Asher's Futa Fantasy Ch. 16

You know when you just keep putting off those things on your to-do list? Like when you have 30 reminders in your calendar of things you should have done two months ago? Well, this one's about to bite Asher in the butt.

But an exciting opportunity arises for our four young adventurers!

Enjoy!

***

Chapter 16

ASHER

The strangest thoughts go through your head when you wake up tied to a bed. It's not that it happens to me a lot, but when it does, I think about things like, *Dammit, I never got to finish reading Dad's online sex journals!*

Dad once told me he'd written down all his previous sexual encounters in the form of stories on a website somewhere. I'd eventually gotten the info out of him and had been reading them to learn more about where his twisted side came from since I'd inherited it from him.

But I'd never finished them all before we came here. Hey, in my defense, there were a lot of stories!

After that thought went through my head, I realized my hands had been tied together above my head and secured to the bed. I was naked, but I at least had a sheet covering me.

The room didn't look familiar. I knew it was one of our guest rooms, but since there was only the bed and nothing else, it was probably one of the ones in the wing we hadn't used yet. Beds were the priority, then other furniture, and we were filling in from the family rooms.

The door cracked open, and Remmi stuck her head in.

"Oh good, you're finally awake," Remmi said before she retreated into the hall.

I heard voices whispering before Terri and Thomas walked in, and I watched Remmi close the door from the hall, leaving just the three of us in the room together. Terri was grinning like an idiot.

"Morning, sleepy head," Terri said as she bounced down onto the bed beside me.

"What's going on, Terri?" I started. "Why am I tied to the bed?"

"Well," Terri said as she ran her fingernail slowly down my neck to my chest. "Remmi was worried you were going to try and run away again. So, she tied you to the bed. Apparently, whatever she did to you in the wagon on the way home really kicked your butt. So, she brought you here instead of your room."

"And where is here?" I asked and sucked in a breath as one of her nails trailed down my chest to the sheet. The long nail pulled the sheet down as she sought out one of my nipples. Scraping in sweet pain, her nail began making lazy circles.

"Oh, as far from everyone as I could get. No one should hear us down here," Terri said, her voice as sultry as I'd ever heard it.

Her words started a tingling in my stomach that quickly spread.

"You've been dodging us for a while now, and I saw the perfect opportunity. Poor Thomas here," Terri turned and blew a kiss to Thomas, who was trying to get his boots off. "Thomas couldn't come with us to town. He was so depressed about it that I just had to do something," Terri said in a pout.

"I thought, 'What better way to cheer him up than let him have you?'" Terri grinned at me, and her nail went in search of my other nipple.

"And you didn't bother to ask me about it, of course." I tried to frown, but she clipped my other nipple just then, sending fire through my chest.

"And what would you have done, Asher?" Terri asked in mock annoyance. "Made another excuse? Conveniently forgot? How would that have made poor Thomas here feel?"

"I'm sure he'd get over it if the sound he and Mom made the other day is any indication," I said with a snark, playing the game.

Terri glanced at Thomas.

"Is that true, Thomas? Have you been enjoying yourself with Angela?" Terri teased.

"You know I have. You were there!" Thomas said, not quite picking up on the game.

"Looks like you've got your work cut out for you," I told Terri with a smug grin.

In response, Terri took my hard nipple between two fingernails and pinched viciously. She knew how I'd react, arching my chest towards her and groaning at the sweet sharpness.

"We both know you're just acting like you don't want this," Terri said.

"I never said I didn't want this!" I protested, and she gave my other nipple the same treatment, causing me to grit my teeth.

"Oh really?" Terri's voice said teasingly. "You weren't exactly leaping into bed with us now, were you?"

"I was busy!" I protested. I hadn't been dodging them, not really. Things just never seemed to work out.

"Not so busy now, are you?" Terri asked.

Thomas finally got his boots off and started removing the rest of his clothes.

"Oh yeah, you haven't seen Thomas's new, lovely body now, have you?" Terri said as she continued to tease my boobs, sometimes sweetly, sometimes painfully. The mix was driving me nuts as she slowly outlined the bottom of my breasts with her nails.

