I had to admit having fun brewing up a slave potion and rolling the torso of the CO in it. I taunted him about how the only hole he had left was the one that the slavers were absolutely going to love, and he was mumbling like crazy.

I laughed and laughed at him and then cut a hole in his mouth to insert a feeding tube. I wrapped him up and packaged him with the tube attached to the hole in the side of the wooden crate, then I dropped him off at the new shipping business.

“Destination?” The man behind the counter asked.

“Somewhere in the middle country. It has to be fed, though.” I said as I pointed to the feeding hole.

The man looked surprised. “Just somewhere?” He asked, a little confused.

“Yes, it doesn't matter where. I'm releasing it back to the wilds it probably came from.” I said and put three gold coins on the counter. “Just make sure it is out of the country as soon as possible. It can be vicious.”

“YESSIR! I'll have him put directly on the next ship!” The man said and scooped up the coins.

“Thank you.” I said and left the office. I smelled Mrs. Hansen's sweet cookie bread and debated going to get some, just for a taste of home, and decided that I wasn't stable enough to do so. I had to get going before I did something else destructive.

I went back to the tank and drove on down the main street of the village, only to see two odd things. One was Diane's shop was closed up and there was a small building beside it with a bell in a little tower. I brought the tank to a stop and stepped out, then walked over to look inside Diane's shop. The shelves were completely bare and looked dusty.

I had a suspicious idea, thanks to Dana's words to me about thinking about what concerned me. I made an educated guess that she sold her stock of items and potions to Mack and stayed home to take care of her son. I felt my magic swirl around me as my anger at her for selling my things to Mack, when I swore that he would never buy my things again after stealing from me.

I closed my eyes and tried to pull it back in temporarily, then I heard several sets of shoes approaching.

“School was great today!” A very familiar voice said and my magic receded as I turned to see Shelly Phelps, the boat maker's daughter, walking out of the new building with four other girls around her.

“That's because you like the new teacher so much.” One of the others said.

“I can't help it. She's so smart!” Shelly said and ran a hand through her long blonde hair. “I want to learn as much as I can from Hope, just like David did!”

Hope. I thought and the dam inside me trembled and cracked a little more.

“Ugh! Don't bring him up again! He's not going to come back here and save you from working at your family's business.” A dark haired girl said.

She wants me to save her? I asked myself as the dam inside me stilled.

“Yeah! It's lucrative and people are always going to need boats.” Another girl said.

“I wouldn't mind doing it if it wasn't so hard!” Shelly said. “Having to remember all those tools and techniques and things! The sanding and smoothing is the worst and takes forever!”

“Hard work takes time.” The dark haired girl said. “What will your David think if he comes back and sees that you don't want to work hard?”

For some reason, I felt I had to step out into view. “She doesn't have to work if she doesn't want to.”

All five girls stopped walking and their mouths dropped open when they saw me.

“Hi, Shelly.” I said.

“D-David?” Shelly asked and she blushed. “Is that... is it really you?”

I walked over to her and all five of the girls started breathing heavily. One looked like she was going to faint and another was staring at my long white hair drifting in the wind like it was the most fascinating thing in the world.

“I'm back home until the fall; but, I have something to do first. I can't save you until that's done.”

“You really came back for her? Really really?” The dark haired girl asked, shocked.

“I told you he would.” Shelly whispered and I nodded.

“You have a Lord for a boyfriend.” One of the others said and the one about to faint clung onto her.

Shelly blushed. “Not... not yet. He hasn't asked...”

“I can't until my task is done.” I said and reached out to touch her cheek.

Shelly let out a sigh and rubbed her face on my hand. “David, I... I really like you.”

“I know.” I whispered and stepped close.

Shelly caught her breath and stared into my eyes. “David, what... what are you...”

I leaned down and gave her a tender kiss on the lips. The dam inside me almost froze solid, which made me smile. “Thank you. I needed some emotional reinforcement for what I have to do.”

Shelly's face was beet red and she put her hands on my chest. “Do you... need any more?”

I gave her the smile that Hope liked so much and all five girls gasped. “Thank you.” I said and gave her another kiss.

She took control this time and I felt her tongue assault mine as she wrapped her arms around me. I wasn't going to lose this fight, so I kissed her back in earnest. She moaned, probably because it was her first time kissing someone for real and she was giving it all she had.

“DAVID!” Hope's voice yelled.

I broke the kiss and Shelly made a sound of disappointment. “Excuse me. I have an appointment to get to.”

Shelly and the girls nodded.

I walked away from them and they all started whispering and asking Shelly what it was like. I ignored them and went over to the school.

Hope stood there and her eyes took all of me in. “David? It's really you?”

