《Taken by the Night》 The Walk ¡°Jerry!¡± my mom shouted from the living room. ¡°Have you taken Scout on a walk yet?¡± ¡°Not yet,¡± I replied annoyed as I was in the middle of a Call of Duty match. ¡°Well when you do, take Wilbur too, it looks like he¡¯s been gaining a few pounds himself.¡± She said with a chuckle that brought a smile to my face as well. After the match was over, I turned my TV off and started getting ready to take Scout and Wilbur on a walk. As I started putting my socks on Wilbur started to get excited and jumped on my lap. ¡°Mom was right!¡± I said to Wilbur ¡°You are putting on weight, aren¡¯t you boy?¡± I pushed him off my lap and started to walk to the front door. Wilbur met me in the front room next to the front door wagging his tail and staring at his leash. I grabbed his leash off the wall and slipped it around his neck. ¡°Scout!¡± I called, ¡°Wanna go for a walk?¡± I watched as he lazily stood up from his bed stretching his back and paws as he gave out a big yawn while tromping towards me. I grabbed his leash and slipped his slender neck through it, ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a bit.¡± I shouted to my mom who was cooking in the kitchen, ¡°Alright, have fun dear. Oh! And don¡¯t forget to check the mailbox.¡± she said as I was just about to close the door. ¡°Will do!¡± I replied as Wilbur was pulling on his leash ready for the outside world. I shut the door behind me and started to make my way down our driveway, ¡°Gee, you¡¯re fast.¡± I said to Wilbur as he started to pull my arm out of the joint. ¡°Why can¡¯t you be like Scout?¡± I sighed. Scout was great at walks, he always walked by my side leash or no leash. I always got frustrated when I had to take Wilbur on walks, he would either constantly pull on his leash or take rests under shady trees by the road to the point where I had to carry him back home, once he lay down, there was no way he is getting back up and walking home. Luckily today Wilbur was in the pulling mood, which I guess is better than me having to break my back carrying him back home. As we approached the street, I checked our mailbox that sat in front of our driveway. I took a look inside to see if there was any mail, there was only a newspaper and a few letters written out to my mother which I assumed were unimportant. I grabbed the mail and shut the mailbox while Wilbur was still pulling as hard as he could on his leash. ¡°Heel!¡± I shouted at Wilbur, but there was little effect. I pulled Wilbur to my side to the best of my ability and once again shouted, ¡°Heel!¡± this time he obeyed my command and started walking by my side along with Scout. I put them both on the head, ¡°Good boy.¡± I praised Wilbur for obeying me, ¡°Why can¡¯t you stay like this for the entire walk?¡± he turned in my direction and yipped, thinking I was barking at him. We continued our walk down the street, Wilbur was walking surprisingly well for the first time in a while. He rarely tugged on his leash during the walk, it was like he was an entirely different dog after we had our little ¡°talk¡±. I turned to Wilbur multiple times while we walked making sure he did not slip out of his leash and run away without me realizing it. We came to the end of the street turned back around and started to head back home. While making our way back home I noticed our neighbor Old Lady Alice driving in our direction. Alice was the nicest woman I have met in my life, she¡¯s always liked me ever since we moved to this neighborhood. She loved to stop by our house every once in a while and give us a batch of her wonderful oatmeal cookies then talk about how she grew up here, always telling us how much she loved the fresh country air and how she would never want to live in a city. She had beautiful platinum hair and wonderful blue eyes. Whenever I was around her, I always felt she was family, I could tell her anything I was so comfortable around her. She waved at me while Wilbur started barking at her loud pickup truck, Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Calm down buddy, it¡¯s only Alice¡± Alice slowed down and rolled her window down. She stopped across from me and said, ¡°Well if it isn¡¯t Jeremy Andolet.¡± Wilbur was still barking at her truck pulling on his leash harder than ever. I sighed and thought to myself ¡°He was doing so well.¡± I forced a smile on my face and replied, ¡°How are you feeling Alice?¡± She smiled back at me and said ¡°I¡¯m doing well, and yourself?¡± ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡± I lied knowing Wilbur was going to start pulling my arm off for the remainder of the walk. ¡°That¡¯s wonderful to hear dear!¡± she said with joy, ¡°By the way, I dropped off a present for you at your house, I handed it to your mom.¡± ¡°Oh, you did?¡± I said surprised ¡°Why to thank you, Alice.¡± I said with a real smile this time. ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure. Well, I best be going, I have a doctor''s appointment in town.¡± ¡°Well you don¡¯t want to miss that, do you?¡± I chuckled. ¡°Heavens no.¡± she responded as she started to pull away ¡°It was lovely seeing you my dear, I hope to see you again soon¡± ¡°You too,¡± I responded I doubt she could hear me over her engine as she pulled away, but I said it just to be polite. Sure enough, when Alice drove off, Wilbur started pulling in the direction of where Alice drove off. ¡°Heel, boy,¡± I said firmly to Wilbur. He ignored me and kept barking and pulling me in the opposite direction. I had enough; I picked Wilbur up and started walking home with him in my arms still barking at Alice who was about a quarter mile away from us now. When we got home, Wilbur finally stopped barking. I walked to the front door and set Wilbur on the ground. When I opened the door a wonderful smell hit me like a truck. It was Mom¡¯s apple pie, Wilbur ran inside the house like a cheetah chasing a gazelle. I have never seen him move that fast in my life, he was probably hoping for handouts of food scraps from Mom. I stumbled inside with an aching back from carrying Wilbur home. My mom spotted me and kindly asked ¡°How was the walk, dear?¡± ¡°It was good¡­ for the first half,¡± I said with annoyance. ¡°Oh no, did Wilbur decide to take a nap again,¡± she said jokingly. ¡°No, not this time, he decided to pull my arm off when Alice decided to dive by.¡± ¡°Alice? Did she tell you she dropped off a present for you?¡± ¡°She did, where is it?¡± I asked excitedly. ¡°I set it on your bed, but you have to eat dinner before you take a look at it.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± I said while rolling my eyes. At the dinner table, Mom set a plate of mashed potatoes, peas, carrots, and steak in front of me, it made me drool. I quickly grabbed my fork and started to eat, after I finished, she asked, ¡°Room for desserts?¡± I nodded my head with my mouth still full of steak. She walked to the kitchen and brought back a slice of apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, she took away my cleaned dinner plate and set the apple pie in its place. I started to eat the pie, enjoying every last bite of it. After I finished, I took my plate to the kitchen, washed it off, and placed it in the dishwasher. My mom was still eating her meal while Wilbur and Scout stared at her begging for a taste of her meal. I walked to the dinner table and wished my mother a goodnight hugging her. I walked to the bathroom and started to brush my teeth and wash my face when it dawned upon me, Alice¡¯s present, I had completely forgotten. Old Lady Alice’s Big Present After I finished brushing my teeth, I rushed to my room and swung my door open. When the door opened, I found a long gift wrapped box with a sealed envelope lying on my bed. Naturally, I grabbed the envelope first to see what it contained before opening the main present. I tore open the envelope and saw a folded note that was laid inside. Unfolding the note, I read, ¡°To my dearest Jeremy, Inside this box you will find a very special item that was specifically crafted for you. I hope you enjoy this gift as much as I enjoyed making it. Make sure to keep it close to you everyday, you¡¯ll need it. Love, Alice B.¡± ¡°Strange.