I couldn't hide my surprise at seeing Merkell standing there, Emy and I jumped up and we rushed over to hug him. It might have looked strange to anyone watching but the relief I felt at seeing him here in the middle of nowhere, after being rushed away from another monstrosity, was almost too much.
He wrapped an arm around the two of us and I knew he could sense our feelings. We embraced for a few seconds more before separating to look up at him. His face appeared to be fresher than the last time I'd seen him, happier and almost younger somehow. I guessed seeing his family again had renewed him, it was nice to see. But the expression that took over his face at that moment made me think it was clearly over.
"Tell me everything from the beginning, I felt the disturbance in Dumair's wards and knew what must have happened. I am glad Orion and Alacor kept to the contingency plan we agreed on."
I didn't understand some of what he said but Emy and I moved back to our chair while everyone gathered near the fire. Blaike told Merkell what had happened, he left nothing out and I learned that they'd used magic to recover the weapons and cloaks. I felt worse than useless listening to him recount it all; Emy and I had done nothing except let ourselves be moved around like chess pieces.
When Blaike finished his story with Merkell's arrival, the whole cabin was silent and Merkell was pacing the room, scratching his chin. He was clearly deep in thought and nobody wanted to disturb him, we stayed silent as we waited for his verdict.
"I must leave, I will go immediately to Dumair and help with the new protection plan. The five of you must stay here until someone comes to collect you."
Blaike and Kaleb began to protest and Kayle just frowned, I glanced at Emy and she was shaking her head.
"Something about this doesn't feel right."
"I know what you mean, I've had a weird feeling since we got here."
Emy nodded and I could tell we were on the same page, ever since we'd left the tunnel I'd had a strange feeling about this whole situation but I couldn't put my finger on it.
"What is it?" Merkell had moved over to stand in front of us, I didn't know if it was because he'd heard us or that he sensed the feeling we both shared.
"I'm not sure but something isn't adding up, why would a Horror," I shuddered as I was reminded of the grotesque creature just by saying its name. "Why would it break through the protections and then come to the house at one of the busiest times of the day? Surely they're not that stupid, so what was the point of coming and getting caught? It can't have been just to get us, otherwise it could have waited until the dead of night when nobody was milling around?"
Merkell's expression was somewhere between shock and pride, apparently he hadn't thought of that possibility and I could see the cogs turning in his mind. Everyone was silent again while Merkell thought and I could hear the wind picking up outside. I couldn't tell if it was still snowing or how much was falling. Would we get snowed in here?
"It may have realised someone would be alerted to its presence, but I think you may be onto something," Merkell said after several minutes passed. I almost thought he was talking about the snow.
"What could it be?" Emy asked.
Merkell pursed his lips and the green in his eyes was almost glowing, "I think it might have been a trap. I am not certain who it was for but if my action just now was any indication, it is possible it was for me."
"You were about to go rushing off on your own to find out what was happening and how to help, there could be an ambush waiting for you, sir." Blaike was nodding to his own words and the sense of what he said hit everyone in the room at the same time.
There was a collective 'oh' and the tension in the room lightened ever so slightly.
"So the safest course would be to wait here with you until you are retrieved, then I can return to my family." Merkell explained, Emy and I shared a look of surprise.
"You're not gonna come back with us after it's all okay?"
The guys looked at Merkell expectantly and he took a moment before he responded, his voice careful.
"I do not think that would be wise, if this trap was set for me then I should not walk into it. I will return in one season as previously stated, this is just one incident and we may be overthinking it. Caution is the key to survival at the moment however, so I will stay until you are in the care of one of your parents and then we will part ways, for a time."
He left it there and I could tell it would be pointless to argue with him, that didn't stop Emy though and they spent the next hour discussing why he had to leave. Neither of them gained any ground and Emy was left with the same response he'd given before. The rest of us had left them to it, I got comfortable in the chair next to Emy and listened. Kayle was stood by the window and kept looking out every few minutes. Blaike and Kaleb had gone to search for something to eat and towards the end of the discussion, they came back with a sack of food and a mattress each that they'd taken from the upstairs beds.
