‘I take it back,’ Felix huffed out. ‘This isn’t fun.’

  A week into their training, Vivian was left wondering why the gods were angry with her. To her knowledge she hadn’t killed anyone, never stole anything and she always tried to say her please and thank you’s. Sure, she was rude sometimes, but it surely didn’t deserve such punishment.

  ‘I don’t remember telling you three to stop,’ Peri said in an easy tone.

  Vivian, Aiden and Felix looked at the gruff man who lay with a pillow under his head on a blanket under a nearby tree, a basket filled with sandwiches and a jug of cool water beside him. His shoes were off, and he was nibbling on a biscuit; his eyes lazily fixed on a moving cloud above.

  ‘Fifty laps around the cottage. Not thirty-nine. Get moving.’

  ‘Does he have eyes on the side of his head?’ Aiden grumbled, straightening out of the crouch he was in. ‘He’s not even looking at us.’

  ‘I’m almost impressed.’ Felix coughed. ‘Almost… Oh, I feel like I’m about to throw up my lungs.’

  ‘Do you want to make it a hundred?’ Peri called out.

  Vivian pushed Aiden and Felix ahead, still wheezing for breath herself. ‘He means it. He really means it.’

  It took them another twenty minutes of wheezing, heaving and a little bit of crying to finish the remaining laps. Peri had sat up by the time the three of them collapsed in front of him like a bunch of ragdolls, unable to speak as they were too busy breathing. Peri studied them closely. Vivian’s ragged breathing, Felix’s sweaty face and Aiden’s eyes lined with dark circles.

  ‘You three are in terrible shape,’ Peri commented once they had finally caught their breath, pouring himself a glass of water. ‘It’s a wonder you survived that fight with the Remnant. Was he blind and missing an arm?’

  Vivian ignored the jab. ‘When exactly are we going to get to the fighting part?’

  ‘Once you three have mastered the art of running away.’ Peri handed over the jug of water to Felix, who didn’t bother reaching for a glass and instead just chugged it down from the jug, spilling water down his front. ‘First thing you need to learn is how to get out of a confrontation you know you can’t win.’

  ‘And how exactly is running supposed to help in this situation?’ Felix asked, handing the jug to Aiden who, being a much more civilised human being, used a glass. ‘He was a lightning mage. Last I checked none of us can outrun lightning.’ He leaned back on his hands, a mischievous smile spreading on his face. ‘Not that I’m doubting your dedication to protect us. I know that you love us so much-’

  ‘No, he doesn’t,’ Aiden said.

  ‘-that you would sacrifice yourself to help us escape.’

  ‘No, he wouldn’t.’

  ‘But I don’t think even you would be able to deflect lightning. Which means you’d die, burnt to a crisp.’

  ‘Please stop talking.’

  ‘Of course, we wouldn’t be able to take your body with us, or whatever is left of it, as we would be busy running away.’

  ‘Just give up,’ Vivian said before Aiden could interrupt a fourth time. ‘He’s a glutton for punishment.’

  ‘Oh Armoin... What would we tell Sith?’

  Peri was quiet for a moment after Felix’s spiel ended, which was never a good sign. When Peri needed to think about a punishment, it was always much worse than the usual threats and glares he threw Felix’s way. You would think that after the many times Felix had paid for getting under Peri’s skin, he would learn his lesson, but you would be wrong.

  ‘Give me another twenty laps,’ Peri said quietly.

  ‘What? But I-’

  ‘And if I hear you utter so much as one word during that time, I’ll be adding another twenty.’

  Felix looked at Vivian and Aiden to come to his defence.

  Vivian shrugged. ‘You’re getting off easy. What did you expect was going to happen?’

  Aiden simply avoided eye contact, showing a sudden interest in the grass he was sitting on.

  Felix opened his mouth to protest, but Peri beat him to it. ‘Make that thirty laps.’

  Vivian nudged him. ‘Go, go. Just get it over with.’

  With a deep sigh, Felix dragged himself to his feet and set off to complete his punishment. Vivian felt bad for him, watching as he threw his head back gasping for breath, but only for a moment.

  ‘You join him as well,’ Peri said.

  ‘What?!’ Vivian exclaimed. ‘What did I do?’

  ‘You’re the one that brought that moron into my life,’ Peri explained. ‘My sweet, beautiful, quiet life. This is your fault.’

  ‘But that’s-’

  ‘I can always make it another fifty.’

