by Daniel, Jake
They both gave me loving stares, and even in the torchlight, I could tell they were blushing. I bid the lizard-women farewell as they took up their stations, preparing to guard us through the night.
I escorted the others into our room and they let out several surprised gasps. I’d asked the goblins to help me with a secret project a couple of days ago, and while we were gone they had set it up for me today.
The room I shared with my bonded was the largest room in the entire house by a wide margin, but we had one of the smallest beds. It had become increasingly difficult to co-sleep in the bed without fear of someone falling out, and with Chloe’s tendency to spread out at night, I thought it was probably the best move.
A brand new bed, one that was three times the size of the king bed we’d been sharing before, greeted us as we entered. I smiled as Gwen and Chloe ran to the bed and rolled around excitedly. Dahlia, Isobel, and I joined them a few moments later, and the difference was amazing.
Isobel could have her space to one side where she needed to have a foot peeking out of the covers at all times; Gwen found a comfortable spot at my side, with Dahlia on the other; and it left Chloe enough room to stretch into the widest spread eagle pose should she want to.
We climbed into bed, all of us exhausted from the nonstop work around the manor and Vale. All four girls fell asleep almost immediately.
I laid still for several minutes, thinking about Jun back at the Heart. I was completely intrigued about their magic, and couldn’t stop thinking about what could happen if they had any sort of tainted spirit. I’d been fortunate to avoid spreading the few strands of tainted spirit that seemed to hang on in my core for dear life. I thought I may have to transfer a strand over to the queen, for scientific purposes, of course.
After absorbing so much spirit in the bath, there was no way I was ready to go to sleep. I pushed down to the bottom of the bed and quietly put my clothes back on before heading downstairs to the main floor.
Wofferd was smoking a pipe with his feet propped up on a stool by the fireplace. “Where are you off to at this hour?”
“I couldn’t sleep. I know Chloe had the girls shut down the tavern early tonight, otherwise I’d invite you over there for a drink.”
Wofferd shifted his eyes from side to side before reaching into his robe and pulling out a small flask. “Who needs a tavern when I’ve got some perfectly good rum right here.”
“I knew I liked you.” I accepted the flask from the rotund man and took a swig. “That’s delicious, thank you.”
“Of course. Got it off an old pirate with two peg legs. Best damn rum in Aurilon, if you ask me.”
I sat in the chair next to Wofferd and kicked my feet up on the small leather ottoman. It felt damn nice to relax in front of the fire. I let out a long breath and accepted the flask from Wofferd again. “Something about having a drink in front of a fire that’s hard to beat.”
“That’s a fact.” Wofferd kicked his feet back up and lit a cigar. Its earthy scent filled the air and put me at ease. He took a long draw of the cigar and let the smoke flow out of his mouth slowly. “In a world that’s gone to complete shit, it sure is nice to know that some things never change.” He shook his head and took another puff. “Although, I have a feeling that things are about to get much worse before they get better. They’ll get better, though, as long as we stop that spoiled little brat.”
“Wofferd, you never mentioned where you’re from, but the way I’ve heard you talk about the people at the Capitol makes me believe that you may have a little firsthand experience with them.”
“I used to own a shop in Ambirn. Got sick of the bullshit. Monsters made up almost all of my sales. But when Striker convinced the King that monsters were going to overthrow him, everything changed. I saw the writing on the wall, and I knew I had to get out of there.”
“Why did Striker think monsters were going to overthrow the King?”
“A woman, how else?” Wofferd said flatly and took another long swig of the flask, finishing it.
“Striker was involved with a monster girl? Seems like an interesting pairing.”
“I’ve known that waste of space since he was a little shit. He’d always come and try to steal rings from my shop when he was younger. Anyway, he dated a fox girl for a long time, but she caught him cheating on her with a human. It got a little messy, and ever since then he’s been on a quest to punish all monsters.”
Before I could respond, the front door blew open and a figure appeared at the doorway. I shot to my feet, ready to attack. I lowered my fists as Alysain stepped inside, her eyes wide. A second later, a mass of fur and rolls exploded through the darkness and into the manor from underneath her legs, nearly knocking her over.
I had to clear my eyes to ensure I was truly seeing what was in front of me. “DeVito! What in the hell are you doing here, boy?!” I scratched behind the English Bulldog’s ears and he flipped over onto his side to get his favorite belly rubs. I glanced up to meet Alysain’s eyes. “Where did you find him?”
Alysain tucked her wings behind her back and stepped inside. “He was near a small cave, not too far from here, but he wasn’t the only one I found.”
I furrowed my brow and peered out from the door. A figure entered the light cast from the fireplace and I nearly tumbled backwards. Standing in his normal apparel of a sport jacket and pleated, dust-covered dress pants was none other than my fucking brother. “Matty?”
Matthew stepped inside the door and looked like a deer in headlights. “Logan? Where the fuck are we?”
