《The Witching Hour》


 Chapter 1: It began with a cataclysmic mishap....

    Let¡¯s see, mugwort, rose petals, salamander tail, frog warts, cat¡¯s spittle, snake tongue, the classic eye of newt and the two dozen herbs I prepped yesterday. Excellent! Everything was ready to brew up some potions. Hmm, no wait, there was just one more ingredient missing. ¡°Midnight, did you catch any¡­?¡± In response, Midnight dropped a rat on the table next to me. ¡°One black rat, Meowstress, as requested.¡± I reached over and scratched Midnight behind the ears, earning a happy purr in response. ¡°Thanks, Midnight. I only need the tail though, so if you want the rest you can have it. A quick cut later and Midnight disappeared with the rat, leaving only the tail behind.


    A flapping of wings and Soot landed on his perch next to the table. ¡°Healing potions, Mistress? Are you hunting some rare and dangerous ingredients again?¡± He tilted his head as he eyed the ingredients. ¡°Not today, no. These are for a rainy day. Better to have them and not need them, than need them and not have them, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± He cawed for a bit, before nodding. ¡°Indeed, a wise choice. I take it the rat tail is for longevity, then?¡±


    I glanced up at him. ¡°Yep, I would have preferred to use a sheep¡¯s gall bladder for that, but that would mean going into town. And a few more days of shelf life are not worth the hassle of dealing with those damn farmers and their ignorance of what witchcraft can and cannot do. Besides, Midnight excels at catching the lil¡¯ blighters, and enjoys eating them, so it¡¯s a just pure upside. It¡¯s annoying that the pantry doesn¡¯t work on them, though. Hmm, maybe I should make a storage of my own.¡±


    I began mixing the potion, while Soot distanced himself from the cauldron. ¡°Still haven¡¯t gotten over what happened, eh?¡± Soot puffed himself up. ¡°If by happened, you mean the incident where my feather accidentally landed in a potion and blew up the entire mixture, turning me into a chicken for a month as it splashed all over me? Then no, I haven¡¯t. I do not want a repeat performance of that, thank you very much.¡±


    He ruffled his feathers in indignation at the jab. Well, I couldn¡¯t fault his caution, considering that month he spent most of his time terrified that Midnight would try to eat him. Not that she would. Midnight was quite fond of Soot, despite the raven¡¯s paranoid belief otherwise, back then.


    ¡°There, now it just needs to boil for a few hours.¡± I gave the cauldron a quick tap with a finger, activating the runes that would prevent the contents from burning, while also making the thing stir on its own. As I walked over to the table, I took a moment to look over the memory crystal on the counter. Soot noticed my glance. ¡°Still can¡¯t believe something like what¡¯s in there is possible.¡± I gave a wistful chuckle. ¡°You keep saying that, Soot. And I still can¡¯t help but point out the irony that you find the idea that there are machines that can fly ridiculous, when I ride a flying broom.¡±


    Soot puffed up his chest. ¡°That broom relies on good old-fashioned magic, but according to you, those metal¡­ THINGS, don¡¯t rely on magic at all, but this thing called science.¡± I picked up some dried berries and waved Soot down to my hand, and began feeding him some.


    ¡°And despite that, it wasn¡¯t magic that healed your wing when we first met. That was medical science and knowhow from my past as a part-timer at my mom¡¯s veterinarian clinic growing up.¡± Soot gobbled up the berries eagerly, then resumed the conversation. ¡°And I¡¯m happy for that, as you were so hopeless back when we met, fumbling over even the simplest incantations, and messing up even the most basic of potions. Still, I must admit, that while slow and painful, you fixed my wing with no issues. Of course, you¡¯ve come a long way since then, Mistress, so I hope I won¡¯t need to have my wing bandaged ever again.¡±


    I shrugged as I took the jab in stride. ¡°Seeing as I could just cast a simple healing spell these days, I doubt you would need to have your wing fixed up the mundane way.¡± I picked up the crystal and looked once more at the memory of my first time flying a plane that was recorded inside it. My younger sister and I were about 7 and 8 respectively, and it was a thrilling experience. ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s been two centuries, so obviously she¡¯s long gone by now, but I hope my little sister lived a good life without me.¡±


    Soot hopped onto my shoulder and gave me a loving hug. ¡°Speaking of memories, though, I don¡¯t think you ever told any of us how you even got here, Mistress.¡± I looked up from the crystal. ¡°Huh? I haven¡¯t? Well then, why don¡¯t I tell you when Winter returns from her hunt. I doubt she would enjoy being excluded, after all. And why don¡¯t you inform Midnight about it too? She¡¯s also been curious about that, no doubt.¡± Soot swallowed the last dried berry. ¡°Sure thing, Mistress.¡± He then rapidly flew off, leaving me alone with my thoughts.


    I rose from my chair and walked over to the large mirror in the corner of the small living room. Usually, I used it the rare few times I needed to talk to someone over long distances. Not that I ever enjoyed something like that. I lived out in the middle of nowhere for a reason, after all. Looking at myself, I couldn¡¯t help but feel wistful at how different I was from before, even after 200 years.


    My skin was now a pale green, a telltale sign of a witchcraft practitioner, according to both Soot and Midnight. When I first arrived, my skin color was normal for a woman of European descent, but it turned out that way after just a few weeks.


    What was strange though was that despite the time that had passed, I still kept my youthful appearance. Even though I didn¡¯t use magic to maintain it, I didn¡¯t look a day over 20. Another bonus, perhaps? ¡°Hmm, still the same after all this time.¡±


    I idly picked at my knee-length braided ponytail of ebony black hair, with natural streaks of crimson running through it. It was so different from my old dirty blond shoulder-length curls. However, I actually liked that change, as I¡¯d always felt envious of my sister for her long hair that she got from mom, while mine never grew past my shoulders.


    My ears were slightly pointy, another change that manifested as time went on. And while my emerald green eyes were unchanged, the same could not be said for my fingernails, which were short, but sharp, jet-black talons. They were hard as steel, too. No mundane tool could even dent them, and even if something broke them, they grew back in short order.


    I wasn¡¯t complaining, though, as they were great at peeling fruits and plucking¡­ ingredients¡­ for potions. I felt something behind me and noticed my cow¡¯s tail was brushing the corner of the shelf as it swayed. ¡°I¡¯ll never get used to this thing.¡± It was longer than my legs, but curled up, so the bushy tip didn¡¯t touch the ground.


    I was a bit on the short side compared to the locals, standing about 170 centimeters, not that I could really measure that, as I didn¡¯t have access to tailoring tools. But I was shorter than most people I had encountered since I restarted my life here.


    I was wearing a long black dress and accompanying robe, a small belt with pouches for various things and¡­ wait. ¡°When did I-? Oh, there it is.¡± I forgot I took it off before I started brewing. With a grin, I put on my big, wide-brimmed witches¡¯ hat. Was the hat necessary? Probably not. Did I like it? Hell yeah.


    As I sat there contemplating, I felt something heavy and silent land on the hat. ¡°How was the hunt, Winter?¡± I heard movement and a soft hoot. ¡°It was decent enough, Mother, though the biggest morsel got away, spooked by a fox.¡± Winter considered me her parent, since I hatched her egg myself after her parents abandoned the nest it was in. ¡°I met Soot and Midnight outside. They said there was story time tonight. Something about your youth.¡± I reached up over the brim of the hat and lightly scratched Winters¡¯ head, causing a happy cooing from the snow owl.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, why don¡¯t you fetch them while I get something to drink? That way, we can start now and have the entire evening ahead of us.¡± I felt Winter take off, and watched as she soared out of the room, as silent as when she arrived. I headed into the kitchen and opened what looked like an ordinary closet.


    A chill wind hit me in the face as the cold interior was exposed to the summer evening. Kept cool by ice that would never melt, but not so cold it would freeze. It had taken months of trial and error to get my fridge right. A few moments later and I entered the living room with a bottle of chilled berry juice and some dried fruits and meats as snacks. ¡°Brought you something too, guys.¡±


    My three familiars were already waiting for me. Midnight was lying on the armrest of the small couch, while Soot and Winter were on their respective roosts nearby. I divided the snacks among all four of us, gave Midnight some loving scratches, then sat down. ¡°Well then, if we¡¯re going to do this, I might as well start from the very beginning, or as close to it as I can without confusing you all.¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    The alarm clock went off, and I begrudgingly dragged myself out of bed. Only one more day, one more day, and I would have three entire weeks of blessed vacation. ¡°Alright, Morgana, you can do this. Just get through one more day at that damn support line, and you can leave dreary, rainy Dublin behind for three weeks in Hawaii.¡± I staggered over to the bathroom for a shower.


    A quick shower, breakfast and an agonizing 10 minutes mulling over what outfit to wear, and I was out the door. The misty late September morning was chilly and with light rain. I waved to the neighbors, a nice middle-aged couple named Thomas and Alice. They owned this apartment complex and were really nice. I always greeted them in the morning as I headed for the bus.


    I stepped out the gate and headed down the sidewalk towards my bus stop, some 10 minutes away on foot. The morning chill, made it an energizing walk, as the cold air helped to wake me up. Just as I rounded the corner to the bus stop, the ground suddenly shook. ¡°What the hell is-?¡±


    The next moment, there was a massive flash of white light followed by a horrendous screeching noise unlike anything I¡¯d heard in my life. The closest approximation I could think of was if a whistling kettle was combined with nails on a chalkboard and fused into one mind-numbing sound, then amped up to ear-shattering levels. This was followed by a sudden sense of intense pain that lasted a split second. Then, just as sudden it began, the light and noise disappeared, and so did everything else. There was just darkness, complete, impenetrable darkness.


    No noise, no movement, nothing. I couldn¡¯t even see my own hands¡­ more distressingly, I couldn¡¯t feel my hands. Aw, hell no. I¡¯m not dead, right? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, that couldn¡¯t be. ¡°I am afraid it is so.¡± The voice was sudden and seemed to come from all over. ¡°I apologize for that. You and a few others became collateral damage during my attempt to protect your dimensional borders. I did not expect the coward to flee into physical space as I attacked. That aside, you were lucky, as the glancing blow you took actually allowed for a fragment of your soul to be salvaged and healed. The others weren¡¯t so lucky.¡±


    The voice sounded apologetic, but was also dead calm, as if I were little more than a footnote. ¡°You are not wrong about that one. In the grand scheme of things, your entire reality is about as important as a speck of dust, even more so for the mortals that dwell within, on your planet or any other.¡± Please - ¡°No, I won¡¯t stop reading your mind since you don¡¯t have any other means of communication, being a disembodied soul. That aside, since this was my fault, I have to make amends. They will have my hide otherwise, and I prefer to stay alive, so¡­ hmm. Can¡¯t return you to your current world. That would be breaking so many sections of the Laws I can¡¯t even count them all. Hmm, wait a moment.¡±


    The voice went quiet. It took a while before the voice returned, and it was not alone. ¡°So, this is the sole survivor, hmm? That was reckless, but you managed to at least save one.¡± This unfamiliar voice was feminine, and stern sounding, clearly someone used to giving orders and expected them to be followed unquestionably. ¡°I apologize for my lack of foresight, Milady. However, the Law is clear, and she requires compensation, but this is the limit of what I can do, given my¡­ circumstances. But since I was working on behalf of-¡± The voice cut out. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it, dismissed.¡± No reply from the first voice.


    ¡°So, mortal. Compensation. As per the Law I cannot return you to your prior reality, the Law of Causality would kick in, and it would not be pretty, not for you or anyone unfortunate enough to witness it. That aside, I can offer other forms of compensation for my subordinates¡¯ tardiness. And to answer the question burning so fervently in your mind right now, no, neither of us are gods. The sheer amount of red tape involving those guys is so absurd it¡¯s not even funny. If I were to involve the local pantheons in this, you¡¯d be waiting for millennia, provided you¡¯d even last that long in your current state. And that would only be to decide which deity has jurisdiction of your soul. Then another few millennia for compensation.¡±


    Ah, so isekai time then. There was silence for a few moments. ¡°Ah, so that is what that term means, interesting¡­ and yes, isekai, as you call it. That aside, I would be remiss to simply reincarnate you, without asking your preferences, given the circumstances. So I will pull a few strings and let you pick on your own. Any preferences?¡± What kind of world would it even be?


    ¡°To prevent issues with the Law you will be transferred into a Magic leaning reality, to distance you from your current Tech leaning origins, better that way, minimum impact.¡± That told me practically nothing. ¡°That¡¯s deliberate. Consider it your average fantasy novel like world, only, without most of the tropes. So, any wishes for your new lease on life?¡± Wishes? Hmm, in that case I¡¯d like a house far away from civilization. Dealing with people after nearly 10 years in tech support was¡­ not something I wanted. ¡°That¡¯s easy enough. Anything else?


    Hmm, and I needed some way to protect myself. Hmm, magic world. Oh, I know! I would like to learn witchcraft! ¡°Witchcraft? One moment¡­ That¡¯s an¡­ interesting branch of magic, not something I have an interest in, but it could certainly allow you to defend yourself. I¡¯ll make you a master of-¡± Woah, slow down. I said I would like to learn it, not master it. If I am going to live my life there, I need something to spend my time on, and suddenly just mastering it all would be, well, boring. The fun is in the journey, not the destination.


    There was silence for a moment, then¡­ laughter. ¡°Ah, of course, I will make sure your home is stocked with everything a beginner witch will need, as well as some more advanced learning material for later. It will set you up for at least a century, if not more.¡± The voice sounded¡­ pleased?


    ¡°I am. Most mortals these days never care for the journey and just want instant gratification. That¡¯s my experience, anyhow, so it¡¯s refreshing to meet someone who understands the importance of the journey to mastery. I will set it up for you and also throw in a few extra bonuses that will mitigate the drawbacks of using witchcraft. Anything else?¡± Drawbacks, what drawbacks? No response.


    Well, anyway¡­ If I will be a witch, living in a place where I can find most, if not everything I need for my brews and spells, would be nice. ¡°So a swampy or marshy region with a forest within a short distance, a bit more difficult, but not impossible. Any more requests?¡±


    If I had shoulders, I would shrug. Being able to speak and understand the local languages, knowing the local customs, and a long and healthy life would be nice. ¡°Done, done and¡­ the last one is redundant given the previous bonuses, so done. Enjoy yourself now.¡±


    Another white flash and I landed on something hard. ¡°Ow, ow, ow. That was¡­ unnecessary.¡± Silence. I looked around. I was lying on the floor of a small comfy looking living room, with a small comfortable couch, a chair, a table, and a fireplace. Several wall-mounted candlesticks cast a golden hue over the unpainted walls and floor.


    The first thing I did was to move to the nearby mirror and look at myself. I was not that different from before, though there were a few drastic changes. My hair was changed, and my old face had been sharp and angular, while now it was soft and, out of lack of a better term, cute. Small button nose, full lips that naturally bent into a slight smile, but weren¡¯t the massive type you¡¯d see from surgery, green doe eyes. ¡°Hmm, not bad, not bad at all. If I say so myself.¡±


    My build was the most significant change, though. I was muscular before, as I liked to keep active. Now, however, I was lithe and slim, but I didn¡¯t feel any weaker than before. In fact, I felt stronger than ever. Then I caught a movement in the mirror. I looked down. ¡°Is that a¡­ cow tail?¡± It was indeed a cow tail, with short brown fur and a big bushy tip. Just what in the world was that all about? I gave it an experimental wiggle. It felt weird, but natural.


    On the table was a small, note. ¡°Welcome to your new home. All the requirements for a comfortable living have been taken care of. You can find a cooling cabinet in the kitchen, which will work like a modern fridge, and will magically preserve its content. The sink has an endless supply of water, and the bathroom can supply an endless supply of hot water for baths, showers and laundry and don¡¯t worry about the drains clogging, it¡¯s magic. The brewing room and pantry are fully stocked, and the cauldron is ready. Enjoy your new life.¡±


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The handwriting was elegant and neat, clearly written by a skilled hand, though didn¡¯t answer the riddle about the cow tail. Beside the note was another thing I picked up with glee, a big witch¡¯s hat, which I happily put on. I looked around the room with a grin. New house, new life, and I could learn magic! Time to look around my new home. There was a side room where an enormous cauldron was sitting, with a large magic circle engraved on the floor next to it.


    The shelf beside it had several large tomes. All were penned by the same hand that wrote the note and one of them was simply named, ¡°Start reading this one¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile, ¡°Well, it was nice of them to mark the tome to begin with, that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    Well, no time like the present. I grabbed the book and walked back into the living room, and plopped myself down on the couch. A few hours later, I was having a headache. I could understand some of it, but the underlying fundamentals were complex, far more complex than I¡¯d expected. This would probably take some time to master. ¡°Let¡¯s see here¡­ So witchcraft can use mana from the environment, as well as internal mana storage, meaning it¡¯s nigh impossible to stop a witch¡¯s hexes via conventional means. However, hexes require a far greater mana control to get the desired result, with spells going high wire if too much mana is used or will fizzle if too little mana is used.¡±


    That part was easy enough. ¡°All chanting has to be done in rhyme.¡± Ugh, I suck at rhyming. ¡°However, since the spells are made from rhymes rather than the Language of Arcana, it¡¯s far easier to make up new spells on the fly. A skilled enough witch, however, can forgo the rhymes for silent casting, but that requires a large amount of experience and training.¡± That was the headache inducing part. The idea of coming up with rhymes that created the spell I needed while under pressure was not something I was looking forward to trying. With some luck, I would become able to skip that part, but for now¡­ yeah.


    Well, no time like the present to try it out. Although¡­ probably not inside. I went out the door and found myself on a rather large porch that opened up to a wide deck with a small series of glowing stones shining merrily along the edges. It was pretty obvious what that was¡­ a landing pad for a broom. No sign of said broom, however, so I would likely have to make my own. Well, I said I wanted to start from scratch. So that one was on me. It was nice of the voice to give me a landing pad, though. A small set of wooden stairs descended onto a small grassy outcrop surrounded by water on three sides.


    The pleasant sound of crickets was all around, and fireflies were flying around in the evening gloom. I walked out on the landing pad and looked into the night, then, as per the instructions in the book, I closed my eyes and focused. I could feel¡­ something all around me, almost like a slight breeze, but not quite. Mana.


    OK, I could do this. I took a deep breath. ¡°It¡¯s dark this night, and it blocks my sight, so create in my hand a ball of light!¡± Immediately I felt the mana rush towards my hand, so I raised it over my head, and in the next moment it was like a flash bang went off, blinding me with the sudden and absolute brightness from it. I fell backwards onto the wooden floor, disoriented and with severe retina burn.


    The headache from before felt several times worse, and I felt sick to my stomach. Mana sickness, usually caused by using too much mana all at once. If the book was correct, my tolerance for mana usage would go up as I used magic, so it should become a nonissue with enough time. But, I needed to work on control, badly. ¡°Ugh, that wasn¡¯t fun.¡± I staggered back inside and collapsed onto the couch. A few moments later, I was asleep.


    I woke the next morning feeling disoriented and VERY uncomfortable, given my awkward sleeping position. ¡°Hey sis, what time is-¡± Right, I wasn¡¯t living in my flat with my sister anymore. In fact, I would never see my family and friends again. Why didn¡¯t that occur to me before now?


    I wondered how they were doing, if I had left a body for them to bury, or I was regarded as having vanished. I shook my head. No point in dwelling on that now. ¡°I can¡¯t see you again sis, mom. But I hope you live well anyhow, hope there is enough left of my body to bury next to dad.¡± I suddenly had a lump in my throat and decided it was best to find something to distract myself with.


    I slowly got to my feet and immediately felt the stiffness in my neck and back from the awkward sleeping position as I made my way into the kitchen for the first time. There was a note on another door in there. ¡°This leads to the pantry. While the door is closed, the food stored inside will not decay.¡± Well, that was a load off. If I didn¡¯t have to worry about food going bad, I could store enough to last awhile without worry. Good thing the voice thought of that because I didn¡¯t.


    Twenty minutes later, I was happily chewing through some fried egg, sausages, bacon, toast, grilled tomatoes, hash browns, black pudding, baked beans, and accompanied by a nice herbal tea, also known as a Full English Breakfast. How long was it since I ate a proper breakfast instead of just grabbing a quick toast on my way out of the door?


    It didn¡¯t matter. Never again would that be the case. I took my time to enjoy myself, just sitting back on the comfortable cushioned chair and enjoying my meal, while reading through the tome for pointers on how to not have a repeat of yesterday. Hmm, according to the book, meditating could help me learn how to properly control the flow of mana both for everyday needs for using magical items and for spell crafting, not to mention casting spells, since practice makes perfect. Well, I would probably try the prior rather than the latter, given what I achieved last night.


    Well, again no point in postponing it, as I really wanted to get a hang of the magic, well maybe a slight delay to clean up after myself. Once that was done, off I went to the living room, where I grabbed a cushion off the couch and plopped it down on the floor, so I could meditate without too much discomfort. Let¡¯s see, according to the small clock hanging over the fireplace, it was around ten in the morning now. So I should probably aim for a few hours of meditation before doing some other things.


    I sat down and once again focused on the mana round me, how it flowed around the room and through my body. As I did so, I felt light, weightless even. With each breath in, I could feel the mana entering my body, and with each breath out, it would leave. Time seemed to lose all meaning, as I simply was. My only focus was on the mana around me and how it flowed.


    My meditation was interrupted by a growling sound. The sudden noise caused me to open my eyes and immediately drop to the floor. Somehow, I¡¯d been hovering at about knee height. It would seem the weightless feeling wasn¡¯t for show. The impact itself was unpleasant, but not painful, given the low drop, and the cushion. I slowly got to my feet as the growling sound sounded again, it was coming from my stomach.


    Not only that, but I was famished. I glanced at the clock. Six? I¡¯d been at it for eight hours? Wait, hang on. That couldn¡¯t be right, as the sun was¡­ shining in from the¡­ eastern¡­ window. It wasn¡¯t six in the evening, but morning. I spent twenty hours meditating and only woke from the meditative trance because of hunger growls from my stomach. Meditation was scary, and I¡¯d need to find something to snap me out of it if I could go that long. The last thing I¡¯d want was to die from thirst because I never woke up from my meditation.


    Hunger aside, though, I felt great, and I could still feel the surrounding mana. It wasn¡¯t as clear as when I was meditating, but I could feel it. I went out on the deck again, and I had an unlit candle with me. ¡°Ok, it can¡¯t be THAT difficult to cast a simple magic spell, right?¡±


    I took another deep breath. ¡°Using magic I shall handle, so pretty please, light this candle.¡± I felt the magic flow, but this time I didn¡¯t just let it flow freely, as I tried to limit the stream of magic. It somewhat worked as intended, as a small flame flared to life on the candle, but a few moments later, it sputtered out and died. Figuring out the right magic amount was¡­ hard. But at least using too little wasn¡¯t as bad as too much. Now that was done with, it was time for some more food. This time, a stack of pancakes was the order of business. Delicious.


    The days passed on slowly and I finally, managed my first successful spell. Though I knew it was luck, as I still didn¡¯t know how to know the exact amount of magic I needed to pour into it, and was just fumbling around with different amounts. Aside from that, things were nice and quiet. There were a few things that worried me, though. First among those was that my appearance was changing.


    It was barely noticeable at first, but even now, I couldn¡¯t deny that it was. My nails were turning black and sharp, while my ears were growing pointy, not to mention my skin color was turning paler and taking on a sickly pale-green hue. Were these the side effects? Well, if that was the case, I would just have to deal with it.


    The second was my lack of familiarity with the area, and so I began exploring to get a lay of the land. That¡¯s when I discovered something interesting. I didn¡¯t know how, or why, but I had an instinctual feel for what plants, berries and herbs I could eat, what I could use for potion ingredients, and knew where to go to get home. Was that because I was a witch, or another ¡°bonus¡± from the voice? I didn¡¯t know, and to be honest, I didn¡¯t care. It made my life much easier and as the proverb goes, ¡°Don¡¯t look a gift horse in the mouth¡±.


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    ¡°It was during one of these early trips I first ran into Soot.¡± That got the raven¡¯s attention. ¡°Wait, That early? Well, that explains why you were hopeless. You were a literal beginner, not to mention you didn¡¯t even have a single potion under your belt.¡± I looked up at him while taking a sip of juice. ¡°I told you when we met, I was a beginner, didn¡¯t I?¡± He ruffled his feathers some, but remained quiet. ¡°Now, then¡­ where was I? Ah, right. While I was exploring, the sunny days were replaced by clouds and¡­¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    It rained almost every day. But that didn¡¯t stop my incursions into the area around my house. I didn¡¯t know if winter was a thing here and if it was, how bad it would get, but I was not something I wished to take lightly. Warmth wasn¡¯t an issue. My fireplace seemed to change its heat output to make it pleasantly warm at all times, sometimes even cooling the room. But there was one variable that I couldn¡¯t get past. Food. By my estimate, I currently maintained enough of a stockpile for a week.


    A week in winter was one terrible blizzard that lasted a few days, and then some bad luck from starvation. I¡¯d experienced that once before, never again. Unbidden, the memory of that fateful ski trip with my family that cost dad his life surfaced. We were caught in the mountains in a blizzard.


    For three days, we survived in a makeshift snow shelter, while a blizzard howled outside, barely able to keep warm enough to not suffer frostbite or freeze to death. Dad didn¡¯t make it. He didn¡¯t eat or drink anything to ensure the rest of us would live. None of us knew, and we would have thought he died of hypothermia, if the doctors who did his autopsy didn¡¯t inform it was dehydration that killed him.


    Sure, thirsting to death in a snowstorm would sound silly to anyone who didn¡¯t know better. However, eating snow to hydrate was a fool¡¯s errand that could kill you just as fast as dehydration in such conditions. And even if the resulting temperature loss didn¡¯t kill you, then there was still the fact that snow was not safe to consume, and so could cause several nasty illnesses. It was just too much of a risk in our circumstances.


    We were rescued the following day by a search party after the storm abated. I never wanted to get stuck in such a situation again, so I was going to stock up as much as possible, just in case. Still, some care about the local flora and fauna was warranted. The last thing I wanted was to cause irreparable harm to the local ecosystem. At best, it would deprive me of food in the future, at worst. Hmm, better not think of that.


    I was snapped out of my thoughts by a loud bang not too far away, and out of curiosity, I walked towards the source of the noise. As I finally found the source, I stopped dead in my tracks. There on the ground was a bloodied mess that, might have, once, been a man. And on top of the mess was a small black bundle.


    As I stepped closer, the bundle moved. ¡°Back off! Ugh, back off, you hear me, ah whom I am kidding? There is no way you can understand me. Damn it, my wing.¡± I tilted my head as I finally saw what the bundle was. A raven. ¡°I can hear you just fine, and I could look at your wing, if you¡¯ll let me.¡± The raven tilted its head for a moment.


    Then, with some difficulty, got to its feet and hopped off the mangled mess it was sitting on while I knelt down on the wet ground. ¡°This might sting a bit, so I apologize in advance.¡± I carefully pulled a finger across the wing. The raven flinched, but didn¡¯t shy away.


    ¡°Oh dear, it¡¯s broken, no doubt about that. You¡¯re lucky, though, the break is clean, and I should be able to bind the wing in such a fashion that it will let you fly again in a few months.¡± That got the raven¡¯s attention. ¡°A few months? I¡¯d starve at that rate!¡± I looked down at him. ¡°Why would you starve? Obviously, I¡¯d look after you as my patient, and it would be far crueler for me to fix up your wing, then just leave you to die. A waste of a good bandage, too.¡±


    The bird looked up at me again. ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll, trust you then, not like I will live otherwise, anyway.¡± I nodded and carefully lifted the bird, earning a few pained chirps. ¡°Let¡¯s get you home so I can fix you up. How did you end up in such a state, anyhow?¡± The raven hesitated for a moment, then sighed. ¡°That bloody pulp you saw me sitting on was the remains of my former Master. A wizard of ill renown, he was on his way to a hideout further north to escape justice, when something in the area interfered with his teleport spell and ripped us out of it mid-transit. The resulting fallout of magical energies ripped him apart and busted my wing.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t sound too distraught over his death.¡± That earned me a series of chirping sounds, I suspect was the raven¡¯s version of a chuckle. ¡°Being that man¡¯s familiar was the worst. No respect, no kindness, only demands, upon demands, upon demands. And don¡¯t get me started on his misdeeds. Murder was one of the LESS heinous things he did. So good riddance, I say.¡± The raven looked up at me. ¡°So who are you anyhow?¡±


    I looked down at the bird in my hands. ¡°It¡¯s common courtesy to introduce yourself first before you ask someone their name, you know.¡± the raven tilted its head and looked up at me. ¡°Don¡¯t have one. Master never deigned to give me one, only calling me birdbrain, or similar terms.¡± Yikes. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t just call you nothing¡­ hmm¡­ how about Soot? The raven went silent for a bit. ¡°It¡¯s better than nothing and certainly beats every name I was called before, sure. Soot it is. Now, who are you?¡±


    I gave him a friendly smile. ¡°Pleasure to meet you, Soot. I¡¯m Morgana.¡± My house came into view from among the trees and reeds, and Soot seemed to eye it with great interest. ¡°Huh, nice place. I like how it¡¯s held up by stone pillars to be out of the soggy ground. Did you build it yourself?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No, it was given to me, though I am not sure if I should tell you the details right now. Maybe someday. Should you stick around long enough.¡±


    Soot chirped again. ¡°Trust issues, huh?¡± He sounded only mildly offended. I shook my head. ¡°It has nothing to do with trust, but uncertainty on whether it¡¯s safe for you to know or not. You seem friendly enough, and I¡¯d be remiss to endanger a patient of mine.¡± That seemed to give him pause.


    Soot remained quiet as I opened the door with my tail and gently put him down on the living room table. ¡°Just a moment while I find something to use as a bandage for your wing.¡± Now where would medical supplies be stored in here? It took a bit to find, as it was on a shelf inside my brewing room. An interesting place, but it made sense from a certain point of view. If something went wrong and the potion exploded or something, having ready access to first aid would be important.


    ¡°Alright, Soot. I wish I could give you something for the pain, but unfortunately, I have nothing, so I am afraid this will hurt.¡± To Soot¡¯s credit, he did little more than flinch as I began binding his injured wing, first a figure eight at the wing joint to he couldn¡¯t move it, then wrapped the broken wing to his body, so it couldn¡¯t be moved. ¡°There it¡¯s done. Sorry if it¡¯s uncomfortable. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve done this.¡±


    Soot looked at his broken wing in silence. ¡°It¡¯s fine. The wing hurts, but not because of the bandaging.¡± I nodded and walked towards the kitchen. ¡°Want something to eat to help get your mind off the wing?¡± Soot looked surprised for a moment. ¡°Err¡­ Sure, some sweet berries wouldn¡¯t be so bad.¡± I gave a quick nod and walked over to the pantry. I found some wild strawberries yesterday, maybe Soot would like those.


    When I returned with the platter of strawberries and placed it on the table, Soot looked genuinely surprised. ¡°I meant it as a joke. You didn¡¯t have to¡­¡± he began. ¡°Nonsense, I can always pick more for later, so enjoy yourself.¡± I left the bowl of berries, then went back out to the landing pad to practice my spell casting. It¡­ wasn¡¯t horrible, as the spell only blew up in my face four out of five attempts.


    After one rather spectacular explosion, I heard a noise behind me. As I turned around, I saw Soot sitting on the threshold, watching me. ¡°You know, watching that mess, I¡¯m glad you offered to bandage my wing, rather than try to heal it, as that¡¯s just horrid.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I haven¡¯t even been at this for a week, and I¡¯m basically teaching myself, so I¡¯m just happy I¡¯ve got this much control over it.¡± Soot chirped a bit, then seemed to lose interest as he went back inside. ¡°Try to meditate some more. Once your ability to sense magic develops enough, it should be easier to hit the mark.¡± He went back to the bowl of berries and picking out a few here and there.


    ¡°I would love to do that, but the last time I tried meditating, I wound up going for twenty hours straight.¡± Upon hearing what I said, Soot stopped eating abruptly, and just stared at me. ¡°Twenty hours?¡± He sounded shocked, and I couldn¡¯t really fault him.


    I walked back in and plopped down into the comfortable leaning chair. ¡°Yep. I began an hour or two before noon. I woke up from the meditative trance the following dawn because my stomach was growling at me. The scary thing is, I didn¡¯t feel how thirsty or hungry I was until I fully snapped out of it.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t get a beat on what Soot was feeling because of the bird¡¯s face always being expressionless. But I got a distinct impression that Soot was shocked. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not normal. Or at least unusual. Most people would fall asleep long before reaching the twenty-hour mark. Even my old master could not go beyond four or five hours before either dozing off or snapping out of it. Tell you what. You sit down and meditate, And I¡¯ll snap you out of it in a few hours, since it would be dinnertime by then. Sounds good?¡±


    Well, that was nice of him. ¡°I¡¯ll take you up on that offer, thanks. Just a slight warning, I levitate.¡± Soot didn¡¯t comment, but didn¡¯t seem surprised either. I went over to the couch and grabbed the same pillow from before, then got into position. While it felt like mere moments for me, I got in a good three-hour meditation session. Soot seemed in disbelief as I snapped out of it. ¡°Your focus is out of this world, lady, not to mention that glow caused from channeling. I¡¯ve seen nothing like it. It¡¯s like your body was made to channel magic or something.¡±


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    ¡°And of course, I was correct. I wish I could say I was surprised. Whatever entity made you that body must¡¯ve cranked your magic potential as high as it would go without harming you.¡± Soot hopped off his perch and onto the table before he continued. ¡°Speaking of dinnertime, Mistress¡­¡± I glanced at the grandfather clock. ¡°Well, would you look at that? Right you are, Soot. Let¡¯s take a break for now, then.¡± I rose from my chair and headed for the kitchen, with the trio following close behind.

 Chapter 2: Learning the art brewing potions.

    With dinner eaten and with the sun setting, causing the waters or the swamp to give off a brilliant golden hue, the four of us moved out to the landing to enjoy some fresh air as I continued the story. ¡°Now, then, where was I? Oh, right!¡±


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    A few days later, I was trying my hand at brewing some potions. According to Soot, I should have enough magic control now to do so without blowing up the concoction or wasting the ingredients on making sludge. A simple pain reliving potion that the tome said would be a decent starting point for beginners was what I settled on. If it worked, it could help Soot ease the pain from his wing, and since it was for beginners, I wouldn¡¯t spend anything overly difficult to replace in case of failure.


    I wasn¡¯t so sure about the prospect, to be honest. It was still a coin toss on if my spells blew up in my face. But I would have to begin sometime, and according to the recipe list, most of the herbs were simple to replace. However, given what some of those ingredients were, I would not let Soot drink this unless I was certain it would work out. Why did a pain relief potion need wolfsbane, white toadstools, and nightshade anyhow?


    One thing was certain, if the potion failed, I would have a brew so damn poisonous it would kill whoever drank it in short order. On the flip side, the potion would show clear signs of success, as the concoction would turn an iridescent teal if you succeeded, while it would remain a murky brownish green if it failed. Although, if I added too much magic, the potion would have an eruption similar to a geyser, followed by an immediate failure.


