"I don't know why it was built. My grandparents never told me, but it leads straight out of New Angeles." Natalie explained.
"Um, I don't think my horse has a name," Wilhelm said.
"Uhhhh, yeahhhh," Thomas added.
"You?" Natalie turned to Alexander.
"Carl."
"Didn't you come here by my mom's horse?" Thomas asked.
"Yeah, and his name is Carl."
Thomas shrugged it off.
"For you two," Natalie gestured to Thomas and Wilhelm, "I guess you'll just have to hope your horses remember your names."
She began loading the box onto her horse. Just then, three colorful birds fluttered above her, chirping.
"Tell them your names," she said to both Thomas and Wilhelm.
"Thomas Soon."
"Wilhelm Grimmer."
"And Carl." She added, "Go get them.", and the birds zipped away.
But her smile faded as she watched the birds flew out the window.
The window was open — from the outside. Vines that once covered it were cleanly cut. A footprint dirtied the frame.
Natalie's pupils shrank. Her breath caught. She looked around her own house, shaking more and more.
Every window had been stripped of its vines. Every entrance was exposed.
"Yo."
Wilhelm jolted, the cats and dogs that were on him fled.
Thomas turned to the voice. So did Alexander. Nick sat backward on a chair, arms draped lazily over the backrest. He wore a crooked, tired smile.
"Who the fuck are you?"
Natalie's eyes darted around the room. She was trembling. Sweating.
Every window. Cut. The sun has set, it was already dark outside, only torches and lanterns in the house lit their vision. There's no telling what's lurking outside those windows.
Animals growled — tigers, bears, wolves — but the intruder didn't budge.
"You! You!" Nick called, pointing at Natalie until she looked. "Yeah, you. You see, I'm not here for you. I'm only paid for those three." He jabbed his index finger toward Thomas, Alexander, and Wilhelm.
"Oh fuck," Wilhelm whispered. "We're fucked…" His eyes darted to the underground tunnel.
"What's your name, lady?"
Natalie didn't respond.
"Okay. Look, I don't like trouble. You can leave with all your furry pals."
Thomas drew and slammed his axe into the floor. "Fuck off."
"You don't even know who I am. Why are we getting hostile already?" Nick turned to Natalie. "Seriously, I don't want to kill you. Or everything else breathing in this room."
The growls grew louder. The beasts were ready.
"It's a fight," Alexander murmured to the others. "Plant your feet."
Thomas readied his stance, axe tight in one hand, the other in his pocket, grasping what's within. Natalie summoned an eagle to her shoulder. Wilhelm pressed his back against the wall, whispering, "I'm so fucked..."
Alexander drew his diamond sword. Its gleam danced in the firelight. He pointed it at the intruder — eyes cold, silent, lethal.
"That's one very bright sword," Nick grinned. He stood, stretched, and lazily kicked his legs to loosen up.
"Two can play that game."
He reached for his own sword. As it drew from its sheath, the friction screamed. Sparks flew. And when it was fully out — it was ablaze, set on flames just from friction alone. Fire licked the blade from tip to hilt.
He raised his other hand, conjuring a tall and majestic flame in his palm.
Behind the flickering firelight... a grin.
Thomas's eyes widened.
———
"This is a great opportunity, Tyler!"
Tyler's parents were trying to persuade him to accept Schwartz's offer and become the vice president.
The three stood in a small circle, quietly debating. Schwartz had respectfully stepped back to give them privacy, but he remained within sight, waiting with confident composure.
"But... I don't agree with any of his—"
"Once you're vice president, you'll have the platform to challenge his views," Tyler's father interrupted. "And it pays well. You wouldn't have to work in the dangerous mines anymore."
"Take it, Tyler," his mother added. "I know you don't share his beliefs—"
"I don't. That's exactly the problem."
"But think of it this way—this is just the first election. If you're vice president during his term, that's good publicity. You'll have a better shot at winning the next one."
Tyler pressed his lips together. He glanced toward Schwartz, who was deep in conversation with Felix and another man, illuminated faintly by lanterns.
Then he looked back, his voice quieter. "I guess… if I take it, I'll have more power to enforce my ideas."
His parents smiled, relieved.
Tyler turned once again toward Schwartz. Night had fallen. All he saw now were silhouettes—three figures against the flickering lantern light.
Behind the charisma, there was something eerie about Schwartz. Tyler watched him with eyes full of unease.
———
Thomas's eyes reflected unease too—lit by the tall flame burning in Nick's palm.
"Forger of Fire?"