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get mad, ’ He gave a little shudder, ‘ the floor will warp beneath my weight. ’
    ‘ I suppose you can ’ t get into too many arguments with your wife then? ’ I smirked.
    He looked towards his front door to make sure his wife wasn ’ t listening. ‘ The floor throughout our entire house is ruined, ’ he said cheekily in an undertone.
    I laughed and he allowed himself a smile.
    ‘ So what do you do? ’ he asked.
    I wondered whether it was a wise idea to reveal my Power, considering this man ’ s son was suffering from burns, however, his wife was already aware, so what was the harm?
    ‘ I ’ m a Fire-Mage, ’ I said, then quickly added, ‘ but don ’ t worry, I ’ m not related to the Mage that burned your son. ’
    He eyed my suspiciously. ‘ How do you know? ’
    I crossed my arms over my chest. ‘ I just know. Why did she attack your son anyway? ’
    The man pursed his lips. ‘ The girl that burned my son was from T he Realm, ’ he said, crossing his arms over his chest too. ‘ She was with a group of officials, all in red cloaks. ’
    ‘ The Realm? ’ I repeated. ‘ Why did they attack your son? ’
    He scoffed. ‘ Haven ’ t you seen the town? They destroyed half of our homes. Looking for Humans I think. They hurt anyone who refused to answer their questions. They took the entire family next door. ’
    ‘ Why? ’
    ‘ Their little boy hadn ’ t shown any Powers yet, ’ he said as he glanced next door, ‘ but he was only eight… there was still time for his Power to appear. ’
    ‘ But your wife can see Power, can ’ t she? ’ I asked. ‘ Couldn ’ t she tell them that his Power had not arrived yet? ’
    The man looked suddenly uncomfortable at these words. ‘ Well, she tried, but the kid didn ’ t have a trace of Power in him, according to her. ’
    ‘ You mean he was Human? ’ I asked. ‘ But he was of a Mage bloodline, right? ’
    He nodded. ‘ I mean, as far as we know. Funny isn ’ t it? I had never heard of a Human being born to Mage parents. ’
    I frowned, ‘ No … me either. ’ I lied.
    ‘ Maybe he was adopted, ’ the man said thoughtfully.
    So, another family had been taken away by T he Realm of Mages for having a Human child. Was T he Realm scouring the cities, searching for the Powerless?
    As my head swirled with this new information, Jack emerged from the house, accompanied by the man ’ s wife.
    ‘ Thank you, ’ she was saying. ‘ You did wonderfully. ’
    ‘ No, thank you , ’ said Jack, something small clutched in his hands. ‘ Good luck repairing your roof. ’
    The husband stepped aside to allow Jack through the garden gate.
    ‘ All done? ’ I asked as Jack approached.
    He nodded, but did not elaborate.
    ‘ Well … goodbye, ’ I said awkwardly, waving a little.
    The husband waved, but the wife simply eyed me beadily.
    As Jack and I turned away, I felt his hands on the small of my back, urging me onwards.
    When we were out of earshot of the husband and wife, he muttered to me, ‘ Strange woman. ’
    I raised my eyebrows, ‘ How so? ’
    He pulled something out of his pocket. ‘ She paid me five gold pieces, ’ he said. ‘ For a thirty-second job. ’
    I gaped at the money in Jack ’ s hand. ‘ Jack! That ’ s great! ’
    ‘ Walk faster, before she changes her mind. ’ Jack picked up the pace.
    I laughed, before I remembered what the husband had said.
    ‘ Her husband was telling me why there was so much destruction. ’
    ‘ The Realm? ’ Jack guessed successfully.
    ‘ Yes, ’ I said. ‘ How did you know? ’
    ‘ She told me when I was inside, ’ said Jack, steering me around a corner. ‘ They took an entire family because they had a Human son. ’
    I nodded. ‘ Right, that ’ s what her husband said too. I told him I had never heard of a Human being born to Mage parents before. ’
    Jack glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, trying to read my expression. ‘ Are you okay? ’
    ‘ Yes, ’ I said. I wasn ’ t sure