  And so, with a groan Vivian hauled herself to her feet and took off after Felix. It wasn’t hard to catch up with him, and the two of them trudged towards the cottage, occasionally cursing the curly-haired man who was the root of their current misery.

  Aiden sat stock-still, afraid to even breathe in Peri’s presence. What if he did it wrong? He couldn’t survive another thirty rounds. He was dead tired, a dull headache already making itself at home inside his skull. However, Peri seemed to have no intent to subjugate him to same torture. Instead, the man simply sat quietly beside him. Together, they watched as Vivian and Felix plod their way around the cottage.

  ‘You haven’t been sleeping well, have you?’ Peri said, finally breaking the silence.

  Aiden froze up. So, he did notice.

  ‘Is it the nightmares again?’

  ‘... yes.’

  ‘Have you told the other two about them?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘They’re going to notice eventually, that is if they haven’t already, especially the blonde brat.’

  Aiden stayed quiet.

  Peri sighed. ‘Have you talked to another shadow mage about this?’

  Aiden shook his head. ’I haven’t met one yet.’

  Peri was silent with thought for a moment. ‘Talk to Cyrus. As much as I hate giving him any credit, he is a superb shadow mage. He’ll probably be able to help you.’

  ‘We don't even know if this is something related to shadow magic.’

  ‘It is,’ Peri replied simply.

  ‘How can you be so sure? No offense, but you aren’t a mage.’

  ‘No, but I’ve dealt with mages and magic for a long time. Shadow magic, despite its name, isn’t actually related to shadows. That is simply the only part that is visibly affected. What it truly deals with is the mind, with memories and perception and things like that.’

  Aiden thought it over. He didn’t have any other options at the moment. And he really would like to have a good night’s sleep without having to startle awake in the middle of the night. He nodded. ‘I’ll see if I can talk to him.’

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  ‘Good... now, how about a bet?’ Peri nodded at the two struggling children who were now dragging each other around the house. ‘Do you think they’ll finish the run, or will they collapse before that?’

  It was an obvious attempt to change the subject, one that Aiden truly appreciated. Together they watch in mild amusement and satisfaction as Vivian and Felix stumbled their way through the rest of their rounds.

  ………

  ‘Alright, that’s enough warm up.’ Peri swirled the glass of wine in his hand and took a sip. ‘Time to get serious.’

  ‘This... wasn’t... serious?’ Felix gasped out. ‘What’s next...? The plague?’

  ‘You managed to make it through the basics without passing out. Congratulations.’ Peri clapped his hands together. ‘Now, who wants to learn how to wield a sword?’

  All three hands shot up.

  ‘Well, that’s too bad because you won’t be doing that.’

  ‘What?!’ Vivian protested. ‘Why?!’

  ‘I didn’t know you were so eager to die.’ Peri set his glass down and got to his feet. ‘Do you three honestly believe that you can take a Remnant in a fight.’

  ‘We already did,’ Aiden pointed out.

  Peri gave him an unimpressed look. ‘You caught him by surprise. And he underestimated you. I can guarantee you that he won’t be making those mistakes again.’

  ‘Aren’t you underestimating us right now,’ Vivian grumbled.

  Peri fixed her with a level look. ‘Did he use magic?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘When you fought him, did he actively use magic?’

  ‘Well, no. But-’

  ‘Then he didn’t take you seriously.’ Peri folded his arms across his chest. ‘He’s a mage. Which means if he considered you a serious threat, he would have maintained his distance and fried you to a crisp from afar.’

  ‘Well, maybe.’ Felix had managed to finally stop gasping, so apparently it was time for him seek out his next punishment from the curly-haired man. ‘But I still think we did great. We can take care of ourselves.’

  ‘Oh really,’ Peri drawled out. ‘Well then, let’s put that to the test, shall we?’ He started stretching. ‘I’ll give you three five minutes. In five minutes, if any of you can land a single hit on me, I’ll admit that you’re strong enough to fight a Remnant. But if you can’t, you’ll shut up and do whatever I tell you.’

  ‘You’re on!’ Felix and Vivian agreed immediately. They were excited, hopping up and down, unable to stand still. Praise of any kind was rare from Peri, almost non-existent.

  ‘No, no, no,’ Aiden protested with growing horror. ‘They do not speak for me.’

  ‘Then you should’ve spoken up earlier,’ Peri said, brushing aside his complaint. ‘I’ve been addressing all three of you as group this whole time. You’re the one who chose to stay quiet.’

