he say why?"

Jarek shook his head. For some moments, she was silent, but eventually she spoke. "I'll take the girls out later today."

Jarek nodded, relief filling him. "And I'll-" A knock at the door interrupted him. He shared a nervous glance with his mother before tentatively going to the door. "Who's there?"

"It's me, Willem."

Relief flooded through Jarek's body as he realized that it was just his friend coming to see him. He shook his head wryly as he reflected on the irrational fear he had felt earlier. Just because he had discussed potential danger didn't mean there was actual danger.

He opened the door to find a tall, dark-haired youth around his age. Beside him was a girl of the same age with short brown hair, dressed in a casual green outfit. Both had the tanned skin of people who spent much time outdoors, and they wore broad smiles.

"Will, Row!" Jarek greeted them excitedly as he moved in for a hug. "Gods, I really missed you guys."

"And yet you didn't come to see us after you returned," Rowena said with mock outrage as she returned his hug. "Good morning, Mrs. Avar," she greeted Jarek's mother, and Willem echoed the greeting a second later.

"Good morning, kids. Jarek, leave with your friends; you have a lot to catch up on."

Jarek turned to face his mother, seeing the unspoken message in her look. Since he was spending the day away from home, he might as well spend it with his friends. Nodding to show he understood, he left the house.

* * * *

Avar

Avar watched as her son left the house, her heart in turmoil. She turned back to the apron she had been sewing, her mind unable to escape its tumultuous thoughts. She had allowed Reynard to stay in her home out of kindness and in gratitude for the little he had given them during his stay. Now, doubts plagued her about his seemingly benign nature.

Could he have been one of them? She wondered, her mind racing. She shook her head rapidly, trying to dispel the frightening thought. If he were one of them, there would be nothing left of her family. Not unless…

Hit by a bolt of realization, she jolted out of her seat, dropping the apron on the floor. She rushed to her bedroom and carefully closed the door behind her. Her eyes were drawn to the bed, and she shifted it slightly to the side, revealing a section of wooden floorboards. Gingerly, she pushed down on a concealed section, and it lifted up seamlessly, revealing a hidden compartment. Within it lay a book.

Avar lifted the book out of the compartment, her hands trembling as she flipped through its pages. The book contained secrets and knowledge that if leaked could easily lead to danger for the rest of her family. Even now, she couldn't understand why her husband decided to begin writing such a book.

She was about to return the book to its hidden place when she hesitated. Her memory flashed to Reynard's cryptic warning. Slowly, she lifted her dress and tucked the book inside a concealed pocket.

Avar couldn't shake the feeling that Reynard's words held a sinister undercurrent, and the book, filled with those horrible secrets, was safer close to her heart.

Taking a deep breath, Avar adjusted her dress to prevent the imprint of the book against her flesh from being too visible. Once she was satisfied with her appearance, she prepared to leave the room. Her plan was to take her daughters out for the rest of the day while keeping a close watch on how things unfolded. She had briefly considered leaving the village, but Reynard's enigmatic message had only mentioned not staying in the house, so she decided to stay nearby and observe what transpired.

As she opened the door to her bedroom, she froze. Her eyes locked with those of a familiar face. Long, silky black hair tied in a neat ponytail, flawless dark skin, and deep, knowing eyes—it was Reynard. Immediately, her mind was thrown into turmoil as she tried to make sense of why he was still here and how he had managed to appear without warning.

Reynard let out a small, almost rueful sigh. "Mrs. Avar, you're far too predictable."

Avar's heart raced as her eyes darted behind Reynard to where her daughters lay unconscious on the floor. Her breath caught, and her resolve hardened. She was about to make a move when Reynard uttered a single, chilling command. "Sleep!"

Without a word, Avar dropped to the floor as darkness engulfed her consciousness. Swiftly, Reynard caught her before she could hit the ground.

"The things I do," he muttered to himself as he lifted her to his shoulders and turned to face her unconscious daughters. "Oh, the things I do."

* * * * *

Jarek

After leaving his house, Jarek paid a visit to Mrs. Tamsy to express his gratitude for the chicken she had brought to his family the previous day and tried to offer payment for it. She brushed aside his gratitude, and was even offended when he mentioned payment. In the end, just before he left, she promised to bring some eggs later. Despite his initial reluctance, Jarek was eventually persuaded to accept her kindness and thanked her once more.

With that settled, he left the village in the company of Willem and Rowena. He had initially been concerned about how their Master and Mistress might react to them spending the day with him, but eventually, they convinced him that it was a well-deserved break.

"Besides," Willem had added at the end of their argument, "that old man hasn't given me a single day off in a year. So, I'm taking this day off, no matter how he feels or what he does."

Currently, they were at the village stream, one of the main sources of water for the village. They found a dry grassy spot, away from the parts commonly used by the rest of the villagers, where they could sit without getting muddied up. As they sat by the babbling stream, the sun-dappled water glistening in the background, they began chatting about their experiences in the past few years, sharing laughs, and reminiscing about their shared adventures.

Later in the afternoon, after Willem had made a quick return to the village to grab some food for them to eat, the conversation quickly shifted to Jarek.

"You know," Rowena said as she took a bite out of a bun, while looking Jarek in the eye, "I envy you. You have a chance to be free of this village forever, and not just that but also to prosper in the city. I mean, you're an apprentice of Master Osric, one of the greatest Physicians in the Kingdom! As long as you don't mess up, you're set for life."

Jarek smiled, grateful for his friends' support. "I agree with Row, you're really lucky."

In the face of his friends' admiration, Jarek paused, his thoughts wandering. "You guys are right, I'm really lucky. That's why I intend to make the most of things. If I make it, it shouldn't be hard for me to bring you guys over."

Rowena paused, mid-chew as she looked at him in surprise. "You mean that?"

Jarek snorted, "Of course I meant it. You guys are my best friends, and that's what friends do, they help each other. Why do you even look so surprised? Do you really think so little of me?"