Choose Your Own Misadventure - 3

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Lorcan took a deep breath to calm himself. He was used to people being rude to him. He didn’t particularly like it, but growing up in a family filled with vulgar drunks had forced him to adapt. The villagers who came to buy alcohol were only marginally more polite than his relatives—they thought him odd and did their best not to interact with him. So if Luciana wanted to accuse him of being an evil traitor hell-bent on the destruction of humanity that was hardly to be considered unexpected.

“Listen,” he told her calmly, “why don’t I go with you and get this all cleared up with your father?”

Luciana eyed him suspiciously. “You would come with us willingly?”

“I would much rather get this over with quickly. Also, going with you now means I don’t have to worry about one of my uncles getting drunk and throwing up on your father’s shoes,” Lorcan said.

“Very well. Guard him closely,” she told her soldiers. Then Luciana mounted her horse and pulled Evie up to sit behind her. They all started down the trail that led back to Ostfield.

Lorcan had always been comfortable with long silences. In fact, he preferred them. As such, he rather enjoyed their walk through the forest despite the fact that he was being guarded by twelve angry men who believed he was an evil monster. He saw two deer, a woodpecker, and four rabbits. He was just starting to think that their entire journey would be a peaceful walk through nature when Evie hopped down from Luciana’s horse to walk beside him.

“Sorry about earlier. Anna is extra touchy about warlocks,” Evie explained. One of the soldiers had given her a cloak to keep the rain off. It was so comically large that it dragged along the muddy trail and threatened to trip Evie with every step she took.

Lorcan shrugged. Evie waited for him to respond verbally. Lorcan waited longer.

“She was engaged to marry a warlock. But nobody knew he was a warlock. Not even Mason,” Evie eventually continued. For some reason it appeared to be vitally important to her that Lorcan understand why Luciana acted the way she had. “He was trying to kill the Emperor and Luciana is friends with the Emperor’s daughter, so…” She looked up at Lorcan hopefully.

“So it’s understandable that she has trouble trusting people now.”

Evie breathed a sigh of relief. “Exactly! She loved Mason very much. Which is saying something, because Anna has never been really into the whole love thing. Even before she found out about Mason, she was still all business and no fun.”

“I…see.” Lorcan had no real desire to continue this conversation, but Evie seemed intent on prolonging it.

“We all liked Mason because he made Anna smile. She, uh, doesn’t really smile. Ever. You may have noticed she can be a bit…stern,” Evie muttered self-consciously.

Lorcan sighed. This happened occasionally. Without any provocation on his part, people would begin telling him their most secret dreams and fears. “I did indeed notice that.”

“She has new suitors now, but none of them make her laugh like Mason did. I miss seeing her laugh. I don’t miss her being engaged to a secret assassin, but the laughter was nice.” Evie looked quite sad for her sister.

“That’s more than enough of that, Evie,” Luciana said from behind them.

“Anna! How did you sneak up on us?” Evie asked, looking around guiltily.

Luciana shook her head. “You mean how much did I hear? Just about all of it. Now, go with the guards while I take Lorcan to see our father. You’ll have to wait here in the woods until we know it’s safe to take you back into the village.”

Evie did as she was told and Luciana gestured for Lorcan to lead the way. “Still don’t trust me to be out of your sight?”

“Something like that,” Luciana replied. They walked in silence until they reached the outskirts of Ostfield.

The village was evidently a small flyspeck of a town compared to everywhere else, but to Lorcan it was a bustling mass of people. Ostfield was noisy and everyone seemed to be in a rush to get somewhere else.

“You don’t realize what you did to Evie, do you?” Luciana asked as they stepped from the dirt trail to Weyrd Mountain onto the cobblestones of Ostfield proper.

“Did to her? No, I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” Lorcan suppressed a groan. One of Julian’s many feminine admirers had spotted him and was rushing over.

“She won’t shut up around you because you charmed her with a spell. Probably when you gave her that cloak this morning.” Luciana’s tone was displeased, but under strict control.

“That again?” This time, Lorcan did groan. “For the last time, I am not a warlock. You probably couldn’t wake your men because part of Great Grandmother’s spell was to prevent them being woken by anyone who wasn’t her relative. She no doubt planned on standing at the window and watching you try in vain to rouse the soldiers for hours just for her own amusement.”

Luciana did not appear convinced, but she said nothing because Julian’s admirer had reached them. Lorcan tried not to notice how slim and pretty the girl was. Or how blue her eyes were. And he definitely didn’t notice how the rain made her cloak cling to the curve of her hips.

“You’re Julian’s cousin, right? La—um…Lanky?” The girl obviously did not remember his name.

“Lorcan,” he corrected. In all fairness, he had no idea who she was either.

“Yeah! Lurkan. Is Julian coming into town too?” She looked so terribly hopeful that Lorcan felt bad telling her the truth.

“No, just me.”

“Oh.” The crestfallen youth hurriedly left to go about her business without saying goodbye.

“Charming,” Luciana said with evident distaste as she watched the girl go.

“It will happen again,” Lorcan warned her. And sure enough, they were approached by seven more girls hoping to hear that Julian was on his way before they reached the inn. After the eighth girl had come and gone, this one close to tears after Lorcan told her the bad news, Luciana stopped him.

“Why do all these women keep harassing you about your cousin? Does he owe them money?”

Lorcan shook his head. “They’re just infatuated with him. There’s a festival in a few days and they’re all hoping Julian will ask them to accompany him.”

“All of them?” she asked, a tad incredulous.

Lorcan nodded. “Julian is very good looking.”

Luciana arched a skeptical eyebrow at that. “And where is your special little lady? Will she be hunting you down as well?”

“Special little lady?” Lorcan asked, very confused.

“The young woman you are courting. We’re about the same age, you should be well into your courtship by now. Or at least your first attempt.”

“Ummmm…no. Not really.”

Luciana stared at him for a moment. “I thought villages like this were obsessed with getting their young people paired off, isn’t that what they have all those festivals for?”

“Well…yes, that’s true.”

“But you have no one.”

Lorcan nodded. “Correct.”

“Are you at least pursuing a girl?”