I looked up to watch as Thomas removed his shirt, revealing the body of a Greek god. Given his well-built body, he might as well have been carved from marble. His dark, smooth skin was gorgeous.

"I see you gave yourself an upgrade, Thomas," I said, my voice wavering a bit as my mouth started watering. Thomas was still in the habit of wearing baggy clothes that didn't show off his body. After seeing what he had under that shirt, we were going to have to change that.

"You don't know the half of it," Terri purred at me and glanced down at my sheet, where I'd raised a definite tent pole. "Oh my," Terri grinned. "I think she approves, Thomas."

Thomas glanced down at me and grinned before slowly undoing his pants.

I held my breath as he began to pull his pants down. While my brother and I had fooled around once before, it had been an awkward situation.

Now, as I watched Thomas strip for me, I wasn't feeling awkward anymore. Even being tied to the bed with my best friend teasing me, all I felt was a growing lust for the man at the foot of the bed.

I didn't realize I was biting my lip until my mouth popped open with a gasp as Thomas's new cock came into view. It seemed every man in my family had decided to upgrade. While Thomas's cock had been pretty nice before, he was now certified to do porn.

I licked my suddenly dry lips and swallowed loudly.

"I thought you'd say that," Terri beamed at me. "Thomas, why don't you come get reacquainted with your sister?"

Thomas needed no other invitation and moved to the side of the bed. His hard cock was bobbing near my face, pointed right at me, but too far away.

"Well, that's not going to work," Terri said. "Why don't you come over here?" Terri said as she guided Thomas onto the bed. "No, not on the side, not like that. Get on top of these big old titties of hers," Terri teased.

Thomas wasted no time in straddling my chest, bringing his cock up close and personal.

I watched his cock bobbing in time with his heartbeat and could plainly see the veins running around his shaft. My heart was pounding in my throat now, drool at the corner of my mouth.

Terri reached over and stroked Thomas's cock in front of my face.

"I bet you wish you hadn't been dodging us now, huh?" Terri asked.

I swallowed, unable to take my eyes off the monster before me.

"I'm sorry. Did you want this, Ash?" Terri asked me.

"Ye... yeah," I said, having to clear my throat, still staring.

"Well, I know Thomas had been kind of depressed since you haven't wanted to play," Terri said with more teasing. "He doesn't think you want him anymore. Why don't you tell him?"

"I do," I said, swallowing hard again. "I do want you."

"I don't think he believes you, Ash; try again," Terri said. This time, when she stroked him, a large bead of pre-cum emerged from the tip.

"Oh, I want it," I started and tore my eyes away from his cock to look Thomas in the eye. "I want it, Thomas."

"That's my girl," Terri said and pulled Thomas's eager cock toward my mouth. She took a moment to smear the pre-cum on my lip before taking her hand off.

My mouth was already open, my tongue out, welcoming my brother's hard cock into my mouth.

He slid in easily, filling my mouth with his hard warmth.

I started working my mouth over his cock, slobbering on it. With my hands still tied above my head, I couldn't do much more than bob my head a bit.

"The poor thing looks to be struggling," Terri said. "Why don't you help her out?" Terri asked as Thomas put his hand behind my head.

Terri gave my nipple another vicious pinch, popping my mouth open in a gasp as Thomas took advantage and forced his way deeper. It was almost as if the pair had practiced that move as his cock hit the back of my throat with ease.

Then, Thomas was pulling my head forward, deeper onto his cock, as he began to move in my mouth. His other hand quickly joined the first in holding my head as he began to fuck my mouth.

"Oh, I do love it when siblings get along," Terri said and slid her hand away from my stinging breasts and down to my aching cock.

I barely noticed her nails scraping up the belly of my cock as my brother had all my attention as he assaulted my mouth.

My jaw began to ache, and I glanced up at Thomas's face. He was staring down at my lips as they were stretched around his girth. Again and again, he plunged his cock into my mouth, and I could tell by his breathing he was working himself up.

"Easy, darling, easy," Terri said and placed her hand on his chest. "Don't waste it up here, no matter how pretty her face would be with your cum splattered across it. Let's move to the main event, shall we?"

