Half the Power

The Meeting

As I had said before, our enemy would have to be a towering beast, with wicked teeth and sharp claws. He would long for our painful deaths. Naturally, he would laugh at our pain, our pathetic attempts at bravery, our useless excuses for fights. 

When I saw him, I had no choice but to freeze. Ava and Ryan walked into me, but I hardly noticed.

He was so... human. No part of him was animal. At least, not from his appearance. He could still be a monster through his actions. Sprawled out on the couch, he looked like he belonged there. He wore a white button-up shirt, with khaki shorts and loafers. His dark hair was swept to the side, like the wind had pushed it that way. His white teeth shone when he flashed a smile at us. He stood and spread his arms.

"Ah, I see my guests have arrived! I'm terribly sorry I didn't come to meet you when you arrived. I fear I didn't hear you come in. No matter, though. I guess we can meet now."

Ava, Ryan, and I kept staring, mesmerized by his voice. It was kind, but not quiet. He could get attention anywhere, but it wasn't unpleasantly loud. He sounded like he was welcoming friends to a day of gaming.

"I had known that you would be here soon, but I thought I had more time." He smiled warmly. "Not that you're not welcome. I always love visitors."

We nodded along to his words.

He seemed a little surprised. "Oh, where are my manners? You all must be exhausted. Please, take a seat." The man motioned to the couch he had risen from.

That got our attention. We were exhausted. The couch seemed so comfortable, too...

Ava and I obeyed, starting for the couch. Ryan shook his head again, and grabbed our arms. We tried to shake him off, but he had a firm grip. Ava turned to the man. "Please, excuse my brother. He can be so inconsiderate sometimes." 

The man smiled again, and his blue eyes showed sympathy. "It is quite all right, dear. He just hasn't warmed up to me yet." 

Ava turned on her brother. "Ryan, the nice man is trying to let us rest." It didn't seem to bother her that she didn't know the man's name. "We've been traveling for hours. Amelia's hurt. It's okay to sit for a little. Have a chat."

Ryan kept his steely look. "We're here to try to stop him, remember? He made all of our family and friends fall into an endless sleep? Any of this ringing a bell?"

Ava got a far-away look in her eyes, like she was remembering. The man frowned at her, his forehead wrinkled. "Now, don't go believing that nonsense, dear." I noticed that he called Ava dear often. "I just want to meet you. I have plenty of drinks, if any of you are thirsty. Great food, too." The thought alone made my mouth water, my stomach growl. I hadn't eaten in a while.

When Ryan kept his hold on us, our host stepped forward and offered his hand to Ryan. "My name is Ortheon. It's such a pleasure to meet a handsome young man like you. I rarely get any company around here. I can't imagine why, though. But look! The waiting has all payed off, because now I have three brilliant children with me!" He beamed at us, and I truly felt wanted.

Ryan remained his stubborn self. He refused to shake Ortheon's hand, which I found extremely rude and childish. Why couldn't he just accept that we could finally get some hospitality?

"Look, we just came so that you'll wake everyone up. Either you can surrender to three armed challengers, or you can die fighting. The choice is yours."

I was shocked at how Ryan was treating the man that offered us everything we wanted. "Ryan!" I snapped. "Don't be so rude! Maybe Ortheon here could provide us with a little rest, then we can talk about this. You don't always have to jump right into battle."

He hesitated, and I saw hope that he might actually see reason. We would surely die immediately, if we were somehow rude enough to challenge Ortheon. He was stronger than us, and he could take us down easily. Just like that, our journey would be worth nothing. It would all be wasted.

My eyes widened at that. He could take us down so easily! What had I been thinking?! This man planned to attack us as soon as we accepted his offers. Ava. She was still gawking at the thought of rest, food, and drinks.

"Ava!" I snapped. I slapped her arm, hoping to get her attention. Either she was too far gone, or she was just ignoring me. I chose to believe the latter.

I looked apologetically at Ortheon. "Ava and I have to go to the bathroom," I blurted out. Hey, it worked at restaurants. Why not now?

Ava frowned at me, annoyed. "Amelia, I don't--"

"Yes, you do," I said firmly, dragging her by the arm. She was still oblivious to the dangers.

I pulled her down to the first level, and I could hear Ryan's and Ortheon's voices upstairs. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but neither of them seemed happy. Ortheon's voice was convincing, Ryan's stubborn.

I turned Ava around to face me when we got as far as possible from the entrance to the second floor. "Amelia, what is this all about? What's with you and Ryan?"

I took a deep breath. I was not going to get angry. This needed patience. "Ava, listen to me. Ortheon is evil. He was trying to convince us to let everyone sleep without waking. Do you really want to kick back while your friends and family slowly die?"

Ava's eyes seemed to clear, but they watered soon after. "R-Ryan is my family. The rest... we were abandoned when we were little. I was eleven, and he was nine. Everyone tried to put us in orphanages and foster homes and stuff like that. But we refused. We had to keep running from them. Time after time, town after town... it was always the same."

I shook my head. "But I thought you said-"

"We were lying. Too painful of a subject. But that's not important right now; we have to defeat Ortheon. How?"

"I guess we could try to surprise him. Sneak back upstairs, then attack while Ryan keeps him busy."

"No," Ava responded immediately. "Sorry, it's just that this is his house; no doubt he has backup here." 

I thought for a moment. "Then I guess we'll have to get him out of here, huh?"