bloodless axe

I spend the night at Jan's cottage. As loathe as I am to admit, I can't find Kieran and Bree. They're likely still in the lower part of the region, and I'm in the mountains. I'd have better luck finding Rav right now. Unfamiliar, snowy terrain, with sunset impending? No thanks.

It's a cramped and cozy room, but Jan has a guest bedroom I'm snuggled into - more like a guest closet. Still, I'll take a warm bed, especially after last night and being woken up by a pack of rabid Heenas.

I hope Sola returns soon. When her consciousness is fragmented from mine like she is now, we're not able to communicate outside of strong emotions. Because of that, we've come up with a little bit of a signal. Whenever I cast a spell, both Sola and Kieran can sense it - and recognize what spell it was. And so, I've developed a couple of spells that I only use if I need to send them a specific message. An 'I'm safe!' and a 'Need Help!' - my magic isn't diverse enough to have multiple spells on standby like that.

Once I decided to spend the night at Jan's, I cast a spell - a small, horned arc of hardened explosive light, like a horseshoe. I held it like that in my hands for ten seconds before I let it fade away. That's my signal to Kieran. I'm safe - for now, anyway.

Whenever I'm separated from Kieran, I like Sola to be with him. That way, he could send me back a message as well. So I know he's safe.

I toss and turn in the bed. The peace of mind would have done me some good right now. If I could guarantee Kieran's safety, I'd be a lot quicker to trust Jan, too. Especially when she's asking about my wings.

'Are your wings still fully intact?'

I had a visceral reaction to her question. Panicked. Alarmed. I didn't even answer, not at the time. She understood that her question upset me, and she backed off too. 

But later, shortly before I went to lay down, I told her the truth. My wings are good. She seemed relieved to hear it. Was she worried about me?

I don't get much sleep. Any time I fully doze off I find myself jolting back awake, thinking about Kieran, Rav, and Bree - although Rav I'm not too worried about. I do want to see him, though.

When I wake up, I'm relieved to learn Jan's cottage has running water. It feels nice to take a shower - about once every two days will suffice for us Nephilim. I'm a bit of an oddball - I like to take one, sometimes two a day if I can. It's relaxing, and it keeps me hydrated so I don't have to think about drinking much.

Once I'm ready for the day, Jan offers me a long, thick coat. I appreciate it - just because I can stand colder temperatures than humans doesn't mean I like it.

Bundled up, we walk outside, and Jan shows me to the side of the house. There's a lot more snow here than yesterday - it really did blizzard last night. 

"Eusevia isn't a far walk up the mountain, we'll be there by lunch," Jan smiles. 

"She's the totem lady?" I say, nervous. As creepy as that thing was...eesh. I don't know if I want to meet her. She's kind of the whole reason I barely trust my own aunt, after all.

We start up a wide path that leads deeper into the mountains. I see scattered buildings nestled in the peaks all around us. I wonder if one of these houses belongs to Bree's family?

Jan steps forward. She reaches to her left side and touches her hand to a circular Arcanic on her waist. As she does, a red light manifests in her hand, transmuting into the shape of an axe. 

"If we run into any trouble, we use this first," she says, handing the axe to me. I give her a nod, looking down at it in my hand. It looks almost like Nephilim wings, were it not so thick and sturdy.

"What's this?" I ask.

"As strong as a regular axe, but it draws no blood. It drains the vitality of anyone it strikes, but it will never kill, only incapacitate."

I take a look at the axe, nodding my head. "That's pretty cool!"

As we continue walking, my eye catches her Arcanic device, the one she used to generate the axe. "Can you make multiple?" I wonder. Jan turns to me, a big grin. "As many as I want, but they only last a few good whacks."

She has an axe that can knock someone out but will never kill them. That's not something an evil person would have.

Jan looks down into the snow, struggling to trudge through. The build-up of snow is slowing down our progress. 

"You've got a lot of questions, don't you? You're quiet."

She's right, but there's a lot on my mind. Too much, maybe. Like I don't know what to prioritize. but after thinking about it, I realize there's a right answer here.

"I'm really glad I found you, Jan," I say, my voice lifting me up. "I've been feeling a little homesick, and today, I woke up and I felt like I was back home on the moon."

I loosen my shoulders. It's true. It's maybe a little irrational or stupid, but I trust her. She's family. 

I look to Jan and give her a big smile as we continue our journey onward. 

She turns to me and returns the affection. "I feel just the same, August."

I step closer to her and we start walking side by side. She points out our destination. Just around the bend. 

As we cross around the mountain, I see a mess of wood. It looks like an entire forest grew here overnight, but the trees are strange. Abnormally straight, and winding around each other like they were chasing something.

"What the - " Jan's eyes widen. She generates an axe, but also grabs a small rod from her belt. I eye her second weapon. She hadn't shown that one to me.

"There was a battle here," Jan declares. "Someone has attacked the Magician of Wood."