Ariel strode towards the burned husk of a farmhouse, a field of oddly untouched grain swaying in the breeze behind it, her aura freshly blazing from her training. The day was cloudy but bright enough to see the horizon. She was watching for trouble - she’d promised her dad she would on their last call - but personally, she felt safe with Dave at her side. He was strong, for sure, and he’d helped Ariel improve significantly as well. Since she’d learned Magnetic Resonance, he drilled her relentlessly so she should could apply it to various situations, giving her a lot more options on the off chance they ran into trouble. Convincing Darius to let her visit the farmhouse was hard, but she’d managed. She remembered the conversation in his home office the previous night.

  ***

  “Mr. Stalwart,” Ariel said starting formally on her very best behavior, “I’d like to visit the farmhouse tomorrow to check in on how they’re doing.”

  “Out of the question,” Darius said, rubbing his temples. “I had to tell your mother last week that you’d narrowly escaped out of a burning building. She nearly snapped on me entirely, and I wouldn’t have blamed her.”

  Ariel raised one eyebrow - a trick she’d learned from her dad. “Do you really think it’s worth calling her? Because I will, and she’ll give her express permission - eventually. She wants me to find clues about Isaac, too. It’ll just be another logistical pain to set up the call.”

  “We agree on that point, at least. I know it’s troublesome for them to step away from work too often, and it’s hard to make calls to Oakheart on off-hours.” Then Darius studied Ariel, perhaps trying to decide how long it would be before he regretted giving her leeway. Then, he looked up and noticed Serina in the doorway, giving him a sheepish look.

  “Why don’t you just let her go, dear?” she asked. “You know she’ll keep pestering you until you let her out.”

  “I resent that remark,” Ariel said, crossing her arms.

  “You disagree?” Serina said.

  “I said that I resent it, not that it’s not true,” Ariel said with a shrug. Serina chuckled and turned back to her husband, more serious.

  “Just send Dave with her. If he’s there, she’ll be safe, and there’s probably something to be learned by questioning the family more casually.”

  Darius interlaced his fingers and set his chin on them, elbows on his desk. Yes, that had caught his interest. “Right - Ariel’s presence would make the visit seem friendlier. They’d be less inclined to hide information out of fear, if indeed they do know anything about the attackers.”

  “Stop there,” Ariel said, holding up a hand. “I’m not playing this game. This family’s had enough unexpected intrusion in their house. I’m not going to try to trick them.”

  Darius shook his head, looking almost angry before schooling his expression. “No, of course not! Just what kind of man do you think I am?”

  “The grouchy sort,” Ariel answered immediately, “who doesn’t get enough sleep.”

  “Both true,” Serina said easily, “but that’s not what he’s asking you to do. He just wants you to be yourself, and ask the questions that you would anyway as a concerned neighbor. If they’re skittish, that’s fine, but if they offer you something useful, that’s one step closer to the Black Hand. Isn’t that right, dear?”

  She scratched his head affectionately, and Darius’ attempt to look sour quickly failed. He nodded. “Can you do that, Ariel?”

  Ariel saluted, posture straight but with a cheeky grin.

  ***

  The same grin of victory adorned Ariel’s face as she strode to the family’s front door, but she quickly lost it on consideration. They’d lost a lot here. It seemed they’d been to a hardware store to fix up the place a bit, but it was still a patchwork job. So, she wouldn’t so cheeky looking at their loss.

  A man opened the door - Noah son of Lot, as she now knew him. Worry lines covered his face, stretching with his smile - but she certainly preferred him that way. He extended the calloused hand of someone who worked for a living, and Ariel eagerly shook it.

  “Ariel! What a great surprise. Come on in, please, both of you. Are you two related?”

  “Thank you kindly. I’m her guardian. Please call me Dave,” Dave said, bowing his head slightly before stepping inside.

  The mom - Sylvia - entered the room and made to hug Ariel. She wore her slightly graying blonde hair in a close pixie-cut, with no remnants of char. Her skin was bandaged all over, but she was standing, so it couldn’t be too bad.

  “Raincheck on that hug,” Ariel said. “Do you need anything for the pain?”

  Sylvia frowned but stepped back, holding her arm. “No thank you, dear. I’m not much for pain suppressors.”