"We thought it would be best if we all stayed in the same room tonight, it will make it easier if we have to get out in a hurry."
Kaleb dropped the mattresses down on the floor between the chair and sofa, and I watched a few grey feathers fly up into the air.
Emy and I took one of the mattresses while the guys agreed on which shift they'd each take while the others slept.
"I thought it was supposed to be safe here? That nobody knew about it?" Emy asked with a raised brow.
We sat side by side on the mattress, our cloaks wrapped snugly around us.
"It is safe, but just as Merkell said, caution is the key," Kayle smiled.
He must have thought it was reassuring but the way he kept looking out of the window left me on edge.
"Then why do you keep looking out of the window like someone's gonna attack us any minute?" Emy asked with her eyes narrowed and I wished she hadn't put it like that.
"I'm not, that's not- never mind. I just like to keep a lookout for anything unusual, that's all." Kayle stumbled over his words.
I frowned suspiciously at him, there was something about this place that made him act differently.
"Whatever," Emy rolled her eyes and grabbed one of the snacks Kaleb and Blaike had brought in.
She broke one in half and passed some to me, it tasted a bit like a croissant but extra sweet. I munched on mine and watched the guys with curiosity. Merkell had sat himself in the middle of the sofa with his eyes closed. Blaike and Kaleb were stood at attention near the doors to the room and I got the feeling we wouldn't be sleeping much that night. Regardless, I laid down once I had finished my snack and spread out my cloak so it covered me, the fire was roaring away but I still felt a chill.
Someone or something had set a trap in our own house, they had managed to get through the protective magic guarding us and in the end we still didn't know what their end goal was. I tried to focus on something else and stroked the rose clasp on my cloak, memories of the first night Merkell had revealed everything to us came flooding back. It felt like such a long time ago, I remembered the way we had dismissed him as crazy and how long it had taken us to believe.
It made me wonder what would have happened if we had refused to leave, if we had said no and labelled it all a hoax. Would he have left without us? Would we have found our parents gone the next day and been left abandoned there? I shook my head in the hope it would get rid of the dark thoughts creeping in, we had enough to deal with without my brain causing extra panic.
I attempted to sleep when I heard Emy's breathing even out, it was calming to have her beside me. I must have drifted off at some point because when I opened my eyes again, the room had changed. The fire was burning low, Merkell was stood by the window, Blaike was asleep on the mattress while Kaleb and Kayle were nowhere in sight.
I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes, my movement should have caught Merkell's attention but he didn't move. He was too busy staring out of the window, it was still dark out and from what I could see the gas lamps had dimmed since we'd arrived.
"Where are Kaleb and Kayle?" I asked quietly and Merkell turned his head to look at me.
He smiled as he gestured outside, "They just went out to do something, they shouldn't be long. How did you sleep?"
I thought about bringing up the fact that it should have been safer for us to stick together but I didn't have as much experience as they did in this matter.
"I slept okay, considering. How long do you think it will be 'til someone comes for us?"
Merkell turned his whole body so he faced me now, "I couldn't say, it would depend on what they find out from the Dark Horror and when your parents deem it safe for you to return."
I nodded and looked down at my hands, "Is this what our life is going to be like until we fight Riltresik? Monsters come and we hide until we're supposed to be strong enough?"
My questions were met with silence at first, when I looked up at Merkell his frown was etching deep lines into his face.
"It will not always be like this, once you have a handle on your training and your skills are accomplished enough, then you will be able to fight the Horrors and any other adversaries that come across your path. It is unfortunate that this incident happened so soon, I hope it has not knocked your confidence."
But it had done exactly that, we hadn't been able to do a thing against the creature and just ended up fleeing in protective custody. Merkell had a knowing look, he sensed my emotions and his expression turned sympathetic. I was sure he was about to console me when there was a knock at the door.
Merkell moved to place his hand against the door panel and proceeded to open the door to let in those responsible for the knock. Kayle and Kaleb rushed in covered in snow, their cheeks were rosy red and their hair was soaking wet. They were both smiling as they took off their cloaks and moved to hang them near the fire. My curiosity was piqued as they both sat down carefully on the other mattress near Blaike.
