‘So, you were right,’ Vivian said to a room full of disapproving adults. ‘We did manage to get into a small spot of trouble despite having an entire forest of killer trees on our side.’

  Peri didn’t look too happy about being proven right.

  They were seated in the living room, the hearth crackling away with a merry fire that did nothing to cool down the icy glares that were fixed on the three of them. Peri was wiping down her arm with what she assumed was a cool, damp cloth, as her arm was still numb. The blistering wasn’t as red now, thought the branching lightning pattern still remained. He turned her hand over to examine the circular burn mark on her hand.

  ‘Do you have any idea how lucky you were?’ Peri’s voice was low, angry, almost a growl. ‘If the lightning had reached your heart… well, suffice to say you wouldn’t be sitting here.’

  ‘What were you thinking?!’ Sith yelled. She was wrapping a bandage around Felix’s arm, her fingers moving deftly with experience. ‘Why would you go exploring in a place away from the druscans?! Why would you go exploring at all?! You went to collect fairy silk. That’s all you should’ve done, and yet…’

  Sith didn’t seem like she would be stopping anytime soon. Peri didn’t say much, but his disapproval was evident. It was a bit jarring to see the usually laid-back man look like the responsible adult he’s supposed to be. Vivian, Aiden and Felix sat with their heads bowed, unable to offer up any excuses. Looking back, what they had done was foolish and reckless. They had no training whatsoever, and yet they had gone wandering into an unexplored and secluded area in a deadly forest where help couldn’t even reach them even if they called for it.

  Vivian was thoroughly ashamed. We did not think this through… We didn’t think at all.

  ‘We’re sorry,’ Vivian apologized. ‘It was stupid thing to do. We weren’t thinking.’

  Dixie snorted. ‘Clearly. As much as I hate to agree with the hairball on anything, Sith is right. You could’ve died.’

  ‘Now, now, let’s all just take a step back.’ Cyrus laid a supportive hand on Aiden’s shoulder. ‘I’m sure they regret what they did and are aware that it was stupid, reckless and unbelievably dangerous.’ The supportive hand squeezed his shoulder a bit threateningly. ‘Yes?’

  Vivian, Aiden and Felix viciously nodded their heads, though Aiden only nodded twice before wincing and rubbing his bruised neck which was currently an unhealthy shade of red.

  ‘They need to rest. And more importantly, we need to figure out what that mage was doing in the forest in the first place.’ He gave Aiden a gentle nudge towards the stairs. ‘We can discuss what happened at length tomorrow. So, let’s tend to their injuries and let them off for tonight.’

  Peri grunted in agreement. He tossed aside the cloth he was using and leaned in to inspect Vivian’s arm. ‘

  ‘Now go get some sleep.’

  With slumped shoulders and shameful steps, Vivian, Aiden and Felix shuffled their way upstairs. Once they stepped up into the drawing room, they let out a collective sigh, finally having left the room of judgement. For a moment they stood there, not saying a word.

  ‘You could’ve told them,’ Felix finally broke the silence.

  Vivian met his guilty gaze. ‘Told them what?’

  ‘That it was our idea.’ Aiden joined in, his voice still a bit raspy. ‘That you said no but we two were the ones that insisted.’

  ‘Because it is my fault.’ Vivian spoke fast before they could interrupt. ‘Look, the only reason you two were in the forest was because of me. Which means that I am the one responsible for keeping you safe, for keeping us from making dumb choices. And I didn’t. In the end I went along with it.’

  ‘Yes, but you didn’t want to,’ Aiden pointed out again.

  ‘I said we would only look around for just five minutes. We were there a lot longer than that. I should’ve pulled you two back, even if it was by force.’

  They lapsed into silence again before Felix once again broke the silence.

  ‘Let’s just agree that we were all stupid and leave it at that.’

  ‘Agreed,’ Vivian and Aiden said in unison.

  They were supposed to head straight to bed as commanded, but none them felt like sleeping. Their bodies were dead tired but their minds were still racing from the encounter. Together they slumped into the armchairs, gazing out of the large, glass windows at the star-studded night sky.

  ‘Now that I think about it, it was pretty amazing what we did,’ Felix said. ‘We took down a fully, trained mage.’

  ‘And a skilled swordsman,’ Aiden added. ‘Strong too.’

  ‘He must have swung his sword really hard,’ Vivian said. ‘I’m surprised you managed to block it.’

  Aiden grinned. ‘Not as surprised as I was. It felt like my bones were cracking. No way I was going to survive another hit. Thanks for the tackle.’

  ‘My pleasure,’ Felix replied before looking at Vivian. ‘Thanks for the stabbing.’

