Apparently, he had nothing to say... and neither did Peri. The two of them seemed to be locked in a silent stare-down, ignoring the two others present who were beginning to feel awkward just standing there.

  ‘Are they going to say anything?’ Felix whispered to Vivian.

  ‘I don’t know,’ she whispered back before calling out. ‘Are you two going to say anything?’

  ‘No,’ Peri replied shortly. ‘There’s no point. A Remnant like him knows better than to talk once captured.’

  ‘Well, that blows.’ Vivian sighed. ‘So now what do we do? Do we take him back with us?’

  ‘That is the plan.’ Peri lightly jabbed the mage in the back. ‘On your feet. And no sudden moves.’

  Slowly, the man got to his feet, his hands above his head. He made eye contact with Vivian as he turned around and his glare intensified.

  ‘Where is my medallion brat?’

  ‘W-what?’ Vivian stuttered. ‘What medallion? I haven’t- oh wait.’

  A vague memory of picking up a medallion from the man’s unconscious body surfaced in her mind. A feeling of dread settled on her as she slowly raised her head to glance towards Peri. She wasn’t surprised to see that there were two men glaring at her now.

  ‘We will talk later.’ Peri’s tone was short and clipped. He pressed the tip of his sword against the Remnant’s back, pushing him forwards. ‘For now, let’s get out of this forest. Felix, secure the wolf. Vivian, lead the way.’

  Vivian and Felix scrambled to do as they were told. The wolf was coaxed onto its feet, considerably calmer than it was before. It remained wary of Ebion who had made himself at home on its back, but at least it was no longer howling in fear. Vivian grabbed the illuminator and headed to the front of the group, trying to remember the way back as the druscans could no longer guide them. She looked back to see if the others were ready to move out as well.

  ‘Alright then, let’s go.’

  Together, their strange little party made their way through the woods. Vivian and Felix were finding it hard enough to navigate through the dark without tripping over roots and getting slapped by low hanging branches, and yet Peri looked just as cool and collected as he did when he first entered the woods. The fact that he had to hold a man at sword point didn’t even seem to faze him as he marched through, making sure that their captive didn’t try anything funny.

  They had been in the woods for almost four hours now. The trek back would take at least another three hours, three hours of tripping and stumbling their way through a dark forest. Not something Vivian looked forward to.

  ‘This is taking longer than when we first came to Mirran,’ Felix grumbled. ‘If we were on the path, it would’ve only taken an hour or so to cross the entire woods.’

  ‘That’s because the path cuts through the smallest part of the forest,’ Peri replied without ever taking his eyes off his captive. ‘No one has ever gone this deep into the woods.’

  ‘Do you reckon Sith will be up by the time we get back?’ Vivian asked.

  ‘Definitely.’ Peri sighed. ‘We’re going to get an earful for this.’

  ‘At least we got what we came for,’ Felix said, surprisingly chipper.

  The stygian wolf whined, a long keen sound in the dark silence. On his back, Ebion sat up straight, his three tails swishing and the glass rings on them gleaming in the shadows. His eyes were narrowed, and his ears were perked up, listening for something. Vivian was immediately on edge.

  Felix, however, didn’t seem to notice. ‘And not just the wolf.’ He looked at the Remnant. ‘We got something a little extra as well.’

  At this, the mage who had been quiet so far let out a loud snort. Peri’s grip on his sword tightened a bit as he narrowed his eyes at the Remnant.

  ‘If there’s a joke to be had, please, do share.’

  ‘Oh, it’s nothing.’ The man’s voice was light, airy. ‘It’s just funny how delusional people can be.’

  ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ Vivian asked crossly. But the man simply smirked didn’t answer.

  How annoying!

  I agree. A voice sounded in her head. A very welcome voice after the deafening silence she had been bearing with for the past two hours. She whipped around to the nearest druscan, the one who had spoken.

  ‘You’re awake!’ she exclaimed out loud. ‘Thank the gods!’

  ‘Wait, are they speaking again?’ Felix asked and was promptly ignored.

  ‘What happened? I couldn’t talk to any of you. Were you asleep?’

  A yawn sounded in her head. I’m not quite sure what happened. It feels like I just woke up. But we don’t sleep. Ever.

  ‘What is going on?’ Vivian was more confused than ever. ‘What’s causing this? How can druscans fall asleep?’

  Peri made a small noise. ‘Did you say they were asleep?’

  ‘That’s what they’re saying happened.’ Vivian noted the slight look of alarm on Peri’s face and felt dread building up inside of her. ‘Why? What’s wrong?’

