'In freefall, it's just pure fresh air. Crisp, clean smell that comes with the cool gust of a wind, or when you stand atop of a mountain. It's that, where you are several miles from familiar scents, from the smokes and fumes of the big cities, the balefire in the middle of your small, quaint little town of Chepstone.'

His eyes widened like that of a child upon receiving a present, gleaming brightly under the fireplace as if it was a pair of green jewels staring back at them. His moustache twitched, the corner of his lips curling into a smile. One of his hand reached for the chain beneath his dark beard, clutching tightly onto the pendant. He brought up the other, callous fingers waving in the air, and Ty felt himself leaned forwards excitedly, chin propped on both hands.

'Your senses would come alive, overloaded. You'd hear the loud rush of wind. You'd feel the temperature change and the pressure on your skin,' said Uncle Anders, avidly looking over to Gildan bouncing keenly on their father's lap as the boy listened with rapt attention. 'And you will see the world from a completely unfamiliar point of view. Different. But exciting, exhilarating.'

'And you'd feel like you can do anything?' Ty jumped in, eager for more stories. Uncle Anders let out a boastful laugh, and even their father, who had turned sombre for the past few weeks, allowed a small smile at the young boy's curiosity.

'My dear boy, you'd feel like you can own the world!'

That was followed by the ohhhs and ahhhs of the two children, quietened down when their mother stomped in, her hands propped on her waist as she looked over all four of them that occupied the living area with a stressed and tightened expression.

'Boys, it's getting late. Go now to clean your teeth and head to bed. We can start off early tomorrow,' she said stiffly, sending them off, not relenting to Gildan's whining or even Ty's biggest puppy dog eyes. She hadn't waited even a second longer before turning to Uncle Anders and father, scoffing harshly, just a tone below one would make when chiding another. 'Marsius, you know I don't like it when you fill their heads with your adventures!'

A low grumble was heard from the room as Ty and Gildan padded their way to the kitchen sink, each with a washcloth in hand.

'Argh Katherine, it's just stories to pass the time. No real harm done, it's not like I'm dragging them out into the real world. Yet.'

'Don't even joke about that,' she hissed, her voice was almost shrill behind the crackling of the fire. 'You know what I had wished for when they were born. You know and you promised!'

'Kat please—'

'No, Aksel! I'm sick of this man barging into their lives and giving them these ideas about a life outside— '

'A life outside in the real world? Katherine, you can't keep them hidden away forever,' pointed Uncle Anders. 'You and Aksel of all people should know by now that fate has a sick way of finding people. Don't you remember what happened to the Monroes?'

There was a gasp. 'There will be no such talk under this roof!'

'There will be such talk as long as those two are my goddamn godchildren!' The house boomed with his voice, and a choking sob was heard after a strained pause. Quietly, Gildan dragged the kitchen stool to the sink so Ty could stand over it. Together, they cleaned their teeth in hushed silence.

'Marsius, please, keep your voice down!' Father hissed.

'You know there's no point keeping them from the truth, Aksel. It was something nice to think about years ago but now—! Now...' Uncle Anders stopped, then sighed heavily. 'They're coming for them... That's why they're raiding villages. That's why you have your bags packed and are ready to head off to the academy first thing in the morning. Face it, escape is only temporary.'

'We'll think of something!' Mother argued.

'Nothing that will last forever though, now will it?' Uncle Anders snapped. 'They're growing up. Gildan is, what, ten?'

'Eleven.'

'Then this is the perfect time for him to head into the academy. There will be protection, safety for him there, and for Tyfell too.'

Their conversation turned into low murmurs. Gildan had long since finished cleaning up and was lurking by the door frame, listening in on the adult's hushed discussion. Ty himself was less interested, toying on a loose tooth with his tongue as his childish mind wandered elsewhere. He gazed upon the yellow dots dancing in the distance, outside their kitchen window, moving in one direction as if in urgency. They lived at the edge of the marshland, on the side facing the heartlands, and it was getting colder. Summer had gone and winter was coming. So, the sight of glowflies at this time of the year was odd and strangely preternatural. It was welcomed in lieu of their mother's quiet sobbing.

'Sweetheart, the bags and the horses are all readied?' their father asked lowly. There wasn't a response but the approving grunt from Uncle Anders was good enough of an answer.