    ¡°Ok, first I dice the nightshade and wolfsbane into a fine powder and mix it together¡­¡± As I began following the instructions, Soot remained perched on a table on the opposite side of the room from the cauldron. I didn¡¯t blame him. If this concoction erupted and either of us accidentally consumed any of it, neither of us would live long enough to use any counteragent. ¡°Once you infuse the brew with mana, I¡¯ll help with monitoring your mana usage, so you don¡¯t overdo it. And given what the brew contains, it¡¯s better if we have a non-eruptive failure.¡±


    I gave him a thumbs up before I went back to crushing the toadstool caps in a mortar. Once the toadstools were crushed, I added the water to the cauldron, and finished prepping the other ingredients. ¡°Say Soot. According to the book, I can either use a bezoar, or three tongues of toad to counteract the toxicity. Which would you recommend?¡± Soot eyed me for a moment. ¡°Well, the Bezoar could be reused, but do you even have one?¡±


    Hmm, good point. ¡°Just a moment¡­ bezoar, bezoar¡­ aha. I have a few, actually, and I also have a bunch of toad tongues, so I¡¯m spoiled for choice, really.¡± Soot seemed to contemplate it. ¡°Let¡¯s use the tongues. The bezoars are more valuable, as they can be used as-is in case of emergency. Besides, the tongues are more lenient on the amount of magic.¡± Sounded like a sound argument to me. I stashed the bezoars again and began dicing the tongues, just like the book said, before adding them to the brew.


    Now I just needed to add the magic while stirring counterclockwise. ¡°Focus now, not too much, not too little.¡± As Soot said that, the cauldron made a belching sound. ¡°Too little magic, I assume.¡± I noted as the brew gave off an abhorrent stench. Soot didn¡¯t answer immediately, just hopped off the bench and bounced towards the door in typical corvid fashion. ¡°Yep, there should be a rune on the cauldron you can put magic into to void the content. I¡¯ll be in the living room meanwhile.¡±


    It took a while to puzzle out which rune Soot was referencing, but putting some magic into each in order, I learned what they did. The Spiral shaped rune made the accompanying ladle stir on its own. The rune that looked vaguely like the outline of a trident I couldn¡¯t identify a use for¡­ until the potion began giving off an acrid smoke. So it would seem it toggled the magic that prevented the potion from burning. When I injected some more magic into that rune, it again caused the smoke to fade.


    Then I found what I was looking for. The rune that was just a single circle. The moment I infused it with magic, the inside of the cauldron turned jet black for a split second. When the darkness dissipated, there was no sign of the potion anywhere. The ladle was still there, but the potion was not. Well, that was convenient. I would have to learn what each of these runes meant.


    It took another three tries before I got the potion right. However, it finally began turning a brilliant pale blue. Once the potion was done, the cauldron hovered off the fire and placed itself on the stone floor. As I moved in with some potion bottles, I looked down at the concoction. ¡°This looks right. What do you think?¡± I poured some into a bottle and showed it to Soot. ¡°It looks like a pain relief potion to me. Mind if I take some once it¡¯s cooled off?¡± I corked the first bottle and placed it on the table before it grew too warm to hold. ¡°Not at all, it''s why I began with this one in the first place, after all.¡±


    Soot didn¡¯t comment on it, at all, just looked at me in silence, before he nodded, and hopped out of the room. Days passed and turned into weeks, and with Soot helping me with my meditation, I was getting a proper feel for how to use magic. There was a sensation when there was enough magic used. It was weak, but I could feel it. If I stopped shortly after getting that sensation, the spell would go as I wanted.


    It was not getting the feeling when making potions, but it was a question of time, more than anything else. If my hunch was correct, at any rate, though only time would tell on that one.


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    Midnight looked up from the armrest she was lazing on and up at Soot. ¡°It must have been purretty nerve wracking to drink that first potion, considering one mistake, and it would have been poisonous still, even if the brewing succeeded.¡± Soot ruffled his wings and then hopped down next to Midnight. ¡°Honestly, that didn¡¯t even occur to me back then. Though, when I consider how painful my wing was, I would have taken the risk even if I knew. It was driving me crazy.¡± I gave both of them some scratches on the head, earning happy chirps from Soon and a delighted purr from Midnight. ¡°We were lucky it worked out, even more so given the rainstorm that hit a few days later¡­¡±


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    I¡¯d just stocked back up on the mushroom and nightshade when the sluices of heaven opened up, but the rain was preventing me from even leaving because of how intense it was. ¡°Sheesh, hey Soot, I haven¡¯t been living here long. Is rain like this normal?¡± Soot turned away from of the window, then hopped from the windowsill and over to the bowl of diced meat he was having for dinner. ¡°Not this intense, no. Sure, autumn has torrential rain, but it¡¯s rare we have a literal waterfall deluge like this.¡± Just then, there was a strange sound from the windowsill.


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    Soot flapped his wings excitedly. ¡°OH, I remember it was-¡± I gently closed my hand around his beak. ¡°No spoiling the surprise now, Soot.¡± I let go of his beak. ¡°Sorry, got too excited.¡± He clicked his beak a few times. ¡°It¡¯s fine Soot, now where was I? Oh, right I¡­¡±


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    Walked over to the window and saw something banging on the glass, attempting to get in and away from the rain, no doubt. I hesitated for a moment before I opened the window and in stumbled a small dark green bundle. I could hear coughing and gagging as I gently picked it up and closed the window again. Then carried the bundle over to the fireplace and placed it down gently in front of it.


    The bundle seemed to respond to the heat, and a few moments later it sat up, revealing that the green was a cloak. ¡°Thanks bigun, thought I was going to drown when that rain surprised me.¡± The little thing tossed off the cloak, revealing two pairs of dragonfly like wings. ¡°You¡¯re welcome. I didn¡¯t know there were fae living near my home, though.¡± The Pixie? Fairy? I honestly couldn¡¯t tell, looked up at me, as if seeing me for the first time. ¡°Huh¡­ you¡¯re a strange bigun.¡± I sat down next to the lil thing. ¡°Strange? How so?¡± The fae wrung the water out of the cloak, then put it down on the floor. ¡°Never seen a bigun with green skin.¡± I could hear Soot chuckle at that statement. I leaned closer to her. ¡°Well, the green skin comes from the fact that I¡¯m a witch.¡±


    The little thing flinched. ¡°A¡­ A witch? You, um¡­ you didn¡¯t save me just to pluck my wings or collect my dust, did you? After all, biguns always want pixie dust, and some also pluck our wings.¡± What an appalling idea. I leaned back and looked at her. ¡°No, I have no such plans. In fact, it¡¯s my opinion that such cruelties are unforgivable. Besides, I make it a point to not harm my guests without a good reason. That includes unexpected ones.¡± The little thing didn¡¯t seem convinced. I went into the potion room and looked up what pixie wings could be used for.


    They could be used for one thing and one thing only, according to the book. Potions of youth. Neat but, one, way above my current skill level, and two, they weren¡¯t necessary for the potion itself, but were a supplement. They made the potion easier to brew and increased the potency, but weren¡¯t a necessity.


    As I returned to the living room, I sat down and opened the page. ¡°If you are still worried, look here.¡± I held the book up so the lil thing could read. ¡°I have no need for your wings. Sure, they could be used in this potion, but it¡¯s way above my current skill level, as I struggle to make beginner potions. If you don¡¯t believe me, ask him.¡± I pointed over to where Soot was still eating.


    Soot looked up from said meal and eyed the pixie. ¡°She ain¡¯t lying. It took her four attempts to get a basic pain relief potion down. If she tried that one at her current skill level, she¡¯d likely blow up the house, and a large amount of the clearing as well.¡± I looked down at the pixie, who seemed much calmer after Soot¡¯s assurances. ¡°As for pixie dust. Again, got nothing to use it on right now. Besides, it would be easier to trade for some when I need it, than to take it by force now, and then have to hunt down pixies that are now hiding from me should I need more in the future.¡±


    The Pixie seemed to ponder my words for a bit. ¡°That makes sense. I¡¯m Ivy, by the by. Nice to meet ya!¡± Ivy said, with a smile, and began giving off a soft viridian glow. ¡°Nice to meet you too, Ivy. I¡¯m Morgana, and my feathered companion over there is Soot.¡± Soot, who was just finishing his meal, hopped off the table with the last piece of steak in his beak, which he offered to Ivy. The pixie hesitated for a moment, then with surprising strength took the piece of meat, which was half her own size, and began eating. ¡°Mmm thwif if yhummyh¡± Whatever fear and doubt the lil thing displayed before, it was now forgotten.


    ¡°Bit of food, and you trust us, eh?¡± The pixie looked at me with confusion for a moment, then swallowed its current mouthful of food. ¡°There is no way someone who makes food this yummy is bad!¡± There were about a thousand flaws in that logic, but it wasn¡¯t like I was going to do anything harmful to the lil thing, and who didn¡¯t like being complimented. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t really follow that logic, but in this case at least, it¡¯s not wrong.¡±


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    ¡°So you met little Ivy that early on, Mother?¡± Winter asked, flew down from her perch to join in on the scratches. ¡°Indeed, and I am pretty sure she would have drowned if we didn¡¯t meet because that deluge didn¡¯t stop for another two days. I¡¯d say it was lucky for both sides, all things considered. Meeting Ivy put me in friendly contact with Nettledale Village, and them with me. Both the village and I have benefitted from that.¡±


    Midnight opened a lazy eye. ¡°I¡¯d say the cute little fireflies have benefitted more than you, Meowstress.¡± She rolled over as I began scratching her tummy. ¡°Oh, I won¡¯t refute that. But their prosperity is our gain as well, since through them, I¡¯ve been able to get access to materials I otherwise wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    Midnight sat up and yawned. ¡°The summer and winter courts, true. Trading with them using the Pixies as intermediaries is far safer than attempting it directly. Erydhe and Ilmahir are unreadable at the best of times, and I feel ill at ease in their presence, even if their behavior has been nothing but cordial.¡± I couldn¡¯t disagree with Midnight on that argument. The local fey rulers were always friendly, but there was always something about them that made me feel¡­ out of sorts. Some sort of otherworldly quality that just made you feel ill at ease.


    Soot was the only one who didn¡¯t seem overly affected by it. However, he was by far the most experienced with things like that of all of us, given his old Master, so that wasn¡¯t surprising. I glanced up at the clock. ¡°Alright, you three, it¡¯s almost midnight, so let¡¯s end it there for today.¡± There was a collective murmur of disappointment from all three. ¡°Now, now, enough of that. We¡¯ll continue tomorrow. Ivy was planning a visit then too, and I¡¯m sure she¡¯d like to listen as well.¡±

 Chapter 3: Of Pixies and Pancakes

    The sunlight filtered in through the windows and woke me up. Dawn, nice and early. I looked to my right, where Midnight always slept, then up at the roosts for Soot and Winter. ¡°Alright, you three, time to get up.¡± Midnight only made a soft murmur, while Winter and Soot didn¡¯t even budge. ¡°Oh, I see you don¡¯t want breakfast then.¡± That got immediate results.


    ¡°Squawk! I¡¯m awake!¡± ¡°Same here, Mother!¡± ¡°Meowstress, that¡¯s not a fun joke.¡± I gave Midnight a light scratch behind the ear. ¡°How can you be sure I am joking?¡± She stretched even as she pushed her head into my hand for more scratches. ¡°Fine, I¡¯m up as well.¡± I confirmed that all three of them were awake and actually getting up, before I left for the bathroom.


    Half an hour later, I was ready to make breakfast. Most of the delays stemmed from the three squabbling over what to have for breakfast, before I just vetoed it all and forced a choice through. Just as I was ready to begin, however, there was a knocking on the window. I pointed at it and the window opened on its own. ¡°Morning, Ivy, you¡¯re early.¡± The small ball of viridian light that was Ivy eagerly flew in and landed on the kitchen table. ¡°Well, I figured, might as well be early then maybe¡­¡± Ivy¡¯s voice trailed off even as miniature utensils, a cup, and a full-sized plate floated from the nearby cupboard and landed on the table. ¡°YAAAY!¡±


    As Ivy was celebrating, Midnight arrived from the living room. ¡°I thought I heard something. You¡¯re early, Ivy, no doubt eager for Meowstress¡¯ cooking.¡± Ivy flitted over to Midnight and landed on her head, then began scratching her behind the ears, earning the pixie a delighted purr from Midnight. ¡°You betcha, Ms. Morgana¡¯s cooking is the best. The entire village agrees on that. I even skipped out on eating when I woke up so I could enjoy more of it. Oh, speaking of, what¡¯s for brekky?¡±


    I stepped aside, showing Ivy what was cooking. ¡°You¡¯re in luck. It¡¯s your favorite.¡± The Pixie¡¯s viridian light became more intense. ¡°European Pancakes.¡± Ivy flew off Midnight¡¯s head and began flying in circles. It wasn¡¯t my usual fare for breakfast, but I knew Ivy would like it, and not that difficult to make when most of the job these days involved a few gestures and some magic.


    Of course, not everyone could eat pancakes, so I was also making a batch of my own homemade meatballs for Midnight and Winter. The two of them settled on that after much discussion. It ranged from ground meat, to steak, the latter of which I vetoed immediately, no dinner for breakfast. To suggesting they should just go out and hunt. Not with guests arriving, they weren¡¯t. In the end, they both seemed happy with meatballs, and knowing Soot, a few of them would go his way as well.


    As for Ivy, the little thing was a black hole for food. She could devour several times her own body weight in food and still fly just fine, so three or four pancakes would do her just fine. Ivy, for her part, stopped her spinning flight and hit her forehead. ¡°Oh, I almost forgot.¡± She landed on the floor and opened the small purse-like pouch hanging from her belt.


    After a few moments of fiddling, which involved putting her entire arm inside and rummaging around. After a few seconds, she found what she was looking for, as she pulled out something that was far larger than the purse itself. I moved next to her. ¡°If that¡¯s what I think it is, the weight will be too much if you pull that out on your own. Let me.¡± Ivy looked up at me with a grateful grin, then unhooked the pouch from the belt and braced herself. ¡°You pull that way, I pull this way.¡± I gave a quick nod and pulled upwards and away from Ivy, and made sure Ivy wouldn¡¯t have to deal with the full weight of the thing.


    A few moments later, I was holding a brand-new broom, masterfully made and with several runes inscribed on the side of the polished handle and on the built-in seat. ¡°Wow, old Tobin has outdone himself. This thing is beautiful. Give my thanks to the old brownie when you see him.¡± Ivy, who fell over when the broom finally left the confines of her enchanted pouch, gave a thumbs up as she sat back up. ¡°Will do. He also asked me to request that you make some of that apple mead for the midsummer festival, as thanks.¡±


    Apple Mead, huh? That could be an issue, since the festival was less than a week away. There was no way I¡¯d be able to brew up a fresh bottle by then. ¡°Midnight, dear. Would you mind checking if we have any of that mead in the pantry? And tell Winter and Soot that breakfast¡¯s almost ready while you¡¯re at it.¡± Midnight rose from her spot at the table and stretched. ¡°Can do, Meowstress, just a moment.¡± as padded into the pantry. About a minute later, she emerged again. ¡°Bad news, Meowstress. No apple mead was in storage, but there was a bottle of strawberry wine. It was an old vintage, if the dust was any sign.¡±


    Old vintage, huh¡­ wait... ¡°What was the year stamped on it?¡± Midnight stopped on the way out the door. ¡°Hmm, ARC 358, I believe, was the year.¡± Midnight then resumed her trot out to fetch Soot and Winter. ARC 358? Huh, I was surprised there was a bottle left of that vintage, as most of it was long since consumed. ¡°Hmm, while old Tobin might be disappointed, there won¡¯t be any mead. That bottle of wine is one of my best brews, so I¡¯m certain he¡¯d enjoy it.¡± As I finished speaking, there was a pinging noise from the stove, signalling everything was cooked to perfection. ¡°Well, let¡¯s worry about that after breakfast, shall we?¡±


    I began setting the table as Midnight came back with Soot and Winter. Ivy gave a happy squeal as she saw them, then flew into Soot and gave him a loving hug. ¡°My bestest bud, how are you?!¡± To Soot¡¯s credit, he kept himself airborne and even managed a somewhat dignified landing at the table. ¡°I¡¯m great, Ivy. It¡¯s good to see you, too.¡± Soot¡¯s voice always got softer when he spoke to the Pixie.


    He never told me the exact details of what caused the two of them to get so close. All I knew was that one evening, Soot arrived back home half dead and with a critically injured Ivy on his back. After they both received intensive care, the two were almost inseparable. Ivy took any excuse to visit, and Soot always volunteered to take the trip to Nettledale whenever deliveries were to be made. Maybe I could convince the two to share that story someday.


    But that was for later. I doubted Soot, Winter and Midnight would be all too happy to interrupt things to go on a side tangent like that today. I looked over at the table, where Ivy was sitting on Winters¡¯ head and singing a merry song about pancakes. Ivy and Soot might be best friends, but Winter was a close second on Ivy¡¯s long list of friends.


    Breakfast itself was a loud, but pleasant affair, and as expected, both Midnight and Winter got stuffed long before all the meatballs were eaten. Which allowed Soot to top off with a few to round out his own meal. Ivy must have really been starving, as she scarfed down seven pancakes with strawberry jam. More than even I could eat for a hearty meal. I still couldn¡¯t fathom how something so small could eat that much and show no outside sign of it.


    After breakfast, I set things up, so the sink would take care of the dishes, then we went into the living room. ¡°Now then, Ivy, I have been telling the other three about how I wound up moving into the swamp.¡± Ivy looked up from where she was lying atop Soot¡¯s head. ¡°Really? How far have you gotten?¡±


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    I gave her a wry grin as I sat down in the chair. ¡°About so far as to have a half-drowned little pixie exclaim that someone who makes great food cannot be bad.¡± Ivy¡¯s eyes sparkled, as she began nodding so fast her small antennae looked like they might fall off. ¡°Truer words have never been spoken. Who was that Pixie any - wait¡­ it¡¯s me, isn¡¯t it?¡± My smile was the answer I gave her, and all she needed. I leaned back as I resumed the tale. ¡°Well then, so¡­¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    Ivy devoured the piece of meat in record time, leaving no trace of it. As she licked her fingers, I got a better look at her. An angular face, with large almond-shaped eyes that if you compared them to a human¡¯s face would cover about one third of the face each. A small pointy nose, leaf green skin, though that might be because of the glow she was giving off.


    Her mouth was filled with small, pointy, teeth and also would be oversized if compared to a human¡¯s. Her arms and hands were human-like. However, her legs looked more akin to those of a grasshopper or locust, even looking like they were covered in carapace rather than skin on the outer thigh and covering the leg completely from the first knee down.


    Her hair was walnut brown, though her current viridian glow distorted that coloration a bit. A pair of small antennae were pointing up from the top of her head, ending in small luminous points that were giving off a slightly deeper shade of green. Now that they were dry again, her wings were also sparkling with an iridescent glow of their own whenever they moved. She was wearing a small white tank-top, a brown vest, gloves, belt and skirt, all made with mobility in mind. Though what material they were made from, or how she even put some clothes on given her wings, I could only guess at.


    She moved closer to the fireplace, enjoying the heat after being drenched and cold. ¡°Ya know, Lady Nettle always says to be careful around biguns, but you seem nice enough. Again, thanks for letting me inside. Given our usual relationship with biguns, I wasn¡¯t expecting it, to be honest.¡± She gave her wings a few experimental flaps and soon after she was airborne again. ¡°How did you even fly in that deluge? I mean, it¡¯s like a literal waterfall.¡±


    Ivy landed on the table next to Soot and gave him a friendly pat on the leg. ¡°With extreme difficulty. Flying with a cloak on is hard. It gets even harder in heavy rain. In this weather, it¡¯s borderline impossible. I was on my way to the sunflower fields past the forest to the east. I left before the deluge started, but I only made it here before I crash-landed on the windowsill once the rain began in earnest. Haven¡¯t seen it so bad in¡­ huh, I think I¡¯ve only seen another deluge like this once, some three centuries ago. Maybe old Tobin has seen another, as he¡¯s the oldest member of the village.¡±


    I looked out the window, where the rain showed no sign of stopping. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s going to stop soon, so you are free to stay, provided you don¡¯t cause any trouble.¡± Ivy did a few loops in the air. ¡°Thanks a bunch, I¡¯ll be on my bestest behavior, you¡¯ll see!¡±


    The rest of the day was pretty slow until dinner. I was feeling nostalgic and made a dish I that it was a while since the last time I made. Pancakes. The recipe¡­


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    ¡°By the way. Ms. Morgana, I have been meaning to ask, what¡¯s European mean?¡± Ivy was lying atop Soot¡¯s head and was now looking at me with a curious expression. I took advantage of the interruption to get something to drink, before I answered.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ complicated, basically in this context it means the region the recipe I am using to make the pancakes stem from. Different recipes from different places. European pancakes are thin and wide. US pancakes are thick and small and with a distinct taste and consistency from the European version. The toppings are also different, as maple syrup is used with US pancakes, an ingredient I haven¡¯t been able to locate at all, in all the years I¡¯ve lived here.¡± Ivy looked disappointed at that news, but said nothing, so I resumed the tale. ¡°Now then, as I was saying, the pancake recipe¡­¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    ¡­Was an old family recipe. Eggs, melted butter, flour, milk, a small amount of sugar and salt. It disappointed me I couldn¡¯t add the usual secret ingredient, but vanilla sugar was not something I could find in the pantry, and it was not something I knew how to make. I would have to make do, for now.


    At least strawberry jam was in the pantry, and a lot at that. I considered using sugar as a topping, but considering how¡­ energetic our little new friend was, I somehow felt that might be a bad idea. As I began cooking the batter, the scent attracted both of my guests, as Ivy flew in, followed by Soot hopping after her. ¡°Watcha makin¡¯?¡±


    Ivy landed on my shoulder and eyed the pancake batter with interest. ¡°Pancakes, to be more exact, European pancakes.¡± Ivy tilted her head. ¡°Never heard of that dish, but it smells delicious.¡± I nuzzled her back a bit. ¡°Careful now, I do not know how pixie dust might affect the batter. Worst-case scenario, the dinner becomes a write-off.¡±


    Ivy took off and landed on Soot¡¯s head. ¡°Fair enough, I¡¯ll just hang out with¡­ Soot was it?¡± The raven ruffled his good wing. ¡°That it is. Say Morgana, I¡¯m feeling bad freeloading like this, seeing as you¡¯ve even helped me with my wing and everything. Anything I can do to help?¡±


    I flipped the pancake, then looked down at the duo. ¡°In your current condition, the best thing you can do for both me and yourself is to relax and not strain yourself. The last thing we need is for you to wind up in another accident.¡± Soot chirped quietly, as if mulling over my response. ¡°I¡­ can see the point of that, very well. I¡¯ll relax in the living room with Ivy.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take me long to finish up once I got going, and soon everyone was at the kitchen table, ready to eat. Although, serving the meal to both of my guests required me to do all the prep work for all three of us because Ivy was too small to put the jam onto the pancakes, then roll them, and Soot lacked hands to do the job with. ¡°I could have just used my beak or feet.¡± I gave him a light bop on the head with my index finger. ¡°Not where food is concerned, you¡¯re not. I can handle that with no issues, thank you.¡±


    Soot picked up one of the rolled up pieces of pancake and, after a slight hesitation, swallowed. ¡°Oof hot, hot, hot!¡± I hurried to give Soot some cold water to drink. ¡°Thanks. The heat aside, this is tasty.¡± Ivy, for her part, was deliberating where to begin, as the pieces of pancake were large, and lifting them could cause them to unfurl.


    After a few moments, she just began eating them while they were still on the plate. The effect was immediate. The moment she had her first bite, she created a pleasant sounding dinging noise by slamming her antenna together. ¡°Twhish ish SOH GHOODH!¡±


    She finished the piece I cut off for her in record time. Then, to my astonishment, grabbed the end of the reminder of the pancake and seemed to just inhale the entire thing, as it disappeared down her gullet in record time. As far as I could tell, she didn¡¯t even chew. She sat on the edge of the plate, licking her mouth and with a big, pleased grin plastered all over her face. ¡°That was tasty. Can I have another?¡± I blinked a few times. ¡°Um¡­ sure, but would you mind if I finish mine first?¡± Ivy nodded without hesitation. ¡°Sure, I bet they are tastier warm after all.¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    ¡°And I am right, of course, sure cold pancakes aren¡¯t bad, but warm ones are so much tastier! Pancakes should be every meal.¡± Midnight stood up and stretched. ¡°If pancakes were all we ate, you¡¯d grow tired of them really fast. And even if you didn¡¯t, Meowstress and Soot certainly would.¡± Ivy gasped in horror. ¡°Say it ain¡¯t so, Soot. You wouldn¡¯t get sick of pancakes¡­ would you?¡± Before Soot could answer, there was a knock on the door. ¡°Well now, who could that be?¡± I stood up and walked towards the entrance. As I opened it, I was greeted with an unexpected sight. ¡°Hello, Lady Nettle, and hello to you as well, Lilly. To what do I owe the pleasure?¡±

 Chapter 4: A broomstick and a choice.

    I stepped aside and gestured for the two pixies to enter. ¡°There will be no need for that. Ms. Morgana. We are only here to pick up a certain someone.¡± She glanced past me and over to where Ivy was sitting. I turned around. ¡°Ivy, it would seem you¡¯ve forgotten something again.¡± Ivy looked my way. ¡°What did I for-¡± She flinched as she noticed the deep purple glow of Nettle and the white glow of Lilly. ¡°Oh, I forgot that, didn¡¯t I? Sorry guys, I gotta go. I should have been helping to prep for the festival!¡± She did a short loop to give Soot, Winter and Midnight a quick hug each, then zoomed past me out the door at full speed.


    ¡°Well, at least she is owning up to her mistakes these days.¡± I noted as I watched the viridian ball disappear into the trees. Nettle just shrugged in response. ¡°That does not excuse her tardiness. Though I suppose it is an improvement.¡± Nettle¡¯s response might seem cold and detached, but I knew few inhabitants cared more for the happiness and wellbeing of Nettledale¡¯s inhabitants, than Lady Nettle.


    In response to Nettles¡¯ statement, Soot took off and flew over. ¡°To Ivy¡¯s defense, Milady, Mistress, served pancakes for breakfast.¡± It was subtle, but Nettles¡¯ reaction was obvious. ¡°I have a few left over, though they will have cooled off by now¡­¡± Nettle and Lilly glanced at one another. ¡°I would be remiss to refuse such a generous offer, but we are on the festival committee¡­¡± Nettles voice trailed off, and I could see the battle of wills going on behind her stoic expression.


    "Well, that¡¯s not a concern, Lady Nettle, you can have it to-go. Just finish it before you get back to the village, or you might spark a pancake induced riot." At the mention of a riot, I saw Nettle shudder. Lilly, for her part, gave a distressed tingle. ¡°Please don¡¯t remind us, the entire village almost tore itself apart the last time. There is a reason pancakes are banned within the village perimeter.¡± As she spoke, two cold pancakes with no filling floated out from the kitchen and shrank down to a size the two pixies could comfortably handle.


    ¡°If it helps your conscience in taking them, consider it an apology from me for forcing you to come all this way to fetch Ivy again.¡± Nettle hesitated for a moment. ¡°This feels awfully close to a bribe.¡± However, she relented when she saw Lilly grab hers and didn¡¯t even wait to eat. ¡°Me, bribing you? That¡¯d be the day. The stories of what you did to the last person who attempted such a thing are still the stuff of nightmares for underhanded businessmen across the kingdoms to this day. You¡¯re a boogeyman in that regard, Lady Nettle. How many eyes have that needle of yours blinded for attempting to deceive or abuse pixies?¡±


    Nettle pulled the needle from her back. It was rusty and old, likely older than I was. In her hands, it was like rusty a lance with a point so sharp it could easily pierce even thin sheets of metal, despite its corroded nature. That might be a suitable gift for nettle for the midsummer festival.


    Nettle eyed the needle with the same expression a trained warrior would eye their favorite weapon. ¡°I have long since lost count, but there are far more than I would like. Despite the deterrent I have become, biguns of various species still think to take advantage of my kind, after all.¡± She slid the needle back in its holster. "But that¡¯s neither here nor there. You, Ms. Morgana have always proven to be a friend to our kind." She gave one of her rare smiles, before she and Lilly turned around towards the forest once more. ¡°I look forward to seeing you at the festival.¡± I gave a polite nod, then waved them off.


    Soot flew over and landed on my shoulder. ¡°Nettle and Lilly, a strange pair, those two.¡± I reached over and scratched Soot behind the head, earning a few chirps in response. ¡°They might be strange, but I am quite certain there is a reason for it. After all, they are both ancient even by pixie standards. Not to mention, they are the only pixies to ever reach the rank of Noble in both courts of the Fae. An unprecedented exception to the law of one court. But also unusual for Pixies, given their carefree attitudes, makes it so they don¡¯t care for court rank at all.¡±


    Soot clicked his beak in response. ¡°Well, this has been enough of a distraction, I think. What¡¯s next on the story agenda? I mean, after meeting Ivy, there was just boring daily routine stuff with not much happening for months. Even more so since it was late autumn, so Ivy and the rest of Nettledale were preparing for winter hibernation, so she wouldn¡¯t show herself again until the following spring.¡± Soot flew off my shoulder and flew circles around the room as he spoke.


    I walked over to my chair and gave both Winter and Midnight their own scratches. ¡°Not entirely true. There was one event you¡¯re forgetting.¡± Soot landed and tilted his head inquisitively, obviously racking his brain to remember what I was referring to, then seemed to remember. ¡°Oh¡­ that. How could I forget that?¡± This earned inquisitive glances from both Midnight and Winter. I leaned back in the chair. ¡°Well¡­¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    Winter was here, and it was cold! The entire swamp was turned into a giant ice block, and snow was piling up by the day. Sure, I was a bit more used to the cold than most from Ireland. But I was not used to an average winter temperature of -20oC, if the mercury thermometer outside my house was anything to go by. They weren¡¯t perfect, but they were accurate enough. There was, however, one upside to all the snow. It made for a nice cushion.


    Over the past few months, I made my first broom. It was a rickety, clunky and crude creation. But it did the job as a cleaning tool. I was, however, horrible at riding the damn thing. With no sense of balance at all. Soot was still around, too. His wing was mended, but he insisted on keeping it bound up longer, just in case. He found my attempts at riding the broom quite amusing. It wasn¡¯t helping that I couldn¡¯t come up with a good way to make a spell to help me keep myself balanced on the damn thing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand, Morgana. What¡¯s the point of trying to fly using the broom? Wouldn¡¯t it be easier to just fashion a flight spell?¡± I sat up from the snow pile I landed in this time. ¡°I could make a flight spell, but that would be a constant drain on my magic, have a time limit, and I couldn¡¯t cast anything else unless I wanted to shorten my flight time. The enchantment I put on the broom is permanent, has no limit on flight time, nor drain on my reserves, and if I could just learn how to keep my damn balance, I could cast other spells as well.¡± I brushed off the snow from my clothes and extracted myself from the latest pile of snow.


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    I looked up at the landing, where Soot was sitting. ¡°And what about you? We both know your wing was healed a long time ago. Isn¡¯t it time you let it out of the binding and try to fly again?¡± Soot jumped backward in surprise at my sudden question. ¡°Well¡­ I¡­¡± I climbed up onto the landing and got myself under the roof and away from the snow. ¡°Be honest with me, Soot, it¡¯s obvious something¡¯s bothering you, so out with it.¡±


    Soot scratched his foot along the plank flooring. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want to leave, and as long as my wing is bandaged, I can stay.¡± I blinked. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s it? Well, I don¡¯t mind you staying if that¡¯s what you want. I was going to extend that offer anyway, as I¡¯ve grown quite used to having you around.¡± Soot looked up at me in silent contemplation for a moment. ¡°That won¡¯t do. I can¡¯t just freeload off you like this. It¡¯s fair enough that you¡¯ve been treating my wing, but I can¡¯t just stay around like a¡­ a pet!¡± That last part was spat out with a sense of absolute disgust.


    It would seem Soot took pride in not being anyone¡¯s pet, and I didn¡¯t really have a suitable response to that. So I just sat there for a moment, looking at him in silence, then it hit me. ¡°I can think of one thing that solves that, isn¡¯t it?¡± Soot looked up at me and clicked his beak in anticipation of my suggestion.


    ¡°Tell me, Soot, what do witches and wizards have in common?¡± He remained silent for a while. ¡°They¡­ both have fam- Oh. OH! Hmm¡­ you have a good point. That way I wouldn¡¯t be freeloading, but actually be useful, and I could stay as well. And you have proven yourself as someone I can trust¡­ I¡­ Give me some time to think about it, ok?¡±


    I gave his head a loving pat. ¡°I don¡¯t mind at all. It¡¯s a big decision, after all, but meanwhile, let¡¯s get your wing out of that binder. If we keep it like that when there is no need for it, it will do more harm than good eventually.¡± Soot clacked his beak a few times, but didn¡¯t stop me from removing the bandage and binder.


    Once freed, he gave his wing an experimental flap. ¡°Ack that stings. It¡¯s all pins and needles.¡± He kept trying to move it, though it was clear it was painful. "I can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised. You haven¡¯t moved the wing in months, so your muscles are weakened, stiff, and out of practice. I recommend taking it slow and training the muscles in your wing back up before you attempt to fly, unless you wish to take a swan dive into the snow, that is." Soot chirped for a bit before he gave it a few weak flaps with his wings and winced. ¡°I¡¯ll take your advice in that regard, I think.¡±


    Two hours later, I was still mulling over how to enchant the damn broom. ¡°Enchant this seat so gravity I can beat? No, no, no, too much mana needed to cancel gravity, but what rhymes with balance?¡± I heard some chirping behind me. ¡°Mind if I give a suggestion?¡± I looked down at Soot. ¡°Not at all. Go ahead.¡±


    Soot hopped up on the small makeshift seat I had attached to the broom. ¡°Flying high and far on this broom is my call, so enchant this seat, so I won¡¯t fall. That should do it. It¡¯s simple and easy and explains exactly what you want to do, while challenging none of the larger concepts of reality.¡± I reached down and gave Soot a few scratches behind the head.


    ¡°Thanks, Soot, I¡¯ll try that.¡± Soot flinched for a moment as I touched his head, but relaxed as I began scratching him gently. Soon he was cooing in delight. After a few moments, Soot jumped off so I could enchant the seat without putting the enchantment on him by accident.


    ¡°Flying high and far on this broom is my call, so enchant this seat, so I won¡¯t fall.¡± The drain of magic both from me and the surrounding air was high, but in difference from my earlier attempts, which I aborted immediately to not cause a surge, it wasn¡¯t so much that I couldn¡¯t handle it. Though, it was on the edge of what I could handle. Once it was done, I felt lightheaded and dizzy.


    Soot hopped over next to me and looked up at my face. ¡°Hmm, paleness, glassy eyes, and signs of exhaustion. Your mana reserves running on empty, eh? We should see if we could get you some food. That will perk you right up.¡± I gave him a tired smile. ¡°Sounds like a plan. As tempting as it is to give the broom another whirl, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to fly straight given how much the room is spinning.¡±


    Soot hopped backwards a bit. ¡°If the room is spinning, we¡¯re postponing the food situation. Go lie down on the couch. You¡¯ll pass out any second.¡± I didn¡¯t feel like I was about to pass out, but then again, Soot knew more about mana depletion than I did. I tried to stand up, but there was no chance of that happening, so I settled on crawling over to it and lifting myself onto it. No sooner did I lie down before my eyes closed, and I was out like a light.


    I woke up several hours later. It was dark outside and the full moon was shining through the windows. Soot was sleeping on the table next to me. I rose and went out into the kitchen. I was famished. After closing the door to the living room, so I wouldn¡¯t wake Soot, I made a simple yet tasty meal of meatballs and mashed potatoes, a meal I knew Soot enjoyed.


