Marcy leaves, and I replace my dirty prisoner disguise. Basically taking the soot from the ground and smear it over my body and this ragged tunic that passes as clothes.

I’m tired of being in here. My blood is boiling for vengeance. But until my parents leave this town, I mustn’t act. And this means that I need eyes outside. I can’t count on Marcy coming back here every time. And I have just the right candidate. I remain motionless, while it comes, in the same way as every single day. It doesn’t even fear me anymore. I hold the thing it wants in my hands. This time, you will pay the price for what you took from me.

A faint squeak is heard, and Mr. rat comes out of the hole. Along with him, several pups. Twelve in total. They’ve grown these days.

I close the hole they came from with earth magic. Then I gather every single drop of magic I can from the moss and mold in the walls. There are two reasons I have been growing them here. The first is to work as a sort of MP reservoir. I’ve been pouring all MP into those plants for the last four or five days. I battle the fierce draining effect of the Chytheria. And I plea for the right chant to come to me. Then, as in a trance, I begin.

“Ye that partook in my table, that ate the food I sacrificed for thee, be bound in this covenant. Bind by fate, bind by life, bind by magic. Become my faithful servant in this fateful day. [Familiar Contract]!!!!”

As I chant, I feed the rats, and pour MP into them. The MP converts back into raw magical energy, and seeps into the rats’ bodies. They are so engorged in feeding that they don’t mind receiving my magic. I’ve mixed this bowl of porridge with my own blood. As they ingest blood and magic, they begin to change. The difference between monsters and animals is the density of magic, and the presence of an organ that can gather and release magic. The monster’s core. As the contract spell works, a core is born in those rats. A strand of soul energy binds their existence to me.

They finish eating. I command them. “Stay there.”

They lift their heads, and stay in a sitting position, their upper paws up in the air. I focus on the link, and I see myself from the view of one of the rats. Good. I release the hole opening, and give them an order.

“Big one, stay here. The others, find the girl that smells like flowers that was here, follow her. Also, stand on watch in front of the Adventurer’s Guild and my house. Don’t be seen by humans. Go.”

They obediently run out into the hole. I can feel their presences even without using the link. I turn around the big one, that is probably the father of the others here.

“Chew the pins on these shackles.” Alchemical iron shackles have one weakness. They cannot be tempered, so the metal is softer.

Next day, Alvus and the guards come to visit me. I am already dirty and laying on the ground. The shackles aren’t broken yet, but we are making progress. It will take at least six days for all of the shackles to be removed. They administer the herbal extract, and feed me some porridge. This one has rabbit meat. I try to eat as always, but to taste meat after all these days, I can’t fake too well.

“It seems she is regaining her strength, doc.” The guard points out.

“Don’t worry. I am checking her magic power, the herb is working. If it seems she might cause problem, I’ll increase the dose.”

I keep my eyes half open, and right after the door closes, Alvus’ eyes meet mine. He puts his straight index finger over his mouth right before disappearing behind the door. Did he figure me out?

Again, the same daily fight. Resist the medicine effects. It is a fight on who will drain the other’s magical power first. I won. After neutralizing the extract to the best of my ability I sit down and begin to meditate. A few hours later in the dead of the night i have one of the rats go to the garrison courtyard next to a large tree. This is a big tree, with a canopy that covers several buildings. It is used as shade for the stable's horses. Through the link with my familiar I send Magic Power and when the energy is enough I cast [Plant Shape] on that tree. A hollow space enough to fit me inside is created by shifting matter from the trunk underground. Small holes hidden in the tree’s knots will give me air. Exhausted from the remote casting, I fall asleep.

The following three days are entirely spent growing the tree’s roots towards this room and expanding the rat's tunnels. They've grown from being contracted and becoming monsters. Sharing the rats' vision I could see that Marcy talked to dad and my family is packing up to leave the country as planned. I cannot risk moving the rat too close, so I could not listen but it seems they had quite a warm talk. Father looks at Marcy as if he was going to marry me to her.

I wonder if I can ever introduce Grendel to father. My cheeks blush at the thought.

