Chapter Text
The forest burns around him.
Light dances from tree to tree, surrounding him. Fear is a heavy weight in his stomach, anchoring him in place and keeping him from running. He can’t move. He can’t scream. He is going to die.
His father stands before him, a dark contrast to the roaring flames. Abram watches him laugh as he steps closer, reaching down and pulling his axe from the flames. The Butcher’s eyes seem to glow a bright yellow as he sneers down his nose at his son.
“Scared, Nathaniel?”
Scared doesn’t begin to describe the rot that has taken over Abram’s body. He calls for his magic, for his mother, for anything but is left alone in his demise.
Laughter seems to penetrate from the flames, echoing and endless around them. It sounds like misplaced hyenas in the thick burning brush. His father is miles away, far too close, right in his face, choking him and kicking him away. He hasn’t moved. Abram can’t breathe-
The ceiling was a saviour from the flames when Neil startled awake in the early light of the morning. Cold, wet air flowed in from the open window, shocking his lungs as he gasped for air. His skin was soaked in sweat from a flame that was long gone. His father wasn’t here. He was fine. He was alone.
Neil forced himself to roll off the bed, the distance to the ground only a short fall. He pushed himself up shakily and grounded himself in his room. The bed was pushed up against the far corner of a shoebox of a room that was cluttered and disorganised. The few surfaces that did exist on his wardrobe and desk were swamped in plants and journals. A window sat above his desk, looking out at the small town of Millport. The town which had yet to awaken. Neil shut the window as he passed, chastising himself for leaving it open as he slept.
The stairs creaked under him as he made his way down to the shop. It was dim and quiet but Neil still paused to listen for any foreign noise. It was an old but not useless habit. When it seemed clear he set about the task of lighting the lanterns throughout the shop. He was not going to be able to go back to sleep any time soon so he might as well set about opening for the day.
The next few hours flew by quickly and without issue. As the sun came up, Millport came to life. It was a small but respectable town. Everyone who resided there had grown up in the area and made no rush to leave. The centre of town held the few businesses that then morphed into houses and farms further out until you met endless fields. Neil had picked it a year earlier due to its distance from other cities and the trading routes. It was rare travellers passed through if at all and news about it spread quickly. It was as safe as living in a town could get for Neil.
It had been a slow day so far, the only customers who had come through being the older ladies that visited every morning to say hello to Neil and ask after his health. No matter that they had seen him just the previous morning, they were always just as interested in his answer. Neil didn’t typically see a lot of actual business outside of the occasional mother looking for something to help her feverish child or something similar. Despite this, he did well enough for himself to be able to afford enough food and supplies to get by.
He had attracted a lot of attention when he had first moved to Millport. A newcomer in a stagnant town brought a lot of unwanted questions and looks but it wasn’t long before they accepted him as one of their own. The town was made up of halflings and with the glamour Neil wore at all times, he fit right in. It wasn’t a complex disguise; only truly working to cover his more elven traits in his ears and face.
The small chance that anyone might be able to link him to his father was enough reason for Neil to wear the glamour. The small ring on his left hand was a simple band but it kept his auburn hair black and his blue eyes a soft brown. It concealed the less severe scars on his arms and neck from stray eyes and helped him blend it just a little bit more. It wasn’t a complex spell but it was enough. Millport was enough.
This is why it caught him so off guard when two unfamiliar faces walked through his door. In the split second he saw them, everything in him prepared to sprint up the stairs, grab his journals and bag and jump out the window with nothing slowing him until he made it to the next town. One of them was a tall half-orc man who seemed like he could easily throw Neil across a field by his ankle. Black spirals trailed up his arms and to his neck meeting a harsh face. Beside him was a much shorter but no less intense elven woman. It was not unnoticed by Neil that the most expensive thing either of them wore was the shortswords at their sides. It was the genuine smile that crossed the woman’s face that kept Neil from diving for the stairs.
“Hello,” She greeted him, “I am Danielle Wilds, resident guard and second in command of our party, the Foxes of Palmetto. This is David Wymack, my trainer and our acting leader.” She dipped her head in acknowledgement towards Neil.
Neil still felt so visible and uncomfortable in their presence, horrified that he hadn’t heard of their arrival before they found their way to his shop. His skin crawled. Millport had failed him and he was going to have to leave. He got too comfortable staying stagnant. He knew better. Staying here and trying to live out his final year was a pipe dream he was going to have to finally let go. For now he just had to focus on getting these strangers out of here and he would be gone by the time the night comes. This was a long awaited reality check.