    Once it was finished, I filled two plates and grabbed some cutlery, then carried them both back into the living room. I placed the two plates down on the table, then woke Soot up with a few gentle scratches behind the head. ¡°Hey Soot, sorry to wake you, but I made us some food if you want some.¡±


    He chirped and clacked his beak a bit, then opened his eyes and saw what I made. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s nice, thanks.¡± He hopped over to his plate and ate, as I sat down and did the same. ¡°There is more in the kitchen if you want more.¡± Soot looked up at me as he gulped down another helping of meatball and mashed potato. ¡°More? Are we celebrating, or something? You rarely make more than one plate for each of us.¡± I held up two fingers, since my mouth was full of food.


    ¡°Two things? Hmm, I can guess one, the successful enchantment, but what¡¯s the other?¡± I reached out and lightly tapped his mended wing. ¡°Huh? Oh, right, my wing, I forgot about it being loose now, been so long since I¡¯ve used it¡­.¡± His voice trailed off. And he seemed to be in deep thought. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ve thought about what you suggested earlier. It¡¯s a tough decision to make, given my last experience with that, but¡­ you¡¯ve never done wrong by me, so sure. I¡¯ll become your familiar.¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    Midnight jumped from the armrest and over to the table where Soot was sitting. Once there, she leaned in and nuzzled his neck. ¡°I, for one, can say that I am happy about it. After all, if it wasn¡¯t for you, I never would have met Meowstress.¡± She swapped to licking his beak as she talked, her usual sign of endearment with Soot, who begrudgingly let her.


    Winter flew over as well, and the three were soon just a pile of cuddling familiars. ¡°I am happy that you both are here, Uncle Soot and Aunt Midnight. Mother is nice, of course, but this house wouldn¡¯t be the same without you.¡± All three of them stopped openly talking and hooted, chirped and purred instead. Seeing all three of them busy, I silently got up and went into the kitchen. It was almost lunchtime, after all.

 Chapter 5: A trip to Nekkal

    Lunch was a rather simple affair, cold chicken, bread and salad. Nothing fancy, nothing heavy. Once I served it, I got mumbles of approval from all three. Today¡¯s breakfast was quite hefty, after all, so a light lunch was just what we all needed. ¡°Say, have you three thought of the midsummer gifts to give out at the festival, or do you want to join in on mine again?¡± Their deafening silence was all the answer I needed.


    ¡°Fair enough. The wine bottle that Midnight found will be the general gift. Speaking of which, I will need to brew some more mead. I guess that means we are going to Nekkal for some honey. As for personal gifts to close friends¡­ I was thinking of giving Ivy a quartz crystal for her ¡®shiny collection¡¯ thoughts?¡± Soot looked up from his plate. ¡°I¡¯d suggest giving her an amethyst instead, since she found a quartz crystal a while back.¡±


    An amethyst, eh? ¡°Should be doable. Transmutation isn¡¯t my forte, but it¡¯s not that difficult to change quartz to amethyst. As for Nettles gift, I have something special planned. I will need to involve Lilly, though.¡± The others looked at me, but I just gave them a conspiratorial smile.


    After lunch, I picked up the new broom from old Tobin. ¡°Well, we need to go to Nekkal, so let¡¯s get this over with. And before you ask, yes, I can continue the story on our way there. Now then, let¡¯s go.¡± I hopped onto the seat of my new broom in the usual sidesaddle position. I learned early on that riding in any other fashion was both uncomfortable and undignified. As I hovered over the ground, Midnight jumped into my lap, while Winter perched on top of my hat and Soot landed on my shoulder. This would allow the enchantment on the broom to affect them as well, preventing them from falling off.


    "Now, then, we need honey. Anything else we need to add while in Nekkal?" Midnight looked up at me. ¡°It would be prudent to fetch some more milk, and eggs, Meowstress. We are running low on both.¡± I made a mental note to drop in at Appleridge Farm on the way back for fresh milk and eggs. ¡°Thanks for the heads-up, Midnight. It would be annoying to find out we were out at a crucial moment. Now then, since we have a bit of time before we get to Nekkal, how about I continue where we left off?¡± The three of them all cheered at that suggestion. ¡°Alright, so Soot just agreed to¡­¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    ¡°¡­ Become your Familiar.¡± I reached over and gave him some loving scratches. ¡°Nice, I guess I should say welcome to your new home then. Want another helping?¡± He looked down at his almost empty plate with a half-lidded eye. ¡°Sure, but it can wait a minute or two...¡± That earned him a chuckle from me. ¡°I don¡¯t mind at all.¡±


    About an hour later, Soot was lying stomach up on the table, with his stomach looking fit to burst. ¡°I¡­ think I overdid it.¡± I gazed down at him as I began cleaning up. ¡°Well, I suggested stopping after the third portion, so any suffering you are experiencing is self-inflicted and thus earned.¡± Soot groaned. ¡°I would come up with some witty remark in response to that¡­ but I have to agree, ugh, my stomach. Next time I try to go for a fourth helping, would you mind doing me a favor and stop me?¡±


    I gave his beak a light tap. ¡°Sure, I can do that. Now why don¡¯t you do us both a favor and stay there while I read up on the familiar ritual?¡± Soot lazily lifted a wing. ¡°As if I could move in my current state.¡± I shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s what you get for being a glutton. Anyway, I¡¯ll just fetch the book and read it here.¡± My only reply was a weak, incoherent chirp.


    Let¡¯s see, which book would show familiar rituals? I scanned the many titles on the tomes, most of which were still obscured, to show I wasn¡¯t ready for them. Wait, familiars is a basic thing, isn¡¯t it? I grabbed the book and looked up the table of contents. Page 874, Familiar Rituals. Perfect.


    I went back into the living room and flipped through the tome to get to the page. ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s see, there are three basic familiar rituals¡­¡± The first one was the Ritual of Eternal Servitude. From its description, I was pretty sure it was what Soot was under earlier. Unquestioning obedience, even suicidal orders, would be followed. The very idea of that was filling my mouth with bile.


    The second I dismissed as soon as I read about it, since its description made it sound like the familiar would be treated like a pet, something Soot already showed extreme disdain for. As for the third¡­ Life-binding Bond. The major draw for this ritual was that it added the lifespan of the familiar(s) and the Familiar(s) master together to determine how long they would live. The familiars were still subordinate in the bond relationship, but were free to refuse orders with no downsides. However, the familiars couldn¡¯t do anything to harm their Master, while the master could punish the familiars. I was iffy on that last bit, but it was the best of my three options.


    I read the three available rituals out loud for Soot. ¡°You¡¯re doing ritual number one and two over my dead body, you hear me?¡± It was difficult to take him seriously, as he was still too full to move. But his voice left no room for doubt that he was serious. ¡°That leaves just Life-binding Bond.¡± I gently lifted Soot up and helped him onto his feet. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯m fine with that last one. It doesn¡¯t encroach on my free will any more than necessary, and it has some perks for me, too. Besides, I doubt there would be any better familiar ritual out there.¡±


    Well, if he approved¡­. I began looking into what we needed. ¡°Hmm, that could be a slight issue.¡± Soot tilted his head and walked around so he could see what was written. ¡°Oh, we need a ritual altar and wait for a lunar eclipse. The Lunar eclipse is just a waiting game. But the Altar, there¡¯s no way we¡¯ll be able to get the stone for that before the ground thaws.¡±


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    I agreed with Soots¡¯ assessment. Thawing out the stone with magic would be doable, but trying to get a stone slab the size I needed when I would have to constantly expose it to repeated heating and cooling? It would crumble to dust. ¡°I guess we¡¯re waiting until spring, then.¡±


    Soot gave an affirmative chirp. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. The ritual altar for this requires a singular stone slab for the altar. And trying to get that while fighting off the cold¡­ If you possessed another five decades of magic experience¡­ maybe. However, since your magic reserves aren¡¯t big enough to just rip a slab out of the ground, or conjure one out of nothing, it¡¯s just not happening.¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    Soot ruffled his feathers a bit. ¡°That winter was such a drag after that. Though I will admit that in hindsight, I¡¯m happy you talked me in to stay until spring even if I would be freeloading. It got bad towards the end there.¡± I reached up and scratched him on his neck, below the beak. ¡°Yeah, those blizzards hit hard out of nowhere.¡± As I spoke, I saw Nekkal come into view.


    As a courtesy to the city guard, I landed a way off and approached on foot. Mostly because attempting to fly in would set off several magical alarms and would be a pain to sort out. As I approached the guards in their polished breastplates and navy-blue uniforms, they looked up and gave me a sideways glance, but let me pass with no fuss.


    Nekkal is a big town these days, far removed from its humble beginnings as three houses and a small meeting hall. Cobblestone streets, uniformed guards patrolling and providing security, sturdy stone walls keeping out wildlife. ¡°I remember when this was just a muddy, ramshackle village.¡± Midnight mumbled as we entered the market square. Soot looked down at her from my shoulder. ¡°I remember when Mistress found this place, it was only a handful of houses surrounding a single communal farm out in the middle of nowhere.¡± Winter said nothing. Then again, considering how still she was sitting, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she was taking a nap.


    It didn¡¯t take long to find what I was looking for. ¡®Ser Gr¨¹nwald¡¯s Finest Honey¡¯ The store imported honey from outside the region. Arthur Gr¨¹nwald himself was a thickset, but friendly, middle-aged man, with a small graying beard and short grey hair that was showing signs of balding. I¡¯d done business with his family for two generations now, and his son Peter was looking set to make it a third soon. His father, Markus, moved in here and made a modest living importing honey until I got a taste of some of it. The best honey I¡¯d ever tasted. After my endorsement, his business boomed as the local bigwigs took an interest.


    As I entered the store, I could hear arguing. ¡°I am sorry, Ser. But as I have said multiple times now, these are reserved, and I cannot sell them to you.¡± Arthur was arguing with a scrawny, pale man that wore the usual butler¡¯s attire. The head servant of one of the local nobles, no doubt. ¡°And I say that whomever you are holding those for cannot possibly be more important than Milord and Milady.¡± Arthur noticed me, and a look of relief flooded over his face.


    ¡°If you think so, then why don¡¯t you ask her yourself, as she is standing right behind you.¡± The butler turned around, his mouth open and ready to steamroll me with arguments about why the reserved goods were to be sold to him, no doubt. But he froze the moment he recognized me. A common reaction, as I worked quite hard early on to build a reputation that I was not someone you messed with once I realized I¡¯d have to deal with people again. ¡°O-oh, Ms. Morgana, h-how pleasant to meet you. Sylas Graves, a-at your service¡­. Y-you know Gr¨¹nwald, I¡­ I think Milord and Milady can make do with the usual honey from Kanderin, and let¡¯s finish quickly. I¡¯d not wish to delay Ms. Morgana from fetching what¡¯s hers.¡±


    The butler finished his business in record time and hurried out as fast as he could. Arthur sighed in relief, then looked up at me with his usual jovial smile. ¡°He must be new in town. Most of the noble servants know I only reserve stock for one person, and one person only. Speaking of which, Ms. Morgana, it¡¯s been a while, so I take it you will be taking the lot?¡± I gave him a pleasant smile in return as I pulled out my money pouch.


    ¡°Indeed, Arthur, I¡¯ll take all of them, have some brewing to do.¡± At the news, Arthur rubbed his hands together. ¡°Alright then, four 15 gallon jars of my best Jaldon Vale Honey coming right up, Ms. Morgana. That will be 9 gold, 50 silver and 37 copper. I know, I know, it¡¯s expensive. Unfortunately, there¡¯s unrest in the Jaldon Vale region, so import prices have soared. My most humble apologies.¡±


    I knew Arthur wouldn¡¯t be fibbing. He was honest to a fault and never tried to fleece his customers. A silent spell later and my suspicions were confirmed. Arthur was selling those jars to me at a loss. ¡°Here¡¯s 10 gold Arthur, now stop selling at a loss, you¡¯ll go bankrupt. And then who¡¯ll supply my honey?¡± Arthur blinked in surprise for a moment, then bowed his head in a gesture of gratitude. ¡°As always, Ms.Morgana, your kindness knows no bounds.¡± I just waved him off. ¡°Enough of that, Arthur, you¡¯re making this awkward. I take it these are the jars in question?¡±


    Arthur looked back up and resumed his usual jovial demeanor in an instant. ¡°Indeed, Ms. Morgana.¡± I unclasped my small storage pouch and a few moments later, the jars shrunk in size and disappeared inside. ¡°Five decades, and that sight still fascinates me. If you pardon my curiosity, Ms. Morgana, is there a limit to how much you can store in there?¡± I shrugged. ¡°If there is, I haven¡¯t found it yet. Now, Arthur, I would love to stay and chat, but I have to get to Appleridge for some more ingredients, so have a nice day, and we will see each other again later.¡± I gave a polite nod and wave as I left the store.


    With my business at Arthur¡¯s done, I headed back towards the gatehouse. ¡°Well then, we have some time before we get to Appleridge. Should I continue the tale?¡± Midnight looked up at me. ¡°I think that would be unfair to Winter, since she¡¯s still asleep.¡± So she was napping. I reached up and gently poked her. ¡°Hey sleepyhead, how long do you intend on snoozing?¡± I received a sleepy mumble in reply. ¡°Well, I guess that means we won¡¯t be getting any more story time until she wakes back up.¡± The other two looked somewhat annoyed at this development, but it couldn¡¯t be helped.

 Chapter 6: Appleridge Farm and the making of an altar.

    Appleridge farm was one of the oldest farms in the region. It was built 180 years ago by a couple of Fauns named Allen and Faye, and their family was still running the place to this day. To be more exact, their grandson, Alder, and his wife, Gwen, were the one running it these days. I was a regular customer of theirs, as they consistently produced the best fruits and other farm products in the region. Granted, it was because I put a spell on their land that made it supernaturally fertile while also keeping pests at bay.


    The town used to benefit from a similar spell, but¡­ Bah, didn¡¯t want to dwell on that debacle, not now. As I landed in their front yard, I gave Gwen a friendly wave. ¡°Hi there, Gwen, how goes it?¡± She looked up from some knitting she was doing. ¡°Hello Morgana, how delightful to see you. Everything¡¯s fine here, though Alder¡¯s being a bit of a worrywart.¡± She patted her bulging belly as she spoke.


    ¡°Must be any day now, eh?¡± She gave a happy nod. ¡°Indeed, which means we can¡¯t take part in the festival this year, unfortunately.¡± Midnight hopped off my broom and ran over to Gwen and hopped into her lap. Gwen smiled down at her. ¡°Well now, hello to you too Midnight.¡± She began scratching her behind the ears, earning a delighted purr in response.


    I put the broom into my storage bag. ¡°I take it the rest of the family¡¯s tending the orchard?¡± Gwen looked up from her patting. ¡°Almost everyone. Faye¡¯s inside, since she¡¯s baking an apple pie. Though I am guessing you¡¯re here for Alder or Allen.¡± As she spoke, she flinched for a moment, which interrupted her patting of Midnight.


    ¡°The baby, I take it?¡± Gwen gave a silent smile in reply. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll find Alder. Enjoy yourselves.¡± I gave Gwen a friendly wave and left towards the orchard with a relaxed trot. As I arrived, there were signs of frantic activity among the various fruit trees. Because of the enchantment I cast on the grove, there were multiple harvest seasons between spring and autumn, and this latest one was in full swing.


    If I weren¡¯t mistaken, they were busy harvesting a peach and apple harvest. Hmm, Peach mead? No, NOPE. Horrible idea. Peaches tasted horrible when mixed with honey. ¡°Hmm? Oy, Morgana. Fancy seeing you here.¡± I looked towards the source of the voice.


    ¡°Alder, doing well, I hope?¡± He shrugged as he put down the crate of fruit he was holding. ¡°Oh, I can¡¯t complain. Although, I won¡¯t lie, with Gwen expecting any moment now, I¡¯m all out of sorts. I need to work, so I won¡¯t dissolve into a nervous wreck.¡± I walked over to the crate of apples. ¡°Then I guess you won¡¯t complain about some haggling?¡±


    That caused Alder to break into a big grin. ¡°Now we¡¯re talking. What¡¯s on your shopping list today?¡± Soot hopped off my shoulder. ¡°Since this will undoubtedly take a while, I¡¯ll take a long flight around the farm, stretch my wings.¡± As he took off, we got down to business.


    Three hours later, we finally settled on a price for the wares. ¡°I¡¯ll say it again, Morgana. You drive a hard bargain when you want to. Any lower, and I¡¯d be making no bank at all from that.¡± That caused me to chuckle, as three crates of apples disappeared into my pouch.


    ¡°Perhaps, but it took your mind off things, didn¡¯t it?¡± Alder blinked, then burst into laughter. ¡°True enough. Let¡¯s fetch those eggs and other produce, shall we?¡± As he said so, I could hear some clicking from Winter¡¯s beak. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re awake. I hope your nap was pleasant.¡±


    Winter replied with a soft hoot. ¡°I must admit, Mother, I didn¡¯t expect to fall asleep. The sun was just so nice and warm and the soft rolling from you walking lulled me to sleep before I knew it. Oh, Hello Mr. Thorne, I hope you¡¯re doing well.¡± Alder glanced up at Winter and shot her a friendly smile. ¡°As well as I can be, given the wife¡¯s expecting any day now. So obviously, I¡¯m a nervous wreck.¡±


    Winter tilted her head. ¡°I see. Well, I wish the both of you best of luck with the upcoming birth.¡± Alder took a deep breath. ¡°Thanks for the well-wishes. I appreciate it.¡± I reached up and gave Winter some pats. ¡°Well, I hope you are ready to get an earful from Soot and Midnight, since I postponed story time so you wouldn¡¯t miss out.¡± Winter gave a few worried chirps. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s fair. Oh, and thanks for waiting, Mother.¡±


    Well, Winter would manage, and the two wouldn¡¯t go too far. The three of us went to fetch the eggs, milk and also some oranges. I didn¡¯t know where they got the seeds to plant oranges, let alone how they stopped the trees from dying during winter, but I wasn¡¯t about to refuse a nice source of vitamin C. Besides, orange juice was nice for breakfast.


    With everything stored away, and payment given, it was time to head back. I waved goodbye to Alder and went back to fetch Midnight. ¡°Alright, we got what we needed. Let¡¯s head home. See you later, Gwen, and best of luck!¡± Midnight got off Gwen¡¯s lap reluctantly, then padded over to me. ¡°Where¡¯s Soot?¡± I shrugged as I got ready for takeoff. ¡°Out flying. He should spot us once we get off the ground.¡±


    Midnight hopped back into my lap and I slowly ascended above the farmhouse. A few moments later, Soot landed on my shoulder. ¡°It figures it would take you forever to finish haggling, was considering flying home by myself.¡± I couldn¡¯t contain a scoff at that. ¡°We both know you wouldn¡¯t since you¡¯d miss the next part of the story, speaking of which, where was I?¡±


    Soot ruffled his wings and tilted his head for a moment. ¡°If memory serves, you were at the point we were waiting for winter to end so we could get a rock slab big enough for a ritual altar. The rest of that winter was slow as molasses, because of repeated late-winter storms. It might be better if we just skip to late spring when the altar was done. I mean, not much of interest happened between winter and getting our hands on a stone slab big enough. Especially if you consider, we just found an enormous boulder and chipped away at it with magic to make the altar, rater than quarrying for a slab big enough.¡±


    Well, Soot wasn¡¯t wrong, per se, but¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll agree to most of that. I think I will explain how we got the altar done, though. It was¡­¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    An unforeseen complication I didn¡¯t consider. But as luck would have it, it wasn¡¯t as bad as it could have been. Soot and I were in front of a massive boulder. Ivy was flitting back and forth in front of us. ¡°See? I told ya that I knew where to find a rock big enough for what you¡¯d need.¡± She stopped flying and hovered in front of me with a hopeful expression. ¡°Fair enough, Ivy. You pulled through for us, so I invite you to join us for a pancake dinner tonight as a reward.¡±


    Ivy began doing loops from sheer happiness. ¡°Yay, pancakes! Oh, how I¡¯ve missed the taste of those culinary marvels!¡± Her obsession with pancakes was¡­ worrisome. However, there was still that unforeseen problem. ¡°Now for the hard part, getting this thing back home.¡± Ivy looked at the giant boulder, then at me. ¡°Ya know, I might help ya out with that if, it¡¯ll get me my pancakes faster!¡± Her eager expression spoke volumes.


    I glanced at Soot. ¡°Well I certainly don¡¯t possess enough magic reserves to levitate this thing all the way back home, even after spending most of the winter improving my abilities, so if you know a way, I won¡¯t complain.¡± Ivy flew up to the boulder and opened her own little bag. A few seconds later and the boulder was just¡­ gone. ¡°That¡¯s a nifty item. I should see if I can make my own.¡±


    Ivy seemed quite pleased as she grinned at me. ¡°Hmm, I might see if I can get you something tasty for dessert, too.¡± Ivy¡¯s expression changed to one of confusion. ¡°What¡¯s a dessert?¡± So that wasn¡¯t a common thing here, eh? I gave Ivy a friendly smile. ¡°Let¡¯s leave that as a surprise, one that I know you will enjoy.¡±


    It took us about an hour to get back to the hut from the valley where the boulder was, and most of that trip was Ivy attempting to learn what a dessert was. Once back at the hut, I looked around for a suitable spot to make the altar. I decided on a small island surrounded by a pond of water, with a shallow land bridge leading to said island. Just a short walk from my house itself.


    Ivy landed and inverted her pouch, causing the still shrunken boulder to land at the center of the island. Then she was pushed away as the thing expanded at a rapid pace. So fast, she was sent careening into the water. I offered the broom handle to her, and she climbed on as I fished her out. ¡°This dessert of yours better be worth it. I¡¯m soaked now.¡± I put Ivy on my shoulder.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about that, Ivy. I promise you, it¡¯s worth every second of waiting and even getting soaked. Now, then, let¡¯s deal with this altar.¡± I looked at the boulder. ¡°Chip, chop, chisel, and jab, until the boulder¡¯s an altar slab.¡± I pointed at it and felt the magic surge through me. Mere moments later, small pieces of rock fell off the boulder, as if a dozen masons were at it with chisels and hammers. ¡°I¡¯m really getting the hang of this now.¡± Soot landed on the shoulder opposite of Ivy. ¡°Well, you spent almost every moment you weren¡¯t gathering food on meditating and practicing spell casting, so I¡¯d be more surprised if you didn¡¯t improve. How are you feeling?¡±


    I reached up and began scratching Soot on the back of his head. ¡°I¡¯m feeling fine. In fact, I could probably cast that all day and not feel any downsides.¡± By now, the amount of stone debris was piling up. ¡°Hmm, that won¡¯t do. That won¡¯t do at all.¡± I looked at all the stone pieces, getting rid of it seemed prudent, but how to, wait that would work. ¡°Seeing all this stone debris does my anger rouse, so turn it into a path to my house.¡±


    The debris falling off the rock moved at speed, so fast I had to evacuate the island to avoid getting clobbered, as every piece of stone that fell joined in on growing into slabs or other stone implements needed to create a dry path across the land bridge and then through the swamp all the way back to my house. ¡°OK, I¡¯m feeling that one. Not enough to be debilitating, but I¡¯m not repeating it without consequences. Now all that remains is to wait for a blood moon. So, what say you two to some dinner?¡± The response was expected, as Ivy took off. ¡°PANCAKES!¡±


    I flew back home and could already see the path approaching through the reeds, bushes, and shrubbery as it crossed the many small pools of water. Dinner preparations were done quite fast, since ensorcelling the ingredients and tools needed to make it was trivial. As for dessert, I began that at the same time. ¡°The ingredients are stirred, mixed and poured in to shapes, so we can eat the world''s best cupcakes.¡±


    I was alone in the kitchen as I was making food and dessert, mostly because I knew it would drive Ivy up the wall with curiosity. Soon, however, the kitchen and living room were filled with the delectable scent of pancakes and baking cupcakes. Dinner itself was as expected, with Ivy scarfing down several times her own weight in food, despite my suggestion to save some for dessert.


    As the dinner wound down, I went out and carried in a tray with cupcakes on it. "One for each to begin with. That goes for you too, Ivy. No eating them whole and emptying the tray." She looked up at me with a curious expression. ¡°Sure thing!¡± then looked at the cupcake I placed in front of her with renewed interest. ¡°It smells delicious, it looks delicious, so how do you eat it?¡± Oh, right. I unwrapped it for her, leaving the wrapper there so she could take any crumbs from it if she wanted.


    Soot didn¡¯t need help as he pecked on it from the top. ¡°This is nice, not my usual food, that¡¯s for sure, but not bad.¡± Well, it¡¯s great that he enjoyed it. ¡°Yeah? Well, enjoy them while it lasts because for now, the ingredients needed to bake these are limited. I don¡¯t have access to flour, milk or sugar on the regular, so this will be a rare occurrence.¡±


    Just then, I heard a noise I didn¡¯t expect. Sniffling. I looked towards Ivy, who was the source. ¡°Is everything alright, Ivy?¡± She looked up at me with her big eyes all wet. ¡°This¡­ this is so delicious, I can¡¯t help it. The tears are just coming on their own.¡± She ripped another piece of cupcake off and stuffed it into her mouth.


    After she chewed it thoroughly and swallowed, she seemed to reach a decision. ¡°Ms. Morgana, could I take some of these back to the village? I want to share them with the others.¡± I glanced over at Soot, asking his advice, but he just shrugged. Guess it was fine then. ¡°I suppose I could. Should I send with you some pancakes too?¡± Ivy dropped the piece of cupcake she was eating, apparently having a hard time processing the concept of MORE pancake. ¡°Only a fool would say no to an offer of more pancakes, so sure! Now I can share all the goodness with the rest of the village!¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    Soot Shuddered on my shoulder. ¡°I still remember the aftermath of that. The cupcakes were insanely popular and disappeared instantly. But the pancakes¡­ I don¡¯t know what it¡¯s about those and pixies, but¡­ considering Ivy¡¯s condition when she returned, it must have been bad.¡± I couldn¡¯t disagree there. ¡°I think it was the number that caused it. They began fighting over the few that remained, no doubt. Although Ivy wouldn¡¯t ever admit it.¡±


    Soot ruffled his wings, but didn¡¯t disagree with my assessment. ¡°The first and only pancake riot in Nettledale, if I recall, right, Mistress?¡± I landed on the porch and opened the door for the three of us. ¡°Indeed, the incident also caused pancakes to become banned within the village itself. And brought the entire village to us a few days later.¡±


    Winter flew off my hat and landed on her eating roost. ¡°As interesting as the tale is, Mother, could we wait for that part until after we have eaten? It¡¯s past dinnertime now, and I¡¯m starving.¡± This earned reluctant, but agreeing sentiments from both midnight and Soot. ¡°Alright, alright, dinner it is. Just sit tight and I¡¯ll get it done.¡± I said as I moved towards the kitchen to unload the wares into the pantry and fridge.

 Chapter 7: Eve of the ritual.

    A quick meal later and we were enjoying the late afternoon sun outside on the porch. Midnight was curled up on my lap, Winter was roosting on my hat, which was set on a nearby table, while Soot was roosting on the railing. ¡°Everyone satisfied now?¡± There was a unified ¡°yes¡± from all of them.


    ¡°Well then, just give me a moment to send a brief message to Lilly, then I can continue, or would you rather relax?¡± Another unanimous agreement on continuing the story ensued. I nodded, then rose from the chair and headed into the potion room, scribbled a quick note, and sent it off to Lilly on an enchanted wind. As I returned to the living room, I sat back down and Midnight hopped back into my lap. ¡°Alright then, as I mentioned before lunch¡­¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    A few days after Ivy left, there was a sudden commotion outside, which interrupted my afternoon meditation. ¡°What in the world?¡± Before Soot could answer, there was a knock on the door. I rose from my seat and walked over to the door, and opened it. Outside was a small crowd of pixies.


    ¡°Good afternoon. To what do I owe the pleasure of such a large-scale unannounced visit?¡± I was trying to keep it polite. However, I was perplexed about the situation. A pixie, giving off a much darker purple light, compared to the various pastel colors of the others, flew up to my face. She seemed worse for wear, with an obvious black eye and busted up lip.


    She eyed me silently for a few moments, as if gauging my reaction. ¡°Hmm, your confusion seems genuine, so I take it this wasn¡¯t deliberate.¡± There was a murmur from the crowd, before the viridian ball that was Ivy flew up from the back of the crowd. ¡°I told you, Lady Nettle! Ms. Morgana is a good bigun!¡±


    Ivy was covered in bruises as well, though it was easier to make out on her, since her own glow didn¡¯t mask it. I gave all the pixies a quick glance. They were all showing bruises and minor injuries. ¡°Tell me, Ivy, did something happen since you left last time?¡± Ivy didn¡¯t answer, just looked down towards the ground. Nettle, for her part, took a deep breath. ¡°So here is what happened¡­¡±


    ¡­ ¡°A riot? Yikes, I assure you Lady Nettle, that was not my intent at all. I sincerely hope no one was injured.¡± Nettle¡¯s stoic face twitched for a moment. ¡°No severe ones, no. There are a few bruises here and there and a few bite marks, but nothing severe.¡± The pixies were all now hanging out in my living room. Be it flying around, relaxing on the couch, table or other furniture, or just milling around the room.


    Nettle took a gulp from the teacup on the table next to her. Which was impressive, considering it was bigger than she was. ¡°Well, I must say, Ms. Morgana, I appear to have misjudged you. Then again, given my experiences with the big folk¡­¡± I waved her off. ¡°There are bad eggs among all people out there. However, as for my own, I can¡¯t really speak for them, as I am pretty sure I am not human.¡± I lifted my tail and waved it at her for emphasis. She looked at it with interest for a few moments. ¡°So it would appear. Now then, aside from learning whether it was malice behind the¡­¡± her voice trailed off for a moment. ¡°¡­ incident. I wanted to meet the bigun that charmed Ivy so much she won¡¯t shut up about you.¡±


    I glanced over to where Ivy was happily chatting with Soot and two other pixies. ¡°As far as I can tell, I haven¡¯t really done anything special. I let her inside during the torrential downpour last autumn and allowed her to stay until it ended. We¡¯ve been friends ever since.¡± Nettle looked up at me with an unreadable expression. ¡°Friends, huh¡­¡± Another pixie, this one with a pale white light, landed next to Nettle and looked up at me with a curious expression.


    ¡°Ms. Morgana, this is Lilly, my bestie.¡± Nettle gave Lilly an encouraging nod towards me. Lilly hesitated for a moment, then gave me a quick nod and then a shy smile. ¡°A pleasure to meet you, Ms Morgana.¡± I responded with a polite nod of my own. ¡°Likewise, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Lilly. Could I offer you some tea as well?¡± She shook her head and made a grimace. ¡°Ah, so it¡¯s not your cup of¡­ err¡­ tea, eh?¡± Lilly made another grimace at my horrible joke, but seemed to relax a bit more.


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    ¡°I remember that evening, first-ever party in the house.¡± Soot looked up from his roost, pausing his wing cleaning to comment on that. ¡°Indeed, quite the little celebration it turned into. Enough so that we were invited to that year¡¯s midsummer festival. Not that we could attend, because of another important event that would coincide with it.¡± That earned me curious glances from both Midnight and Winter.


    ¡°The first blood moon of the year would happen on the eve of the midsummer festival that year.¡± Realization dawned on Midnight¡¯s face. ¡°The Familiar Ritual. Either attend and miss the ritual, or don¡¯t and finish it.¡± I began scratching Midnight¡¯s right ear. ¡°Indeed. Since we didn¡¯t know when the next blood moon would be, we really didn¡¯t have a choice there. Nettle and the others understood that this meant a lot to us, so they weren¡¯t insulted or anything, thankfully. They did insist we join the one the next year, though. And we have been attending every year since. Now, speaking of¡­ Why don¡¯t we speed ahead a bit to that midsummer night, since most of what happened until that point was rather mundane.¡±


    There was a bunch of grumbling from the trio. ¡°Well, I could continue on, but there are only so many ways I can say; ¡®And I spent most of the day practicing magic and potion brewing for the upcoming ritual¡¯ without it becoming tedious. As that was what I spent the remaining time doing.¡± Soot gave a few chirps of agreement. ¡°Indeed, every spare moment it was another simple spell or a few minutes of meditation, or hours spent over the cauldron, so you wouldn¡¯t screw up the ritual. It was to the point I was almost getting worried.¡±


    I began scratching Winter¡¯s neck, earning delighted hoots from her. ¡°Indeed, so no complaints, then?¡± Silence. ¡°Excellent, well then¡­¡±


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    The sunset was taking forever. I was tempted to just start early, but that would ruin the entire ritual. I¡¯d spent the last week reading and re-reading the steps, and I now knew the thing by heart.


    Step 1. Wait for night to fall on the night of a blood moon.


    Step 2. With both the Master and familiar present, they would each recite their part of the binding oath, while spilling a drop of their own blood into the prepared wooden bowl on the ritual altar.


    Step 3. Add the life-binding potion, which needed to have been pre-brewed.


    Step 4. Let the light from the blood moon boil the potion one last time.


    Step 5. With the potion boiling, the familiar and master would each drink from the bowl together after reciting the last line of the oath.


    Step 6. Endure.


    That last part was worrying me. As it didn¡¯t go into further detail. However, the list of steps was simple enough.


    I looked at Soot. ¡°Well, we are as prepared as we can be. Are you ready?¡± Soot gave a solemn nod, but remained quiet. There was only a slight shiver to show the emotions he was experiencing. And I couldn¡¯t blame him for being nervous, considering his previous master.


    The sun finally set and the bloodred light of the blood moon cast an eerie light over the small island. The different engravings on the ritual altar glowed under the light of the moon, showing the altar was successfully made. That was a relief, at least. The last thing we needed was for it to turn out that the altar was busted on the eve of the ritual.


    Well, no time like the present. ¡°Ready, Soot?¡± He hopped over to the bowl as I grabbed the ritual knife I found in the potion room. I held it up to Soot¡¯s feet, and after a moment of hesitation pricked one of his toes on it. ¡°The Familiar bleeds for its Master.¡± He said as he let a few drops of his blood fall into the empty bowl.


    I pricked my right index finger and let a few drops of blood drip into the bowl as well. ¡°The Master bleeds for its Familiar.¡± I said as the drops fell in. ¡°So we bind our souls and lives together.¡± We said in tandem. I poured the potion into the bowl and stirred it three times counterclockwise using a feather given by Soot. The red glow of the blood moon fell on the concoction, and it began to bubble and give off vapors. It was still cold, but behaved as if boiling.


    ¡°A bond for life, willingly forged. We drink for our lives together.¡± We said once more in unison as we both drank from the bowl. The effect was immediate. It felt like my entire body was on fire as I collapsed onto the ground. Soot wasn¡¯t faring much better, as he was writhing atop the altar in pain as well. Endure. So I couldn¡¯t pass out, was that it? Damn, this sucked. ¡°Gaaah, you alright Soot?¡± My only response was an incoherent chirping because of the extreme pain.


    The pain lasted for about an hour. When it finally subsided, I staggered back to my feet, in no small thanks to using the altar to pull myself up. Soot was lying on the stone, breathing shallow breaths, and seemed to be on the verge of passing out. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Soot, it¡¯s over now. No need to hang on any longer.¡± As he heard what I said, he closed his eyes and was out like a light.


    I picked him up with great care and carried him back to the cabin. Once inside, I walked over to the leaning chair and sat down, gently stroking Soots¡¯ unconscious form. ¡°You¡¯ll be alright, Soot. You¡¯ll be alright¡­¡± A few moments later, I passed out as well.