“I was kidnapped, made a slave, maimed, given to pirates, took over, then destroyed the Eastern Empire's shipping.” I said and the girls behind me let out surprised sounds. “I fought to come back here and then I fixed myself.”

“That's why your hair is white?” Hope asked.

“I kept it so I never forget.” I said and squinted my eyes at her. “Do you want to talk out here or in private? Just so you know, I'm going to be yelling at you a lot for what you've done and will probably destroy whatever is around me.”

Hope sighed. “David, I couldn't stay. There was nothing for me there with you gone, so I left.”

“And took my maids with you.” I said.

“Yes, and they were lost without you. My brothers...”

“Took them, I know.” I said and her eyes widened. “No, they aren't dead. I destroyed their house of ill repute instead.”

“No! That was... the family... house.” Hope's voice trailed off to a whisper.

“Yes, the family that sold me and never searched for me, or wanted me back when they knew who I was.” I said and she looked sad. “Now they've taken my personal maids from me and defiled them.”

“That's not... they needed comfort...”

“Yes, their betrayal of their vows hit them hard, so they married my first betrayers. How fitting that was!” I shouted and my magic swirled around me. “And I can tell that YOU ENCOURAGED IT!”

“They needed someone after you died, you asshole!” Hope shouted back.

“THEY KNEW I DIDN'T DIE! THEY WOULDN'T HAVE FELT BAD ABOUT BREAKING THEIR VOWS IF I WAS DEAD, YOU MORON!”

All of the color drained from Hope's face.

“Yes, you finally understand. If I was dead, their vows would have ended. They would have no reaction at all to dating or being with someone else, or performing the ritual on them, if their vows were not intact.” I said and she staggered as her strength left her. “Now you, the last person in the world that I thought would ever betray me, abandoned me and my chosen family.”

Hope leaned against the door frame of the school and cried. “No, I... would never...”

“You know all about the vows and the connections they have with their lords and ladies.” I said and she nodded. “Yet, you ignored all the signs on purpose and let my maids be taken, just because they were convenient and would make fine wives for your brothers.”

“They are your brothers, too.” Hope whispered.

“I. HAVE. NO. FAMILY.” I said in a deadly voice and my magic flared out.

Hope gasped as she glowed and then a gossamer thread formed between us. My magic severed it and Hope shivered. “No! No, you... you can't... family...”

“My wife and son are dead because you weren't there to warn them or protect them, as you swore to do when you became our maid.” I whispered and Hope looked devastated. I spoke in a normal voice. “I call you and the others who have done so, Oathbreakers and Betrayers of My Family. Let magic itself mark you forevermore to show everyone the truth.”

Hope cried as my magic flowed out and markings formed on the skin of her forehead, on her cheeks, and on the backs of her hands. I felt my magic go out and out, farther and farther, and mark others. I felt my magic stretch and reach a distance I had never felt before.

It almost didn't feel like my magic anymore as I felt it mark several others, one of which screamed in pain as her entire body was covered in markings. The magic faded and I stood there with a crying Hope in front of me, the words in magic on her face and hands telling me her crimes.

“David, what's going on?” Shelly asked and gasped when she saw Hope. “No! She... why would she...”

“It doesn't matter why anymore.” I said and felt my magic tug me hard. “I need to go. She's waiting for me.”

“Who?” Shelly asked, a little sad.

I smiled and cupped the side of her face. “The Hag.”

Shelly gasped, as did the other girls and Hope.

“It's why I came back here. She's been waiting and calling for me. I can't make her wait anymore, not after that.” I nodded at Hope.

“David, she... she's going to kill you.” Hope whispered.

“I've died before.” I said and looked into Shelly's eyes. “Once more?”

Shelly nodded and wrapped her arms around me to kiss me. It lasted for several moments, then she broke it. “You promised to come back for me.”

I smiled. “I'll do my best to keep that promise.”

“Okay.” Shelly said and gave me another quick kiss. “Good luck.”

“I have you to come back to. I don't need luck.” I said and she blushed and looked happy. “Tell Diane she owes me all the money from her business, because she broke the contract.”

“Okay.” Shelly said.

I ran over to the road and came to a stop. “Don't be scared by this.”

“By wha... BY THE SON'S LIGHT!” Shelly yelled, as did her friends, when the tank appeared.

“The time for hiding is over.” I said and climbed inside. I took off at my best speed and the yells of 'no horses' rang around me. I drove the tank down the main street and onto the large dock.

The crewmen yelled and shouted as they pointed to me. Some even yelled that I was going to kill myself. I laughed and drove right off the end of the pier. Their shouts were music to my ears as the tank splashed into the water and then it bobbed up and I kept moving. Those shouts made me laugh more as I drove the now water-bound tank around the ships in the harbour and into the waterway that would take me right to where I had built my home.

Right to where the Hag was waiting for me.