Outcasts of Velrune by Isaac Crowe Page A

Mr. Penna and Eve. When the introductions were over, they all sat down in a circle and Melody began the conversation.
    “Maxwell, Eve tells me that you are Peter Laskaris’s son.”
    “Yes, that’s right.” It was odd to hear a stranger mention his father.
    Melody turned toward Mr. Penna. “And you used to accompany Mr. Laskaris, correct?”
    “You are correct, Ms. Eliades. If I may, how is it that you know of us?”
    “Of course, Mr. Penna. You see, I grew up in the care of the Children of the Immortals in Moenia. When I was twelve I remember a Protector coming to our sanctuary to speak with Metis, the leader of our order. Even then, I knew that the Children did not get along with the Protectors. I was curious as to what the man wanted so I hid behind the table on the second floor. When Metis met the man he spoke quietly to her then slipped her a small box. Metis nodded and the man returned outside. I ran over to a window in time to see him getting back on his horse. On another horse was an older gentleman who held a small child. I saw them leave the church grounds as one of the elders called me for my chores.”
    “I forgot about the Protector and his box until years later. While cleaning out one of the sanctuary’s store rooms, I found the box. Remembering that day, curiosity got the better of me, and I tried to open it. The locks wouldn’t budge, making me more determined to find out what it contained. I sought out Metis to see if she would tell me.”
    “Metis tried to shoo me away until I told her I knew where the box had come from. I thought she would be mad at me. Instead, she sighed heavily, telling me it no longer mattered. She said the man who had left it, Peter Laskaris, had been a captain of the Protectors. The boy was his son and the older man, Chiron Penna, was a friend of them both. She then paused a moment as a few tears rolled down her face. Wiping them away, she said that bandits had killed all three and to put the box back where I had found it.”
    Melody smiled at Max. “Needless to say, Eve surprised me when she told me about you two. It’s not often I run into people who are supposed to be dead.”
    Mr. Penna nodded slowly. “I have tried not to spread word of our survival. I knew that would end with this trip, I had only hoped we would at least make it to Moenia first.”
    “But, why?”
    “The night the bandits murdered Peter they searched his home. I have always believed they were looking for Maxwell, though I have no reason as to why.”
    Max’s eyes widened. “You mean, if Eve hadn’t hid me, you think they would have killed me as well.”
    Mr. Penna bowed his head and nodded. He raised his head again, speaking to Melody.
    “The day you recall, the one in which we left the box with your order, was our last day in Moenia. Peter had instructed me to pack the necessities for a long journey and to do it quickly. When all was ready we left the inner court of Moenia, stopping only at your church before leaving the city.”
    “Where were you going? What is so important about that box?”
    Mr. Penna shook his head. “I do not know what lies inside the box. I had never seen it before that day. As to our destination, Hedgewood, originally. The night after we left the dead lands, bandits jumped us. We managed to escape, but they wounded Peter in the process. We changed our plans, heading for Pike to the southwest. When we were within sight of the town, Peter became reluctant to enter. He said the town was too close, that we had to go farther. I tried to convince him to stop, that he needed the immediate aid of a healer, but he would have none of it. Instead, he swung around the outside of town, heading down a narrow, poorly maintained road that led even farther off to the southwest. My hands already full with Max, I had little choice but to follow. Thankfully, just when I thought I was going to lose Peter, we came within sight of the small village of Swiftwater. The village’s healer, a