As Thomas withdrew his cock from my mouth, I knew I was already a mess. Drool had run down my chin and pooled there. Luckily, I didn't have makeup on, as my eyes were streaming. I worked my jaw as I watched Thomas back up.

His cock slid across my chest, leaving a trail of spit and pre-cum. He paused, rubbing the head of his cock on each of my tortured nipples before resting it in the center of my chest.

"Oh?" Terri said, seeing where he was. "Allow me," Terri said and placed her hands on either side of my chest, pushing my tits together around my brother's cock.

"Hang on," Terri said and leaned over, taking a moment to add her spit to the mix before Thomas began sliding his cock between my tits. "Oh, that's lovely," Terri said as she watched the head of his cock emerged from the valley between my boobs.

While hot, the lube quickly dried up, and Thomas moved further south until he was between my thighs.

For a moment, I thought he was going to try and ride my cock, but he had other ideas.

Terri reached down and pulled our cocks together in her hand and squeezed. Between her hand and Thomas's sticky cock, it was enough to send a shudder down my body.

"I might try that later," Terri said and released our cocks. "Right now, Thomas, do your thing."

"With pleasure," Thomas said as he took my legs in his hands and positioned himself to enter me. He wasted no time in angling his cock and burying himself in my pussy.

We both groaned loudly as he plunged deeper into me.

"Damn, that's hot," Terri said and leaned over to kiss me.

Her hot tongue dove into my mouth just like her boyfriend's cock was diving into my pussy. The sensation of the two of them together thrilled me.

Terri kept kissing me, getting hot and loud as Thomas thrust his cock into my pussy again and again with deep strokes. Finally, she broke off and, without a word, moved down to take my cock into her mouth.

The feeling of her mouth on my cock and Thomas's cock pounding me was too much, and I erupted into her mouth.

Terri squealed, unprepared for the thick spurts of cum now shooting into her mouth. But she took it like a champ and quickly swallowed down my load without spilling a drop, or at least that's what I thought.

Terri quickly moved back to my mouth and took my head in her hands, forcing my mouth open. As she held out her tongue, I could see she still had a good portion of my load on it.

I sucked her cum covered tongue into my mouth, moaning at how dirty it made me feel.

"Well, someone's feeling slutty today," Terri said when she came up for air.

"Can't imagine why," I panted, swallowing the last of my own cum down.

"It's probably because your brother is fucking the shit out of you," Terri said.

I glanced at Thomas, who was showing signs of getting close.

Terri moved close and whispered in my ear, "Admit it, you like your brother fucking you, don't you?" Her hand reached down and took hold of my still-hard cock.

"Yeah," I said, my body still worked up as Thomas continued making sloppy noises with my pussy.

"It's the taboo that makes it so hot, isn't it?" Terri whispered again, stroking my cock.

"Some, yeah," I moaned, pivoting my hips as the two worked me over, making me tingle all over.

"How about you, Thomas? Do you like fucking your sister? Does she make you hot?" Terri asked, looking at him.

"Oh yeah," Thomas said, his grip on my legs tightening.

"God, I love watching the two of you fuck!" Terri said, her own voice breaking slightly with her excitement.

Thomas groaned.

"Oh... Thomas is close," Terri said to me. "Are you gonna let your brother cum inside you?" she asked, her lips hot in my ear. "You gonna let him fill you up with his load?"

"Ye... yeah," I said, her words pushing me towards another climax.

"Then tell him, tell him to do it!" Terri growled, her hand flying on my cock now.

"Cum in me, Thomas," I said, panting loudly.

"No, tell your brother!" Terri ordered.

"Cum in me, brother, fill my pussy with your cum!" I said, the words stirring something deep in me.

"I'm cumming!" Thomas declared, his body shaking.

"Where?" Terri cried, "Where are you cumming?"

"In my sister's pussy!" Thomas called out as he slammed into me and started to cum.

"Oh yeah, fill that dirty bitch!" Terri said, her words pushing me over just as I felt the first splash of my brother's cum inside me.

My cock erupted again, this time spraying my seed all over my stomach as Terri kept stroking me.

Thomas continued to groan, holding himself deep in me and losing his load.