  ‘My pleasure.’

  The three of them dissolved in snorts and giggles as the tension of the day leached out of their bodies. They were home. They were safe.

  ‘Clever tactic, distracting him so that we could get the jump on him.’ Aiden placed his feet on the table. ‘But I have to ask, did you really eat bird feed?’

  ‘And get bitten by a dog on your behind?’ Felix asked teasingly.

  Vivian could feel her cheeks redden, regretting ever saying those things out loud. ‘Those stories saved your lives. Be grateful.’

  ‘So that’s a yes,’ Aiden confirmed.

  ‘I can’t believe you ate bird feed!’ Felix wasn’t even trying to hide his laughter. ‘Why would you do that?’

  ‘Well, when you get the chance to try something new-’

  ‘Oh, no, no, no,’ Felix interrupted. ‘That’s what you do when someone cooks chicken or duck with a new recipe. Eating bird feed is not culinary exploration.’

  ‘Alright fine. If you really must know-’

  ‘We do,’ Aiden said.

  ‘I was dared to do it.’

  ‘What?!’ Felix exclaimed.

  ‘Suffice to say, I won. I didn’t have to do any chores for an entire month.’

  ‘Chores?’ Felix asked. ‘Wait, your brothers gave you that dare?’

  ‘Yes… That and several others.’

  ‘What others?’ Felix pressed.

  ‘Oh no, I’m not telling you anymore. One was plenty.’

  ‘Then why would you even say others?’ Felix complained. ‘Now I’m going to be dying with curiosity.’

  ‘Good. Suffer.’

  ‘Oh, that is cruel.’ Aiden joined in Felix’s complaining.

  ‘I never claimed to be a saint.’

  They bickered back and forth, Felix and Aiden pressing Vivian for more details and Vivian refusing to answer. The fire burned low in the hearth. The room was warm and cozy. Sonn, sleep tugged at them, but they remained where they were, their conversation drifting between the fight in the woods, the adults’ reaction, the fairy silk they had collected and Vivian’s culinary experiments.

  They never made it to their beds.

  ………

  Morning found the three children splayed across the couch and armchairs in the drawing room, in positions that would surely leave their necks and backs sore throughout the day. Peri stood with his arms folded, looking down at the entangled mess of limbs, wild bed hair and drooling mouths, wondering where did his life go wrong.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  This is not what I wanted to see first thing in the morning… Why do I have to be the responsible one? It feels wrong…

  He kicked at one of Vivian’s feet which was dangling off the edge of the couch, the other one situated dangerously close to Aiden’s mouth. She twitched and mumbled something but didn’t wake up. Peri kicked it again, harder. This time he elicited a stronger reaction, a much stronger one. With a loud yelp, Vivian jerked up, lost her balance and slipped off the couch, dragging a disoriented Aiden with her, the two of them falling right on top of Felix who had all the air in his lungs expelled in a loud oomph.

  ‘Why?’ Felix wheezed, with what little air he had left.

  ‘Sorry,’ Vivian mumbled, rubbing sleep from her eyes. She clambered to her feet, accidently stepping on Aiden’s hand, who exclaimed in pain before clenching this teeth.

  ‘Are you always this clumsy in the morning?’ he gritted out.

  ‘Usually, yes.’

  The three of them had forgotten who had woken them up in the first place. Peri cleared his throat in an attempt to remind them.

  ‘I remember telling you specifically to go to bed.’

  ‘Oh... right,’ Vivian said slowly. ‘We were talking about everything that happened... I suppose we fell asleep.’

  ‘You think so?’ Peri seemed to be in a catty mood this morning. ‘I never would’ve guessed.’

  Vivian rubbed her head sheepishly. ‘Are you still mad about yesterday?’

  ‘Why would you bring that up?!’ Felix hissed.

  Peri fixed a cool look on Felix. ‘It happened yesterday. Were you expecting me to forget overnight?’

  Felix gulped. ‘Forget? No. Lose interest. Yes.’

  ‘Well, unluckily for you I do remember, and I still think you were reckless and stupid.’

  Aiden blinked up at him blearily. ‘You sound so responsible and mature… It’s uncanny.’

  ‘No, it’s horrifying,’ Peri clarified. ‘You see what you’ve done to me. Now, get up, wash your faces and come down for breakfast. We need to talk about yesterday.’

  ‘The way you just said talk, feels like it’s going to be a scolding,’ Felix pointed out.

  ‘Yes,’ Peri answered simply. ‘Now get moving.’

  Vivian, Aiden and Felix mumbled out sounds of agreement, stretching like cats to release the stiffness in their joints. Aiden and Felix ambled into Reno’s room while Vivian climbed up the spiral staircase to her attic. A soft mrow greeted her as she entered.