“Not…really,” Lorcan admitted hesitantly. No one really pressured him to go courting like they did his older cousins. His family seemed to take for granted that his awkwardness would make him terrible at it.

Luciana’s eyes narrowed. “That is odd. Warlocks usually…well, never mind that. Come on, my father will want to know Evie is alright.”

The barkeep nodded to Lorcan as he entered. Anyone who made their living selling liquor was well acquainted with Lorcan and his family. After all, they made the best booze around.

Luciana pointed to the stairs and Lorcan went all the way up to the third story of the inn. He had never been anywhere but the common room, kitchen, and the storage cellar. Lorcan was surprised by how fancy and clean everything was. He’d had no idea the Old Fisherman Inn was capable of accommodating a more wealthy clientele than travelling merchants.

Still keeping an eye on Lorcan, Luciana knocked on one of the doors. The door immediately swung open and an armored man nearly as wide as the door greeted Luciana before stepping aside to admit them.

Lorcan looked around. This room was nearly identical to the one he had seen in Evie’s dream last night. A broad shouldered middle-aged man stood by the window. He was staring out at the village square with his hands clasped behind his back.

“Yuri, leave us,” said the man who Lorcan assumed was Luciana’s father. The massive guard left immediately. “I assume that your early return means you located your sister. Efficient as always, my daughter.”

Luciana addressed her father in very formal tones. “I brought the boy who healed Evangeline’s wound. He lived with three witches, just as you said he would.”

The Senator chuckled. “Still you doubt the prophecies of the Divinatrix. When you visit her in a few months you will learn the weight of her wisdom.”

“Yes, father.”

Finally, the silver-haired man turned around. He had the same pale green eyes as Luciana and wore a neatly trimmed goatee on his face. He gave Lorcan a look that was clear his worth was being measured. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Senator Garis Seafury. Might I know the name of the young man who tended to my daughter’s injury?”

Lorcan cleared his throat nervously. “Lorcan Moon, sir.”

“And do you know why you are here, young Lorcan?” Lorcan had thought Luciana’s gaze was penetrating, but she had nothing on her father’s piecing stare.

It was difficult to speak without stumbling over his words, but Lorcan did his best not to stammer. “Evie said you were searching for a warlock who lived with three witches here in the Reach. But I’m not a warlock! My great grandmother, great aunt, and aunt are all witches, but I’ve never done magic in my life.”

“And yet my daughter brings you here to me. She knows better than most the signs of a man capable of using magic,” Senator Seafury said in an even tone.

“It was just a quirk of Great Grandmother’s spell,” Lorcan protested. “She put the soldiers to sleep and made it so only one of her family members could wake them.”

The Senator shifted his gaze to his daughter. He said nothing, but his inquiry was clear.

“He charmed Evangeline by giving her a cloak and completely healed her wound overnight,” Luciana assured him.

Her father nodded. “And have you noticed any of the discrepancies yet?” he asked her.

Luciana did not hesitate to think before giving her response, she must have been ready for this question. “He doesn’t have a girl in town that he’s courting. Even a warlock who gave up his memories in his Dark Bargain will unconsciously or accidentally charm beautiful women into falling in love with him. It is possible that his cousin is a warlock. That one has at least eight attractive admirers.”

Seafury nodded. “We will investigate him then. But you are certain this is the boy who healed Evangeline?”

“Without a doubt,” Luciana replied.

“Then please, have a seat.” The Senator gestured to a pair of chairs for Luciana and Lorcan. “How well do you know your history, young Lorcan Moon?”

“Not well, sir. We have few books on Weyrd Mountain and most of them are about monsters. My sister hogs them for herself most of the time,” Lorcan said as they sat down.

“But surely you have heard of the war that the Seven Golden Empires fought against Death’s Legion?”

Lorcan nodded. “Some, yes. I don’t know which parts are true and which are just legends and exaggeration.”

Senator Seafury nodded appreciatively. “Smart lad. So few men know what things they do not know. Will you allow me to enlighten you?”

“Absolutely! I mean, of course, sir,” Lorcan said eagerly. He had always loved learning new things beyond the practical workings of the still and their farm.

“Well, as you can imagine, what is fact and what is legend is still very disputed in the Halls of Learning, but the story goes that long ago Death walked the land in the form of a man. Death could raise up the dead to fight for him. Now, whether this is literally true or if a powerful sorcerer simply discovered the secrets of necromancy for the first time, we do not know. It has been over a thousand years and certain stories take on a life of their own over time.

“Anyway,” he continued, “the Seven Golden Empires formed to unite humanity against Death. They fought for over a century, but were only victorious in the end because of the Sacrifice of the Sorcerers. You see, back then there were sorcerers, much as there are witches today. Men who could use magic without making a Dark Bargain. Every sorcerer alive who had not betrayed humanity came together to launch a final attack on Death’s Frozen Citadel far to the north. They succeeded in imprisoning Death forever, but every last one of them perished.

“As you no doubt know, being from a family of witches, magic is passed down from mother to daughter or granddaughter. With all the sorcerers dead in the Sacrifice, magic essentially died out on the male side. Despite the dreadful cost, the world celebrated its victory. That is, until the Last Sorcerer emerged. You have heard this story as well, yes?” Senator Seafury asked.

Lorcan nodded.

“Then you know that he was one of Death’s most powerful servants. He had even learned the secret of immortality. The Last Sorcerer struck while we reveled in our glorious victory. Our Empire was nearly destroyed, but we eventually managed to beat his forces back. We were never able to defeat him entirely, not when he had created warlocks and we had no more sorcerers to counter the more destructive magic that men wield.” The Senator laughed humorlessly. “Ironically, that is what saved the Empire. Without a constant threat to keep them strong, the other six Golden Empires crumbled over the decades and centuries that followed. Infighting, greed, and strife did what Death could not. Now we stand, the Last Golden Empire.”

Lorcan sat, speechless. Absorbed in the Senator’s story as he was, he had forgotten entirely about being thought a warlock and summoned here.

Luciana, however, had done no such thing. “You think Lorcan is a sorcerer, not a warlock.”

Her father nodded slowly.

