Chapter Twenty-Six #2
Thinking that I’ve missed something vital while I was lost in my thoughts, I ask, “You don’t know what?”
He shrugs, “My name. I lost my memory. The first thing I remember is waking up in the Hunt’s cells. I don’t know my name, where I came from, how I ended up in the Hunt’s cells, I don’t even know how old I am.”
“Well, shit,” Raiden curses. “How long ago did you find yourself in the cells?”
“Probably around forty years ago, give or take a few years,” he replies, his eyebrows dipping down over his uniquely purple eyes.
“I don’t even remember getting captured, although my body was broken enough that I had to have put up a fight.
I escaped at some point, and I’ve been on the run and alone ever since. ”
That is an incredibly lonely existence.
“We may be able to look into that at some point. For now, what would you like to be called?” Ransom asks him.
He seems to think about it for a moment and then replies with a smirk, “Baz.”
I feel like we might be missing some kind of inside joke, but I’m not going to push it and ask him about it.
I grin, “I like it. It suits you, come on, Baz, let’s get back to House, in the warm and dry before we get soaked by the Irish weather.”
“We’re in the Human Realm?” Baz asks.
“You remember the different realms?” Ransom asks curiously.
He nods but frowns, “It’s really fucking annoying.
I have knowledge, things that I still know, like the realms, and different kinds of supernaturals, that kind of thing.
I’m not a completely blank slate, but anything identifying about myself, or how I got into the hands of The Hunt is a complete mystery to me. ”
“That would suggest that there was a traumatic event that damaged your memory somehow,” Raiden says thoughtfully as we walk through the woods.
“That is the conclusion that I came to as well,” Baz replies.
Suddenly, River comes crashing through the trees, shifts in the blink of an eye, and grins at a shocked-looking Baz.
“You’re new,” he says and then looks at us. “You guys went on an adventure without me?”
“You knew that we were going to speak to the imps,” I point out.
Baz chuckles, surprise in his eyes, “I’m Baz. Ransom helped me fight off some soldiers in Luesidious.”
River’s eyes widen, and then he narrows them at us, completely ignoring what I just said as he adds, “You fucks really did go on an adventure without me.” His gaze shifts back to Baz, “Nice to meet you, man. The others are going to be psyched to meet you. Have they told you about House and Ethel yet?”
Still smiling slightly, Baz replies, “No, they have not.”
River starts talking animatedly, explaining all about House and Ethel, and I grin. This is what River does best. If he decides that he likes someone, and he’s clearly decided that he likes Baz, then he will do whatever he can to try to make that someone become more at ease.
It usually involves a lot of talking, where the person doesn’t need to reply, and it has an almost one-hundred percent success rate.
“It would probably be a good idea to give the others a heads-up before we just turn up with a random stranger,” Ransom suggests quietly.
I nod, “Good point. I’m on it.”
Pulling out my phone, I send a quick message to the group chat explaining the situation and that we’ve got Baz with us.
Van: Are you sure it’s safe to have him at the house?
Me: Yes, I can’t fully explain it, but he’s safe.
Van: Alright. I’m looking forward to meeting him.
Doc: It should be interesting.
Reed: Griff and Neith have just woken up too, so you may want to warn him about how many of us there are.
Griff: There are a lot of us, we could overwhelm him if he’s not warned. I’ll fill Neith in. Guess who lost her phone again?
I grin and then type out a reply.
Me: Haha, Neith? River’s filling him in on everyone now.
“Do you think we should save him from River?” I ask with a happy smile as I watch them walk ahead.
Baz is slightly wide-eyed but has a smile playing across his features as River gestures wildly.
Ransom shakes his head, “Nah, something tells me that he’s going to be around long enough that he’s going to have to get used to River.”
“Besides, I don’t think Baz is minding that much,” Raiden grins.
He lowers his voice, “Is it weird to anyone else that it doesn’t seem weird to have him amongst us and to be taking him back to House?
I mean, we only just met the guy. We have no idea what kind of supernatural he is, and yet we’re showing him our home? ”
I nod, “It has occurred to me, but the way I see it, all of our instincts can’t be wrong. Even River has clearly taken to him.”
“True,” Raiden agrees. His eyes suddenly widen, “You know the best test of whether he really is good or not will be Neith’s Voices, they always know.”
“That’s true,” Ransom agrees.
We catch up with River and Baz, and Baz shoots me a raised eyebrow look that makes me chuckle.
I shrug. There’s no point trying to answer him since River is still talking.
“I know it’s none of my business,” Baz finally manages to interrupt River just before we get to the tree line. “But you should be careful about who sees you in your shifted form with nine tails.”