¡± I thought to myself. Have you ever had a dream that you know something is off, maybe an inaccurate time on a clock or reading a book that does not make any sense. Well that is how I felt about this note, not necessarily thinking it was fake, but thinking it was, well¡­ off. For one, the note was written in print, whereas all the other letters Alice has given me were written in cursive. Secondly, her signature was different, the ¡°i¡¯ in ¡°Alice¡± was dotted though she never dots the ¡°i¡± in her signature. I thought about this for a few moments before setting the note down and opening my present. I tore the wrapping paper off of the long cardboard box, after the it was off, I opened the cardboard box that the gift laid inside. As I inched open the box, laid inside was a long sheet of velvet that wrapped around another object. I tossed the cardboard box aside and started to unwrap the velvet, inside was a sword. This shocked me, my mom would kill me if she saw I had this. My mom was very protective of me when it came to weapons, she never let me touch, let alone own a sword. I knew if I was caught with this sword, my mom would take away everything I owned. I quickly wrapped the sword back into its velvet casing and threw it under my bed. ¡°But why would Alice get me a sword?¡± I thought to myself, ¡°She knows how my mom hates these sorts of things.¡± I turned my light off, climbed in my bed and fell asleep. The sword stayed in my head all night, I could not stop thinking about how angry my mom would be if she found it hidden under my bed. I woke up the next morning with tired eyes, barely getting any sleep because of the sword. The moment I woke up, I noticed Wilbur was laying at the foot of my bed, ¡°How¡¯d you get in here, boy?¡± I asked him expecting a response, but alas, he only laid there and snored. I got up from my bed and started making my way to the kitchen. My mom was preparing breakfast for us, the air was fumed with biscuits and gravy, this smell made me happier than I was moments earlier. The thought of the sword left my head instantly as I smelled mom¡¯s cooking. She gracefully walked through the kitchen with a tray full of freshly baked biscuits as she spotted me in the hallway. ¡°You''re up awfully early Jerry!¡± She said with surprise. ¡°I am? What time is it?¡± I asked. ¡°Seven o¡¯clock, usually you¡¯re up around nine, especially in the summer.¡± ¡°I guess I must''ve gone to bed earlier last night. Wilbur tired me out from our walk¡± I said jokingly. She smirked and sat a plate of biscuits and gravy on the kitchen counter, ¡°Well you can finally have some fresh-baked breakfast for the first time in a while.¡± she said with a smile. She set a fork next to my plate and started to prepare a plate for herself. I grabbed my plate from the counter and walked with it towards the dining table. As I sat at the table with my plate, Scout stood up from his bed, hobbled his way over towards me, and sat next to my chair. I scratched his head and passed him a piece of my biscuit. He ate the piece of biscuit with a smile on his face, and continued to wag his tail. When Scout finished the piece of biscuit, I started hearing the sound of Wilbur¡¯s nails clicking against the wooden floor. He was making his way down the hallway lazily in hope for a scrap from the breakfast table. When he arrived at the table, he sat down next to Scout, whining for any scraps of food. I broke another piece of my biscuit off and handed it to Wilbur. He gulped down the biscuit, nearly taking my fingers with it, I pulled my hand back from the pain of his teeth against my fingers. He left my hand covered with his slobber that I wiped off on his head. At that moment, mom walked around the corner and said, ¡°No wonder you¡¯re getting so skinny, you''re feeding all of your breakfast to the dogs.¡± I laughed and continued eating my breakfast. She sat down at the table and started eating her food as Wilbur started whining at her. ¡°Oh! Honey. The mail you brought in yesterday, it had letters for Alice. The mailman must¡¯ve gotten confused again. Would you take it to her after breakfast?¡± I nodded in agreement as I was almost done with my meal. ¡°Thank you. Also, speaking of Alice, did you open the present she gave you?¡± My blood ran cold as she asked this question, ¡°Oh, no. I had forgotten. I¡¯ll open it later today after I bring her the mail.¡± I said trying not to stutter through my nervousness. ¡°Forgotten? About the present? That¡¯s not like you, are you feeling alright?¡± She asked with worry in her voice. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m feeling fine. I was just so tired last night, and must¡¯ve forgotten all about it.¡± I felt the sweat dripping down my face as I responded. ¡°Well, I hope you¡¯re not catching a cold. If you need anything, just ask.¡± As she finished her sentence, I got up from my chair and started walking towards the kitchen, ¡°Thank you for the breakfast mom, I really enjoyed it. Well I better bring that mail to Alice.¡± Before she could respond I grabbed Alice¡¯s letters, and dashed through the front door. I sprinted down our driveway towards the road and started to head to Alice¡¯s house. While walking I heard the sound of birds crowing overhead, they were perched on the telephone pole, staring at me, as if they were watching me. They flew away once I made eye contact with them. I had never seen this type of bird before. They were a vibrant red, such as a cardinal but much larger, they were about the size of a raven. I admired the birds as they flew away before I continued my trip to Alice¡¯s house. I finally approached Alice¡¯s driveway after a few minutes. I walked to her front door and knocked on it a few times; I waited ten seconds or so before I rang the doorbell. Still no response; I rang the doorbell again and checked to see if her truck was in the driveway. Her truck was parked there, so she must have been home. I rang the doorbell one more time before opening the door and walking inside. When I set one foot inside her house, I smelled a horrendous stench. As soon as it entered my nose, I gagged, almost losing my breakfast, ¡°Alice?¡± I called while covering my nose with my shirt. I saw a trail of blood that led to the kitchen, the sight made my knees weak, my heart started to pound through my chest. ¡°Alice?¡± I called once more. As I turned the corner to the kitchen, I saw her lying in a pool of her own blood. Her chest was full of stab wounds, blood was splattered throughout the kitchen. When I saw this scene, tears filled my eyes, my stomach started to ache and churn, it felt like my entire body shut down as I fell to my knees sobbing. I quickly got myself to my feet and reached for my phone. I reached my hand into my pocket but felt nothing, I had forgotten to bring it; I was in such a rush. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. After seeing such a bloody scene I ran back to my house. As I opened the front door, I yelled to my mom, ¡°Alice was murdered!¡± She was relaxing on the couch then turned towards me with shock in her eyes. It did not take long before she grabbed her phone and dialed 911, as the phone rang, she hugged me and told me everything would be alright. The police arrived soon after the incident, they investigated the scene while asking me and my mom questions. Tears were falling from my eyes as the police and detectives were asking me questions about the murder, most of which I could not answer I was so hysterical. After the investigation, the police told us we were free to go, and that we would have to show up for court as witnesses if they ever caught the suspect. We were escorted home by the deputy. As we walked to the entrance the deputy patted me on the shoulder, I looked up at him and saw his face was odd. I thought it might have been the tears in my eyes so I wiped away my tears. When I looked back up at him, he was already making his way back towards his car. I stared at him to see if he would turn around, but it seemed like he was trying to hide his face from me. He walked towards his car and opened the door and sat in the driver¡¯s seat. He closed the door, and I never made out his face. Shortly after he drove off, my mom grabbed me by the arm and pulled me inside the front door. That night, no dinner was made, not that I was in the mood for it anyway. The sun set and I started getting ready for bed, Wilbur was making himself at home on my bed, practically taking up the whole bed. I turned my light off and put on a movie, ¡°Scoot over Will.¡± I commanded Wilbur, but he would not move. I climbed in bed and pushed him out of the way, as I did so, he growled at me, ¡°Oh stop.