  “Doesn’t have to be big pharma,” Ariel said, sitting obligingly at the living room table. The worst of the damage was upstairs, it seemed, because the setup of couches had fortunately survived. They were a little scratchy and smelled of recipes gone good and bad. “My dad always insisted on making up his own stuff with fresh stoneroot. I can make a basic ointment, if you can convince this guy to let me go digging around.” Ariel immediately pitched over a laid down, snuggling into a pillow. This place was like home.

  “Don’t let her demeanor fool you,” Dave said, sitting in one the chairs as the husband and wife resumed their seats. “This one will get up to all kinds of trouble if you take your eyes off her.”

  “Oh, we’re sure,” Sylvia said. Ariel let out a ‘hmph!’ “I’ve got to get back to the little ones. Dear, you’ll make them tea, right?”

  “Of course,” he said, kissing her forehead in a mostly unscathed spot, and he set to it. Ariel made note of how quickly Sylvia excused herself. She had enough excuse with her burns, certainly, but Ariel knew how tough the mother was from experience. She suspected a different reason. Noah came back with earl grey tea for Dave and chai for Ariel, which the latter mixed up with milk and sugar gratefully.

  “So, what can I help you two with?” Noah asked. “Sorry for the mess, but it’s good to see a friendly face.”

  Ariel waved off his apology. “I’m wondering if we can figure out what the hell that monster was looking to pull,” Ariel mused. “The guards that visited you before were government dogs, so they wouldn’t tell you anything useful, just ask questions.”

  Noah nodded sagely. “They’re honest folk, our town guards, but not very chatty.”

  Of course, Ariel was sort of a government dog herself at the moment. She felt a little bad, but she’d been honest about the reason for her visit and would tell Noah and Sylvia whatever she figured out, even if it made Darius mad. Especially if it made him mad.

  “I served in combat, once upon a time, so I might offer some insights.” Dave said. “Perhaps I might examine the damage upstairs where the fight went on?”

  Good move, old man, Ariel thought.

  "By all means," Noah said with a sigh, “I’d thank you to try. But that’s where we’ve got the little ones. Perhaps another day, we’ll call for you, if you don’t mind.”

  That was strange, but no sense arguing with the man.

  “Your windows were pretty tough. I’m glad we were able to break through them in the end,” Ariel said to fill the air.

  “Yeah,” Noah said. “All that money for a proper runic scheme, and all it does it trap us in.”

  “No one could have seen such a situation coming,” Dave said. “Your assailant must have been very skilled.”

  The room fell quiet as everyone took a pointed interest in their tea rather than break the silence. Finally, Ariel spoke up. “So, uh, I hope everyone’s okay? No permanent damage?”

  Noah nodded. “Michael got it the worst of us, trapped under the rubble with a crushed leg. Poor boy. He’ll walk with a limp for a time, but not forever.” He wore a grateful smile. “He was saved from that by an anonymous expert mage.”

  “A miraculous healer visited?” Ariel asked.

  “A miracle, yes, but not so rare as you might expect,” Noah said, sitting straighter with a smile. There’s an expert that passes through our hospitals many nights. They’re not a surgeon by training, so there’s always a chance of things going wrong, but everyone who signs a waiver has a chance of getting visited. Fortunately, our prayers were answered. ‘Jarion’s Guardian Angel’, they call ‘em. Seems right to me.”

  Incredible, Ariel thought. Before coming to Jarion, she had wondered why no one was doing anything about all the horrible problems in the world. They are, she thought. Of course they are.

  “Your son was alright with the risks?” Dave asked.

  “Alright? I might not have signed if he didn’t insist. But… that boy loves to run, to explore, to work. Even if he hit lotto, he’d probably find odd jobs just to keep his hands busy. I couldn’t bear to see him crippled like that. He’s happy enough with books for now, but that won’t last.”

  “That’s good,” Dave said, “that he made the decision, I mean. Hard choices often come to us before we’re ready - but your boy chose well. You should be proud.”

  Noah nodded solemnly. “Excuse me,” he said, rubbing at his eyes. Ariel and Dave settled into a comfortable silence, sipping tea, lounging, pretending not to notice the tears the proud farmer meant to hide. They chatted about city gossip as Noah excused himself with the dishes. Neither made to ask Noah further questions. This wasn’t an interrogation - and Ariel wouldn’t make it one. He’d already told her something quite interesting about the ‘Guardian Angel’ that she would be looking into. If Darius was mad, they could always come back for another visit. Fortunately, Dave seemed to match her in unspoken agreement, standing from his chair after an appropriate time, when Noah had returned with a broad smile.