Lorcan’s eyes bulged. “But I thought all the sorcerers were dead. Except the evil ones, I mean. Or, evil one, since he’s the Last Sorcerer?”

Senator Seafury spoke slowly and with great weight. “There was a prophecy made by the Divinatrix who lived at the time of the Sacrifice. She foretold that another sorcerer would be born to ensure that Death remained forever imprisoned. The Divinatrix has informed the Emperor that a time of trials is upon us. The Last Sorcerer has devised a way to free his master and so the Emperor has sent us to search for the sorcerer who was foretold. Prophecy says that he will be born in the Reach and dwell among three witches.” He looked into Lorcan with his piercing green eyes.

Lorcan gulped. “You think it’s me?”

“Time will tell,” Seafury answered. “When I was seventeen and visited the Divinatrix for the first time, she told me that I would find a man who could be the sorcerer who had been foretold. She said that he would heal my youngest child and that I was to offer him this talisman.” He pulled a necklace from his coat pocket. It was a disc with an intricate pattern cast into it and it hung on a sturdy silver chain. “She made special care to ensure I knew that I was to offer it, not force him to take it. She also told me what it does, though she did not tell me why he might need or want it.”

Lorcan’s heart thundered in his chest. Something about that necklace…called to him. He wanted it very badly and that worried him. With difficulty, he asked, “What did she say it did?”

“It will cause your strength as a sorcerer to grow infinitely faster.” Senator Seafury held the necklace out for Lorcan to take.

Does Lorcan take the talisman?

1)      Yes!

2)      Hell, no!

Choose Your Own Misadventure - 2

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Lorcan reached out and took the drawing. He looked down at the picture of Evie and then up into this woman’s stern eyes. “Luciana?” Lorcan whispered softly while she was leaning down close to him.

The female soldier’s eyes narrowed. That was all the warning Lorcan had before she swung out of her saddle, kicked Lorcan in the head hard enough to send him sprawling into the dirt, and knelt over him with her knee pressed hard against his throat.

Luciana pulled a wickedly curved dagger from a sheath in her boot and ran it carefully along Lorcan’s cheek. A miniscule trail of blood seeped out of the razor thin cut she left. “Now citizen, let us try this again. How can you possibly know my name if you have not seen my sister?” Luciana asked in the same calm, cold voice as before.

Lorcan tried to speak but could only make a sickly gurgling noise with her knee pressing down on his windpipe.

Smiling vindictively, Luciana pulled her knee back a fraction of an inch so that Lorcan could almost breathe normally. “Better?”

Lorcan started to nod then remembered the dagger still pressed against his face. “Yes,” he rasped.

“Where is my sister?”

“In the house. She was hurt and I brought her back here after I bandaged her wound. She made me promise not to tell anyone but you where she was!”

“Smart girl.” Luciana withdrew her knee and knife before yanking Lorcan to his feet. “Surround the house. No one gets out until I give the word,” she told the other soldiers.

Lorcan stumbled along as she pushed him towards the house. “There’s really no need for this violence. I didn’t know you were Evie’s sister at first and I was not about to go blabbing to every stranger I met that I found an injured girl in the woods. I don’t know if anyone has ever told you this, but you are a very scary lady! Not at all the type of person you instinctively hand a frightened child over to.”

His little speech seemed to amuse Luciana. “You’re either smarter than you look or a very vocal coward.”

“A bit of both, I think.” Lorcan opened the front door and led them inside.

“Take me to her room. Quietly.”

Lorcan did as he was told. He kept his ears alert for sounds of others moving through the house, but he heard no one. Dammit, Pa! Why do you have to be such a heavy sleeper?

They stopped in front of Lorcan and Mandy’s room. “You first.” Luciana nudged Lorcan forward.

Lorcan opened the door and gestured to his bed, where Evie was sleeping soundly. “There, safe and sound. Just like I said.”

Luciana pushed him inside the room and pulled a bit of rope from her belt pouch then quickly tied Lorcan’s hands behind his back. “Kneel and stay still,” she commanded. “Move and you will be dead before you reach the doorway.”

“You don’t really have a good grasp on the concept of peaceful cooperation, do you?” Lorcan muttered as he did exactly as he was told.

Ignoring him completely, Luciana sat on the bed next to Evie and stroked her hair tenderly. After a moment Evie’s eyes flickered open and her face lit up at seeing her sister.

“I knew you’d come!” Evie threw her arms around Luciana’s middle in an enthusiastic hug.

Luciana put a finger to her lips. “Quietly, now. We have to get you out of here. You aren’t safe. Uncle Arcon’s men are searching for you. His allies are demanding that father turn you over to the Justicars for a trial.”

“But…” Evie glanced sadly over at the slumbering Mandy.

Luciana shook her head firmly. Evie stuck out her lip in a pout, but did not argue further as she climbed out of bed and hastily pulled on one of Lorcan’s cousin Sophie’s dresses over her nightgown.

“Come on.” Luciana lifted Lorcan to his feet—she was surprisingly strong—and pushed him in front of her and Evie down the hall towards the front door.

In the living room Luciana was dismayed to find three surly women in their nightgowns glaring vehemently at her. Despite their angry faces, it was hard to find them all that menacing. Aunt Sandra’s nightgown was bright blue with little duckies all over it. Great Aunt Lorna was wearing one that was pink and covered in bear cubs touching their noses like they were kissing. Of course, Great Grandma’s was the most ridiculous with its preposterous amount of extra padding sewn in to keep her warm, fluffy material, and bright yellow color she looked like an enormous crotchety chick; she even had scrawny little chicken legs to complete the image.

Immediately, Luciana drew one of her knives and pressed it against Lorcan’s throat. “I have no quarrel with you, citizens. I am taking my sister and we are leaving. As soon as I am off your land I will release your boy—unharmed so long as you do not provoke me.”

Great Grandmother cackled and slapped her thigh. “Oh, you silly, foolish girl! We are the witches of Weyrd Mountain. We will dictate the terms of your departure. Now, release my great grandson or I shall be very perturbed.”

Lorcan noticed that the mention of witches made Luciana pause. Not a fearful pause, which would have been the sane response, this was something else. Like she was intrigued.

