Felix was fastening the straps on his travel bag when a knock sounded at his front door. He startled at the unexpected sound, almost dropping his bag in the process. Trying to stay calm, he opened the door to see Draken Mortenson standing there, flanked by two large bodyguards.
"Priest Mortenson!" Felix cried.
"Hello, Felix. May I come in?" Draken asked politely.
"Of course," Felix said as he stood aside so the man could enter. Draken floated in, his robes brushing softly against the ground. Closing the door behind him with shaking hands, Felix turned to see Draken studying his space.
"How goes your preparations?" Draken asked, not looking away from a book he'd picked up off a table.
Felix silently gulped. "Um, good. I was just finishing up."
Draken finally turned to look at the young merfolk still standing by the door. "You were able to get everything you need?"
"Yes, sir."
Draken nodded. "Good. So you're ready to leave?"
Felix took a deep breath. "Yes, sir. I was going to head out at first light."
"What's wrong with now?" Draken asked, his head tilted, looking like he thought leaving in the middle of the night was normal.
"It's too dangerous to go now, since I'm going on foot. Between bandits and ill-marked paths, it'll be hard to travel at night," Felix said, his voice wavering slightly.
Draken nodded sagely. "True, that is normally an issue to consider. However, I have a carriage waiting to take you to the next village."
"Thank you, sir," Felix said, dread filling him.
Just a few minutes later, Felix found himself inside a luxurious carriage, filled with plush cushions and a small fairy heater to fend off the cold night winds.
Draken walked up to the window while Felix was taking in his surroundings. "Do not fail me, Felix," he said simply before turning and disappearing into the night.
**********
Griffin threw the cards he was holding down on the table. "I give up. How are you so good at this?" he asked, glaring at the vampire sitting across from him.
They'd spent the evening after dinner playing different card games. Draven having won almost every single time.
Chuckling lightly, Draven placed his own cards down. "Just lucky I guess."
Their attention was diverted when Nathan slumped hard against the table. "Honestly, I still can't figure out this game." Nathan laid his head down, face first onto the table, stretching his arms above him.
Griffin and Draven couldn't help smiling at the despondent wolf.
"Are there any games you remember playing?" Griffin asked, reaching over and stroking Nathan's hair.
Nathan turned his head so he could look at Griffin as he replied. "Not really. The adults were more into card games, pups usually just ran around outside wrestling with each other."
"As humans or wolves?" Draven asked, curious.
"Both." Nathan sighed, pushing himself back upright. Standing, he stretched lazily. "You can continue playing, I'm going to bed."
Griffin and Draven watched him walk out of the room and continued to sit there in silence as they listened to Nathan move through the house until the bedroom door closed.
"One more game?" Griffin asked as he collected the cards to reshuffle.
Draven grinned at him. "Sure."