Luke is meticulously drying his frying pan while Nyx cracks her knuckles and walks up to him from behind. He nimbly flips over her when she tries to grab his shoulders. Aedyn watches with a smile as Nyx chases Luke around the hilltop. It isn’t long before Nyx is red in the face and holding her gurgling, empty stomach. Luke cautiously tries to step toward his backpack in order to put his frying pan away, but Nyx uses the last of her strength to launch herself at him. The caster skids across the soft ground after Luke leaps out of her reach. He is still looking at Nyx when he lands chest first onto the end of Aedyn’s carefully placed quarterstaff.
“You could have done that earlier,” Nyx mutters. She wipes dirt and flower petals from her face with the back of her hand.
Aedyn offers her a handkerchief, which she waves away. “I did not want to hit you by accident. Also, I thought you were about to catch him a few times. I apologize if it makes you feel better.”
“I accept your apology,” Luke groans from where he is doubled-over in pain.
“Not you. For you, I have a question,” the priest states.
“I want to ask him,” Nyx quickly declares. Aedyn nods his head and takes a step back as Nyx crouches in front of Luke.
“What’s the question?” Luke asks, rubbing his sore chest. Nyx smiles sweetly at him, which sends shivers down his spine. It is a feeling of dread that slows Luke’s reflexes enough for Nyx to grab him by the shoulders and heave him to his feet.
“Why are you avoiding your home? Tell me!” Nyx demands as she violently shakes Luke.
“I’m not avoiding anything. I’m just not in a rush,” swears the forest tracker. Nyx casts a quick spell to increase her speed and strength before lifting Luke into the air and spinning him until over her head. She begins looking for a place to hurl Luke who is smacking at her arms and head.
“I would not shake him, Nyx. He just ate and you are not going to like what happens next,” Aedyn warns her.
“If anything, that will force us to go to this damn river,” the caster agrees, dropping Luke on his rear.
“Tell us the truth, Luke. What is in Haven that you do not want to face?” Aedyn kindly asks.
“It’s rather complicated. I can only say that I left at a bad time and angered everyone in town,” Luke answers, his voice slow and defensive. “The welcome we receive might not be too warm if they are holding a grudge. I can guarantee at least two people would want to beat me into the ground.”
Nyx raises an eyebrow suspiciously. “You can’t be in that much trouble. If that was the case then somebody would have tried to bring you back home. I think you’re exaggerating.”
“I have to agree with Nyx on this,” Aedyn admits.
“They could have been so angry that nobody wanted to find me,” Luke argues while ringing his hands.
“I doubt that. Even if the people of Haven didn’t want to waste effort in going after you, they would have spread news of your disappearance hoping that somebody brings you home to settle the problem. I didn’t even know you ran away until a few days ago,” Nyx says, turning her gaze to the peaceful town below them. “Not that I’m in the circles that would hear about such things. My point is that we should have come across at least one person who tried to bring you back here during our journey across Serab. The fact that we have never met such a person tells me that the trouble you caused was not as severe as you are making it out to be.”
Luke smiles and his voice is full of childish pride. “I evaded all of my pursuers by the time I made it to Visindor. Now, how about going to that river?”
“I hope we were not expected to believe that lie,” Aedyn groans, his patience beginning to fade.
“For the gods’ sake, Luke, stop stalling! It was your idea to come here in the first place,” Nyx says in exasperation.
“I made a mistake. I’m allowed to make mistakes,” Luke declares with his arms crossed.
“We cannot deny that. By the light of Durag, mistakes seem to be your specialty at times,” Aedyn mutters under his breath.
“I just want to enjoy the outdoors some more before we have to go back to town and deal with my problems,” Luke argues while looking from Nyx to Aedyn and back again. “There isn’t anything wrong with that.”
Aedyn rubs his blue eyes, feeling a pounding headache coming on. “While there is not anything wrong with your suggestion, it is nothing more than you delaying the inevitable. I can see an open field to the north of town, which would grant you the outdoors that you want while allowing Nyx and myself to stay in the town.”
“That area is still part of the town. It doesn’t count,” the forest tracker counters.