¡± I said as I lifted the blankets over Wilbur and I. I felt sick, I had just lost my only friend. My body started to quiver in sorrow and hatred to whoever had taken her life. Then for some odd reason, my despair and anger lifted from my mind as if someone were comforting me. I stared at the movie for a while before my burning eyes started to drift off. Suddenly, the world around me faded to black, ¡°Hurts, doesn¡¯t it?¡± a gentle, yet eerie sounding voice said. Quickly turn to the direction of the voice, standing in the black void was a tall woman, her hair was a very dark purple, almost black, her hair fell well past her shoulders. She wore a long sleeved black dress, the sleeves were laced with images of ravens. Her skin was a lighter shade of purple than her hair, and her eyes glowed with a bright red. I felt as if I have seen this lady somewhere before, I dug deep in my memory, then it hit me, she had the face of the deputy who patted me on the back. I looked at her in shock, thinking I was dreaming. I shook my head trying to wake myself up, ¡°What?¡± she asked as if I were the crazy one ¡°Haven¡¯t seen a woman before?¡± ¡°You¡¯re th-¡± ¡°The deputy, the birds, your guardian. Whatever you want to call me sweetie. Now let me ask again. Hurts, Doesn¡¯t it?¡± She interrupted me. ¡°Y-yes, yes, it does.¡± I said with fear still in my voice. ¡°Well? What will you do about it?¡± She asked as if I had an answer. ¡°Don¡¯t you want justice?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I said with a more confident voice. ¡°Good answer. Remember that little present I gave you yesterday?¡± I thought for a moment and said, ¡°The sword?¡± ¡°Mhm. You catch on quick. Now, I need you to read what it says on the sword, and then, you can have that justice you want so badly.¡± ¡°The sword says something?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes! There¡¯s a little poem that¡¯s written across the blade, I need you to read it, and then, you¡¯ll be able to find the person who has killed your neighbor.¡± ¡°B-but I d-¡± ¡°But what, there should be no question about it¡± She ran towards me and grabbed the collar of my shirt, I could tell she was getting annoyed at my questions, ¡°Read the sword and then we can have a talk after!¡± She shouted in my face. After she said this the room faded back to normal, the movie was still playing on the TV. My heart was pounding and sweat was dripping from my face, I turned towards Wilbur but he seemed unaffected by the encounter, maybe it was just a dream. Nonetheless, I reached under my bed in search of the sword. My hand brushed up against the velvet sheet the sword was wrapped in. I grabbed the sword and lifted it up on the bed, this sparked Wilbur¡¯s attention. He started sniffing the velvet sheet the sword had been laid in, he quickly made it his new favorite bed and curled up on it. This was my first time actually looking at the blade. I admired it for a while, it truly was beautiful. The blade looked as if it was made from platinum, the handle and pommel were made from what seemed to be gold, they even had small gems engraved inside of them. I searched the sword for any words, I turned the light on, and something grabbed my attention. Words were sketched across the bottom of the blade. I read aloud, ¡°The blade of dreams will cut through your false sight; the one who sees will have truly been taken by the night.¡± I read these words expecting something to happen, yet nothing did. I hung my head in disappointment and set the sword back under my bed. I turned my light off and laid back in my bed. As I laid there, I felt a pain in my hand. I took a gander at my hand and sure enough, I cut myself with the blade, ¡°No wonder mom doesn¡¯t let me touch weapons.¡± I pulled the blankets over my head and tried to get back to sleep. After a few minutes of lying in bed, I noticed the TV had shut off. The room had gone cold. I felt freezing, when I opened my eyes, I saw I was no longer in my bed, I was in a field of grass. My heart started to pound, I tried to convince myself it was all a dream, but it all felt so real. I started to panic, but then like a flash, all my worry faded away, It was like I was being comforted by nothing. As my nerves calmed, I stood up, I felt heavier. I looked down at my clothing and saw I was not wearing my pajamas anymore, but I was wearing some sort of cloth armor. My legs started to shake from the weight of the armor and equipment. I looked down at the ground in front of me, I saw the sword Alice had gotten me was lying there. I picked up the sword and noticed it started glowing a vibrant shade of green as I picked it up. I looked down at the belt that was wrapped around my waist to see if there was a sheath for the sword, sure enough there was. I slipped the sword into the sheath and took a look around. I noticed a cobblestone path that led to a kingdom, one that you would see in a fairytale. The more I looked around the more real it felt. I looked around the field I was lying in and noticed that I was not alone. I saw something shaking in the grass, I quickly drew my sword and approached the shaking grass. As I got closer, I saw the familiar face of Wilbur. He was rolling around in the grass, when he spotted me, he yipped for joy. ¡°Wilbur, I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re here!¡± I quickly picked him up and gave him a kiss on his nose. I set Wilbur down and walked to the path of cobblestone, ¡°Well Wilbur, I guess it¡¯s off to the castle we go!¡± Wilbur barked, and with those words, we started our way to the kingdom. A Talking Dog? While Wilbur and I journeyed along the path leading towards the kingdom in the distance, I noticed a group of three people ahead of us. As we approached the group, I saw they were not human, but were some sort of cat hybrids. They were stopped in the middle of the path discussing something before Wilbur abruptly started to charge and bark at the group. One of the members of the group turned in our direction and said, ¡°Oye! Control your pooch.¡± I stumbled back seeing the face of the man who turned to me. His face was like a cat¡¯s and his body was like a human¡¯s. We stared at each other for a moment before I shouted to Wilbur, ¡°Come here boy!¡± Wilbur ignored my request and started to sniff at the man¡¯s cloak. He hissed at Wilbur and stepped back yelling, ¡°Bad dog! Bad dog!¡± His eyes were full of fear until another member of the group said, ¡°Come on Fa¡¯darsha, he only wants to play with you.¡± This member was the most human of the group, her face was human, she had short orange hair, she wore a long blue dress, and upon her head were a pair of cat¡¯s ears. She started laughing at Fa¡¯darsha who was trying to get away from Wilbur who would occasionally bite at his long cloak. ¡°Please, control your dog!¡± Fa¡¯darsha begged. The girl continued to laugh as I called Wilbur once again, this time Wilbur came to my side and started growling at Fa¡¯darsha. After I called Wilbur, the other cat man gave me a terrified look. The girl approached me, shook my hand and said, ¡°I¡¯m Sam, nice to meet you. I haven¡¯t laughed like that in years.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Jeremy.¡± I responded, ¡°And this is my Basset Hound Wilbur.¡± ¡°Oh? A Basset Hound? I¡¯ve never seen one before.¡± She said as she bent down and started to pet Wilbur on the head. ¡°Yes, yes, very funny.¡± Fa¡¯darsha said with sarcasm, ¡°Now, Sam, let¡¯s move on, we have a long way to walk.¡± ¡°Come on Fa¡¯darsha, just look at his cute face.¡± She said while stroking Wilbur¡¯s long ears. ¡°Cute alright, until he starts tearing you limb from limb.¡± ¡°You are always so negative when it comes to dogs, I bet if he were a cat, you¡¯d love him.¡± She sighed. She started to rub Wilbur¡¯s face before Fa¡¯darsa grabbed her arm and started to pull her away from Wilbur. ¡°Okay fine! I¡¯m coming.¡± She slapped away his claw and started walking along the two cats. As they walked away, I heard the other cat say ¡°Did you hear what he said to his dog?¡± But by the time one of the others responded, I was too far away to hear them. Wilbur and I continued along the path towards the kingdom, ¡°Wilbur please keep me out of trouble next time.¡± ¡°Sorry Jeremy, I was only trying to keep you safe. That cat had something suspicious about him, I could smell it.¡± I turned to Wilbur in shock, ¡°You can talk?