"Oh fuck, that's hot!" Terri said as she slowed her hand. When she'd wrung the last bit of cum from me, she then began to play with it. Running her fingernails through the ropes plastered to my stomach.

Thomas pushed Terri to the side and leaned down. His mouth found mine and began kissing me deeply. His body pressed atop mine, his lips parted, and his tongue explored my mouth.

"Well fuck!" Terri said as she watched my brother and me making out.

Thomas didn't stop. He kept kissing me and rubbing his half-erect cock against mine. He ground into me and kept kissing me.

"I see how it is," Terri said and moved around behind Thomas. Her hands slid across his backside until she found what she was looking for and slid a long finger into my brother.

I felt Thomas immediately start to stir, and before long, his hardness was grinding on mine.

"OK, break it up," Terri said and pulled on Thomas's shoulder.

Thomas leaned back and made room as Terri climbed atop me, straddling my throbbing cock.

"If I remember right, you should be good for one more," Terri grinned down at me.

"Don't tell me you planned all this out," I said and tried to frown but gasped instead as Terri rubbed her pussy against my sensitive cock.

My arms were killing me, partially from having been tied up this long and partially from all the straining I'd been doing against my bonds. Whoever made the knots did an amazing job.

I felt Terri as she moved my cock up and into her.

"Oh, I missed this thing," Terri moaned as she speared herself on my cock.

"That 'thing' is part of me, you know," I said, trying to stir her up.

"Shhhh," Terri said, her eyes closed as she continued to slide down my cock. "Don't be jealous; you're pretty, too," she said and groaned as I bottomed out in her.

As always, Terri felt amazing. Her new body felt different from her old one, but I couldn't describe it if I had to.

Slowly she began to move, taking her time and sliding up and down my cock with excruciating slowness.

"Oh my God, move woman!" I groaned in frustration.

Terri opened her eyes and looked down at me with an evil grin.

"Now you know why I tied you up," Terri began. "If it were up to you, you'd be pounding away at me like I was a love doll, and I'd be sore for a week!" Terri moved, taking me deep into her. "But I want to be sore for another reason."

Then I felt something rubbing near the base of my cock. It was slick and rolled off. I looked down to find Thomas back in action and trying to join in.

"Aim a little higher, big guy," I said helpfully.

"He knows what he's doing," Terri said.

Then I felt him again. His cock was sliding against mine as he slowly worked his way into Terri's pussy with me!

"Easy," Terri said, her face locked in concentration.

"Both of us?" I asked incredulously. One of us would be enough to make most girls flinch, but both?

"Yeah, I bet Remmi I could do it," Terri said tightly.

"Terri!" I protested. "Remmi can do this cause she can stretch herself out! You're gonna--"

My gasp cut off my words as I felt Thomas's cock slide inside Terri's pussy atop mine.

"Oh fuck!" Terri cried out.

The sensation was incredible. Terry's tightness became a vice as Thomas forced his way inside. The feel of his cock sliding against mine was something else altogether! I held still, afraid to move as Thomas continued to stuff himself in her.

"Almost there," Thomas said through gritted teeth. "There!"

"Nobody fucking move!" Terri said as she was breathing heavily.

"Regretting your life choices?" I teased her.

"Shut up bitch," Terri said. Her eyes were still closed in concentration, and I could see sweat breaking out on her face.

We stayed that way for a while as Terri adjusted to being so full. Thomas and I tried to stay still, but I could feel his heartbeat through his dick... and it was hot. Finally, Terri spoke up.

"OK," Terri started. "Little moves, LITTLE!" Terri said as Thomas moved and stopped.

I couldn't help but start to giggle, which caused me to move.

"Quit laughing you... you..." Terri started.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "Run out of words?" I said as I pulled back slightly and forced my way back into her.

"Shit!" Terri groaned. But this time, it wasn't a painful groan.

Thomas started moving as well, causing all sorts of chaos in Terri's pussy. I made him stop so we could coordinate our movements.

It took a few tries, but we soon had a solid rhythm going despite Terri cussing us out.

"This was a mistake," Terri groaned as two cocks slid in and out of her pussy.

"Then why are you on the verge of cumming?" I hissed up at her.