Neil forced his shoulders to drop and his mouth to smile gently at the pair, “Hello. Is there anything in particular I can help you find?” He knew they were waiting for an introduction but he wasn’t ready to give the last bits of his privacy up to these two strangers. By tomorrow Neil Josten would no longer exist but for right now he was going to do everything he could to protect his dwindling identity.
“Ah,” Danielle glanced back at David, “Yes, we are just looking to grab some supplies for the casters in our party. I have a list they sent me with if that’s alright.” She moved to pull a paper from her bag. Neil watched as David glanced around, evaluating the plants, incense, and jewellery throughout the room. It was just as cramped as his bedroom was but it had much more of a system.
Neil helped them find everything on the list with ease. Most of it was extremely basic spell components and some other miscellaneous supplies. Danielle attempted a few pokes at small talk but quickly abandoned it when Neil just redirected her to the next item on the list.
He gathered their payment and was ready to see them off when Wymack decided to finally speak.
“Do you have a coven? It seems like a pretty small town to have an established group in.” It was blunt and the accent was unfamiliar. The question caught him off guard and for a moment he had no idea how to respond.
“Uhm. No. I’m the only witch in the town.” Irritability sparked at Neil’s feet. Who was this man to be asking about his personal life after unknowingly destroying the foundation it was built on? “Is there anything else I can do for you?”
David looked unimpressed. “Really? That doesn’t seem too safe to just be operating on your own. Do you have any family?”
Neil felt the last drops of pleasantry wipe from his face, “I don’t believe that to be any of your business.”
Danielle glanced between the two before tugging on David’s shirt. “It isn’t. I’m sorry for the intrusion. Thank you for your time.” She began to try to exit the small shop, Wymack in tow. He allowed himself to be pulled along for a moment before turning back to the witch, eyes far too seeing for Neil’s comfort.
“We’re going to be in town for a while. We were asked to do a show tonight at the inn down the street. You should come meet the rest of the Foxes.” And with that the duo were out of the shop and Neil felt as if he was ripped raw from his skin.
As soon as he could bring himself to move, Neil locked the door and rushed up to his room. Panic gripped him horribly tight. His mothers hands pulled at his hair and he stood, stuck to his spot in the centre of the cramped space. He should leave. He should run and find a new town and take up a month, if that, there with a new name and then leave again. He should know better. He does know better. His eyes stuck to the window, looking out at the lively and bright town that’s now come to life under the sunlight.
Neil had heard of the Foxes in his travels. What started as a small mercenary group in Palmetto formed into a larger party of town rejects and family outcasts. It was typically regarded as a laughing stock by those who knew of it but it was hard to discredit the work that they did. Most of their expertise was in travelling town to town, offering help to the less fortunate who could not afford the city's healers and tradesmen. Neil had heard stories, likely some false, of the Foxes doing anything from mending a leaky roof to healing a mother on her deathbed.
What was the most particular and the source of most of their critique was their refusal for payment. As far as Neil knew, they never accepted money in return for their services. How the group stayed afloat, he did not know.
If this party could find their way to Millport then what stopped the wrong people from coincidentally coming this way? Their eyes were searching but they didn’t even know what to look for. What would he do when the people who did found their way to his home? His scars burned with the uncertainty. But still, he wanted to stay.
Somewhere in the monotony of the last year he got comfortable in the quaint town. It was the most stable his life had ever been and, with that, the most alive he has ever felt. The curse that was drowning his soul had put an expiration date on his life and he wanted to enjoy what he could before being ripped from the life he had finally built for himself. He thought of the idea of having a coven, of having a group that supports him and he supports in turn. The idea of being safe and truly okay.
He compromised. He would go to this show. He would see the Foxes cast their lights and sing their songs. He would witness a life not meant- not allowed for him. He would take his fill and leave the town before the sun rose, making his way out of Millport and into some other horizon.
Neil Josten would not see tomorrow.
Getting ready was a slow and cruel process. The minutes ticked by with the wind but Neil felt each one pass with a horrible ache. He was torn in his decision. A part of him ached to say damn it all and flee. What would he even gain from this? It was stupid, foolish and would just feed the desperation currently growing in his gut. But he couldn’t leave yet. All the magic users he had ever met had always either had some malintent for him and his mother or were helping them get to their next location. This party was fully unbound from him. They had no reason to be looking for him and he didn’t need anything from them. It was innocent. He would just be observing, watching people freely use magic for joy and nothing beyond that. It would be a fitting farewell to Millport.