  The Remnant barked out a laugh. ‘Well, aren’t you quick on the uptake?’ He smirked at Peri. ‘Do you understand now why I said you were delusional?

  ‘Damn it!’ Peri cursed. Before Vivian could utter a single word, Peri swung his iron dagger at the mage.

  Vivian and Felix looked on in horror as the blade simply glided through him like he was made of smoke. The visage smirked one last time before it dissipated into thin air.

  ‘Damn it!’ Peri cursed again under his breath. ‘Damn it all!’ He sheathed his blades, grabbed Vivian and Felix and shoved them forward. ‘Run. Run now.’

  The two of them didn’t even question the order. They took off, running as fast as their shorter legs could go, with the stygian wolf carrying Ebion bounding off ahead of them. Peri stayed behind them, matching his pace to theirs, occasionally throwing a look behind them as if they were being chased.

  Maybe they were.

  The woods around them were thinning, the trees spaced further apart. ‘We’re almost out!’ Felix called out. With a final burst of speed, their group burst out of the trees. Felix and Vivian skidded to a stop, while Peri whipped around, his hand on his sword hilt, ready to draw it at a moment’s notice. They stood like that for a moment, waiting for gods and Peri knows what.

  ‘Are we good?’ Felix asked cautiously. ’Is it safe?’

  Peri waited a few more moments before finally taking his hand of his sword hilt. ‘Yes, I think we are.’

  ‘What...?’ Vivian wheezed out. ‘What happened?’

  ‘We’ll talk back at home.’ Peri didn’t wait for a reply, He set off on a brisk pace, heading straight for the cottage. Vivian and Felix exchanged confused looks before scrambling to follow him. It was the crack of dawn. The sun had peeked above the horizon, painting the sky in vivid colours of pink and orange. While Peri didn’t look back, Vivian and Felix couldn’t help themselves from glancing back occasionally, scanning the tree line for strange, hostile mages.

  ‘I don’t what we just ran away from,’ Felix whispered to Vivian. ‘And I'll never admit this to Peri, but I’m glad he taught us how to run first.’

  ‘Looks like that training can still be put to use.’ Vivian nodded ahead at the cottage, where an furious, feline figure stood in front of the door with her arms crossed across her chest. ‘Want to run away?’

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  ‘She’s part beast,’ Felix said glumly. ‘She’d catch us in a heartbeat.’

  ‘Right.’ Vivian gulped as Sith’s angry figure grew closer as they approached the cottage. ’Well, we knew this was coming. Brace yourself.’

  .........

  It took about an hour before they could calm Sith down enough for a conversation. She was so livid that at some parts of the scolding she couldn’t even come up with words and instead simply growled in anger to get her point across. Vivian and Felix stood with their heads bowed, hoping that they looked submissive and chastised enough. Peri on the other hand, who was also on the receiving end of Sith’s ire, stood lazily leaned against the wall with a disassociated look on his face. This seemed to be something he was well used to.

  Sith was pacing now. ‘I don’t even need to ask if you ran into that Remnant, just like I said you would.’ She turned to glare furiously at Peri. ‘And you, you witless sloth! You are the adult. You should’ve had more common sense than a couple of thirteen-year-old children.’

  Peri let out a yawn, which aggravated Sith even more. He pointed at his own mouth, quick to explain himself. ‘This is not a lack of interest, just a lack of sleep.’

  He finally stopped leaning against the wall and stood up straight. ‘I know you’re angry, and rightfully so. What we did was risky. But you know me. I do not take risks I can’t handle. And the way I saw it, I could either go with the brats, or they would sneak out on their own.’ Peri gave her a measured look. ‘The latter is not really an option, is it?’

  ‘You could’ve just dragged them back.’

  Peri nodded. ‘I could’ve. But then, they would just try again later and be sneakier about it. We can’t watch them all the time.’ He shrugged. ‘Besides, I agree with them. Aiden needs help. And he’s my favourite.’

  Felix made a noise of protest. Vivian stomped on his foot, a clear sign to keep quiet. Sith was no longer focusing her anger on them. She seemed to have run out of words. At least for the moment.

  Peri gave her a knowing smirk. ‘Did you get it all out of your system?’

  Sith huffed before deflating. ’Do you have any idea how worried I was? I couldn’t even follow you in there. I wouldn’t have been able to help if something happened.’

  ‘But I was there,’ Peri said. ‘I may not be able to blow fire out of my arse, but I am capable enough to take care of myself and a couple of scamps. Which I did.’

  Felix made another sound of protest. Vivian stepped on his foot again. At this rate she might just break his foot.

