Timeweaver

Reunions Both Physical and Mental

Griffin thumbed through the pages of The Legends of Magdilus as he drank his tea. Unlike tea served in other worlds, tea in the three kingdoms of Magdilus was served ice cold day or night because of the heat radiating off the metallic foliage surrounding them.

The tavern was empty, and it was odd to see it in daylight. He had only visited in the darkest hours of the night, when the rowdiest of patrons occupied the tables. "Up to no good again?" Barnard, the owner, asked, refilling Griffin's glass. The man must have never slept. He was working in the morning, afternoon, and all through the night. This tavern was his life.

Funny, it was also the site of several alcohol-induced deaths over the years. Maybe that's where Barnard got his energy from.

"You know it," Griffin answered, looking up from the drawing of Tabitha. Barnard smiled, but Griffin thought he could see something vulnerable in the man's weathered face. Something like pity... or fear.

Plopping a coin on the counter, Griffin got up and left the little building. He hadn't gone home last night, and he knew Lyssandra would be worried. No matter what had gone down between them yesterday, she was still his son and she still loved him. For some crazy reason.

As he was walking down the empty lane, he heard something off to his left. Pausing so he could listen better, the sounds sharpened into footsteps. They grew louder and louder until... they began to get quieter. After a moment's hesitation, Griffin continued in the direction of his home. Suddenly, as the cottage became visible just ahead, Griffin saw, out of the corner of his eye, a dark shape moving towards him quickly. He didn't have a chance to jump out of the way before he was tackled to the ground.

He shoved the figure off and reached for the knife in his boot. Spitting golden dirt out of his mouth, he faced whoever had attacked him. "At least you've learned that cleaning supplies don't make very good weapons."

Tabitha chuckled and brushed the leaves out of her hair. It was like a magnet for the golden pieces of this forest. "Sorry, I was too busy looking behind me."

Okay, that's a reason for concern. "Behind you?" Griffin asked, grabbing Tabitha's shoulders and glancing in the direction she had come. "Why?"

"Gwendolyn, Lyss's evil sister... your aunt, I guess. She captured me and brought me to her home in the Dark Forest. She chained me to a wall in her basement and tried to draw blood from me, but I stabbed her in the eye with a needle and escaped. She'll probably be coming after me soon."

"Wow, you've been pretty busy, huh? Everyone's been looking for you. Your friend - Well, let's just get inside. There are so many enchantments surrounding Lyss's house that not even a horde of ogres could get in." Tabitha followed Griffin to Lyssandra's home, and they were met with an unexpected sight.

Lyss sat at the table, tears flowing down her face, wrinkled hands clasping her shattered wedding picture. When they entered, Lyss's face was one of pure surprise and elation. Lyssandra stood up and came to greet them, the shifting animal patterns she was wearing clashing terribly against one another. Her arms wrapped around Tabitha and Griffin, enclosing them in a motherly hug. When she let go, she looked to Griffin and said, "Thank you for coming home."

Neither Tabitha nor Griffin knew what she really meant by that, but Griffin smiled anyway.

"Lyss," Tabitha said, sitting down at the table and glancing in the direction of the photo. The glass was mostly gone, and the frame was chipped. She wondered if the kind witch had a secret temper no one knew about. Now wasn't the time to question Lyssandra's mental state, though; raising Griffin was enough proof that her sanity could not always be reliable.