Mosaic Windows

Chapter 11: Janus is Obsessed with Ham

Janus wasn't quite sure what he expected. After Nico left, he grabbed a bunch of different weapons and tools. Not too much though, if Remus was the one that claims to have seen a dragon witch, then he's not too worried. A lizard could be a dragon witch to that idiot.

He rode out on his horse, Dakota. Next to them ran his giant dog, Saint. Janus was careful to make sure Dakota didn't run too close to him, though Saint could definitely take care of himself.

It didn't take them long to be deep in the forest, and after a bit Janus slowed down. "Alright Saint, we need to follow the trail Remus took last night. You remember his scent, right?"

The giant mastiff barked at him. For whatever reason, Saint liked Remus. Janus wasn't too happy about this, but for once it was going to be helpful.

Saint started to sniff around, taking a few steps off the trail. Janus and Dakota started to follow carefully. It didn't take long for Saint to find the scent, his head shot up for a moment before he took off. Horse and dog limbs weaved through the brush and trees expertly, jumping high when needed and taking sharp turns. Janus held on tightly to Dakota's reins and kept his head low, his hat almost being taken away by branches.

It still took an hour to find anything, but when they did, Janus could barely believe his eyes. There really is a castle in this forest! Why has no one found it before? Then does that really mean Remus is right? Well... a broken clock is right twice a day. Hopefully this was the only thing he was right about.

Janus stopped Dakota before they got too close and jumped down. He found a low hanging branch and tied her to it, whistling for Saint to come closer.

He pointed next to Dakota and told him, "Stay, I'll be right back." Saint sat down, his big fluffy tail wagging as he panted happily. Janus grabbed a treat from a small bag on his belt and tossed it to him. "Good boy. Now... let's look for this dragon witch."

As quickly as he could, Janus ran to the castle, trying to stay hidden behind nearby trees. He reached a wall that had little windows and started to walk around it. The ivy was thick here, almost hiding the gray bricks. As he passed a window, he glanced in to see a giant library. Rows of books and empty tables, it definitely didn't look abandoned.

Janus kept moving, crouching as he sprinted, trying to be as quiet as possible. He felt something crunch under his boot and glanced down to see a shard of glass. There weren't a lot of pieces, but it was still strange. He looked at the wall that was covered in tightly woven ivy.

On the other side he could hear the sound of glass being rustled together. It must have been a broken window, the sound was so clear. Then how did all this ivy get here? It must be...

Janus quietly took out a small dagger and poked at the ivy, pushing some down to make a small hole. The sound of glass shifting covered the sound of the rustling leaves. A figure stood up in front of the window, but Janus could only see the front of their torso. At first he was terrified the stranger spotted him, but they turned around. When they did, Janus was able to see the purple wings.

Remus really did see a dragon witch... If he wasn't lying about that, then it's possible he wasn't lying about Roman either. Maybe he escaped? He could have broken the window to do so. But there was more glass on the inside than out... That means something broke in.

Whatever it was, Janus could figure it out later. Right now he needs to get out of there before he's found out. He can't just save Roman and leave, the dragon witch could come after them. He doesn't have the weapons he needs, and to take down a dragon witch by himself he needs a fool proof plan.

But if he can't do it and something happens to him... There needs to be someone to protect the town. And he knows just who can do that... He needs to send a letter to a group called Hunters Against Monsters and Magic. Remus always made fun of the name because abbreviated it spells H.A.M.M. or ham, but if all else fails, they'll save his brother. And maybe if he sends a letter to them... his parents could come help.

~~~

"Thanks for lunch," Remus told Logan and Patton as he stood from the table. He turned to Roman and nudged his arm with his elbow. "Sorry I can't take you home. But hey! Maybe I can bring dad to come so he knows you're safe! Or we can pick you up. Or both, probably both."

Roman rolled his eyes with a small smile. "Yeah yeah... Well now I know you care about me."

"No it doesn't, you're still a loser. Why would I ever care about you? I just came to save your ass cause it made dad worried."

"Sure, you came all this way thinking you were going to fight a dragon witch to save me."

"We would prefer it if there were no fighting," Logan commented. "Especially fighting the prince."

"Virgil would probably win anyway."

Remus turned to the prince. "Bet."

Roman glared at him. "No."

"Yeah please don't," Virgil added, sounding nervous.

"Fine fine," Remus sighed in disappointment. "Alright I gotta go so I don't get home after dark. Dad is going to ground me for life but if I get home before it's too late, he might not ground me in the afterlife."

"That's not possible," Logan stated.

"Dad'll find a way."

"And you need to tell dad that I'm fine, and that Janus doesn't need to come," Roman reminded Remus.

Virgil mumbled, "The less people that know about this place, the better."

"Do you need anything for the road?" Patton asked. "It's a long way home."

Remus waved him off. "Nah, I'm fine. I'll get out of your hair, and this time I won't break a window."

"Yes, please use the front door," Logan said.

"Good bye dear brother, I'll see you tomorrow probably." Remus dramatically bowed before turning to leave the room.

Logan stood up from the table. "I'll go make sure he doesn't break anything."

Patton started to collect the dishes. "And I'll take care of these."

Roman and Virgil both followed them out of the room, but stayed in the hallway after Logan and Patton went in different directions. Neither of them were sure where to go or what to do.

Roman thankfully broke the ice. "I apologize for my brother... you know, breaking your window."

"He's definitely interesting," Virgil commented. "Then again, so are you. I've forgotten what other people are like."

"Is it a nice change?"

"It's definitely a change." Roman made an offended noise, which made Virgil smile slightly. "So... Do you have any other siblings that I should worry about destroying my windows?"

"No, but Remus might end up breaking another one. And now that he knows you're not dangerous and where you live, he might come up here to annoy you guys more often. Sorry about that."

"Oh joy, more humans. No offense."

"You don't seem to like strangers."

The dragon witch shrugged. "They tend to not like me. I don't really blame them for it either. I'm a scary dude, I've embraced it."

Roman rolled his eyes. "Not really. You've been nothing but soft with me."

"You're my guest, it's bad manners to be rude to guests. I might be a monster now, but I'm still a prince."

"I suppose that's true. Aside from the monster part," Roman mumbled the last bit. Then his face dropped when he realized Virgil said "now."

Before he could ask, Virgil spoke up again, "Do you want to continue the tour?"

"Oh, uh, I guess. Where to next?"