"Where have you two been?" I asked in a hushed tone, Emy fidgeted next to me and sat up, covering a yawn with her hand. "Sorry, did I wake you up?"
She sighed, "No, the cold air did... but, who went where?"
She looked around and even without their cloaks on, it was obvious that Kayle and Kaleb had been out in the cold.
Kaleb looked at Kayle questioningly, he furrowed his brow then looked down at his shoes.
"We went to visit someone who lives here, to say thank you for keeping the cabin going in case we needed it."
My curiosity only heightened, I would have expected that to be something Merkell would have done.
"In the middle of the night? Weren't they asleep?"
I could have sworn I saw Kayle wince but he shrugged it off, "It's nearly seven in the morning, we knocked and they answered."
I frowned deeper, he was purposely being evasive now and I was about to ask why, when Merkell cleared his throat.
"It is time for breakfast then, once Blaike is awake we will ask him to go and acquire something for us to eat and then figure out what to do with the day." His wording made my brain hurt and I shivered, unable to shake the feeling that there was more going on.
"Blaike is awake," a groggy voice came from the other side of the room.
In the same instant, the fire burst into life again. My brow creased, could it be Blaike heard me shiver or was it just that he felt the cold circulating the room, and I was overthinking it?
"Good, you are getting breakfast," Kayle said and his wide smile had returned. I couldn't tell if it was real or forced but he seemed to fool everyone else.
"So I heard, I will be back soon," Blaike stood up, pulled on his cloak and lifted the hood up to head out of the door.
Emy and I stayed on the mattress while Kayle laid down on his and Kaleb sat on the edge, I knew they wouldn't tell us where exactly they had been. So I decided to change the tact.
"Here's something I would love to know, how exactly did we get from the Southern Sector to the Western so quickly, through that one tunnel?"
Kayle exchanged a quick glance with Kaleb, they both looked to Merkell who didn't acknowledge their glance.
Kayle looked back to us and said, "Magic."
He grinned mischievously and turned over so we couldn't see his face, after a few more seconds I could hear a faint snoring. Kayle had actually fallen asleep that quickly and Emy growled under her breath.
"He is so infuriating! I just want to smack him in his sleep," she said in an aggravated whisper, just loud enough for Kaleb to hear.
He laughed as quietly as his deep voice could manage.
I patted Emy's hand and chuckled, "Don't do that. Wait until he's awake, you'll appreciate it better."
I could see a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
"Erm, where will Blaike get breakfast from, all the way up here?" I asked of nobody in particular.
Kaleb smiled when he answered, "I have a good feeling you will not want to know. How do you think the other residents of this village get their food?"
Emy and I shared a quick look of disgust, the words hunting and dead animal unwittingly popped into my mind and I sighed. I definitely wasn't a vegetarian and I knew where meat came from but seeing the dead animal before it was prepared, that was a different story entirely.
I nodded to Kaleb and tried not to think about what Blaike was doing. "Who gets the meat supply for Dumair?"
It felt strange to pronounce it outside of our classroom, in ordinary conversation, and I crinkled my nose after it left my mouth.
Kaleb squinted his eyes, "Another question you may not want the answer to. Either a select group of huntsmen will go out for your family's household or... your father will with a few servants."
My eyes widened and I gasped at the information, "My dad? Hunting animals?"
I couldn't believe it, he'd never expressed any interest in hunting and he'd always been vehemently against fox hunting when the issue had come up back home.
Kaleb nodded, "I told you it would not be something you wanted to hear, it is our way of life. I do not like it but that is how we do things, did you not have people to procure meat for you back in the other world?"
I frowned and nodded extra slowly, "Yeesss, but it's nobody I know, and I don't see it happening in front of me."
I could hear how careless and shallow that sounded but it was the truth, out of sight, out of mind I suppose.
Kaleb smiled a fraction wider, "It is different when you see it first hand, let us hope you never do because I do not think you would cope with training on vegetables alone."
