We made plans to leave in four days’ time.

  We spent those days talking through what we knew of the situation. And Rapunzel and Jacob spent a few hours every day discussing the principles of enchantment in-depth. I joined in a few times, working with them to devise possible ways we could use one page to find other pages.

  Morpheus provided a unique perspective on the more magically inclined debates. Since the magic he used worked with different rules, we had to talk him through the basics of how it works here. There is something about someone not knowing how things are supposed to go that allows them to ask questions even the experts would not consider.

  And I thought my ideas were out of the box.

  As we were beginning to truly prepare for our journey, Rapunzel pulled me aside. I could tell from her body language there was something she had not been saying for a few days now. The brothers and Morpheus had gone outside to gather food and herbs from the garden while Rapunzel suggested that the two of us make use of one of their underground areas to take stock of our own supplies.

  “This should work,” she commented. “Nice, open space. I wonder what this used to be. My guess would be some kind of combat training area, but that is an odd thing to have in your basement.”

  “It is the perfect place to put an arena when you don’t want people to know what you are doing. Or when you don’t want to worry about accidentally angering the local wildlife.”

  “True. Either way, it is perfect for our needs. Shall we?”

  “Certainly. Let’s sit in the center and work back-to-back so we can talk about whatever has been on your mind.”

  She paused, bag halfway off her shoulder, then set it on the ground next to her.

  “I was that obvious, huh?”

  “Only to me, Gothel. I’ve known you so long I daresay I can tell you are upset before you can.”

  “That was one time,” she chuckled.

  “Exactly. My point still stands.”

  “Alright, alright.”

  She fell silent for a second and I gave her the space to think. Sometimes, pushing someone will only make them shut down harder. Rapunzel was one of those people. So instead, I focused on methodically organizing my supplies across the floor in front of me.

  This was a tradition of ours, before and sometimes during missions. Dina had trained us to always know what resources we had available to us, as well as which ones we may need to secure more of. It helped us make safer, more informed decisions. It also proved rather calming and gave us time to take a step back and think.

  With everything that was going on, a chance to decompress was desperately needed.

  “I don’t think I will be joining you on the journey to the Veil,” Rapunzel said finally.

  That was not a statement I had expected to hear coming from her. I carefully finished laying out the contents of the pocket I was working on before responding.

  “What's your reasoning? Do you not wish to go to that part of the kingdom or is there somewhere else you need to be?”

  “Much as I do not enjoy being around the Mystics, I have no problems with them.”

  “No one enjoys being around the Mystics,” I muttered. This elicited a chuckle from Rapunzel, followed by another silence, only broken by her counting out something under her breath. I waited until she was finished to continue.

  “So, where will you be going?” I asked.

  “Home.”

  I dropped the ration pack I was holding, forcing myself to resist the urge to turn around and face her. It was not that Rangers returning to their home or visiting their family was unheard of or not allowed. It was heavily encouraged, in fact, so long as one followed the proper safety protocols. I did not have family to visit, so I used that as a chance to reconnect with old friends or just disappear for a while. Be among the people somewhere and just enjoy life, perhaps learn something new just to learn something.

  Rapunzel never went home. She never visited her family. I knew for a fact she had not spoken with any of them since she was 16. She spent most of her time actively avoiding any association with them. There was a lot of bad blood there, even before she ran away.

  It was not until we had worked together for a few years that she finally told me the truth of why she ran. Her family did not let her go easily, but at some point, she had caught the attention of the Table. Circe herself delivered the news to Rapunzel’s family that she had been recruited to serve the Table. That made her off limits to whatever they had planned for her. She became untouchable.

  She never told me what her family would have done had they caught her, and I never asked.

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  If she was choosing to go there, it had to be for a good reason.

  “We can make that our next stop after we deliver Wilhelm to the Mystics. There is power in numbers.”

  “Snow, you know we don’t have the time for that. My family home is in the opposite direction. It makes more sense for us to split up and I can travel faster on my own.”

  “What do you think you will find there?”

  “Not acceptance, that is for sure. I don’t expect much from them, but it is long past time I stopped running from them. I happen to know that my aunt and cousins are at one of their country estates for the next few months, otherwise I would not take the risk. It is a much more neutral territory for us to meet on.”

  “Have you been keeping track of your entire family this whole time?”

  “Of course, I have. How else do you think I avoid them so easily?”

  “Fair point. Are you certain you wish to go alone?”

  “Yes. I have been running for long enough. It is time I face them, and I have some questions that need answering. Some of those questions could tie into our current mission. Others are more...personal. Plus, my skill has increased a lot since then. I can handle them.”