By the time Neil actually fit himself into something presentable enough to leave the shop in and triple checked that his glamour was in place, the sun was making its way down behind the buildings. He quickly paced down the roughly cobbled streets and tugged his cloak tighter around his shoulders. He had left his pack on the inside of his door, ready to go at a moment's notice. He couldn’t risk carrying that much of his life with him so freely when he didn’t need to quite yet.
The town was the most alive Neil had ever seen it. The chatter of everyone outside, making their way to the inn, was a soft background noise against the setting sun’s light. Neil nodded at the few who greeted him openly. He tried attempting a smile but found it didn’t quite meet the rest of his face.
The inn was more a bar than an actual inn. Very few actually took up rooms there outside the odd farmer who lived a bit too far from the inner part of towns to justify making the trek back on a late night. It was popular among the townsfolk as a hangout spot but, if not for the rooms above the actual bar, you would never be able to pin it as an actual inn. The fact that it was actually seeing use from outside the populace was a celebration of its own.
Most of the bustle was outside the inn and the fountain nearby. Parents were finding seats on walls or the fountain’s edge as their children ran around, chasing each other in a game Neil couldn’t quite place. He found a spot against a wall of the town’s general food market that had been closed up for the day.
His eyes quickly picked out David and Danielle standing with a crowd of other strangers. They were very colourful against the tans and dusty blues that the people of Millport typically wore. Almost all of them wore armour of some type. The ones who forwent the armour seemed to choose their clothes more for style over practicality. A tall, blonde elf stood out the most with an extremely illogical lavender dress that clung tightly to her body in a way that Neil was sure was uncomfortable. It seemed to glimmer in shifting patterns across the torso, the deep cut at her chest blending into long and flowy sleeves that made her appear as a cloud floating through the air. Another woman who seemed to be more human than elf with shoulder length hair that looked as if it couldn't decide what colour it wanted to be, shifting from white to pink to blue, stood next to her listening to her speak intently. Their conversation seemed to go unnoticed by the rest of the party as they prepared for the show they had promised the town.
In total there were six of them preparing, not counting one halfling who stood off to the side, seemingly disinterested in their entire scene.
“Aw, come on Aaron! You could at least help me move the stands into place,” A dark haired human whined after the blonde halfling. He sharply commented back, in a tone that Neil couldn’t hear and didn’t move from his spot. The human rolled his eyes and went back to lugging heavy box-like objects into place. The whole thing seemed like overkill for as small as a town that Millport was but Neil had to respect their dedication to showmanship.
It was when the sun seemed to fully set and the few street-lamps Millport had were lit did the blonde elf step up to one of the boxes, immediately pulling all the attention of the townspeople and effectively a hush rushed over the crowd.
“Good evening, Millport!” She shared the same accent that David had, northern and unfamiliar to Neil. “We want to thank you for allowing us to put on a show for you tonight! It’s rare that we get to use the gifts we have for the likes of whimsy and show so this is just as exciting for us as I’m sure it is for you. I’d like to give you a brief introduction to our party. Some are more shy than others so listen carefully for they might bite if you try to ask their names directly.” This elicits some laughter from the crowd but based on the way the blonde halfling was glaring at her, Neil doubted she was kidding.
“Firstly, to start us off, I am Allison; your talented wizard for the evening. Try not to be too enchanted. This is our druid and light expert, Renee,” the colourful-haired girl nodded and smiled towards the crowd.
“Our hunters, Dan and Matt respectfully, who gallantly protect us as we make our way through the land!” Danielle and a human man, who seemed to make everyone but David appear smaller than they rightfully should, waved excitedly. The man raised his arm in an over exaggerated flex when a few children cheered. He shared a similar dark complexion to the other human but with much shorter hair that seemed like much lower maintenance. Him and Danielle were both dressed in very simple but effective armour, though it seemed a bit more formal than what she had been wearing in Neil’s shop.
“Your musical talent for the evening, our bard, Nicky!” Said human smiled brightly as Allison introduced him. “And finally, please provide a roaring applause for our party leader, Wymack!” She made a show of waving her arms in David’s direction and he sheepishly nodded, looking uncomfortable under the attention. Neil noted that she didn’t seem to make a move to introduce the halfling, Aaron, despite him standing obviously with the party. Allison wrangled the attention back to her as her tone drops to an almost secretive level. “What you are to witness tonight has been written about by poets and bookkeepers across the lands both in the North and the South. I implore you to watch closely and keep this memory close, for you may have to tell your grandchildren one day of the time you managed to see a show put on by the Foxes.”