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    At the mention of the pain, both Winter and Midnight flinched, having experienced similar results during their rituals. Soot on his end seemed less affected. ¡°I am still shocked you willingly went through that ordeal three times, considering how bad it was.¡± I gave him a quick glance. ¡°A small price to pay in the grand scheme of things. The pain is temporary, while our bond will last for life. Besides, we both know you went to great lengths in trying to make the potion less painful for all of us. Don¡¯t even try to pretend otherwise, ya big softie.¡±


    Soot gave a surprised caw, but didn¡¯t deny it. I chuckled for a moment as I conjured an ethereal hand to give him some scratches, even as I resumed scratching both winter and Midnight, filling the room with delighted noises from all three. ¡°Well, it should come to no surprise that¡­¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    It took us a few days to recover after the toll the ritual took on us. We did originally plan to pay a visit to Nettledale afterward. However, neither of us was in a state to travel into the forest on the vague descriptions that would take us there. Sure, the pain was gone, but it left us both drained and exhausted. We did, however, learn a few things that the book didn¡¯t mention.


    First, Soot couldn¡¯t refer to me as anything but Mistress, regardless of our attempts to change that. A more interesting development, however, was the second thing the ritual did. Soot could now understand English. And not just English, but any other language I spoke as well. Over the winter, I used to tease Soot now and then by speaking English, or my very rusty German. But now, he understood both, and not just understand, but speak as well. I suspected I knew why, but decided not to tell Soot right away, since I didn¡¯t know if it was safe to tell him.


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    Soot flapped his wings in indignation. ¡°Of course you did. I should have known. Bah, I kept wrecking my brain over that mystery for months, YEARS EVEN!¡± He took a deep breath, before releasing it all in a sigh. "Well, it¡¯s all good. As you said, you didn¡¯t know back then if it was safe to tell me." I leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. "To be fair, it¡¯s only a theory. But the familiar bond might extend the whole ''understand all languages'' thing I gained to you as well, and since I speak those languages now you do too."


    The three glanced at each other. ¡°It¡¯s as sound a theory as any, Mistress. However, considering the origin of that ability, I think it would be safe to assume some kind of otherworldly power is involved. The type of something that mere mortals like ourselves are not meant to know. So it would probably be wiser to not dig deeper into it and just accept it for what it is, a boon. What¡¯s that saying you always use? ¡®Don¡¯t look a horse in the mouth¡¯ or something like that.¡± That earned a dry chuckle from me. ¡°Gift horse, but close enough. And I agree.¡±


    Just then, there was a knocking on the door. ¡°That must be Lilly. I asked her for help with working on Nettle¡¯s gift.¡± The trio looked at me, but I just smiled. ¡°You¡¯ll all just have to wait until the festival.¡± I answered as I rose to answer the door.


    It was indeed Lilly. ¡°Hello, Ms. Morgana, I got your message. Your request wasn¡¯t easy, you know, but I liked your idea so much I couldn¡¯t refuse.¡± I gestured her inside. ¡°Well, seeing as you are here, I take it you succeeded.¡± She nodded. ¡°Then let¡¯s go into the potion room and begin our work right away. The faster we get this done, the better.¡± Lilly followed me into the room as I closed the door to prevent the other three from seeing what we were doing, much to their annoyance.

 Chapter 8: The Midsummer Festival, part 1.

    My work with Lilly lasted until late into the night, with only a minor break for a quick dinner. The others wanted more story time, but since we were on a time limit, it wasn¡¯t like we could stop what we were doing until it was done. And since it was a present for Nettle, they begrudgingly agreed to let me postpone telling, for a short while at any rate.


    Once we were done, Lilly left immediately. Midnight padded up behind me and began rubbing against my leg. ¡°Come now, Meowstress, can¡¯t you tell us what that was all about?¡± I shook my head. ¡°My lips are sealed. You¡¯ll have to wait until the gifting part of the festival like everyone else.¡± Midnight stopped her rubbing and left with a low growl of annoyance.


    The next morning, our preparations for the festival were in full swing, with everyone scattering to grab presents for each other and our friends over in Nettledale. It got so busy I barely found the time to make food for all of us. There was one exception to this, though. Since I was the one packing all the presents, I always knew what I would receive, but everyone was on board with this, since it was inevitable. They tried to get Ivy to help one year, but one of Ivy¡¯s flaws was her inability to keep secrets.


    It took her all of thirty minutes to babble about the contents while I was within earshot. It wasn¡¯t on purpose, of course, but the damage was done. After that, the standard order of operations was that I knew beforehand and everyone accepted that. A piece of Amethyst for Ivy, courtesy of some transmutation work. Good thing the ingredients for the transmutation were readily available. There was one issue, however.


    ¡°Alright, you three, we have the same problem as always now.¡± We just finished with dinner and the moment I made the announcement there were the usual groans. ¡°Tobin is impossible to come up with a present for, Mother. I mean, what do you give to someone who has everything, including something to stash it inside?¡±


    A good question indeed. The wine was a common gift, my addition to the festival itself. Such a thing was expected from every family that was taking part. However, that also meant we, once again, didn¡¯t know what to give old Tobin. ¡°You know, Meowstress, I have a suggestion, something that he would be most delighted about.¡± All of us looked at Midnight. ¡°We all know that Tobin is extremely proud of his long beard. It¡¯s an even greater point of pride for old Brownies like him than Dwarves. So why not give him a magic grooming kit so it can be kept in perfect order?¡±


    That¡­ wasn¡¯t the worst idea ever. More than once we could hear him grumble as he worked himself into a fit while attempting to trim the last bit of renegade beard hair for the day. It wouldn¡¯t be too difficult to make, either, with my ready access to the needed tools and years of practice. ¡°Anyone against the idea?¡± Dead silence. ¡°Alright, grooming kit it is. As for Lilly, anyone got ideas for a twist this year, or are we giving her the usual?¡±


    Winter flew up and landed on my shoulder. ¡°Well, instead of giving her a jar of jam this year, how about we give her a jar of honey? I mean, she really likes it, and it would be something different, if similar.¡± Well, that wasn¡¯t a bad idea at all. ¡°Sounds good to me. Do you two have any complaints about that?¡± Soot and Midnight shook their heads. ¡°Not at all, Meowstress. Good idea, Winter.¡± Soot took off and landed next to winter, giving her an affectionate little snuggle. ¡°I think it¡¯s a great idea.¡±


    Winter gave a happy hoot and began snuggling back. ¡°Alright, you two, I don¡¯t mind your behavior, but my shoulder is getting crowded.¡± I gently shooed them off my shoulder. I didn¡¯t want to interrupt their snuggling, as it was adorable. However, to have enough space for both Winter and Soot, I didn¡¯t have a choice but to push my head away from the two. The two returned to the table and resumed their snuggling there.


    With the preparations going as fast as they could, time passed quickly. And before we knew it, the midsummer festival was upon us. ¡°Alright, presents, check. Wine, check. Gifts, check. Familiars¡­¡± ¡°I am ready, Mistress.¡± ¡°Same here, Meowstress.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, Mother.¡± Alright then. I took off and headed northwest into the forest. The early morning mist gave the forest a mysterious look as we flew above the trees.


    I could see the telltale signs of their eagerness. Midnight was sitting on the tip of my broom, eagerly looking forward, while both Winter and Soot were flying beside me as their own anticipation was making them restless. As we went deeper into the forest, the trees grew bigger and the glades were less frequent. However, this worked to our advantage, as that made it easier to find Nettledale.


    ¡°There it is, Mother, I can see it!¡± Not that hard, really, as the absolutely massive Iron Oak that Nettledale was beneath was a dead giveaway because it was covered in lanterns and ribbons for the occasion. The tree was so big it would dwarf even Redwoods. Nettledale covered the clearing around the tree, the trunk, and even the boughs of the tree itself. And was one of the largest Pixie villages on the continent if Ivy was to be believed.


    Then again, seeing as no humans bothered Nettledale much these days, between me and Nettle both working as deterrents for such actions and the size of the place itself, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Ivy was right. As I landed at the edge of the clearing, a swarm of lights rose to greet us, with various pixies wanting to say hello.


    About ten minutes later, they dispersed having grown bored with just chatting with us, even more so once they realized there would be no sweet handouts. I tried that once, never again. Pixies hopped up on sugar were a nightmare, so everything I gave to them always contained the minimum amount possible.


    Once they dispersed, I felt a pull on my robe. I looked down. ¡°Ah, Tobin, good to see you.¡± Standing at about half my height, Tobin was actually rather tall for his kin. His bark-brown gnarled skin was barely visible behind his well-groomed, grey beard, which reached down to his toes. He wore his customary maroon cap and dressed in simple grey linen clothes. He was wearing a well-made viridian belt, though, a gift from a previous festival.


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    He grinned up at me even as he fetched a pipe from a pocket hidden behind his beard. ¡°Oh, likewise, kiddo. Damn shame there won¡¯t be any mead this year, but I heard from a little green mischief-maker that there might be one last bottle of a certain fabled vintage¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t help but grin at that. ¡°While I wouldn¡¯t call it fabled, the bottle will make its appearance during the festivities tonight Tobin, have no fear. But until then, I am afraid you have to remain sober.¡±


    The brownie chuckled at my poke about his eagerness for alcohol. "Well, the festival¡¯s saved, far as I am concerned. With such a fine addition, it will outshine everything else, unless his lord and her ladyship pull out all the stops this year." His smile faded somewhat at the mention of the Fae rulers.


    ¡°Oh, they¡¯ll be attending this year?¡± He nodded. ¡°Got a last-minute mention of it. No doubt the news of a last bottle of ARC 358 strawberry wine showing up was the trigger. You¡¯re underestimating how popular that vintage was, kid.¡± I might have. Good thing I used alchemy to make more of the wine then. Tobin studied me for a moment. ¡°Wait, I know that expression. What are you not telling me?¡± I looked around before I bent down so no one else could hear me. ¡°I may have duplicated the bottle and its content with alchemy, to have more for later.¡±


    Tobin¡¯s face lit up like a certain cat that got the cream. ¡°That secret¡¯s safe with me. Make no mistake, I won¡¯t tell anyone. I promise.¡± That was overkill. A fey creature¡¯s word was already guarantee enough, but going so far as to outright making a promise was a guarantee beyond all doubt.


    If the fey in question broke their word, they would face dire repercussions because of the fey¡¯s laws. However, if they broke it after they made a promise, it was a death sentence on the spot. Their own promise would kill them, with no judgment required. Which is why the fey were cautious with making promises.


    I could remember such an event happening once, and it was not pretty. The fey in question were saved because they were released from their promise by the one they gave it to before they died, but they were in a terrible state afterward. It took months of being bedridden without the ability to do anything before recovery was possible. And they never fully recovered.


    I pushed the grim thoughts away. This was a day for merriment, not grim and gloomy thoughts. ¡°There¡¯s no need to go that far, Tobin. I won¡¯t hold you to that promise. Sure, I¡¯d be disappointed, if you told someone, but I won¡¯t hold you to it.¡± I gave him a pat on the shoulder and a friendly smile as I rose to my full height again. ¡°Now then, we should both go about enjoying the day, rather than just staying here being all secrets and conspiracies. See you later!¡±


    Tobin gave me a good-natured chuckle as I walked away, before he simply vanished with a small ¡®plop¡¯ sound. I would love to use such magic myself, as it seemed quite useful. However, my house worked as a giant teleportation ward. Unless it was specifically summoned into my house¡¯s teleportation circle by someone inside the house, the house would put a hard stop to teleportation attempts within a kilometer of its location. It was what pulled Soot and his former master out of their teleport. Not that we knew that back then. In fact, I didn¡¯t learn that until I began dabbling in teleportation magic myself.


    ¡°Quite a delightful morning¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Isn¡¯t it Lady Morgana?¡± I knew those voices well enough, even as they seemed to come from all around me. ¡°Greetings, your highnesses, it¡¯s indeed quite pleasant. I will admit, though, I didn¡¯t expect the two of you would arrive so early.¡± I didn¡¯t bother to look around, as they were using magic to speak to me. ¡°Oh, we are not¡­¡± ¡°¡­ There yet, Lady Morgana.¡± ¡°We are simply¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Greeting our honorary noble¡­¡± ¡°¡­ This pleasant¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Midsummer morning.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, I do hope that you have a pleasant morning as well, and I will see you both tonight, no doubt.¡± There was no response. I couldn¡¯t help but take a deep breath to steady myself, though. Over a century and the two still give me chills. I pushed the thought away as I entered the festival square.


    Several tables of all sizes were scattered around, with colorful magical borders showing everyone where you were expected to walk so that you wouldn¡¯t step on the tables of the small folk or any of the houses. Most of the houses were magical toadstools, that grew into houses for the pixies. One of the few exceptions was the stump that served as Tobins house. The Brownie could alter his own size at will, so he could be as small as a Pixie or as tall as a Giant.


    The inside of Tobin¡¯s house was well maintained and furnished beautifully, thanks to the Brownie¡¯s skill with woodworking. In fact, all the houses in Nettledale used his furniture. The square itself was full of different Fey, and other Old races, like Fauns, Goblins and everything in between. A few Treants were enjoying the festivities along the edges of the square. As I was looking around, I bumped into someone. ¡°Oh, sorry I, well now that¡¯s a surprise.¡± I looked at the elf that I bumped into.


    The elf in question dusted off his cloak. ¡°I apologize for my tardiness, miss - Oh. Lady Morgana what a pleasant surprise indeed.¡± Polite, as always, that one. ¡°So, Aurlin, taking the trip all the way from the old woods for the festival, and without the aid of the highnesses at that, you must have left, what¡­ a week ago?¡± The elf bowed his head slightly. ¡°Two weeks, to be certain I wouldn¡¯t miss it, or the sight of you, oh beautiful moon flower.¡±


    I suppressed the urge to groan. ¡°Aurlin, grow up, you stupid brat. You¡¯re not even past your first century yet. And I¡¯ve already made it clear I¡¯m not interested.¡± He gave an overly dramatic sigh. ¡°Oh, how your words wound me.¡± Then he shot me a mischievous grin. ¡°Can¡¯t fault a boy from trying to woo his first crush, now, can you? In all seriousness, though, Milady. I have already found someone more age¡­ appropriate. I will introduce you to one another later, as we seem to have gotten separated.¡± He gave me a quick wave, then disappeared back into the crowd.


    ¡°That brat¡¯s going to get himself into trouble if he keeps doing that.¡± I looked over my shoulder at the speaker. ¡°I agree with you there, Lady Nettle. Even more so since he apparently has found someone willing to put up with his antics. That aside, how is the day treating you?¡± Nettle flitted into view, now wearing an elaborate purple dress made from spider silk. ¡°It¡¯s well enough, so far. Unfortunately, Lilly got dragged into a lengthy conversation with one of the treant dignitaries, so I am currently looking for a way to rescue her from them.¡±


    She shot me a hopeful glance. ¡°You are in luck. You can tell her that Lady Morgana wishes to speak to her regarding Lady Nettle¡¯s, yes, your midsummer present. Surely, the Treants wouldn¡¯t refuse her parting ways with them over such an important topic. I will be enjoying a spot of tea at the Curling Bramble¡¯s outdoor area, so you can send her that way.¡± Nettle shot me a grateful glance and flew off to fetch Lilly, as I headed towards the Curling Bramble.

 Chapter 9: The Midsummer Festival, Part 2

    As I arrived at the Curling Bramble, I found that the sitting arrangements for ¡°biguns¡± were full. Not a big surprise as the place was quite popular when the festival was going. However, it wasn¡¯t a big deal either as I approached the barrier meant to separate the sitting areas for big and small and stepped through. The moment I did, I immediately shrunk down to the size of a pixie.


    For first timers, this would be an unknown, but for someone like me who¡¯d been taking part in the festival since before it was something more than just a small celebration among Nettledale¡¯s inhabitants, it was pretty obvious. After all, I made the spells that created these barriers. As I sat down, one of the waitresses flitted over to me.


    ¡°Oh. Ms. Morgana how delightful to see you.¡± The small red glowing pixie gave me a cheery wave. ¡°The usual, I take it?¡± I gave her a single nod. ¡°That would be great, Petal, thank you. Oh, and why don¡¯t you also bring a cup of whatever Lilly¡¯s favorite is? She should be joining me in a few minutes. After that, please let us have some privacy. We¡¯ll be discussing presents.¡± Petal whipped out a small leaf and began etching something on it using magic. ¡°One Rosehip Tea for you and a Chamomile Tea for Lilly, gotcha! Anything else?¡±


    Something else? Sure why not? ¡°Some of those delightful sunflower biscuits you serve here wouldn¡¯t go awry to tie me over until the banquet tonight.¡± She scribbled it down. ¡°That will be fourteen Plankets.¡± I nodded as I pulled out several small wooden tokens. ¡°Let¡¯s see fourteen¡­ here, fourteen for the food and drink and another four as a tip.¡± Petal pulled the eighteen tokens into the pocket of her apron and with a quick grin flew off to fetch my order.


    ¡°That¡¯s rather generous of you.¡± I turned towards the voice. ¡°It¡¯s not like those Plankets were doing me any good in the pouch otherwise, since I usually only spend them during the festival, anyway. Besides, the tip wasn¡¯t that big.¡± I waved towards the stool across the table so that Lilly could take a seat.


    She flew over and gently landed on the stool in a sitting position. A few moments later, Petal returned with our tea and a tray full of small biscuits. ¡°Here¡¯s your order. Now, just a moment while I enact a privacy spell.¡± A circle of magic runes appeared around the table. ¡°There you are. Enjoy yourselves.¡± She flew out of the circle, which would deafen all sounds from without and within. And also warped vision into the circle, preventing anyone from reading our lips.


    I looked at the circle. ¡°Huh, Petal actually mastered it. I would congratulate her, but there¡¯s no way she can hear me through this thing.¡± Lilly took a sip of her tea and picked up a biscuit to nibble on. ¡°Well, you are a better teacher than you think. Besides, Petal has a penchant for magic. So even though the spell is outside your usual forte of hexes and curses, she learned it with a bit of practice on her own once you gave her those pointers last year.¡± That was indeed a pleasant surprise.


    ¡°Indeed, now for the main reason I asked you to come here, aside from doing Nettle a favor and get you out of the conversation with the Treants, I know how dreadful that can be.¡± I could see Lilly shudder. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad, really. But their voices are rather¡­ grating.¡± An understatement and a half. The sound of splintering wood made into a voice wasn¡¯t the nicest to listen to for extended periods. Add in that they were slow talkers, with a penchant for tangents, and things got even worse.


    ¡°Well, either way, I take it Nettle doesn¡¯t suspect a thing?¡± Lilly shook her head. ¡°She seemed a bit confused at first, but I don¡¯t think she¡¯s noticed, nor suspected anything, no.¡± Nice. ¡°Great, then we¡¯re good to go tonight, then?¡± She gave me a cheerful smile. ¡°Indeed, we are. It¡¯ll be so nice to see her expression.¡± We spent the next few minutes just relaxing and making small talk while we finished our tea and biscuits. ¡°Well, Ms. Morgana, this has been nice, but I should probably get back to greeting the guests with Nettle. It won¡¯t do to slack off and leave her high and dry. Have a fantastic day, and see you tonight!¡±


    As she left the circle, I dismissed it with a hand wave and finished the last of my tea. When she noticed, Petal flitted over and took the cups and tray. ¡°As always, Ms. Morgana, I hope it was to your liking.¡± I rose from my seat and stretched. ¡°It was delicious, Petal. My compliments to your brewing and Bramble¡¯s cooking, once again. And I look forward to my next visit. See you later.¡± I waved goodbye and turned to leave. Once I reached the size marker, I waited until there was enough space, stepped out, and immediately returned to my original size.


    A sudden increase in weight on top of my hat alerted me to Winter¡¯s arrival. ¡°Having fun?¡± there was a bit of a shuffling above. ¡°I¡¯m enjoying myself a lot. So far, I have watched some of the festival games and the first half of an archery contest, which I will return to in a bit, once their break is over, so I thought I¡¯d get some tasty food to tide me over to tonight¡¯s festivities.¡± Ah, so that¡¯s why she was back. ¡°Here you go, Winter.¡± I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small tied-up bundle of Plankets I prepared in advance. ¡°Enjoy yourself and don¡¯t spend it all in one place.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t Mother, there are too many tasty things here for that.¡± I could feel Winter shift on top of my hat as she reached out and took the bundle with her beak. A moment later, the weight on my hat disappeared, and I could see Winter soar away across the crowd.


    The reminder of the morning and most of the afternoon passed in a relaxing fashion as I wandered the festival, enjoying the atmosphere and the sights. However, as the sun was setting, something collided with my back. ¡°Hellooo Morganaaaaa!¡± I looked over my shoulder, and while I couldn¡¯t get a good look at whomever was hugging me, I could guess well enough from the behavior and voice. ¡°Hello to you too, Miva. How are things over at Moon Rest Coven?¡± I looked down at the Changeling as, today, she, hugged me. ¡°Oh, we¡¯re doing great. The rest of the coven is around here somewhere, too. We took the day off from coven business to attend, and boy am I glad we did, this place is spectacular.¡±


    As with most Changelings, Miva¡¯s skin and hair were completely white, and her eyes were jet black orbs with a white iris. A singular tusk was sticking out of her pale grey lower lip, suggesting a mixed parentage. Whether that was the case, was impossible to say, since Miva could shapeshift. What I knew was that she always grew that tusk upon taking a changeling form, regardless of gender.


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    I was honestly surprised Nettle let the coven in, given several of their members were human. Then again, they were also not the types to be interested in harming pixies, and they were friends of mine. Miva looked around. ¡°Sorry kiddo, Midnight is wandering the festival on her own, so you will have to keep looking for your partner in crime.¡± Miva let out a deep sigh. ¡°Aw, well, guess I gotta keep looking, then. See you later!¡± Miva ran off into the crowd.


    A few minutes later, the ringing of horns could be heard across the clearing. It could only mean one thing, Erydhe and Ilmahir just arrived. I could already see people casting curious glances toward the northern edge of the clearing. If they were lucky, they would get away from that experience with a just a sense of disorientation.


    I made my way towards the commotion. As an honorary member of their court, I would be expected to greet them, and making them angry wouldn¡¯t really benefit anyone. It took about a minute to cross the grounds, and by that point I could see the two greeting the different dignitaries from around the region.


    As I stepped out of the crowd, I could finally get a good look at the two. Erydhe was as always a cascade of different colors, as flowers of all shapes and sizes and colors grew from her beautiful long hair. A stark contrast to her snow-white skin and the pools of inky darkness that were her eyes. As the ruler of the local winter court, she was calm, cold, and calculating. If she smiled, it was always a sign that you should take great care, as she was getting annoyed, or worse, angry. Nothing good happened to those that stoked her ire. She was dressed in an elegant, form-hugging dress that seemed, at a glance, to be made from green leaves, likely chosen by her husband, as the two usually chose each other¡¯s clothes when they were joining festivals and the like.


    Now and then, the flowers that grew from her hair would wilt and drop a seed onto the ground. The seeds would be carried away by one of her innumerable fairy servants. Those fae seeds would bloom when grown in Fae courts or lands untouched by cultivation. Inside that bloom would be a newborn fairy or pixie, depending on where it was planted. If the seed was cultivated at a Fae court, it would bloom into a fairy. If it grew in the wild, it would become a pixie.


    To her immediate left was her husband, Ilmahir, practically his wife¡¯s polar opposite. Warm, kind, outspoken and unearthly charismatic. Anyone who didn¡¯t know better would easily be charmed by him without him even doing anything. If I weren¡¯t so keen on mythology and fantasy novels in my previous life, I too might have been eating out of the palm of his hand. As it was, I shrugged off the charm with relative ease. I could already see several people, both men and women, that showed the telltale sign of being charmed though, as they looked at him with a longing expression. Good thing it would wear off quickly.


    His skin was tanned and his long flowing chestnut brown hair seemed to flow in an unnatural but warm breeze. His green eyes sparkled with merriment, and a bright smile was always present on his handsome face. He was dressed in elegant white finery for the occasion. On top of his head were two large antlers, which were growing the same flowers as those in Erydhe¡¯s hair. An equal number of fairies were busy collecting the seeds from them as well.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mind us¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Just enjoy the festivities.¡± As always, they started and ended the sentences for each other. And since they never left each other¡¯s side, at least not in public, having a conversation with one, caused a conversation with the other as well. As I stepped up, I saw Nettle and Lilly arrive as well, and the three of us approached the pair together.


    Nettle and Lilly flew up to greet them properly first, since the two were the defacto leaders of the settlement. ¡°Welcome to Nettledale, your Highnesses. I apologize for the lack of a proper welcome, but we were not informed about your intent to join in until after the festival was already under way.¡± The two gazed down at Nettle, Erydhe¡¯s expression unreadable, and Ilmahir¡¯s a friendly and jovial smile. ¡°Oh, think¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Nothing of it. We didn¡¯t¡­¡± "¡­ Give proper warning. So it is¡­" ¡°¡­ Somewhat our own fault.¡± Nettle curtsied gently in response. ¡°You are most kind, your Highnesses, please, have a splendid evening ahead.¡±


    Both nettle and Lilly made themselves scarce after greeting the two, and the people who weren¡¯t charmed, realizing who the pair were, gently, but deliberately led those who were charmed away, to not disturb the pair. The two approached me as well, and I too gave them a respectful curtsy. ¡°Your Highnesses, I too hope you will enjoy your time here tonight.¡±


    Erydhe stepped away from her husband¡¯s side. ¡°I, for one, will enjoy myself. I also heard a little rumor about a certain bottle of wine.¡± It was rare for the two to not speak as one, which meant this was a topic the two disagreed on¡­ interesting. What was more surprising, however, was the expectant tone in her voice.


    ¡°I found another bottle of ARC 358, yes, It was under several bottles of lesser vintage and covered in so much dust the label was almost unreadable, and will be served later tonight for everyone interested.¡± A small twitch of Erydhe¡¯s lips revealed a hint of annoyance. ¡°I would be¡­ most happy, if you would instead leave the bottle to us alone.¡± Her voice was sickly sweet, and would likely scare most people at this point. ¡°I am afraid that¡¯s not possible, your Highness, since I already promised Tobin that the bottle would be served to everyone tonight during the feast.¡±


    Erydhe took a deep breath. ¡°You promised, I see. If it wasn¡¯t you, Lady Morgana, I would take that bottle by force.¡± I shrugged. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t me, it wouldn¡¯t be ARC 358, but another less fabled vintage you¡¯d be attempting to steal.¡± My calm reply gave Erydhe pause and caused Ilmahir to burst into laughter. ¡°She has a point there, my beloved. Lady Morgana is quite protective of her brews and never reveals the recipe to anyone, not even her familiars. Trust me, I know.¡± He gave me a silent wink, clearly not approving of his wife¡¯s attempted coercion.


    That aside, however, that statement was a blatant lie, as I consulted Soot on how to go about brewing the ARC 358, as it was one of my earliest brews. I still to this day couldn¡¯t tell what I did that made that vintage so much better than later ones, and neither could Soot.


    Erydhe seemed to study her husband for a moment, before she shrugged. ¡°I suppose it cannot be helped, but I expect the first glass, as a show of reverence, as befitting anyone from my court.¡± Ilmahir just shook his head in disapproval over her entitled behavior. It wasn¡¯t the first time something like this happened. Erydhe herself knew about this character flaw of hers and usually took great pains to suppress it. The few times she couldn¡¯t, it would be rather jarring if you didn¡¯t know about it.


    It would be best to concede the point here for everyone involved. ¡°Of course, your Highness, the first glass of the ARC 358 tonight is yours, I promise.¡± That seemed to give her pause. ¡°You didn¡¯t need to go that far. But I appreciate the gesture. And I¡­ I apologize for my earlier words.¡± She gave me a respectful nod, before she took her husband¡¯s hand and the two walked away in silence. I watched the two go and finally allowed myself to shudder.


    I might get away with giving the two some lip, but I might want to be careful with it for the reminder of the festival. With that in mind, I wandered off into the crowd again. It wasn¡¯t long until the feast itself, but until then, I should find something to distract myself with.

 Chapter 10: The Midsummer Festival, part 3

    The distraction I was looking for found me before I found it. Aurlin came walking out of the crowd side by side with a hobgoblin girl who seemed delighted as she clung to his arm. When Aurlin noticed me, he spoke a few words to the girl, and the two waved to get my attention as they approached. ¡°Lady Morgana, allow me to introduce you to Irun, the most beautiful girl I have ever met.¡±


    Irun gave me a calculating once over before she gave a wide grin and extended her hand for a handshake. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, lady Morgana.¡± Her words and smile were kind, but something in her gaze was cold. The jealous type, eh? I took her outstretched hand and returned her offered handshake with a firm one of my own. ¡°The pleasure is mine, I assure you.¡± My reply seemed to catch her off guard.


    Aurlin stepped up and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. ¡°My beloved, I need to ask Ms. Morgana a little something regarding your present. Would you mind getting the two of us something to drink meanwhile?¡± Irun hesitated for a moment, then dragged Aurlin in for a deep kiss. ¡°Sure thing, darling, back soon.¡± She shot me another frosty glare, before walking off.


    ¡°She¡¯s the jealous type, so I¡¯d be careful about that.¡± Aurlin shook his head. ¡°I think it¡¯s you specifically, since you were my first crush. Anyhow, Lady Morgana¡­¡± I glanced around to be sure Irun was out of view. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know a romantic spot that would be useful for¡­ you know¡­¡± His voice trailed off as he pulled out a small wooden box and opened it, displaying a beautiful silver ring.


    Well now, that was a surprise indeed. ¡°Are you planning to?¡± He began nodding furiously while going beet red. Hmm. ¡°Well, after the feast there will be a sky-light show. Before it goes off, you could take her up in the upper branches of the Great Oak to one of the observation platforms. They are even now open for reservation. Just mention you want one with a bit of privacy and the pixie in question will get the hint. You¡¯re not the first that would want to use such a spot to do that.¡±


    Aurlin stowed the box again and gave me a nod. ¡°Thank you, Lady Morgana, I will do that.¡± Just in time, too, as Irun returned with two mugs. ¡°Got us some wine, darling. You finished over there?¡± Aurlin shot me a grateful glance. ¡°I am. Thanks again for your suggestions, Lady Morgana. Trust me, Irun, you¡¯ll love this.¡± He wrapped his hand around her waist and pulled her into the crowd as she handed him his mug.


    Aurlin settling down? Time sure flies. He used to be a womanizer of the umpteenth degree. It was almost to the point I suspected magic was involved¡­ almost. Elves were extremely resistant to such spells, to the point of being borderline immune, not to mention Hobgoblins were notoriously bad at magic. It was a racial quirk. They were quick-witted, strong and disciplined. But if they tried to cast magic, it would almost unilaterally result in a miscast. Any Hobgoblin able to cast beginner level spells consistently would be considered an arch mage by their standards. They were that bad at it.


    As I continued my musings, I felt Soot land on my shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s almost time for the feast and the presents. Are you ready?¡± I glanced over at him. ¡°Of course, the question is, are you. After all, you have been hanging out with a certain person whose stomach is a void.¡± Ivy, who was snacking on a cherry while hanging out on Soots¡¯ back, stopped her chewing and tilted her head, as if confused about my statement.


    ¡°Don¡¯t act innocent Ivy. I know you have spent most of today doing nothing but eating, and will still be the one to eat the most during the feast itself.¡± She swallowed her current mouthful. ¡°Can¡¯t help it. Everything¡¯s so tasty.¡± I just shook my head. If I didn¡¯t know every pixie was like that, I¡¯d say Ivy was a demon of gluttony in disguise, or something along those lines.


    I pushed the thought away as the sun finished setting, signalling the beginning of the feast itself. That was my cue. I took a deep breath as I headed for a raised podium. How many times was this now? Well above hundred, I knew that. Well, nothing to it. As was a habit by now, I mumbled a familiar spell to myself. I didn¡¯t need to use words, but it was something about it that helped steady my nerves. ¡°Enhance my voice, I beseech, so I can make a great, big speech.¡±


    I stepped onto the podium. ¡°Ladies, Gentlemen, honored guests and beloved hosts. It is with great pleasure I welcome you all to this year¡¯s Midsummer Festival.¡± As my magically enhanced voice rang out across the clearing, sounding loud and clear even to those up in the branches of the tree itself, everyone turned towards me. ¡°The sun has now set, and as is a tradition, this means that the midsummer feast will now begin. So please, take a seat at the feasting table. I assure you, there is enough space for everyone.¡±


    Those who were returning from earlier festivals, or lived here already, were doing so, with eager expressions as well. Newcomers to the festival itself hesitated for a moment, but soon followed suit, sitting down along the enchanted table and bench. No matter how many sat down, there would always be a comfortable space for more.


    The only ones who didn¡¯t sit down at the main table were the Highnesses, Nettle, Lilly, and of course, myself and my familiars. All three groups were afforded private tables for ourselves. "Everyone settled down? Great! Then it is, with great pleasure, I declare this year¡¯s feast, as begun!"


    A flash of golden light, and the empty feast table was now overflowing with an overwhelming number of dishes, all fit for a king. And I knew from experience that all of them were delicious. After all, they were all conjured versions of dishes I tasted in my long life. The only one missing was pancakes, as the ban on those was not lifted, even during the feast. Not that the pixies were complaining, considering the sheer volume of delicious things to eat. Not a single pixie would be capable of flight tomorrow, I was certain.


    ¡°Now, before you all enjoy yourselves, there is one last surprise for you all, though some of you already know what it is. As many of you know, every year I contribute something to the festival. Well, this year I have something special indeed. One hundred and eighty years ago, in the year ARC 358, by the local calendar, I created a rather famous strawberry wine. A wine so good that it apparently has taken on fabled proportions, if my compatriots that helped plan this festival are to be believed.¡±


    I paused a moment for dramatic effect. ¡°Well, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you a bottle of ARC 358, enchanted not to run out tonight. Everyone is free to line up for a glass over at this podium. However, before we get ahead of ourselves, I promised her Highness Erydhe that she gets the first glass. So, your Highness, would you be so kind as to approach the podium?¡± As I spoke, I pulled out the bottle of ARC 358 Strawberry wine, and a ripple passed through the crowd. I am pretty sure, that if I didn¡¯t request her Highness¡¯ presence specifically, the podium would have been rushed by the crowd.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    She rose from her private table, glass in hand, and with a dignity and elegance that was befitting a being of her station, seemed to float over to the podium. I jumped down and poured her glass full of wine. ¡°I hope you enjoy the taste, your Highness.¡± Once that was done, I conjured a glass for myself, which I filled with no hesitation, then conjured a table which I set the bottle down on.


    Then cast several hexes in rapid succession to prevent any fighting for, or attempted theft off, the bottle and conjured a bright glowing circle surrounded by a spiral line extending from it. ¡°A last word of warning. I just warded the bottle against theft and the area around the table against violence. Only one person at a time can cross the circle to get to the bottle itself, and only from where the spiral contacts the circle. I will also add that the bottle will only give out enough wine at a time to fill a glass, then will refuse to pour more until the person who used to bottle leaves the circle.¡±


    There was a murmur from the crowd. ¡°Also, once a person has filled their glass, they cannot enter the circle again until at least ten other people have gone, so there is no point in trying to hog the bottle to yourself. I would not recommend trying to trick my spells. I am certain some of you can attest to how foolish of an idea that is. So keep it civil. Remember, there is enough for everyone. Now, enjoy yourselves.¡± With that, I lifted my glass in greeting to the crowd, and left for my table.


    Midnight, Winter and Soot were all there, and so were Ivy and Miva, having been invited by Soot and Midnight, respectively. Midnight was busy gorging herself on a pheasant breast, Soot was enjoying a helping of several diced meats, while Winter was enjoying a rabbit steak. Miva was enjoying some kind of stew, and I couldn¡¯t identify what Ivy was eating, as it left her plate too fast for proper identification.


    I sat down in my chair and the food I wanted to eat materialized on my plate for me. Something I was unable to recall eating in a very long time. It was simple. It was tasty, and it was a delicious stone oven baked pepperoni pizza. The meal continued in virtual silence, mostly, as none of us were in the mood to chat when there was delicious food to be eaten.


