january

I step toward the woman as she turns to get a better look at me. Long, bushy black hair cascades over her, partially obscuring her face. One of her eyes is visible to me, and as it locks with mine, I'm taken aback by how familiar it is. Those deep yellow eyes. They're just like mine. Like my dad's.

I take a guarded breath. I don't know who this woman is - I'm not sure, anyway. But I have a nervous feeling that I might.

She smiles shyly. "Come on, now. You mean to tell me you don't remember your own aunt? I guess it has been quite a while..."

It clicks. I have seen her before. She looks just the same as she does in my memories from long ago. I met this woman on the moon. She's my aunt. I'm even named after her - in a way.

"January Madera?" I say quietly. 

She laughs. "Oh, please. Call me Jan. 'Auntie' probably feels a little too informal for now, right?"

"I heard you came to the earth, but what are you doing here?" I ask. I haven't seen her for many years. Like me, she was probably barred from ever returning to the moon.

"An investigation, if you will," she remarks, rising from the chair and holding her arms out. "But before all of that. A hug, maybe!? It's been far too long!"

She scoops me up and brings me in close, stuffing me into her thick coat. "You've grown into such a handsome young man! Oh, you look so much like Andy when he was young, I can't believe it...how's your mom? Has she been keeping up alright? What about your neighbors, the Summers? Oh! Did you ever make it official with that girl you liked? What was her name? Oh, the Icarra girl..."

I take a step away from her. I feel uncomfortable. It's good to see family again, but not in a situation like this. I have no idea what happened to Kieran or Bree, and I have no idea where I am. If I was kidnapped, accidentally teleported...

But everything she's saying. It's all real. And casual. She has memories of Little Moon Town, there's no doubt. This is my aunt.

"Jan, what are you doing here?" I ask again, dodging all of her questions. I look at her and frown. She reads the concern on my face and slowly her smile fades into something more serious. 

"I'm the warden of the northern country," Jan states matter-of-factly. "This famine and the Magician who caused it are a major concern for me."

I open my mouth to explain, to try and make sense of the situation, but she holds up her hand to stop me. "I laid a trap in that farmhouse. Seems you sprung it. Found a little doll in there, did you?"

"Yeah." I keep my reply curt. Regardless of who she is, I haven't seen her for years, and the circumstances of our meeting aren't exactly normal. No, if anything, this has only made her MORE suspicious.

"Yeah, they're creepy dolls," Jan says, trying to commiserate. "The Magician I'm working with, Eusevia, well...let's just say she's got a thing for those. She's the Magician of Wood, you see. And she uses those as totems to direct her magic."

Totems, directing magic? Rav said the farm was a hotspot on this 'web' he foresaw. But Rav was convinced that whoever created the web was also the one responsible for the famine...

"So are you trying to stop the famine?" I ask. I do not attempt to hide my suspicion. 

Jan looks at me for a moment, reading my expression. Is she trying to decide what to say?

"Yes, August. More than anyone, I seek to stop the famine promptly."

"Then, tell me what you know. I'm not alone. I have strong allies, here to help," I explain. "If it's someone you're fighting against, we can fight with you."

Jan takes a step away from me, moving into the small kitchen. She talks to me as she clanks around in there.

"There's no need to be in such a hurry," she informs me as she starts to take things out of the cabinet. "How about a nice drink? Do you still like hot chocolate?"

Hot chocolate sounds good right now, but I'm not exactly in a trusting mood. I don't think I can accept a drink from her.

"I can tell you've become a Magician, August. When did you arrive here? To the earth, I mean!"

"A year ago," I reply flatly. 

"Take a seat, please. Get comfortable. There's a blizzard moving in, we won't be getting anywhere, not this late in the day."

I suppose there's no harm in at least sitting. I take a spot on the couch, but I keep my eyes pointed toward the kitchen. If she's planning a surprise attack, I'll be ready. 

She peeks into the room, sees I'm sitting down, and smiles. 

"And what's your destiny, then? Don't tell me you're the one destined to cleanse this famine!"

I shake my head, even though she can't see me. It's a shame Sola isn't here right now. She's usually my test for situations like this. Sola can read hostility much better than I can, and she can tell if someone is being genuine or hiding something. 

"My destiny is to save the moon," I say, being deliberately vague. At least that is something I think she'd approve of.

"Oh!" I hear her call from the kitchen. "Don't tell me, you're the plucky Magician they're saying is going to kill the Flamekeeper?"

"Who's saying that?" I grimace. 

Jan arrives back in the room, handing me a steaming mug of hot chocolate. I don't want it, but I take it from her anyway. I may as well act like I'm trusting of her. 

And I question myself, too. Has she given me any reason not to trust her?

She returns to the room, a mug of her own in hand. She sits in the rocking chair across from me and takes a hearty sip of it before looking at me and smiling.

"I never thought I'd see any of our family again, August. You have no idea," she chuckles. "How happy this makes me."

"I have a lot of questions," I say weakly. "A lot."

Jan nods. "Oh, I'm sure you do. But now that we've found each other, we can take this one step at a time, hm?" 

Her voice is so familiar, so friendly. It's been nearly ten years since I saw her, but it feels like how it always is. How it was with mom and dad.

"Sorry, I'm a little shaken up," I say, letting my guard down just a little bit. "When I ended up here, I figured I was being taken captive by whoever started this famine. And we were attacked..."

Jan's eyes immediately narrow into slits. "Attacked?" she says, her voice deepening. "By who? Where? At the farm?"

I nod. "Three guys. They said they were supposed to attack anyone who 'found the doll'."

Jan curses under her breath. "Just as I thought. They're hunting anyone who might be looking into the famine. Damned murderers. Haven't they taken enough life with this?"

"So they weren't with you," I confirm. 

She looks at me in disbelief. "Oh, of course not! These men you speak of, they were meant to kill anyone before they could activate the doll. In other words, they were trying to stop you and I from meeting."

I nod my head. That makes sense - somewhat. It's hard to believe there are so many people of various groups connected to this famine. What's really going on here?

Without even realizing it, I take a sip of the hot chocolate. It's warm, and deliciously rich. I feel it invigorate my body in a flash. This better not be poisoned...

She smiles as I take a sip. "How is it?" she asks. I just nod and laugh. It's good.

"A little extra chocolate in that one, just the way your mom used to make it."

I feel the knot in my stomach begins to unwind. She's right. It takes familiar. Nostalgic. It connects to a part of me I thought I might never get to experience again - the joy of being with family. As I reminisce, I look at Jan expectantly. 

"This is a dangerous time to be in the northern country, August, but I'm glad you're here. In truth, I've been at my wit's end as to how to solve this problem. This awful famine is caused by an Arcanic, not by a human. Stopping the caster is one thing," she sighs, stirring her drink. "But undoing the damage? Another story entirely. We need a purification ritual for that.

She looks to me like she has something to say, but holds back. I can't read the timid expression in her eyes. What does she want to say?

"You want to end this famine, don't you?"

I nod. "Of course. But I want to find my friends first. They're all out here, too. Without them, I don't think there's anything I can do. I need to make sure they're safe."

"I'll contact my friend, the Magician of Wood," Jan beams. "She's got surveillance all over the region while we try to snuff out the people responsible. Surely she'll have seen something! I imagine your other allies were left behind at the farm."

I look off to the side, at the fire. It's still burning voraciously, filling the cottage with warmth. 

Jan clears her throat. 

"There might be a way to dispel the famine, but it isn't without risk. Tell me, August - are your wings still fully intact?"