“I have a dozen men outside ready to attack at a moment’s notice,” Luciana warned.

“Phaw!” Great Grandma scoffed. “Take a look out the window, girly.”

Everyone turned to peer out the open window to where the three visible soldiers were slumped against their horses’ necks and snoring loudly.

If seeing her men fall victim to a spell annoyed Luciana in any way, she did not let it show. “Very well, what are your terms for allowing my sister and me to leave?” She was still standing directly behind Lorcan with her knife against his throat.

Great Grandmother looked disappointed. “Aw, you already want to be reasonable? Are you sure you don’t want to struggle some more? I do enjoy a good struggle!”

“Sorry to upset you. What are your terms?” Luciana repeated.

Great Grandma looked to Lorna and Sandra. “No one’s ever been reasonable before. Usually they have to break down in tears before they’re willing to make a deal. She’s got me all flustered! What were our terms again?”

“Release Lorcan immediately,” Aunt Sandra prompted. She was still doing her best to look intimidating even with ducklings sewn to her pajamas.

“Oh, yes! Wait…really? It seems like a lot of trouble just for Lorcan. I think we should demand something better. Any ideas?” Great Grandma whispered in her usual none-too-quiet fashion.

Lorcan sighed. “I can hear you.”

“Was I whispering loudly again?” Great Grandmother asked.

Lorna and Sandra nodded.

“Damn. Still, what do we want besides Lorcan?” Great Grandma rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

Lorcan groaned. “You know what? Just go,” he told Luciana. “I’ll help you wake your men up and you can be on your way. Once Great Grandma gets distracted all her vengeful witch instincts go out the window.”

Reluctantly, Luciana pulled her knife away from Lorcan’s neck and cut the rope that bound his hands behind his back.

“Wait! No! The standoff can’t be over yet!” Great Grandmother pleaded.

“Come off it, Mom. It’s too early for your dramatics,” Great Aunt Lorna muttered groggily and turned toward the kitchen.

“You make the tea and I’ll get the pancakes started,” Aunt Sandra said eagerly as she followed Lorna.

“No! Traitors! Where did you go? I really am blind, remember?” Great Grandma waved her cane around trying to determine where everyone was heading. She hobbled off after them into the kitchen.

“Congratulations, you’ve survived your encounter with the dreaded witches of Weyrd Mountain.” Lorcan sighed and motioned for Luciana and Evie to follow him out of the living room.

It had started raining while they were inside, so Lorcan handed Evie a cloak to keep her dry from the wall lined with coats and cloaks next to the front door. He offered one to Luciana, but she shook her head. Lorcan donned his long coat and wide brimmed hat before the three of them stepped out onto the front porch.

“Are there other witches in the Reach?” Luciana asked.

Lorcan arched an eyebrow at her. “The Reach?”

Luciana looked at him as though not sure whether he was mocking her or not. “Yes. This region of the Empire is called the Reach.”

“He’s not very smart,” Evie explained.

“I doubt that,” Luciana said. “So, Lorcan, are there other witches nearby?”

Lorcan could sense that this was of particular importance to Luciana for some reason, which intrigued him. Most people—those with a decent sense of self preservation, anyway—wanted nothing to do with witches. Despite the feeble show that his relatives had given earlier, any one of them could be devastating if she was sufficiently angered to the point of becoming violent. When a group of men had hidden in their woods after raping a girl in the village, Lorcan had seen Great Aunt Lorna burn them to ashes with only a thought. And Great Grandma was supposed to be even more powerful.

“Not that I know of, but then again I’ve never been anywhere except these woods and the village below.”

“And you…you haven’t followed in your Great Grandmother’s footsteps, have you?” Luciana asked politely.

Lorcan chuckled at how delicately she asked such an insulting question. “Am I a warlock? No, I should say not.” Though he knew little of magic, Lorcan had read that while a very rare family trait allowed some women to use magic, the only way for a man to do the same was to make a Dark Bargain.

For some reason, Luciana’s eyes darted to Evie’s side and then back to Lorcan. She was getting soaked by the increasingly heavy rain.

“You’re going to catch a chill,” Lorcan scolded. “Here, take my hat and coat.” He pulled his hat off and attempted to put it on Luciana’s head.

She darted back, lightning fast, to avoid Lorcan’s hat. “No, thank you,” Luciana said rather tersely.

“What’s the matter?” Lorcan asked. “I swear, I’m not going to hurt you or your sister.”

Still eying the hat as though it were a poisonous snake, Luciana took a deep breath. “Your relatives have obviously not taught you much about their craft. Certain spells are triggered by transferring a possession from the witch or warlock to another, particularly when it is placed on the target’s head or over their heart. I apologize for my rudeness.”

Lorcan’s curiosity finally overcame him. “Why are you so interested in witches and warlocks anyway? Smart people steer clear of them.”

“Our father is here looking for witches,” Evie told him.

Luciana glared daggers at her sister.

“Sorry!” Evie gulped.

Still glaring at her sister, Luciana nodded. “She should not have told you that, but it’s true. The Emperor sent several Senators to the Reach. Their mission has something to do with witches, but as mere children we know nothing more than that.” Luciana said the last part with special emphasis that was no doubt a message to Evie to keep quiet.

Lorcan didn’t much care what else there was to know. He pitied anyone foolish enough to come after his Great Grandmother and actually attempt to do her harm. “So I guess you’ll tell your father about the witches here and he’ll come conduct whatever business he has with them.”

“Something like that,” Luciana answered carefully. Lorcan did not much care for the look she was giving him.

“Aaaand we’re back to you being creepy and vague. Come on, let’s wake your men up so you can get out of my hair.” Lorcan put his hat back on, walked across the lawn to the first soldier, and shook him awake.

Luciana tried to do the same thing to the next man in line, but he refused to rouse. She looked questioningly at Lorcan. She shook him again and even shouted in his ear. A third, much more vigorous shake still yielded nothing.

“It’s not that hard. Just shake him.” Lorcan did so and the soldier perked up immediately.

“That is exactly what I did to him.” Luciana backed away slowly, pulling Evie behind her.