    That wasn¡¯t to say the ones at the main feasting table weren¡¯t talking, and there was quite a lot of noise from around the bottle as people tried to cut the line while doing nothing violent, only to get banished to the back of the line by my spells for the trouble.


    After the first few line cutters learned the lesson the hard way, the line became orderly, with even the fairies fetching more wine for the highnesses waiting patiently for their turn. To the surprise of no one, there was no attempt at theft, nor violent approach. None wanted to find out the punishment for such a thing.


    The feasting lasted for hours. By now, the last light of day was gone, and fireflies attracted to the lanterns and torches were flying all around. I could see Nettle and Lilly approach our table, which meant it was time for the present exchange now that the first part of the feast was done.


    I could see the familiar¡¯s eyes light up eagerly. Hmm, should we do Nettle¡¯s last, just to prolong their curiosity? Before I could decide, the choice was taken for me as Lilly flew up to us. ¡°Let¡¯s do Nettle¡¯s first, Ms. Morgana!¡± Well, since she was so eager¡­ ¡°Very well, just give me a moment here¡­¡± I made a show out of rummaging through my pack. ¡°Nettle, would you be so kind as to hold out your needle for a moment?¡± Nettle gave me a curious glance, then looked over at Lilly for answers, but she just stuck out her tongue.


    Deciding to humor me, she pulled it out and held it out sideways. I finally found what I was looking for as I pulled out a pouch of dark purple dust. Nettle gave me a confused look. ¡°Dispelling powder?¡± I just gave her a coy smile as I sprinkled it over her needle. The illusion of wear and tear it was under from the night me and Lilly worked on it vanished instantly. In its place was now a beautiful fully refurbished needle, with a beautiful wavy pattern carved into its chromed sides so perfect you could use the needle as a mirror.


    The point of the needle was now magically sharpened and the needle itself lightened and featured a cushion for Nettles shoulder. All the effects were suppressed by the same spell that created the illusion. But now that it was revealed, they all came into effect. Nettle looked at it, utterly speechless. ¡°When did¡­ how, I don¡¯t¡­¡± Lilly flew up and hugged her. ¡°Only the best present for my bestie!¡± She gave Nettle a light peck on the cheek.


    I put away the dust again. ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy, I assure you. That thing was in desperate need of a repair. It nearly fell apart the moment I took it into my hands. It was honestly a miracle it lasted as long as it did. You won¡¯t have to worry about that ever again, though. It now self repairs, self sharpens and self cleans. All thanks to a certain pixie beside you. She¡¯s far better at such enchantments than I. As for when, the night of the same day as the two of you picked up Ivy after her brief bout of pancake induced forgetfulness.¡±


    Nettle looked over at Lilly. ¡°So that¡¯s what that message was about, and why you burned it.¡± She nodded. ¡°Couldn¡¯t risk you suspecting anything and ruin the surprise, after all.¡± I rummaged through my bag again. ¡°Speaking of surprises, enjoy this one, Lilly.¡± I pulled out a jar of honey from Jaldon Vale. ¡°This is high-quality, honey. It¡¯s far tastier than the honey you can harvest in these parts, but don¡¯t eat it all at once. Doing so will cause a stomach issues, I know from experience. Which is why I usually use it for brewing.¡± Lilly looked at it with a curious expression, before she pulled the jar into her storage pouch. ¡°Thanks, Ms. Morgana, I will enjoy it in moderation.¡± Coming from Lilly, that was actually a statement I could believe.


    The two Pixies looked at each other, then nodded. ¡°Our present to you. Ms. Morgana¡± Nettle opened her own storage pouch and a large bottle filled with an iridescent pale yellow liquid appeared on the table. ¡°Moon Nectar? It must have taken you all year to gather this amount. That¡¯s quite the precious gift, thank you.¡± The two pixies broke into cheerful grins. I could already imagine the reactions of my three little familiars when they got a taste of this.


    As the gifting began in earnest, people began leaving the table to give their gifts in private. The feast would resume much later, after the skylight show. Or, as I liked to call it, magical fireworks. It wasn¡¯t surprising that in a world where you could hurl a fireball with the same force as a cannonball, gunpowder wasn¡¯t something worth inventing, after all.


    As the gifting dragged on, both Tobin and Ivy arrived at our table with their own gifts. Tobin gave me a new comb from a Silverleaf. A rare wood with purifying properties. And when I presented him with the enchanted grooming kit, be broke into a wide grin. ¡°Now that¡¯s a worthy present. Thanks, everyone!¡± He gave a cheerful wave and ran off towards his home, no doubt to give it a test run.


    Ivy was also ecstatic about the Amethyst she received as a joint present from all. ¡°Thanks guys, I appreciate it.¡± She gave all of us a quick hug each, then handed us our present. It was a small shimmering sphere filled with a silvery liquid. ¡°Ivy, how in the world did you get your hands on quicksilver?¡± She just grinned. Quicksilver, liquid time. According to one of my books, it could only be made by gathering moonlight using a Moon Mirror, a special alchemical device that I was still working out how to make as the ingredients were rare. No, rare wasn¡¯t a fitting word for their scarcity.


    From Soot, Midnight and Winter I received several finding stones, a naturally occurring magical mineral with the ability to find items or locations the user of the stones ever visited about or touched in the past. Quite useful, especially now that I got my hands on something so precious as quicksilver.


    ¡°Sorry guys, but because of what my gift to you three is, it¡¯s waiting for you at home, all prepped and ready, and hidden under multiple layers of illusions.¡± The three glanced at each other with interest. ¡°Fair enough, Mistress. Say, how about we go up into the tree to watch the show before the feast resumes?¡± That seemed like a good idea to me. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 11: The Festivals End

    Miva and Ivy were all happy to join in on our little venture and our group made its way across the clearing and over to the long winding stairway going up into the trees. Miva was carrying Midnight in her arms, while Ivy was riding Soot, as she was so full, she could barely move.


    Winter was roosting on top of my hat, as usual. We began the long ascent, and it gave us a magnificent view of the clearing below. Hundreds, if not thousands, of small lights scattered around a clearing the size of two soccer fields. And milling around that field were the guests and all the inhabitants of Nettledale. Their movement created an interesting flux of normal torchlight, pixie lights, and shadows of people milling around.


    And yet, despite the colorful display, it wouldn¡¯t hold a candle to the skylights that would soon begin. Soot landed on my shoulder. ¡°You know, Mistress, according to Ivy, Pepper and Burr have taken lessons from Elven mages on how to improve the sky lights this year.¡±


    Lessons? That seemed redundant, as the two were some of the best in the business. At least in the region. In response to my expression, Soot could only shrug, a gesture that nearly knocked Ivy from his back. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t get it either, and sorry, Ivy.¡± Ivy just hugged Soot¡¯s head in response. ¡°It¡¯s fine Soot, it¡¯s not your fault I got overeager, ugh.¡±


    Once we finally made it into the branches of the tree, I headed towards the reserved section. Only those with special reservation could use the observation platforms there, and with a private section to myself. The platforms were grown from the trees themselves with nature magic, creating a part of the tree that could be used as benches, tables, and railings without harming the tree itself.


    As we sat down, I noticed movement down below. I glanced over the railing and saw that it was Aurlin and Irun. They were at a lower branch and out of earshot. I could see them clearly enough, though. Just then, the show began. The sky above Nettledale exploded into patterns and explosions of color that would make fireworks seem lame, and even the strongest northern lights couldn¡¯t compare to.


    On the branch below, I could see Aurlin speak and as he did, he stood up from the bench. This caused Irun to tilt her head, confused. He turned around dramatically, then just as a powerful blast of light lit up the platform below, he pulled out the box and presented her the ring, causing the light to reflect over the silver and studded gemstones.


    I couldn¡¯t see Irun¡¯s expression from here, but I could imagine it well enough from her reaction. She stared at Aurlin for a few moments, then nodded, and I could see something reflect off her cheek during the next blast of light. Tears of joy, no doubt. She slid off the bench and embraced Aurlin, the two sharing a deep kiss. I stopped watching. This was a moment that shouldn¡¯t be spied upon.


    I focused back on the skylight show and just leaned back against the table as I looked up at the lights through the canopy. ¡°And so passes another midsummer.¡± I felt something on my lap. ¡°Well, I see the two of you are getting comfy.¡± I noted as I gently pulled a hand through Miva¡¯s hair. She was lying down on her back on the bench with her head in my lap. And was patting Midnight, who was lying on her stomach. ¡°It¡¯s rather nice to just relax like this now and then. It¡¯s always business at the coven, even more so since mom took over as the leader.¡±


    That was a bit of a surprise. ¡°Aile withdrew as the coven''s leader?¡± Miva nodded. ¡°We were as surprised as you are. I mean, she said ¡®over my dead body¡¯ every time it was brought up before, I guess her back problems finally got to her.¡± Well, as long as the coven was happy, I suppose. ¡°Well, I wish your Eira good luck as coven leader. It¡¯s a hard job as far as I know.¡±


    Miva looked up at me, her expression bordering on pleading. ¡°You sure we can¡¯t tempt you to take the position?¡± I shook my head in response. ¡°No, thanks, I have my hands full dealing with the shenanigans of these four troublemakers.¡± I gestured to my familiars, and Ivy. ¡°I am not interested in adding a coven and all the stipulations and troubles that ads on top.¡± Miva grimaced, then sat back up. ¡°Fair enough, I guess.¡± She scratched Midnight behind the ears with a loving smile before leaning back against the table, as I did.


    We continued to watch the show in silence, and once it was over, we began heading back down. When we returned to our table, we found that, to the surprise of no one here, it was now overflowing with pastries and sweets of all kinds. ¡°I just don¡¯t understand how they expect us to eat all this.¡±


    I sat down at my seat again and Soot and Winter hopped off my shoulder and hat, respectively. ¡°Neither do I, Mother. I mean, none of us familiars can eat the stuff, the chocolate is toxic for Soot and Midnight, and the sugar is a killer for me. The fact I can handle cooked meat at all, I attribute to the familiar ritual.¡±


    I looked through the mountains of cakes, pies and the like, not just on our table, but also the smaller filler tables nearby. ¡°It would seem they thought of that. Look there.¡± I pointed to a table with a massive helping of meat both cooked and raw, for those who enjoyed that stuff. ¡°I see rabbit, venison, and at least five different fish if you want more to eat.¡±


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    After another helping of food, which I partook in with a great deal of restraint since I would be flying us home, the feast came to a close. By the end of it all, it was now closer to dawn than dusk. ¡°Alright, you three, or rather four, since I bet you will be joining us as usual, Ivy. Time to head home.¡± I gently lifted a sleeping Miva into my arms. The kid mumbled something in her sleep. Alrighty, let¡¯s see if we can find Eira.


    It didn¡¯t take long to find the Coven at all, as the pixies, ever curious about new things were swarming around them now that the festivities were over. ¡°Excuse me, coming through.¡± As I broke through the circle, I was met with eight witches, of which I only recognized three. ¡°Sorry to disturb your meet-and-greet, but I need to deliver something to you, Eira.¡± I nodded down towards the sleeping bundle that was Miva.


    Eira, who was the spitting image of her daughter, minus the single fang, and of course being much taller. When she noticed Miva, she just chuckled. ¡°Thank you for looking after her, Teacher.¡± I just waved her off. ¡°Not an issue at all, and again, I¡¯m not a teacher. I only showed you the basics. The coven taught you the rest.¡± That got a rise out of the old, shrunken, blue-skinned witch to her right. ¡°Basics, she says. Well, I¡¯ll remind you that your ¡®basics¡¯ catapulted our coven forwards about a decade.¡± I just shook my head while giving her a good-natured smile. ¡°Hello to you too, Aile, how''s the back?¡±


    Aile pulled a long spindly arm across her crooked backside, then sniffled. ¡°It¡¯s seen better days. The straw that pushed it over the edge happened the other day when I went to grab a bucket of water and nearly broke it in the effort. I guess age is catching up with me. Well, not for long! I have all the ingredients I need for a youth potion, but until then, Eira is acting as Coven Leader in my stead, so I can focus on the brewing.¡± She paused for a moment, then eyed Miva for a moment.


    ¡°Say, Morgana, are to do an old woman a favor?¡± I couldn¡¯t suppress a chuckle. ¡°Let me guess, you want me to take in Miva for about a week, so you can focus on the brewing without worrying about her shenanigans potentially causing a catastrophic failure.¡± Aile went quiet for a moment. Then she sighed and seemed to deflate a bit. ¡°You hit the nail on the head. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I adore the kid as if she were my grandchild, however¡­¡± Her voice trailed off.


    ¡°Oh, I get it. I have babysat her before, after all. I¡¯ll take care of her, if you agree to Eira.¡± She handed Miva back with no hesitation. ¡°I am sure she¡¯d be ecstatic about the opportunity to hang around with Midnight for a week. Besides, Teacher, you are like an aunt to her, you know that. Though she would never openly admit it.¡±


    I looked down at the sleeping bundle. ¡°Eight years this winter, I will see if I can come up with a fitting present. Speaking of winter, isn¡¯t her father¡¯s tour finally ending this winter too?¡± Eira nodded now with a bittersweet smile on her face. ¡°Teilar¡¯s finally coming home. First time he gets to see his daughter too, I really should see if I could talk him into quitting the mercenary business. A decade is far too long to be away on a tour of duty.¡±


    I opened my mouth to respond, but a tired hoot from above made me reconsider for a moment. ¡°As much as I¡¯d love to continue this conversation, it¡¯s dawn in about two turns of the hourglass, so I should see about getting home.¡± Eira glanced up at the half-asleep Winter. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right. Take care now and see you in a week.¡± She leaned down and gave Miva a loving peck on the cheek as I turned and left.


    Considering most of the pixies would be too hopped up on sugar to sleep, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the coven would be kept awake long into the early morning hours answering their questions at this rate. I pulled out the broom with one hand and sat down on it, while putting Miva in my lap. Midnight hopped onto the tail, while Soot landed with Ivy on the front. A few moments later, I was in the air and was leaving Nettledale behind. It was a good thing I didn¡¯t need sight to navigate, as clouds were obscuring the moon, and dawn was still a ways away. ¡°Looks like there will be rain tomorrow.¡±


    I didn¡¯t get a response. Most likely because all of them were sleeping. It was nice to have some quiet for once though, so I wasn¡¯t complaining. I loved my tree familiars, but just some quiet now and then was delightful. I landed at my cabin, but didn¡¯t wake everyone immediately, instead I hovered inside and over to the guest room, where I gently tucked Miva in.


    Then I floated back to the living room. ¡°Alright you guys, wake up.¡± I nudged Soot and Ivy awake while also poking Winter from below, while my tail patted Midnight awake. ¡°You present awaits, besides you can¡¯t sleep on the broom all night.¡± The mention of the present got the three of them to wake up a bit more. I walked over to a corner of the room. There I gestured for a bit as I undid several concealing spells.


    The three of them managed a gleeful squeal as I revealed their present. It was a combination of multiple things they requested multiple times over the years, but I always postponed, for various reasons. It was a scratching pole, bird bath multi roost, with a nice and padded basket for Midnight to rest in and a strange ring with a glowing field on it.


    The three eyed the ring curiously. ¡°I know how much you loathe bathing, Midnight, so that ring will magically clean you if you jump through it. No more annoying bathing sessions. Whereas the two of you, who love to wash your feathers, have a bird bath whose water is always the perfect temperature you want it to be and will never run dry, nor will the water get dirty. The scratching post and roosting sticks never wear down, and the basket is self-cleaning and will keep both bugs and water out of it. Even a deluge won¡¯t get it wet. If you want to try it, it can be found on the landing tomorrow. For now, let¡¯s head to bed.¡±


    I gestured at the contraption, and it vanished in a poof of smoke. I didn¡¯t show it, but I was exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to stagger into bed, and judging by the reaction of my beloved trio, they weren¡¯t feeling much better. ¡°Ivy, your bed was made ready before we left for the festival. You know where it is.¡± I mumbled as I staggered off towards the bathroom to get ready for bed. I could see Ivy¡¯s dim viridian light flutter off towards the shelf where her guest bed was. About ten minutes later, I staggered into my bed and was out like a light mere moment later.

 Chapter 12: Meeting the new neighbours

    I didn¡¯t wake until around noon. When I got into the living room, I could see Miva rushing around the room, playing tag with Ivy, Soot, and Midnight. ¡°Glad to see the three of you are all up and running. However, if you want anything to eat before dinner, I would ask you to help me set the table and stuff.¡± It took little in the way of convincing Miva at all, and I was just glad to have an extra set of hands. As under normal circumstances, I didn¡¯t have a choice but to do all that alone.


    Breakfast, or rather lunch, was a noisy affair as a squabble broke out about what to make. To the surprise of no one, Ivy wanted pancakes, Miva wanted toast, with various calls for meats and the like from my trio of familiars. In the end, I settled on a specialty of mine.


    Ham Sandwiches. And not those flimsy things sold in the states. This was rough bread, butter, ham, homemade ketchup, and cheese. Fifteen minutes in the oven and five minutes¡¯ rest, and you would have a juicy yet crispy warm lunch ready to go. The reception was positive overall, although Ivy was, to the surprise of no one, disappointed at the lack of pancakes.


    I suspected that the familiar bond let my familiars eat things that would usually be poisonous to them, since neither bread nor cheese would be the usual fare for Winter and Midnight, but, understandably, they didn¡¯t want to test it. Now granted pure greens were off the table, not because they couldn¡¯t eat it, but they didn¡¯t like it. Both Midnight and Winter were¡­ picky eaters, to be mild about it.


    After the late lunch, we gathered in the living room. We considered sitting on the landing outside, but the weather took a turn for the worse. And I knew from experience that messing with the weather caused more problems than it was worth. So rather than being eaten alive by mosquitoes hiding from the rain, we stayed inside.


    The others already informed Miva about the whole story-time going on of late and Miva was as eager as the rest of them, that I continue it all. ¡°Alright everyone, now where was I?¡± Soot chirped for a bit. ¡°The last part was the familiar ritual between you and me. Which means we¡¯ll have to jump a few years for anything worth mentioning to happen now. Unless everyone here is interested in the same daily life routine repeated for ten years straight.¡± I looked up at Soot in surprise.


    ¡°Was it really a decade?¡± Soot gave me a sidelong glance as he rinsed some crumbs out of his feathers. ¡°If we are thinking about the same event, it¡¯s about that, yes. Give or take a few months.¡± Huh, time flies when you¡¯re just enjoying life. Although, now that I thought about it, he was right. ¡°So as Soot was saying¡­¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    ¡°It¡¯s almost coming up to our ten-year anniversary now. How are you feeling about it?¡± Soot looked up from the plate of various meats he was eating. ¡°Ten years? That long already?¡± He seemed perplexed for a bit. ¡°Huh, well, I don¡¯t really feel any different. Aside from the usual elation at living the good life, of course.¡± He kept eating in silence some more. ¡°By the way, Mistress. I saw some smoke rising from the southern valley earlier today. We might want to check it out in case it¡¯s a bushfire. I mean it¡¯s not likely to hit the forest, but you never know.¡±


    To the south of the swamp, the terrain would slowly turn more like a highland landscape for about ten minutes of flight, before it would dip into a deep river valley with various plants and the like. The forests to the east and west of the swamp would actually grow all the way into the valley itself, however. And I didn¡¯t want a forest fire to cause mayhem among my food supply, or endanger our new friends in Nettledale.


    ¡°Guess we¡¯re off to the valley. A nice way to celebrate our anniversary anyhow.¡± Soot finished his dinner, and I made the plate hover into the kitchen to wash off. ¡°Said anniversary would have been a week ago during the festival, would it not?¡± I shrugged. ¡°Close enough, besides would you have the anniversary celebration that close to the festival?¡± Soot looked at me for a few seconds before giving off the chirps I knew to be his laugh.


    ¡°You got a point there, with how stuffed that festival makes me, there is no way I¡¯d be able to celebrate that at the same time. Just thinking about it is making me feel overly full.¡± I arched an eyebrow. ¡°And I¡¯m sure the literal bowl of meat you just devoured has nothing to do with it.¡± Soot ignored my comment and instead landed on my shoulder. ¡°Shall we go? If it is a fire, it¡¯s better to get it dealt with sooner rather than later.¡±


    I headed out on the landing and grabbed my broom. This one was a far cry better than the rickety old one I made way back when. It even had a cushioned seat. A few moments later, we were in the air and flying southward. ¡°So where in the valley did you see the smoke raise from?¡± Soot pointed to the southeast. ¡°The smoke came from the area of the valley where it turns a sharp north.¡±


    That explained why Soot didn¡¯t know whether it was a fire or not. ¡°Alrighty, off we go then. Letting a forest fire burn is such a waste, so don¡¯t delay, but let¡¯s make haste!¡± The magic began taking hold immediately. Soot looked at me, and if he could make expressions, I am certain it would be annoyed or hateful right now.


    ¡°You piece of -¡± His words were drowned out as the magic took hold and the brooms¡¯ acceleration and speed both tripled. Soot¡¯s words died in the resulting roar of wind, as he now didn¡¯t have a choice but to hang on for dear life. Right, forgot about that. A quick silent spell later, and we were shielded from the wind itself. ¡°Couldn¡¯t do that in the opposite order, eh?¡± Soot ruffled his wings and began fixing the multiple misaligned feathers. ¡°Sorry about that, Soot. I got too carried away.¡±


    With the increased speed, my new broom got to the area where Soot saw the smoke in about half an hour. But it was also taking its toll on the broom. It was missing a bunch of straw at the end. At this rate, I¡¯d have to make a new one soon. As we neared the area, a light drizzle fell from the skies. If we were lucky, it wouldn¡¯t turn into a deluge.


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    I turned the bend in the valley and so a most unwelcome sight. A small grouping of houses and wagons. People, joy. And here I was hoping, I¡¯d never have to deal with any again. On the plus side, the construction and lack of any modern implements suggested at the most medieval era tech.


    That aside, these people being here was a concern. In the worst-case scenario, they might hunt in the nearby forest or harvest herbs I needed for my brews. The forest to the east of my swamp contained vastly different plants to that of the western forest, most likely because that forest contained Nettledale and thus more magic, while the western forest was utterly mundane.


    That was another thing to think of, too. Nettle and the other pixies didn¡¯t like ¡®Biguns¡¯, or humans, as I¡¯d learned the name meant. Yet another reason to keep these people as far away from the forest as possible. As I neared the place, I could see a group of about twelve people milling about the collection of four houses. They were busy putting the finishing touches on the fourth one.


    A few moments later, they spotted me as I went in for a landing, and a group of three people approached me. An elderly fellow with a cane, but well-defined muscles showing from his sleeveless shirt, and with a sword strapped to his side, likely a retired soldier or the like.


    The second was a giant of a man, over two meters easy, that looked like a weight lifter, and was walking somewhat hunched over. Despite the mountain of muscles, I wasn¡¯t intimidated. Not only did I have magic, but my supernatural strength would at worst match his, if not allow me to outright overpower him.


    The last one was a woman dressed in a brown cloak and dress and was carrying a staff. I could sense mana flowing around her, so it was obvious she could manipulate mana. As they neared, she whispered something to the man with the sword, who tensed up. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me she felt the same about me.


    The man with the sword stepped up. ¡°Greetings, ma¡¯am. Welcome to what will become our home in the days to come.¡± I took a deep breath to steady myself as I looked over the small area. ¡°So I see, and since we will become neighbors, I will simply say this once. The forest up there, the swamp to its west, and the forest to the west of that again are my domain. Stay out.¡± The mountain of a man stomped up to me and leaned in so close our noses almost touched. ¡°Or you¡¯ll do what, exactly?¡±


    The woman¡¯s eyes opened in shock, as she could likely feel the magic surge without me saying a word or making a single gesture. Before she could utter a warning, however, there was a poof of smoke and the brute was now a small frog on the ground. I leaned down and snatched it up before it could dodge out of the way. ¡°If you¡¯re going to make a threat, make sure you can follow up on it, little man.¡± I glanced over to the woman and the man with a sword.


    I put him back down and undid the spell. ¡°However, I am not unreasonable, so I will give you an incentive to do as I say.¡± I looked around until I found a rock the size of my palm. I picked it up and began to channel mana into it while casting a spell on it. Once it was done, the stone took on a soft, dark green glow.


    ¡°The enchantment on this stone will last for as long as you stay out of my domain. Plant it in the ground and any farmland nearby will be safe from pests and destruction. It will also always yield a good harvest. However, any wandering into my forests or felling my trees and the spell will break.¡±


    I didn¡¯t mention that if the spell broke, I would know. Not that I¡¯d need to, the woman undoubtedly knew. ¡°And where, then, am I to source my ingredients?¡± I turned towards the woman, who was now clutching her staff so hard her knuckles were turning white. ¡°Elsewhere. Although, if you have a familiar, you can send a request to me, as I live in the swamp between the forests.


    Should I find the request reasonable, I might trade for eggs, milk or similar produce, and in that the case, I will come here to conduct business. Never enter my domain under any circumstance. That is all.¡±


    Before they could say anything else, I hopped on my broom and flew off. ¡°You know, Mistress. You seemed rather err¡­¡± I glanced over at Soot. ¡°I have a rather¡­ complicated history with people. I am fine with the inhabitants of Nettledale and the like, but humans make me, well. It¡¯s been about a decade since the last time I¡¯d have to deal with them, and it¡¯s still a bit too soon, it seems.¡±


    Soot eyed me for a moment. ¡°Not a people person, eh?¡± A pretty dead-on assessment, even if it was meant as a quip. ¡°Not at all. I used to have a job that involved dealing with some of the most entitled, self-centered and unreasonable people imaginable, before I became a witch. It has made me rather¡­ antisocial, I suppose.¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    Soot¡¯s chirping laugh brought me out of my tale. ¡°An apt way of saying it, indeed. Not sure what your job entailed exactly, but knowing what I now know, I suppose it might have involved even more people than I can imagine.¡± I looked over at Soot. ¡°Imagine being stuck at a desk for eight hours every day. And from the moment you sit down, people are making inane demands at you that you can¡¯t really hope to fulfill. Then, on top of it all, they get angry when you try to tell them why you can¡¯t, and demand you do so anyway. Every work day, for nearly a decade.¡±


    Soot visibly shuddered. ¡°Although I can understand why you¡¯d develop a few¡­ bristles, when having to deal with people after that.¡± I couldn¡¯t suppress a chuckle. ¡°I believe I have mellowed out somewhat over time, but yeah, my first interaction was rather¡­ brusque¡­ to be mild about it.¡± Midnight glanced up at me from where she was lying in Miva¡¯s lap. ¡°Only slightly. When your mod drops, you get rather...¡± Her voice trailed off as I waved her off. ¡°Fair enough, fair enough. Now, where was I?¡±


    Before I could get an answer, there was a noise coming from Ivy. To be more exact, her stomach was growling. I took a deep breath. ¡°I guess that means we should take a break for dinner. Any wishes¡­ besides the obvious pancakes from Ivy?¡± I could see Ivy visibly deflate as I preempted her suggestion. ¡°Umm, could we have that meal you mentioned the last time I was here? What was it called again¡­ meatballs? No wait, that other thing, ugh, I don¡¯t remember the name.¡±


    Not meatballs¡­ oh, Norwegian meat cakes? Hmm, couldn¡¯t even remember the last time I made that. I should have some moose meat still, and it would undoubtedly be popular with everyone, even the resident pancake fanatic. ¡°Hmm, sure, why not? It will take a bit to make, so why don¡¯t you all get comfortable in the meantime, and trust me Ivy it¡¯s tasty, so no need to cry over the loss of pancakes.¡± With that, I disappeared into the kitchen to get dinner ready.

 Chapter 13: Miva asks a question.

    It wasn¡¯t a surprise that dinner was popular. Even Ivy, who usually wasn¡¯t a fan of my meat dishes, enjoyed it. That being said, this also meant the dinner was over fast, and it didn¡¯t take long before we were all in the living room, bellies full and ready to resume the tale from before.


    It took only a few moments before Miva couldn¡¯t contain her curiosity anymore. ¡°So Mom and I have visited Nekkal multiple times since we moved here, but I have felt no enchantment in the fields surrounding the town. Does that mean they broke the agreement?¡±


    I leaned back in my chair. ¡°They did, and it took them only a few decades, too.¡± Miva sat up from where she was lying on the couch, with curiosity written all over her face. Or was it his? It was hard to say what gender Miva was right now. Well, it didn¡¯t matter.


    I leaned over and ruffled Miva¡¯s hair a bit. ¡°You want to know what happened, eh?¡± Miva nodded. The trio and Ivy, since she was visiting when it happened, knew this part of the tale. Because of this, I was originally planning to skip it, but it wouldn¡¯t do to leave Miva in the dark. However, that part of the story was several decades ahead of where we were now. ¡°It will have to wait for a bit, kiddo. Unless you want me to jump forwards for that part and then jump back again afterward.¡±


    I could see Miva¡¯s internal struggle. On one hand, I knew she wanted to keep the timeline going for consistency¡¯s sake. On the other, it was obvious she was curious. ¡°Jump please!¡± I looked at the other four. ¡°And your votes?¡± I could see them hesitating. ¡°Well, I suppose it¡¯s fine, Mistress.¡± ¡°Hmm, Meow don¡¯t mind either, Meowstress.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with it, Mother, after all we can just jump back to the next part afterward, as you said yourself.¡± Ivy just shrugged. She would have responded, but she was the only one still stuffing her face, by raiding my fruit bowl.


    I closed my eyes for a moment. ¡°Fine, but no more side tangents after this. Understood?¡± There was a unanimous ¡°AYE!¡± from all of them. With that bit clear, I leaned forward in the chair, using my lap as an armrest. ¡°This takes place some six decades plus-minus a few years after I first discovered Nekkal. By this point, Midnight was already a familiar and Nekkal was now a rather big town with its own ruler and everything. And that¡¯s where the problem arose.¡±


    I paused for a moment. ¡°The agreement was, by this point, old, and when the old lord, the big burly guy I scared the crap out of in our original meeting, passed away a few weeks prior. Unfortunately for the town, his son, an even greater muscle head than his old man, took the enchantment on the fields for granted. I still remember it like it was yesterday when...¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    There was a commotion outside, followed by a loud hammering on my front door. Now, who could that be? The pixies usually just knocked on the window if they were visiting, and I didn¡¯t know any other people who¡¯d take the trip over this time of year. The Fauns over at Appleridge were busy with the harvest, and the down payment for the land they bought wasn¡¯t due yet. Sure, the hex I placed on the stone to keep the field going over at Nekkal broke about a week ago. But they wouldn¡¯t think I¡¯d renew it when THEY were the ones to break it, right? Surely, they weren¡¯t that stupid?


    Rather curious, I rose from the floor where I was meditating and went to answer. The moment I opened, this big brute of a man dressed in finery attempted to push his way inside, only to be stopped cold by the barrier designed to stop thieves and other uninvited guests from coming in through the door and windows.


    Behind the guy was an old woman with a surprised expression on her face. She looked similar to the mage who I met when I first visited Nekkal, only much older. And also a posh-looking fellow that was doing his utmost to keep his expression utterly neutral after seeing the barrier flare to life to stop them from entering. After seeing as his attempt to steamroll his way inside failed, the brute grumbled.


    ¡°Go fetch your granny.¡± He grumbled in a tone that I suppose he meant to be threatening, but considering I was probably stronger than him, and could turn him into a toad instantly, and was behind a barrier that could stop a rampaging bull dead in its tracks, I wasn¡¯t intimidated in the slightest. The expression of the woman behind him turned from surprised to outright horrified, so she was part of the original delegation then.


    I arched an eyebrow at the brute. Now, I was tempted to just blast him with a curse of some kind and call it a day, and that temptation was rising by the second. However, I¡¯d attempt to keep it civil for, for now. ¡°Me and my familiars are the only ones living here, young man. And you are already beginning to test the limits of my patience. So, I will allow you exactly thirty seconds to tell me why you are trespassing on my lands, before I turn you all into ferns.¡±


    ¡°Stop messing around, brat. You look like you¡¯re barely an adult. Now fetch the old hag before I-¡± That was as far as he got before I made a quick gesture in his direction and turned him to stone. I was not dealing with this imbecile. I turned my attention to the terrified woman. ¡°Now, then, let¡¯s try this again. You clearly recognize me, young lady. So, why are you here? Speak up now.¡±


    The woman swallowed. ¡°The fields have taken a turn for the worse, despite your spell. I did warn the young lord¡­¡± She paused for a moment as she glanced over at the statue. ¡°¡­ That entering the forest to the north of Nekkal would cause the spell to break, but his lordship wouldn¡¯t listen.¡± Ah, I could see where this was going.


    The two stepped back as I moved onto the landing and leaned against the doorway. ¡°And since the spell ended as predicted, and you couldn¡¯t create a suitable replacement, the uncouth brute attempted to strong-arm me into putting the spell back.¡± The servant and the old lady glanced at each other, then both bowed their heads. ¡°We¡¯re sorry, but we can¡¯t really stop him. He is a decent enough leader for our growing town, but he solves things via intimidation first, and negotiation if that fails.¡±


    Well, that would be a recipe for disaster. ¡°A leader like that will get you into more trouble than he will solve in the long term. I mean, imagine someone like him trying to deal with nobles or royal dignitaries. It would be an unmitigated disaster.¡± The two looked about as distraught as I¡¯d expect. ¡°Hmm, fine¡­ FINE, I will lend you a hand this one time since you¡¯re dealing with such a dangerous fool for a leader. However, if something like this happens again, don¡¯t expect the one who does so to come back to town unscathed, if at all.¡±


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    The two looked up at me with a hopeful expression as I approached the statue. Reversing the petrification was easy enough. ¡°- Break down the do-¡± ¡°SILENCE¡± His voice disappeared instantly. Oh silent casting, how happy I was I learned how to do that. It worked wonders for intimidation too, since I could cast and finish the spell to coincide with my demand, making it seem I just needed to speak the word to cast.


    I walked up to him, and he lunged for me. I caught his punch with the palm of my hand and stopped it dead. To him, it must have felt like hitting a cliff wall, with how far he moved my hand. I grabbed his wrist and as I did a pallid purple light shone where my hand wrapped around his wrist.


    ¡°Your foolishness has your doom made, as I cast a curse that will never fade. Your muscles shrink and your mind will sharpen, stronger wits and words worth harken. Never again will strength be your family¡¯s blessing. A life as administrators is what I am guessing. So take this curse and gift in stride, and let reason and wits rule at your side.¡±


    The curse manifested even as I spoke it, as the brute of a man lost muscle mass and even some height. Meanwhile, his eyes, who used to be clouded by senseless, mindless rage changed as well, grew fearful and showing a spark of true brilliance in them. With the curse done, I let him go, and he staggered back and almost stumbled since his clothes and shoes no longer fit his smaller, leaner build.


    He took a few moments to look over himself and get his bearings, then turned towards me and swallowed. ¡°I¡­¡± He closed his eyes, then as he opened them again, bowed his head. ¡°My deepest apologies, Lady Witch. I see now how much of a fool I was before. And I cannot tell if this is a blessing or a curse, if I am being honest.¡± Well, it would seem he was now more civil, at the very least. With that mess dealt with, I leaned back against the wall.


    ¡°So, what exactly caused you to break the hex?¡± As I asked, Midnight exited the house and jumped into my arms, and purred happily as I gave her pats and scratched her gently behind her right ear. Soot also exited now that the main commotion was dying down and eyed the tree without a word.