“We don’t have time for this!” Nyx exclaims, picking up her backpack and throwing it over her shoulder. “I’m starving and would much rather bathe indoors instead of in a river. Call me a city brat all you want, but we can’t all be excited about living in the wild every day of the week.” She shoves Luke out of her way as she begins walking down the hill.
“What are you going to do?” Luke asks, obviously worried.
Aedyn bluntly answers, “We are going to Haven.”
“You can’t go without me,” Luke says.
“It does not appear that we can go with you either,” Aedyn contends as he leaves to catch up to Nyx.
“We’ll meet you at your parents’ house!” Nyx yells from halfway down the hill. “Don’t worry, Luke! I’ll tell them that you sent us ahead while you were helping a family of rabbits or something!”
“You guys are going to get me into trouble,” Luke whines to himself. He slings his backpack over one shoulder and straps his sabers in place at his sides. Luke takes a final look around the flowery hilltop before letting a nervous sigh escape his lips. Luke turns toward Haven and begins a slow march down the hill. To anyone watching, the young half-elf looks like a man being taken to his execution.
*****
The bakery at the entrance to Haven fills the air with the sweet aroma of fresh pastries. Aedyn can feel his mouth water as they pass the open door and he gets a peek at the young elven woman inside removing a tray of steaming cookies from the oven. A flower shop catches Nyx’s attention with its front yard covered in miniature willow trees. Nyx and Aedyn continue ogling the various stores and polished wood buildings until they come to a long building with a large oak behind it. The section of the structure that they come to first is a two-story wooden house with a hanging sign that lazily swings in the wind. A picture of three sparkling, emerald comets racing toward each other is emblazoned on the finely crafted sign. The rest of the structure is an abrupt change from the wooden house. It is a long, stone building with four chimneys that pump out a steady stream of white smoke. Nyx and Aedyn stop at the house section, but Nyx freezes with her fist an inch away from knocking on the door.
“What is wrong?” Aedyn asks with concern.
“I’m just a little nervous,” Nyx replies, her cheeks a little red. “I was never any good at meeting parents. I always come off as an unapproachable bitch.”
“You come off like that to everybody when you first meet them,” the priest points out.
“I’m just a strong personality,” Nyx snaps, her arms dropping to her side. “Why do I have to knock anyway? This is Luke’s house, so he should be the one to knock and introduce us to his parents.”
“I agree. Go knock on the door, Luke,” Aedyn sternly requests.
They turn around to find that Luke is nowhere to be seen. Nyx grits her teeth and angrily bangs her fist against the door. She freezes in nervous terror when she realizes what she’s done and the door begins to open. A short and slender woman pulls the door open with a delicate hand. Her eyes are a shimmering blue and reveal a youthful, energetic spirit that has not dimmed with age. A stream of bright, pristine blonde hair cascades over her shoulders and down to her waist. The woman’s face quickly melts into a warm smile when she sees the pair of half-elves on her doorstep.
“You two must be new to Haven. Are you lost
?” the woman asks. She pushes some wrinkles out of her lavender silk shirt.
“No, ma’am, we were in the area and thought that we would stop by,” Nyx claims, looking around for any sign of Luke.
“Do I know you? You don’t look familiar,” states the woman.
“My name is Aedyn Karwyn and this is Nyx,” Aedyn politely says. “We are friends of Luke Callindor. He told us that this was his home.”
“Oh, you poor people. I am his mother, Vixen Callindor. I am very sorry for the trouble he has caused you. My son can be quite a handful,” Luke’s mom explains with a bright, but apologetic, smile. “Although, he’s been gone for a little over a year, so you won't find him here. That is unless this is the area where he told you to meet him. If that is the case then he might be somewhere around town. Pardon my manners. Come in and relax.”
“Actually, we were here with your son and he disappeared on us while our backs were turned,” Nyx admits, unconcerned with any trouble she causes Luke.