“You honestly think I’m a warlock?” Lorcan asked her, slightly annoyed. “Would a warlock have let you kick him in the head, cut his face, and tie him up?”

“Those who have made the Dark Bargain are notoriously crafty.” Luciana pursed her lips and yanked Evie’s cloak off, throwing it at Lorcan’s feet.

“Hey!” Evie grumbled.

Lorcan was growing tired of this foolishness. “Woman, you are being insane! And trust me, I live on Weyrd Mountain and I know exactly what insanity looks like!”

“Just wake the others and let us be,” Luciana told him, her hand resting on her sword’s hilt.

Muttering to himself about the idiocy that seemed to prevail in his life, Lorcan went down the line of soldiers surrounding the house and woke them up one at a time. When the last man stirred and he had gone in a circle back to where Luciana and Evie waited, he shouted, “There! I have freed them from my Great Grandmother’s evil spell with my magical powers of shoulder shaking!”

“Mock me all you want,” Luciana replied coldly. “You may not know what you are. Some—the truly devilish—include the removal of their memories in their Bargain so that they can walk among us in complete secret until the time is right.”

Evie tugged at her sister’s sleeve. “Please, Anna, Lorcan isn’t like that! Just because Mason was evil doesn’t mean everyone is!”

“Be silent!” Luciana hissed. She drew her sword and pointed it at Lorcan. “Father is here searching the Reach for a warlock who lives with three witches. I have no idea what he wants with you, but he has given orders that you are not to be killed. So consider yourself lucky, warlock! I won’t be killing you…today.”

What should Lorcan do?

1)      Offer to go with Luciana and Evie to meet their father and learn what he wants.

2)      Let them go then confront Great Grandmother about the things Luciana said about him.

Choose Your Own Misadventure - 1

Lorcan was the sort of lad who kept his head down—and not just in the sense that Grandpa tended to throw things when he got too much bourbon in him. No, Lorcan liked to mind his own business. He did his chores, didn’t ask his elders questions, and whenever possible took refuge in the solitude offered by the forest surrounding his family home. Life was simpler in the mountain woods than it was in the crowded, sprawling homestead that Lorcan’s family dwelt in atop Weyrd Mountain.

Weyrd Mountain had been so named by Lorcan’s great grandfather, who had been a barely literate bandit on the run after committing some kind of terrible crime that he had never confessed to, even on his death bed. Great Grandpa had intended to call the place Weird Mountain due to all the strange things that tended to happen there, but no one from the nearby village had had the courage to correct his spelling when he put up a sign directing the townsfolk to the newly built Weyrd Mountain Still. Great Grandpa had made a decent living selling the booze he brewed, married the supposedly evil witch that haunted the mountain, and raised three children, all of whom turned out to be mostly insane.

Whether madness was something they picked up over time or just a family trait, there was a good reason most of the townspeople avoided Lorcan’s family unless they had some sort of business with them. That was why Lorcan was particularly surprised to come across a young girl as he wandered through the woods that day.

She looked much younger than Lorcan, he guessed she was eight or nine at the most, and she was soaked to the bone from the heavy rain that, as usual, pelted Weyrd Mountain relentlessly. The girl had reddish-gold hair cascading down her back in a wild tangle the like of which Lorcan had never seen. She wore a fancy purple dress that was spattered with mud and not at all suited to an extended venture into the forest during a rainstorm.

“Are you lost?” Lorcan asked hesitantly as he pulled off his coat with the intention of offering it to the girl. She was shivering and appeared to be sobbing softly.

The girl spun around with startling agility and grabbed from the ground beside her—of all things—a tiny sword perfectly sized for a small girl! “Stay back!” She warned, her voice cool and even.

Lorcan looked perplexedly from the girl’s angelic face to the sword that appeared to be—if the blood stain on the tip was any indication—deadly sharp. “I…uh…what?”

She lowered her sword slightly and her green eyes narrowed into a suspicious glare. “Are you stupid or something? I mean, Anna told me not to call people like you stupid. You’re just a little slow. But it doesn’t really matter what Anna says now, does it?” She suddenly winced and clutched her side, but kept her eyes locked on Lorcan and raised her sword back to a more aggressive position.

Lorcan’s eyes darted immediately to the now obvious wound to the girl’s side. “You’re bleeding!” He gasped, then muttered, “And quite a lot, at that. Wonder how she’s still standing—never mind that now!” Ignoring the girl’s sword for a moment, Lorcan rummaged through the pockets of his coat, which was still dangling in his left hand from when he had intended to offer it to the little girl.

“What are you doing? I said stay back!” She shouted as she edged backwards away from Lorcan.

“Calm down.” Lorcan shushed her dismissively. “You’re injured. Were you bitten or scratched?”

“Scratched, I guess.” She lowered her sword somewhat and eyed Lorcan warily.

Once he had found the cleaning salve and a bandage in his multitude of pockets, Lorcan knelt beside the girl and gently widened the gash in her expensive dress so he could see the wound.

She lowered her sword entirely, but kept a close eye on Lorcan as he worked. “Are you some kind of healer’s apprentice?”

“Something like that,” Lorcan answered distractedly. The single cut was fairly shallow, but it stretched the length of her ribcage and was incredibly straight. Too straight, in fact, to be a scratch from an animal. “What exactly was it that scratched you?”

The girl shifted her feet nervously. “A sword,” she admitted.

“Who would try to kill a little girl with a sword?” Lorcan was taken aback.

“None of your business!” She spat back at him angrily. “And I’m not little, I’m nine!”

Lorcan took a deep, calming breath. “Of course not. I was just surprised that you had been attacked by a person. I’m used to treating animal bites and scratches or broken bones from falls.”

Her eyes widened and she looked nervously down at Lorcan’s hands as he applied the salve and cleaned her wound. “So you’ve never treated a sword cut before? Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

Lorcan chuckled. “I am. I’ve treated more than a few stabbings. Festivals get pretty rowdy at my house and all of my uncles—and a few of my aunts, too—get a little violent after they finish their first jugs of whiskey.”

“People get drunk and stab each other at festivals in your family? That is so cool!” She exclaimed with unmitigated glee.

“Cool?” Lorcan asked as he began applying the bandage.