  “Going already?” Noah asked.

  “I’m afraid my little girl is growing up as well. She’ll get up to trouble if I don’t put her to work,” Dave lied. Well, no, Ariel thought. That’s probably all true. Noah laughed, clapping Ariel on the back.

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  “That’s a hard lot. He’s a proper taskmaster, he is!”

  “You don’t know the half of it,” Ariel groaned, face in her hands. Most recently, Dave had dangled her upside down with her limbs bound to make her try to use Magnetic Resonance in extreme circumstances. She understood the point of the exercise, but did she really have to be upside down?

  “Wait!” came a shout from the top of the stairs. Ariel’s eyes snapped open. Sylvia’s voice. Still upstairs. Ariel crossed the room, aura blazing to life as she vaulted the coach, before Noah could even stand. She looked up the stairs to see…

  An adorable orange tabby cat, jumping down the stairs. Her fierce face quickly turned to delight as she caught the mewing pile of fur, holding it close and scratching behind the ears. The kitty purred loudly. Sylvia stumbled to the stairs, looking at Ariel with an awkward smile.

  “Sylvia, you didn’t tell me you had such a cutie!” Ariel said fondly, scratching under the cat’s chin, much to the lazy beast’s approval.

  “I, um, well, she’s an outdoor cat. Not always around, you know. Very industrious!”

  Ariel looked at the lazy cat stretching out with her arms as a hammock, then gave Sylvia a flat look. Sylvia sounded nervous for some reason, but she could’ve at least chosen a better lie.

  “I’ll take her upstairs,” Noah said, reaching out to Ariel. “She’s been sick lately, so she needs her rest.”

  The cat didn’t look sick, but Ariel shrugged and gave cat a kiss on top of her head before stepping down the stairs towards Noah. Then, though, something changed. The cat glowed with a strange, hazy light, which got brighter until a flash consumed the room. When her eyes cleared, there was a little girl in a white dress, not a cat, in Ariel’s arms and, shortly, hugging her. She recognized her as the child the man in black was after. Ariel had heard about the Xexen transformation ability that, theoretically, everyone had, but she’d never actually seen it in practice. In a word, it was incredible.

  “Hiya, big sis! Welcome back.”

  Big sis, Ariel thought. She’d been called that by a handful of poor little kids her parents had helped out, besides her little brother. She hugged the girl closer, spinning her around as she laughed happily. It felt like home. When the moment passed, Ariel stood facing Noah and handed his daughter over. He laughed awkwardly, scratching his head.

  “I guess we have some explaining to do,” he said.

  “A child shifter - in this day and age!” Dave laughed with delight. “You don’t have to explain,” he said, though Noah and Sylvia sat down regardless. “It’s not illegal for Xexens to tap into their hereditary form-shifting ability - not anymore. It fact, I think it’s wonderful your daughter shows such talent.”

  “Apparently the Black Hand, or whoever the hell came after us, agrees,” Sylvia said sharply. Dave looked down, the picture of a deferential butler. He seemed to regret his words. When Sylvia noticed how her daughter flinched at her tone, she frowned.

  “Don’t worry, little sis,” Ariel said to the girl. “Your mama just wants to protect you from bad people. That’s why she gets scary sometimes.” She turned to Sylvia with a grin. “I get that you’re wary. I would be, too, if I were you. My timing showing up was too convenient, right?”

  “Ariel… I don’t mean to be ungrateful. You saved our lives. All of our lives.” Sylvia hunched forward, head in her hands. “But my home went up in flames, I started hearing voices, and I almost lost both of my children. My family’s in danger, and no one can tell me why, or anything I can do about it!” Sylvia hissed. Her little girl hurried to her, hugging the woman as Sylvia stroked the girl’s flaxen hair. “It’s not your fault at all. I’m just so confused.”

  Ariel shook her head, then spoke gently. “You don’t owe your life to me - not like you think. And it’s not your fault either. I understand. When my brother was taken, I lashed out at everyone - even the people who tried to help me. My own parents. Serina. Even Dave, who saved my life.” Everyone watched Ariel with interest, except the little girl, who was still tightly hugging her mom. Dave’s gaze was intent, but he didn’t say anything to stop her from talking, so she continued. “So, I’ll prove to you that I’m on your side. I’ll tell you everything.”

