The closer to Helstrum that they got, the more Lucas noticed the forest opening up. The trees became less densely packed together and there were multiple times where he could glance up and see the bright blue sky above through the canopy above.

  Like they’d planned, Fay woke Lucas up early in the morning as the sun started rising above the horizon. A quick breakfast and some idle chatting later, the two were soon back on the road, in a way. The small amount of light didn’t bother Lucas much, since it wasn’t nearly as bad as how dark the forest could get under the cover of the much denser canopy deeper in the Whisperwoods.

  Fay hadn’t been kidding about pushing Lucas, either. The two had started out at a quick jog and kept that pace consistently. At times, Fay even encouraged Lucas to speed up a bit, and he was surprised to see the trees rushing by as he began to run fully. It was the first time he’d really tried to run at full speed since his birthday, and he could notice the difference that magic had made. Fay had been accurate when she’d said that it would enhance his body and what he could do.

  Sure, he still got tired, but it didn’t happen nearly as fast as he knew it should have. The two cleared miles of distance far faster than Lucas knew any normal adult would have been able to. They took a few more breaks than the day before, to make up for the faster pace, but those breaks never lasted too long. And yet, despite what would have normally been a cruel and grueling pace for Lucas, as the sun began to dip lower in the sky he realized that he felt fine. Tired and sore, but fine overall.

  “There it is!”

  Fay’s shout drew Lucas out of his own thoughts, and he looked towards where the blonde was pointing. Off in the distance, Lucas could see the tree line ending and a large grey wall lit by the setting sun.

  “You really did manage to keep up,” She complimented, giving Lucas a huge grin and picking up her pace a little bit more. “I think we might even get home in time for dinner! Come on!”

  Lucas couldn’t help but chuckle a little as the blonde sped up even more, dashing ahead of Lucas and putting a good distance between them in seconds. He’d assumed that Fay had been going easy on him and keeping up with his slower pace, but seeing her race ahead so easily really made that clear. It really made him wonder just how fast the dangerous blonde could go.

  “Some food sounds pretty good to me, don’t you think?” Lucas said as he looked towards the fox draped across his shoulders. Dusk had run beside him and Fay a few times throughout the day, but she’d largely enjoyed riding on Lucas’ shoulders and letting him do all the work.

  The enthusiastic looking nod he got in response just got another laugh out of the young man. He sped up his pace as well, having to sprint to keep up with Fay.

  Getting closer to the wall, he saw that it was made out of huge, sturdy looking grey bricks. The wall was easily a good twenty feet tall, towering over Lucas’ head as it circled around the town. And across its length were lanterns lit from within by a soft, white glow.

  Thankfully, Fay had actually stopped at the large entrance gate of the town. She seemed to be chatting with a pair of men, both wearing durable looking metal armor. One was tall and rail thin, leaning against a spear as he chatted with Lucas’ blonde guide. The other was the exact opposite, standing shorter than Fay with a heavyset and bulky build. Though, the large greataxe that Lucas could see resting against the wall hinted that some of that bulk was muscle.

  The amusing details that Lucas spotted as he approached were the familiars of the pair. Next to the thin man was a sleeping brown bear, while the larger of the two men had a goat sat beside him, watching Lucas as he approached.

  “This is him, the guy I found,” Lucas heard as he came within range and Fay turned to him. “Lucas! This is George and Henry, Helstrum’s town guards.”

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  She gestured towards the taller and then the shorter of the two, giving Lucas some names to connect to the faces.

  “Not by choice. The guild master just loves sticking us here to keep him out of his hair,” George replied.

  “Well maybe you’d get put on guard duty less if you actually went out on some hunts instead of staying at the guild drinking and eating all day,” Fay shot back, a grin on her face as she enjoyed the banter.

  Lucas found himself enjoying it as well, chuckling softly as the trio, who seemed to be friends, went back and forth for a few minutes.

  “You should probably head home, Fay. Your parents were a bit worried that your trip took so long,” Henry pointed out, putting an end to the joking around.

  “I didn’t even think of that! Oh gods, dad is probably worried sick. Thanks, Henry!”

  Fay was quick to grab Lucas’ hand and pulled him in past the gate, rushing quickly through the streets of the town. It was a bit of a blur, and Lucas didn’t even have enough time to catch any significant details about the town as the two raced through the streets.

  It was only as they stopped in front of a simple, single-story house that the world came back into focus. But then, Lucas’ focus shifted to Fay as he saw her suddenly start breathing heavily. He could see the sweat gather on her brow.

  Even after all the running they’d done, Lucas had never seen the blonde out of breath before. It was enough to make him a bit worried. “Are you alright?”

  “I’m fine,” She waved him off, taking a few seconds before approaching the house and grabbing his hand to pull him along. “Using my Speed magic with more than just myself is really draining still.”

  That explained why the world had become such a blur. He’d moved a bit fast when running through the forests, but nothing like what he’d just experienced. And it confirmed that he’d really been slowing Fay down on the trip back.

  “If you’re sure,” He mumbled, still a little concerned. “So, this is your home?”

  “Yup! I’ve been living here since I was born. Now come on, the lights are on so mom and dad should be home.”

  Allowing Fay to pull him along, Lucas took a second to check out the house. Despite not being in the normal world he knew, the house looked surprisingly similar to what he knew. There wasn’t a doorbell or any clear electronics, but the brick design of the house and shingled roof looked just like what he was used to. Lucas felt a bit like he should have been ashamed for expecting much simpler houses, like many one would expect from a fantasy novel.

  As Fay grasped the doorknob, Lucas was sure he saw a faint glow underneath her hand before she opened the door and led him inside. The interior, like the exterior, was surprisingly modern, with wood flooring, walls painted a soft baby blue color, and even more of those white lanterns he’d seen at the gate hanging and providing plenty of light.

  “Mom! Dad! I’m home!” Fay called out into the home. From another room, Lucas could hear movement and the clattering of what sounded like silverware.

  “Fay?” A woman’s voice answered, and Lucas could hear footsteps approaching.

  Rounding a corner, Lucas could see a woman who could only be Fay’s mother stepping into the room. She had blonde hair like her daughter, but a darker golden blonde color compared to Fay’s silvery blonde locks. And whereas Fay’s hair fell down her back, the older woman’s hair stopped at her shoulders. But the green eyes were far too familiar to Lucas for him to think that the woman was anything but related to his guide. She was also tall, standing around the same height as Lucas himself.

  “Hey, mom. Sorry I took so long. I found a friend, and he needed some help,” Fay explained, giving what Lucas thought was a far too brief explanation for what had actually happened.

  “What’s this I hear about a friend?”

  Behind the woman came a burly man who Lucas assumed was Fay’s father. The man was taller than his wife, standing a good head taller than Lucas himself. He also looked very strong, with powerful muscles visible along his arms. He was bald, though he had a thick, bushy black beard to make up for it. When he spotted Lucas, his slate grey eyes widened.

  “My little girl finally brought a boy home! I never thought I’d see the day.”

  “Dad, no…” Fay groaned at her father’s words.

  As the man spoke, a grin spread across his face as his sharp eyes focused on Lucas. It would have been nice, if not for the fact that said grin seemed to radiate malice. It didn’t help that he could see a long shaft of metal seemingly growing in the man’s clenched hand. It grew quickly, shaping itself into a large, gleaming, metal shovel. The process took seconds, and the man seemed to be staring into Lucas’ soul as he looked at him.

  “That means that I finally get my chance to have a proper shovel talk, man to man!”

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~