Tyr had only been back for two hours and he already gathered a crew to head out. The guild needed money for the property that was being sold adjacent to the guild lands. The money needed to be given by the end of next month. Everyone understood the gravity of the situation, so no one complained despite the fatigue from their journey.For this request, they had to travel south and slay a Kraken that begun attacking ships in the south-eastern waters. Other guilds ignored the King"s request because it was the peak of the monsoon season. That particular area was known for being especially dangerous. The Twin Maelstroms wreaked havoc in the waters to the sides of where the Kraken resided. Many merchants and cargo ships sailed between the maelstroms because it saved them a lot of time. The King had put in the request because the Kraken affected the trade routes.
After Tyr ordered the guild to prepare for the campaign, he thought of how to break the news of his quick departure to his twin sister, Luna. Tyr suspected she would give him h.e.l.l for missing their 400th birthday celebration. As if on queue, Luna opened the door to his office.
Luna entered and saw her brother. He looked dirty from traveling and he stared into the fire while eating a sandwich. "Welcome back. I hear you"re going on an expedition again," she said with a slight frown tugging the corners of her mouth. She did not look forward to explaining Tyr"s absence to their mother. Luna felt it was unfair that Tyr continually forced her to be the bearer of bad news when their family was involved.
Tyr could hear the annoyance in Luna"s voice. "So it seems. Fenrir really hasn"t left me with much of a choice," Tyr pointed out. He moved away from the fireplace and leaned on the edge of his desk and crossed his legs. He decided he needed to sound firm.
"You"ll be missing our birthday again this year," Luna stated, adding, "Mother has been constantly asking when you will come home to visit her." She was aware that Tyr had not seen their mother for the past year and a half. Coincidentally, Tyr stopped visiting the family estate around the same time Fenrir broke up with him, not that he visited very often.
Tyr ran his fingers through his long bangs and gave his hair a slight tug in frustration, "Mother is always asking that and I told her I"m busy. I"m trying to expand the guild and now is definitely NOT a good time." Tyr grew weary of explaining to his mother how managing a guild required a lot of time and effort. He knew the real reason his mother wanted him home for his birthday was to have him meet prospective brides. She did not actually miss him.
Luna gave him a look, the same one she always gave him when she felt he wasn"t being reasonable. Suddenly she remembered the small woman from the courtyard that she saw Tyr come home with. "How did your last mission go? Anything you need to let me know?" Luna inquired with her eyes twinkling and a big smile formed on her mouth. She wanted to tease him about his new lover before she asked how they met.
Tyr shoved himself away from the desk and strode over to Luna. A sign of warning flashed across his face, "Look, there really wasn"t much I could have done to save them. You know how dangerous it is to just go to the Outer-Reaches. If you want to talk about how poor my leadership is or how I should just accept the money mother is offering, then you can shut it." Tyr forgot about Macha and thought his sister referred to the guildmates who died on their mission.
Luna was taken aback, she decided it was not worth conversing with her moody brother. She understood he was stressed and in a bad mood because of Fenrir"s actions. He and Fenrir had been lovers for about 150 years. Despite their long relationship, Fenrir did not even keep her promise about leaving the guild after they bought the property.
Luna recalled that Tyr"s obsession with raising the guild"s status began when Fenrir broke off their relationship and became the third wife of Jarnvid Gervais, the guild leader of the Carnelian k.u.mas. Making her way to the couch, Luna grabbed a gray wool blanket that lay folded up on the seat and strode out the door. She did not want to say something she would regret before Tyr went out on a mission. It was dangerous in the Outer-Reaches and if something happened to him she did not want the last words they spoke to be bad ones.
****
When Macha woke up, she found herself covered with a thick gray wool blanket with blue stripes running down it. In the corner, there was an embroidered emblem of a wyvern with its wings outstretched encircled by a shield. Sitting up, Macha spotted a few hardtacks and some jerky next to where her head had laid.
The sun shone brightly and the yellow flowers on the tree fell as the breeze made the branches sway. In the courtyard, she gazed at a few gardeners clipping back the bushes that surrounded the fountain. They seemed to be talking and joking with one another. They tossed the clippings to a demon-like monster that devoured the waste.
Macha ate the food and wondered how long she had to wait there. As she nibbled on her last piece of jerky a small rabbit with horns and bird wings came hopping up to her. In its fangs, the creature held a white translucent stone. It placed the stone on the ground at Macha"s feet.
Macha eyed the wolpertinger creature warily while picking up the stone. It was strange looking, but cute at the same time. Once she held the stone in her hands, the stone emitted a faint light and projected Luna"s figure above it. The image waved and called Macha"s name, followed by another word as she made a waving "come" gesture. Macha dropped the stone because it startled her. She had not expected to watch a small movie. Looking around, her eyes settled on the wolpertinger. The little creature stared at her and tilted its head. She picked up the stone again and the image repeated itself.
Macha waved her hand through the image, but it appeared to be a light projection. After a few minutes, she put the stone down on the bench and the video disappeared.
The wolpertinger hopped up onto the bench, put the stone in its mouth, and made its way towards the building. Macha thought the animal was extremely cute. She wanted to pet it but was also scared because she had never seen such a creature before. As the creature walked away, she deliberated on what to do. She decided to follow the creature because Luna"s image appeared from the stone and the wolpertinger carried it.
Climbing the stairs, Macha noticed that everything in this world seemed a bit larger than the world she had lived in. Here she felt like a child; the bench, the saddle, the stairs, all of them were slightly bigger than she was used to.