The same routine repeats itself over and over as days go by. I create pockets of water in the ground around the stockades. It will seep into the walls, and keep them damp. The roots are already grown where I want them to be. The other inmates are complaining about the dampness. The guards’ mood are terrible.

As several people I care about will leave town I have wrapped a strap of leather around the necks of the rat pups, and I’ve written “I belong to Helen, please take care of me.” on them. If Marcy, Father or even Grendel find them, they won’t harm the rats. Besides, they are made smarter and faster by the contract. Best of luck, rat pups.

Marcy and Cloude left town on a Guild errand. Is that despicable Guild Master plotting to separate me and them? I ordered a rat to follow them. After a while the range of the contract was surpassed and the link was cut off. The rat can act on its own, and will try to follow its last orders. But they are traveling too heavy. I wonder why are they packing so much gear?

Father, brother, mother and sister-in-law left town. The other merchants were looking at them with eyes full of pity. They headed north. I placed the smallest pup in their cart.

Another pup is in Alvus’ place. He has a big backyard, where he plants some herbs that can grow inside the city and are difficult to find in the outskirts of the city.

The other rats are running around town doing errands for me. Like fetching food, or some leather scraps.

I wait until Alvus comes to the garden to tend the herbs, and make the pup show itself. This one has a ribbon tied into a bow to the back of its neck. The writing inside the bow are the same. Alvus stops, and looks at the rat with an amazed look.

“And so, why are you here, little one? Aren’t you a strange rat?”

I command the pup to do two turns around itself, then stand up in a pleading position. It scratches its nose in a cute way.

Alvus crouches next to the rat. “What do we have here...” and picks up the rat. “What kind of prank is this?” The rat was cleaned and washed with magic.

“Why are you here, little one. Wait, there’s something written here… I belong… to…”

He freezes after he reads the whole sentence. The rat squeaks and taps Alvus’ hand.

“I see. Is this something I should worry about?” The rat shakes its head left and right in a negative.

“Is it Helen controlling this rat?” The rat bobs its head up and down. Positive.

“Should I be worried?” The rat doesn’t move.

“This should be impossible. The Chytheria, it should be working.” The rat nods.

“Is the Chytheria working?” The rat nods.

“Is Helen listening?” The rat nods.

Alvus puts the rat in the ground. “We will talk about this tonight. Tell this to your master, little one.”

The rat makes a curtsy facing Alvus, and runs to the Chytheria planter.

“Oi, stop right there. Don’t hurt those plants, or the girl will be in trouble.”

I then pour MP to the rat, and cast [Plant Growth] through it on all the other planters, except the Chytheria one. The herbs vitalize and most of them bloom. Soon the sweet scent of herbs fills the garden.

“Amazing… Wait for me tonight.”

The rat nods, turns around, and runs away.

Later, the scheduled hour for my herbal medicine has passed, but nobody came. Then several steps, even more than usual. The door opens, and some people enter. I have my eyes closed, but I can see through a rat, hidden in the hole’s mouth. It is Alvus and the guard, but there is another woman with them. Wearing a hooded cloak, I can’t see her face. Alvus talks to the guard.

“We will take it from here. You wait up there, we will call you when it is time to open the door again.”

“OK, doc. Madam, please take care not to be tainted.” The guard locks the door after Alvus and the woman enter.

Alvus spreads a sheet on the ground. He speaks too loud.

“Put the girl over here. We will begin the examination now.”

The woman goes to my side, and gently lifts me. She has a motherly touch, and smells like flowers. Oh!!!! She pushes the sheet underneath me, and puts me down lying down on the sheets.

Alvus moves to my side. He is blocking the rat’s vision. Then he whispers to me.

“You can open your eyes now, Helen. There is no meaning in faking it.”

I open my eyes. “Hello, Alvus. It hasn’t been long, has it?”

“Since yesterday?”

“No.” I point at the rat hole. When Alvus looks at it, a beautiful ribbon comes out.

“I see, I see. This is interesting.”

“And why is Mrs. Mercy here? Isn’t she afraid of becoming tainted by me?”

Marcy’s mom replies: “Silly girl. I hold no such superstitions. Besides, my daughter told me some interesting things. I came to check by myself on Alvus’ request.”

