Soon, the gifts multiplied within the places of stone and glass and then they came out. They fought and killed the peoples, our children! The fears of our wisest had all come true but it was too late for us to stop them.

- Chapter 20, The Unwritten History of Neah-Reath.

“Now, you know my son” Timon began.

“Tall, lanky fella, brown hair.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen him around” Teah replied. “I don’t think he likes me much.”

“Ahh, don’t go worrying about that. He’s just a lad. He doesn’t have much experience around people, especially not people his age. A village like this, most of the young-uns leave as soon as they can.”

“So why didn’t he?”

“He wanted to, at first. When he was young, it was all he would talk about. Going to the Capital or having an adventure. I think it was all the stories that Jaspen used to tell him.”

“What happened”?

Timon looked embarrassed for a second.

“Well, an inn like this, it needs hands to keep it going, you know. We figured that we’d get him to stay an extra year or two, then when he was a bit older and we’d managed to get some more help around that he’d go then. Seemed like the best for all of us.”

“So? What happened?”

“He fell in love with some lass. They were together for a wee bit, but then she took off. He said he would go find her, but before he could, we found out that she’d died. Since then, he’s been withdrawn, quiet. It’s been hard for him and us.”

“So what do you want me to do? I don’t know him. I don’t even know myself!”

“Well, what me and the wife want is for you to take him with you when you go. Take him to the capital with you and look after him a bit, so that he don’t get hurt.”

Teah was speechless with confusion.

“What? Why? Huh?”

“Hahaha,” Timon laughed. “Try again, lass.”

“Why do you think I’m gonna go to the Capital? And how would I look after him if I do?”

Timon just smiled knowingly at her.

“I’m an innkeeper. In my trade, I get to meet many people. You get a sense of who people are doing that. Now me, my feet are made of stone. I was born here and I’ll die here. Jaspen, now, he’s got feet of string. He left, but he came back, and he always would. My son, now he’s got feet of wood. He’s just floating around, you know? He needs some direction.”

“And me?” Teah laughed. “What are my feet made of?”

Timon looked at her seriously, not a trace of the humour that typically showed in his face.

“You, you have the feet of a fairy. You float through the world in your own way, rarely touching anything. But what you touch, you make magical.”

Teah sat in silence, not knowing how to respond.

“I’ve known a couple people like you. Impossible to say where they will end up, but their stories are always fascinating. You, you have that sense of the ineffable.”

“What do you mean?” she asked quietly.

“I mean, no one can know what you will do, but everyone will know about it once you have done it.”

Teah swallowed again, before asking “So, you want me to take your son with you? To help him be great?”

“Ha, no. Nothing like that. I want you to give him the chance. I talked about it with Jaspen, who has some contacts in the Capital. He’ll get them to help the lad try a few things, see what he likes. I just ask that you look after him on the way to the Capital and then while he tries his hand at some things. Once he’s sorted, we’re square.”

“I dunno,” she said slowly. “That’s a big commitment, and I don’t even know if I will go to the Capital.”

“Trust me, you’ll go” he said confidently. “And I’m not asking you to do it for just some cheese. Jaspen is friends with the one of the Mages of the Royal Court. He’ll contact them and get you an introduction. Our friend Cornelius may not be able to get you home, but I guarantee that they can.”

Teah sat quietly again, thinking.

“You mean, they could fix my memory? Help me go home?”

“I’m certain of it. If anyone can, they can do it.”

Teah sat up straight and answered “then it’s a deal.”

“Ha! I knew you’d agree! Alright, another cider for us then!”

He went to the bar and was soon back with two more mugs of cider, as well as two tiny glasses. They were proper glasses, made of thin glass, with an odd, hexagonal shape. Handing one to her, he said “These are a gift from Jaspen from when he came back from the Capital. Proper glass, too good to use around here, but worth it for special things.”

Teah sniffed the liquid in the glasses. It was clear, with just a tint of pink to it and smelt strongly of peaches.

“What is it?”

“This, is the specialty of the village. It’s hard to make, and we only get a couple barrels a year all up, but it’s good. It’s a peach alcohol, infused with a bit of magic. Something to do with the trees that the peaches come from. No one rightly knows how it works, but it does. Here, try it like this” he said, taking a sip.

