Dread Mage

"Vell, I don't remember being pregnant. I'm sure that I would." Limerence said, jokingly.

"Adopted daughter," Vell made clear.

"Her? Why?" Limerence's looks were those of scrutiny.

"I felt like it, and it turned out that Sonder is a good girl, so I kept her around. If you get to know her, I'm sure you'll come to like her."

"Hiraeth," Limerence called.

The sprite looked nervous.

"Is Sonder really a good girl?" She asked.

Hiraeth responded as earnestly as he could, "Yes, I think so."

"Good," Limerence said, "Then, Sonder, come follow me, just the two of us."

"Just the two of you?" Vell asked and shot her a curious glance.

"Yes, some much-needed mother-daughter time. She's spent enough time with her 'father' and what I could only imagine is supposed to be her 'uncle'."

She forced Sonder, who still felt woozy, up and brought her outside.

Now Sonder could see that she had been in a small log cabin that seemed to be in the middle of the woods.

She had imagined that Vell's wife would be some grand lady, most likely royalty or some other powerful person.

Though Limerence was a witch, there was some power.

Now that she thought about it, there were stories about witches in cabins in the woods, and they usually didn't end well for the children that met her.

"What magic do you know, Sonder?" She asked the girl.

Hesitantly, Sonder tried to answer, "none. Vell tried to teach me some not too long ago, but our journey was interrupted when-"

"When what?"

"When we went to Eraf and there was something, I can't really remember what happened all that well."

"Maybe it has something to do with your condition?"

"My condition...?"

"Come now, you don't think I'm stupid, do you? You don't breathe, or do so very shallowly. Your blood pumps as slowly as molasses, and the mana flowing through you, mostly, isn't yours. I don't want to judge you or Vell for what he has done, but I don't think something like this could be kept secret from me."

Sonder wanted to speak up but was shushed by Limerence, "Now, seeing as I am something akin to a mother to you now, I must do what I told myself to do if I ever got children."

"And what is that?"

"I am going to teach you how to fend for yourself in this cruel, cruel world."