The words were exaggerated and if not for the confidence she said them with, Neil was sure they would have sounded stilted and awkward. But it was with that that Allison allowed herself to fall backwards freely, tipping off the back of the box. Some of the crowd gasped out, waiting for her to hit the ground. Instead, an explosion of light in pinks and purples burst from her feet and swallowed her whole. It surged up and formed in lights that held their place around the party, illuminating the area better than the lanterns ever could.
In her place stood Nicky, holding a lute and smiling deviously. A drum started up from Dan on the side, who had moved to one of the boxes and Nicky began playing. His voice carried sweetly over the crowd and immediately the tone shifted amongst the crowd from curious to outright joyful. With the beat, children and parents began to dance. Neil watched as Renee and Allison moved to begin casting what Neil recognized as simple illusions. They created animals and stars and plants that moved and joined the dance among the people. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before.It was more than he had been expecting and left more of a gaping wound in his side than it did allow closure. It was beautiful and magical and horribly sad for him to watch. This was a life he could never have that he desperately ached for.
It hurt more than he thought it could.
After two of Nicky’s songs, Neil decided it was time for him to take his leave. If he stuck around too long he may betray his mother’s ghostly hands more than he already had. He dragged his way back to his shop, feeling as if he left a part of himself behind.
Grabbing his pack and locking up the shop for the final time was harder than it should have been. He settled his life-in-a-bag on his back and began the walk out of Millport. It would be quicker on horseback but at this hour finding someone to rent a horse from would be near impossible, not even accounting that most of the town was currently at the inn. He would walk to the next town and rent a horse there.
From there, he would move south east, maybe to the seaside. Travel from town to town until his time limit reached its end.
The curse had been a parting gift from his father the last time he had seen him. His magic had pinned Neil down as Lola, one of his father’s chosen, held his mother back.
“ Nathaniel Abram Josten. Within one winter’s time, your soul will find its way to your family home. Failure to do so will result in the slow and agonising destruction of your body and mind.”
The words had burned themselves, in elvish, along his back. The wording was simple and almost comedic, but it had rotted deep into his skin. He remembered how he shook as it singed through his clothes. His mother had to carry him from the grounds as his father and Lola were restrained by a tree his mother had managed to manipulate. Mary Hatford was a mean and stubborn woman, but she had done everything she could for Neil. Including giving up her life when it came to it. He had watched the necrosis work its way to her from the poisoned wound in her stomach that Lola had left her with. She’d clung to her last breaths to make sure Neil would be able to keep running as long as he could. So, he ran. And he was going to start running again.
Shouldn’t have stopped to begin with.
Just because his father had managed to curse him didn’t mean he ever stopped being hunted. In the months following his people had found their way into the towns he had stopped in. Always catching him off guard. Always a step too slow. It had been the longest stretch in Millport where he hadn’t run into any of them. It was pure luck and he had gotten far too comfortable with it.
The houses and shops that followed him out of the town were quiet and dark. A stray cat that he had seen around the town in the past passed him quickly, in search of its dinner. Neil watched it with a small smile. The cat would, on occasion, occupy the stoop of his shop, meowing for scraps it knew would come. Half the town was victim to the cat’s ploys, offering it treats and dinners when it asked sweetly. He knew it would have no trouble finding food among the drunk townspeople tonight. At least someone would be able to sleep happy tonight.
A cough echoed off the walls of the alley he had been making his way down and he immediately froze in his tracks. It sounded genuine, unaware of his presence. For now. This alley opened up to a field that would lead out to the farms that surrounded the eastern side of the town. No one should be out this far.
The person coughed again, wet and wheezing.
Neil crept forward, careful to keep his feet and breath silent.
In the field ahead of him sat two men illuminated by the full, unblinking moon. One, tall and elvish, with dark hair and a terribly academic posture. The other was small, blonde and half hunched over his folded lap. For a moment Neil thought it had to have been the same halfling from the party, but there was no way he had made his way over here that quickly while being unseen by Neil. This man was wearing much darker clothes than that halfling had been. They looked similar from afar but it was too dark for Neil to make up any true defining features in either figures.
