After breakfast, Mia took Mason to a flatland a few miles from the village. As they both rode on a horse, Mia taught him the basic procedures of riding it.
Amie was helping her parents in transporting the foodstuffs, blankets, and every other thing the villagers had prepared for Mason, into their house.
She had said she would join Mason and Mia on the field when she finished her tasks.
However, it took her long before going to meet them because after she was done, she had to offer a helping hand to the people who had their houses collapsed due to the wolves' attack.
When she got to the field she was surprised to see Mason riding the horse on his own. She dismounted and tied her horse to a tree nearby, filled with grass which the animal could feed on. She then joined her sister sitting on the ground not far away.
"Took you long," Mia said without even looking as she noticed her presence.
"And it took him otherwise," Amie said, nodding toward Mason a few distance away.
"You could say that," Mia said. "He fell from his mount a hundred times. That's too much for a learner."
"Haha! But there he is, riding like a warrior."
"Hmm… That's right. I've never seen someone this…"
"Strange? Or mysterious, as you said yesterday?"
"Yes."
"He's a fast learner; at this rate, he might disappoint the old man and leave tomorrow."
"He will," Mia said. "He said he'll leave tomorrow. I think he didn't want to overstay his visit."
"So sad," Amie said sadly. "I wish he could stay longer. I'd be happy to see his cute face and charming blue eyes every day."
"Ha, mother would be so disappointed to see her daughter drooling over a man," Mia teased. "Your pride is suffering helplessly."
"Damn you, Mia!" Amie groaned. "That's no way to speak to your older sister. Spoilt lass."
"Oh, my apologies, my Queen."
"Cut the sarcasm," Amie rolled her eyes. She nodded toward Mason again. "You did a great job making sure he learned it. Father and everyone in the village would be so heartbroken thanks to you."
"I only taught him the procedures; I didn't expect him to have such great learning skills," Mia replied. "My plan was to teach him slowly and extend his time here. But I was a failure. He's smarter."
Amie burst into laughter. Her contagious laughter made Mia's introspection fade away.
"Who do you think he would choose?" Amie asked.
"You of course," Mia replied.
"Me? Why would he?"
"You're prettier."
"I look not more a little girl to him," Amie said, her face dropping. "He doesn't even look at me."
"It doesn't matter."
"It does, Mia. Unlike me, you're strong and brave. You'll protect him."
"And who says you're not strong and brave?" Mia said. "You're the bravest person I've ever known. Remember what you said to me when I was against rescuing him in the river yesterday?"
"What?"
"You said that you felt like your heart would shred to pieces if you ignored and left him to die," Mia continued. "See what happened this morning, he saved us all from the wolf people."
Amie sighed and raised her head to see Mason as he galloped around on his horse.
"You're more intelligent than you think, Amie. You deserve to be beside him."
"What about you? Don't you like him as well?"
"That doesn't matter. One of us needs to stay and protect our parents and the village."
"Are you sure about this?" Amie asked, locking eyes with her sister. "We might not see each other again for the rest of our lives."
Mia took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and let it out. She rubbed her eyes and forced a smile.
"You're the eldest, Amie," she said finally. "Do you expect me to have a man before you?"
"That's not it, Mia," Amie said. "You're not the type to give up on something you like. Let alone a man you love for the first time. You're hiding something from me."
"I know I can never outsmart you," Mia chuckled. "You always talked about your dream when we were both younger."
"What was that?" Amie furrowed her brows.
"That you don't want Letico to be your limitations," Mia said. "You wish to travel far from here and see life in cities, and marry a handsome adventurer." She patted Amie on the shoulder. "Your dream will finally come true."
"I've long forgotten such a dream. I was young and couldn't know better then," Amie said.
"A dream is a dream, Amie. It must be fulfilled."
"Still–"
"Protect your man, sister," Mia cut in. "I'm certain he'd do the same for you. He's a good man, that's undeniable."
"This is why people think you're the eldest," Amie said. "You always want your words to stand. I'll miss you."
"Likewise I," Mia said, her voice mixed with a bit of sadness, but she was good at hiding it.
"Hello ladies," Mason's voice came. "I'm sorry to interrupt. But shouldn't we go home already?" He gestured to the sky and continued. "The sun is high. I'm burning."
"Oh, that's right," Mia said, tilting her head to see the sky. Of course, the girls wouldn't feel the harshness. They're sitting under the shade of a large tree overlooking the field.
"I just got here, we can't leave immediately," Amie complained. "Can't we wait a bit longer?"
There was a full minute pause, as the trio stared at each other, debating whether to wait or go.
"That shouldn't be a problem," Mason broke the silence. "It's not like I have something important to do at home."
"You'd need to change that cloth of yours," Amie said to him. "It'll earn you a lot of attention anywhere you go."
"Thanks for the idea," Mason said, smiling.
Amie smiled larger. "You're welcome, future husb–Outch!"
Mia hit her, causing Amie's words to trail off.
"I have a question to ask you, my ladies," Mason said.
The girls nodded.
"When I was fighting with the alpha wolf this morning, he called me something like… de… de–"
"Devarna," Amie completed. "I was there. The frightening wolf was frightened by Mason's good looks and skills."
Mia chuckled. "He really must have been scared. I saw him trembling and his tongue lolling out as he fled."
"What's Devarna?" Mason asked, obviously uninterested in their flatterings.
"It's an elvish name for a demon," Amie replied.
"A Demon?"
The girls nodded again.
Mason furrowed his brows. Nathalie mistook him for a demon when her enchantment on him backfired. The snake men did the same, and earlier, the wolf. Many things just didn't sit well.
Could his necklace have disguised him to protect him?
"What are you thinking about?" Mia asked, staring at Mason with rising intensity.
"Nothing," replied Mason. "Just didn't expect to be called a demon out of all the names in this world."
The girls chuckled, and Mia gestured to him to sit beside her. But Amie declined, motioning for Mason to sit beside her. So childish!
"You people moved on too quickly, despite the terrible phenomenon," Mason said as he sat between the sisters.
"You mean the wolves attack?" Amie asked.
"Yes."
"It's a common occurrence," Mia said. "We've learned to adapt. We moan about our loved ones and move on. Life goes on, after all."
"Wow. Why didn't you call for help?" Mason inquired. "Maybe other village warriors would come to your rescue."
"They have their own plates full," Amie said. "We, the villages located in the Southeast, suffer numerous attacks often. And as you already knew, we have no true king."
"We're totally ignored," Mia added.
"Not totally," Amie corrected. "We're remembered when it's time for tithes. Wait a minute, isn't it today?"
Mia's eyes widened in what seemed like fear. The expression was also on Amie's face.
"What's wrong?" Mason quizzed. "What happens today?"
"It's the day the king's snake-men come to reap what they didn't show," Amie replied. "We need to leave, now! Devil's hole, I can't believe we forgot!"
Quickly, the trio reached for their horses and mounted. Mia and Mason rode the way they came – together, while Amie rode back alone.
When they got to the high ground overlooking the village Mia and Mason dismounted and laid down on the grass beside Amie, who'd reached there before them.
A few distances away are about ten humanoid figures wearing cloaks, like the snake-men that had attacked him in his world. But he couldn't be certain yet. The creatures were far away, and he couldn't make out their underneath armor.
One of the figures grabbed a woman and ravished her. A man, probably her husband, tried to rescue his wife but was cut down by a snake-man wielding a sword. He fell to the ground and became motionless.
The rest of the villagers were outside, tormented by the monsters.