I laughed and shook my head. He was the last person I expected to see out in the wilderness, much less Aurilon. “Matt, what the hell are you doing here?” I ushered him inside and led him over to the fireplace. “Come, have a seat. You look like shit, man.”
Matt eyed the manor curiously and ran his hand along one of the large armchairs before taking a seat across from Wofferd.
Wofferd squinted his tiny eyes. “Brother? I don’t see it. You sure as hell don’t look like Logan.” He cocked his head and scoffed. “What in the hell are you wearing?”
Matt scanned the room before his eyes settled on mine. “Logan, tell me what’s going on before I lose my mind. Women with wings, whatever that lizard thing was at the gate, the glowing trees. I’m dreaming, right?”
Wofferd stood and stretched. His old man sack dangled precariously a few inches from Matt’s face. “Well, I suppose you two are about to have a heartfelt brotherly reunion or some shit. I’m going to bed.” He wrapped his robe back over his gut and waddled toward his room on the first floor.
I chuckled. “Thanks Wofferd, see you bright and early.”
The man waved a hand dismissively as he continued toward his room.
I turned and faced Alysain. “Thank you so much for helping them find their way. We’ll just add this to the list of things I need to pay you back for.”
Alysain smiled sweetly and shook her head. “I’m sure you’d do the same, given the chance.” She paused and looked out the door. “I better get back to Griffon Roost. I will conduct another scouting patrol of the Capitol at first light.”
“Sounds good. I’m sure I’ll be a little tied up.” I gave her a small smile, which she returned. “I hope to see you tomorrow.”
“I’ll look forward to it,” Alysain responded, letting her eyes linger a little longer than I think she intended.
As she left the manor, I turned back to my brother. “So, spill it. How the hell did you find me?”
Matty looked around. “Do you have any beer? This could take a bit.”
Chapter Seven
I took a seat in Wofferd’s favorite chair and searched the cushions. It only took two seconds to find one of Wofferd’s secret flasks. “Here you go.” I tossed him the flask and he took a swig.
“Holy shit, that’s good.” He shook his head and let out a small laugh. “Well, I can tell you it wasn’t easy, but I pieced it together.”
“Apparently. I
guess I underestimated you. I would’ve never thought you’d have come looking for me.” We shared a bit of an awkward silence until Matt finally spoke.
“After nobody could get ahold of you, Dad asked me to go up to your lodge to make sure you hadn’t shot yourself or some shit. So, I drove up there, and found a map you’d been working on, but no sign of you or that damn dog.”
I glanced down, and DeVito placed a large paw on my knee. Even at eighty pounds, the chunk thought he was a damn lapdog. I scratched him behind the ears and he pushed his enormous head into my palm from his spot on the floor. “So, how did you get DeVito then?”
Matt shifted in his seat and took another swig from Wofferd’s flask. “Well, after I wasn’t able to find you, I headed back to that old bar you go to. I spoke to this hot blonde bartender, and she mentioned you were going to be doing some scouting, but that one of your tours had showed up and said you were not around. Apparently, they were bitching about how much money they lost by you standing them up.” He laughed and shook his head. “I’d probably be hiding out here as well instead of having to face some of the assholes you deal with.”
“Hmm, can’t say I really feel too bad about them. There were plenty of weapons and ammo left at the lodge. I’m sure they would’ve been fine.”
Matt scoffed and shook his head. “Well, I’m glad I found you. Now we can get you back home.”
“I’m not lost. Now that DeVito is here, there’s nothing back home that I need.”
“What about us, Logan? What about mom and dad?”
I let out a long breath. “When’s the last time we spoke? Two, three years ago? You and dad have been doing just fine. Feel bad for mom, though, you guys have ignored her for years.”
Matt furrowed his brow. I knew bringing up my stepmom was a low blow. “It’s different now. I’m not working for dad anymore. I branched out and started my own business.”
I would’ve never thought Matt would choose to branch out on his own. He was completely under my dad’s thumb the last time I’d seen him. “Doing what?”
Matt shifted uncomfortably and shrugged. “I opened up a pawnshop. There was a small shop for sale and after I did a little research I thought, eh, why the hell not.”
I let out a small laugh and looked at his sport coat. “What type of pawn shop is run by a guy wearing that?”
“Hey now, don’t judge me. This coat gives me a distinguished look, don’t you think?” He laughed and pulled the sport coat off. “Anyway, I try to uphold some sort of professionalism. I know that’s not really your thing.”
I smirked. “You’re damn right.” I shook my head and grabbed the flask from Matt’s hand. Taking a swig, I continued. “Well, you’re here. Why now?”
Matt was quiet for several seconds. He glanced over at me with sad eyes. “Grandpa’s dead, Logan.”
I sat in stunned silence. My grandfather was basically like a father to me. He was the one who taught me how to shoot, fish, and treat a woman right. I spent most of my youth at his house, learning from him, and hearing his amazing stories. I took several deep breaths before responding. “When?”
“A couple months ago.” Matt looked to the ground. While he wasn’t as close with our grandfather as I was, he still enjoyed spending time with him while we were growing up.