The two sat across from each other. The elf-man had a tall staff grasped in his hands and wedged into the ground in front of him. He was muttering under his breath, words swept up by the wind. The blonde let out another strangled cough, almost falling to his side with the shaking. Neil winced at the sound. Whatever it was, it sounded awfully painful.
“Kevin, this isn’t working,” the halfling growled.
“Be quiet. It’ll work. It has to work eventually.” The elf sounded so annoyed and uncaring that Neil immediately decided he was the most punchable man he had ever come across. And he had come across many people he deemed punchable.
A deep green began to grow from the top of the staff, working its way down and into the man’s hands. It ebbed as he breathed, flowed as he spoke. Finally, it began to move further down and into the earth, reaching out to the halfling. Neil was transfixed. He had never seen a ritual like this before and it almost felt like an invasion of intimacy; watching these two practice out in the field like this. He needed to leave before they saw him. He had no business lingering here no matter how badly his curiosity ate at him.
Neil turned to make his way back the way he came when the stray from earlier had decided to make a reappearance. It scurried between his legs, getting wrapped up in his steps and he began to stumble. In the surprise fall, Neil attempted to catch himself on a nearby wall but missed and hit the ground hard. He was acutely aware of how the two behind him immediately took notice of him. The elf gasped and a loud crack! shattered the quiet air around them.
“Fuck-” The elf called out and Neil felt a fire- no, a river? Slam into his back. He was flattened further to the ground by the burning, the water, the world , oh gods, make it stop, it wouldn’t stop-
Hot iron presses against his back above where his father’s boot pushed into his lower back-
Burning hands press into his shoulders, holding him against the chair as a knife worms its way up his sternum-
His scalp aches as his mother tugs him along, screaming screaming screaming-
“Hey- Hey! Look at me! You’re okay! Holy shit, calm down!” Someone was grabbing his shoulders. He was too far. It was too much. It was all too much. His mother was going to kill him for being away from camp this long.
“Andrew, get Wymack! Or Aaron! Get somebody!”
“Ke-” A ripping of bones. A tearing of skin that sounded so comically visceral Neil was sure he had imagined it. His father was above him. A rope binding his hands back and scalding water poured over his feet until they were numb and blistered-
The same hands pressed his shoulders down and he thrashed against them. They immediately pushed harder and Neil did everything he could to pull himself away from the person- his father- Lola- his mother-
“Fucking gods above. Hey!” Neil finally met green eyes that were far far worse than anything his mind could have conjured in front of him.
Kevin Day.
Kevin Day was standing in front of him, staff forgotten behind him in his rush from the field to Neil. His classmate. His only friend at the Evermore School of Academic Magic. The only anchor he had found in his short attendance there as a child. He had been enrolled for three months before he and his mother fled. Kevin Day was the top of their class near immediately, right behind his adoptive brother Riko. There, Kevin had been an escape, a model to what magic could do and who Neil could be.
Here, he was a death trap.
If he was here, Riko must be close behind. If Riko was here that was two steps away from his father. His father, who was business partners with the head of the school, Tetsuji Moriyama. Tetsuji Moriyama, who was the brother of the King of the western country of Evermore. Kevin, who was too close to everything Neil was trying to stay hidden from.
He found his breath quickly. Kevin had finally moved a short distance from him, hand held out in front of him as if attempting to calm a wild animal. The cat was nowhere to be seen. Neither was the blonde halfling, for that matter.
Neil tried to analyse his exits. He was pushed against the wall with Kevin across from him. If he ran left to the field, he would be an open target for Kevin to cast on. If he went right, it was slower and back into the town but there were more places to hide.
Kevin must have caught that he was planning to run because he made the split decision to dive forward again, this time shoving his staff against Neil’s chest and holding him in place. Neil tried to pull his legs up to kick Kevin away but the taller boy had pinned his cloak down which kept him from being able to bend his legs up from where they were trapped.
The elf demanded his attention once again, “Who are you? Are you a spy? Did- Did Riko Send you?” Kevin was frantic for answers, searching Neil’s face rabidly.
He didn’t recognize him. Neil was still hidden. He had a chance to get away. This wasn’t the end. Kevin was worried about Riko sending a spy? Neil was willing to bet Riko wasn’t travelling with him, then.
He forced himself to calm enough to speak against the glorified stick pressing his body against the cold stone, “Get off of me. I’m not some spy, I’m a witch for the town. I was leaving to make my rounds for the night,” The lie came too easily. He just needed to get away. “I didn’t realise you would be working out here and I didn’t mean to interrupt. I'm sorry, really. Please, just let me go.” He met Kevin’s burning gaze, head on.