Teah copied him, sipping slowly at it. The flavour of peaches burst onto her tongue, as well as a thousand other flavours, all happening independently. Her eyes bulged, as she quickly sipped again.

“It’s amazing! It tastes like everything nice!”

“Aye, that be the effect. It’s called ‘The Taste of Home’. Do you get why?”

“It’s all the flavours that make me feel like I belong. Like I’m at home.”

“Haha, that’s right. It seems to use memories to find what you associate with being at home and makes you taste them.”

“But I don’t remember my home…”

“Ahh, mayhap you don’t remember it, but you have the memories, right enough. So I’m certain that the Mages in the Capital can help you get them back.”

Teah sat quietly for a second then sprung up and threw her arms around Timon in a huge hug.

“Thank you, thank you! I wasn’t sure it was possible sometimes!”

“Ahh, don’t think about it, lass. ‘It hurts no one to help those in need’.”

“Thank you” was all Teah could say.

She sat down and closed her eyes while sipping the glass of memories. She tried to concentrate on the flavours as she did, but she couldn’t quite work out what they were. She gave up and just enjoyed the sense of rightness that they gave her.

As she finished her drink, Timon looked out the door.

“Ahh, you best be hurrying off there. It’s gonna be dark soon.”

Teah looked out the door and saw that the sun was approaching the horizon.

“Ohh yes! I should get back before Cornelius worries about me.”

She quickly grabbed her pack, putting the wrapped packages that Timon had prepared for her in it and making sure the book was securely wrapped up and in it safely. She made her way to the door, stopping before she exited the inn.

“Thank you again, Timon. I’ll be back soon to say hi and I’ll tell you when I decide to go to the capital.”

“No rush, lass. No one here is gonna disappear any time soon.”

Teah left the inn and checked the sky again.

“Damn. I don’t think I’m gonna make it before dark. This isn’t going to be fun.”

She started walking quickly, soon reaching the edge of the forest. It was already darker under the trees, but not overly. Teah thought that if she was quick enough, she’d get back to the hut before it was too dark to see.

“Alright then, off we go” she muttered to herself as she started into the dark of the forest.

The forest was different at night. The trees, which were verdant and lively during the day seemed much more sinister. The leaves above her instead of holding up the sky seemed to be pressing down on her. Teah wasn’t enjoying it.

“Shit. Ow. Crap. Ow. Ow. Ow. Owowowow!”

Teah had tried using her light spell again, aiming to use it to light her way, but she wasn’t able to keep it going long enough to be useful and the pain kept making her forget where the path was. Finally, she settled for just using what light made it to the ground to find the path. As she walked, she started hearing strange sounds. It sounded like bird calls, but they had an ugly hiss to them.

“Chiss! Chiss!”

At first, the sound was off to one side, but then Teah heard it from the other side as well. She sped up, hoping to get away from whatever was making the sound.

“Chiss! Chiss! Chiss!”

Teah stopped at the latest hissing chirp.

“That sounded like it was in front of me” she whispered.

She stood for a moment, trying to hear the sound again. This time, the sound come from in front of her and to both sides.

“Shit. I’m trapped, aren’t I?”

She turned, aiming to get back to the village, but as she did, an ugly, misshapen bird landed on the path behind her, maybe thirty yards away, blocking her way to the village. It seemed like a giant owl, almost three feet tall, with long brown and black feathers on its wings and body, but it’s face was like a lizard, no feathers just leathery skin. It had a beak, but when it opened it’s mouth again, she saw teeth. Teah turned around again, aiming to run through the path, but as she did another one of the misshapen creatures landed about twenty yards up the path. She turned back towards the village, hoping to be able to run past it, but now saw two of the creatures there. Turning her head back and forth, she tried to keep all of the monsters in sight.

“Damn, what should I do? Maybe I can outrun them?”