Terri didn't answer me.

I desperately wanted to touch her.

"Untie me, Damnitt!" I barked at her. A moment later, my hands were free and dropped to bed. I flexed my fingers, trying to work blood back into them, and then reached up and grabbed her by the ears, bringing her mouth to mine.

"You do know our ears are erogenous zones, right?" Thomas said.

I continued to fondle her ears as my tongue danced with hers while Thomas suddenly picked up the pace. Between his cock and Terri's pussy, I wasn't far behind him.

"Ugh!" Terri groaned into my mouth.

I dropped my hands to her hips and found Thomas's hands already gripping her tightly. I leaned over to look up at him as I placed my hands on his and took hold.

I thrust myself up into her with more force than before while pulling her down towards me. Now, Thomas and I were both pistoning in and out of her poor slit.

"Oh God guys... I... can't... I... just can't," Terri said, crying out as her orgasm washed over her and she collapsed onto my chest, shaking like a leaf on the wind.

The spasms of her pussy just added to the already overwhelming sensations.

"I'm coming!" Thomas called out and buried himself deep, drawing a loud groan from Terri's throat.

I continued for a few more thrusts before adding my load to the one Thomas was already filling her pussy with. When I made my final thrust into her, all I got out of Terri was a grunt. I think she really was done by then.

We held that position for a while until I felt Thomas starting to deflate and slide out. A few moments later, I was right behind him.

Thomas collapsed on the bed beside us.

I looked up at Terri, who was still in la-la land. Her eyes were half-lidded, and she had the goofiest smile.

"See, told you I could take it," Terri said in wonder.

"Of course dear, you cum-drunk slut," I said lovingly.

Terri's grin widened, and she leaned down to kiss me again. A moment later, she leaned over to kiss Thomas.

I helped by sliding her off me and over to him.

They wrapped themselves up in a gentle embrace.

I rubbed my wrists and sat up, feeling filthy and not in a good way.

"I need a shower," I said and rose from the bed.

Thomas just waved at me as Terri seemed to be asleep on his chest already.

I gathered my clothes and opened the door to head to the bathroom at the end of the hall.

Remmi was leaning against the opposite wall, grinning at me.

"And you!" I started, pointing at her.

"Did you know that the keyholes we have are just like the ones in the movies?" Remmi began. "You can see right through them!"

The image of Terri kneeling at the door, spying on us through the keyhole, popped into my head, and I had to chuckle.

"Why didn't you just come in and watch?" I asked.

Remmi waved at me dismissively.

"I didn't want to spoil it for them," Remmi said. "They've been planning this for a while now."

"Uh-huh," I said and pointed down at the bathroom at the end of the hall. "Shower, now."

**Ω**

ASHER

Another month passed in relative boredom. Don't get me wrong, boredom is good. That means there was no trouble. But boredom is just so... boring!

One thing that happened was that mom made a second attempt at flying. Her wing was all healed by then, and she wasn't distracted by any wild creatures this time. She managed to get off the ground and stay airborne for up to ten minutes at a time, which was rather impressive.

Remmi's shapeshifting abilities were getting better. She still wouldn't tell me what exactly she'd done to me in the wagon that one day, but it didn't matter.

She was now able to change only part of herself into goo while leaving the rest normal. Her next step was trying to take on traits of other things. Such as trying to grow elf ears. She'd seen how fond of Terri's ears I'd become and was trying to recreate them on herself.

So far, she'd managed to form them while in goo form, but she couldn't get them to stay when she shifted back to normal.

She did warn me if she ever got stuck and couldn't get herself back to normal. All I had to do was throw her into boiling water. It would hurt like hell, but it wouldn't do any permanent harm as she'd return to her goo form. Apparently, her goo form had a higher tolerance for extreme temperatures.

Thomas had become gun-shy when it came to magic. Ever since his accident, he was reluctant to try casting anything. He even hesitated with his glow orbs. Instead, he focused more on blade training.

The day things got un-boring was actually two days.

The first started with Terri and me out for a walk in the forest.

Ever since our "forest class," we'd followed the rules and hadn't been bothered. I still carried my blade anytime outside the walls just in case.

