Year 23-2

I couldn't say why I decided to help Tucker. When we first met, I was desperate for one thing, but he offered another. That night in the tavern was a last effort. Still, something drove me to stay by his side. Something convinced me to keep him around.

"No, now fuck off," I exclaimed, still in the tavern at my table.

I might have needed a moment to come around. Tucker wasted my time, and worse, he tempted my hope.

"I require your services," he continued to speak even when my voice grew loud.

There were too many people watching us. Rather than curse Tucker to death, I caught my tongue and left the establishment. Of course, he followed behind me.

In those early days of our "partnership," our demeanors were in great conflict. No matter how aggressive I was, he remained calm and at peace. No matter how pleasant and agreeable he was, I remained blunt and short-tempered.

"I'm not for sale," I said.

"You are a Hunter, yes?" He stepped in front of me, blocking my next step, but I might have walked through him.

Through the broken back wood village of Nestle and over a hill, Tucker persisted in his plea. Under the moonlight, walking with wind at my back, I ignored everything until finally his voice was nonexistent. I turned around, and he was gone, vanished. A grin of relief crept onto my face. I turned back, and he was there blocking my way once more.

"What's the job," I said with exhaustion.

"My friend," Tucker began to speak.

"Has been abducted by goblins," I assumed aloud.

"No," he answered.

"Killed by Ice Wolves," I guessed again.

"No, he's a satyr," Tucker revealed.

"You're friends with a satyr?" I questioned, but looking at Tucker's clothes, his hair, and his dirt made the question seem redundant.

"Penn is like a brother to me; he's my only family."

"And... you want him killed?" I asked while I walked around the strange mage.

"No, he's been taken," Tucker corrected me and finally showed a hint of aggression.

He was growing impatient if only slightly. He was a good person, a kind person, but a person none the less. Regardless of how controlled he was, there were thoughts behind his eyes.

"By goblins?" I said, joking at his expense.

"Knights!" Tucker said.

"He's been taken by... Goblin Knights," I squinted an eye.

He grabbed me by my arm, and I half expected to have another out of body experience.

"He's been taken by human knights," he corrected me again, but he did so to my back.

"Fuck off," I said as calmly as possible while also gripping the hilt of my sword.

I entertained lunacy for more than long enough.

"Please," he begged, continuing to hold me in the woods.

"You're a mage. Why don't you save him?"

"My Vow is a year old; I don't have the strength," he answered while releasing me.

After a pause to return calmer heads to our shoulders, again, I walked on, but he followed close behind.

"And you think I do?" I asked.

"Yes, you possess more strength than any Hunter I've known."

How many hunters did he know? In such a short while, we already began changing one another. He showed bone, and I... I perhaps showed compassion.

"What will you pay me?" I asked.

We crossed a bridge together, literally and figuratively at that moment.

I didn't invite Tucker into my home, but I didn't stop him from walking inside when we arrived. The Dane's cottage wasn't what it used to be. A dead field of cotton hinted at the abandoned home I called mine. I was the only person still waking and waning in those walls. It was a lonely place that held spirits long passed.

"You live here?" Tucker asked moments after I opened the door.

Covered in mud, dirt, and all hell of other filth, my uninvited house guest questioned cobwebs and dust at first sight. I didn't answer him, but he didn't need me to.

"If knights have your friend, a satyr, then there's not a lot of ways I can help you," I admitted while I shed my boots and sword.

I lit candles and unwound, but Tucker remained at the door. After many moments, I couldn't help but notice his fixed position.

"What are you doing?"

"Your floors, I don't want to ruin them," he said.

I sighed before walking over and tugging his arm. Tucker wasn't weak, he had enough strength to resist me, but I got him to take another step.

"Look around; everything is already ruined," I said, letting him go so I could retire to a seat made by the fire place.

Furniture was sparce but I kept the rocking chairs that once belonged to Loreal and Michael.

While I sparked the flame, Tucker came to sit with me in a seat that closely mirrored my own. The cottage hadn't received guests in a long while. At the time, I was too annoyed to admit I found pleasure in silently sharing space with another beating heart. Strangely enough, the mage never let down his hood to make himself comfortable. It seemed to be his only possession worth gold or silver, so I didn't question his attachment to its use.

"What are you planning," Tucker asked, and his voice broke silence held by embers.

The look of him. So comfortable, so foreign to the world outside. He was odd. I couldn't hold my disappointment over his head. There was enough rage already, so I moved on. We found one another searching for solutions to our problems. While he couldn't help me, there was a chance I could be his answer. For the night, he would keep me from thinking of shadows.

"You'll sleep here tonight," I said softly, standing to retire to a bed too large for a single body.

His face changed. It was slight, but after spending hours together, I couldn't miss it. He was surprised. Did he think I would make him sleep in the fields? I might have.

"For the night. You'll sleep here for the night. Tomorrow we free your friend," I added.

"But what are you planning," Tucker continued while I crossed the room and entered another down the short hall.

Seers couldn't see into the future, but had I glanced into his smoking eyes, I might have seen trouble coming down.

"Nothing Lawful," I answered before shutting the bedroom door.