¡± I asked in surprise. When these words came out of my mouth, I realized I was not speaking English anymore, but a language that felt more natural to speak. ¡°Of course I can, I was more surprised when I learned you could talk.¡± He said with a grin on his face. ¡°When did you learn I could speak?¡± ¡°Remember when you called me away from the cat man? Well¡­ that¡¯s when I heard you speak for the first time.¡± ¡°So, you speak all the time, just not in English?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct. Is that what you call those silly sounds you make when you talk to other humans?¡± ¡°Well I¡¯m glad you can understand me now, it feels like you¡¯ve always ignored me before.¡± I said as Wilbur gave out a joyful howl and returned to our journey towards the kingdom. As we approached the front gates of the kingdom, the more crowded the streets got. I noticed that most of the people in the streets were human and not animal hybrids such as the cats we met earlier. Wilbur and I entered the gates which opened up to a beautiful medieval city. Golden carriages bloomed the streets of the city, each one having a row of guardsmen defending them. Everyone was wearing very formal attire such as suits and dresses, I felt the dirty looks of the citizens who were gowned in fancy attire, I felt out of place. As we made our way through the city, the traffic started to veer from the roads as guards yelled, ¡°Make way for Lady Elizabeth!¡± The crowds disperse to the sides of the roads as a large carriage carried by two white horses slowly rolled through the streets. Inside of the carriage was a young girl with long platinum hair, her eyes were a bright lavender, and she embellished a long white dress along with white gloves that reached to her elbows. While I was admiring her, she made eye contact with me and sneered, but suddenly she took a second look at me. Her eyes sparkled as if she noticed something of interest on me, she whispered something to her guard who was walking alongside the carriage. After she was done whispering to him, he told the coachman to stop the carriage, then he approached me. ¡°Lady Elizabeth would like you to ride with her, along with your¡­ dog¡± He looked down at Wilbur who was rolling around on his back. ¡°Why would she want me to ride with her, I don¡¯t even know her.¡± I looked back at the carriage seeing the girl was now standing outside of the carriage waiting for me. ¡°She said she would like to have a word with you, that is all I know.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± I said to the guard, ¡°I¡¯ll see what she has to say.¡± Something was telling me not to go, but I went against my instinct and started walking towards the carriage. When I approached the girl, she grabbed my hand and said, ¡°Why, it¡¯s a pleasure to see you again.¡± ¡°Again?¡± I asked in confusion. ¡°Yes, again, I¡¯ll explain when we get inside.¡± She grabbed my arm and pulled me into the carriage as Wilbur followed along. She sat me down into one of the seats and closed the curtains. She poured me a drink and set it on the table in front of me ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t drink.¡± I said nervously. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s non-alcoholic.¡± She said with a smile. She sat across the table from me and started petting Wilbur on the head. I tasted the drink, it was sweet and had the flavor of flat soda. ¡°Well, don¡¯t you remember me?¡± She asked with a hint of anger in her voice. ¡°No, I¡¯m kind of new to this¡­ world.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s true. You¡¯ve been in this city for at least a month, don¡¯t you remember?¡± The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°No, this is the first day I¡¯ve been here.¡± When I finished my sentence she started to laugh. ¡°Well that¡¯s odd considering you stole that sword from me a few weeks ago.¡± She said while she drew a dagger from her side. I tried to stand up, but my legs collapsed underneath me. My body started to disobey me, it was like I was being paralyzed. The girl started to laugh, ¡°I expected you to be a little stronger than that.¡± she said with a smirk, ¡°You¡¯re quite a fool for drinking a cup of poison, aren¡¯t you?¡± I tried to answer, but I felt too weak to move my jaw, ¡°Kind of makes me think you couldn''t have stolen the sword¡­¡± As she said this, the world faded around me. The last thing I remember hearing were the barks and yelps of Wilbur. Suddenly I woke up in a large bed in a massive bedroom. When I tried to get out of the bed, I saw that I was chained in shackles that were bolted into the frame of the bed. I tried to slip my hands through the shackles, but they were locked tight around my wrists. My stomach still hurt from the poison the girl gave me, I felt I was going to die any second. While I laid in bed for a few minutes, I heard steps that started to make their way towards the door of the room. When the steps stopped, I heard the creaking of the door opening. I looked towards the doorway and saw it was the girl. She was carrying a bowl of soup, when she saw I was awake, she smiled and started to make her way towards me. ¡°Thank goodness you¡¯re not dead.¡± she said with relief ¡°I think we got off on the wrong hand, so I made you some soup. And, don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not poisonous this time, it¡¯s quite the opposite¡± She chuckled, climbed on the bed and held a spoonful of soup in front of my face. ¡°Can¡¯t I eat by myself?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, of course. I was just trying to be hospitable.¡± She said as she placed the bowl of soup on my stomach and started to unlock one of my shackles, when I swallowed a spoonful of soup, my stomach instantly felt better. As I was in the middle of eating, she moved closer to me and asked, ¡°I know you didn¡¯t steal the sword, I just wanted to know, how did you get it?¡± ¡°Well, it was given to me by my neighbor, but later, I found out a purple haired lady gave it to me and-¡± ¡°Wait, did this purple haired lady have a long black dress with ravens on the sleeves?¡± ¡°Yes, she could also shape shift into things.¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t appear in your sleep right?¡± ¡°Well¡­ yes she did.¡± As I answered, the girl gasped and started muttering a different language under her breath. During her muttering, her hands started to glow, she placed them over my chest. She did this for about a minute before a thick black mist started evaporating off of my body. ¡°This will sting a little.¡± She warned me before pushing both of her hands onto my chest. It felt like a flame made its way through my entire body and cleansed me on the way through. The black mist suddenly dispersed and the girl¡¯s hands stopped glowing. ¡°Well, how do you feel now?¡± She asked nervously. ¡°I feel fine. It feels like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.¡± She heard my response and smiled, ¡°Good. It seems you had been cursed by the Demon Queen, sometimes if you aren¡¯t treated in time, your body becomes corrupt, and you become her slave.¡± She said with relief, ¡°Now, finish your soup please.¡± I started to finish my soup trying to absorb what she had just said to me. ¡°By the way, my name is Emily, I¡¯m sorry we had to meet this way. Anyway, you¡¯re free to go if you wish, but I wouldn¡¯t mind if you stayed, it would be the least I could do for how I treated you.¡± She said while unlocking my other shackle, ¡°I¡¯m Jeremy, and don¡¯t worry about it, thank you for removing the curse from me.¡± I said as politely as I could, trying not to upset her. ¡°By the way, where''s Wilbur?¡± ¡°Your dog? My maids were giving him a bath. He decided to roll around in a mud pile in the yard.¡± She chuckled as she started to make her way out of the room. ¡°Feel free to make yourself at home, I¡¯ll bring Wilbur up as soon as he¡¯s dried.¡± She walked out and shut the door. When she left the room a surge of sleepiness overtook me, so I decided to rest my eyes for a while. Suddenly a familiar eeriness overtook my body as I rested my eyes, ¡°You don¡¯t honestly believe her, do you?¡± I opened my eyes and saw the familiar face of the purple haired lady lying next to me in the black void. ¡°Remember, I¡¯m the one who helped you get here so you could avenge your beloved neighbor. All I¡¯ve done is help you, and what has she done for you?