Chapter 3 — Chapter 3

The boy was clearly exhausted, stumbling with every step and turning pale. Suddenly, a slave caught him and, seating him on his arm, carried him, following Tyler.

"Listen, Linda, you have nothing to fear from me," the man said softly. "The slave collar won't even let me think badly of you. Hurting you is simply impossible..."

"How so?" the boy, trembling in his arms, quieted down.

"It's an artifact; it controls the slave. At the slightest threat to the master, it inflicts terrible pain instantly."

"If only everyone had one..." the child whispered quietly.

"Alas... only slaves," the man agreed.

"What's your name?" Jan stopped trembling and grew bolder.

"The master gives the name..."

"I don't want that... Tell me your real one."

"Nagas never tell anyone their real name... It's as good as a death sentence," said Tyler, stopping near the stalls.

"What's a nag or whatever?" the boy rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"It's the second form... I'll show you in a textbook," Tyler explained.

They entered the shop, and the lord, estimating the sizes of the boy and the slave, began setting aside suitable clothes and shoes.

"You can call me by my second name. Alex... if it pleases the master," the nag spoke.

"I like it, and my name is Jan," Jan nodded.

"A beautiful name..." he said more quietly, adjusting the child more comfortably against his chest. The boy immediately fell asleep, nervously twitching and clutching his hands.

"Well, hello... Alex, right?" Tyler looked at the nag like an old acquaintance.

"And to you, good health, Tyler..." the nag chuckled, leaning tiredly against the wall.

"How did you end up in this life?" the lord inquired.

"My father died, and my brother didn't want to share the inheritance. He forged documents, putting me in fake debts, and voilà, I'm a slave."

"Hurt the kid, and I'll break your neck personally..." Tyler threatened.

"I wasn't planning to... On the contrary, it's like I want to live again. For him... Who is he?"

"I'll tell you at home... Get dressed, don't embarrass the child," the lord tossed some clothes onto the bench.

"Why would he be embarrassed?" Alex handed Jan over to the man and began pulling on the clothes. Before, he had only worn cotton pants. Now he wore leather pants, a tunic, boots, and a cloak. They packed spare clothes into a bag. The rest, the mentor threw into a spatial bag. They still needed to buy some food.

"Later..." Tyler said instead of answering.

"Alright," the nag took the sleeping child's body into his arms and covered him with the cloak.

They walked through the food stalls, buying everything they needed. Suddenly, Alex swayed and turned pale.

"When was the last time you ate?" Tyler frowned.

"Who feeds slaves..."

"When will this end! Let's go," the lord exclaimed, leading the slave to the nearest tavern. "Innkeeper, food and ale! Plenty of it! Soup for the kid!"

"Yes, ler," the innkeeper nodded, catching a coin and bowing. Quick boys quickly set the table, bringing two large mugs of frothy drink last.

"Jan, wake up," they shook the boy's shoulder. He let out a quiet yelp, waking up. "Food!"

The boy fearfully pressed against the slave and stared wide-eyed at the tavern's patrons.

"You're safe, remember?" Tyler shook him. "We just came in to eat."

"Okay," Jan nodded. They seated him next to them and handed him a spoon.

Alex didn't start eating right away; he watched the boy in amazement, who hunched over and gripped the spoon so tightly as if he intended to defend himself with it. Eventually, he stopped looking at the patrons and began to eat slowly, occasionally glancing up at any noise from the hall.

The men exchanged glances and moved closer to Jan, starting to eat. As soon as the boy finished his soup, they headed out. Without hesitation, the nag picked him up again.

"Don't carry him; let him get used to it," Tyler told Alex and looked disapprovingly at Jan. "We'll start physical exercises tomorrow. He's weak as a kitten..."

"Why..." the boy began, but suddenly fell silent.

Tyler looked into his frightened eyes again and cut him off sternly:

"We must!"

When Jan was brought into the house, he barely touched the floor with his feet, kicked off his boots, and limped upstairs, slamming the door behind him.

"Will you tell me?" the nag asked Tyler.

"If there was something to tell..." he sighed. "He's silent, flinches from everyone. There's a spirit of a relative; let him explain the rest."

"There's nothing to explain; go to the kitchen," Oliver hovered nearby. "You'll all take an oath of silence now. Whatever you see or hear here, you'll keep quiet about it. I'll put a death seal on you, and Jan will seal it. Tyler, bring him."

The mentor reluctantly headed upstairs, knocked, and froze, waiting for the door to open. The spirit had already warned him not to enter the room. Jan fearfully opened the door a crack; he was in a thin shirt and shorts.

"We need to take an oath of secrecy," the lord looked at the boy gloomily, noting that something in him had changed.

"Okay," he nodded and, grabbing a jacket, followed Tyler to the kitchen.

"Hands," the lord commanded. The slaves obediently extended their wrists, and he slashed each palm, waiting for the blood to pool in their hands. Jan watched these actions with horror, though the slaves didn't mind taking such an oath. They calmly recited the words dictated by the spirit and waited for the boy to approach to continue.

"Little one, you need to dip your fingers in the blood and draw this symbol," the spirit looked at him tenderly.

"I don't want to," he shook his head, instinctively tucking a strand of hair behind his ear.

"It's necessary!" Oliver insisted.

"I..." but he dipped his finger in the blood and began drawing symbols on the slaves. When he reached the nag, he swallowed a lump in his throat and said, "I wish they were free. This isn't right. It's wrong."