Had the atmosphere been kinder, less tense, Ty would have grabbed their attention. He would have shouted for everyone to not miss the last of the glowflies' yearly performances, for he was certain there wouldn't be more as the cold season sweeps closer by. Had he done so, then maybe things would've turned out differently. They would have left sooner, their bags and horses in tow as Uncle Anders led them along the murky roads away from Chepstone.

But he didn't. Once Ty was finished, he wrung his washcloth, threw one last glance at the yellow dots in the distance and jumped off his stool, padding over to Gildan who was already waiting for him by their bedroom door.

The living area was still tense, and Ty didn't want to insert himself amongst the adults during their argument. He didn't know that was the last time he would see everyone together in a relatively peaceful mood.

***

Pain. It felt like the pain would split his head into two, yet still he forced his eyes open. To his surprise, nothing came into vision. For a single panicked moment, he thought he had gone blind, until he brought a hand up and felt the strange and oddly slick fabric draped across his eyes. When he removed it, he saw the stars in the sky, just visible beyond the dense foliage of the canopy above him.

'You're awake,' came a soft voice.

A girl's face swam into view, lit by the flickers of a flame somewhere to their right. A heart-shaped face with concerned forest green eyes and startlingly fair skin. Her pink lips parted, a tongue stuck out in concentration, and Ty felt a cool cloth bathing his brows.

'Easy does it,' she murmured, and he felt a hand pressed beneath his neck, helping him sit up.

The world spun, and pain exploded from various parts of his body, but he stayed upright. The first thing Ty noticed was the dressings clung tightly across his shoulder and torso. It was the same glossy fabric he had pulled off his face, also used as bandages on his arms and legs where more wounds were sure to occupy. His gaze then turned to the familiar clothing that was his, folded neatly in a pile by where his feet lay. Finally, after a moment of apprehension, he started taking in his surroundings.

Vegetation. Lush waxy leafed bushes of different varieties surrounded the small opening they seemed to have made camp on. Beyond that, pine trees several stories tall loomed from above, interspersed with the lianas and low handing branches that primordially populated the forest.

'Drink,' the girl said.

Something was pressed to his lips, and cool water dribbled down the side of his mouth. Ty sucked greedily, gulping the liquid down until it was taken away from him. He hadn't realised just how thirsty he had been until then.

'More,' he rasped. 'Please.'

But his plea received nothing but an appraising look. The girl studied him, as if assessing his injuries, then moved to the rudimentary campfire set up a few feet away. She came back with a steaming wooden bowl in hand, and Ty almost started salivating.

He wasn't sure what the bowl content was when it was placed in his hands, but a quick taste deduced that it was a stew of some sort. He recognised carrots and potatoes, swimming amongst other root tubers that tasted just as heavenly on his tongue. And meat.

He gorged. There was no other word for it. Spoonful after spoonful, until his face was coated in broth and the bowl held nothing but the liquid remnants of the stew. He had barely registered the girl who had moved to sit by his side with her own bowl. It was until he was finished, though still suckling on a drumstick bone, that he finally had the energy to get a good look at her, now that her face was on a level with his.

She was perhaps a year or two older than him, with a dining etiquette Ty had clearly lacked, he thought to himself as he watched the girl eat quietly with inquisitive eyes.

Most of her head was hidden beneath a hooded cloak, but the few soft wisps that tussled out hinted at something golden brown. The cloak itself was a dark sacramento green, made from the same material that was used to bandage him. Soft and slick, it shimmered under the moonlight with every small movement she made. Underneath she wore a simple cotton tunic and pants, both a darker shade of green that blended easily into their surroundings.

For the first time since he awoke, Ty wondered how a girl of her... standing had come to save him. From the softness of her face to the delicate engravings on the ankle of her boots, she did not seem like she belonged in the forest. Not that it should matter. He was still immensely thankful to this person, his saviour, who was now collecting his bowl and bringing it to the fire. He didn't want to sound ungrateful by asking a question that may or may not sound offensive.

'Thank you,' Ty bit out after a moment's rest. He brought a hand up to scratch the back of his head, only to feel the unexpected throb of pain flaring up from an egg-sized lump there.

'Careful,' she called out when she caught him wincing. 'You've got a nasty head injury.'