  ‘I was staying out of it!’

  ‘You need to speak when it’s time to speak, not when it’s already too late. Otherwise,’ Peri paused to gesture at Felix and Vivian, who were play-punching each other, laughing and giggling until Vivian swung a little too hard and ended up hitting Felix full force in the face. ‘Idiots like them are going to assume your silence as agreement, and end up making decisions for you.’

  ‘Alright fine. Lesson learned. I need to speak up more. Could I please sit this one out?’

  ‘No, I’m going to beat it into your skull.’ He rolled up his sleeves, revealing surprisingly toned arms underneath the fabric. ‘All of you, get ready!’

  Aiden sighed. ‘I should’ve just stayed in bed.’

  ………

  ‘So, I hope I’ve made my point,’ Peri said, looking none the worse for wear. ‘If not, I’m happy to repeat the lesson.’

  ‘No, thank you,’ Vivian wheezed out from her quickly becoming familiar position on the ground. ‘We got it.’

  Peri grinned, stretched out his legs and crossed his feet, sitting prettily on Felix’s back who was struggling to breathe.

  ‘What about you, you blonde brat?’ Peri asked easily. ‘Have you learned your lesson?’

  Felix had to gasp a couple of times to get enough air in his lungs to gasp out a weak ‘yes’, after which he promptly went boneless. Aiden was the one hurt the least. At least he was able to sit up, though he had to slump back against a tree to keep himself upright.

  ‘Um, Peri, maybe you get off him now?’ Vivian asked timidly. ‘He might pass out.’

  Peri sighed, but got to his feet. ‘And just when he was finally quiet.’

  Felix gasped in a deep breath the moment Peri’s weight left his back, though he didn’t move from his spread-eagle position on the ground. Vivian could understand. She wasn’t going to be moving anywhere anytime soon.

  ‘I suppose we won’t be doing anymore training today.’ Peri rolled down his sleeves. ‘Then tomorrow we’ll start with the basics of combat.’

  ‘Alright!’ Felix gasped out. ‘So, we’re going to train with weapons?’

  Peri laughed out loud, as if he had just heard the world’s funniest joke. ‘Oh, good one. And here I though you were just annoying. Turns out, you’re good for a laugh too.’ Peri let out a happy sigh. ‘Anyway, I’ll head back now. The three of you can drag yourselves home once your legs stop trembling.’

  ‘You’re not going to help us,’ Aiden asked futilely, even though he knew the answer.

  ‘Negative.’ Peri was already walking away. He gestured at his picnic setup as he passed by it. ‘But you may help yourselves to what’s in the basket.’

  And he was gone, leaving three children behind attempting to restore some semblance of control over their exhausted bodies with limited success.

  ‘Alright, I’ll be the first to say it,’ Felix spoke up. ‘Peri is incredibly strong.’

  ‘Right?’ Vivian replied. ‘I didn’t know he’d be that skilled.’

  ‘How could you not know?’ Aiden asked in disbelief. ‘He was the one that saved you from the Sentinels.’

  Vivian shrugged. ‘Yes, but I never actually saw him fight… What about you two? Didn’t he escort the both of here? Didn’t you see anything on the way?’

  ‘Do you think if I actually saw him fight, I would agree to fight him so easily?’ Felix finally managed to push himself upright. ‘Nah, we just snuck around mostly, avoided towns and the roads.’

  ‘Makes you wonder how he’s so strong?’ Aiden mused out loud. ‘Have any of you ever seen him train? Or do anything physically taxing?’

  Vivian shook her head. ‘No, he’s pretty much married to his bed. Which makes it quite easy to find him. I always know where to look.’

  ‘He must do it at some point.’ Aiden slumped back against the tree he was leaning on, his eyes refusing to stay open. His nightmares last night hadn’t been brutal or bloody, but they still kept him up all night. That, in addition to their training session, had stretched his body and mind to the limits. He was so tired.

  Maybe I could take a quick nap right… here…

  ‘Are you alright?’ A voice, Vivian’s voice punctured through the fog of sleep that had enveloped his mind. ‘You don’t look well.’

  Aiden’s eyes snapped open and he sat up abruptly. A dull headache pounded in his head as he tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes. He looked up just in time to see Vivian and Felix exchange worried glances.

  ‘I’m fine,’ he said. ‘Just tired from the lesson we just received.’

  ‘This looks like a different kind of exhaustion,’ Felix observed out loud. ‘Like you haven’t been sleeping well.’