    The old mage glanced over at Midnight. ¡°Is that?¡± I looked over at her. ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re the grandmother of the child giving away kittens. Yes, it¡¯s the same kitten I picked up that day. Her name is Midnight and is now one of my familiars. Now, stop stalling and speak.¡±


    The young lord sighed. ¡°It¡¯s my fault. In my brashness and boredom, I decided I wanted to go on a hunt. However, the forest where my late father always went hunting in, as well as get lumber for the city from, was a good hour by horseback away and the game in it has always been disappointing. Compare that to the mysterious northern forest, mere five minutes on horseback, and basically untouched aside from the pruning we¡¯d do to keep it from intruding on our fields, with your permission, of course.¡±


    His voice trailed off. And his servant stepped forth. ¡°As the young master said, the moment we stepped under the trees there was this loud shattering sound from the fields and the ensorcelled stone turned back into a regular one. It didn¡¯t take long after that for the crops to run into issues, as if nature itself was waiting for the spell to break before making up for lost time. We tried to stop the young master from entering the forest in the first place, of course, but with his attitude¡­¡± The servant went quiet and shot his employer a sidelong glance before directing his gaze towards the floor.


    To his credit, the young fool denied nothing. ¡°I see. Well, unfortunately for you three, and the town, I am not going to just remake the spell. After all, if I did, then none of you would learn anything from this.¡± The three of them all opened their mouths to either protest or make me reconsider, but I lifted a hand to silence them before they could.


    ¡°That being said, I will not leave you all without an alternative. To the north of Nekkal is a small farm that enjoys a hex very similar to the one you used to benefit from. The thing is, the Fauns there have some issues getting rid of their excess produce, as I might have gone a bit overboard with the hex itself. As such, I know they would be delighted to sell you their produce at a reasonable price. Now, before you get any ideas, those Fauns are friends of mine. Should any harm befalls them because of greed or malice on Nekkal¡¯s end¡­¡± I let my voice trail off, leaving it to their vivid imaginations to decide how terrible my retribution would be, it would do a better job of it than I, after all.


    The young Lord nodded frantically. ¡°Of course, Milady, I will make sure those who go to bargain with them will show them the utmost politeness and fairness. Though I take it haggling is allowed?¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Of course, the Fauns love that stuff, so if I said no, they¡¯d be liable to get angry at me. Don¡¯t expect an easy haggling session, though. They drive a hard bargain, even by my standards.¡±


    The lord took a deep breath. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s the best we can do, given. In the name of house Oscillion, I Reykard Oscillion, thank you for your generosity and for being so lenient with us, Lady Witch. Now I won¡¯t darken your home with our presence no more. Excuse us.¡± He bowed, turned on his heels, and carefully made his way back to town.


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    Soot flew from his roost and landed on the top of the leaning chair. ¡°Of course, that wouldn¡¯t be the last time we¡¯d have a run in with that family. Although the next meeting was a bit more-¡± I reached up and gently put a finger on his beak, which made him stop talking.


    ¡°You¡¯re jumping ahead again, Soot. And didn¡¯t I say no more tangents? If we keep jumping from tangent to tangent, we will never finish. Now I believe we are done with this one. So I would say the meeting with Allen and Faye is next on the list of interesting events in the correct timeline?¡± Soot chirped softly, as he thought about it. ¡°I¡¯d say it would be the biggest note, yes, Mistress.¡±


    I reached behind Soot¡¯s head and gave him some loving scratches, earning some delighted chirps for my effort. ¡°Well then, I guess that¡¯s next on the-.¡± My sentence was cut short because Miva suddenly sat up. ¡°It¡¯s fun to listen, and all that, but I want to play with Midnight for a while before you continue, as I¡¯m getting restless.¡±


    I glanced over at Midnight, who just lifted a paw helplessly. ¡°Fair enough. We will continue this later. Have fun, you two.¡± Miva spun around and grabbed Midnight, then zoomed out the door, no doubt to hunt for frogs or other critters in the swamp for a few hours.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s for the best anyhow, since I need to get started on that apple mead. Soot care to lend a wing?¡± Soot opened his eyes. ¡°Sure, maybe we could try to make some wine from those peaches, too?¡± Peach wine? Hmm, never tried that myself, but it should be doable.


    ¡°As long as it¡¯s not a mead attempt, I don¡¯t mind. Honey and peaches do not work well together.¡± I got to my feet and stretched a bit. ¡°Now then, let¡¯s get going, shall we? And since you wanted to learn, why don¡¯t you join us as well, Winter?¡± Winter gave a happy hoot as she took off, and the three of us went into the potion room to begin the preliminary brewing.

 Chapter 14: Storms, curses, fauns and farms.

    The entire process was pretty standard by now. First we set up the still to begin fermentation, and then begin experimentation by expediting the process with magic. It wound up with mixed results. ¡°This one has a pleasant buzz to it, but¡­¡± Soot looked up from the stein I just put down. ¡°Acidic properties, not to mention the amount of alcohol, is¡­ dangerous. Either you end up with acid burns or alcohol poisoning. No dice. Ugh, magic and alcohol always cause mayhem.¡±


    Winter, who was watching the whole experimentation process from a nearby shelf, tilted her head. ¡°Have you tried adding some razzberry to the mix?¡± Razzerries? I glanced over at Soot, who just ruffled his wings, his way of shrugging. I wasn¡¯t sure what that would do, but with how hopeful Winter sounded¡­


    I took a handful of razzberries and added them in with the apples and repeated the spell. The brew didn¡¯t look or smell any different. I brought it to my lips. A full and somewhat bitter flavor with a hint of sweetness in the aftertaste. Not bad. Not only that, but the acidic burn was just¡­ gone. And the alcohol levels¡­ within acceptable levels for a strong mead.


    ¡°Soot¡­ I think Winter might be a savant for brewing. We should probably include her into the potion making sessions too.¡± Soot hopped over and took an experimental gulp of the brew himself. ¡°Wow, this is good! Give it some time to ferment naturally, and we might have a contender for the Arc 358.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t disagree with Soot on that front. That opened the question, though, of what in the world did the razzberries do to cause this? I looked up at Winter. ¡°Nice call, kiddo. You get to select tomorrow¡¯s dinner.¡± Winter gave a happy hoot. ¡°Happy to help, Mother.¡± I reached up and scratched Winter just under her beak. A spot she really liked.


    Just then, I heard the slamming of the entrance. ¡°Must be Miva, Ivy and Midnight.¡± I left the workshop and watched as Miva, soaking wet, stood at the entryway with a sheepish smile. Next to her was an equally wet Ivy, and Midnight. ¡°Sorry, Morgana, I got a bit carried away when we were playing, and took a plunge into the pond next to your ritual altar.¡± I gave her a hard look and Miva squirmed. ¡°And what exactly transpired to make you ¡®take a plunge¡¯ exactly?¡±


    Miva hesitated, before she took a deep breath ¡°I¡­ I might have been running on the logs next to the pond.¡± I arched an eyebrow as my gaze drifted to the other two. ¡°I was riding in this small pocket, and she was carrying Midnight.¡± Ivy pointed to a small pocket on the chest of Miva¡¯s robes.


    I took a deep breath as I shook my head. ¡°Well, the one upside is that this means you¡¯ve learned how to swim since your last stay here. However, haven¡¯t I told you time and time again not to run on those logs near the pond? The logs there are slippery because of the water and moss. And while you can now swim, that won¡¯t do you any good if you cave in your skull on a big branch on the way down.¡± Miva, as well as Midnight and Ivy, looked properly chastised.


    ¡°Now, that being said, congratulations on learning how to swim, Miva. And that by-the-by is the only reason I am not grounding you for the reminder of your stay. If I¡¯d have to dive into the pond to rescue you again¡­¡± I let my voice trail off. Better stop before I said something I¡¯d regret. Miva nodded hurriedly at my words, hoping to get this over with as fast as possible. ¡°I understand, Morgana, so I¡¯ll be careful from now on.¡±


    ¡°Good, as for your Ivy and Midnight. You are not off scot-free, either. Both of you know it¡¯s dangerous to run around the edges of the pond, and neither of you tried to stop her. Not to mention, Midnight, I expected you to make sure she didn¡¯t put herself in undue danger. Fair enough that you enjoy playing with her, but safety first, you know that.¡±


    Midnight somehow seemed even more pitiful than before, but didn¡¯t talk back, which meant she understood the severity of what transpired. ¡°Well, at least none of you got hurt, so there is that. However, no more adventures outside for today. And yes, that also means no firefly catching either. Consider that the punishment for your recklessness. Got it?¡± All three nodded without a word. ¡°Good. Now, that being said. The sun is setting, so why don¡¯t we all settle down here in the living room again, and I¡¯ll continue the story where we left off before the earlier tangent.¡±


    The three glanced at each other, then rushed back to the couch, where they huddled together with relieved and eager expressions. Miva sat with her legs crossed, with Midnight in her lap, while Ivy was lying on top of Midnight¡¯s head. An adorable sight, really. "Oh for..." I gestured towards the trio and they, along with the couch and floor, dried right up.


    I sat down in my chair and gestured towards the kitchen and a glass of fresh apple juice floated in for me, and another for Miva, and a small thimble for Ivy. Soot, Midnight, and Winter all owned enchanted bowls which would fill up with whatever they desired to drink, so they were fine.


    I took a deep breath. ¡°Alright, so again, we¡¯re fast forwarding once more, since the first encounter with Nekkal. Two centuries is a lot of ground to cover. Even more so when the grand majority is just every day shenanigans with little in the way of interesting happening.¡± I leaned back, nursing my cup of apple juice. ¡°So¡­¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    Spring was approaching. The ice was almost gone and only patches of snow here and there could be seen. A few flowers were peeking out of the ground here and there. However, the spring also brought with it some really nasty weather. Sure, the deluges in summer could be nasty and the blizzards in winter could be a death sentence.


    However, the rare, but sudden rain and hailstorms in spring could be just as bad. It wasn¡¯t deluge level, sure, but when you were dealing with hail ranging from small pebbles all the way to baseballs coming down along with freezing rain and strong winds, it was just as deadly as any winter blizzard. Sometimes they could be worse, as it wasn¡¯t always hail that fell, but tiny razor blade like pieces of ice and sharp icicles, that became like that because of the winds in which they froze.


    It was during one of these storms that there was a desperate hammering on my door. I and Soot were sitting in front of the fire, just enjoying the warmth and the sound of the storm coming down outside. Ivy was supposed to be here, but the storm hit before she could even leave Nettledale, and she wisely stayed at home rather than brave the weather. Considering the larger pieces of hail would likely crush her if she got hit, I was glad she did.


    This also meant that a knocking on my door was unexpected because no one in the local area would, in their right minds, be out and about in this weather. I glanced over at Soot, who flew up to his roost in case of trouble, while I walked over to the door. I opened it slowly, but my caution was unwarranted. Neither of the two outside was in any state to force their way inside.


    They were young Satyrs? Fauns? Back then, I couldn¡¯t tell the difference. Today it is obvious of course, with fauns having a deer''s legs, whereas satyrs have a goat''s legs. But I digress. There were two of them, and if the looks of one of them were any sign, soon-to-be three. Both of them were covered in cuts and bruises from the hailstorm. Their traveling clothes were torn to the point there were more rags than clothes, and I could see the early onset of mild hypothermia on both of them.


    ¡°P-please, miss, shelter I beg you, if not for us, then our unborn¡­¡± The voice was barely a whisper, and any further pleas were dissolved into a coughing fit. ¡°Aw, shit, Soot, fetch some healing potions. Hurry. As for you two, get inside, now, come along now.¡± I helped the wounded young man help the pregnant women over to the couch, where she laid down, barely conscious.


    ¡°What the blazes were you two thinking, traveling in this weather, even more so with her in that condition?¡± The man winced at my words. ¡°We didn¡¯t have a choice, miss. We have no place to stay ever since our wagon broke down. Honestly, we were at our wits¡¯ end. Then a few days ago, we learned from some pixies we met in a pixie village to the east that there was a village in these parts we might settle down in.¡± He coughed again, this time his hand came away bloodied.


    Just then, there was a clanking sound as Soot flew in with a basket holding a bunch of potions. The basket was obviously enchanted, as the weight of the potions would have been above Soots¡¯ carrying capacity. As he sat the basket down, he hopped around to eye our guests. ¡°You two look like shit. Especially you.¡± He eyed the young man. ¡°Hmm bruises, cuts and mild internal bleeding, and while you might hide that wound in your side from your missus and my Mistress, that one needs to be tended. You¡¯re losing blood, fast.¡±


    He hopped off the basket and fished out a bright crimson and slightly glowing healing potion. ¡°Drink. It¡¯ll fix the worst of it, not everything, mind, but the worst.¡± He eyed Soot and then me with unease. I put the potion down on the table. ¡°If we wanted to do you harm, I would have just left you to expire on the porch.¡± I leaned down and began examining the wounds and cuts on the woman, who was now unconscious.


    He eyed the potion again before taking a deep breath. ¡°You¡¯re right, of course. I apologize. People are usually not that friendly to Fauns or other Old Folk like us, so it¡¯s unusual.¡± He took the potion and opened the cork, then hesitated again. Soot realized the reason before I did. ¡°You drink it. If it were an ointment, I would have said so.¡±


    The man nodded and downed the entire thing in one go. ¡°Ugh, it tastes horrible.¡± I glanced over at the label of the potion. ¡°Yeah, that one is one of my latest and most successful ones. Highly effective, make no mistake. However, the taste leaves much to be desired, to be mild about it. It also has a mild side effect.¡± He coughed a few times, though this time it was probably the burning aftertaste. ¡°Oh, waht shide effecth ish¡­ ish¡­ thaaah¡­ ah.¡± He slumped over, out like a light.


    I would have answered his question, but there was no way he¡¯d hear it. I turned my focus back towards the unconscious woman. She seemed better off than the man, as she was wearing more clothes. It explained why the man¡¯s clothes were all ragged, seeing as she was wearing two coats and an additional shirt underneath. All of it was torn, but that still shielded her from the brunt of it.


    ¡°You¡¯re a lucky one, lady, to have such a devoted companion. For a moment, she stirred as I spoke, but didn¡¯t show any other outward reaction. ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t see any major external injuries. Soot, what do your eyes see?¡± Soot eyed her closely, and tilted his head. ¡°She¡¯s fine, exhausted and cold, but there are only superficial bruises. No doubt Mr. Pincushion over there shielded her with his own body. The kids are fine, too.¡±


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    Miva raised a hand. ¡°Hang on, Soot has a special gaze? Why wasn¡¯t there a bit about that earlier?¡± Soot looked down at Miva. ¡°Because it¡¯s something I got from my old master, and is not a process I like to remember. Besides, it was simply something I mentioned in passing one day as Mistress was about to forage a bad egg. Not exactly something worth mentioning in a story like this. Even if one listener is overly curious.¡± Soot flew over to the edge of the couch and gave Miva a playful peck. I cleared my throat to regain their focus. ¡°Well then, as I was saying¡­¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    He hopped over and pulled out a small jar with a pale pink cr¨¨me inside. A simple healing paste. ¡°She can apply this herself once she wakes up.¡± I nodded along, then froze¡­ ¡°Kids, plural?¡± Soot nodded. ¡°Triplets, and soon too.¡± Yikes¡­ ¡°Hmm, we might want to move her to the bedroom, if she moves in her sleep¡­¡± I took a deep breath. I was getting the hang of silent casting by now, but it was still not perfect. Besides, this was not something I¡¯d want to screw up.


    ¡°Both my guests are exhausted, and both have been bled, so send them both straight to my guest bed.¡± The spell took effect immediately, as both of them levitated off the floor and couch respectively and hovered towards my guest rooms. It was a simple jaunt to get ahead of them and open and close the doors behind them.


    It wasn¡¯t until sunset that I saw the two again. The man was helping the woman, holding her steady as the two made their way into the living room, where Soot and I were reading up on Fauns via a tome. As I noticed their presence, I glanced up at them.


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re awake. Feeling better, I hope.¡± The two seemed more at ease now. ¡°We are, thanks.¡± I grabbed the jar of salve and tossed it to the man. ¡°For her wounds and bruises, figured it would be better if you did it than me messing around with that while she was out of it.¡±


    The two eyed the salve for a bit. ¡°We are in your debt again. Which reminds me, we haven¡¯t introduced ourselves just yet. ¡°The name¡¯s Allen, And thanks again for your help.¡± Allen gave a respectful bow, as the woman stepped forward. ¡°And I¡¯m Faye, a pleasure to meet you.¡± Faye gave as graceful a courtesy as was possible, given her current condition.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you both. My name is Morgana, and this here is my familiar, Soot.¡± Soot ruffled his feather a bit from the top of the chair, where he was roosting. ¡°Hello.¡± The two gave him some polite waves. I waved them over to the couch. ¡°Come now sit down, both of you, especially you Faye, should not be standing around.¡±


    They took me up on my invitation. Not long after, they were explaining the string of bad luck that was happening to them ever since their marriage. First, their business venture ran afoul of a shady contractor, leaving Allen bankrupt. Then their new wagon home, which they bought by selling the home they could no longer afford, was destroyed as a tree fell on it out of nowhere.


    After that, they were forced into the forest as a pack of wolves chased them, and they¡¯d surely perished if the pixies of Nettledale didn¡¯t find and aid them. It was there they got directions towards Nekkal, with explicit instructions to ¡®head east-southeast once you reach the swamp¡¯ by the leader of the Pixies. So, they were sent to my doorstep deliberately by Nettle. She must have noticed something afoul. Before that, however, there was one thing that caught my interest.


    ¡°I don¡¯t recall any roads in the region, even Nekkal. The closest little settlement is so new that it has little more than a trail leading to it.¡± Allen seemed bewildered for a moment. ¡°Wait, that must mean we passed through Wildwing Forest. I didn¡¯t even think there was anyone living out here.¡±


    Wildwing? That¡¯s what they called it there? ¡°Well, there is me. Nettledale was the pixie village you were visiting, and then there was your intended destination, Nekkal, which is little more than a hamlet. No, even that might be generous given how small it is. Not much out here aside from these three locations.¡±


    I could see both of them deflate a bit. ¡°So our string of bad luck continues.¡± I glanced up at Soot, who seemed to catch the meaning of my gaze as he seemed to peer at both of them more intently. He flapped off his roost and landed on my shoulder. ¡°The medallion that Allen is carrying, no doubt about it. I didn¡¯t notice it yesterday, as I was too intent on her.¡±


    The two glanced at each other. ¡°What about the medallion?¡± I reached up and scratched Soots head. ¡°Soot here can see many things because of a ritual his old master performed on him. One thing he can see is the auras of spells and curses, should he be looking for that specifically.¡± Allen looked down at the medallion. ¡°It''s¡­ cursed?¡±


    Soot hopped from my shoulder and down on the ground. ¡°If you could see what I¡¯m seeing, there can be no doubt. The thing is giving off a black, smokey aura that¡¯s a telltale sign of a curse.¡± Allen shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. I''ve got the thing appraised already. There is no way it could be cursed, unless¡­¡±


    Faye looked at the amulet, then it was as if she realized what Allen was getting at. ¡°He would, as much as I hate to say it. Father would definitely do something like that, given he was against our union to begin with. Not to mention, now that I think about it, things went poorly ever since he gave you that medallion.¡± Allen ripped the medallion from his shoulder and moved as if to throw it, but his hand refused to let go.


    While Allen and Faye seemed surprised, I wasn¡¯t. ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised. Most cursed items are like that. Just hold it out, and I¡¯ll see if I can break or at least lessen the curse.¡± I began channeling magic into the amulet to destroy the curse, and the curse reacted like a hostile beast.


    I gritted my teeth. A nasty thing, this curse, and something a mage would struggle with. The curse, however, didn¡¯t have a chance against me. I didn¡¯t have a limit to how much magic I could put into destroying the damn thing, not if I didn¡¯t spend my own reserves. Sure, using ambient magic meant it would take longer, and require more concentration, but it was not like it was hard.


    It took the better part of an hour before the curse, and the amulet with it, crumbled away to nothing. I suspected it was more that the amulet couldn¡¯t take it, more than the curse itself, however without the amulet the curse lacked a focus and faded away.


    As the amulet crumbled to dust, Allen¡¯s hand, which was clutching the amulet like a vice until then, finally relaxed. He grabbed it and groaned in pain. Not much of a surprise, as the strain on his muscles must¡¯ve been insane. With that done, I went and fetched another potion, a small combo of pain relief and minor healing.


    ¡°Now then, with that dealt with, what do you intend to do now?¡± The two didn¡¯t answer immediately, and I couldn¡¯t blame them. That someone would be cruel enough to put such a curse on his own family would be a shock to anyone. After just sitting there in silence for a few minutes, Allen looked up at me. ¡°I¡­ I honestly don¡¯t know. The plan was to use what little money we still possessed to start over elsewhere, maybe a farm or something, but we lost just about everything.¡±


    A farm? The moment he said those words, I got an epiphany. ¡°A farm, eh? That gives me an idea.¡± The two looked at me with curious expressions.


    Two days later, after the storm finally abated, the four of us were in a clearing some about an hour north of Nekkal by foot. The clearing itself was pretty huge and covered the entire top of the large hill it was situated on, more than enough for the start of a small farm. ¡°This place looks good.¡± Both Allen and Faye looked at me with confused expressions.


    I stepped up to the edge of the clearing. ¡°For your new farm, of course.¡± I turned around. This next step was going to suck. ¡°This clearing is now a place for my new friends to thrive, so let turn these trees into a home for five.¡± Building a home from magic, even with the raw materials readily available, was a stretch, even after two decades of diligent practice. I was going to be feeling this one later, that was certain.


    It took about an hour before the clearing now had a beautiful wood and stone cottage, perfect for a family of five and with room for expanding. ¡°That should do it. Wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± The two stared at me in shock. Allan opened his mouth in like a fish on land a few times, before he shook his head. ¡°But, Morgana, we can¡¯t pay for this.¡±


    I just waved him off. ¡°Oh, you will pay it off, just not immediately. And before you say anything, I am not doing this purely out of the good of my heart. Once you have your farm established and are producing crops, I will be expecting some of it as a down payment of not only the house, but the land as well, as this forest is my domain. I get a steady income of produce. You get a farm and since no one knows where you are, you won¡¯t be harassed by the one who cursed that amulet. Everyone benefits. And yes, once the farm is paid for in full, which shouldn¡¯t take more than a few decades, I will be buying more from you and still collect a bit of produce as a tax. Sounds agreeable, yes?¡±


    Allan and Faye looked at one another. ¡°It sounds great and all, but what if we get a poor harvest?¡± I turned and looked at the two of them. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about that.¡± With those words, I closed my eyes and focused on the magic around the farm itself. I would need a lot of ambient magic for this next part.


    It was a spell similar to the one I cast over at Nekkal, but one that would specifically be tied to Allen and Faye''s family, rather than the land they lived on. The two took a step back as the magic took on a tangible, multicolored, misty appearance from how concentrated it was. I opened my eyes and focused on the magic itself. I could have used a rhyme, but given the amount of magic I was working with, I did not have the luxury of sparing a single moment to attempting to come up with one. It was silent casting or bust.


    The misty magic waved back and forth for a moment before it shot out and enveloped both Allen and Faye. All the magic rushed over them as the enchantment took hold, then became tied to their bloodline. With the spell over, I staggered a few steps, before I recovered. I was lightheaded, but not so bad I would pass out. No more spell casting for today, though.


    ¡°There, that should do it.¡± The two looked down on themselves. Faye pinched her arm, as if she wasn¡¯t sure what she had witnessed. ¡°What did you do?¡± I took a deep breath and steadied myself. ¡°From this day forward, it would be nigh impossible for you, or your descendants, to have a hard time farming on these lands. In fact, the spell worked a bit too well, since I am still new to silent casting, so you might wind up with more produce than you¡¯d expect.¡±


    I pulled the linen bag I brought with me off my shoulders. ¡°You¡¯ll find about a week¡¯s worth of preserved food inside. That should be enough to get you going with a small farm plot. I also added some seeds and a few saplings you can make an orchard from.¡± I handed it over to Allen, who was looking at me with tears in his eyes. Faye wasn¡¯t much better off herself, as she suddenly stepped up and pulled me into a hug. ¡°You¡¯re a saint, Morgana, a veritable saint. Thank you, thank you so much.¡± She released me and stepped back, somewhat embarrassed.


    I just waved her off. ¡°Now, now, calm down. No need to get emotional on me here. I already told you I¡¯m not doing this purely for your benefit. Once you get yourself established, I expect that you¡¯ll also get hold of cows and chickens, so I get access to milk and eggs. Sure, I don¡¯t mean immediately, nor soon, even more so since you¡¯ll have other things on your mind. I gave a pointed look at Faye¡¯s stomach. But in the future, for sure.¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    Soot hopped from his roost and down to the table. ¡°It took about another hour before they let us go, as they kept thanking both of us. Also, Mistress wasn¡¯t kidding about the spell being overly successful. It took less than a week for the first fruit trees to grow, and it took a few iterations before Mistress could bring it down to manageable levels.¡±


    Miva nodded eagerly and tried to suppress a yawn. I glanced up at the clock. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s getting late. Time for bed.¡± Miva and Ivy both voiced their disappointment. ¡°None of that, you two. You¡¯ll fall asleep if we go much further, so off you go.¡± Miva took a deep breath. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, Morgana, good night.¡± Miva looked up at me, and I bent down and gave the kid a hug. ¡°Sleep tight, kiddo, see you tomorrow.¡± Miva nodded, then headed off for bed. Soon after, the rest of us did as well.

 Chapter 15: Meeting Midnight

    The next morning was a loud affair as Miva and Ivy got into a heated debate on whether Pancakes or Full English was the better breakfast. It was all good-natured, though. After breakfast, we went onto the porch. The sun was baking in the sky, and we could hear the buzzing of insects, the chirping of frogs, and the twittering of birds. It was as idyllic as always.


    A warm breeze passed us by as I sat down on my favorite chair while the others scattered around the landing itself. Soot and Winter were trying out the birdbath for a spell. Miva was giving Midnight loving pats over at the small corner bench filled with pillows, while Ivy was using one of my wind chimes as a swing.


    After his bath, Soot flew over and landed on the back of my chair. He gave me an affectionate little headbutt. ¡°Say, Mistress, you ever miss your old life?¡± I reached over and began scratching him behind his head. ¡°Sometimes, I get nostalgic about it. But it¡¯s a moot point, since I can¡¯t go back. Besides, I have a good life here. I dare say my life here is better, since I actually have time to relax.¡±


    I looked up towards the birdbath, where Winter was still washing herself. ¡°Besides, if I were to travel back, there is no way of telling how that would affect us. Worst-case scenario, the familiar ritual would come undone, and who knows how that would affect the three of you. Or time would suddenly catch up with the fact that I have lived longer than two human lifetimes, and I¡¯d just keel over, dead. Nah, better stay here with my friends and family.¡±


    I reached up and grabbed Soot, then placed him into my lap as I began stroking him like a cat. At first, he resisted, rather indignant of the treatment, but soon he was cooing in delight. ¡°Alright everyone, should I resume the tale, or do you want to have fun on your own?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to hear more, Mistress.¡± Soots¡¯ voice was low and drawn out as he was busy enjoying his pats. Winter looked up from her bath. ¡°I¡¯d like to hear more, too, Mother.¡± Ivy flew down from the wind chime and began circling my chair. ¡°Story time, story time!¡± and was soon after joined by Miva in that chant.


    ¡°Alright, alright, I get it. Calm down now and I¡¯ll continue. Let¡¯s see¡­ right. We just met the Fauns of Appleridge. Hmm, then that should mean it''s almost time for our four-legged footpad to join the story¡­ So let¡¯s see¡­¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    ¡°That all of it, alright. This quarter¡¯s payment has been received in full. Great work, as always, Alder.¡± Appleridge was expanding. Even though it was still just Faye and Alder, the Orchard grew every visit, and so did the various fields. I already gave them permission to clear some of the forest to expand the operation, and it wouldn¡¯t be long before the entire hill would be part of the now aptly named farm itself.


    The Faun gave a wide grin, only to get distracted as Myrtle and Arim ran past, almost knocking over a sack of potatoes as they went. ¡°Hey, watch it, you rascals!¡± He turned back to me and just shook his head. ¡°Sorry about that. The kids are quite energetic these days, probably because winter¡¯s approaching fast.¡± Kids, huh? Funny that they were considered that still at age 20, then again, I didn¡¯t have the foggiest clue about how long Fauns lived, as I never got to that part of the tome, and they were all still no larger than six-year-olds, so I suppose that was correct.


    Well, it honestly didn¡¯t matter, so I just waved him off. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not like it bothers me any, anyhow. Besides, no harm done. At any rate, I should probably get going, have some other errands to run before I go home. Have a wonderful day and say hi to Faye!¡±


    I stashed the produce into my pouch with a satisfied grin. The Midsummer gift from Ivy was coming in handy for transporting all that produce. Sure, my old bag was nice, but it only contained a fraction of the storage space. This pouch, however, no large than a money bag, could hold¡­ I didn¡¯t even know the limit. According to Ivy, it depended on the mana capacity of its owner. So who knew how big this thing was now.


    As I took off, Soot landed on my shoulder. ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m hungry. Think we could stop by that small place that opened up and is selling food, since where headed into Nekkal anyhow?¡± I glanced over at him. ¡°Well, under normal circumstances, I would say that sleeping through breakfast is your own fault, as I did wake you¡­¡± I could see his see him open his beak to protest, but I cut him off. ¡°However, you are in luck, as I wouldn¡¯t mind some lunch myself. Besides, I am to blame for your lack of sleep, so it would be cruel of me to say no. Thanks for monitoring the potion until late into the night, by the way.¡±


    I reached up and scratched in just below his beak, earning delighted chirps. ¡°Thanks, Mistress. I appreciate it.¡± I leaned over and gave him a gentle hug. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Honestly, you should have said something sooner, and I¡¯d have taken the trip to Nekkal first.¡±


    As we exited the forest and approached Nekkal, I could scarcely believe its growth over the last three decades since I first encountered the place. Nekkal was much larger, so much so that I would say it was now a proper village. In a few more decades, the place might even be considered a small town if it kept this up.


    The place was probably not that impressive by the standards of civilization in this world, but I could already foresee that this would change if the town kept growing at this pace. The village now was encircled by a palisade wall and the two entrances to the village proper were guarded. I took a wide turn and made my arrival known to the guard, more to not cause a commotion inside the village more than anything.


    The last time I bypassed the walls, it caused the guards to throw a fit and the leadership to get nervous. Sure, every time I entered town because I wanted to buy or sell something, the guards always became nervous. And they always sent some poor fool to keep an on eye on me without me noticing. Not that they could hide from Soot, however. Few things escaped his perceptive gaze.


    The place Soot was referring to was a small and rather new eatery that opened up a few years back. The people who ran it were nice enough and their food was pretty good. Not to mention, their prices weren¡¯t bad either. They were also some of the few people in town that wasn¡¯t outright terrified of my presence, given the stories of my first arrival, as well as a few minor incidents later on.


    That, however, didn¡¯t seem to faze the people who were running the eatery, as they were always polite and friendly without it appearing forced, even under Soot¡¯s scrutinizing gaze. I placed an order for some bread and some roast chicken. A simple, lightweight, but satisfying lunch that would keep me tidied over until dinner, but let Soot get his fill as well.


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°We were just about finished with our meal when it happened.¡± Miva and Ivy looked at me, enraptured by my tale. ¡°What happened, Morgana, tell us!¡± I glanced down at Midnight, who even this many decades later looked uncomfortable. ¡°We got robbed.¡± I leaned back in my chair while keeping my gaze at the two.


    Miva and Ivy gasped. ¡°Who¡¯d be crazy enough to steal from you, Miss Morgana!¡± Ivy¡¯s viridian light was taking on a slight golden hue because of Ivy¡¯s excitement. I leaned back, and let the three stew a bit more, Miva and Ivy in curiosity and Midnight in dread¡­


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    I was just about to grab the last bit of chicken to put on my plate when something small, black and furry jumped up on the table and made off with the meat. ¡°Woah!¡± I blinked as the small furry thing took off down the street. Soot, who just finished his own meal, locked on to the thief and set off in pursuit. ¡°I got it!¡±


    I grabbed the last piece of bread and stood up before hurrying inside. ¡°Sorry to be rather abrupt, but something came up, and I need to go. How much is it?¡± I hurried to pay and thanked them for the excellent meal. They must have seen what happened because they were quick to get the payment done, despite the other customers.


    As I hurried out down the street, I cast a tracking spell that would lead me to where Soot was. That small thief might have been fast, but there was no way it was getting away from Soot. To my confusion, the spell took me out of the village. A bout five minutes of light jogging later, and I finally found Soot inside a small thicket near the edge of the forest, and he wasn¡¯t alone either.


    Next to him on another branch was a small girl with a box on her lap and, and he held the small thief in his beak. Underneath the three was a group of hungry-looking wolves. Two of the beasts were eagerly baying up at the trio, and thanks to my blessing, I understood full well their intent. ¡°Food, food, food, come down food.¡± I am sure Soot would have a witty remark to that, but given his beak was preoccupied¡­


    ¡°Oy, you beasts, pick on someone your own size.¡± The wolves turned towards me instantly and wasted no time in encircling me. ¡°This one looks ill. Just look at her skin color.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t smell sick.¡± ¡°I smell magic, strong magic, hmm danger?¡± ¡°Who cares? We rip its throat out before it can use it.¡± ¡°Good idea. Let¡¯s tire it out, then feast.¡±


    I glanced at all of them. ¡°At least one of you has a brain, considering none of you could leave as much as a scratch on me.¡± The wolves froze for a moment, then one of them jumped at me. It¡¯s first, and final, mistake. Having hunted game since my arrival in this place, I was not averse to killing. The moment it got within reach, I grabbed it by the neck with one arm, and with the other, caved its head in with a single bone-shattering slam.


    The remaining wolves froze at the sight as I nonchalantly stashed the wolf¡¯s corpse into my bag. I¡¯d collect the pelt and meat later. Waste not, want not. ¡°So, is another of you going to become my prey, or are you going to back off?¡± I glanced around at the remaining wolves.


    One of them took a step back, its ears flattened and tail between its legs. ¡°Not prey, danger!¡± ¡°Flee?¡± ¡°Do we flee?¡± ¡°Yes, we flee!¡± ¡°Hurry!¡± The remaining wolves backed off, then turned tail and ran. An understandable reaction, Wolves never attacked something they perceived as dangerous unless they were absolutely desperate.


    I didn¡¯t pursue them as they disappeared into the forest. Considering the direction they ran, I¡¯d be getting a few more furs during my next visit to Appleridge if I was lucky. And if I wasn¡¯t, the Fauns would put them to good use. Either way, the pack was in for it.


    With the immediate threat dealt with, I looked up into the tree. ¡°You alright up there?¡± In response, Soot flew down and dropped the small black bundle he was carrying into my hands. A kitten. It looked up at me inquisitively. ¡°Here¡¯s your thief, Mistress, and she was lucky you sent me after her, or she¡¯d be wolf chow.¡± I nodded absentmindedly. ¡°You alright up there?¡± The reply wasn¡¯t immediate. ¡°Um, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just pondering how to get back down again. It was so much easier to climb up when those wolves arrived, than down now that I¡¯m getting a good look at how high up I am.¡±


    An understandable standpoint. ¡°I can help you out, if you like.¡± The girl nearly fell off the branch as she grabbed the trunk of the tree. ¡°That¡¯d be grand.¡± I gestured up at her with my one free hand and channeled some magic. A few moments later, there was a gasp from above as the kid slowly levitated off the branch and down to the ground, still clutching the wooden box she was carrying.


    She was rather small, redheaded and covered in freckles, with deep blue eyes that sparkled with excitement after what she just experienced. ¡°That was remarkable!¡± she took a few steps towards me, then hesitated. ¡°I¡­ thank you, Lady Witch¡± She bowed her head.