¡± She asked, trying to suppress her rage. ¡°Well she did-¡± ¡°She poisoned you, and imprisoned you in her house, right?¡± She interrupted. ¡°Well, yes she did but-¡± ¡°There are no buts.¡± She held a finger to my lips, ¡°Don¡¯t you see, she''s trying to use you.¡± ¡°How?¡¯ ¡°Do you really think she¡¯s the true owner of that sword? No, she¡¯s trying to steal it from you, and since you¡¯re just a poor no one, who will care if a rich noble stole something from you? They won¡¯t, people will always side with the person with more money. I crafted that sword for you Jerry, don¡¯t let anyone take it, if they do, you¡¯ll never get that sweet, sweet revenge you¡¯ve thirsted for since that day.¡± she started to fade in the darkness, ¡°Well, looks like my time¡¯s almost up. Jerry, I want you to kill that girl as soon as you get the chance, and if you don¡¯t,¡± her eyes started to turn to a dark shade of red ¡°there will be major consequences, for you and the girl. We wouldn¡¯t want that, would we?¡± As soon as I was about to respond, she faded away. I woke up to a knock on the door, ¡°Come in.¡± I said, still thinking about the words of the purple haired girl. Emily walked in with Wilbur in her arms, ¡°Here¡¯s your dog, he¡¯s very heavy.¡± she said as she placed him on the bed, ¡°Your armor is in the wardrobe if you need it.¡± she added. I got out of bed and opened the wardrobe that was placed in front of the bed. Inside was my armor I had been wearing previously. Next to my armor hung the sword that started to glow its greenish aura. As I set eyes upon the sword, Emily said, ¡°Since you were the first wielder of the sword, you have claimed ownership of it. It was specially crafted by my father as a gift for the commander of this city¡¯s army until it had been stolen by the Demon Queen. Now if anyone else tries to wield this sword, it will lose its magic and sharpness making it nothing more than a stick. It¡¯s such a nice sword, it would be a shame to destroy it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re giving me the sword?¡± I asked with a hint of joy. ¡°Yes, as long as you use it for good and not evil. Remember my father enchanted the sword, he may destroy it any time he wishes.¡± As she finished, I grabbed my armor from the wardrobe and started to put it on. ¡°Are you going somewhere this time of night?¡± She asked. ¡°Night?¡± I asked in confusion. ¡°Yes, you¡¯ve been knocked out for at least five hours.¡± ¡°Well, are there any shops open?¡± I asked politely ¡°I doubt it. The only shop that would be open would be my dad¡¯s forge, he doesn¡¯t close until midnight.¡± I grabbed my sword from the wall of the wardrobe and slid it into its sheath. Emily climbed into the bed and started to pet Wilbur, ¡°What kind of dog is he, he¡¯s very cute.¡± At that question. It felt as if time froze around me. I heard a whisper in my ear, ¡°Now¡¯s your chance, you¡¯re one slice away from completing your mission. She¡¯s unarmed, in bed, completely defenseless, and you are well armed.¡± I looked deep into Emily¡¯s eyes and saw innocence. ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± I replied to the whisper ¡°Come on, I asked you before, don¡¯t you want to avenge your neighbor?¡± ¡°I do, but what would killing her accomplish?¡± ¡°Accomplish? If you kill her, you will gain my trust, and with my trust, you can have anything your little heart desires.¡± I felt my hand grab the blade of my sword as she said this. ¡°Yes, go on¡± the voice coaxed me. I felt my heart pound as I slowly started lifting the blade, then I looked inside the girl''s eyes once again, she was still frozen in time, but she was smiling as if she saw me as a friend. At that moment, I took my hand off the sword and said, ¡°I won¡¯t do it. She¡¯s my friend¡± After I said that, the voice started to laugh maniacally and said, ¡°What a shame, and I thought you were a smart boy. Oh well. By the way, I hope weren''t planning on going home any time soon.¡± As those words were said, time unfroze and the ground started to shake. That once calm feeling I had when I entered this world had left me. Emily jumped out of the bed, grabbed me by the hand, and pulled me under the night stand. Picture frames started to fall off the walls and shatter once they hit the floor, ¡°This is strange, we never get earthquakes here.¡± Wilbur jumped off the bed and climbed under the nightstand with Emily and I. The shaking continued for a few minutes before we heard the door swing open and hear one of Emily¡¯s guards yell, ¡°We must evacuate the estate at once! We¡¯re under attack!¡± The Burning City Emily was holding me tight as the walls of the room started to collapse around us. Her guard grabbed us both by the shoulder and started to escort us out of the room, ¡°Lady Elizabeth, you¡¯re not injured are you?¡± the guard spoke out to her. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. I just need something from my room.¡± She responded as she pulled away from the guard''s grip. She started to run down the hallway and slip through one of the doorways as the guard yelled out, ¡°Come back, it¡¯s dangerous! The mansion could collapse any second!¡± he let go of my shoulder and started to chase after Emily. ¡°Open this door at once!¡± He yelled while banging on the door Emily was behind, ¡°I¡¯m telling you, we need to get out of here now!¡± I approached the guard from behind as he started to kick the door. ¡°If you don¡¯t open this door, I¡¯ll have to break it down!¡± As the guard said this, the door gently swung open revealing Emily who was now holding a red book in her arms, ¡°Calm down, I was only grabbing a book.¡± she said as she grabbed the guard''s hand. We continued our way down the staircase towards the front door. Maids, butlers and guards were rushing out of the front door eager for an escape from the collapsing mansion. The floor was covered in glass and crystals from the chandeliers that once hung from the ceiling. I quickly picked up Wilbur so he wouldn¡¯t cut his paws on the glass shards that the floor was covered in. As we passed through the front door, we saw the entire city had been engulfed in flames. Smoke had filled the air making it hard to see the entirety of the city. ¡°How could this happen?¡± Emily asked. ¡°A dragon attacked, we tried to stop it but it was too powerful. We must get you to safety please come with me to your carriage.¡± The guard responded. ¡°Is father okay?¡± She asked the guard. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but the other guards are on their way to him.¡± He replied. ¡°You have to take me to him.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no time, we have to leave the city now or we¡¯ll be burned with it.¡± She looked at the guard with anger in her eyes, ¡°You don¡¯t have any authority over me. From now on, you are no longer my guard.¡± she turned in my direction and smiled, ¡°You¡¯ve been replaced by Jeremy.¡± He looked at her in shock, ¡°You can¡¯t be serious. You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing my lady. You hardly even know him.¡± She ignored the guard, grabbed me by the hand and started to make our way out of the estate. The guard yelled at us as we started to walk our way through the gates of the estate. ¡°That was Adam, one of our head guards. He¡¯s always been that way, always so protective of me.¡± She said while we walked down the roads of the burning city, ¡°I hope you¡¯ll be a better guard than he ever was.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll try my best. I¡¯ve never been in a situation like this before.¡± I responded. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much, I can take care of myself. I¡¯m stronger than I look.¡± She said with a smirk. We continued our way down the roads of the half destroyed city. The street that once bloomed with beautiful carriages, was now in disarray. The beautiful carriages that once bloomed the streets were now burned and overturned, some of which were still in flames. The faces of the locals were scorched and covered in soot. I could hear the sobbing of women and children that were huddling together under what used to be buildings. I turned towards Emily, I could see she was trying to hold back her tears from seeing the state that the city was in. She gripped my hand tighter as we walked, I could hear her praying under her breath. We approached a turn in the road; as we turned, Emily let go of my hand and ran towards a collapsed building. This building stood out from the rest, it was built from a beautiful white stone. As she approached the building she let out the tears that she was holding back. ¡°Father, please don¡¯t let it be true.