  He hit the nail on the head. Aiden ran a hand through his hair. ‘Just had a bad night yesterday, that’s all?’

  Felix fixed him with a level stare. ‘Did you also have a bad night the day before? And the day before that?’

  ‘You noticed?’

  ‘Of course I noticed. You have circles under your eyes as dark as my aunt Betty’s soul.’ Felix huffed and crossed his arms. ‘I was hoping you would tell us on your own eventually, but Aiden, you look like you could drop dead any minute.’

  Aiden sighed. ‘It’s nothing.’

  ‘It’s not nothing,’ Vivian said. ‘We need to get you some help. If you’re not able to sleep, maybe we could ask a healer to brew you a sleep tonic.’

  Aiden shook his head. ‘I’ve tried that before. It won’t work.’ He didn’t want to elaborate any further, but the looks on his friends’ faces were enough to convince him that they wouldn’t let this go without a proper explanation. ‘I have… nightmares.’

  ‘Every night?’ Vivian frowned. ‘That’s strange.’

  ‘Well, they’re not exactly nightmares.’ Aiden sighed again. He might as well put it out there. ‘I see memories.’ He hesitated for a moment before adding, ‘Other people’s memories. And I can’t control it.’

  Vivian and Felix took a moment to digest this new piece of information.

  ‘So,’ Vivian began. ‘Does that mean that you’ve seen some of mine?’

  ‘Just a few glimpses, nothing I could understand.’

  ‘Wait, so does this mean you can read anyone’s mind?’ Felix asked. ‘How does it work? Do you just look at someone and suddenly you’re inside their head?’

  Aiden shook his head. ‘No, no. It happens if I step on someone’s shadow.’

  ‘What?’ Vivian was visibly confused. ‘How does that work?’

  ‘I don’t know!’ Aiden was frustrated, which was understandable. He didn’t have any answers, and he didn’t know how to make it stop. ‘All I know is that if I step on someone’s shadow, that night I’ll get a few glimpses into their memories. Sometimes they’re tame, but sometimes they’re downright horrifying!’

  ‘Aiden…’ Vivian said softly. ‘Is this why you avoid other people?’

  Aiden deflated. ‘I know things that I shouldn’t know, that I wish I didn’t know. Not to mention the fact that it’s a severe violation of one’s privacy.’ He clenched his fists. ‘My father is an honourable man. And he raised me to be one as well. And yet here I am, going around, snooping in people’s mind, like a, like a…’

  ‘Like a spy?’ Felix offered, his tone a bit tight as he said it.

  The atmosphere had suddenly turned tense. Aiden was taken aback for a moment. ‘No, I didn’t mean it like that…’

  ‘It’s alright.’ It didn’t look alright.

  ‘No, it’s not,’ Aiden said firmly. ‘It’s not alright. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you.’

  ‘It’s fine,’ Felix said, looking away. ‘Just leave it.’

  ‘I feel a bit out of the loop here,’ Vivian interjected. ‘And that there’s something else going on here, but coming back to what we were talking about… Aiden, we need to get you help. You can’t go on like this.’

  Aiden looked at Felix for a bit longer, who wasn’t making eye contact with him, before turning towards Vivian. ‘Peri already knows about it. He said it could be a shadow magic thing and that I should talk to Cyrus.’

  ‘Alright, good.’ Vivian stood up, trying to shake off the awkward air that hung over them. ‘Let’s go talk to him right now.’

  ‘I think I’ll just head home,’ Felix said as he got to his feet. ‘But let me know how it goes.’

  ‘Felix wait-’ Aiden began.

  ‘You two should hurry.’ Felix forced a smile on his face. ‘Wait too long and Dixie might just drag Cyrus out with her for her evening shopping spree.’

  Before either of them could get a word in, Felix turned and left, his gait quick as he practically ran away from them.

  ‘What was that about?’ Vivian asked.

  ‘Me and my stupid mouth.’ Aiden sighed in frustration. ‘I shouldn’t have said that.’

  ‘What? Why? What did you say that was so bad?’

  ‘I just insinuated that being a spy is degrading and dishonourable.’

  ‘So?’

  Aiden groaned. ‘The Redcliffes are a family of spies. The head of the family, which at present would be Felix’s father, serves as Venith’s Spymaster.’

  ‘Oh no…’

  Aiden nodded solemnly. ‘I just insulted his entire family. My damn, stupid tongue!’