  ‘Hello Ebion. Did you miss me?’

  The black cat jumped off her bed and rubbed himself against her in welcome, his three tails wrapping around her ankle. She bent down to scratch him behind the ears, eliciting a soothing purr from the feline. She stood up and stepped towards the window where her basin and a jug of cold water was placed on a small table. She poured a generous amount of water from the jug into the basin.

  ‘Wish I could just hide up here with you. But I need to get downstairs before Peri decides to send Sith up.’ She splashed her face with water and wiped it away with a towel. ‘Wish me luck. I’m about to get the scolding of a lifetime.’

  She quickly ran a comb through her rat’s nest of hair and tied it with a length of twine. She gave herself a once over in the mirror. She was still wearing the same clothes from yesterday, still burnt and smelling of smoke. Her arm was still red, though the lightning pattern scar seems to have faded. She focused on her fingers, willing it to move and was overjoyed when they responded, albeit a bit slowly. The numbness had reduced from the previous night, so she was hopeful that she’d regain full control of her arm soon.

  A quick change of clothes later Vivian dragged herself downstairs to the dining room, where everyone, including Cyrus and Dixie, was already waiting for her.

  ‘Good morning,’ she greeted as she slipped into a chair beside Aiden. She eagerly reached for her plate which was pile high with eggs, bread and fruits. It soon disappeared while at the same time placing a look of morbid fascination on the faces of her companions.

  ‘It’s hard to tell whether you ate or inhaled the food,’ Cyrus said. He sipped his tea elegantly and set down his empty cup before glancing at Peri. ‘Though, seeing the company you keep, it’s not a surprise.’

  ‘If I'm offending your delicate sensitivities Princess, feel free to leave,’ Peri said through a mouthful of eggs. ‘Your face is not what I want to see first thing in the morning.’

  ‘The only reason we’re here is to hear the rest of yesterday’s incident.’ Dixie pushed her plate away. ‘Do you think I enjoy the smell of hairballs and picking cat hairs out of my food?’

  Sith smiled a sharp smile. ‘I thought you’d be used to bad food since you do cook for yourself. How do you do it, come up with so many kinds of edible slop?’

  Aiden and Felix had quietly finished eating as well, and now the three children watched silently as the adults in the room dissolved into petty squabbling, insulting everything from the clothes they were wearing to the way they were breathing.

  And we are supposed to get lectured by them...?

  Sith sharply clapped her hands for silence. ‘Alright, that’s enough fun. Let’s get down to the matter at hand.’

  Immediately all eyes turned to them. Vivian felt herself shrink a bit as their gazes fixed on her, clearly expecting her to explain the situation.

  ‘Why don’t I explain?’ Felix said, coming to her rescue.

  ‘No,’ all four of them chorused. Peri pointed a threatening finger at Felix. ‘We want to finish this today, not drag it on for another week.’

  ‘Now you’re just exaggerating,’ Felix replied.

  ‘Really?’ Peri sat up straighter. ‘Are you done telling me about the time you went bird watching in the Redcliffe forest?’

  ‘Well, there are just so many different kinds of birds, it’s impossible to just sum it up in a few sentences.’

  ‘I went bird watching in the Redcliffe forest. It was fun. The end,’ Peri said, stressing the last word. ‘So yes, it is possible to summarize. You simply lack the ability to do so.’

  Felix pouted but stayed quiet. All attention was once again directed towards Vivian who cleared her throat nervously before beginning to speak. She tried to make it sound less dangerous than it actually was, a poor attempt that failed miserably. There really is no way to make attempted murder sound safe.

  ‘... And then Aiden conked him on the head, and he passed out.’

  Silence followed the end of the explanation, all four of the adults in deep thought as they mulled over the information they had just received. Dixie’s was the first to break the silence.

  ‘Since it’s a hostile mage, we can assume they are from the Remnants. If so-’

  ‘Perhaps we should have this conversation somewhere more private,’ Cyrus interrupted, clearly referring to the three children that were listening to their conversation with open mouths.

  ‘Right, of course.’ Sith stood up. ‘Let’s move to my lab.’

  ‘Wait!’ Vivian jumped to her feet. ‘Shouldn’t we know what’s going on as well? We’re the ones who ran into him in the first place.’

  ‘A mistake you will never repeat again,’ Sith said sternly. ‘So, until I say otherwise, you three are forbidden from entering the woods.’

  ‘But- but what about my job? The whole forest ranger thing that we had to beg the Council for?’