    I waved her off. ¡°No need for such formalities, kid. After all, you have done nothing to get on my bad side.¡± She seemed a bit lost for words for a moment before she seemed to gather her thoughts again. ¡°I still owe you my thanks, though. Oh, I know, you wouldn¡¯t be in the market for a kitten? That little one you¡¯re carrying there is the last one who still hasn¡¯t been given a loving home, but she is a bit of a troublemaker, so I haven¡¯t found a good place for her. Normally, there would be a small fee for it, to ensure you¡¯re serious about taking care of her, but I¡¯ll waive it as thanks for saving my life.¡±


    Most of the spiel was obviously rehearsed. But her expression was genuine, almost pleading. ¡°I take it there would be consequences of some kind should the kitten not find a home?¡± She hesitated for a moment. ¡°Mom really doesn¡¯t like her because of all the problems she¡¯s causing. I fear that if I don¡¯t find a suitable home for her today, she might do something¡­ drastic. I was hoping grandma could take her in. But I ran afoul of those wolves before I could get from our family homestead and into town.¡±


    I looked down at the kitten in my hands. Who was still looking up at me with all the patience in the world. ¡°And what do you think about that, then?¡± The kitten blinked a few times, then began purring and closed its eyes, clearly content. I¡¯d take that as a yes. ¡°I don¡¯t see why not. The kitten doesn¡¯t mind, it would seem.¡±


    The girl seemed to deflate a bit out of sheer relief. ¡°Thank you again!¡± she walked over and reached up with a finger and gently scratched the little kittens¡¯ head. ¡°Take care now, little one.¡± the kitten gave a small meow and playfully pawed at her finger for a bit, before curling up in my hand and going to sleep.


    The girl waved and ran off towards the city, still carrying the wooden box in one hand as she did so. Soot pulled out a loose feather as he watched her run off. ¡°Quite a courageous kid. Few would be fine mere moments after being set upon by a pack of Wargs.¡± That gave me pause. ¡°Wargs? Not wolves?¡±


    Soot tilted his head for a moment to look down at me. ¡°Wargs are distant relatives. The two species branched off long ago. Wargs are highly intelligent and even and can learn human speech, not that there is much worth listening to among their inane drivel, given their insatiable appetites. It¡¯s strange, though. They keep away from settlements under normal circumstances. So seeing a pack attacking someone this close to town is¡­ disquieting, to say the least.¡± Well, that was concerning. If I knew, I¡¯d have dealt with the entire pack then and there.


    I looked down at the sleeping kitten and gently tucked her into the right-side pocket of my cloak. ¡°Well, there isn¡¯t much we can do about that now. I¡¯ll warn Alder and Faye about them on the way back, so let¡¯s get the reminder of the errands done so we can get going.¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    Soot curled up closer to me, followed by Midnight hopping into my lap soon after to join him. ¡°Not a fan of remembering those, eh?¡± Neither of the two said anything, only snuggled in closer to each other even as I gave both of them some calming and gentle strokes down their backs.


    Ivy, Winter, and Miva looked at the two. ¡°What made them react like that?¡± Miva looked quite flabbergasted, given Midnight¡¯s usually utterly fearless demeanor. I looked down at the two, then back up at the confused trio. ¡°Those Wargs served a rather vicious Fae whom I have a feud with to this day. As for why, the two reacted like that. Soot nearly got his head bitten off by one of them, and another¡­ killed Midnight.¡±

 Chapter 16: What is a name? A cute little kitten.

    Ivy and Miva¡¯s expression was as priceless as I¡¯d expected when I made the announcement. Midnight looked up and shuddered a bit. ¡°Meowstress is serious. I died. I can still vividly remember the jaws closing around my head, and the pain¡­¡± She buried her face in my lap as I resumed my attempts at calming her. It was quite the traumatic event, after all.


    ¡°There¡¯s even a grave for her out behind the house, though it¡¯s pretty overgrown these days.¡± Miva and Ivy looked more confused than ever. "Wait, if that¡¯s the case, then how is Midnight¡­?" Miva seemed to have an epiphany. ¡°The familiar ritual has a resurrection possibility, doesn¡¯t it?¡± I gave her a crooked smile. ¡°True it does. However, while the familiar ritual indeed has such a function, it might surprise you to hear that I have never made use of it.¡±


    Now Miva looked even more confused than before. ¡°Then how?¡± I grinned. ¡°That¡¯s a part of the story further down the line, so why don¡¯t you ponder that meanwhile?¡± Miva and Ivy both immediately booed. ¡°No fair, tell us!¡± I shook my head. ¡°No more tangents, remember? If it¡¯s any consolation, it¡¯s not too far down the line.¡±


    The two looked quite displeased at the prospect of having to wait. However, with no other option, Miva laid down on the couch with a sulking Ivy sitting on her head. Well, it was my petty revenge on the two for being so reckless earlier, despite knowing full well they shouldn¡¯t be. ¡°Now that I looked down at the small kitten in my hand¡­¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    I was slowly realizing I would need to fetch a few things. Over the years, I made a concentrated effort to accommodate Soot around the house, and now I would have to do the same for this little new kitten. I glanced into the big pocket where the lil thing was lying. It looked up at me, then yawned and closed its eyes. Well, that solved one issue. Since the little thing trusted me enough to sleep, then I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about her running away.


    Finding a water bowl for the kitten wasn¡¯t that hard. As for the rest, I would have to make that myself when I got home. However, I wasn¡¯t about to go home without dropping off a warning to Faye and Alder. The last thing I needed was for that pack to maul their family members.


    When I landed at the farm, I was met with happy if somewhat curious greetings from Alder and Faye, though when they saw my serious expression, their smiles faded somewhat. ¡°Hello again, sorry to disturb you once more, but I have some news I felt you needed to know.¡± The two glanced at each other, but remained quiet as I explained that occurred earlier.


    Alder¡¯s expression grew as grim as my own. ¡°Thanks for the warning, Morgana. I¡¯ll make sure that if they try anything around the farm, they¡¯ll regret it. It wouldn¡¯t be my first tussle with a pack of those damn things. Although that was long ago now¡­¡± His voice trailed off, before he shook his head. ¡°But that¡¯s neither here nor there. If you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯ll need to rig some traps around the pens.¡± He took off while calling out to the kids to come along.


    I gave Faye a polite nod and took off again. I would take care of that warg pack proper later, if Alder didn¡¯t deal with them, but not while having a defenseless kitten with me. With that thought on the forefront of my mind, I turned the broom towards home.


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    Soot seemed calmer now as he hopped from my lap and down on the floor. ¡°Not that it did us any good. Those damn beasts were gone, vanished. Even with magical tracking, we came up empty. Of course, if we knew then what we know now¡­¡± I cleared my throat. Soot glanced up at me. ¡°Right, no tangents, sorry.¡± I reached down and gave his head a gentle pat. ¡°No worries. I can understand that those beasts are a topic you wish to leave behind.¡±


    I leaned back and turned my attention back to Midnight. ¡°That being said, you¡¯re right, of course. They were gone and no one in the area saw them again for quite a while. As for the Warg I killed¡­ well, you have all seen what happened to it.¡± That earned me curious glances from Miva and Ivy. I simply pointed to my outer robe, which was hanging near the door. ¡°It¡¯s a warg-skin coat. It was difficult to make on my own, because of the extra work I needed to do, but I got it done.¡±


    Miva host me a doubting glance, then seemed to understand. ¡°Alchemical duplication.¡± That earned her a crooked grin. ¡°Indeed. Took me about a month to puzzle out how to get that done. I¡¯ll go into some details about it later if you¡¯d like, but it was pretty basic all things considered.¡± Midnight looked up at me. ¡°Yeah, it was so basic you blew yourself up about a dozen times while doing so, Meowstress.¡± I glanced down at her. ¡°Oh, feeling better now, considering you can make sarcastic remarks like that?¡± Midnight nodded and slipped from my lap. ¡°I do.¡±


    She pranced over to her water bowl and took a sip before returning to the couch. ¡°That aside, Meowstress, aren¡¯t you being a bit too hasty?¡± I arched an eyebrow. ¡°How so?¡± Midnight stretched for a moment, then sat down and looked at me. ¡°I mean, when we began you went into much more detail, while now you are skipping the minor stuff a lot. I am pretty sure that if this was when you began the story, you would have set off an entire afternoon to tell us all about how much you struggled to make the coat, rather than just point it out.¡±


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    I lifted my tail to my chin and used it to scratch under it like a brush, a habit I picked up when I was mulling over things. ¡°Huh¡­ you might be right, actually, I have been doing that these past few days, haven¡¯t I?¡± I paused for a moment. ¡°That reminds me. There is a small little occurrence during that duplication. We need to discuss the process anyhow. So I¡¯m glad you pointed that out.¡± I looked at Midnight while I said so, causing her to tilt her head, confused.


    I leaned back. ¡°It was¡­¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    About a week later, and the kitten was getting used to living with us. She wasn¡¯t yet able to speak, not aside from meowing for food. But it would come in time, no doubt. I was reading up on Wargs, more to the point, use cases for different warg bits and the meat. Waste not, want not, after all. I flipped to the part of the bestiary describing Wargs and read aloud for Soots and the kitten¡¯s benefit.


    ¡°Wargs, a distant, magically mutated relative of the regular wolf, possesses high intelligence and malicious cunning. Their appetites are insatiable, and they will spend most of their time hunting for their next meal. This also means that Wargs mate far rarer than regular wolves, as an abundance of food must be available for a pair of Wargs to raise their young. Should food grow scarce before the young can learn to hunt, the parents won¡¯t hesitate to turn to cannibalism to have fewer mouths to feed. In rare cases, Wargs will be rared from a young age by malevolent Fae, who use them as hunting dogs and beasts of war.¡±


    Hmm, I didn¡¯t like that. If the pack disappeared, not because they went into hiding, but because they returned to a Fae they served¡­ That could spell trouble. Well, there was nothing I could do with that right now. So I would have to bide my time until the pack popped up again, if it ever did.


    I resumed my reading of the book. My findings were simple, the meat was edible, if not exactly tasty. There were only niche cases of warg parts being useful in alchemy or potion brewing, although a few witches¡¯ brews used warg claws. No need to save that, then. The pelt of a warg, however, was an interesting thing. Wargs were magical creatures, and so was their pelt. Because of this, it would be straightforward to enchant it. The pelt itself made for extremely durable clothing as is and was warm, wind and waterproof, even if untreated.


    I pulled out the corpse from my bag. It was pretty damn big for a canine. However, despite the size of the beast, there was no way I¡¯d get much in the way of clothing out of it, a warm hat and maybe some mittens. But boots, pants or coat? No way, I¡¯d need at least one more pelt. A bummer really, was I¡¯d really wanted to use it for a raincoat¡­ Wait, didn¡¯t the Beginner¡¯s guide to Alchemy¡­?


    I got up from the chair and rushed into the potion room and grabbed the tome. Then, as I walked back, I scoured the table of contents. There it was. ¡°Say Soot, you think we can alchemically duplicate the pelt of the warg?¡± Soot looked at the corpse for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t see why not, but I would recommend practicing on something smaller first. After all, if you failed when trying to duplicate the pelt, it wouldn¡¯t be around anymore.¡±


    Soot was making a good point. ¡°Hmm, something easy to duplicate¡­¡± As I pondered that, there was a crash from the potion room. ¡°Wait, where is¡­ ah crap.¡± I rushed back into the room and there, lying on the ground and soaked in several potions was the soaked, kitten, a jet black splotch against a mess of colorful liquids. "Dammit." I picked the little troublemaker up by her scruff and carried her out into the kitchen to rinse her off. ¡°Soot, stay out of the potion room. There¡¯s no telling what that mix of potions might do.¡±


    With that said, I brought the kitten to the sink to clean her, while also hoping she didn¡¯t ingest any of that mess. Mixing potions was a bad idea. Who knew what sort of effects those might have, even on skin contact. At least she didn¡¯t look any worse for wear. With the kitten thoroughly cleaned, and vehemently trying to escape my grasp, I carried her back into the living room, where I dried her off with a simple spell.


    I put her down on the couch, where she curled up in the shadows and meowed pitifully, displeased at the sudden bath. From my perspective, she was like a small splotch of midnight black darkness against¡­ wait, that was it. I leaned down and gently scratched her tiny head with a finger. While taking care to not cut her with my nails/claws. ¡°Well, if there is anything good that¡¯s come from this, I have found a good name for you, you little troublemaker.¡± The lil thing¡¯s pitiful meows slowly faded to purring as I kept scratching.


    Soot landed on my shoulder, and I used my other free hand to scratch him as well. ¡°So, Mistress, what name have you come up with?¡± I looked down at the kitten again. ¡°Her name will be Midnight.¡± The kitten, Midnight, meowed happily.


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    Midnight tilted her head. ¡°I don¡¯t recall that incident¡­ then again, if I really got exposed to that many potions, I guess I would be delirious.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Say, Meowstress, you don¡¯t think that would cause¡­¡± Her voice trailed off as she saw me shake my head. ¡°Even if that was the case, it wouldn¡¯t work like that. Potions, even the rare ones with lasting effects, would not allow what you can do.¡± Midnight didn¡¯t seem entirely convinced, but seemed content to let the matter drop.


    I glanced over at the clock. ¡°Now everyone, as much as I would love to keep going with this, we will miss out on lunch if we go any further.¡± As if to concur, Miva¡¯s stomach growled. I got to my feet. ¡°That settles it, then. Lunchtime everyone¡± As I announced it, I walked towards the kitchen to prepare for said lunch.

 Chapter 17: Both good and bad.

    As I went into the pantry to grab a few things, I pondered what to make. Hmm, how about some egg and bacon? Sunny sides were tasty and healthy, after all. I looked over to the eggs, nothing to worry about there, what about the bacon¡­ hmm, almost empty. Damn it, did I forget to buy more when we were in Nekkal? Well, guess I would have to take another trip into town later.


    The reminder of the bacon, supplemented with some ham and bread, would have to do. I added in some more meat for Midnight and Winter, and voil¨¤. Lunch was saved. I checked the fridge for bacon too, in case I misplaced it, but nope, I just plain forgot to visit the butcher when in Nekkal.


    Well, I could focus on that later. For now, I should just get lunch done with. It was too late in the day to go into Nekkal anyhow, as I would be hard-pressed to make it to the butcher in time, so it would have to be tomorrow, anyway.


    When I carried the lunch into the living room, it would seem my annoyance showed. Soot landed on my hat and bent over the edge to look at me. ¡°Is there something wrong, Mistress?¡± I glanced up at him as I put down Miva''s and Ivy¡¯s plates. ¡°We¡¯re out of bacon, so what little that¡¯s served is what we have.¡± Soot tilted his head. ¡°We are? I¡¯m certain that we bought more.¡± Midnight looked up from her food as well. ¡°So do I. I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going on there, as I have been very focused on keeping the pests out of the pantry.¡±


    So all three of us were recalling I bought more? Weird, what in the world was going on? Well, it wasn¡¯t like I could do anything about it short of going into town for more tomorrow. I tried to use magic to create food before. However, it was tasteless.


    What¡¯s worse, no matter what you conjured, it would have the consistency of molasses once you tried to chew the stuff. It would keep you alive, sure, but it would not be an enjoyable meal. How the Fae did it was beyond me. Maybe a limitation of witchcraft?


    I grabbed the food for Soot, Winter and myself as well, and settled down to enjoy myself. The meal finished in relative silence, with everyone focusing on eating more than any light conversation we could have while eating. Besides, most of them wanted to finish, getting back to the tale at hand. I took my time, though. There was no rush, after all.


    Once everyone was finished, I let magic take care of the cleaning and went back to my chair. ¡°So where were we? Ah, Right!¡­¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    It didn¡¯t take long before Midnight was feeling right at home. I also learned that Midnight was quite a mischievous little kitten who loved to raid the pantry for food, something I would have to wean her off. On the bright side, she also took care of a rather annoying vermin problem I¡¯d had since the first winter. Rats and mice were all but impossible to get rid of by magical means, as they seemed to adapt to all spells I cast to drive them off in short order.


    Midnight, however, viewed them as quite the tasty snacks and was more than happy to hunt them down once she started getting bigger, which she did at remarkable speed. I could only attribute her rapid growth as a side effect to the potion, or maybe it was normal for her cat species. In the end, the exact cause didn¡¯t matter.


    What did matter, however, was that both physically and mentally, Midnight was an adult within a month of her arrival. She wasn¡¯t yet a familiar, however, as we still needed to wait for a blood moon. She was, however, on board with the familiar idea the moment I mentioned it.


    Luckily for both me and Midnight, one was fast approaching, according to Ivy. And only two weeks later, we were standing at the altar as the sun was setting. ¡°So, what do I need to do for this?¡± Midnight was sitting next to the bowl as I put the other items needed down on the altar.


    ¡°You will recite your part, and prick your paw on the knife so a few drops of blood fall into the bowl. Then I will say my part and do the same. Then it¡¯s the part we say in tandem.¡± Midnight nodded. She eyed the knife with some reluctance, and I couldn¡¯t fault her. ¡°Remember that it¡¯s once you drink the potion is when the hard part begins.¡±


    Midnight nodded as I offered her the knife once the first light of the blood moon fell on the altar itself. ¡°The Familiar bleeds for its Meowster.¡± The meow sound she made as she said Master was unexpected, but would hopefully not cause issues with the ritual.


    She pricked her paw and suppressed further noise as a few drops of blood spilled into the bowl. I pricked my finger and recited my part. ¡°The master bleeds for its familiar.¡± My blood mixed with Midnight¡¯s at the bottom of the bowl. ¡°So we bind our lives and souls together.¡± We both said as I poured in the potion and Midnight stirred it counterclockwise three times with her tail.


    As she finished, I stepped aside and let the concoction bathe in the blood moon¡¯s light, causing the same bubbling effect as last time. I looked at Midnight and nodded. ¡°A bond for life, willingly forged. We drink for our lives together.¡± As we said so, we both drank deep from the concoction, while bracing for the pain.


    It was as excruciating as last time, but at least this time I possessed the wherewithal to sit down before the pain hit. Midnight, who was also informed of the incoming pain, was likewise braced for it, though it didn¡¯t make it any less torturous to withstand.


    Once the ordeal was over, I immediately drank a recovery potion, while also offering one to Midnight. ¡°Ugh, I will never get used to that.¡± Midnight finished her own mouthful of potion and looked at me with a curious expression. ¡°Agreed, though I will admit that is not something I wish to do again, but it wasn¡¯t so bad, all things considered.¡±


    I gave her a weak smile as a spell sent the items used back to the house, and I scooped the little cat into my arms. ¡°Well, we won¡¯t have to do that now, do we, considering this is a onetime thing. Welcome to the family, Midnight.¡± I gently scratched her behind the ears, even as Soot landed on my shoulder, and gave her a few friendly chirps.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    The next few days were pretty slow and relaxing. Which was nice, as it gave both me and Midnight time to recover from the ritual. However, the relaxing rhythm we settled into was interrupted when we received a message from Appleridge. Warg sightings in the area. Not to mention, we also received a letter with a request for aid from Nekkal to deal with wolf attacks on the livestock of local farmers.


    It couldn¡¯t be coincidence that the Wargs were spotted by the fauns and a sudden spike in ¡®wolf¡¯ activity. More likely, the wolves in this case were the warg pack going into full hunt mode so satiate their relentless appetites. The Wargs were keeping clear of Appleridge proper, however. Likely wary of the many snares and the vigilance of the fauns themselves.


    Turns out, Alder was one hell of a shot with the bow, and darkness didn¡¯t matter at all to him where accuracy was concerned. Regardless, I couldn¡¯t let those things just use my forest as a damn hideout. It was absolutely unacceptable. With my mind made up, there was only one thing left to do. Start looking.


    Which was easier said than done, as I already attempted a magical search, only to come up with absolutely nothing. That was worrying, but there was nothing I could do about it. With no other option, there was only one choice left, and that was to go looking.


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    ¡°Meowstress can¡¯t we skip this part? I really don¡¯t like to be reminded of it.¡± I shook my head. ¡°No can do. That would cause several holes in the story for Winter, Ivy and Miva.¡± Midnight gave a displeased growl, but said nothing more. I gave her an apologetic look, then cleared my throat. ¡°Now then¡­¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    Patrolling across the forest was yielding no results. The good news was that the warding totems I made to keep the damn things away from Appleridge and Nekkal were working. As no more sightings were reported. However, I knew that was just a stop-gap. Since they could hide from my attempts to magically locate them, they would need aid from someone, or something.


    With another day of fruitless searching behind me, I headed home for the night. As I arrived back at my house, I immediately noticed something was wrong. Nothing seemed amiss at first glance, but Midnight was not sitting on the windowsill, waiting for me to return and make dinner.


    Not a single day passed during my trips into the forest where she wouldn¡¯t be waiting on the windowsill when I returned. Expecting trouble, I landed and put away my broom. If a fight broke out, it would only get in the way. As soon as I pushed the door open and stepped inside, I was jumped at by something big and burly.


    It crashed into me, but because of my enhanced strength it just bounced off rather than pushing me over, mostly because I was expecting to be jumped and was bracing myself as I stepped inside. I lashed out with a kick of my own and the sound of cracking bones and a pitiful yelp told me I just kicked a dog, wolf or more likely, a warg.


    There was another thud shortly after, followed by another pained yelp as the warg hit the wall and slid to the floor. I scanned the room. Three more Wargs were standing there, with a fourth, much bigger one lying at the foot of a hooded figure that was sitting in my chair.


    ¡°So you¡¯re the one who has been messing with my pets.¡± The voice was high-pitched yet raspy. The figure reached out a pale gray hand and pulled a dagger from its left boot, then used it to rinse its nails, with little in the way of care or worry. I took a step forward and the Wargs all got to their feet.


    ¡°You got guts intruding into someone else¡¯s home like this.¡± As I spoke, I scanned the room, but I couldn¡¯t see Midnight or Soot anywhere. There was a snort from the intruder. ¡°And you have a lot of nerve killing my pets.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Then maybe you shouldn¡¯t have let them attack me then.¡± There was an angry hiss from the intruder as it stood from the chair. ¡°Lesser beings like yourself shouldn¡¯t talk back to your betters!¡±


    There was a slight tingling along my scalp as the figure spoke that faded away shortly after. I raised an eyebrow. The intruder seemed perplexed for a moment, then let out an angry shriek and chucked its knife at me. I barely dodged as it slammed pointy end first into the door. A moment later, I lashed out with a paralyzing hex of my own, which hit the largest of the Wargs as it intercepted the spell.


    It hit the floor with a thud, unable to move, but I knew something was off with that thing. The amount of magic needed to keep the beast paralyzed was so high I needed to drain the local ambient mana, as my own reserves could not keep up with the demand.


    Seeing the beast neutralized without a single word gave the intruder pause. It titled its head as if curious. ¡°What¡­ ARE you?¡± Then, from the folds of its cloak, exploded pure darkness that covered the entire room for a few moments. When it faded, the figure and all the Wargs were gone.


    I looked around the room. Nothing. I entered the bedroom and guestroom. Still nothing. Kitchen, empty. Potion room, empty. Loft, empty. Pantry¡­ a noise. ¡°Soot, Midnight?¡± from one of the upper shelves, a feathered head poked out. ¡°Mistress, you¡¯re back.¡± Soot looked and sounded horrible. Feathers poking in every direction, and he was covered in some dark liquid I suspected was blood.


    I reached up and picked him up. ¡°Are you ok?¡± He gave a pained chuckle. "Barely. Midnight has it worse. She¡¯s in the basket over there." He nodded towards a small picnic basket in the back corner. For anyone else, it might not seem too out of place, but I kept nothing but food stored in here. I walked over to it and opened it. Midnight was in an even worse state than Soot, with a broken tail and bleeding from several wounds.


    ¡°That vile¡­ Thing¡­ used us as toys, poking and prodding us with that damn dagger.¡± Soot¡¯s voice was growing weaker, so I picked up the basket and rushed into the potion room. Most of the healing potions were smashed, deliberately, it would seem. The shelf with the tomes and the potions within was untouched, however. For what reason I couldn¡¯t fathom, but that also meant some of my stronger potions were spared the destruction.


    I carefully pulled out two of my strongest potions. And inspected them in case the figure messed with them somehow. I was unable to find anything wrong with them, and so I gave one to Soot, who drank it without hesitation. I uncorked another and after giving it the same inspection, I gently fed it to Midnight, who drank it without complaint.


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    Midnight shuddered and crawled up in Miva¡¯s lap. As I looked at her, I couldn¡¯t help but feel bad. I took a deep breath. ¡°I think that¡¯s enough for tonight. It¡¯s almost dinnertime, anyway.¡± Midnight peeked out from under Miva¡¯s arms. ¡°I agree, let¡¯s end it.¡± I got up and stretched. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll make us something tasty for dinner. What do you all say to Salmon?¡± Midnight perked up immediately.


    Miva noticed and nodded as well. Soot and Winter seemed to approve as well. Ivy tilted her head and scratched her left antennae. ¡°Salmon?¡± I held out my hand towards her, and she jumped into it. ¡°It¡¯s a fish. I was planning to boil it and serve it with carrots, potatoes and some other condiments.¡± Ivy looked thoughtful for a moment. ¡°Never been able to eat fish. They are too big for me, so I¡¯m all for it.¡± She grinned as we entered the kitchen to cook.

 Chapter 18: Fun and games and bacon until the stranger arrives.

    ¡°Thifh ish awshome!¡± We were sitting at the kitchen table, eating dinner. To the surprise of¡­ only Miva, really. Ivy was loudly praising the food. I couldn¡¯t recall ever making a meal she disliked. The salmon was an old favorite of mine as well, and once I realized they were in one river running through the forest, I made fishing trips there when the season came in.


    The fresh salmon was as tasty as could be, though much to my surprise. Fish wasn¡¯t a valued food source. Perhaps because this wasn¡¯t a coastal region, but neither Nekkal nor the fauns viewed fish as a potential food source. Well, I wasn¡¯t complaining, more for me.


    After dinner, I kept my word and didn¡¯t continue the story, instead I entertained them all with various board games like chess and checkers. Soot was a marvelous opponent to face in a game of chess, while Winter was a monster at checkers. Though you wouldn¡¯t believe it from how jovially she moved the pieces around with her beak.


    Miva was learning the hard way though that if you gave Winter an opening, she would go from the kindest little snowball in the world, to an absolutely merciless conqueror of the checkers board at the drop of a game piece. ¡°Wha, wha, wha, what just¡­ HOW?¡± I glanced over, as winter calmly eliminated about half of Miva¡¯s remaining pieces in one singular move. Poor kid never stood a chance.


    Soot looked up from where he was pondering his next move. ¡°Poor kid never stood a chance.¡± I looked over. ¡°Winter¡¯s really letting her have it alright. Not a shred of mercy at all.¡± Ivy and Midnight were watching as well, with a big grin on Ivy¡¯s face. She was usually the one on the receiving end of Winter¡¯s checkers related rampages.


    I glanced at the board where Soot was pondering. He was trying to get himself out of the jam I spent the last half an hour maneuvering him into. I wondered if soot would go for the little trap I left for him with my Knight, or if he would cave and sacrifice his queen.


    The sacrificial play arrived, buying Soot a few more turns as I removed the queen from the board to counter the check she put me in. Soot looked at the board some more, then tipped his king over. ¡°It¡¯s mate in five regardless, and judging by your expression, you knew as well. Well played, Mistress.¡± I began picking up the pieces. ¡°Same with you, Soot. You¡¯re improving drastically.¡±


    Soot picked up the king and handed it to me so I could store it away. ¡°Still can¡¯t beat you though, Mistress.¡± I reached down and gave Soot a few friendly pats. ¡°But you are getting better every game. One of these days, you will win.¡± Soot looked at me and clicked his beak to show he was skeptical.


    I just shook my head and looked over to where Miva and Winter were cleaning up after themselves, too. Ivy was patting Miva¡¯s head to cheer her up. ¡°OK, guys, let¡¯s continue things tomorrow, bedtime. Also, Ivy, you should probably head home to Nettledale, for a lil bit tomorrow. No doubt Nettle and Lily are worrying, since I doubt you told them you¡¯d be staying for a while.¡± Ivy looked up at me from where she was sitting on Miva¡¯s head. ¡°But what about the story?¡±


    I stretched. ¡°Hmm, oh, I have to head into Nekkal for some purchases tomorrow, so that won¡¯t be until the afternoon at the earliest anyhow. I figured that since there won¡¯t be any story-time anyway, you could get the social obligations of home taken care of while I was away.


    Ivy seemed to get what I meant and began nodding. ¡°Sure can. Should I bring any items along as well?¡± I glanced over at Soot, who shook his head. ¡°Afraid the mead ain¡¯t done yet, so no. That stuff can¡¯t be rushed if you want quality, after all.¡± Ivy slumped a bit at the news, but perked right back up. ¡°Fair enough.¡± Ivy stretched and turned towards her guest bed. ¡°I¡¯ll see you all tomorrow then.¡± Likewise, I waved goodnight to her as the rest of us turned in for the night.


    The next morning was a buzz of activity as Miva wanted to go with Ivy to Nettledale for the day. ¡°Fine, since both of you want it I¡¯ll allow it, however, no detours. And keep yourselves out of -. Hmm, actually, Winter, Midnight, why don¡¯t you two join them and keep them out of trouble.¡±


    Winter and Midnight Both seemed to mull it over for a few moments. ¡°Very well, Meowstress, I don¡¯t mind at all. I¡¯ll do a better job this time, promise.¡± Winter seemed more reluctant. ¡°Come now, Winter, you¡¯re a big girl. You can¡¯t always be by my side.¡± Winter gave a soft hoot. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll help to make sure they stay out of trouble. Besides, it allows me some time to go hunting.¡±


    The quartet waved goodbye and headed off into the swampy forest towards Nettledale. ¡°Well then, Soot, shall we?¡± I hopped on my broom and lifted off into the air. With some luck, it would only be a quick trip there, get the bacon and get back.


    Soot landed on my shoulder and I took off towards the city. The trip itself was uneventful, though I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling of something being¡­ off. Looking over at Soot, I could see him preening and ruffling his feathers over and over, something he only did when he was feeling out of sorts.


    ¡°You feel something¡¯s off about all of this too, eh?¡± Soot stopped preening. ¡°I KNOW we bought bacon. There is no way we ate all of it. And with your wards, there is no way someone stole it, unless another rodent suddenly mutated from magic exposure and decided to only eat the bacon. Then got away without being hunted down by Midnight. Which, given prior mutated rodents and Midnight¡¯s joy at hunting said rodents, seem¡­ unlikely.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t disagree with Soot¡¯s logic here. Midnight was quite keen on keeping rodents out of the pantry at all cost since everything they ate was a meal she couldn¡¯t, not to mention she found them tasty. Well, that was neither here nor there. We would find out when we got to the butcher.


    As we entered the city, there was a tingling in the air, akin to static electricity. ¡°Say Soot, you feel that?¡± Soot visibly shuddered. ¡°The local mana is agitated. Are the local mages doing some large-scale ritual or something?¡± I shrugged. ¡°No idea, but it¡¯s making my skin crawl.¡±


    As we entered the butcher shop, The proprietor looked up with a surprised expression. ¡°Lady Morgana, back so soon?¡± I glanced at Soot, who glanced back. ¡°Indeed, turns out all the bacon I bought last time up and disappeared before I could use it.¡± The Butcher, a middle-aged woman, named Fria, seemed flustered. ¡°Who¡¯d be crazy enough to do something like that?¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°If you¡¯ll pardon my question.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but when I find out¡­¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    I could see her shudder, but ignored it. ¡°Either way, I would like to buy some more.¡± That perked her up right away. ¡°Ah, of course, Ma¡¯am. Just a moment.¡± She disappeared into the back and a few seconds later she came back, now with a worried expression. ¡°Ma¡¯am¡­ I found this in storage¡­ I¡­ believe it¡¯s yours.¡± It was the same pack of bacon I bought last time. With the date and stamp, since I ordered it ahead of time.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, I swear I¡­¡± I lifted my hands and cut her off. ¡°I believe you didn¡¯t take it, Fria. Because you wouldn¡¯t get in without an invitation, not to mention you don¡¯t know where I live.¡± She deflated a bit in relief as she handed the bacon back to me. ¡°I do not know how it wound up back there. It wasn¡¯t there ten minutes ago¡­¡±


    I took the offered package. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I doubt our prankster would reveal how that happened either way. I will see you later, Fria. Have a wonderful day.¡± I left the store and as I did the ambient magic turned to a boil. ¡°What in the¡­¡± It got so bad that even non-magic users noticed and noticeably winced.


    Then everything came to a crashing halt as the magic calmed down almost instantly. Well, with no explanation forthcoming about what happened, and with my package of bacon back, I should be getting home. I stuffed the package into my bag. As I made my way towards the gates when a commotion caught my eye. Several of the city¡¯s guards were gathered around a trio of people, one of which was screaming hysterically atop her lungs.


    The other of the pair was looking confused, scared, and more than a little lost. The commotion itself was directly in my path, too, so it wasn¡¯t like I could avoid it. As I got closer, I could finally make out what was being said. ¡°¡­ -doing, you could kill people appearing out of thin air like that.¡± the hysterical woman was on a berating tirade, it seemed. While the other woman was looking up at her with a blank expression, as if she couldn¡¯t understand a word she was saying.


    As I approached, the guards took notice and stepped aside, motioning me to approach. ¡°Think you could lend a hand? The one sitting on the floor appeared out of thin air and landed on top of Lady Eilan. She doesn¡¯t seem to speak any language we know of. Not that Lady Eilan seems to care¡­ nor notice. So if you could lend a hand?¡± The guard seemed quite frustrated.


    Well, it wasn¡¯t like I was getting past until this was dealt with. As Lady Eilan¡¯s personal guards did not move an inch to let me past, despite recognizing me. Admirable loyalty, but not the smartest idea in the world. Luckily for them, I was intrigued by the situation.


    ¡°Fine, first things first, though. What languages have you even tried?¡± The guard paused for a moment. ¡°Common, Faunic, the captain tried some Dwarwen, despite him barely speaking it, and the lady herself even know some terrible Elvish. The Dwarwen got some reaction out of her, by her reply was not in any language we recognize. The Lady herself tried some Elvish, I think she said it was¡­¡± His voice trailed off.


    Lady Eilan speaking Elvish? There was no way any Fae would teach their language to someone like Lady Eilan. Most likely she picked up some words here and there from a traveling fae or fae dignitary, and butchered it royally. Someone with an attitude like hers wouldn¡¯t survive five minutes in either Fae court, let alone long enough to actually learn anything.


    Either way, that covered most, if not all, the local languages that a human would speak. What other languages could I try then? Centauri? Minori? Hmm, plenty of options, but all seemed unlikely. What was really puzzling was that she didn¡¯t speak common, a language created specifically to allow conversation across species. It was to the point even the most savage species could speak it, if poorly.


    As I mulled it over, however, it would seem Lady Eilan finally noticed my presence. ¡°Oh, if it isn¡¯t the Lady Morgana. Are my men in your way? If so, I apologize. This peasant crashed from the sky and on top of me, if you can believe it.¡± I lifted a finger, and she went quiet. ¡°I do not believe she is a peasant, Lady Eilan. As Peasants don¡¯t just appear out of thin air. It is more likely she is a magic user from a far off land whose spell went awry.¡± Lady Eilan flinched for a moment, then glanced around.