She came back with another cloth taken out from a fur bag sitting by the fire, and kneeled before him, she then gently pressed it against the back of his head. If Ty wasn't feeling so exhausted he would have blushed at the closing proximity between their cheeks. Though the feeling didn't last long when he was suddenly overwhelmed with the echoing recollection of what had happened. The demons. That man. Him falling into the rapid falls towards his inevitable death. The force of realisation hit him, unbridled, and so abrupt that it felt as if the thought had slammed into him the way a body might fall from the ledge of a roof.

'What happened? Where am I?' he asked, straightening up. It was a mistake. His head spun with the movement. He had to ignore the jarring pain that bolted through his body, choosing instead to focus on keeping down the bile that was threatening to overtake his gag reflexes.

'Easy there,' the girl muttered, pressing on his chest to lie him down once more. 'I'm pretty sure you have a slight concussion. I'll answer you in a bit, but you seriously need to take it easy.' She shrugged not so apologetically when Ty frowned at that. 'Your brain's pretty scrambled, I'm just making sure you don't mush it up.'

Begrudgingly, Ty nodded. He regretted it when his skill lanced with pain.

'How long... have I been out for?' He groaned, and the girl offered a sympathetic smile.

'Since I found you... About two days?' she suggested while counting with her fingers, though her tone implied she wasn't entirely sure. 'You were drifting down the river face down when I stumbled upon you, almost dead too. Honestly, I thought you were dead when I dragged you out. You should've seen the state you were in. I'm surprised you're even awake now, what with all the blood you must have lost from that shoulder wound.'

She nodded to his bandaged shoulder, to which he found himself grimacing at. The last thing he could recall before blacking out was getting shot at. Had he known that the man was planning on killing him, he would have gladly gone with the demons. What a miracle it was that he actually survived the fall.

'So, how does a boy like you make enemies that want you dead?'

'What?' Ty balked, pushing himself onto his elbows. Tensed. Was she implying something? Did she know about him and his powers? Was she one of them?

It was until the girl pointed to his shoulder injury once more that he felt stupid for how he was reacting. He was clearly being too paranoid.

'I recognise an arrow wound when I see one,' she continued, thankfully making a pass at his internal freak-out. 'Unless you somehow learned how to ricochet those nasty little buggers off of walls, I'm thinking that someone was trying to kill you...' She trailed off; her eyebrows raised. 'Or you have a vengeful sibling that sucks at aiming.'

Ty sighed as he was laid back down for the third time since waking up, relieved and slightly humoured. He tried to calm the beating of his heart. 'How'd you know it was an arrow wound?'

'You could say... I grew up with bows and arrows,' she said, shrugging. 'That, and the arrow was stuck in you when I was cleaning your injury.'

He had to hold back a smile at that. 'Do you still have it?'

She shook her head. 'Only the tip. I'm guessing the shaft broke when you were in the waters.'

Or when I fell down the cataract.

'It tore your shoulder up pretty badly. Luckily it's only soft tissue, nothing damaging in the long run. I stitched it up to the best of my abilities, though I'm sure not as good as my sister would have done if she were here,' she mumbled something low on her breath that he couldn't quite catch, then proceeded to explain a bit about the state of the wound. Ty didn't really try to listen. It wasn't long since waking up and he was already washed over by fatigue, exhaustion. The warm meal had only served to encourage sleep to come and take him.

'What's your name?' A touch to his arm brought him out of his daze.

'Tyfell...' he said drowsily, then after some consideration, 'Calum. Tyfell Calum. You?'

'Hennessey. Just... Hennessey.'

Ty noted the amusement of her face before his gaze returned to the stars up above, before he started drifting off. But there was still one last thing he needed to know.

'Hey,' he breathed.

He was acknowledged by a hum not too far from the crackling of the campfire.

'How far are we from Havenridge?'

'The city? About two days of travel I think.'

Two days away. He couldn't believe it's been four days in total since all the chaos that had happened.

After that, Ty welcomed the darkness. He fell into a carousel of thoughts. Every notion, every event replaying in his mind, demanding perusal before he was allowed sleep. Alexi, the summoners, Brutus, his alleged powers. Finally, the carousel came to a stop and he was able to meander freely in the random thought that was the precursor of his sleep.

He hoped Tobias was alright.