The girl rolled her eyes as though she thought he were a simple minded idiot again. “Cool. You know: great, fun, interesting, not a boring, stuffy social event to showcase the family’s prestige!”

“Ah, I see. Though, I wouldn’t know anything about family prestige. Most of my relatives are drunken lunatics.” Lorcan stood, his hasty bandage would hold until he got the girl back to his house and Great Grandma could decide whether to take her back to the village tonight or if they should wait until morning.

“Lucky! I’m Evie, by the way.” She stuck out her hand. Lorcan shook it and then put his coat around her shoulders. Evie was utterly enveloped by his long jacket, but at least it would keep her from getting even wetter and ruining the bandage.

“My name’s Lorcan.” He took off his wide brimmed hat and set it on her head. It sunk down until it nearly covered her eyes, but she should still see out from underneath the brim, if only barely.

“What kind of a name is that?” Evie asked.

“Mine,” Lorcan said simply. Then he turned and started heading back to his house.

“Wait! Where are we going?” Evie yelped.

“To my house. You can’t stay out in the rain dressed like that all night. It will be dark soon.”

“Oh, that’s okay then. Lead on.” Evie stuck her sword through the belt loop of his coat and tromped along happily after Lorcan.

 The Moon family dwelling was a squatty, rambling structure that meandered along the slope of Weyrd Mountain. Over the years the family had grown and their home had grown right along with it. Each addition had been painted a different color, completing the haphazard look and feel of the place. Lorcan’s younger cousins still believed that the house had simply grown out of the mountainside when Great Grandpa had settled there and that was why the house grew with the family; it was part of the deal Great Grandpa had made with the witch he married.

The sun was finishing its descent behind Weyrd Mountain when Lorcan made a sarcastically grand sweeping gesture to indicate that they had arrived at his home. “Here it is, in all its majesty!”

“I love it! Look at all the colors! Is that a still? Do you live at a still? You are so lucky!” Evie raced as fast as her wounded side would allow towards the front door, which was painted a garish purple with an enormous silver crescent moon in the center.

Lorcan refrained from rolling his eyes as he followed the excited Evie. He was just reaching for the door knob when out burst Lorcan’s twin cousins Earl and Errol. They both splashed heavily into a nearby puddle and sent mud flying all over Lorcan’s soaking wet pants.

“I am the Walrus Lord! I will devour your soul!” Errol shouted as he chased Earl.

“Well I am the Rabbit Knight of Doom and I can outrun any stupid old Walrus Lord!” Earl countered.

“What’s a Walrus Lord and who is the Rabbit Knight?” Evie asked.

Lorcan shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. Earl and Errol are…imaginative to say the least.”

Evie watched them sprint out into the twilight longingly, but Lorcan put a firm hand on her back and ushered her into the crowded, but warm, living room.

“What’s this? A little girl?” Great Uncle Mort asked without looking up from card game he was playing against Lorcan’s grandfather.

Lorcan nodded. “Yes, she was hurt when I found her in the woods.”

“And I’m not little!” Evie insisted.

“What’s this? Another little girl?” Uncle Cal asked as he came around the corner. “Just what we need!”

“Hey!” Cal’s daughters Sophie, Esmeralda, and Gina exclaimed together from where they were playing with dolls by the roaring fireplace.

“She was hurt in the woods and—” Lorcan tried to explain.

“The woods? Who was in the woods at this time of night?” Great Aunt Lorna inquired as she wandered in from the study. “Oh my! Will you look at that? A little girl! What’s this about, then?”

“She was—” Lorcan began.

“What’s all this about a little girl?” Lorcan’s father boomed from the kitchen. He peaked around the corner. “Good Lord! Will you look at that! A little girl!”

“I’m not little!” Evie protested.

Lorcan gave up trying to explain the story to them. He carefully helped Evie out of his coat so they would finally see the blood soaked side of her dress and the bandage he had covered her cut with.

A slew of exclamations rang out at seeing that Evie was injured. Crazy drunks though they were, the Moon family was also quite skilled at healing. It was not uncommon for the villagers to bring their sick or injured to Weyrd Mountain for care. Several people rushed forward and crowded around Evie, each one trying to get a good look at her wound.

“Get away from her, you damn vultures!” A gravely old voice snarled and Lorcan’s relatives parted to let his great grandmother totter forward. “I want to have a look at her.”

“But Grandma…you’re blind!” Uncle Pete protested.

Great Grandma scowled at her grandson, who visibly wilted under her sightless gaze.

“Well, you are,” Mort’s handsome son Julian offered unhelpfully.

Great Grandma spun around nimbly and whacked Julian on the side of his head with her gnarled cane. Julian collapsed to the floor with a yelp.

Several people muttered, “How does she do that?” But they all moved a fair distance away as Great Grandma hobbled forward to inspect Evie.

“Are you the witch that I heard the villagers talking about?” Evie asked, her tiny hand wandering down to the hilt of her sword.

Great Grandmother cackled. “Why…yes I am. Does that frighten you?” She leaned in close so her wrinkled face was only a few inches from Evie’s.

“No. Nothing frightens me,” Evie declared resolutely.

“Hmph. We shall see about that.” Great Grandma cackled once again.

“Alright, you’ve had your fun. How did I do with the bandage?” Lorcan asked gently.

“Oh, marvelous I’m sure.” She waved her hand dismissively. “I just wanted to scare the others away so I could have a word with the young lady. What are you doing here?” She asked pointedly.

Evie kept her stern façade in place. “I was walking in the forest.”

“With a slash from a sword along your side?” Great Grandmother scoffed.

“How do you know that?” Evie asked, narrowing her eyes skeptically.

“Never mind how I know. I know. Now answer the question.”

“You’d better do as she says. There’s no avoiding her when she gets like this,” Lorcan advised.

Evie considered this for a moment. “Well…I almost got stabbed…and then I went for a walk in the forest.”

Great Grandma groaned. “A girl ought to be a better liar. Especially a girl as mischievous as you.”

“I usually am! I don’t know why I can’t think of anything to make up!” At last Evie started to look a bit fearful, if only a little.

“Great Grandma! Are you using your magic on our guest?” Lorcan eyed his oldest relative.