¡± I heard her cry. ¡°What is it?¡± I asked her. ¡°It¡¯s my father¡¯s forge. I don¡¯t know if he made it.¡± She answered over her sobs. She continued to cry as she started to move the rubble from the floor of the building. I started to help her until Wilbur began to bark. I turned towards Wilbur to see what he was barking at. He was staring towards the sky, I looked where he was staring but saw nothing, ¡°What is it?¡± I asked him. ¡°I can hear it.¡± he answered. ¡°Hear what?¡± I asked with a hint of fear. As I said this, Emily noticed that I was speaking to Wilbur, ¡°You¡¯re a druid?¡± she asked in shock. At that moment we heard a screech from the sky that struck fear into my heart. The ground beneath us started to shake causing me to stumble. We turned towards the screech and saw a purple dragon that was diving towards us. It landed on the collapsed forge causing the earth below us to shake harder than ever. This caused Emily to fall to the ground. I quickly grabbed her and brought her to her feet as the dragon let out another deafening roar that rang throughout the city. Its mouth started to glow with a bright yellow glow, flames started to catch the dragon''s saliva as if it were gasoline. Just before the dragon breathed its flames onto us, I heard the voice of the purple haired lady, ¡°Hold on girl.¡± she commanded the dragon, ¡°Leave those two, someone¡¯s got to tell the story.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Demon Queen.¡± Emily said to me. ¡°She¡¯s the one who appeared in my dreams.¡± I responded. ¡°Emily!¡± the Demon Queen exclaimed. ¡°It¡¯s been awhile, hasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± Emily asked with anger. ¡°You have no reason to be in this city.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°Actually, I do have a reason. My reason for being here is the one you¡¯re standing with right now.¡± She answered. Emily turned to me looking confused, ¡°What do you want with Jeremy?¡± ¡°He owes me for what I have given him.¡± She responded with rage. When she responded, suddenly an arrow stabbed into the side of the Demon Queen causing a thick black liquid to flow from her. I turned in the direction of where the arrow was shot. Standing across from us was Adam who was getting ready to fire another arrow at the dragon, ¡°Kill him!¡± the Demon Queen shouted at the dragon. ¡°You have to get out of here Lady Elizabeth!¡± He said while releasing another arrow that stuck into the neck of the dragon. The dragon turned towards Adam and started to charge its fiery breath. I could feel the heat of the fire as it shot from the dragon''s mouth towards Adam. He quickly held his shield in front of his face. When the fire cleared he was still standing, his shield was glowing red hot causing him to drop it to the ground, ¡°What are you waiting for? Run!¡± he shouted at us. Emily grabbed me by the hand once again, and started to run towards the city''s front gates. As we passed through the front gates, we felt the heat of the dragon¡¯s breath as she shot off another ball of fire towards Adam again. We ran down the path for what felt like hours, I could feel my knees beginning to become weak. I stopped and looked back towards the city. We were about two miles away from it, I turned to Emily, she held her hand over her heart while she was trying to catch her breath. Wilbur was panting from all the running. Emily looked up to me seeing I was out of breath as well, ¡°We should probably rest before we go any further.¡± she said while catching her breath between every word. She started to walk off of the path towards a forest and began collecting sticks and branches that had fallen from trees, ¡°I could use a little help.¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± I responded quickly. I started to collect wood with her, Wilbur also helped by picking up twigs with his jaws and setting them into a pile. Once we gathered enough wood, Emily started to set up a bonfire. When she set all the sticks up into a pyramid, she held her hands out, and suddenly a flame appeared in her hands. She gently set the flame onto the wood causing it to ignite and burn, ¡°Can you teach me that?¡± I asked in a joking manner. ¡°Yes, I can. It will take some practice, but I can teach you.¡± She answered while trying to cover her sorrow. She sat next to me and laid her face in her hands. I could hear her trying to hold back her sobs as we sat around the fire, ¡°To answer your question, he¡¯s a Basset Hound.¡± She turned to me in confusion, ¡°What?¡± ¡°You asked what kind of dog Wilbur was earlier, he¡¯s a Basset Hound. I never got to answer.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, that¡¯s right. I¡¯ve never seen a Basset Hound before, I love his ears.¡± she said as she started stroking his long ears. Wilbur liked the attention, so he climbed in her lap and started to lick the tears from her face. This made her smile and laugh as she continued to pet him. I reached over and started to pet Wilbur as well, he soon curled up in Emily¡¯s lap and started snoring. ¡°So, you¡¯re a druid?¡± She asked with hesitation. ¡°That¡¯s news to me.¡± I responded, ¡°I didn¡¯t know I was anything, I thought I was just¡­ normal.¡± ¡°Well, you can talk to animals I see. Did you grow up in the forest?¡± I thought for a moment before answering, ¡°I did grow up in the country, a while away from my town.¡± ¡°That makes sense, seeing how you¡¯re connected to nature. Where are you from, I¡¯ve never seen you around my city.¡± ¡°I¡¯m from Tennessee. I¡¯m sure you haven¡¯t heard of it before.¡± ¡°How do you know I have not heard of it?¡± She asked ¡°Well, I think I¡¯m from a different world than you. When I read the words on the sword, I got transported to this world.¡± Her eyes widened as I said this, ¡°Words? On my father¡¯s sword? May I see?¡± I slid the sword from its sheath and handed it to the girl. I pointed towards the bottom of the blade where the words were engraved. She took a gander and looked surprised when she read these words, ¡°That¡¯s strange, this isn¡¯t my father¡¯s writings. The Demon Queen must¡¯ve enchanted it as well.¡± The moment she said these words, excitement started to build up in her voice, ¡°Wait, if this sword is still enchanted, then my father must be alive.¡± she said with joy, ¡°Tomorrow, we must go to my mother, she¡¯ll know what to do.¡± ¡°Where does your mother live?¡± I asked. ¡°She lives in Belleville, it¡¯s only a few miles away from here. I¡¯m sure we can make it there by sunset tomorrow.¡± She answered. I saw hope in her eyes, she was happier than I have ever seen her before. ¡°Well, I think we should get some rest, we have a long journey tomorrow.¡± She pushed Wilbur off of her lap and sat him in between us. She laid another branch on the fire and laid on the green grass next to me. I took my armor off and laid down to get some shut eye. I felt the warmth of the fire radiating on my feet, the smell of this fire was much nicer than the smell of the city when it was burning. This fire reminded me of all the times my mom and I had a bonfire in our backyard; it was comforting. The moon was full and shining down on us, it was almost as bright as day. I heard the owls hooting and the frogs croaking. In the distance I heard a river flowing, all of these noises comforted me, reminding me of home and how much I missed it. After a few minutes of listening to the sounds of the forest, Emily started to wrap her arms around me and shiver, ¡°You must be cold.¡± I said with a smile. She didn¡¯t respond so I assumed she must have fallen asleep sooner than me. A few more minutes passed and the world abruptly went silent around me, I felt the familiar feeling of the void. I expected the Demon Queen to start talking to me, but she never did. I opened my eyes and I saw I was back in the burning streets of the city. I saw Emily and I run down the streets past all of the locals. I was viewing myself from another person''s perspective. When Emily and I passed the locals started to stare at me, ¡°Why did you leave us to die?¡± one of the women asked. Soon, all of the locals started to ask the same question. They all surrounded me with torches and pitchforks continuing to yell the same question over and over at me, ¡°Why did you leave us to die!