Congratulations. You have reached level 25

That night, we visited Kalli’s hometown in our dream. It wasn’t hard to find Kalli because I appeared right next to the redhead. “Hey baby Kalli, what are we dreaming about tonight?”

I knew she was happy to see me because she had a smile on her face when she turned to greet me. “I’m not sure. I usually have nightmares about this place.”

“How come I never noticed that the sky is green in your world before?” I asked as I took in the massive green planet above us.

Kalli looked up and shrugged. “I don’t know. Why do you never dream about the sky being blue in yours? My guess is it’s because we don’t pay attention to those details in our dreams.”

The level of detail was amazing. It felt like I was walking through the village with Kalli as opposed to just dreaming about it. As we strolled through town, I could tell that Kalli was excited to get somewhere. I took her hand in mine and asked, “Where are we going?”

She smiled and squeezed my hand. “I’m pretty sure I know where I’m headed. This was the day that I talked the Hellquists into finding me a teacher. The day I signed the contract.”

In the distance ahead, a large house loomed on a hill. While the buildings in town were more developed than the huts in the village we were currently staying in, the house on the hill was of another level altogether.

The closer we got, the more out of place the house on the hill became. A brick wall surrounded the hill and a pack of golden stones paved the way to the lavish front doors of the estate.

Kalli paused when we got to the gate. Wondering if there was a magic doorbell, I asked, “Do we have to do something to let them know we’re here?”

She shook her head.“They always know. Whenever I got too close to that hill, they always let me know that they knew.”

The way she said ‘let me know’ sounded ominous. “What kinds of things did they do?”

Kalli sighed, looking up at the house as she tried to recall. “Sometimes the gate would rattle. Other times they would send an attendant down to tell me to leave. When they didn’t want to be bothered, they attacked me.”

“Did they hurt you?” I asked, becoming even more furious with the Hellquists.

She turned to look at me and replied. “Nothing like that. I was just a little kid. It was the equivalent of using magic to throw something at me. It just made me run away. No harm done.”

That didn’t make me feel any better. Suddenly and without warning, the gate swung open. Kalli took a deep breath and started up the gilded path. Feeling her apprehension, I whispered, “I’m right here with you. You’re not alone this time.”

Kalli gave me an apprehensive smile as we made our way up to the house. It was even bigger and more grandiose from up close. The double doors swung open when we got there. An old man that looked like a butler bowed and beckoned us inside.

We were led to a sitting room where Kalli was provided with tea and snacks. She looked down at the delicacies and informed me, “This was the first time I ever ate anything sweet in my life.”

I reached down and picked up one of the wafers. It tasted like a cheap sugar cookie. They were nothing like the candy I was used to from Earth.

“Welcome, young lady.” A middle-aged woman in far too much makeup said as she sauntered into the room, taking a seat across from us. “I take it that you are the orphan that showed potential down in that monastery?”

Kalli nodded, standing up so she could curtsy. “Yes, my lady. I was told to come see you.”

The woman smiled. It was a sinister smile that turned my stomach in knots. “I did summon you. Kalliphae was it? How would you like to be a part of the Hellquist family?”

Kalli stood stiffly, reliving the memory. “I apologize. I’m afraid I don’t understand. Do you wish to adopt me?”

If possible, the smile got even darker. “Not exactly. We do, however, wish for you to join the family.”

“What do you mean?” Kalli asked slowly. I was unsure if she was reciting her conversation from memory or if the dream had taken over.

The woman waved to someone in the other room and a little boy no older than six years old shuffled in. She pointed to him and said, “I would like for you to join our family through marriage. It’s even better than adoption. Your sons will be heirs to the Hellquist family name. What do you think about that?”

Kalli looked at the boy apprehensively. “I’m too young to get married. He’s just a little boy too. I don’t understand…”

“Details.” The woman cut her off with a word. “You won’t have to get married until both of you are of age. There is plenty of time for you to grow up. Don’t worry about a thing. We will take care of everything.”

She unfurled a scroll and laid it out on the table, looking up at Kalli and asking, “Can you read and write?”

Kalli looked down at the document and whimpered, “No.”

The smile on the lady’s face widened as she soothed the girl. “Don’t fret over it, my dear. I will explain everything to you. This contract guarantees that we will sponsor you and get you a proper education. In return, you agree to marry my son when he comes of age. All that we ask is a single male heir to carry on the Hellquist name.”

Kalli was shivering as she sat down in front of the contract. “What if I don’t have a boy? What happens if I have a girl?”

The woman threw her head back in laughter. “My dear dear child. We are not savages. If you give us daughters we will love and raise them the same way we would a son. Don’t worry about such trivial details.”

“I don’t know…” Kalli began.

Noticing Kalli’s nervousness, the woman stood up and moved around the table to sit next to the girl. I had to move as nobody in the room seemed to be paying any attention to my existence. It was different in that way from the dream that I had shared with Kalli.

I took a closer look at the contract while the woman tried to convince young Kalli to sign. “How about this, child. Let’s add a clause where you can buy out of the contract. Say 1,000 gold standards? All you need to do is pay us before your wedding day and you can consider your debt to us paid in full. How does that sound?”

Kalli was starting to nod as she asked, “Isn’t that a lot of money? How will I ever get that much?”

The woman tutted a snobbish laugh. “That much is nothing for the awakened. Once you begin your training you should be able to make that much through the guild in no time. Remember, you have ten years to do it.”