That said, Alvus extends another sheet, this time hanging over my chest. It blocks mine and his vision of my lower body. Then Marcy’s mom lifts my tunic, and touches me. I cannot resist, and let out a faint moan.

Moments later, she picks the sheet Alvus was holding, and covers my lower half with it.

“It is as I thought, Alvus. This girl has not been touched.” She says with a faint voice.

“So you are not a ‘monster bride’, Helen. What is this whole fuss about?”

I sigh. If people is going to remain fixated in these dull concepts, everything will be lost.

“Everything is true. I have not been touched by either man or monster. But If someone asks me if I want to be that monster’s bride, I’d take the opportunity on the spot.”

Mercy looks at me with puzzled eyes. Alvus is angry.

“What do you mean by that?? Don’t you know what happens if a monster breeds with a woman?”

“Yes, I do. The guards up there engraved that upon my body over and over.” I make a sour smile. “But there are circumstances. I won’t talk about them to you now, because you won’t be able to understand. It won’t destroy the world anyway.”

“My, oh my. To see little Helen become such a woman. She is blooming just like Marcy. This determination, it is a very nice thing. If you say there won’t be any harm, then I believe you, my dear.”

“A few days ago, your family abandoned you. They left. Did you know that?”

“Yes. They are gone forever from this town. As I will, soon.”

“You are going away? How are you getting out of this jail?” He looks around, to try and find some secret passage. There is none though.

“Do I have to? The equinox is coming, Alvus. Even if I don’t try to leave this cell, I’ll be gone by then.”

“Alvus, what is this girl talking about?”

Alvus is troubled. He knows something. Maybe he knows the whole truth. But now that he knows I’m still a virgin, I doubt he can agree. I’ll throw him some hope.

“The Lord and the Guild Master are plotting to have me executed on the day of the equinox for the crime of being a monster bride.” I pause to let the words sink in. “But that is a facade. They intend to sacrifice me to strengthen the crops. The harvest will be bad this autumn. Anyone that has walked or looked past the gates knows that.”

Mercy is revolted. She makes a disgusted face. “To lie this much and kill a girl...”

I interrupt. “Even if unjust, it is the life of one girl to save hundreds from death by starvation, and several others from falling into tax slavery because there won't be any crops to sell.”

“You are very cold about all this.” Alvus notices.

“Those ruffians up there, they broke me. I’m cold because I feel there is something missing. But I won’t let them have their way.”

“Are you escaping then?” Mercy asks.

“Are you going to ‘rat’ on me?” I ask Alvus.

“The other way around is more like it." He jokes. "But for real, are you escaping?”

“I won’t leave this garrison before the equinox. You have my word.” I won’t stay in this cell though.

“You are plotting something for the equinox then, right?”

“Don’t pry too much into a girl’s secrets.”

“But will you harm the town?”

“Not anymore. I was planning to tell you ‘no’ if you asked that, but I doubt you would believe me.” I pause, and take a deep breath. It is not an easy subject to talk about. “After being beaten and thrown in here, I was going to burn everything down. But you saved everyone, Alvus.”

“What do you mean by that? I did nothing to deserve such praise. I was actually poisoning you.”

“You treated me with decency. You even reduced the dose when I was sick. You fed me. You are a decent man, apothecary Alvus.”

“I am nothing of…” I lift a hand and silence them. Someone is coming downstairs. I left a rat by the stairs to warn me.

“It seems our time is over. Leave now. Someone is coming to pick you up.”

“I still have questions though.”

“Then ask them next time. Now get ready to leave.”

There is a knock on the door and the guard asks. “Doc, are you there?”

Alvus picks up his things, and answers. “Yes, we are finished here, we can leave now.”

Mercy waves. I wink. The guard opens the door, and they go outside.

“Did you give her the medicine, doc?”

“Yes. But it is better if she gets no food tonight. She needs to fast.”

They leave and the door is locked again. I’m alone in the darkness. Or so they seem. I watch as they climb the stairs. I watch as they leave the garrison. I can feel the grass, the roots of the tree, the moss in the wall. Beyond that, the crop fields.

It won’t be long before I make my move.