Beware the one who steps into the fire to save the flame.
Alex and I returned to the ruins of our house later, and before the reconstruction started, we looked around for anything that hadn't been consumed by the fire—the wolf insisted on this, although I would have preferred to avoid the place. So this was how he heard Berry's voice and immediately rescued him from the rubble—I couldn't react in time when he announced to the bogey that he had found a new home.
Among the rubble, I saw the earthly remains of my favourite mug, so I decided to buy another (and mourned the death of almost an entire packet of cocoa in the process). Alex and I decided not to go too far, this little village was close to our hearts—and it was conveniently far from the city, which was teeming with monsters. There were slightly fewer of them here.
So we moved into our tiny apartment number one on "P" Street. We could buy it because as life had it I visited the Crosspherat.
The judges spent their days in a castle protected by illisions in eastern Hungary, sitting in sessions and executing innocent monsters. I got on the train—Alex, of course, took it all as a summer trip and followed me.
So did Rolo, who wanted to appear fucking independent and henceforth didn't listen to me, even when I said it was dangerous. So the three of us snuck into what was supposed to be one of the most protected buildings in Hungary—with the help of the fae ring.
Rolo had, of course, done extensive research on this relic beforehand and informed me that even among the fae, it was only owned by members of the royal family. He looked at me rather suspiciously, so I confessed to him that I was related to Titania. First, he was shocked. Then from then on, the kid looked at me in a different way. Mostly as a bipedal life insurance policy.
The guards stared off into the distance, bored. They almost seemed to have become part of the local ecosystem, they had been standing there motionless for so long.
"It's time for the other shift," one of them remarked suddenly, pushing open one of the double doors. The other guard heaved a sigh of relief.
The first man had disappeared behind the door and the second was about to enter the cold stone walls when suddenly he heard a low meow. He looked back and to his surprise, a tiny black cat sat an arm's length away. The kitten meowed sweetly again.
The guard finally stepped in front of the cat without closing the door and crouched down. He removed his rough gloves from one hand and stroked the cat's head.
The cat purred contentedly and the man smiled slightly.
"How did you get here?"
The cat meowed something in reply and when the man stood up to enter the ancient building, he followed him. The man paused.
"No, you can't come in here," he shook his head.
The cat gave a disappointed meow, but the man didn't seem as stupid as he looked. So the wooden door finally closed on the orphaned kitten.
Rolo didn't move, waiting patiently. Minutes passed but then the door opened again and Rolo gracefully stepped in.
"Now what?" Alex asked as I picked up the cat.
Just in time, because other guards had just entered the scene. We waited for the guards to pass us unsuspectingly.
I grinned devilishly, and as I was holding Alex's hand, I could feel him shiver at the smile.
"Of course, we'll rob them," I said.
Rolo's eyes lit up wildly at that.
"Let's find a safe place," I suggested. "Rolo needs to change back."
When we pulled into one of the unused rooms, I threw Rolo his small pouch.
"How do you plan to rob the Crosspherat?" Alex asked, "If they ever find out, they'll execute us!"
Only if they find out.
"It's too late to meditate on that," I said, "Besides, they owe me for stopping the Fifth from slaughtering them."
Alex merely sighed in concern.
"That's not the issue," Rolo agreed, "The issue is how you find their treasures."
I turned to the werecat, now in full battle gear: jeans, and a sweater. I grinned.
"You'll find it, not me," I declared, pointing to Rolo.
Since he was coming with me, I might as well make use of him.
"What?" he was shocked, "How am I supposed to find it?"
"Come on," I smirked, "You just have to find the room guarded by the most powerful spells."
Rolo's eyes flashed sharply.
"What makes you think I could do that?"
My grin widened. "Anyone who researches magic can use magic."
Rolo's lips quivered as if to protest. Of course, I thought, he wanted to keep his magical affinity a secret. Then he might have seen the certainty in my eyes because he didn't try to deceive me. He just walked straight ahead without any response.
I grabbed his hood to hide him.
"First, lead me to the prison," I whispered in his ear, "We'll need a cover."
Rolo did not answer. We wandered around the ancient castle for a while, where I could see the symbol of the Sun Goddess on some kind of drapery in every corridor. Patrolling guards passed by us occasionally, their white cloaks rustling softly behind them.
The entrance to the prison cellar was guarded by only two guards. I glanced at Alex, then let go of his hand. The two guards' eyes widened, but they had no time to do more. Alex hit the one on the left, I hit the one on the right.
When we reached the iron gate, Rolo started rummaging in his pockets and pulled out some unusual-looking metal bars. With just a few movements, he opened the lock and pushed the iron gate, which creaked awake from its sleep.
We treaded slowly in the damp darkness, the sound of our footsteps echoing softly off the walls. We reached the freezing cells where the sun-like mark of the Goddess's cross was engraved in the locks.
"They are dripping with magic," Rolo remarked, perhaps a little shocked, "How are we going to open them?"
"This is not magic," I declared and chose a likable monster.
I ripped the padlock off the cell and opened the cell door seemingly without any effort. Rolo's eyes widened with disbelief. I pulled my lips into a wry half-smile.