We'd been wandering for a while when she'd blurted out, "Did I ever tell you about my Daemon deal?"

I glanced at her, wondering where this had come from.

"No," I said.

"You wouldn't tell to look at her, especially now, but Mom had breast cancer back in the day," Terri began.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said.

"It got pretty bad, and that was when I was approached," Terri said. "I was with Mom at the hospital. She was at an appointment, getting checked out, and I was in the waiting room. A lady sat down and started chatting with me.

"What was I here for? That sort of thing," Terri continued. "When I ended up telling her, she offered me a card saying they could help if I'd come to the office alone."

"Not a good sign," I said.

"Yeah. She didn't quite give off the 'free candy in a van' kind of vibe, though," Terri said. "She was dressed in a business suit and looked all professional. It was a no-pressure offer, and she left after giving me the business card."

"Did you go?" I asked.

"No, of course not, Asher. I'm not an idiot," Terri said, frowning at me. "Anyway, things turned from bad to worse with Mom, and it turned into a 'there's nothing they can do' situation. So, I followed the business card. It was a high-rise office building downtown. Not a seedy bar or some remote house in the hills. It was a normal office with a receptionist and all the trimmings,"

"Yeah, I remember," I said. "You took me."

"Oh, duh. Of course, you do," Terri slapped herself on the forehead.

"Well, what happened?" I asked.

"I met the Daemon, and once I got over the shock of seeing a nine-foot-tall, red-skinned lady, she asked me why I was there. She was kind and listened to my story. At the end, she said she could help and pulled out not only Mom's medical file but my own!"

"And that didn't freak you out?" I asked.

"Not then. I was too worried about Mom back then," Terri said. "Anyway, she said they'd cure Mom and also make sure I didn't get the same thing, as it appeared to be genetic. When I asked how they'd do it, they said it was a trademarked procedure, and while she couldn't tell me, she could assure me neither of us would even know it had been done. I agreed, of course, and she told me to go home.

"I don't know if they came in the middle of the night or what," Terri said. "But a few days later, Mom went to an appointment only to be told her cancer was gone! No one could explain it. I could, but I sure as hell wasn't going to say anything because the Daemon had sworn me to secrecy. I didn't care; Mom was cured; she'd be OK!

"Then, my dumb ass went back to the office to thank the Daemon for helping my mom," Terri said, shaking her head. "She was once again kind to me and just as I was going to leave, offered me a bonus to the deal. She said since I'd kept my word of not telling anyone and even came back to say thank you, she'd offer me the body upgrade. She gave me the same pitch she gave you about changing your body however I wanted. Well, you know me, I wasn't going to pass up something like that!

"I thought she was just being kind to me," Terri said. "I didn't realize she was sucking me deeper into her deal, making sure I would give her the favor she asked for when the time came. That's why I took you to her. I really thought she cared."

"I don't regret anything," I said and gave her a hug. "Besides, had we not gone to her, we'd never have made it here, right?"

"I guess you're right," Terri said.

"Of course I'm right," I said, "I'm always right!"

Before Terri could hit me, a voice interrupted us.

"Excuse me."

Terri and I froze, looking for the source of the voice, but not finding anyone.

"Hello?" Terri said.

"Sorry, I didn't want to startle you," said a man who stepped out from behind a tree a little way off.

My hand was already on my sword hilt, but I didn't draw it.

The man was dingy. He looked like he'd been traveling for weeks. His clothes consisted of a robe that was in decent but worn shape with many mends and patches. He was tall and thin, like he hadn't had a good meal in a while. A small satchel was all he appeared to carry.

"You can never be too careful these days," the man said, his hands by his side.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"I'm looking for The Roadhouse. I'm told it's in this general area. I'm new to these parts and seem to be a bit turned around," the man said.

"It's back that way," I said, indicating the direction with a nod of my head. "We were just heading back that way."

"Oh, good. My name's Medma, by the way," the man said.

"I'm Terri, and this is Asher," Terri said as we all turned and headed back. "What brings you to The Roadhouse?"

"Work!" the man said brightly. "I was offered a job."