“I’m so sorry that he did that to you. Both of you seem to be very nice people and he should know better than to cause trouble for others,” Vixen frets. She gently takes Nyx and Aedyn by their hands and both half-elves are surprised by her strong grip. “We should wait inside where there are chairs and refreshments. I still have some breakfast on the table since Ilan has a big project that he needs to finish by lunchtime. That man never eats when he has something on his mind. That is unless Luke has him stressed out. Then, my husband becomes a bottomless stomach. I hope you enjoy peppered eggs, potato pancakes, and lemon sweet rolls.”
Nyx and Aedyn enter the warm home, but stop in their tracks once they get inside and Vixen closes the door behind them. The finely crafted furniture and somewhat expensive paintings catch little of their attention as they stare at the kitchen table. Leaning over the table with his hand holding a chunk of bread is Luke. Specks of eggs and sweet roll are still on his face as he stares at everyone.
Luke swallows his food and grins impishly. “Hi, Mom . . . How’s Dad?”
“You were going to eat and run, weren’t you?” Nyx accuses him before Vixen can respond.
“It’s just like when he was a child,” Vixen says with a beaming smile. “Luke always ate as fast as he could and ran off to play. I can’t even begin to count how many times I had to drag him back into the house because he collapsed with a stomachache. There’s a portrait upstairs of Luke when he was five. I should go get it.”
“That really isn’t necessary, mom,” Luke swears, his face turning bright red. Vixen walks over to her son to give him a big hug and a kiss to the cheek before sitting next to him. “We’ll be in town for a few days, so they’ll see it eventually. Probably when I leave to spend time with grandpa and I can’t stop you from embarrassing me.”
Vixen fixes his wind-blown hair and talks with bursting excitement. “It is so nice to have you back, dear. We’ve worried about you every night. I was surprised when your grandfather told me that you were in the area two days ago. I feared that you would avoid coming home. You seem be taking terrible care of your hair, Luke. It doesn’t feel as soft as it used to be. Though, I might just be thinking of when you were a fluffy-headed child running around the woods. Is that a scar under your shirt? I assume you been fighting a lot since you left Haven. Your father will not be happy about this, but you always were more like your grandfather. Did you put Stiletto out back?”
“Actually, mom, Stiletto passed away several months ago,” Luke mutters with a voice that is weaker than he expected.
Vixen hugs Luke’s head to her shoulder. “That’s horrible! Oh, my poor son, that puppy was like a brother to you. I’m going to miss his cute face and wet nose. I trust that you gave him a proper burial like your grandfather taught you.”
“I was going to visit grandpa and ask him to help me build a small memorial for Stiletto,” Luke briefly explains, wiping a few tears from his eyes. “I think that would be a better tribute than burying him away from home.”
“Have you been carrying his body all these months?” Vixen asks with a raised, thin eyebrow. “I know you were attached to Stiletto, but that could be seen as very . . . disturbing.”
“You would notice if I was carrying him, mom. Stiletto was a big dog,” Luke answers like an exasperated teenager. “Don’t think things like that. I buried his body in Visindor Forest.”
“I’m sorry, dear,” Vixen apologizes, flashing a kind smile. “It’s just that you do have a habit of doing things that go against common sense. It isn’t that you’re stupid, but you don’t seem to think things through most of the time.” She can hear Nyx start to chuckle before Aedyn gently elbows the caster in the ribs.
“Do you mind if I ask you a question, Mrs. Callindor?” the priest politely inquires.
“Of course, young man. If you are friends of my son and can handle all of the trouble that he causes then you are family,” Vixen declares, noticing that Nyx suddenly blushes.
“I hope this doesn’t sound rude, but how old were you when you had Luke?” the priest asks after he takes a seat. Nyx quietly sits between Aedyn and Luke, so she can easily get at the home-cooked food. Her eyes begin to water in joy as soon as the delicious breakfast hits her tongue and it takes all of her willpower not to shovel more into her mouth.
“I get asked that all the time because I look so young. It was very easy for me to keep in shape with such a mischievous son to look after. Anyway, let me think for a second,” Vixen happily begins. She stops to get her mental timeline organized. “I was sixteen when I met Ilan and seventeen when we were married. We were married on the central bridge outside of town. It was such a beautiful ceremony with a priestess of Uli and a priest of Zaria presiding. It was a little less than two years later that I had Luke. We briefly considered having another child, but Luke was such a handful that we didn’t think we’d be able to survive a second child. You would not believe the trouble he caused. One time, he heard about a cave up to the north and-”
“Have something to eat, Aedyn,” Luke loudly interrupts. He throws a pastry at Aedyn, hitting the priest in the mouth.
