Yona began to hum and sing one of her favorite songs. Her grandmother used to sing and dance to it when she got drunk and homesick.
"Mm mm mmhm ah uh, oh yeah…" She rocked to the beat as she snapped her fingers, and instruments appeared, playing the same tune she was humming.
She threw her hands up, feeling the music, rolling her hips in the water as it splashed with her movements.
🎵 "Never knew how much I love you, never knew how much I care.
When you put your arms around me, I got a fever that's too hard to bear…" 🎵
Her voice was smooth, clear, and strong as she snapped and moved her body to the beat.
🎵 "You give me fever, when you kiss me…" 🎵
She sang as she kicked her leg up and pushed off the side of the tub, crossing one leg over the other, looking effortlessly alluring.
🎵 "Fever when you hold me tight…
Fever in the morning, fever all through the night…" 🎵
Yona sang her heart out soaking and relaxing as she washed herself and cast a dry spell stepping out—no towel needed.
She pulled out oils and lotions, setting them on her vanity table beside her bed. Yona was waiting for Tammi to hurry up and come give her a massage.
Feeling a bit impatient just as she opened the lotion to apply it herself, she was interrupted.
"Knock, knock." The door creaked open as Tammi entered in a black suit with red shoes, a red tie, and a red handkerchief in his front pocket—unbothered, used to her views of "being free in this non-appreciating nudist world."
He never really understood it, but whatever Yona believed in—no matter how wild or strange or crazy it was—he accepted it. As long as Yona could understand it or see something special that others didn't.
Which is how they came to be the bestest of best friends.
Tammi was only nine years old, a war orphan, when he had been saved by little seven-year-old Yona's spunky self from a noble who liked "raising" pretty frail and easy-to-break young boys.
She watched from the shadows, following them to the noble's estate, where she paid one of her beggar buddies to send word to her grandmother and the city guard—telling them there was a traitor's conspiracy to overthrow the wizard king.
Yona sent Dowdo flying to the second floor, where a window was left open. She climbed inside, finding her way to the bathroom where the kidnapped Tammi was unconscious, being washed by a servant.
She didn't wait any longer, remembering what her grandmother said about pedophiles—that she had to act fast before the poor boy lost his innocence.
She cast a detection spell and saw there were more kids in the underground cellar.
She made her way to a room two doors over and sent a fire spell to the door before running back to the room she'd entered through, hiding from the servant who went to put out the fire. When it kept growing in size, they freaked out and called more servants.
Moving quickly, using the chaos as cover, she entered the bathroom with Dowdo and closed the door behind, locking it as she dragged Tammi out of the tub with the help of Dowdo. She struggled to get his heavy body fully onto the flying carpet.
Huffing and puffing heavily, Yona was frustrated that he was so heavy.
She raised her little hand and pulled it back a little, then swung down—
SLAP!
Tammi jolted awake instantly, eyes wide with shock. He barely caught himself from shouting out. Yona's hand covered his mouth, signaling silence.
"Shh." She put a finger to her lips and pointed to the door, motioning for him to be quiet or they'd be heard.
She sent a telepathic link with him and explained the situation.
"You've got to be quiet or we'll get caught. Well, actually you'll be caught because I'll leave you if you call them over." She threatened him, causing him to shed tears in fear.
When Yona's little cute giggle echoed in his head, he realized he was being teased. He sent a glare but kept quiet.
"Get on my carpet so we can go help the other kids in the cellar," she urged him impatiently.
Tammi quickly climbed on the carpet, fully dressed in the training clothes Yona tossed him—a shirt and knee-length shorts—after noticing he was naked and embarrassed.
"Hmm. Still has the nerve to care about being naked when you're kidnapped and being saved by others. Ungrateful."
Tammi pretended not to hear her comment, dressed quickly, and climbed on the carpet as Yona unlocked the door, opened the window, and sent Dowdo flying out.
She set a large fire in the bathroom, making it impossible to tell if anyone survived inside.
They headed to the cellar. Yona cast sleeping spells on the guards in front of the entrance.
Thud.
They came out from hiding and entered the cellar. The stench inside was horrible.
"Uck. So stinky," Yona gagged, overwhelmed by the smell. She didn't have a good feeling about what they were about to witness.
Descending the steps, Yona held Tammi's hand.
"Let's hold hands so we don't lose each other."
Yona cast a small flame on her finger, lighting up the archway so they could see better. They followed the hallway leading to a bigger area with giant cages holding children chained to beds or suspended in the air in all kinds of disturbing positions.
Gasp.
They both shook and gasped in terror at the sight before them.
Her grandmother had warned her about people who did nasty things to kids her age and older and younger. She was skeptical, but her grandmother wasn't the type to sugarcoat the harsh realities of the world. Now, she finally understood the necessary information.
Yona felt very fortunate at that moment.
She calmed herself, remembering her training: be cool-headed, assess the situation, and make a move.
She cast a tracing spell, seeing that her grandmother and the city guard were closing in soon.
Yona disbanded the spell and tugged on Tammi's arm, getting his attention.
"Quick! Let's get them out. Get out of here before the city guard shows up and my grandmother arrives."
"Okay," Tammi nodded timidly.
Yona let go of his hand, stepped forward, and waved her hand in the air, tracing a shape. The mana in the air glowed faintly. Then Yona slapped the air where she'd been drawing and shouted:
"Break!"
"Shatter! Click! Thud! Thud! Thud! Sizzle."
The sound of locks and chains breaking and dropping to the floor as they melted into puddles of liquid metal echoed through the cellar.
"Woah," Tammi whispered, amazed at her mana storage and power.
They helped the nine boys who were alive. Sadly, three boys didn't make it—they were long gone before they could do anything. Even if she had saved them first, it wouldn't have made a difference.
That's how they met Elven and his brother Faeth—they'd been captured for a while.
It wasn't long before the house was surrounded by the city guard, and her grandmother called for her via telepathic link.
She had Dowdo expand to a bigger size, and she and Tammi dragged all nine of the boys onto the flying carpet. Yona put the bodies of the fallen boys in her space ring.
They flew out of the cellar and went to meet Yona's grandmother.
They took everyone to the city guard, and all the kids went back to their parents except Elven, Faeth, and Tammi.
The brothers stayed with Yona for a few months before their worried father, who was away at war, finally picked them up after hearing news of their kidnapping.
Her grandmother let Tammi stay with them for a few years before he became independent, moving out on his own at seventeen.
They'd all been friends for a long time, and they were especially there for Yona when her grandmother died. It was like their group's grandmother died for them all—she'd been a big part of their growth into who they became today.