“Bah! No! Well, maybe. Oh, shut up, Lorcan! I’m old, I’ll do as I please,” Great Grandma growled.

“She used magic on me?” Evie glanced down at herself as though to make sure she hadn’t been turned into a toad while she wasn’t looking.

“Don’t worry about it,” Lorcan told her. “Come on, you need to rest. I’ll get you settled into the room I share with my sister Mandy. I can brave a night in the boys’ room so you can have some peace and quiet.” Lorcan got the still nervous Evie turned away from Great Grandma and started down the hallway.

“She really cast a spell on me?” Evie asked as Lorcan ushered her towards his room.

“Probably. She’s pretty sneaky about it so it’s hard to be sure. A lot of the time she just gets lazy now and relies on the fact that she’s a scary old witch to startle people into thinking she’s done magic. You’d be surprised what a good stern glare can get out of most people.” Lorcan opened the door to his bedroom and gestured for Evie to enter.

Lorcan and Mandy’s bedroom was small, but it had a window on the scenic side of the house and it was just the two of them in there. Mandy had painted dragons all over the four walls and the ceiling, Lorcan was nearly too tall for his bed, and that about covered the highlights of their room.

“Whoa!” Evie gasped when she saw the paintings. “Did you do these?”

Mandy let out a single sharp bark of laughter. She was sitting on her bed, reading a book about sea monsters. “Lorcan can barely paint a stick figure. These are my dragons. Would you like me to tell you about them?”

Evie nodded enthusiastically.

“Well that black one is Herrandron. People think he’s evil because of his coloring, but actually he helps protect people from the real monsters. The red one next to him is his mate, Rezzelthra. She’s probably the smartest of my dragons. She…” Mandy continued talking about her beloved paintings to an enraptured Evie while Lorcan snuck out. He was only two years older than Mandy and had heard every one of her dragons’ life stories many times over.

Although Mandy tended to get overly intense about her art, she was a cakewalk compared to what Lorcan was about to step into. The room that Earl and Errol shared with Lorcan’s younger brothers Fester and Thomas was a warzone on a good day. He took a deep breath and entered.

Thomas hooted like an owl as Lorcan stepped inside and several things happened very fast. Festus shoved something out the window, Errol stepped to the side to block Lorcan’s view of said window, and someone—presumably Earl—made a considerable amount of noise rustling around in the bushes just outside their room.

“Whatever it is, let it go, Earl,” Lorcan said wearily.

“Earl’s not here,” Errol responded quickly. “He’s hasn’t come back in yet. Only me. I came through the window because it’s quicker. That’s why the window’s open. I went through it.”

Lorcan shook his head. “You aren’t fooling anyone. Earl! Let go of whatever creature you’ve caught and climb back in here.”

“How does he always know?” Earl groaned. A baby deer leapt up from the bushes and bounded away, clearly terrified. Earl stood up, brushed some of the mud from his overalls, and climbed through the window just as Lorcan had asked.

“What did you want with a fawn in the house anyway? Actually, never mind. I don’t want to know. Just settle down and try to contain yourselves for once tonight.” Lorcan grabbed a blanket and pillow from the closet and threw them down on the floor. The boys tended to destroy their bedding—and everything else—on a fairly regular basis so extras were always close at hand.

“Oh man! You’re sleeping here tonight? What did we do this time? I swear, the fire wasn’t us this time!” Errol protested.

“What fire? Dammit, never mind. You aren’t in trouble. I found a girl in the woods who was hurt and she’s sleeping in my room so Mandy can look after her.” Lorcan finished laying out his makeshift bed on the floor. It would be uncomfortable, but a lot less filthy than sleeping in one of the boys’ beds.

“A girl? I bet she’s pretty!” Thomas gushed.

Earl and Errol mimed gagging. “You’re six, Thomas! What do you care if she’s pretty or not?” Earl asked.

“I like pretty girls! They’re so…pretty!” Thomas grinned.

Festus rolled his eyes. He was ten and like his twin cousins, thought girls were an incredible waste of space. “You are so dumb, Thomas! I don’t know why mom and dad make you sleep in our room, you ruin everything with your girl talk!”

Lorcan chuckled to himself. He was old enough to wish that when village girls came along with their fathers to buy whiskey that they were ogling him instead of Julian. But Lorcan was a gangly and plain looking fifteen year old and Julian was twenty-five, handsome, and incredibly charming. Every time Julian came back from attending a festival in town he had fresh stories of beautiful woman chasing after him. Lorcan had always assumed Julian was lying until he attended a festival with him last year and had seen it for himself. Lorcan had not enjoyed the crowds, the noise, or the dancing and he had definitely not liked being ignored by all the girls as they pined for Julian.

But for now Festus, Earl, and Errol were blissfully ignorant of such things. Lorcan did feel bad for his youngest brother Thomas, though. Six years old and already a hopeless romantic. Life was going to be tough for that little guy.

For some reason that Lorcan had not noticed while his thoughts wandered, Errol punched Festus in the nose. Festus retaliated with a headbutt and Earl threw himself into the fray, likely just for fun. Muttering to himself about what a long night it was going to be, Lorcan climbed out of his makeshift bed and pried the three of them apart.

“See? Pretty girls never do that because they aren’t stupid like you!” Thomas declared as he stuck his tongue out at his cousins and Festus.

“That’s it, I’m putting him out of my misery!” Festus shouted. Earl and Errol agreed with wordless snarls as the three of them tried to get around Lorcan’s octopus-like arms to murder poor little Thomas.

This was the only good thing about his gangliness that Lorcan had found. He was able to hold off all three of Thomas’ would-be killers with his extra-long limbs until they got bored and started fighting each other again.

Sighing, Lorcan blew out the candle and let them fight. It was either that or stay up all night trying to wrangle them into bed. He had done that before and found the sun rising before the three of them gave up fighting one another. Lorcan closed his eyes and hoped he wouldn’t dream.

Lorcan stood in a fancy room with a large window overlooking the village square. He had never seen the square from above before, it was quite beautiful with its patterned stone tiles and massive rose bushes. From this height the roses seemed heavenly despite the fact that Lorcan’s only real memory of them was being picked up and thrown into a particularly thorny bush by some of Julian’s drunken friends.