  Sith let out a deep sigh which sounded like it came from the very depths of her soul. She gestured towards the stairs. ‘Go, get yourselves cleaned up and come down for breakfast. We can discuss what happened then.’

  Vivian and Felix scrambled for the stairs, happy to finally escape Sith’s wrath, the stygian wolf and its cat rider padding up the stairs behind them. Peri followed at a more relaxed pace, pulling off his cloak and loosening his tunic collar strings. The moment they reached the safety of the upstairs drawing room, Vivian and Felix collapsed into the armchairs in relief. Smiles of victory and pride were exchanged. They had captured the wolf, survived the woods and Sith’s rage. Now that was an achievement.

  ‘What’re you two relaxing for?’ Peri’s voice snapped them out of their reverie. ‘You’re still in a lot of trouble.’

  ‘What?’ Vivian lifted her head tiredly. ‘What else did we do?’

  Peri let out a disbelieving huff. ‘You forgot already?’ He crossed his arms across his chest. ‘The medallion?’

  Vivian slapped her forehead. ‘Oh right! I forgot about that.’

  Peri looked up to ceiling, praying to a higher power for patience. ‘That Remnant was right. There is something wrong with your head.’ He turned and marched towards his bedroom. ‘Go get it. We can discuss it at breakfast.’

  Once his door was shut, Vivian turned to Felix. She gestured at Reno’s room. ‘I guess you can freshen up in there. You’ll have to wait to take a bath though. I don’t think Sith is going to wait that long.’ She groaned loudly. ‘We’re going to get scolded again, if not punished.’

  ‘Or, crazy idea.’ Felix pointed at the window. ‘We make a run for it. Sneak out and go see Aiden, tell him we got the wolf.’

  ‘Are you trying to get me killed?’ Vivian stood up. ‘Delaying the inevitable will only make it even worse. Let’s just get it over with.’

  Vivian stomped up the stairs to the attic while Felix reluctantly dragged himself into Reno’s room. Ebion, who had finally dismounted from the wolf, followed her upstairs, snaking its way between her legs to head straight for the laundry basket. Vivian picked up the basket and upended its contents, a soft thunk sounding as something heavy fell on the floor. She shifted through the dirty clothes until she found the clothes she had worn the day they had met the Remnant the first time. There, nestled safely and discreetly in her pants pocket, was the medallion she had picked up before they left the cave. She held the medallion up to the sunlight now streaming in through the window. She could clearly make out the markings on its gold surface, runes of a language she couldn’t understand. Ebion hissed vehemently, his back arched and his pupils narrowed. She remembered how he had seemed so tense and agitated that day, pawing at the basket and trying to knock it over.

  ‘Is this what you were trying to tell me about?’ she asked. Ebion let out a soft mrow. ‘I really should start listening to you. Sorry.’

  She shoved the medallion in her pocket and scratched Ebion behind his ears. ‘You can eat whatever you want off my plate from now on.’

  Ebion purred in joy, his back untensing and his pupils dilating. Vivian quickly splashed some water on her face to wake herself up, a difficult task as they had stayed awake the whole night. She made her way downstairs just as Felix stepped out of Reno’s room. Ebion immediately left her side to join the stygian wolf who had curled up in front of the empty fireplace. It tensed up a bit as Ebion approached it but didn’t move from its spot. It lay still as Ebion curled up against it, and pretty soon the two them were asleep.

  ‘Look at that,’ Felix said. ‘They’ve already gotten used to each other.’

  ‘I think it’s more accurate to say that Ebion has tamed it.’ Vivian rolled her eyes. ‘Just wait till you get your familiar. Ebion is going to get himself another lackey.’

  Together they descended the stairs and followed the smell of freshly baked bread and fried eggs to the dining room, where the table was already set. Peri and Sith were already seated, sipping from cups of hot tea as they spoke softly. Both looked up as they entered, Sith gesturing at the empty seats for them to sit down.

  ‘We’ll talk once you’ve eaten,’ she said, before turning back to her conversation with Peri.

  Vivian and Felix needed no further prompting. The two of them dug in, finally aware of how hungry they were. Once their plates were clean and they were satisfied, they leaned back and readied themselves for the interrogation to come.

  ‘So, Peri has given me a brief of what happened.’ Sith set down her cup. She was clearly trying to keep her voice calm and controlled, though the slight tremor in it betrayed her anger. ‘Where is that medallion?’

  Careful not to make any sudden moves, Vivian slowly pulled the medallion out of her pocket and placed it on the table before edging back. The reaction to the medallion was instant. Sith hissed, a feral sound that made her hair stand on its ends. Peri’s lips tightened into a thin line, his brows furrowed in... well, Vivian didn’t know what. Anger, fear, maybe a mix of both.