Vixen looks at him sternly and clicks her disapproval. “You have become very rude since you left home. To think I spent all those days teaching you manners. You will hear from your father when he finishes his work.”
“I’m going to hear from him about a lot of things, mom. Him getting mad at me stopping you from embarrassing me is the least of my worries,” Luke says. He stuffs a potato pancake into his mouth and almost chokes on it. He has to pound on his chest for it to get all the way down.
“Your father does have a lot to talk to you about. Like getting engaged without introducing us to your new fiancée,” Vixen mentions while Luke takes a deep drink of water. He coughs and hacks as he feels the water rush down his windpipe.
Luke eventually catches his breath and looks at his mom nervously. “What have you heard, mom?”
“There are so many stories that reach my ears that I don’t even know where to begin,” Vixen answers, holding out her hand to tick the stories off on her fingers. “I’ve heard that you attended the Hamilton Military Academy for a semester and graduated. I hope that rumor is true because you really need some discipline in your life. Then there are the rumors that you fought a Hellfire Elf and involved yourself in a battle against cyclopes and spadix. I also heard that you were involved in a coliseum challenge in Gaia, joined a bandit hunt, were in Hero’s Gate during a goblin swarm attack, faced a Spurge in Vorgabog, attended a nobleman’s ball in Freedom, and met Duke Solomon in Gods’ Voice.” Vixen pauses to catch her breath and smile at her son. “Remember, dear, that the actions of a Callindor spread through taverns like wildfire. Though, they tend to get exaggerated along the way. I can only imagine how much trouble you caused to create such rumors.”
Aedyn wipes his mouth with a napkin. “That covers most of the basics of Luke’s adventures. You forgot him launching himself off of a four-story building to battle a mind-con
trolled griffin.”
“Oh, I wish you had listened to your father and considered another career,” Vixen frets, wringing her hands. “It sounds so dangerous and you cause your friends so much trouble.”
“Mom,” Luke whines.
“Well, you will do whatever you want,” Vixen says, cutting Luke off from complaining. “I know that there is no stopping the wanderlust of a Callindor. I was lucky that your father got adventuring out of his system before I met him. I’m sure some day you will settle down and give me grandchildren. Isn’t that right, dear?” She gives a friendly, yet bone-chilling, smile at Nyx.
The caster stops chewing and swallows her mouthful of food and nervously glances at Luke. “Am I missing something?”
“I assume that you are the woman who will be marrying my son,” Vixen replies with a knowing gaze.
“Nyx and Luke?” Aedyn laughs. The priest gently slaps the table while tears of laughter stream down his face.
“I don’t understand,” Vixen admits.
“Luke and I are not engaged. I have no romantic interest in your stubborn, trouble-making, pain in my butt son,” Nyx rants, making sure to look at everyone around the table. “He has made my life a lot more exciting, but it is usually the life-threatening type of excitement. You see, ma’am, we were both assigned to escort Kellia Solomon to Gods’ Voice. We met at Rainbow Tower and we bonded over the course of the voyage. I would consider Luke more of a close friend than a potential lover. Even thinking about that is making my skin crawl.”
“You could have just said we were just friends,” Luke mutters.
Nyx fixes him with a furious stare, a circle of fire in her eyes. “I wanted to make sure my point got across.”
“You also tend to call Luke your little brother, so you have more of a sibling bond than a romantic attraction,” Aedyn adds with a friendly smile.
“Well, it is good to see that I have someone looking after my son,” Vixen declares, reaching out to gently touch Nyx’s hand. “Being from Rainbow Tower, I assume you are a caster. My son needs someone with magic to keep him out of trouble. Still, it does leave the question of who my future daughter-in-law is. Oh, it’s already getting late. Excuse me while I get some work done while we talk.”
Legends of Windemere: 03 - Allure of the Gypsies Page 14