Chapter 70: Chapter 66: Mary

Mary gripped the hand of her youngest daughter, trying desperately not to let her nervousness show. She had to be strong for her children, but it was so hard; how was she supposed to feel when she learned that Owen had been…taken as a hostage of some sort? Or was it that he was forced to join a new nation or…it was confusing, but now her entire family was being uprooted to go and join him as part of some sort of treaty.

If that was all it was, Mary wouldn’t be as nervous as she was. But…the way King Brom had acted, that wasn’t the case. Most people likely wouldn’t have caught it, but Mary wasn’t most people; she was good at reading people, and she had interacted with King Brom enough to know that he was on edge.

And…the way he had said goodbye, it was almost as if he expected to never see her again, it was final. Her family was to be accepted as “full citizens” of this new nation, and Brom said he had spoken with Owen, and there was clearly some way of contact between these nations, so…why? She would just have to wait and find out, and the moment was coming ever closer, there was only one minute now before they would be teleported, by the Hero herself.

“Mom, will teleporting feel bad?” Her youngest, Anna, asked.

“It feels a little funny, but it’s over after a second.” Mary said gently. “If you were sleeping, you wouldn’t even wake up.”

Her eldest, Jonathan, nodded. “I’ve teleported a couple of times, it’s not bad at all. You have nothing to be worried about.”

Mary could tell that he was lying. The way he was pulling his wife, Vivian, close and his unusually serious tone led her to believe that he was almost as nervous as she was. If he wasn’t, he would be making a joke, or trying to distract Anna or something, not…this. The clock struck twelve, and Mary braced herself for the teleportation. A moment later there was a slight unease in her stomach, and she was in some sort of auditorium.

Immediately, three young wolfkin women rushed towards the group, and to her surprise, one of them caught Mary in a hug. “Mary!” She said. “It’s so good to see you all here, safe and sound.”

Mary awkwardly disengaged from the hug, eyes flicking over to note that the other two women, who were identical to the one in front of her, were talking with her other children, tails wagging and a blissful look on their faces.

A look that was shared by the woman in front of her. “Um…this may sound rude, but do I know you?”

The wolfkin paused for a moment, a complicated expression crossing her face. “It’s me, Owen.”

Mary stared at the woman in disbelief, her frown deepening as she took in the audacious statement. “That’s not a very nice joke.” She said. “We’ve been worried sick about him, and we don’t find something like that funny.”

The girl frowned. “Did…did Brom not tell you?” She said. “Use your identification on my status. I’ve changed my name to Ophelia now, but the last name doesn’t lie.”

Mary hesitantly used some Mana to view the strange woman’s status.

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