"How did you do that?" he demanded.
Meanwhile, the cell's occupant finally got up and jumped to his feet. He stepped closer and looked in shock at the open door and then at me. Then he nodded and stepped past me. All I could hear now was his rushing footsteps.
"These cells are all filled with the power of the Sun Goddess, and she burns ugly anyone who touches it. If you don't let it go immediately, your skin might even catch on fire," I said thoughtfully, "Of course, the hunters also dip their torture devices in the Sun Goddess' power, so as a child I quickly learned how to resist her. I simply concentrated my healing power in my hands. The destructive power cannot keep up with my healing ability if I concentrate it in one spot."
I turned back to my friends. Rolo had a wild spark of understanding in his eyes, he looked like he understood something important. Alex merely scratched his hand in confusion.
"Let's hurry up," I said and opened a few more cells.
Everything went smoothly until I reached a certain door. Here I pulled the lock off and opened it in the same way, but instead of giving room to escape, I entered.
The vampire spawn seemed quite broken, merely sitting, not even startled by my presence. He did not glance in my direction, yet I could not tear my gaze from him. My blood began to boil and my hands clenched into fists. My mouth went dry and for moments I was unable to speak. For a long moment, I was just looking at the boy.
"Alex, take the boy," I ordered, "He's coming with us."
The wolf nodded and helped the vampire up. Since he couldn't even stand, Alex took him on his back.
After that, no one spoke for a while. I don't know if it was because my bitterness was making it hard to breathe, or because they themselves were battling their own demons at the moment.
We dodged some guards who were running madly towards the cells. Rolo then led us to the door of one of the top rooms in the castle tower.
"We can't get through this," he stated.
Even if I didn't know magic, I could feel the power of the spells protecting the door. Then I pointed to another door next to the room.
"Open that one."
Rolo did just that and we entered one of the guest rooms reserved for the most exclusive guests. I walked to the window and opened it. Yes, this could still work. I beckoned Rolo closer.
"Well, is there some magic protecting that window?" I asked.
Rolo shook his head in shock.
"Alright, then you and I will climb through, Alex will stay and watch the boy," I shared the plan, and without waiting for a reply, I jumped up into the window and climbed out.
Even though the stones had been washed smooth by the rain over the years, there were still some protruding pieces I could grab on. Of course, the barely a meter still proved to be quite a challenge. I jumped through the closed window with noble simplicity, and although the broken glass had scratched me in many places, there was no trace of the damage after a moment.
Rolo followed with a leap. The skin broke on some of his fingers and the bitter aroma of his blood wafted into my nostrils, yet the boy didn't complain. He simply pointed to the opposite wall, covered by a white drape with the symbol of the Sun Goddess.
I tore off the fabric. Although I saw only a blank wall, I was sure Rolo was not mistaken.
"The secret door is protected by a spell almost as strong as the entrance," he said, "I don't think I can open it."
"No problem," I said and cracked my fist.
Rolo sucked in a sharp breath, but before he could speak, I was punching my fist with every ounce of strength I had. As soon as my fist met the wall, my fingers cracked with a terrible sound, and at the same time, electricity ran through my body.
Rolo squeaked. I took a deep breath as I pulled my fist away from the wall, which seemed untouched for the moment.
"Ho," I sighed. "So, it needs more than that?"
I wiggled my fingers, then clenched them into fists again. I let the monster burst from the depths of my chest.
After that, I didn't stop at the first blow, even with the terrible pain of the protective spell. Not only was the aggressive magic running through my body like an electric shock, trying to tear apart my internal organs, but it was also cutting me in many places. This would have surely killed an ordinary monster.
At first, there was only a crack in the wall, then chunks of it broke off, and finally, I was able to move a brick and then tear larger pieces out. When I'd created a gap big enough to squeeze in, I turned back to Rolo.
He must not have felt very well, because he looked quite pale.
"Let's go," I said, hoping that would make him more willing to move.
Suddenly he came to his senses and rushed to my side. Before I could enter, however, he grabbed my top. He whispered the magic word so softly and quickly that I thought I was imagining it. A cool breeze ran over my body, erasing every drop of blood.
I raised one eyebrow.
"If the wolf had seen you like that, we would have lost a lot of time," he explained.
I shrugged. All my external wounds had healed, so there was no problem. We entered the secret room and I grinned like an idiot. Even Rolo's eyes widened at the sight of all the gold and jewels. There were huge piles of valuables and artifacts, and even I had no idea that the Crosspherate had amassed such wealth.
"Let's pack," I felt my grin widen.
Rolo took out his small purse, while I was already sorting through the jewels with a grin.
"Shay," he said quietly.
I turned to him questioningly. "Hm?"
"Don't do that next time," he whispered, uncharacteristically without any mockery in his voice, "I thought you were going to die."
I just smirked.
"I meant it."
"Okay," I let him have his way and stuffed my pockets instead.
The boy sighed deeply and growled something nasty under his nose. Anyway, he too began to pack the gold bars into his pouch with more enthusiasm.