It was my voice. But those words were not my thoughts. After I had shouted them into the seeming nothingness, I tried to free myself from her fiery stare. It took a while before she looked away, breaking the apparent spell I was under. The power surge dissipated and everything felt as usual again.

“No matter where you go, you will always be watched”, the ‘Last Vegetable’ spoke between panting. “You will never find peace!”

Just at that moment, the ground shuddered. Somewhere in the distance, a faint flash of light permeated between the trees, blinding all of us for a moment. An incredible presence was lurking there, waiting for us. The ‘Vegetable Bunch’ looked equally alarmed, but decided to retreat into the forest for now. Being sandwiched between two incredible energies, on top of being exhausted, was not a good idea. When the last one left, the barrier Violet had originally built for our protection evaporated into the air.

The twins joined us but said nothing. They, too, were intimidated by the sheer powers displayed. Violet was the one to lead us out of the forest and onto a plane full of barley fields. The night sky with its plethora of twinkling stars was a beautiful and very welcoming sight to behold. After such an intense day, I was exhausted, falling behind in the tracks of the others. This time, Violet did not come to my aid. No, it felt as if she was purposely avoiding me, not even looking back at me or throwing an insult my way. Acacia and Sorrel were the ones who slowed down their paces, with Acacia eventually carrying me on her back as if I was a small child.

We walked for quite a while past the fields with the growing crops, when we stopped at a quite large building along the road. It seemed well-kept, but at the same time, it felt deserted. There were no horses or other animals of travelers to be seen. No noises of guests clinking their cups to cheer or drunkards singing tales of their old homes. No lingering scent of ale stew to welcome the hungry wanderer. But on the outside terrace, beneath the dimly lit lanterns, there were clearly guests. Judging from the pale looks of the twins, these seemed to not be any ordinary guests. I climbed down from Acacia’s back to take a better look at what caused the two to take a few steps back. What immediately caught my attention was that they had dark skin, much darker than anything I had ever seen before.

At one table, an elderly woman, with long dark hair braided into an elaborate bun, sat and petted a well-fed black cat. She wore a rainbow-colored dress that was glistening even when in the pale light. I could almost hear the sparkles crackle like tiny crystals. Sitting across of her was an old man, wearing just a tunic around his waist. His back was scaly and cracked like dry soil. In front of him was a cup filled with red wine that he kept re-filling with a jug, as he drank on and on. At another table, a single man, dressed in white robes was sitting, eyes closed and seemingly at peace with the world. His warm cup of tea was steaming hot, but he didn’t seem to mind it. At yet another table, a man in turquoise garbs was sitting, scrutinizing the tip of his right wing and plucking off stray feathers. The wings were brown and speckled with different hues of turquoise, a pattern highly reminiscent of a falcon. Sitting next to him was a young woman, face not unlike the elderly lady. She wore an elaborate sleeveless dress made of indigo silk. Golden cuffs graced her thin wrists and upper arms. A heavy-looking crown with a large red disc was resting on the table right next to her while she carefully wove in white flowers into her long dark hair. Each flower began to glow weakly once they were tucked nicely in. At the last table, a female warrior wearing golden armor was polishing her sword. Like the one man, she, too, had wings, albeit they were smaller and less colorful. Next to her, a rather pale looking man wearing green robes polished what looked to be the warrior’s shield. He didn’t seem to be pleased to do this task but did it nevertheless.

And even though, even though these people were moving, actually doing things, it was silent, as if the world had gone mute. A suspicion crawled into my mind as I gazed at these strangers. Especially because Violet looked at them in anticipation. As if she had been expecting them all along. Were the words I spoke on her behalf meant for them, perhaps?

Finally, after what seemed like ages, the old wine-drinking man took note of me. With a gentle smile not unlike the twins, he beckoned me over. Cautiously I walked over, feeling the stares of the other guests.

“Why hello there, young boy,” he spoke. It was a language I had never heard before, yet I could understand it perfectly. The old man sounded like your average friendly grandfather, warm and caring. I looked back at Violet and the twins, but they didn’t react. “O-ho ho, don’t worry, I’m not going to eat you!” The old man continued to speak. As he poured himself another cup of wine, the cat had finally enough of being petted. With a loud “Meow!” it jumped off the table and waddled to the inside. I was confused. Had I not heard anything before? Why could I now hear the cat? The slurping sound of that one guy drinking tea in deep mediation? Or that squeaking noise the two made while polishing those weapons?

“We have created somewhat of a bubble here since our presence can easily be... overwhelming.” The old man explained.

“My, he is really still such a young boy!” The woman in indigo spoke as she finished weaving the last flower in her hair. “I am surprised he is all she needs to survive.”

For one moment I thought I heard Violet hiss at her, but she stood there, at the border of the terrace, with a poker face expression.

The woman in the rainbow glitter dress put her hand on my shoulder. She was a powerful presence, but warm and gentle, much like the old man. “Little boy, we are here to question your master. I would be pleased if you could get me a cup so I may share some wine with my beloved before he gets too drunk.”

Normally, I would be offended by the term ‘little boy’. But she was so intimidating that I decided to just suck it up, nod, and head inside. From the corner of my eye, I saw Violet finally moving forward and taking up a seat at an empty table. I decided to find some liqueur for her as well.