Emy made a choking noise and I grinned when I looked at her.
"I know I definitely couldn't live solely on vegetables... but wait, Blaike won't bring whatever he gets in here, will he?"
My brows raised, I hoped Blaike didn't think it would build character or something equally ridiculous.
Kaleb's smile faltered, "I do not think so, but we will not be able to do much with it outside in the snow..." He trailed off and glanced over to Merkell, who was still standing near the window, after another minute he walked back over to sit on the sofa.
"I will help Blaike prepare the animal before we bring it inside, I do not want you to be traumatised by anything else just now."
I would have taken offence to that but I noticed how his mouth curved up a little.
"Wow, Merkell, I didn't know you had it in you to be amusing anymore," I stated with a chuckle.
"Yeah, ever since we arrived here you've been Mr Stick-Up-Your-"
"Emily." He warned, a small smile playing around his mouth and she held up her hands in mock defence.
At that moment there was a knock, at the window this time and only Merkell moved, he walked over and looked outside.
"I will be back in a moment."
And with that he left through the front door. Moments later, Kaleb disappeared into another room and I sighed as I leaned against Emy.
"You alright?" She asked and peeked around at my face, I didn't know what she saw there but it made her frown.
"I'm okay, I guess I feel like a loose end, we're constantly needing to be rescued and protected. I know I'm no good at fighting but there has to be something we can do to stop this happening over and over."
Emy scratched her forehead, "I suppose that's what the training will do in time, and you're not that bad at fighting."
I snorted at the obvious lie, "I'm horrible at it. Maybe once we get better with the weapons, I might find my strength."
"Maybe, but we're new at all of this so don't expect miracles."
That was easy for her to say, she was a pro at the hand to hand fighting and some of the weapons we'd tried, the only thing that came naturally to me was reading and I couldn't exactly read an enemy to death.
We passed the rest of the time in companionable silence, Kayle's faint snores could be heard over the crackling of the fire and I watched through the window as it started to get light out. Kaleb came back in a little while after, carrying some china plates and what might have passed for chicken eggs but they looked a little worse for wear.
He placed everything on the floor and proceeded to prepare the eggs in a bowl of hot water, once he'd peeled the shell off they looked more edible. The minute he was done, there was a knock at the front door, we knew it would be Merkell and Blaike but Kaleb placed his hand against the door panels anyway.
They walked in together and hovering between them was a pile of roasted meat cut up into sections. I was glad that I couldn't tell what it had been before, I could just smell the delicious scent. It must have been strong because it managed to wake Kayle up when the knocking and talking hadn't, he stretched himself and got up to help with distributing the food.
Breakfast was served and it was incredible, nobody spoke while we ate and once we were done it was a while before anyone said anything. Blaike took his watch by the window while Kaleb took up the entire mattress and fell asleep almost as quickly as Kayle had, although he didn't snore.
I felt content from my full stomach but I also felt the boredom creeping in. I glanced to the window and then to Merkell who had taken up the chair.
"Would it be completely insane for us to go outside?" I asked hesitantly.
Emy and I loved snow and we were itching to go and play in it, not that I would have admitted that part to any of them. Emy gave me a knowing smile and I returned it until I looked back at Merkell.
His brow was creased, he was really thinking about it and he shook his head.
"I do not think that would be wise, we do not know if anyone is out there waiting for the two of you to appear out in the open."
"You guys have been out in it, wouldn't they have just attacked you and come for us anyway if they were?" Emy put it bluntly and Merkell's brow raised, she made a good point.
"I'll go out with them, I could do with stretching my legs," Kayle spoke up and he was already inching towards the door.
I looked eagerly back at Merkell whose face said he didn't think it was a good idea, but after a moment he relented.
"Alright but keep your eyes and ears open, any sign of trouble and you will return immediately."
The three of us nodded simultaneously and Emy and I quickly got up before he could change his mind. I made sure my boots were pulled up and rushed over to the door.
"And keep the hoods of your cloaks up," Merkell added when Kayle opened the door.