  ‘Well, it’s no wonder he was furious.’ Peri made no move to touch the medallion, glaring at the piece of gold. ‘I would be too, if I was in his shoes.’

  ‘What is it?’ Vivian asked cautiously.

  ‘It’s a key,’ Sith explained. ‘As well as a map.’

  ‘Key to what?’ Felix asked, joining the conversation. ‘Map to what?’

  Peri and Sith exchanged a look, silently debating among themselves if they should share more information than they already had.

  ‘I know that look,’ Vivian spoke up before they could make up their minds, a mild note of irritation in her voice. She was tired of being confused, of being kept in the dark. If she was going to be in danger, she would like to know about it. ‘You’re thinking whether we should be told about this or not. But I would really love it if things started making sense now, instead of being given scraps of information and having to guess the rest.’

  Peri raised an eyebrow in question. ‘You’re in a tetchy mood.’

  ‘Yes, well, nearly dying does that to me,’ she replied sarcastically.

  Sith leaned back and folded her arms across her chest. ‘And whose fault is it that you nearly died?’

  Vivian rolled her eyes. ‘Yes, yes, I know. I was stupid and reckless. We’ve already had this conversation. There’s only so many times I can listen to it.’

  Felix tugged at her tunic under the table. ‘Vivi, calm down,’ he muttered under his breath.

  ‘Listen to the blonde brat.’ Peri’s eyes were narrowed in slight anger. ‘For once he’s right.’

  ‘Stop calling him that!’ Vivian’s voice was raised now.

  ‘Vivi it’s fine.’ Felix tried to placate her, but for some reason her blood was boiling. She was angry and she could exactly pinpoint why. Was it the events of the night? Or something else? Whatever the reason, she was extremely irritated right now.

  Felix turned towards Peri and Sith. ’She doesn’t mean to get so angry. This isn’t like her. You know that.’

  Sith froze for a moment, a hint of understanding crossing her face. ‘You’re right. This isn’t like her at all.’

  ‘Oh, so you’re saying that I’m not allowed to be angry?!’ When did she stand up. She didn’t remember doing that.

  ‘Vivian, stay very still.’ Sith got to her feet and leaned across the table. Before Vivian could even protest, Sith pressed her index finger against her forehead. She felt a cooling pulse of energy spread from the point of contact, calming her anger and lifting a fog from her mind that she didn’t even realise was there.

  Sith sat back down, her eyes studying Vivian carefully. ‘Feel better now?’

  Vivian collapsed back into her chair, running her hand through her hair. ‘Wha-what was that? What happened? What did you do?’

  ‘That would be your first real taste of shadow magic.’ Sith leaned back and crossed her legs, relaxed now that Vivian was back to normal. ‘Scary, isn’t it?’

  ‘Wait, that was shadow magic?’ Felix poked Vivian as if he could somehow irritate the magic out of her. ‘How did that happen?’

  Vivian swatted his hand away. ‘I think the more important question is where did it come from?’

  ‘Is that why we ran out of the woods like a pack of wolves were chasing us?’ Felix’s eyes widened in realisation. ‘The Remnant’s illusion... Was there another mage, a shadow mage, in there as well?’

  Peri nodded as he scratched his chin in thought. ‘I should’ve noticed the effect. Can’t believe I missed that...’ he muttered under his breath. ‘I must be losing my touch.’

  Sith patted Peri on the back before answering Felix. ‘Yes, I believe so. It looks like our Remnant friend is not alone. He has a partner.’

  ‘Oh great.’ Vivian threw her arms up in frustration. ‘Just great. As if one homicidal mage wasn’t enough, now we have two.’ She pointed at her own head. ‘And is that why I was so...’

  ‘Testy?’ Peri offered. ‘Yes.’

  Vivian bit her lip. ‘I didn’t even realize that something was wrong.’

  ‘And that is why it’s frightening.’ Sith drummed her fingers on the table, her sharp claws leaving small indents in the wood. ‘Unlike the other elements, it is very hard to detect shadow magic. It leaves no visible traces and it’s difficult to even know if you’re under its effects.’ She tapped a long finger against her temple. ‘It messes with your thoughts and emotions. The more powerful ones can even control your mind completely.’

  Felix gulped. ‘All I’m hearing is that we should be nicer to Aiden.’

  ‘Yes.’ Vivian nodded. ‘Let’s start by giving him the good news. That we got the stygian wolf.’