  And so Ariel explained her journey so far, leaving nothing out. She told them about the bar fight she started, and wondered in hindsight if she could have found a better way to handle Martha. She told them about how she’d trespassed and tricked her way into the governor’s mansion, apologizing awkwardly to Dave for the trouble. How she’d been ambushed by the Black Hand on the way home and narrowly survived thanks to mysterious rush of power. How she’d gotten her parent’s approval to remain in Jarion, and how she’d trained for several priceless weeks with a hidden master and become incomparably stronger in that time. She left out Dave’s name - an omission the family respected and Dave nodded his silent tanks for. Finally, she told them about the fateful day.

  “I couldn’t find you fast enough when you screamed, Sylvia,” Ariel said with a wistful smile. “And when I got to your door, I was too frozen by fear to even try Magnetic Resonance. That was all my ghostly travel companion - the ‘Terrence’ I was talking about before. But that day, he called himself Prince Xenron Xexen, heir to the throne.” Dave inhaled sharply, clearly shocked at the reveal. She hadn’t told him… but she trusted him enough talk through it now. “He had the guts to rush in first, and by the looks of things, that attacker almost took him, ghost or not. So it’s not just me that saved you. You have him to thank, too.”

  “I see,” Sylvia said, coming forward to take Ariel’s hands. “Then, that voice!”

  “It was all real,” Ariel said. “I promise. I chatted with him a bunch. I’m sorry I didn’t answer your questions that day. I was too angry with him to think about it… and besides that, I felt the need to protect his secret. But that’s stupid. He revealed himself to you - that’s his choice.”

  “Do you really think that was Him?” Sylvia asked, her voice taking on a reverent tone. That was interesting. Ariel hadn’t pegged this family for particular loyalists, let alone crown-worshippers. They seemed to fear the crown that had just one ruler ago executed undesirables in droves as much as anyone sensible did.

  “I don’t know… but Terrence was always a little odd. Do you really think a timid guy would come up with such a ridiculous lie, and deliver it like that, on the spot?”

  Sylvia shook her head, and Ariel shivered as she remembered her own reaction. She’d been angry, of course, and shocked. And yet… when he’d commanded, she listened. There was something inescapable about him. A regality that he didn’t even seem to know he had.

  “I yelled at him, then, and he hasn’t shown up since. Real petty, for a royal-type. But if you run into him again, he’s not a bad sort. He’s on your side. And so am I.”

  Sylvia smiled, then, and let her daughter run over to Ariel, who scooped her up in a hug.

  “This is my precious daughter, Abigail. I trust you’ll be gentle with her, ‘big sis’.”

  Abigail transformed into a massive dog, then, and licked Ariel’s face persistently.

  “Stop that, you! I got it, lady, but would you tell your daughter to be gentle with me!”

  The group had a long laugh at Ariel’s expense - well, in times like these, Ariel was fine with that.

  Too soon, it was time for Ariel and Dave to be getting back - despite her complaints, she really did want to master Magnetic Resonance. The amount of options it gave her was dizzying, like she’d discovered a new world, and he was already teaching her other spells besides. So they stood at the door, giving the sleepy Abigail hugs goodnight before her mom carried her upstairs.

  “I’m sorry to hear you’ve been through so much,” Noah said after they’d gone. Ariel looked at him and saw his frown turn into a bold smile. “But I believe in you, Ariel. When you came into that burning room, I couldn’t help feeling safe. Like you would take care of everything, and nothing could stop you. I know you’ll bring your brother home, safe.”

  “Yeah,” Ariel said, tearing up. “That’s obvious, old man. I don’t know why you’d even mention it.” Then, as he opened his arms, she hugged him. In a way, it just made her miss home more. Soon, she thought, feeling more optimistic. We’ll both be back in a flash.

  Ariel and Dave walked home then, silent for a long moment. Where to even start, after everything that had happened, Ariel wasn’t sure.

  “We doubled the posting of town guards near that house. Not near enough to spy - they’ve had quite enough scares - but near enough to deter further disasters.”

  Ariel nodded. “A little girl with shifting powers most mages can’t seem to get a handle on… I feel like I fell into an old play.”

  “It is remarkable,” Dave said. “The girl has impressive talent, changing so naturally. I thought that blessing - people who take other forms as naturally as they breathe - was wiped out by the blight that was the Mad King.” Dave tightened his fist, and she felt his aura spreading for a moment, making it hard to breathe with its dense pressure. Then, it was gone. Ariel wasn’t frightened - on the contrary, she trusted Dave and was curious for any hints at the butler’s true power. “I’m glad,” he said with a thick voice. “Children really are the future.”