With these words, Jan touched the nag's collar, drawing the symbol. Then he looked at his blood-covered fingers and was overcome with nausea. The nag quickly scooped up Jan and, rushing up the stairs, burst into his room, then dashed straight into the bathroom. He held him until the boy felt better, but Jan suddenly lost consciousness. Picking up the limp boy, he examined his changing face and body. Suddenly, the collar on him clicked open and fell to the ground. The nag inhaled the scent of freedom and suddenly coughed, choking on the air.

"My girl... I won't betray you," Alex ran his fingers over the girl's thin face. "I'll rip out the throats of all your enemies because they're now my blood enemies."

He carefully laid her in bed, covered her, and quietly left, picking up the collar from the floor. He cast a stronger spell on the door than the girl had left, preventing spirits and house elves from entering. She didn't want anyone to know her gender, and Alex would support that wish. He would wait until the frightened girl believed she was under protection and that no one would ever dare touch her. As for revenge against his brother... Alex's place was now beside the couple, and there was no time for blood feuds.

He pressed the collar to his neck, securing it. It was now a fake, but no one needed to know that.

"Back already?" Oliver inquired. "Now I can tell you. The boy is the last royal descendant. My enemies, by killing me, miscalculated. I was tied to the world's magic, and the world is dying... But thanks to Jan, there might be another chance for all living beings. One hope," the spirit sighed, "is to raise him so that his enemies tremble. It's unclear where he's from; he knows nothing about magic... How he got here is known only to the gods. I found him dying under a hedge; I had to call Tyler. He was bitten by dogs, poisoned. He's terrified of men, like fire... so it's forbidden to approach his room unnecessarily and especially to walk around undressed. Discussing anything related to this moment is forbidden! Understood?" Oliver asked and started giving orders. "Take care of the house; it's covered in filth, the house elf can barely manage."

"I'll be in the kitchen," Alex volunteered.

"Go ahead," the spirit agreed.

"If the ler permits, I'll do the cleaning, starting with the hall," the old man creaked in a dry voice.

"Eat first; I know they didn't feed you there. And feed those strange ones too. Why did you buy them? They look like the undead," Oliver grumbled and disappeared.

"I'll go too; I need to plan the boy's training schedule. How to work with such a frail body..." Tyler also hurried out of the kitchen; he was tired of cooking these days.

"Doesn't the ler's nag have a collar either? Did the child free everyone?" the old man creaked, sitting at the table and starting to eat what he could find in the kitchen.

"How did you hide it? You have no magic," Alex asked, seating the twins and handing them mugs of broth and pieces of meat with bread.

"I do, but little; my magical channels are almost dried up. It'll take a long time to recover. I managed to press it with my hand and then secured it with a drop of magic."

"Theirs stayed in place..." the nag tugged at the twins' collars.

"He didn't have enough magic; a lot of it went into the two of us. He even got sick... He'll rest, and his magic will return, then he'll free them too," the old man said more lively. He looked a bit better as soon as he ate.

"He's weak; his magic is just awakening," the nag settled for a hot drink. He had eaten well before.

"Heirs were always strong in magic. It'll be interesting to watch him grow. And the form is unclear... The beast is there, but still asleep," the old man stood up, gathered the dishes, and went to the sink.

"Who are you, really? What's your name?" Alex watched him.

"What's a name? Over my years, I've had many, and I don't remember my true one. So call me whatever you like. It's all the same to me..." he answered and shuffled out of the kitchen.

"What should I do with you?" the nag looked at the twins. "Go to that bench and sleep; maybe rest will do you good."

The slaves silently stood up and went to the corner of the pantry, then lay down and obediently froze. Alex just shook his head.

Time flew by unnoticed amid the kitchen bustle, but they couldn't feed the girl—she was still asleep. The nag listened through the paired thread—no, it was quiet. Should he wake her and feed her?...

In the evening, when the house quieted down, Alex prepared a tray of food and wanted to take it to the room. But he heard the door upstairs creak softly with his keen hearing. Fearing even to breathe, he hid in the darkest corner of the kitchen.

A slender figure tiptoed in barefoot. Trying not to make noise and freezing at every step, she reached the table, sat down next to the tray, and began to eat quietly and greedily. But then the twins woke up. They stirred and sighed loudly, scaring the girl. She froze, then got up and approached them; the nag's vision allowed him to see all the details. The girl first froze beside the twins, then suddenly bent down, hooking her fingers under the collars.

"Why are they so tight..." a few drops of her magic—and the artifacts unclasped. But the boys remained lying with their eyes closed. The girl shrugged. "At least this."

She sighed and sat back at the table, finished eating, and only then did the nag dare to stand up. The girl froze, watching him.

"Don't be afraid, please! I'll sit across from you," Alex asked quietly.

"Okay..." her voice had also changed, becoming more feminine. Her figure was now clearly girlish. "Interesting, what kind of artifact did she use? It seems she hasn't noticed that she's already changed," Alex thought to himself.

"You don't look like a boy," the nag decided to hint. She suddenly pressed her hands to her chest and trembled. "You don't need to be afraid of me. Your artifact, it seems, ran out of power and can no longer maintain the illusion."

"I don't have an artifact... I don't know how this happened, I don't remember anything... except the last thing."

The girl jumped up and ran away, while the nag remained sitting, understanding that if he followed, he would scare her even more. Her scent told him that the girl was not a virgin... and such fear only comes from one thing. "I'll find and kill them... I swear," the former slave decided to himself.