"Well, the place does still need a lot of work. What job did you get, carpenter, laborer?" I asked.

"Teacher, actually," he said.

"Teacher?" Remmi asked.

"What are you teaching?" I asked, unaware we were opening a school.

"Magic," the man said. "You see, I'm an elementalist. This lovely old man in Laghold contacted me and offered me a job teaching at The Roadhouse."

Terri and I looked at one another but didn't say anything.

When we got back, Mom, Dad, and Patty all talked with the man for a while behind closed doors.

I was starting to get annoyed with them still treating us as children. In this world, sixteen was considered the age of adulthood, and I was already three years older than that! Yet, the grownups still left us out of things and made decisions for us. Yeah, they were good decisions, but still.

It turned out that Tursk, the magic stone dealer in town, had paid Medma a year's wage in advance with yearly options after that if needed. I guess Tursk really wanted one of our lamps.

So, Medma moved in and began to train Terri and Thomas the same day.

The following day, Dad called Remmi and me to his room. Both he and Mom were inside, waiting for us.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked as we closed the door behind us.

"Something's come up," Dad started.

"Now, before we tell you what it is, I want to talk to you both about how things have been going around here," Mom said, immediately putting me on defense.

I glanced at Remmi, who was already looking at me.

"No, it's not bad," Dad added. "Sit down."

We all took a seat around the room.

"We know both of you are adults in every sense of the word," Dad said. "But, you're still our kids, and with everything that's happened, we've become a bit--"

"A lot," mom interrupted.

"OK, we've become a lot more protective," Dad said.

"That ends now," Mom said.

"Why, what's changed?" Remmi asked.

"We've made decisions for you without your input. We need to stop doing that and give you a chance to grow on your own."

"You're kicking us out?" I asked, shocked.

Mom and Dad looked at one another.

"Holy shit, you are kicking us out!" Remmi said, standing.

"No!" Dad said with a wave of his hand. "We're not kicking you out."

"Then what are you doing?" I asked cautiously.

"An opportunity has arisen for the both of you," Mom said.

"For what?" Remmi asked.

"It's a chance to study blades away from here," Dad said.

"Sword school?" I asked in disbelief. "You're sending us to sword school?"

"Not exactly," Dad said. "You'd be going away to learn, but it's not really a school. Not as such."

"How long?" Remmi asked.

"A month," Mom said. "You'd be gone about a month."

"Do we get a say in this?" Remmi asked.

"Of course!" Dad said. "That's the whole point of this conversation."

"We're giving you the facts, you're making the decision," Mom said.

I'd been getting bored with the sword moves I'd been practicing up to this point. I'd just been making stuff up for a while now.

I looked at Remmi, who looked at me.

"I would like to learn something new," Remmi said with a nod.

"Yeah," I said. "And, no offense," I started and glanced at Mom and Dad. "It's gotten pretty dull around here."

"True," Remmi said. "I got so bored I caught myself trying to find something to clean today."

I chuckled at that one.

"So, you both want to go?" Mom asked, glancing at Dad.

Remmi and I gave each other a final glance before I said, "Yeah."

Now, it was Mom and Dad's turn to look at one another.

"What aren't you telling us?" Remmi asked, suspicion suddenly in her voice.

"We just had to make sure," Mom said.

"Sure of what?" I asked.

"Sure that you were making your own decision," Dad said.

"What the hell are you guys talking about?" Remmi's frustration getting the better of her.

"Come on," Dad said and opened the door.

We all followed him downstairs.

"So, are they in? Are they coming?"

I recognized the voice before I saw the big woman.

"Rhi!" Remmi cried out and ran over to hug her.

Rhi and Shae were leaning against the bar, watching us as we came downstairs.

"We're going with them to study?" I asked, my mind kicking into high gear.

*Why hadn't Mom and Dad mentioned it was Rhi and Shae who wanted to take us away?* I thought to myself. Once again, my mind flashed back to my father's warning in the woods.

Then I looked at Remmi, who was excitedly yammering away at Rhi.

*Because we would have gone just based on who was asking,* my brain concluded.

I made my way over and said hello to the pair of women and then glanced back at my parents.

Mom and Dad weren't happy.