Freman opened the door and came face to face with the city's worst debt collector - Mathias.
"I'm here to collect my 500 copper coins. Do you have it ready?" Mathias was chewing the beef jerky in his hand animalistically, his spit flaying everywhere as he chewed with his mouth open.
Freman was disgusted but he didn't let his disgust show on his face.
"Please could you give me one more week? I almost have enough pearls to exchange for coins. I'll have the capital back if I'm successful. Please."
"Ehh?! What nonsense are you saying? We have an agreement Freman! I've already given you a grace of two months. I'm usually not that generous with my debtors." He took another huge bite off his beef jerky, chewing wildly.
"And I've been paying the interest consistently, I also paid last month's interest. There was poor harvest these couple of weeks, so raising the capital has been hard. I promise I won't give you excuses again, I'll work even harder."
Mathias was notorious for his breakneck sixty percent interest rate on any loan he gave out. He derived joy in seeing people indebted him and he relished using it and an excuse to strip people of everything they owned, especially their dignity.
But today, Mathias was after something different.
"I'm not leaving here today until you give me back my money. If you don't have it, I'll confiscate this excuse of a home you own." His eyes eyed the house in disgust.
Freman held back barely contained anger. If Hailen hadn't fallen gravely ill, teetering between life and death, he would have never borrowed money from Mathias, even if it killed him! Hailen was more important than the interest rate at that point.
And after she got well, he never stopped working hard to pay off the debt! They were barely feeding well, all in a bid to squeeze out every extra penny they could spare. And yet, Mathias was here, causing a scene early in the morning.
Hailen came out from Velexa's room with a bag of money. "Honey, I have some money I earned from my trade yesterday. I was very lucky to meet a generous buyer and he tipped me generously. We can give him everything, it should offset half of the money we owe.
Mathias's smiled wildly like a creep upon seeing Hailen, his eyes roaming lecherously over her body. Hailen on feeling his crawling gaze, hid behind Freman.
Freman shielded his wife, his anger was tethering on the surface now. "Here's half of the money Mathias. You'll get the complete sum before the month ends. Now please leave." He seethed.
"I'm not leaving without the full amount." Mathias whistled and his goonies filled the compound. There were five bulky, giant-looking men with clubs in their hands.
"You can either pay in cash..." His eyes roamed behind Freman, "Or... you can pay in kind." His mouth drooled just thinking about Hailen's fair skin. He was done eating his beef jerky now.
"You.. will... NOT... lay... a HAND... on my WIFE!" Freman wasn't trying to hide his anger anymore.
"We'll see about that. Men, get me the fair maiden over there. I'm craving some fun!" Mathias smirked evily.
The goonies lunged for Freman all at once and Freman pushed Hailen inside the house, banging the door shut behind him!
He tried to fight off the giant goonies but the were stronger than him. They pushed him to the ground and were pounding away at him. The sound of club hitting flesh resounded in the early morning air and Hailen's muffled cries could be heard with each hit.
At a point, she couldn't bear it anymore and ran out. She lay on top of Freman and the goonies momentarily stopped.
"Please! No more! He will die! Please, spare him!" Hailen wailed.
"Oh, I'll spare him for you pretty one. You deserve that much and more. But it comes at a cost." Mathias smiled lecherously.
"No! Have you no shame Mathias? I am a married woman! How dare you have despicable thoughts about me?" Hailen screamed, hoping someone would come to their rescue.
"A stubborn one I see. Drag her. She's coming back with me." Matias turned to leave and the goonies lifted her and were leaving with him.
Hailen was screaming, scratching, crying for help, for anyone or anything to come. Freman could barely move and even he reached out a feeble arm, trying to stop them.
At that moment, a fierce wind lifted Mathias and his goonies in the air. It carried Hailen safely away from the goonies hand, and dropped her safely on the ground, next to Freman, then slammed Mathias and his goonies, head first on the ground!
Hailen and Freman looked back in shock to see the little girl they saved just this morning with a cold look in her eyes. She had glowing white crack lines on her body that were littered at the edges of the skin of her hands, legs and face. It looked like she was about to burst open but something held her back in place.
Velexa raised her hand and lifted Mathias and his goonies up in the air again, she left them suspended in the air. She slowly looked at Hailen and Freman, then at Mathias and his goonies. Her black hair swaying with her movements.
'Who are these people?' She thought to herself. She taught hard but no memory was coming to mind. Not about what had happened or about anything for that matter. Her mind was blank.
"What is going on? Why is this man bloody and bruised?" Velexa tilted her head curiously. Her voice was laced with authority.
"Child! You're okay! Thank goodness? It's good to see you moving around." Hailen couldn't help her happiness, despite her situation.
'They do not seem like bad people. No one cheers for another person's safety in this kind of situation.'
She turned her gaze towards Mathias and his goonies. "Did they do this to him?" Velexa asked Hailen.
Hailen's muffled cries were all the answers she needed. Once again, she turned them on their heads and slammed them hard on the ground! Then she lifted them again and flung them far away, using the wind like a catapult.
Velexa turned to Hailen, "Who are you people? Where am I? Why am I here?"
Hailen wiped her tears and said, "I will answer all your questions, but first I have to get Semona to heal Freman. Once he has stabilized, I promise I would answer all your questions."
Hailen returned quickly with Semona. Velexa had already placed Freman on the bed using wind. Semona was shocked to see Velexa moving about normally, without signs of pain. However, she concentrated on treating Freman.
"Now that he is stable, please answer my questions." Velexa sat on the chair in the parlour with a perfect posture. She had the air and grace of a royal. And there was an aura radiating off her that made Hailen instinctively want to obey her command. Hailen found this strange.
Hailen sighed first that started, "We found you drifting by the river when we went pearl hunting this morning. We don't know where you drifted from but we suspect you fell from the mountainous cliff."
"Fell off a cliff? Me?" Velexa asked, puzzled. She simply couldn't recall anything try as she might.
"Freman said he saw an air barrier around you when you were drifting. Did you cast that magic?"
Semona was done with Freman now. She leaned on the doorsill and listened in on their conversation.
"I don't remember anything. I only have this strong urge to protect... To stop someone terrible from happening but I don't know what." Velexa shook her little head.
"Does your body hurt?" Semona asked.
"Not really. Though something feels different." Velexa lifted her arms and examined it, surprised to see the lines lining the edges. She saw a peculiar silk cloth tying her right arm, as though it was concealing something.
"That's strange, you're supposed to be in immense pain. When did your powers begin to manifest? It is unprecedented for a child your age to have such an overwhelming power flowing within her." There was something strange in Semona's tone.
"I don't believe I am mandated to answer your question." Velexa leveled her with a cold gaze and a chill ran down Semona's spine.
Suddenly, there was repeated knocking on the door. It was hurried and a bit forceful.
"Yes, coming." Hailen went to answer the door. "And who might you be?"
"Apologies for the intrusion but I am here for my master's daughter."
"Your master's daughter..." Hailen trailed off when Velexa appeared by the door.
"Coachman?" Velexa asked in surprise.
A look of relief washed over the Coachman's face upon seeing Velexa. He was happy to see she had survived the fall.
When he woke up, the little boy who stopped the assassins told him what happened and that Velexa fell off the cliff. The little boy disappeared after that while he came to find Velexa.
"Your... Miss, you're alright!" The Coachman smiled then turned serious. "We must leave this place at once!"