  “I understand and respect your decision. I also know you could probably wipe the floor with the lot of them without breaking a sweat." I paused to make a note of something. " If they were not so pretentious and old-fashioned, they might be able to be proud of you and all you have accomplished.”

  “Yeah, I am not sure how they are going to handle seeing me again. But I think them even admitting they know me would cause at least a few of them to go into shock." She scoffed. "I’d settle for answers.”

  “What answers do you think they will have? Pertaining to our mission, of course. Anything else you can share in your own time.”

  “I appreciate that, Snow. I will tell you one day, if I ever get those answers. You already know the questions." We didn’t talk about it much, but I knew the story. "As to the things that pertain to our current problem, there is some family history I am curious about.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Who better to hide something than a Ryder?”

  “Oh.”

  I set down the book on potions and poisons with more force than intended, but it was better than dropping it. The implications in that sentence hit me hard. I knew the family’s reputation, sure, but in all the talk of the book I never considered there could have been a connection.

  “You think a Ryder hid the Seer’s book.”

  “It makes sense. The family has always excelled in making things disappear without a trace. The book would make one of countless things they hid that the world has long since forgotten." She ranted about this often when it was just the two of us. "If they hid it, there may be a record of some of the things they used to hide its magical signature and make it untraceable. That information on its own could be invaluable. They also know everything there is to know about finding unfindable things. Perhaps I can get some helpful information there.”

  “That could be very helpful indeed. Do you have an approach in mind?”

  “It will depend on who I end up speaking with and how much privacy we have for our discussion." She paused and I let her think. "The only person I would trust to share my interest in the book with is my aunt. She has never been involved in the family politics, but she was quite the historian if memory serves. Hopefully she will be able to provide the answers we need without alerting the rest of the family to my inquiries.”

  “Yes, that could get very problematic very quickly.”

  “Indeed. The Ryders can be obnoxiously nosy busybodies at the best of times, and they hold grudges like no one's business. They are also secretive and prideful and…”

  “So you have mentioned before. They sound like unpleasant people.”

  “They also know exactly how much influence they hold being old money and old magic,” she snarled. " It is insufferable. They are so stuck in their own ways that they cannot see those ways are long passed.”

  “If I didn’t know better, I would say you are attempting to talk yourself out of going," I quipped. "Here, change places.”

  With a grace that came from years of practice, we rolled around each other, settling back-to-back once more, but this time in front of the other’s inventory. Certain personal objects were kept on our persons and out of this process, of course. My notebook remained with me, among other things. Rapunzel had her secrets too.

  I took a second to survey the supplies spread out in front of me before I began my methodical inventory.

  “I’m not trying to talk myself out of this, I’m just...I don’t know. I haven’t interacted with my family since I ran away," she said. "It doesn’t appear that much has changed, though some of my younger distant cousins seem to be branching out and away from the family traditions.”

  “Perhaps they were inspired by you.”

  “Heh, perhaps. If I had not been recruited when I was, I can guarantee I would have been erased from existence and used as a cautionary tale to keep future generations of Ryders in line. Instead, I am certain they do everything they can to deny my existence and my relation to them.”

  “From what you have told me, they were never keen to acknowledge you to begin with,” I commented. She chuckled and scratched something onto a piece of paper. I double-checked my count on the emergency rations, scratching some figures onto the side of the column.

  “You have a point there. As far as they are concerned, I was never a true Ryder. My flight merely confirmed that fact. The only reason it upset them is because they wanted to keep me hidden and under their thumb.”

  “That would not have lasted long, I can guarantee you.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. They are very good at hiding things.”

  “Well, yes, but you are undoubtedly one of the most stubborn people I know, myself excluded. You would have found your way out of there, one way or another.”

  “I did find my way out of there, and now I am going back.”

  I paused again, this time turning to face Rapunzel. She was finishing up some notes of her own, so I waited to speak until she was facing me.

  “You are not the same scared little kid you think they see you as. You proved that you are strong when you ran away from home all those years ago. And you have grown since then. You are a Ranger and they will respect you.”

  “I’m not so sure about that last part, but I do appreciate your words," she said. "I am not afraid of my family. I can handle them. I just look forward to never having to speak with them again.”

  “And after this, you won’t," I said. "Now, let’s check inventory counts. I want to make sure everything is in order before we leave. We may not get another chance for some time.”

  “I hope you are wrong.”

  “Me too.”

  “You’re probably not.”