The Way Back Home's
The Boy's
“Dare bets, Remy put quite a lot into it. Each herb has their effective time span. Denise herb should be taken regularly for the effect to last longer. The more you drink it, the stronger the effect. Maybe even someday, you do not need to drink it again because the effect is permanent.”
“Why has it no effect on me? I eat the same food as Milo and Libby, even chocolate maple bars. Remy made it special for me because I'm allergic to coconut.”
“Entahlah. I suck at magic especially potions. I'm blind at all.”
Farrell recalls Denise's words. “Why does Denise want us to obey her? He said he wanted us to help him find something. Looking for what?”
Christo shrugs his shoulders. “On that, I don't know either. Definitely not good news.”
Farrell. His head felt heavy hearing all Christo's explanations. “If you know this much, why didn't you tell me earlier?”
Christo grunts amusedly. “You're kidding? You don't even remember me, how could you believe my story?”
Farrell lets his mind fly into the past. He was there with his mother and father. At that time, Milo was a child. Maybe he was two or three years old. Farrell remembers how he got around to and fro. He was lonely the first day he got there. No one accompanied him to play. Dad is busy working and mom is busy with Milo. He also enjoyed the appearance provided. “I remember coming here and seeing the attractions in the dining room,” Farrell laughed amusedly. “Let me guess, it's not an attraction.”
“I don't know what's in your head, but we never had any attractions in the dining room. So, whatever you saw back then must have been magic.”
Farrell remembered. When he was bored, he met a teenage boy nine years older than him. The teenager accompanied him to play for days. Farrell doesn't remember his name because he never asked. He only remembered that the boy was wearing pants with chains dangling into the pouch. Suddenly, everything made sense. Farrell's mind is putting it all together like a puzzle. When the pieces were complete, Farrell could only smile. “So you're the kid? I thought you were just an ordinary visitor just like me.”
“That time, we didn't have a uniform. So, we work wearing regular clothes.”
“The chain that goes into your pocket, what is a pocket watch?”
Christo reached into the vest pocket he was wearing. His hand pulled out a round pocket watch. The size fits with the hand. Made of grey metal. The edges are simple curved. The cover is clear glass accompanied by metal carvings of the sun and moon. Christo shows the back where the name ‘Alan’ is written in black ink. “Have your father. He gave it to me.”
Farrell could only smile again. Dad managed Eden’s Lodge until reaching the golden age. He knew his father wouldn't like it if Eden’s Lodge was just sold. “I have to see uncle,” said Farrell standing up. “I need to talk to him.”
Beyond Farrell's expectations, Christo chuckled. “For what? Your uncle won't listen to you. Your uncle's on Denise's side. Believe it or not, your uncle brought you here at Denise's request. Like I said earlier, he has a wicked plan for you.”
“Uncle is not evil. She's just—”
“But money.”
“I have to keep coming back to help Libby and Milo from Denise.”
“With how to surrender yourself to him?”
Hearing that, Farrell could only fall silent. He hates to admit it but Christo has a point. If Farrell goes there now, it's the same as surrendering to Denise. Everything is guaranteed to be more chaotic if he is also under the influence of Denise. The woman must have had a bad purpose to the point of having to use magic potions to control their minds.
“I have to find out Denise's purpose,” Farrell said after a moment of silence. “Dan, I need help.”
Christo threw a smile at him. “I'm here to help. As long as you aim to defend Eden’s Lodge, I will do whatever it takes to help. That place is like my own home. I won't let Denise take it.”
“You know many details about lodging, right?”
“Why is there such a secret passageway?”
“To escape, of course. The world of magic is more dangerous. Not only can you meet evil witches who want to rob you, you can meet magical creatures that are able to swallow you whole. This road is made to escape danger. Once used, you have to wait another twenty-four hours to use it again. So, if Jim Joe had found it, they wouldn't have been able to open it. Well, except by force. I mean, explosion magic or something. But, it will activate other security systems.”
“Security system?”
“Traps. Like castle. We save similar surprises.”
“If you know the secret way to escape from the inn, then you know the way to return. I mean, there should be a secret way back too, ‘ right? I can't go in from the front door looking for Denise.”
“You really want to go back now? It's almost midnight.”
“Isn't that the right time?”
“Just right for the wolves out foraging.”
“Wolf...” Farrell murmured. It reminded him of the article Milo read. He said their inn was always visited by snowstorms and wolves running around. But, it was on the normal side of the world. “I've been quite surprised by magic things today. Wolves were definitely not good news let alone the wolves of the magical world. What kind of wolf is hanging around here? Werewolf?”
“No, fortunately there are no werewolf nests near here.”
“So?”
“Do you think cockroaches that can fly are scary?” Christo asked so casually. Farrell really got a bad feeling right now. Christo went on to state that the bad premonition was true. “These wolves can fly.”
“You must be kidding.”
“Oh, yes, of course. They have no wings and don't really fly. But, they could jump over ten meters and were as far as fifteen meters. The appearance is the same as ordinary wolves except they have a little red on the tail. I heard it to keep their bodies warm on snowy days.”
“They didn't attack the inn?”
Christo shakes. “We have a special supplier of protective sculpture. As long as they lined up outside the inn, the wolves would not dare to approach.”
Farrell gazes into the hallway, “The end of this cave... Where is the exit?”
“There is on the cliff side a few meters below the inn.”
“Still inside the area protected by — what was the name?”
Christo nodded. “Of course.”
“That's great news—”
“Ngak. For almost a year, the protective statue near here was destroyed. Your uncle won't hear my report. He said it doesn't matter because we have two layers of protective statues. So, I'm not really sure that we're protected. So, I also will not be surprised if soon there are wolves coming in here.”