There was a handsome man with broad shoulders, yet grey at his temples in the room that Lorcan did not notice until the door opened and Evie entered. She was wearing the same purple dress that Lorcan had seen her in when they met in the forest, but her marvelous red-gold hair was done up in intricate curls on top of her head rather than flowing wildly down her back. She had her tiny sword on her hip and she approached the older man purposefully.

“Uncle Arcon, you can’t do what you told father you were planning on doing. It’s not right!” Evie shouted angrily.

The man, Lorcan assumed it was Evie’s Uncle Arcon, smiled condescendingly. “Is that so, child? And what is a little girl like you going to do to stop me?”

Evie fumed. “I’m not a little girl! I’m nine and I know how to defend myself!”

Uncle Arcon laughed at her. He turned his back and stared out the large window with its view of the square. “Silly little girl. So much like your mother. Fierce, idealistic, and yet ultimately ineffective. Your ridiculous morals will always keep you from accomplishing your goals, Evangeline. You ought to learn to be more like your sister Luciana.”

“Actually, Uncle, I already have.” Evie drew her girl-sized sword and stabbed it upwards into her uncle’s back. Lorcan observed the angle and saw that Evie’s thrust carefully came up underneath the ribs, but still reached Uncle Arcon’s heart.

Evie’s uncle bellowed with rage and spun, drawing his own sword and slashing wildly at Evie. The blow would have been fatal if Evie had not managed to dodge to the side and only take a glancing cut. Then Uncle Arcon collapsed, the last of his lifeblood draining out of him. Evie slid her sword back into its scabbard without cleaning it off and sprinted from the room.

The nightmare faded and as Lorcan woke he could hear Evie screaming down the hall. He rose from his pile of blankets on the floor, spared one last glare for Festus and Earl who were punching each other once more, and headed for the room he usually shared with Mandy.

Evie was sitting upright in Lorcan’s bed, her eyes wide and her breathing coming in quick gasps.

“What’s the matter?” Mandy asked groggily from her bed.

“She just had a nightmare, go back to sleep,” Lorcan told her.

“M’kay.” Mandy rolled back over and began snoring.

Lorcan crossed the room and sat on his bed next to Evie. They sat in silence until Evie’s breathing began to approach normal.

“How did you know I had a nightmare?” Evie whispered.

Lorcan shrugged. “Sometimes I know things. Part of having witches in the family, I guess.”

Evie nodded as though that were a perfectly reasonable explanation. “Lorcan, I did something bad. Really bad.”

Lorcan nodded. He had a feeling that he knew exactly what Evie had done. His dreams were like that sometimes.

“I…I think people are going to come looking for me. Bad people. I don’t want to hurt your amazing family, but…” Evie trailed off.

“But you need our help to hide from these bad people.” Lorcan finished for her.

Evie nodded glumly.

“Well don’t worry about that. The Moon Family has always protected the weirdos and loonies that seek refuge among us. Heck, that’s how my parents met! Wyrd Mountain is our domain and no one can take anyone away from us if we don’t want them to,” Lorcan assured her.

Evie smiled faintly. “Thank you.”

“Is there anyone we can contact for you down in the village? Anyone you can trust who might be able to help you?” Lorcan asked.

“My sister,” Evie answered immediately. “But I don’t know how you could reach her without anyone else knowing you were helping me.”

Lorcan nodded. “Tomorrow I’ll see what I can do. Between me, my dad, and Great Grandma, we’ll think of something. For now, sleep tight.”

Lorcan had gotten hardly any sleep the rest of the night so he rose early and began his chores while everyone else still slept. In addition to the still the Moon family had a small farm to help keep their ever-growing family fed. Lorcan fed the chickens, collected their eggs, and was weeding the field when he spotted a column of armed men on horseback riding up the trail that led to Wyrd Mountain Still.

Quickly, Lorcan snatched a small pebble and threw it as hard as he could in the direction of the house. He hoped it had reached its intended target, the wall of his father’s bedroom. Lorcan then leaned on his rake and hoped none of the riders had seen him attempt to alert the rest of his family to their arrival. He waited patiently while they rode closer. The forest was dense on the mountain, but the still had been built such that it was difficult to sneak up on. Great Grandpa had been the paranoid sort.

Lorcan waved at the men in their shiny armor as they arrayed themselves in a line in front of him and did his best to appear unconcerned. He had never seen so many soldiers in all his life. The village had a few tough young men that donned ill-fitting armor to be an honor guard when local dignitaries came to visit, but that was about the extent of the armament that existed in these parts. Wyrd Mountain’s newest visitors however, had full suits of armor including helmets that covered their faces, swords, spears, bows, and who knew what else tucked away in the cavernous saddlebags their very impressive steeds bore.

One of the soldiers, shorter and slimmer than the rest, held out a piece of paper for Lorcan to see. “Have you seen this girl?” A woman’s voice asked. Though she was clearly a woman, her voice was hard and icy cold.

The paper had what was obviously a drawing of Evie on it. “No,” Lorcan said immediately. “We don’t sell our booze to kids that young. Sorry.”

The soldier holding the drawing pulled off her helmet and her pale green eyes bore into Lorcan intently. “You’re certain?” Her red-gold hair was pulled up into a severe bun, but it was unmistakably the same fantastic hue as Evie’s. She looked to be about Lorcan’s age based on her size, but the coldness in her eyes and the determined set of her jaw made Lorcan wonder if she was older.

“Yes,” Lorcan replied, though he felt sick doing it. Was this Evie’s sister? The resemblance was uncanny, but he couldn’t be certain that this was her sister.

“Very well.” She sighed and nudged her horse forward. She held out the drawing to Lorcan. “Please keep this and seek me out in the village below if you see her. I am staying at the Old Fisherman Inn. My sister is likely injured and alone, so any assistance you can provide will be handsomely rewarded. Good day, citizen.”

What does Lorcan do?

1)      Try to quietly tell Evie’s sister whereEvie is right now.

2)      Wait and seek Evie’s sister out at her inn tonight and try to talk to her privately.