I thought about my time in Aurilon. Had it really been a couple of months already? There was a chance that he actually died the day I came to Aurilon. “So, you came all the way here to find me, to tell me? I’m sorry, but that doesn’t really seem like something you’d do.”
Matt shook his head. “You’re right, it’s not. I had little choice in the matter.”
I eyed him curiously. “What do you mean, you had little choice?”
He reached into his sports coat on the arm of the chair and pulled out an envelope. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Back at the bar, as I was about to leave, the bartender stopped me. She said that this letter was delivered for you earlier that morning.”
“At the bar?” I asked.
“Yeah, I was skeptical as well, but it had your damn name handwritten on it. I opened it once I got back in my car and found this map.” He pulled a folded map out of his pocket and unfolded it. “I grabbed DeVito in hopes he might sniff you out if you had died or something.” He chuckled and shook his head as he looked at the dog near my feet. “He’s not much of a bloodhound, I can promise you that. Anyway, as soon as I made my way to the spot marked on the map, I found your truck. I waited for half a day, and I was about to turn back, but then I saw a bright light flashing from a boulder. Once I reached the rock, the light disappeared. Instead, there was this damn tunnel in its place. I followed it, and soon after, I started hallucinating that a woman with wings and a lion's tail found me, and here we are.”
“I didn’t tell anyone where I was going to be scouting and the Roosevelt National Forest is huge. How would anyone know you would find your way here?” I muttered and ran a hand back through my hair. “I thought that tunnel collapsed. How the hell did you get through?”
Matt shrugged. “Hell if I know. Something just told me I should follow your map.”
I nodded slowly. “So, you’re here. You must’ve come here for a reason, other than to tell me grandpa died and to check in on my wellbeing.”
Matt shifted uncomfortably. “Well, about that…” he trailed off.
Everything suddenly fell into place. Matt needed something from me, and that was the only reason he was here. I grabbed the envelope and pulled the papers out. A small octagon-shaped coin fell into my lap and I immediately recognized it as a crown. The most valuable of the coins in Aurilon.
Matt watched me as if trying to gauge how I was going to react. He leaned over the armrest and tried to get a view of the letter in my hands. “That’s not it, though. Go ahead, read that letter. See if you can make sense of it.”
I placed the coin on the armrest of the chair and unfolded the letter. I read the top line and I was sure my face contorted into a look of immediate confusion.
* * *
Whoever finds this letter, please ensure it finds its way to my grandson, Logan West. The enclosed map will lead you to the area where he will most likely be found.
* * *
I glanced up at Matt and furrowed my brow. “I haven’t talked to grandpa in at least a year. How the hell would he know where I was?”
Matt shrugged. “I don’t know. Just read it.”
Logan,
* * *
What an adventure, right? It’s time you finally learned the truth of who you truly are.
* * *
I paused and realized I was shaking slightly. I took a deep, centering breath and continued reading.
* * *
You are receiving this letter because I’m, well, dead. I knew it would happen one day, so please do not mourn me. It was inevitable. That being said, I knew the day you would discover Aurilon would be my last day on Earth.
* * *
You’re special, Logan. As I am sure you have figured out by now.
* * *
You are not from the home you’ve known all these years.
* * *
Your mother Liliana was born and raised in Aurilon, as was I. I actually grew up north of Ambirn in a small little town called Durjien. They grow the best coffee around. If you are ever up that way, please look up the Wests.
* * *
Your mother, while appearing human for most of her life, was actually a Sila. She truly was an amazing woman, an amazing monster woman. Sila are extremely magical beings, and are known for their maliciousness toward humans. Not Liliana, though. She loved humans, to a fault.
* * *
I found her in the Maraji Wastelands, when she was very young, after her family had abandoned her. When a Sila is cast out from their clan, they lose most of their magical abilities and are forced to spend the rest of their days as the last form that they shifted to. Which, in her case, was a human woman.
; * * *
When I found Liliana, she was close to death, but she never stopped fighting. It took over a year for her to truly acclimate to her human form and bring some normalcy to her life.
* * *
Hang in there, here comes the part where it matters to you...
* * *
Liliana lived with me for many years. We had an extremely close bond, and I loved her as if she were my own. She had many men fall head over heels in love with her, but never gave them the time of day. She wanted to find the human with the purest of hearts.
That’s exactly what happened the day she ventured to a waterfall, just south of the Mystic Vale, and met her eventual husband, Henry.
* * *
She immediately felt a connection and knew that Henry was of the purest of hearts in Aurilon. She fell madly in love with him, practically overnight.
I was fortunate enough to be the officiant of their wedding. They were married in secret because Henry was a prince.
* * *
A prince! Can you believe it?! Prince Henry Whitehall.
* * *
Well, as I’m sure you’ll come to discover, around that same time, Corlinius forcefully took the throne. The entire Whitehall family was murdered, and Aurilon fell into dark times. Corlinius rules by fear. The throne was never rightfully theirs.