'He melted the sword,' one of the elders thought. He was unwilling to let his jaw drop, but he wore the same shocked expression as the other four elders.

  “Once again, I’m Leon. This is Azeya, and the two boys are Ryke and Veryn,” Leon said, pointing at Veryn last.

  “You seem strong. It makes us wonder why you would come to this side,” one of the elders said, a bone in his hand.

  “Oh,” Leon said, placing his ring back on. “Can’t we come in?”

  “We have a strict rule about letting outsiders in. We would like to ask the others first—to hear what they have to say,” another elder, an older male, replied.

  “Yeah, not a chance,” Azeya said, stepping in. “I dare say you knew we were coming. Either that, or someone sensed us and told the others. But the first option seems more likely.”

  “Well, let’s meet the others. Everyone, if possible,” Leon said, following Azeya, with Ryke and Veryn trailing behind.

  .......

  “Ahh, Toney, I have a question,” Veryn said, taking her stance.

  “Mmmm, what?”

  “Azeya—I can’t forget. Might you know what her abilities are?” Neyra asked.

  “Fighting,” Toney replied, getting into his own stance.

  “I’m not that stupid, you know. You can’t have 'fighting' as an ability,” Neyra countered.

  “Mmmm, then I don’t know what to tell you. I’ve been with her for the longest time, but I never had that answer. All I’ve ever seen are punches and kicks,” Toney said.

  “What about this: if I get a hit in, you tell me one thing,” Neyra pressed.

  “Okay then, but I’m not going easy,” Toney said, his hands clenched.

  ........

  “Is that so? A little unfortunate, but it's Joe; he will be fine,” the Guild Master said.

  “But if it was someone else, the Guild Master would have called Joe. But it’s Joe—I mean, he's strong enough to protect himself, even when he's not well,” Joe said, pushing the Guild Master playfully from behind.

  “Yeah? Should I also worry about you?” the Guild Master replied. “Seems like you are fine, except for the hair. You cut it off again.”

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  “Yes, I felt like it. But you—how did it go?” Joe replied, showing off his new haircut, which was almost an English cut.

  “Can we talk in my room?” the Guild Master asked, heading for the stairs.

  Joe followed him into the office, only to see a beautiful, dark-skinned girl wearing jean trousers, guild boots, and something like a sweater.

  “And her?”

  “I’m Rheis, your next wife,” she said. “I saw you in my dreams and thought, I need to find this powerful being. Imagine our—”

  “She is here for you, but the rest was a lie,” the Guild Master interrupted. “Take your seat; you might want to hear this.” Rheis laughed slightly as she looked at Joe.

  “And it’s about?” Joe asked.

  “Sky,” Rheis began, “and the boy she is always with, or so I remember.”

  “Sky and who?”

  “Don’t play that, Joe. I had an encounter with them as they passed through the markets in Zurehn. They were never in the main view, but I always see what’s happening, especially when I’m there,” Rheis said.

  “Guild Master...”

  “Terry. At this point, I know where he is. I’m also looking for a girl called Wendy, but that is just to show you I’ve got good sources,” she continued.

  “What Rheis is saying is that she can see what we can’t. Not only that, she can interact with it,” the Guild Master said, catching Joe’s eye. “I’ve seen a glimpse; it is true. She told you about someone I don’t know, but you do. In accordance with her words: a spirit can see a spirit.”

  “But for you to get why I said this, I’ll tell you how I met Sky for the first time,” Rheis said.

  .......

  “You lost,” Toney said, taking his seat.

  “Yeah, I thought I could get one over on you,” Neyra said.

  “For the good try, I’ll answer, but only within my limits,” Toney said.

  “What’s your guess on Leon and Azeya? Anything?”

  “ Guess?, Just know and identify your friends and enemies. Some people are better as friends than enemies.”

  “...but don’t overthink it," Toney said, standing up. "I’ll bet you, you’ll never see her use anything except—uhhh, I take that back. But...” Toney trailed off, walking away. I’ve got to talk to Joe, he thought. It’s been too long.

  ..........

  “So, what you mean is that this girl and boy came? Their names were Sky and Ben, and they also had a girl named Dakota?” Leon asked.

  “Yes. The boy, as we said, is brown while the girl is white. The little one? I didn't see a lot of her,” the elder replied, the others nodding in agreement.

  “What about this creature that caused the trouble?” Azeya asked.

  “We don’t know of such a thing,” another elder replied, his voice gruff.

  “I saw it—through my friends. It wasn't clear, but something was there. I can even show you which side I saw it from,” Veryn said, looking at the unhappy faces of the elders.

  “You’re a Kytheri, boy?” a female elder asked.

  “You are making this harder than it needs to be," Leon said, shifting his posture while seated. "I’m not fond of dealing with the elderly, but don’t test me.”

  “Let’s stop this. The boy and girl you are looking for are gone. If you want to know more about them, ask Aisha or—”

  “Me,” Tork interrupted. He looked at the elder who had mentioned her name. “I thought we said we would protect her.”

  “My child is badly injured because of something I never even saw,” the other elder said, taking a breath. “Regardless, she will possibly die.”

  “And whose fault is that? You are the one who raised the damn boy—”

  “No. I’m not here to hear your arguments," Leon intervened. "Where is this Aisha?”

  “Sleeping. She couldn't even talk to me,” Tork replied.

  “I’ve got no problem waking her up. I’ve also got some potions that would help with that,” Azeya said, revealing a limitless bag.

  “Necrosiphy is different. You don’t just heal her like the others,” another elder warned.

  “Oh? Then we wait. Please, find us a place to stay. I’ll pay if necessary,” Leon said, standing up. “It's been a tiring journey, so can you hurry up? And also, prepare us a monster. I mean, what’s the fun in coming to the Necrosiphy city and not letting Ryke battle a monster?”

  Ryke reacted instantly to the suggestion.

  “What? I never saw the fight, and neither did Azeya. Okay, choose: Me, Azeya, or the third choice—a creature of the elders' choosing,” Leon said.

  Ryke stood up too. “Can’t I have all of them? I’ve been thinking about getting in some good training.”

  Azeya smiled, starting off after one of the elders who led the way. “I call dibs!”

  .......

  “Dakota, what are you doing?” Ben asked.

  “It’s a game. I just remembered it. Mom used to like it, but Dad was better at it,” Dakota replied, drawing four circles on the ground.

  “Can I join?”

  “Yes, I’ll teach you.” Dakota ran to get two buckets of water. Ben jumped in to help when he saw her struggling to carry them.

  “You simply throw a stone into the bucket,” Dakota explained.

  “It’s that simple?”

  “After spinning around! The other person makes sure you keep cycling,” Dakota added.

  “Seems fun. We play this today, and tomorrow we go hunting,” Sky added, joining them.

  “Two days of fun,” Ben said, smiling. “I go first, then Sky, then Dakota. Keep up, ladies!”

  Sky and Dakota began to make him spin in a circle, stone in hand.

  ......

  “So, what you mean is that you are actually a demi-human? But the ears and the other parts...”

  “I told you, Ell. Something went wrong. While I don’t have the parts, I’m more demi-human than the others,” Varok replied.