She backed off the path, moving backwards until she felt a tree behind her. She looked around for a weapon, finally finding a large stick on the ground. Picking it up, she started waving it around, trying to scare the monsters off. However, the monsters slowly made their way towards her in small hoping steps, stopping again about ten yards away, watching her. Teah tried swinging the stick at them, but they just shuffled forwards a bit more each time she did, finally stopping mere yards away from her.

“Shit, what did they say about monsters in these woods? They aren’t Orken Toads. What was the other one? Gobists! What did they say to do?”

The Gobists were slowly approaching her. One got within range of her stick and she lashed out, trying to hit it. It dodged back from the swing and hissed at her again with its strange sound.

“Chissss!”

The other Gobists had moved a bit closer as this happened, so she swung at them as well. She missed the first as it dodged back, but the second had moved forwards again, and couldn’t get out of the way in time. She struck it a glancing blow, making it stumble back, but it was quickly upright again. This time, all three of the Gobists hissed at her in unison, their lizard-like features twisted in what she was certain was anger.

“CHISSS!”

“Damnit, damnit! Crap!” she swore loudly.

“Alright, nothing for it I guess!”

Teah quickly drew the symbol for her light spell with her right hand, focusing on it while waving the stick at the Gobists with her left hand. The Gobists took the opportunity and lunged at her, making her have to dive away before she could finish the spell.

“Shit. Shit.”

She jumped back from another lunging snap of the beak from a Gobist and ran around a tree, finding another tree to back up against. As she did, she threw the stick at the first Gobist to round the tree and started forming the spell again. She finished it as all three Gobists rounded the tree and approached her.

“Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. OW. OWWWW!”

Her body writhed in pain, alternating between feeling like it was burning and being shocked. The light grew brighter, making the Gobists cover their eyes with their wings, hissing loudly at her. As she writhed in pain, the light dimmed and the Gobists all prepared to lunge. As they launched themselves, she focused her mind on the energy flowing through her and forced the light in her hand to glow brighter. It brightened slightly, then as she forced more energy in, her body burning, the light in her hand seemed to explode, shining like the sun for a brief second, before dimming to that of a torch. As it did, the pain in her body eased, still there but having reduced to that of a minor cut. The light blinded her for a second, but it seemed to hurt the Gobists far more. Screeching in pain, they all collapsed onto the ground, holding their wings over their eyes at the explosion of light. Even after it dimmed, they still covered their eyes, turning and all stumbling off into the darkness, screeching in pain as they did.

Teah breathed heavily, watching the light in her hand in amazement. Even though it seemed as bright as a lit torch, she could look at it without it hurting her eyes. Touching it, she felt no heat, just a curious sensation, like she was stroking a feather.

“Wow. It’s beautiful.”

Teah kept the spell going, holding up her hand to light the area around her.

“It’s like the pain is gone too.” She whispered to herself in amazement. Indeed, while she could feel the magic flowing through her, it merely made her body tingle, instead of hurting her.

Teah quickly found the path, following it back to Cornelius’s hut. She kept the light up the whole time, and although the pain returned a little as she walked through the forest, it was nothing as bad as it had been before. Arriving at the hut, she quickly ran in, still channelling the spell.

“Cornelius! Look! I can do it!”

“Wonderful, child! Well done!”

Teah let the spell go out, feeling her body relax as she did. She quickly formed the spell again to see if she could, and while the familiar pain was there as she started the spell, it was far less than it had been and once it was going there was almost no pain.

“I can do it! I can do it!”

Almost crying with joy, Teah danced around the room, holding up the light!

“I can do magic!”

Cornelius smiled at her performance.

“That is truly good news, child. In fact, this makes my news for you even better.”

“Oh? What do you mean?” she asked, letting the light go out.

“I’ve had news from one of my contacts in the Capital. Another person has appeared there. Someone with no memories of who they are or where they are from.”

“You mean, someone like me?” she asked in excitement. “Do you think they are from my home?”

“Well, it’s too soon to tell” he said cautiously. “And to be honest, I don’t know how much this will help you in getting home regardless. But, I can tell you one thing, and this is why I think it’s important that you go there and meet this person when you can” he said, seeing her expression as it changed from excitement to disappointment. “This person also has no memory of magic existing.”