Kevin searched the lie for cracks before shoving away from Neil, satisfied when he realised he wasn’t going to take off sprinting immediately. “You need to stick around for a minute. My cleric will need to check you out. I’m not sure what you got hit with. I was in the middle of casting and I don’t know what part of the spell hit you.”
Neil absolutely did not want to stick around to be searched by some random cleric. “I just need to go-” Kevin glared at him hard enough that he felt physically silenced by the look.
“I will not be held liable because some eavesdropper decided to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and refused help. You will be checked and if he clears you, you will be free to leave.” He was really living up to the most punchable title Neil had initially given him.
A weight lingered in Neil’s chest as the pain subsided. An anxiety he had never quite experienced before. It felt like his skin was too much, constricting him from running and being free. It was a deep need that was rapidly threatening to consume him. He had never experienced anything like it. It was foreign and so wrong in his bones.
Footsteps alerted them to the arrival of more people, Kevin’s ears swivelling to meet the noise. Cutting through the field was the sour blonde halfling from the party and the druid, Renee. They moved quickly and with purpose, approaching Kevin.
“Kevin,” Renee greeted far too pleasantly for who she was talking to, “We heard Andrew calling and he led us back here before taking off. What happened?” Her eyes cut to Neil.
“We were attempting to suppress him again and were interrupted.” Kevin pushed to his feet as he glared down at Neil, who was still on the ground against the wall. “I was distracted and accidentally directed part of the spell at him and he was hit with it. I need you two to make sure he is alright.”
The halfling rolled his eyes at the command and muttered something about “saying please ” before kneeling in front of Neil. He held out a hand expectantly and Neil, just to be a problem for these strangers, turned his nose up at him. The blonde sighed dramatically and reached forward and grabbed Neil’s hand himself, ignoring the way he wormed against the touch.
A warmth worked its way up his hand, violating and betraying him to this stranger as his mana reached out and read Neil like a book. Unseen eyes evaluating him and reporting back. He needed to run, he needed freedom. Trapped .
The yearning grew and Neil shoved back against it. It was not his. Something about it was so other and different. It was as if someone else was being projected onto him.
The cleric's eyes shone a deep gold as he pulled his mana back to himself. He stared hard at Neil for a moment before turning to Renee who cocked her head. Kevin impatiently tapped his foot, hand fidgeting with the center of his staff.
He turned to Kevin very suddenly and was in his space in a moment. His short stature was imposing even against the elf that nearly doubled his height. He shoved a finger against Kevin’s chest.
“Just what the hell are you trying to do to my brother?”
Kevin gawked, the accusation catching him blind. “I’m sorry? What?”
“You bound their souls, dipshit.”
“What? Aaron explain. Now. ”
Aaron rounded back to Neil and grabbed him by the scruff of his cloak, yanking him to his feet. “We need to go to Wymack. I don’t know what the fuck you did or how you managed to bind them together and I’m not putting Andrew’s life at stake more than it already is. We really do not need this right now, Kevin.”
Neil pulled against his hand that remained steady, “Hey, no, I don’t have any business with your lot. I have things I need to be doin-”
Aaron was immediately encompassing his vision, the same intensity he had for Kevin remained. “I don’t know where you are right now but I need you to catch up, Witch. You and my brother are bonded right now. This involves you just as much as the rest of us and for all of our benefits we need to get this fixed as soon as possible. You’re coming either way whether it’s peaceful or not. Make this easy for all of our sakes.”
Renee glanced between them all, her hair shifting to a colour between red and purple, “Mm, I promise once we can secure both you and Andrew will be okay you will be free to go on your way. We would hate to see any damage come to one of our own, let alone to an innocent passerby.” She stared Neil down with a look that left him feeling even more exposed. He checked his glamour was still in its place and allowed himself to relax minutely when his thumb met it on his ring finger.
He needed to be on his way out of the town by now. He needed to be somewhere else by morning. But even in his desperation, he could see the serious line to all their shoulders. They were not going to let him leave until they could assure he would not bring damage by being bound to their Andrew. Neil didn’t know much about soul binding but he felt now wasn’t the time to start playing for questions. He needed to get it figured out as soon as he could and be on his way the moment they allowed him to leave.
“Well,” he used the wall to push himself up, pain still aching along the words and marks lining his back.
“Lead the way, then.”