¡± They all started to chant. I couldn''t move or speak, all I could do was watch as they came closer and closer with their shouts. I closed my eyes again, when I reopened them, I saw the face of Emily, she was holding me close as we both floated in a golden void, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re with me now.¡± As she said these words, I woke up in a panic. I arose to the bright warm sun shining on my face and the smell of cooking fish. I looked towards the fire pit and saw Emily was frying three fish as Wilbur was watching her cook. She looked towards me and smiled, ¡°You¡¯re finally awake, it took you long enough.¡± she said with a chuckle, ¡°Eat up, we have a long way to walk.¡± She said as she offered me a cooked fish. I took it from her and started to eat, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure.¡± She replied while giving the other fish to Wilbur. He gulped the fish down faster than ever. After we finished our meals, I started to put my armor back on. After we got ready for the trip, we started our long journey towards Belleville. The Hidden Village The sun was burning bright in the sky as we started our journey towards Belleville. Emily led the party as Wilbur and I started to fall behind. My legs and arms were still sore from yesterday¡¯s escape. I raised my voice and complained to Emily, ¡°Would you slow down?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be tired already, we¡¯ve only been walking for an hour.¡± She answered while she looked towards us and saw how far we fell behind. ¡°An hour? It feels like we¡¯ve been walking much longer than that.¡± I responded. She stopped and waited until we caught up to her. As we caught up, she looked me up and down, ¡°You¡¯re not familiar with wearing that armor, are you?¡± she asked with confusion. ¡°No, I¡¯m trying to get used to it¡­ It¡¯s very heavy.¡± I said with a hint of embarrassment. ¡°Alright, we can slow down until you can get accustomed to the extra weight.¡± She said with a smirk. As we traveled for a few more miles we approached a dense forest that the path cut straight through, ¡°Be careful, this is a hotspot for goblins or other hooligans to ambush any unsuspecting travelers.¡± Emily said nervously. ¡°Goblins?¡± I asked. She turned towards me and let out a sigh, ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you were this ignorant. Yes, goblins. They will most likely rob you of your valuables and leave you for dead out in this forest. We shouldn''t have to worry about them since-¡± an arrow struck next to her feet, ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me.¡± ¡°My my my.¡± A small green figure that stood upon a large tree said in an annoyingly raspy voice, ¡°If it isn¡¯t Emily and her¡­ boyfriend? Emily, I had no idea you were in a relationship. Come on, what''s his name?¡± ¡°Now¡¯s not a good time, Grubs.¡± She said clearly annoyed at the little green man. ¡°Emily, come on. You know the rules, you have to introduce me to anyone you bring along with you. Now, what''s the little guy''s name?¡± He asked while drinking from a flask that he had kept on his belt along with a scimitar and a few coin purses. ¡°His name is Jeremy, and he is not my boyfriend.¡± As the goblin heard this he spat out his drink and started to burst out laughing, ¡°Okay that was a good one, I¡¯ll give you that. But really, what¡¯s the fella¡¯s name?¡± he asked while taking another sip from his flask. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a joke, his name is Jeremy.¡± The goblin started to smile with his mouth full of his drink, he swallowed and started to laugh again, ¡°Oh, Emily, you¡¯re killing me, no one has a name that ridiculous.¡± This goblin started to get on my nerves after he said this. I was about to say something to the goblin until Emily said, ¡°Grubs, I¡¯m sorry, we¡¯re in a rush, I¡¯ll tell you on the way back.¡± as she said this we started to continue our way down the path. We made it about 10 feet before Grubs shot another arrow towards us, ¡°Emily, perhaps you¡¯ve forgotten the rules. One gold per entry.¡± She sighed and dug in her coin purse for two small golden coins, she walked towards Grubs and handed him the money, ¡°Something ain¡¯t right here.¡± Grubs said as she handed him the money. ¡°And that would be?¡± she asked while her hands shook in rage ¡°Well, I¡¯m counting two gold in my hand, and three entries into my forest. You, the boy, and the dog-¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your forest to begin with!¡± I shouted at Grubs. I quickly put my hand over my mouth as I spoke these words. ¡°You¡¯re gonna get us killed!¡± Emily shouted firmly to me. ¡°I don''t know what came over me.¡± I said with a stutter in my voice. ¡°That¡¯s an extra gold for the back talk!¡± Grubs shouted over us. Emily sighed as she heard him say this. She dug through her coin purse and pulled out two more golden coins. She walked back to Grubs and handed him the coins, ¡°Why thank you Emily, maybe next time your boy will behave himself a little better.¡± As they were talking, I noticed vines started to creep up on Grubs. They were a shade of dark green and were covered with large brown thorns like the ones that would grow from my mom¡¯s rose bushes. They crept closer towards Grubs and when they were about five feet away from him, they started to rise upwards like a cobra ready to strike. Emily noticed the vines just before they were about to strike, ¡°Grubs, watch out behind you!¡± she shouted. ¡°Yeah right, the last time I fell for that one was five years ago. You can¡¯t fool me Emily, every time you fail misera-¡± At that, the vines wrapped themselves around Grubs, ¡°Get these things off of me!¡± Grubs shouted in pain. Emily quickly grabbed her dagger and as she was about to cut the vines, she smirked towards me, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll get these vines off of you. But, It¡¯ll cost you.¡± Grubs was struggling desperately to get out of the grasp of the vines, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do it myself.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Emily responded, ¡°Guess we¡¯ll be on our way.¡± She walked towards me and grabbed me by the arm as we started to walk down the trail once again. We were only about fifty feet away from grubs once he shouted, ¡°Alright! How much do I owe you!¡± Emily smiled once she heard this, ¡°Hm, it¡¯ll be five gold, perhaps?¡± ¡°Fine, fine, just let me outta here.¡± We walked back towards grubs and cut him free. As we let him loose, he angrily dove his hand into one of his many coin purses, ¡°Take your filthy money and don¡¯t come back through here again!¡± Emily grinned and responded, ¡°Pleasure doing business with ya Grubs.¡± He grabbed his crossbow back up from off the ground and started to climb up the tree he had been waiting in when we had gotten there. We collected our gold and headed back down the trail. ¡°You did amazing.¡± Emily spoke out to me with joy, ¡°How¡¯d you do it?¡± ¡°Do what?¡± I asked in confusion. ¡°How''d you control the vines?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do that.¡± I responded. ¡°Of course you did, only druids can control nature.¡± ¡°But, I can¡¯t- I don¡¯t even know where I could have learned.¡± She smiled at me and responded, ¡°You don¡¯t have to learn. Magic is a strange thing, at first it may be controlled by your emotions or even accidentally. Of course you can learn to control it, but I think your magic is controlled by your emotion currently. That could be a very dangerous thing, you saw what it did to Grubs. You¡¯ll have to learn how to control it if you want to be a powerful magic caster like me.¡± Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. This shocked me as it left Emily¡¯s mouth, I barely knew a thing about magic, and now I can use it? I tried to absorb these words as I asked, ¡°So, how do I control this magic?¡± ¡°It¡¯s easy, almost like learning to use a sword or shooting a bow. Once you learn to control it, you can only get better. The way I learned was thinking of the moment when I accidentally used it.¡± she giggled, ¡°I almost burnt the mansion down that day. It happened when I was about five. I was mad at one of our maids for not letting me play outside because she had just mopped the floors and didn''t want me to get them dirty again. I felt the rage burn throughout my body and I somehow managed to miss her with a ball of fire. From that day on, she never prohibited me from playing outside again.