  ‘I will speak to the Council, don’t you worry about that. There’s a dangerous mage running loose in those woods. Until he’s caught you will stay away. Am I understood?’

  Sith’s voice left no room for argument. Vivian nodded mutely in agreement.

  ‘Good. Now go run yourself a bath. You look like death... that goes for you two as well,’ she added, looking at Aiden and Felix.

  ‘Yes ma’am,’ the three of them answered.

  Vivian, Aiden and Felix trudged back upstairs while Sith and the others moved to her lab. Vivian heard the door close behind them and the lock clicking into place.

  ‘This is unfair!’ Felix protested to the wrong people. ‘We deserve to know what’s going on.’

  Just be glad that they didn’t decide to punish us,’ Aiden pointed out. ‘We didn’t just fight a mage; we fought a Remnant. We’re lucky to have made it out in one piece.’

  The term was unfamiliar to Vivian. ‘What are the Remnants?’

  ‘They’re a group of radical mages, bunch of extremists trying to establish a mage empire,’ Aiden explained. ‘My father has led several raids against them.’

  ‘Think of them as the mage version of the Sentinels. Completely opposite goals, but just as ruthless.’ Felix plopped down into his usual armchair. ‘You must’ve heard of the incident in Fenrillis six years ago, the Great Fire of Rostwick.’

  ‘Oh right, I heard about that.’ Vivian remembered hearing her parents talking about it in hushed tones with the other adults of her village, an undercurrent of fear apparent in their voices. ‘The entire village was burned to the ground. More than a hundred people died.’

  Aiden nodded gravely. ‘That was the work of the Remnants. The king ordered a massive investigation after that and appointed my father to lead it. He was granted right to execute any rebels on sight, but it was of no use. They managed to track down a few of the lesser Remnants, but the main culprits were never caught.’

  ‘I heard that Rostwick never recovered from it,’ Vivian said solemnly. ‘That the lands there are still scorched and can’t support any plant growth.’

  ‘It’s true,’ Felix added. ‘My father took me there once. I swear I could still smell charred flesh.’

  Vivian nodded in understanding. ‘You threw up?’

  ‘Generously.’

  ‘All of this is to say that we got very, very lucky,’ Aiden stressed. ‘Let’s thank every god in existence and put this incident far behind us.’

  ‘Fair enough,’ Vivian agreed. ‘Let’s freshen up and maybe head into the city. We still have the fairy silk we collected. We could deliver it to Madame Jeanne.’

  Felix heaved himself to his feet. ‘Should we tell her that we won’t be able to collect it again anytime soon?’

  Vivian shook her head. ‘No, then we would have to explain why, and I don’t think we’re supposed to tell anyone about this.’

  Vivian showed the boys to the outhouse bath. They took turns washing up and once they were done, they popped back into the house to inform Sith that they were heading out.

  ‘Alright, be back by sunset,’ she called out behind them.

  ‘We will,’ Vivian replied.

  The sun rose steadily in the sky as they wound their way through the fields. The goblins were already hard at work, singing as they tilled the soil, their deep voices unifying to create a beautiful melody.

  ‘Must be nice to wake up to this every morning,’ Felix commented. ‘Who knew that goblins were the musical sort?’

  Vivian nodded at one of the goblins in greeting as she passed by. ‘Good morning Feruz.’

  ‘And a good morning to you as well Vivian,’ Feruz replied.

  Vivian turned around, walking backwards so as to keep the goblin in view. ‘Hard at work, I see.’

  ‘It’s the only kind of work I know.’

  Vivian chuckled and turned back around. Felix raised a questioning eyebrow. ‘You two seem chummy.’

  ‘Oh, I pass through here all the time, so we simply started talking one day. Turns out Feruz is the chief of this tribe. He’s nice. Sometimes he slips me a few vegetables and fruits they harvest.’

  The goblin’s song faded behind them as they moved out of the farmlands and into the city. The music was replaced by the bustle and noise of the crowd in the market district. It was already packed with people striding in and out of the shops lined on either side of the streets. The trio wove their way through the throng, heading for the residential district. Aiden and Felix had insisted on going home first to change as they were still in yesterday’s clothes.

  Felix was particularly adamant about it. ‘I am not entering a boutique like Madame Jeanne’s while smelling like a pig rolled in mud.’

  They had just entered the residential district and was making a beeline for Felix’s home, when their way was suddenly blocked by two boys, both similar in age to themselves. Vivian immediately smelled trouble.

  ‘Oh, just perfect,’ Felix mumbled. ‘Not these two.’

  ‘What?’ Vivian whispered. ‘Who are they?’

  ‘Trouble.’ Aiden sighed. ‘A whole lot of trouble.’