“How do I agree if I can’t write?” Kalli asked, eyeing the contract nervously.

The woman scooped up the contract, holding it up to Kalli.“Just press your hand to it and say I agree.”

Kalli pressed her hand against the parchment and spoke the words. “I agree.”

The room flooded with a bright white light and suddenly we were awake back at the hut. I sat up suddenly, throwing Kalli off of me. She grunted in annoyance and grumbled in my head. Why did you do that? Do you have to pee or something?

I knew she could tell that I had to pee but I was too busy with what I had just learned to tease her about it.

I need to talk to Kiki right now.

Kalli followed me as I erupted from the hut, trying to figure out which one was Kiki’s. The first hut I entered turned out to be Wendy’s. She smiled when I poked my head inside. “Good morning, Melvin.”

Looking around, I asked, “Where’s Joe?”

The smile melted off of her face as she blushed and yelled at me, “Just because you and Kalli share a hut doesn’t mean every couple sleeps together. Go away.”

“Sorry.” I blurted out as I resumed my search, still anxious to see Kiki.

Four huts later and I found her. Kiki snored loudly in her bed when we entered the hut. Kalli poked her head in beside me and asked, Do you really want to wake her up?

I have to.

Kiki took a swing at me when I shook her to wake her up. I barely managed to get out of the way of her flailing arms. She rubbed her temples without opening her eyes. “What the hell do you want?”

“I saw the contract.” I began, trying to remember all of the details. “I think I can recreate it.”

Kiki sat up as abruptly as I had and muttered, “I need to go take my early morning pee. I’ll be back to talk contracts after.”

She brushed past us urgently without waiting for a reply. Since the huts were so overstuffed with beds, Kalli and I made our way over to the tables that were used for meals. I edited a rock into parchment and started scribbling down what I could remember.

Beatrice distracted us by plopping down two plates laden with food in front of us. Hardly nibbling her food, Kalli asked me, Do you think I messed up, Mel?

I stopped writing to reply.

No. You were young then. You couldn’t even read or write at the time. It’s the Hellquists that’s to blame. Not you.

Kalli smiled and kissed my cheek. Thank you, Mel.

Kiki made it back toward the end of breakfast. I grinned at her and said, “That took forever. Did you have to go number two?”

She stuck her tongue out at me and replied, “No. I stopped by Joe’s hut to get a cup of coffee.”

True to her word, my sister had a mug of coffee sitting next to her breakfast plate. Seeing the contract in front of me, she picked it up. “What is this? It’s incomplete.”

Marriage Contract between Kalliphae Orphan and The Hellquist Family.

The Hellquist Family agrees to sponsor Kalliphae Orphan to receive full magical training in exchange for a male heir to the Hellquist Bloodline.

This contract shall culminate upon the date that Kalliphae Orphan comes of age.

Services to be provided by The Hellquists

1. Introduction to an instructor capable of nurturing magical talent.

2. Payment of all fees associated with training

3. Full and unrestricted use of the Hellquist name.

Kalliphae Orphan’s Obligations

1. Marriage to male heir of the Hellquists choosing.

2. Birth at least one male heir.

3. Minimum of three children, one of which must be male.

A. Minimum of five children if a male is not born sooner.

Special Addendum

1. 1,000 Gold Crests may be provided to satisfy all obligations in the contract prior to Kalliphae Orphan reaching the age of majority.

Kalliphae Orphan

______________________________

Kiki read over the contract in silence and asked, “Is this everything in the contract?”

I shook my head and explained, “There were more pages underneath that one but I couldn’t see them.”

She gaped at me and asked, “How did you see this? Did you leave the village last night? Why didn’t you take me? We could have ended this whole thing and gone home already.”

“I saw it in a dream”, I said, smiling at Kalli, “Kalli’s dream.”

Kiki’s mouth hung open and she shook her head. “How? Wait, Never mind. I need you to tell me everything that you can about this contract. Those pages of fine print could be very important.”

I recounted my recollection of Kalli’s dream with the two girls while we ate. Kalli seemed genuinely surprised when she said, I don’t even remember all of that. Are you sure I was talking to you?

Yes. We talked about the sky. Wait a second, do you remember kissing me when you entered my dream?

She rubbed her chin thoughtfully but her mind betrayed her when she saw her younger self kissing me on the playground. We both shared a smile as Kiki replied. “Look. From the sounds of things, there might be a few ways out of that contract. Obviously, our best bet is to pay off the Hellquists and be done with it. If that doesn’t work, the verbal agreement that they made with you might be sufficient to weaken the magic so that you can get out of it. There is also the chance that they didn’t fulfill their end of the bargain or that there is something in the fine print that we can use against them. Don’t worry, Kalli. I’ll get you out of this contract for sure.”

“Thanks, Kiki,” Kalli whispered, offering the girl a weak smile.

I couldn’t help but replay the conversation over and over in my head. “Ki, that Hellquist lady never mentioned anything about Kalli marrying the old guy. Doesn’t that mean they can’t alter the contract?”

Kiki nodded and said, “Well, it’s written here that the Hellquists can choose any male heir as her suitor. However, she never said that while knowing full well that Kalli couldn’t read. It’s a grey area but magical contracts must be understood at the time of signing in order to be enforceable. I plan to attack that detail if they refuse the gold. There are other ways we can get out of it too but I won’t know what they are until we get there.”

Just then, the rest of the group arrived. It was time to edit up some more breakfast. We had another busy day ahead of us.