¡± ¡°So, if I want to use my magic, I just have to think back to the time that I was mad at Grubs?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s a little more complicated than that. You have to focus more on how you felt on the inside; were you mad, upset et cetera.¡± I thought for a moment before I responded, ¡°Well yes, I was mad at Grubs for taking our money and for treating you poorly.¡¯ ¡°Well, there you go. Just think back to how you felt on the inside. Did you feel any different than when you normally get angry?¡± After she said this I closed my eyes and concentrated on that moment. After a minute or so, I felt something different inside of me; some sort of new emotion growing inside of me. As I opened my eyes, in the path in front of me grew a light pink rose in between the cracks between the cobblestone. Sure enough this rose reminded me exactly of the ones my mom grew. ¡°That¡¯s very beautiful Jeremy.¡± Emily said, ''You''re quick to learn, it took me days to do something like that on command.¡± Wilbur noticed the rose and started to sniff the bloom, ¡°Reminds me of the backyard.¡± he whimpered. I got down to my knees and picked the rose from the stem it was growing from and handed it to Emily. She blushed and said, ¡°Thank you.¡± as she placed it in her hair. We continued our way down the cobblestone path until it came to an end, ¡°We¡¯re close.¡± Emily said while we stepped off of the stone path. We continued through a thick dark forest that blocked out most of the sunlight. For about an hour we traveled through the forest before I said, ¡°I thought you said we were close.¡± ¡°Yes, we are close¡± She responded, ¡°It¡¯ll be at least another hour before we get there.¡± I sighed as she said this and started to walk a little faster so I could catch up with her again. Although we could not see the sun, we felt it set as the forest started to grow colder. I started to shiver as soon as I felt the cold air touch my skin under my armor. As the forest grew darker, Emily created a small flame in her hands in order to see further in front of us. We journeyed on in the darkness of the forest for a while longer until Emily interrupted the silence and said, ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± In front of us was nothing but more forest. ¡°Where¡¯s here?¡± I asked Emily. ¡°Belleville.¡¯ She replied. ¡°I don¡¯t see it.¡± ¡°Well, technically we¡¯re not there yet. We¡¯re about fifteen feet from it.¡± Before I could say anything else, Emily walked forward between two large red trees and seemingly vanished. Wilbur quickly ran after her and as he ran between the two trees, he as well vanished. I decided to follow along and stepped between the two trees. As I did, the forest around me started to reform into a large open plain with the large red trees surrounding the entire area. In this plain was a large village that a river ran through. It was as bright as day although you could still see the stars and moon burning in the night sky. I noticed Emily was standing by my side as I absorbed the beautiful sight, ¡°Welcome to Belleville.¡± she said as she once again took me by the hand and started to walk our way towards the village. ¡°Your mother lives here?¡± I asked in astonishment. ¡°Yes, she¡¯s always liked to live in nature rather than cities like my father.¡± ¡°My mom is like that too, she loves the wild.¡± As I said this she turned to me and said, ¡°That explains a lot.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± I asked. ¡°Because you¡¯re a druid and you¡¯re connected to nature, I imagine your mother was the same way. What was your father like?¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t say, I¡¯ve never met him though my mom does talk about him a lot. She always tells me that I am just like him.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what happened to him?¡± She asked empathetically ¡°She told me he had just left one day never to return.¡± I sighed and she squeezed my hand and said, ¡°I know what that feels like now.¡± We continued our way through the village. The roads were empty other than an occasional towns guard who would greet us with a smile. We made our way to one of the houses and Emily knocked on the door. A few moments later, the door swung open gently and stood behind it was a tall elven woman who wore a long green silk nightgown, her hair was a shade of a very light blonde and reached well past her shoulders. As she saw Emily, she nearly cried with joy, ¡°Emily it¡¯s been so long, why have you come at such a late hour.¡± she said as she gave Emily a hug. ¡°I¡¯ll explain more once we get inside, but for now, I¡¯d like you to meet my personal guard Jeremy and his faithful companion Wilbur.¡± Her mother looked me up and down for a second and held her hand out for me to shake, ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure Jeremy, I¡¯m Sonya. Thank you for protecting my daughter on the fierce trails out here.¡± She welcomed us inside and gave us a seat at the dinner table, ¡°I would have had something prepared if I had known you were coming, you need to warn me next time.¡± ¡°I had no choice mother, our city had been destroyed.¡± Hearing this almost made Sonya drop the pot of tea she had been pouring for us, ¡°What! How could this happen?¡± ¡°Well, it''s a long story but the main point is that the Demon Queen is attacking once again.¡± ¡°I knew I shouldn''t have let her live last time we defeated her.¡± ¡°How will we defeat her this time? She controls a dragon.¡± Emily asked. ¡°A dragon? How could she get her hands on one of those?¡± ¡°I barely know anything mother, it happened so unexpectedly.¡± Sonya set a cup of tea in front of Emily and I and she poured a bowl of water for Wilbur which he happily lapped up, ¡°And what do you know about this Jeremy?¡± ¡°Well, the only thing I know is that the Demon Queen is after me. She needs me to pay a debt or something along those lines.¡± ¡°A debt? What do you owe her?¡± ¡°I haven''t the slightest clue. The only thing I know is that she¡¯s given me this sword that was crafted by your husband.¡± I said after taking a sip of tea. ¡°What sword is this?¡± She asked. I pulled the sword from my belt and showed her, ¡°How¡¯d she get her hands on this?¡± Emily set her cup of tea down and answered, ¡°She stole it from his forge somehow.¡± ¡°Interesting.¡± She replied, ¡°Well, I know of a way we could defeat her, it requires a very expensive gem. Luckily tomorrow the jeweler is holding an auction on rare gems, perhaps we could obtain it from there?.¡± ¡°Mother, what are you talking about? You¡¯re not talking about summoning-¡± ¡°Yes Emily, we are going to summon him, unless you have a better idea.¡± ¡°Excuse me, but what are we talking about?¡± I interrupted. ¡°None of your concern!¡¯ They shouted in unison. ¡°Well, we should get to bed, mother. We can attempt your plan in the morning.¡± Emily stood up from the table and started her way towards the stairs. I followed along and walked up the stairs with her. We walked into a room with a large king sized bed that was bedded with royal blue blankets and pillows. Emily climbed underneath the blankets and fell asleep within minutes. I took my armor off and set it next to the bed. I was about to climb under the covers until I heard Sonya from the hallway, ¡°Jeremy, may I have a word with you?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± I answered. She led me down the hallway and into another bedroom, ¡°Is there anything you¡¯re not telling me about the Demon Queen.¡± ¡°Well, she has shown up in my dreams a few times, but not since Emily had cleansed me from her- except shortly before the dragon attacked.¡± ¡°What happened then?¡± She urged me. ¡°She wanted me to kill Emily to gain her trust, but I didn¡¯t listen to her. Then when I disobeyed her commands, she destroyed the city.¡± I answered ¡°Do you suspect her curse is still inside of you?¡± ¡°Possibly.¡± I said with uncertainty. ¡°If you ever suspect her to be controlling you, tell me and I can try to cure you. Well, you should get some rest for tonight, we have a long day tomorrow.¡± She led me back to my room and wished me goodnight. I climbed underneath the covers and gave Wilbur a hug as I wished him a goodnight as well.