The Unbidden: The First Tome (Side Stories 1)

Wizard and Incipiency (Part 3)

I was stopped at the gate briefly because of how tattered and worn my robes were. I waved them away with simple charms and went back to the antique shop. Gho was there when I arrived, as expected. When the small doorbell chimed as I came in, he flashed me a casual smile thinking I was a customer.

His smile quickly vanished when he realized it was me. I furrowed my brows in confusion, but only for a moment as the fatigue from my trip hit me like a wall as my body realized I was home.

"Welcome back," he said as he caught me during a misstep.

"Thank you. Nothing precarious happened while I was gone, right?" I huffed, taking off my boots.

"Of course not. Some delinquents tried doing mischievous things a couple months ago, but I made sure to put a stop to it. Did something happen while you were out? You said it would be a ten-month round trip," he asked as he sat me down in a chair.

I gave him a look of exasperation.

"Quite a bit," I chuckled with an accompaniment of aches.

"You do seem fine," he breathed through his nose in amusement.

"Can you get the bath prepared please? And send a message to the guild to summon the Seven Sworn."

I continued disrobing until I was stark naked. One of the benefits of owning a building with enchantments on the doors is with a single phrase – which I spoke as I removed my clothing – prevented anyone from entering unless they dispelled it.

Gho returned several minutes later whilst I was placing the magical items in a chest for future use. I had the sinking feeling I was going to need them again. He noticed the small scars on my arms, but made no move to mention it. I guess I had gotten scuffed up at some point when retreating from the demons all those months ago.

"You never did tell me what happened," he remarked as he sat on the edge of the bath with a curious smirk.

I ignored him as I sunk into the water. A subtle exhale of pleasure escaped my lips as the hot water washed away the loose dirt and grime from my body. Gho handed me the cherry scented bar of animal fat that I ungraciously used to thoroughly clean everywhere the dirt took hold.

"The army is demonic," I spoke as I ran the bar across my arm.

"As in, big bad guys who look hardened?" he looked to me curiously, though, my lack of amusement told him that was not the case.

"Demons. Hundreds of them. I fought a few, but I had to retreat because the person in charge sent more after me. I ended up in Moriya somehow, and was only able to get back with the aid of an ... individual," I hesitated from calling him a dwarf.

He was far too tall, virtuous, and kind to be a dwarf. His proportionately muscular body, thick beard and honey eyes were a far cry from those of his race. It had to be impossible for him to be a dwarf!

"...!" I sat up quickly and took in a large gulp of air.

"'Tis not like you to get lost in your thoughts. Maybe the water is too hot?" he mused.

It was fortunate the hot water reddened my face, because the embarrassing thoughts running in my mind would have tipped him off. It was unalike me to nearly drown in a bath because of mere thoughts, no matter how embarrassing!

"Still, demons you say?" Gho furrowed his brows in a vexed manner.

"Yes. They were marching from Grynwood, and they should have been going toward Tult, but when I passed through, they had not been there. Even after I went southbound for a while, no one had encountered them."