  Ariel wasn’t sure how to respond, so she decided on respectful silence - another one of Dave’s random lessons. She spoke again once they’d made it past the gate.

  “So, will Darius, er, Mr. Stalwart approve doubling the guard on their house, though? They’re already thin as it is.”

  “We’ve been hiring. It’s been an unpopular tax expense, especially as many people fear the magical power of law enforcement. They’ll have to bear with it for the time being. We don’t yet have the Oakheart squad trained, but we will dispatch them as soon as they are.”

  Ariel couldn’t believe her ears. “Oakheart… he didn’t say anything.”

  “Master Stalwart wouldn’t. He’s cautious to a fault, and besides, anything could demand that squad elsewhere in the intervening weeks. And there’s no guarantee that a single squad, however skilled, will unearth anything about your brother’s location.”

  “But he’s trying,” Ariel said dreamily.

  Dave nodded, quieting for a time until they were past the busy streets. “He is a stoic man, but you have made quite this impression with your stubborn persistence in my training. He asks for reports on you.”

  Ariel was grateful for Dave vouching for her, but talk of reports brought something else to mind.

  “Can I ask you not to mention Xenron to him? It seems like he really didn’t want anyone to know who he was.”

  “I wish I could,” Dave said. “It’s of political relevance, and besides, we live with Lailah. If you’ve thought of the boy, she’s probably already pieced it together.”

  Ariel groaned. Shit. I hadn’t thought of that.

  “But,” Dave continued, “I don’t think he will leak anything beyond his own family. The prince has a strange ability, and a kind heart. Surely you see that Master Stalwart is not an immoral man. He will retain this information in case it becomes necessary, but he will not act against the prince, especially as long as he uses this power to good ends.”

  “You trust him completely, huh?” Ariel asked.

  “Without any doubt,” Dave said firmly. “And what about you? You’ve decided to protect this supposed prince?”

  “It’s not like all that,” Ariel groaned. “I’m still pissed that he lied. And I’m pissed at myself. He always seemed shifty, and was sparse on some of the details of his life. I should have known that Terrence was fake. Still…”

  She had trouble putting words to it, though Dave gave her the space to consider as they walked through the estate’s gardens, a row of wild roses framing their path. Dave had taken a turn to give them a bit more time to talk, and Ariel nodded her thanks as she kept thinking. Glowing bulbs above them cast a soft orange light on the flowers on either side, brilliant in the darkness. It was beautiful. After a great while, Ariel spoke.

  “It’s like… I trusted him, and he didn’t think he could be honest with me. That sucks. Really, really sucks. Even if he sucks for that, I don’t want to do the same thing to him. Because he did trust me in the end. Enough to give me his real name, even though he saw it as risky, so that I could make it out safe. So, maybe he sucks. And maybe he’s a dirty liar. But I don’t want to betray his trust too.”

  Dave smiled. “Trust is a hard thing. I rarely choose to trust anyone new these days. But I consider that a failing of mine - because nothing real starts without it. I hope the prince will visit you again.”

  Ariel scoffed. “He better lead with ‘sorry’ if he does.”

  Despite her complaining, Ariel found herself in a good mood. The news of the Oakheart squad was almost unbelievable. He was really going to start looking for the Black Hand properly! That meant Ariel had to do her best as well - but the circumstances didn’t leave her a ton of options. Leaving town was still dangerous.

  As they kept walking, Ariel found herself curious about something odd.

  “If Terrence is Xenron, wouldn’t that mean he lives in the Tronen province? How the hell is making it all the way out here to meet with me?”

  “Long range travel isn’t impossible, with magic,” Dave said. “It’s especially doable when he has a target location. For example, with my gate stone, I can return to the Stalwart estate at any time - expending a proportionate amount of mana, of course. It’s even easier for expert lightning mages. You’re not there yet, of course, but perhaps the prince has some secret method.”

  Ariel nodded absently, suddenly more interested in the gate stone Dave had mentioned. What could she do with that information? She wasn’t sure yet, but filed it away for later in her mind. Ariel couldn’t slack now. Learning the Transmission spell was probably beyond what she could do quickly, but she felt confident she could find some way to the next town - where she would start her counterattack.