"Is it almost done, Shina?" Coura Belaria peeked into the clay oven where the new batch of pumpkin pies was baking inside. Her sister stood right behind her, eagerly waiting for the pies to finish.
"Be patient now," Shina's voice was like a mother's. "The pies will be done soon."
They waited a few more minutes in the kitchen before Shina finally announced that the pies were ready. The twins rejoiced. Shina carefully removed the pies from the oven and set them on top of the brick counter. He sliced them up into 8 slices per pie.
"Should we bring one slice to Olivia too? The smell might make her wake up!" Ama Belaria thought it was a good idea.
Shina didn't believe pies could wake people up from a coma, but he found the idea amusing. "Let's give her a slice then." He took a slice and placed it on a small plate. The three of them brought it to the infirmary where Olivia was resting.
They noticed someone else there. Adrian was fast asleep at her bedside looking a little worn out from working. He had finally resolved the issue at the flower village by bargaining with the wood nymph. The villagers were released, but the witchmaker was still out there. He spent the past few days tracking down the criminal, until the correspondence with Leonel came to an abrupt stop and he had to dispatch people to locate his missing union officer.
The twins were about to wake him up, but Shina stopped them. "Let him rest. He has been working hard these past few days."
"Should we bring him a slice of pumpkin pie too?" asked Ama Belaria.
"He'll stop by the kitchen if he's hungry."
Coura Belaria set the plate of pumpkin pie at Olivia's bedside, right where the smell could reach her nose. After doing so, the three of them left the infirmary to enjoy their slices of fresh pumpkin pies in the kitchen.
***
Olivia's eyes flicked open. She could make out the scent of something delicious. Pumpkin pie? She slowly turned her head to see what it was. The first thing she saw was the sight of Adrian Icarus sleeping at her bedside. She was momentarily confused about how she ended up in the infirmary. Eventually, her memories gradually returned to her. The last thing she remembered was being suffocated by invisible beings, similar to what happened that day she destroyed curse jars. Leonel's warning came true.
She slowly got up and placed a hand on her aching head. Spending a few days asleep definitely took a toll on her head.
Mezolas appeared. "My Lady has awoken!" His tentacles wiggled with excitement.
"How long have I been out?" Olivia asked.
"Three days."
"That's not too bad. A week would have been worse." Her eyes fell on the sleeping prodigy of house Icarus. He looked particularly comfortable. "What's Adrian doing here?"
"He has been visiting since you were left here to recover, my Lady. He must have been exceedingly tired today to have fallen asleep like that."
Mezolas pointed at the sleeping Icarus boy. "Shall I wake him, my Lady?"
"Be merciful."
"My tentacles are full of mercy." Mezolas only had to plant his tentacle gently on Adrian's cheek to rouse him from sleep.
"Gross!" Adrian nearly fell off the stool. "Will you please stop placing your tentacles on my head, creature of darkness?"
"I shall grace you with my tentacles as long as you live."
Adrian realized Olivia was awake and became embarrassed about being seen sleeping. "Forgive me. I haven't had much sleep."
"Where am I?" She looked around. It was an unfamiliar place.
"The Royal Red Union Headquarters infirmary. You are welcome to take refuge here lest the ancient ones attack you again." He paused. "Actually, I've been considering inviting you into the union. You've aided us in the past. Leonel, Shina, and the Belaria twins appear to be fond of you. I believe your skills qualify for the position."
"I thought you didn't want to risk having me in the union."
"If we speak of risk, I think I can take it for someone whose life is at risk now because of me. You'll be safer here than in your own home. I can guarantee that. A lot of us here are trained to handle the works of ancient ones."
Olivia thought about it for a moment. "Alright."
Adrian smiled at her answer. "Welcome to the union. Take the day off to recover. I'll have someone show you your new room later."
She noted his eye bags. "You could use some rest yourself."
"I have much work to do. It's urgent. Some of our members have gone missing." He sighed. "At least your awakening is some good news on an otherwise dreary day. I have to get back to work now. Have a good rest." He bowed politely before leaving the room.
Olivia picked up the pumpkin pie on the table and started eating it. She was starving. As she ate, Mezolas filled her in on the details about the flower village.
"Do you think Nox knows anything about the witchmaker? The witchmaker acted like they knew each other," said Olivia.
"We will have to pay Nox a visit soon. He might have some useful information," replied Mezolas.
"Adrian mentioned members going missing. Is that related to the witchmaker too?"
"I do not know. However, it might be for some cases such as that mountain lion man."
"Leonel? He went missing?" Olivia was shocked.
"As far as I've heard from eavesdropping, he was on a mission to investigate an incident at a snowy mountain village. His reports stopped abruptly while you were unconscious. They are still investigating the cause of his disappearance. The union is suffering from the lack of members lately, due to them going missing during missions. Stay vigilant, my Lady. This union is like no other. They receive highly dangerous tasks no other union dare takes. For that reason, they are highly respected and elevated in status."
"Thanks for the warning," replied Olivia. Deep inside, she worried about the fate of her new friend Leonel and hoped that the beef stew he made for her wasn't his last.