    ¡°Magic¡­ Ah, I see, yes that makes sense, doesn¡¯t it, umm¡­ Say, Lady Morgana, you have far more experience with this sort of thing. Do you think you could do me this favor and handle the situation? I would be most grateful.¡± She made an expression I think she was attempting to make cute, but only made her seem more toadlike. ¡°I¡¯ll handle it. You may leave.¡±


    Lady Eilan and the surrounding guards all seemed relieved at my words and dispersed. It wasn¡¯t like they could handle anything I couldn¡¯t, after all. They knew it, I knew it. I turned my attention to the woman sitting on the ground, who seemed mildly confused by all of this, but also more curious than anything. ¡°So, what to do with you?¡± I looked down at her as I pondered that question. In response, she looked up at me. ¡°Umm, Hello, you wouldn¡¯t understand me, do you?¡±


    I froze, and I am quite certain that if I were still carrying the package of bacon, I would have dropped it. There was no way, just no way. Soot gave my cheek a light peck. ¡°Say, Mistress, I must be hearing things, but¡­ isn¡¯t that¡­¡± His voice trailed off as I nodded. Without a shadow of doubt. Snapping out of it, I looked down at her. ¡°Yes, Miss, I can understand you, and I am quite certain I am one of very few who can.¡± I reached down a hand and offered to help her back to her feet.


    She took it. ¡°Finally, I have been trying to find someone, ANYONE, whom I could speak to in this strange place. Of course, my arrival was a tad¡­ conspicuous.¡± I arched an eyebrow. ¡°That would be an understatement, as you ¡®fell from the sky¡¯ onto one of the leading nobles of this city. That aside, Miss, I have some questions for you, and as such I will have to ask that you follow me.¡±


    The woman hesitated. ¡°Do I have a choice.¡± I was tempted to say no, but there was an easier way to go about it. ¡°I won¡¯t make you, but I can guarantee you, there¡¯s a grand total of two other individuals with which you could hold a conversation with across this entire region aside from me and Soot here.¡± As I gestured to Soot, he gave her a polite nod. ¡°Pleasure, Miss.¡± She blinked a few times in surprise.


    I gave her a wry grin as I continued speaking. ¡°And both live under the same roof as I. So no, I won¡¯t force you, but that would leave you alone in a place where you can¡¯t communicate with anyone. With no money, no food, and no shelter. The woman hesitated for a moment longer before shrugging. ¡°You make a valid point, I suppose. Lead on.¡±


    I resumed my walk towards the gates, and aside from a few curious glances from passers-by it was uneventful. As I pulled out my broom and gestured for her to take a seat, I got a reaction out of her, though. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious, right?¡± I let go of the broom, leaving it hovering in midair. ¡°Oh, I am dead serious. Get on.¡± She approached the hovering broom with some trepidation, then stopped and glanced at me. ¡°Side saddle.¡± was my answer to her unasked question.


    She nodded and sat down on the broom. The moment she did, I grabbed the handle and cast a flight spell on myself. A few moments later, we were in the air and ascending rapidly. ¡°Now then, seeing as we have about an hour in the air ahead of us, why don¡¯t we have a little chat?¡± She looked at me with feigned ignorance. ¡°Chat? About what?¡± I took a deep breath. ¡°About how come you are speaking a language not of this world, for starters. I can assure you, English is a language known by only five individuals in this entire world, you and I included.¡± I was met with stunned silence.

 Chapter 19: A Stranger, an Elixir and a Message

    The woman swallowed. ¡°I¡­¡± Her voice trailed off again. ¡°Just¡­ mind allowing me some time to collect my thoughts? This is all a bit much. Besides, I¡¯m¡­ not good with heights.¡± She glanced down and shuddered. A fair request, I suppose. ¡°Fine, we will continue this conversation once we reach my home. Soot, you better land on the broom, as I¡¯m going to speed us up.¡± I cast the usual wind-warding enchantment as Soot landed on the broom¡¯s tail.


    Once the enchantment was in place, I sped up to the fastest speed I could achieve and while remaining in control. Our new acquaintance turned pale as we sped up. ¡°How fast are we going?¡± I glanced over at her. ¡°Not sure, but at this speed, we will be back home in only a fraction of the time it usually takes.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t kidding either, as a short while later we passed into the swamp, and it wasn¡¯t long after that we could see the clearing with my home come into view among the trees. ¡°Ah, home, sweet home.¡± I took us down and after a bit of circling got the broom into an angle that would not give my guest whiplash upon landing.


    Once we landed, she got off the room and immediately collapsed onto the landing, shivering like a leaf. ¡°I don¡¯t know how I kept myself on that damn thing. But never again!¡± I decided not to point out that not flying back out of the swamp would mean hours, if not days, of trekking through the swamplands and then the surrounding forests or heath.


    I stowed the broom and offered her a hand, which she took after a brief hesitation. Though, when I pulled her to her feet, she gave a surprised yelp. Not surprising considering I lifted her up with the same difficulty a normal person would lift an empty soda can.


    ¡°Now then, welcome to my humble abode.¡± With the invitation done, the barrier would not stop her entry. As we entered, we found the living room empty, which meant Miva and the others weren¡¯t back yet. Good, it would give me time to deal with our guest without having to explain the whole thing to Miva and Ivy.


    Sure, I trusted the two of them, but neither knew the entire story, after all. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a seat while I get us both a cup of tea?¡± I gestured towards the couch as I moved towards the kitchen. When I returned, I found her sitting there looking a bit lost. It allowed me to get a good look at her, though.


    She looked to be in her mid-thirties, long curly black hair, though it was colored, if the brighter roots were anything to go by. A light spattering of freckles, and an old scar underneath her right eye. Her eyes were green and ever so slightly distant, clearly lost in thought. Her build was fit, and her arms lightly muscled, so someone who enjoyed keeping active.


    ¡°Here¡¯s your tea.¡± She flinched. ¡°Wha? Oh! Thanks. Sorry, just lost in thought for a moment.¡± I broke into a mild smile. ¡°I could see that. Now, then, why don¡¯t you tell me how you wound up here?¡± She seemed to shrink into the couch a bit, before she took a sip of the tea and looked at it with a surprised expression.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± She shook her head. ¡°No, I just didn¡¯t expect a tea blend like this.¡± Her voice sounded almost¡­ wistful. She took another sip. ¡°To answer your question. A long story short is that my last family member passed away about a week ago. We both knew it was coming, of course. But even so.¡±


    Ah. That wasn¡¯t a fun thing to go through, that¡¯s for sure. ¡°I see. My condolences on your loss. Such a thing is never easy.¡± She offered a weak smile, then took another sip of her tea. "I was in a real rut after that. I didn¡¯t really know what to do with myself. My social life has always been awkward, so I didn¡¯t have any friends to support me either. Then one morning, as I sat there in the park, I get a text message."


    She chuckled. ¡°Even now, the content seems silly, despite everything.¡± I eyed her over the top of my cup. ¡°Oh, how so?¡± She put her own down and leaned back. ¡°The message said. ''I made a mistake that cost your sister dearly many years ago. And while some would say my debt is paid off, I feel otherwise. Tell me your wish and I will make it so.'' Of course, that sounded like a bad hoax, and yet I couldn¡¯t help but to say out loud, just as a whisper, ¡®I wish I could see my sister again.¡¯ She was always there for me when we were young, you know.¡± Her voice trailed off, but I was barely paying attention at this point.


    It¡­ couldn¡¯t be¡­ could it? No, that was impossible¡­ unless¡­ If dimensional barriers didn¡¯t matter¡­ did¡­ time, or did time just flow differently on Earth? There really was only one way to find out. ¡°I see¡­¡± I took a deep breath and got to my feet. ¡°Just a moment. I need to fetch a little something.¡± I went into the potion room and grabbed the memory crystal. When I returned, I held it out towards her. ¡°Here, look at this, Meleri.¡±


    She looked up at me, confused for a second, then took the crystal. ¡°Sure thing, hang on, when did I tell you my na-¡± Her voice died off as she looked at the memory in the crystal. First with shock and confusion, then she slowly lowered the crystal. ¡°How¡­ did you get this?¡± She sounded terrified, hopeful and desperate all at once. Tears were welling up in her eyes as she looked at me.


    ¡°Allow me to formally introduce myself. Morgana Byrne, locally known as Morgana the Witch. Birthplace Dublin, Earth. Hello again¡­ my dear sister¡­¡± My voice was at this point breaking up, with tears welling up in my eyes as well. The crystal clattered to the ground and rolled under the couch.


    ¡°Mor¡­ Morgana? But you look¡­¡± She shook her head, tears now streaming down from her eyes as well. ¡°Prove it.¡± I paused for a moment. ¡°When we were five, you said you wanted to be a vet like mom when we grew up, but in reality you wanted to be an astronaut. You never worked up the courage to tell her, or dad, before he passed.¡±


    The silence was so total we could hear Soot preen his feathers across the room. Then Meleri got up and pulled me into a crushing hug. Both of us broke down completely at this point. As we stood there hugging one another for several minutes, we were interrupted by a sudden flash from the table.


    I looked over and saw two things, a small red vial and a note with a very familiar script on it. This could be bad. ¡°I should read that. It would likely be¡­. Unwise to do otherwise.¡± I went over and picked up the note with a sense of dread in my stomach. Surely, we weren¡¯t in trouble, right? I took a deep breath and started reading aloud.


    ¡°The breach in space-time near your home has been noticed and its origin, and what travelled through it, identified. After interrogating the culprit for their reasoning, it has been decided to not punish you or your sister, since you were not informed and your sister didn¡¯t know better. However, your sister cannot remain in her current form.


    The reason is on a need to know basis, but know that the result would be cataclysmic if not handled promptly. As such, your sister will have to drink the contents of the vial that was delivered along with this letter. This is not optional. Failure to do so will force my hand in the matter, and your sister will be removed by force. The transformation will be rather painful, as it will be rewriting not just your sister¡¯s body, but also her spiritual essence, attuning it to this world.


    You went through the same process, but lacked a physical body, so felt nothing. Fear not for her safety, however, as the content will give her a form similar to your own. I even threw in similar benefits like the ones afforded to you as an apology for usurping your siblings¡¯ life like that. I assure you it is not standard practice at all. Consider the pain a mild cost for her continued existence. She has one hour to drink it as of finishing this message. That is all.¡±


    The message was signed with a stylized S and a signet seal of a flower of some kind held aloft by a bony hand. This was the third time total since my arrival that ¡®S¡¯ sent one of these notes. And just like last time, it was leaving me with just about as many questions as answers.


    I glanced over at Meleri, then at the bottle, which she was eyeing with more than a bit of reluctance. ¡°I hate to say this, sis, but you will have to drink that. Not only can I assure you that the writer of this message is dead serious, but I can¡¯t stop her should she decide to do anything. I¡¯d be about as effective as a speck of dust in that regard. Oh, and since she says it¡¯s painful, I¡¯d recommend sitting down when you take it, just in case.¡±Stolen story; please report.


    She looked at the bottle once again and picked it up. ¡°So green skinned and taloned, huh?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Naah, that¡¯s from the witchcraft. Before I started practicing in earnest, I looked almost human like, minus the cow tail.¡± She blinked a bit. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re a Hulder, and have the green skin and stuff from being a witch.¡±


    That name rang a bell. And it all came rushing back to me. Scandinavian folklore from our repeated vacations there. I was really keen on that stuff as a kid, often playing at being a Hulder even. This ¡®S¡¯ must have read my memories and transformed me into one. ¡°Huh¡­ can you believe I have gone two centuries without knowing ¡®what¡¯ I am?¡± She was about to quaff the contents of the vial, but stopped to stare at me as I spoke.


    Then she burst out laughing so hard she almost dropped the vial. ¡°If there was any doubt you were my sister, it¡¯s now dispelled. Only you could be that forgetful.¡± I gave her head a soft bonk. ¡°Yeah, yeah, now drink the damn elixir, and brace yourself. I doubt it will be pleasant.¡±


    She looked at the potion, then opened it, and with a displeased demeanor downed the content. The effect was immediate as she collapsed onto the couch with a pained groan. Even as I watched, her hair lengthened, and red streaks appeared through it similar to my own, while the discolored roots turned jet black. She also shrunk in size, while her appearance became more youthful. There was a ripping sound as a cow tail burst from her backside straight through her clothes. That must¡¯ve been unpleasant.


    As all this happened, an emerald smoke-like energy was steadily rising from her body, before it slowly turned crimson, then poured back into her body through her mouth and nose. Not that she would notice, as by now she was passed out from the pain. Her eyes were closed and if I couldn¡¯t see her twitch now, and then I¡¯d fear she was dead.


    Finally, as the last of the energy returned to her body, she stirred and sat up. Soot, flew over, and looked at her with interest. ¡°Wow, Mistress, she¡¯s your spitting image, if you ignore the green skin, talons, and pointy ears.¡± Meleri glanced over at him. ¡°Yeah? Well, I better be after that. Ugh, my head.¡± I glanced over at Soot. ¡°It would seem ''S'' kept their word.¡± Meleri looked up at me with a confused expression. ¡°Really, what makes you say¡­ hang on, what language am I speaking right now?¡±


    Both Soot and I chuckled. ¡°Yeah takes a bit to realize you¡¯re speaking another language. I didn¡¯t realize I was speaking in chirps and caws when I first met Soot, since the language part is so natural.¡± As I spoke, Meleri slowly got to her feet and nearly fell over because of the change in center of gravity.


    This also gave me a good look at her. She resembled me a great deal. The only actual difference was that I was ever so slightly taller. Oh, and the changes from my practice with witchcraft, of course. She¡¯d look about a year my junior, essentially.


    As she staggered, she reached out towards the table, and with a simple grip tore a chunk of wood from it. ¡°Careful now, sis. You''re way stronger than you¡¯d think, given your appearance.¡± She looked at the chunk of wood in her hand and nodded. ¡°Sorry about that¡­¡± she put the wooden piece down with great care. Once she let go of it, I mended the table with a simple gesture. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. You¡¯ll get used to it fast. Give it an hour, and you shouldn¡¯t have any problems with it.¡±


    Eyeing the newly mended table, she shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ take your word for it.¡± her voice broke into a coughing fit. ¡°Want something to drink?¡± She gave me a silent nod, and I went into the kitchen and grabbed some berry juice. ¡°Here you go, a refreshing glass of my finest juice.¡± She gulped down a mouthful, then paused for a moment to look at the glass, before she drained the content.


    ¡°That was great. You made this?¡± I nodded. ¡°With a bit of help from Soot, he has an excellent taste for berries that mesh well together. I can¡¯t really rely on anyone else for that, since both Winter and Midnight, my other two familiars are carnivorous, and Ivy would just eat the berries.¡±


    As I spoke, the mirror suddenly lit up, and I could see Miva, Ivy, Tobin, Midnight and Winter appear on the other side. ¡°Hey, Morgana¡­ wait, am I seeing double?¡± I glanced over at Meleri, then walked over to the mirror. ¡°Hey, never mind that, Kiddo, why are you still in Nettledale?¡± Miva glanced around for a bit. ¡°Well¡­ Sunflower invited all of us over for dinner tonight, but if we accepted we¡¯d not be able to return before tomorrow, so¡­¡± Her voice trailed off.


    That actually suited me just fine. ¡°Fair enough. You can stay over at Tobins tonight, as I doubt you¡¯d be using his mirror to contact me otherwise. And Tobin, thank you for looking after the lil¡¯ troublemakers.¡± The Brownie chuckled. ¡°Not a problem, kid. She¡¯s like a granddaughter to me, same as you. Though I will agree that she causes mischief.¡± He shot Miva a glare.


    I took a deep breath, even as Meleri walked over and watched our conversation with interest. "What did she do now?" Tobin glanced at all three. ¡°I am fussy on the details, if I¡¯m being honest. The Matriarch was not amused by whatever it was, however.¡± I closed my eyes and slowly counted to five before opening them again. "Ivy¡­ What. Were. You. Thinking? You let Miva near the Matriarch and her brood? She could have gotten eaten, for crying out loud. The pact your village has with those spiders might provide protection to you and the other Fae, but Miva does not meet that requirement."


    Tobin stepped up and grew enough to cover the entire mirror. ¡°Wow, wow, wow, calm yourself, Morgana. It wasn¡¯t anyone¡¯s fault. The Matriarch ventured down from the top of the tree and encountered Miva at the base, where we all were relaxing in the afternoon sun. I am not sure why, but her reaction to seeing the kid was¡­ downright hostile. Since I can¡¯t understand a peep of what the Matriarch says, I do not know what set her off. Might have a history with doppelgangers from before they moved into the tree, I don¡¯t know. Either way, Ivy says the kid was given an ultimatum to stay out of the upper reaches on pain of death. If I¡¯m being honest, I thought she was going to throttle the kid.¡±


    I took a deep breath to calm myself. ¡°I¡­ see. Sorry, Ivy.¡± Ivy popped into view. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can understand your reaction. The Matriarch isn¡¯t someone to mess with, after all. Can you believe she was once so small she made her web between mine and Sunflowers¡¯ houses? She was much less grumpy in those days, too.¡± She then looked over at Meleri. ¡°So who''s that? I thought I was seeing double at first, but now I see a bunch of tiny differences.¡± I lifted a hand to stop her before she began rambling.


    ¡°I¡¯ll properly introduce you to one another when you return tomorrow. Why don¡¯t you join them too, Tobin? I have some mead brewing that I¡¯d like your opinion on, courtesy of Winter.¡± Tobin¡¯s bearded face broke into an eager grin. ¡°I¡¯ll take you up on that. See ya tomorrow, kiddo.¡± The mirror returned to normal. ¡°Pixies, brownies, and I take it the cat and the owl are your familiars, given you said they were carnivores. Not sure what the kid was, though. This really is a fantasy world. Also, what was that about mead?¡±


    I blinked. ¡°Oh, the mead? I brew it. It¡¯s a hobby of mine. Some of it is pretty popular, too, since I trade some of it with Nettledale and sell a barrel or two over in Nekkal now and then. I would offer you a taste, but considering you just consumed an elixir, that would be a bad idea. If you¡¯ve taken potions or elixirs, you should not touch alcohol for a few hours, as the result can be¡­ unpredictable.¡±


    Meleri tilted her head. ¡°Elixir, not potion?¡± I shook my head. ¡°There is a clear distinction between potions, witch¡¯s brews, and elixirs. Potions have a finite duration and lasts between a few hours and days tops. Elixirs are far more powerful, and almost always confer some kind of permanent effect on the drinker. There are exceptions, like healing elixirs, since the healing happens instantly. But an Elixir of Healing could save someone on the brink of death, while a Major Healing Potion would require multiple to achieve the same. Elixirs also don¡¯t cause potion sickness. Brews are essentially elixirs, but only witches can make them, and the ingredients are¡­ weird and/or unpleasant. And before you ask, think of potion sickness like a hangover.¡±


    Meleri just shook her head. ¡°Ugh, this is so much to take in right now.¡± I pulled her in for another hug. ¡°Oh, I understand that, trust me. I know. If you¡¯d like, I can enchant your dreams tonight to give you a rundown on how things work, so you don¡¯t seem completely lost when you meet the locals.¡± Meleri broke the embrace and just looked at me. ¡°You can¡­ do that?¡± I gave her a slight shrug. ¡°It¡¯s not that hard. I have two centuries of practice, after all.¡±


    We spent the rest of the night reminiscing about the past and catching up. I also informed Meleri about what happened to me that fateful day, leaving nothing out. ¡°Two centuries, huh? I can understand why you didn¡¯t recognize me then, aside from the age difference and dyed hair, I mean. That long must make it difficult to remember our faces clearly.¡±


    I sighed as I picked up the memory crystal from the floor. ¡°I have a few memory crystals with memories of you, mom and even dad. So I can remember you all clearly. The reminder is in my bedroom, however¡­.¡± My voice trailed off. Hmm, speaking of bedrooms, that could be an annoying issue. I only had one guest bedroom. Which meant¡­ ¡°Meleri, you can use the guest bedroom tonight, and share mine for a few days starting tomorrow, since that¡¯s technically Miva¡¯s room for the week since I¡¯m babysitting her. I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    She waved me off. ¡°Not at all. If I¡¯m being honest, I wouldn¡¯t mind sharing tonight, just so I won¡¯t think it was all a dream when I wake up tomorrow.¡± Just then, the clock rang¡­ eleven times. ¡°Well, it¡¯s late. We should probably get some sleep. We have lots of time to continue catching up tomorrow.¡± I showed Meleri the way to the bathroom and lent her one of my spare nightgowns, then led her to the guest room.


    ¡°Goodnight, sis.¡± I pulled her in for yet another hug, while silently casting the spell as I did so. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± She reciprocated the hug before she entered the room and closed the door. Shortly after, I too went to bed, though it took me a while to calm down enough to finally fall asleep.

 Chapter 20: Plans and meetings

    The next morning, I woke up at dawn, and despite only getting a few hours of sleep, I felt great. As I walked into the living room, I could see the paper and vial from yesterday. Hmm, should get rid of that. I doubt those entities would appreciate that stuff just lying around. I grabbed the note and chucked it into the fireplace, where it burned to ashes in moments. The vial was identical to several of my own, so I¡¯d just need to rinse it and add it to the others.


    As I entered the kitchen, I heard a commotion from the guest room. No doubt, Meleri just woke up. A few minutes later, the door to the guest room opened, and she walked in dressed in the nightgown I lent her yesterday. I gave her a quick wave. ¡°Morning, sis. Hope you got enough sleep.¡± She nodded without a word. ¡°Let me guess, feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of this?¡±


    As I spoke, Soot woke up from where he was roosting for the night. He clicked his beak a few times and ruffled his feathers. ¡°Oh Morning, Mistress, and¡­ Meleri, was it?¡± I glanced up at him. ¡°Morning Soot, fancy some breakfast?¡± He clicked his beak a few more times before he flew down and landed on my shoulder. ¡°Sounds good. Looks like your sister could use some, too.¡±


    I glanced over at her. ¡°I think that¡¯s more the realization that yesterday wasn¡¯t some strange dream.¡± That seemed to knock her out of it as her distant gaze finally seemed to focus. ¡°You can say that again. I¡­ was so confused for a few seconds when I woke up and didn¡¯t recognize the bedroom.¡± I gave her a wry grin. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it in no time, I¡¯m sure. For now, how does a Full English sound?¡±


    She blinked a few times. ¡°I was thinking of taking only a few slices of bread¡­¡± I waved her off. ¡°Nonsense. I made a vow when I ate my first meal here to never serve or eat another hurried breakfast, and just a few slices of bread fall within the term hurried. So you¡¯re going to eat a proper breakfast and that¡¯s final.¡± Soot flew over and landed on her shoulder. "Trust me, she won¡¯t budge on that one. No one has been able to, regardless of arguments."


    She hesitated for a moment before nodding. ¡°Fine then, Full English sounds lovely.¡± She flinched for a moment as Soot gave her an affectionate head rub. She glanced over at me and I gave her an encouraging nod. After a brief hesitation, she carefully reached up and scratched Soot at the base of his neck, earning delighted coos from the Raven. ¡°That¡¯s nice, don¡¯t get me wrong, Mistress is great at this too, but her sharp talons can be rather rough compared to your nails.¡±


    I eyed the two before I returned to the kitchen to make breakfast. ¡°Hey Sis, cocoa or tea?¡± There was a moment of silence. ¡°Cocoa, please. Soot also says he¡¯d like some meatballs, since bacon¡¯s too salty for him. If you wouldn¡¯t mind.¡± Meatballs eh, fair enough. ¡°No problem: By the way, sis, mind setting the table since I¡¯m making the food?¡±


    The door opened, and she walked into the kitchen. ¡°Sure, just tell me where the different things are.¡± Soon after the food was cooking, the cocoa stirring and Meleri was watching it all go on by itself. ¡°You know, that almost feels like cheating.¡± I looked over at the self-making food. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no cheating involved, I assure you. The spell required to have food make itself is¡­ surprisingly complex.¡±


    Soot hopped over to his usual spot at the table. ¡°That¡¯s an understatement. Weeks upon weeks of burned or undercooked meals as you kept on refining the spell. When you finally nailed it, it was like Midsummer for both me and Midnight.¡± I arched an eyebrow. ¡°Oh sure, you damn drama crow. If you mean weeks upon weeks was one entire day dedicated to trial and error with small portions of food to not waste it. Then I suppose it was horrible for you. Granted, the smell of burnt fat lingered for days, so I suppose that was a downside.¡± Soot cawed in indignation over being called crow, but couldn¡¯t really refute the truth of that statement. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. Wasn¡¯t much fun tasting the failure¡¯s, though.¡±


    As we spoke, the frying pan levitated from the stove and deposited several sausages on our plates and meatballs into Soots¡¯ bowl, before travelling over to the sink to wash itself. It was followed by some bacon for me and Meleri and fried tomatoes for all three of us, and a bowl of scrambled eggs for us to share. Finally, two cups of hot cocoa for me and Meleri and some water for Soot, since he couldn¡¯t drink cocoa.


    Breakfast was proceeding in peace as talked about the bedroom situation. ¡°Well, Mistress, I suppose the easiest thing to do would be to conjure up another bedroom.¡± I looked over at Soot as he spoke. ¡°Sure we could do that, but there are the stone pillars to consider. Since I don¡¯t know how deep into the swamp they have to go to hit bedrock, I need to be cautious. A mistake on that end could mean I¡¯d bisect the house, after all. Not to mention proper balancing after the fact.¡±


    Meleri finished her cup of Cocoa, then tilted her head thoughtfully. ¡°How about just enchanting the hallway, so the room is just there, you know, bigger on the inside. Would that be possible?¡± Huh¡­ Not the worst idea in the world. And it wasn¡¯t like the house wasn¡¯t already doing that with some of the other rooms.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ It might be doable. I should probably see if one of my books got further information about adding to already enchanted houses, however. Just in case. It would be bad if I screwed up and trapped us all inside a house with no exit, or some such.¡± Soot nodded in agreement as he swallowed another meatball. ¡°A prudent idea, wouldn¡¯t want to make the living room endless on accident, thus trapping us all inside for all eternity. Or worse, shrink the inside until we got crushed. Spatial magic is¡­ finicky, to be mild about it. As I am certain you remember when you made your pouch.¡±


    As he mentioned the difficulties with the pouch, I instinctively rubbed a small scar on my left wrist. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ an understatement.¡± The scar was the only sign that a mishap during the construction cost me my hand. I needed to make a regenerating brew to get it back, and the process left a small scar. A very pertinent, and painful, lesson that stuck to this day.


    Meleri looked like she wanted to ask what happened, but then seemed to think better of it. With breakfast done, I went into the potion room to fetch one of the more advanced tomes. The art of making a pocket space bag differed from making a living space, so looking through advanced magics for the information would probably be a better idea.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    I immediately ran into an issue. It would appear that my experience with spatial magic was¡­ insufficient. The section mentioning that stuff was blurred out. Well, that was... Not entirely unexpected, as I was always averse to messing with it, given the inherent risks and my previous experience.


    I would have to research it slowly then, so meanwhile, looks like me and Meleri would share a bed once Miva returned. It would only be for three more days, anyhow. I put the book away. ¡°Seems like we will be shelving this for now. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to conjure in a new room when the book thinks I¡¯m not ready.¡± Meleri looked confused. I opened the book and pointed at the page as I explained how the books worked. ¡°That¡¯s a neat way of making sure you don¡¯t get in over your head. Good on the writer.¡±


    With that out of the way, I gave Meleri a tour of the house and the surrounding area. It quickly became apparent she possessed the same ¡®homing¡¯ instinct for the house I possessed, so she wouldn¡¯t get lost. Just how many of the same bonuses I possessed passed to her? All of them? If so, I would probably have to teach her how to channel magic, if nothing else, for her own safety. After that was done, we relaxed on the porch, where Meleri and Soot, after a bit of prompting from myself, were having a game of chess.


    As the game progressed, I was going over the basics of spatial magic again. Since I didn¡¯t want a repeat of before. However, I hardly even began reading, before we could hear noises from the forest, and soon after Miva and the rest arrived from among the trees. ¡°Well, you¡¯re all early. I expected you all around dinnertime, not lunch.¡± Miva, who I now noticed possessed bags under her eyes, glanced over at Tobin. ¡°We were up early thanks to a certain Brownie¡­¡± Ah, so that¡¯s why.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s too bad, then. You know my rules, Tobin, no alcohol for guests before dinner. Seriously, pulling the others out of bed at dawn like that was rather unkind, considering you know that¡¯s how I operate.¡± Tobin, who until now was grinning with anticipation, visibly deflated. ¡°Right¡­ there was a rule like that wasn¡¯t there¡­. Oops.¡± He gave me a sheepish grin.


    I just shook my head in response. ¡°Why don¡¯t the rest of you guys head inside and take a quick nap until dinner? You look like you need it.¡± Miva staggered inside, along with Midnight and Ivy, who were so tired her glow was flickering. Winter was already asleep up on her outdoor roost.


    ¡°Honestly, Tobin, your love for alcohol is becoming worrisome. Miva looked more than a tad sleep-deprived there. Not to mention, I doubt you kept a leisurely pace through the forest, either.¡± The Brownie looked very uncomfortable as I scrutinized him. ¡°Anyhow, let¡¯s head inside. I¡¯ll make some tea, and then we can take things from there. I will expect you to make amends to the others, though.¡± The old Brownie nodded rapidly. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m ashamed that I let my eagerness blind myself to what I was doing.¡±


    I sighed before I walked over and patted his back. ¡°As long as you realize it and make sure it doesn¡¯t happen again, it¡¯s what matters.¡± Tobin nodded, his expression turning solemn. ¡°True that. Now then, how about that tea and maybe introduce me to your look-alike, eh?¡±


    I glanced over at Meleri, who was putting up a good fight against Soot, albeit she was on the losing end of that battle so far. ¡°A bit later, she seems preoccupied right now, and I¡¯d rather not disturb the two when they are that focused.¡± Tobin glanced over at the board and nodded. ¡°Hmm, true, the bird gets rather annoyed when he gets interrupted. And considering how alike she looks to you, kiddo, I¡¯m guessing your kin. I¡¯d rather not earn her ire then. I have seen what happens to those that earn yours, and I want no part of that, considering you¡¯d likely take her side.¡±


    I decided not to point out that between the two of us, Meleri was far calmer. It would take a concentrated effort to make her outright angry. That being said, if you made her angry, it was far worse than what I could do¡­ pre-magic. As of now? I couldn¡¯t say for sure. A punch thrown in anger would undoubtedly be lethal¡­ Hmm, I¡¯d rather not think of that possibility.


    Just as I pondered that, I noticed that Meleri and Soot were cleaning up the pieces. Both seemed rather pleased, so it must have been a close game. ¡°Looks like I can introduce you after all.¡± I walked over to the two. And watched as Soot flew up on Meleri¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Great game, the closest one I¡¯ve ever had, since Mistress always winds up crushing me without mercy.¡± Meleri gave him some friendly pats. ¡°Sounds like her, alright.¡±


    The two then noticed me and Tobin. ¡°Well, since the two of you are done playing, let me introduce you to Tobin. Tobin, my sister, Meleri.¡± Tobin broke into a wide grin. ¡°Sister, you never mentioned you had one! Nice to meet you, kiddo. Names Tobin.¡± Before Meleri could react, Tobin grew to our size and pulled her into a loving hug. Soot barely escaped being buried in Tobin¡¯s beard.


    I couldn¡¯t suppress a chuckle at the comical sight of Meleri flailing wildly at the sudden hug. ¡°Tobin, ease up on her. She is as strong as me, and you might break something if she keeps flailing like that.¡± Tobin blinked a few times, then let go. Then seemed to realize he just messed up his beard as he pulled out the grooming kit I gave him and let it go to work.


    Once Meleri recovered from the initial surprise, she brushed a few loose strands of beard from her clothes, then gave Tobin a warm smile. ¡°Nice to meet you, Tobin. It¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± She offered him a handshake, which he, after a brief hesitation, accepted. ¡°Well then, why don¡¯t we go inside and make some lunch? After all, while the others might be out like a light for the next few hours, we certainly aren¡¯t.¡±


    Soot hopped from Meleri¡¯s shoulder over to mine. ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± Tobin grinned and headed for the door. ¡°Sounds like a plan, Kiddo. Say you wouldn¡¯t have some of that sweet brown tea you served last time I was here?¡± Sweet brown tea? What was he? Oh. "You mean Cocoa?" Tobin lit up. ¡°Yes, so nice and tasty. Now granted it¡¯s not winter this time, but surely, it¡¯s not something you only serve in winter, is it?¡±


    I was tempted to just outright lie about that, since he caused the others a bunch of anguish from their lack of sleep to near force-march from Nettledale. However, I thought better of it. ¡°I might have enough for another kettle or two, though I am running low on the ingredients and since it¡¯s out of season, I can¡¯t get anymore from Appleridge until later this year.¡± That caught Tobin¡¯s attention. ¡°The Fauns grow the ingredients?¡± I nodded. ¡°Somehow they can grow plants that frankly should not be able to grow in this climate, including cocoa beans and the sugarcane needed to make hot cocoa. And no, don¡¯t ask, they won¡¯t tell you.¡±


    I could already imagine Tobin going there to haggle for the knowhow already, so it was better to pre-empt that. I would rather not cause the interruption of trade between Nettledale and the farm, so better to nip that in the bud and get it over with. ¡°Anyway, Tobin I should be able to scrounge up enough ingredients for a cup or two for all of us.¡± With that, I opened the door and gestured the others inside.

 Chapter 21: An unexpected visit.

    Lunch was cocoa and simple ham sandwiches. Tasty and quick. After that, I meditated until dinner, allowing the others to finish their nap. Meanwhile, Tobin went out on the porch with have a pat on his pipe. He knew I did not allow that stuff inside. Not that he minded, as the weather was phenomenal. Slight breeze, not a cloud in the sky. Just warm enough that it was pleasant.


    Dinner was a meat casserole made from ground meat that was boiled with the brown sauce, along with sliced champignon and other spices to create a unique and flavorful dish and served on top of boiled rice. A dish that was yet another proof that the Familiar bond allowed my familiars to consume things that they normally couldn¡¯t.


    Winter loved that meat casserole, but there was no way she¡¯d usually get any benefit from all the vegetables and rice that went into the dish, yet she consumed it all in high spirits and usually even asked for seconds. It was almost to the point I was wondering if she, and the others, could safely try chocolate. A moot point, though, since confections were impossible to buy, and I didn¡¯t know how to make it on my own.


    At least I was happy I didn¡¯t need to abide by regular dietary concerns for the trio, as I went through with the Familiar pact with Winter very early after she hatched, because of her deteriorating health. I didn¡¯t know what to feed her, so made tons of mistakes that I wouldn¡¯t realize until several years down the line. At the very least, she could eat my food safely now, but I still wasn¡¯t keen on trying things that were outright toxic to her or the others.


    I also taught Winter and Midnight how to hunt so that they could supplement their dietary needs with hunting should they feel something was lacking. They usually did so if they got hungry while waiting for dinner or something because I was busy. As for Soot, he knew how to take care of himself. Not to mention being omnivorous, he could eat practically anything he could find in the area, so he never wanted for food outside of winter.


    After everything was eaten, we all sat down on the porch to enjoy the evening. Tobin was nurturing a cup of the trial mead Winter helped make. ¡°This stuff¡¯s excellent. Give it time to mature, and it will be a contender for the ARC 358 for sure.¡± He eyed Winter with a respectful gaze. ¡°I must agree with your assessment that Winter might be a savant. As that was a genius idea on her end.¡± There was a rather proud hoot from Winter.


    ¡°Indeed. Shouldn¡¯t take more than a bout half a decade to finish, either. If we want the flavors to mellow out properly.¡± Tobin didn¡¯t seem surprised. ¡°Can¡¯t rush art, Kiddo. I¡¯ll wait as long as it takes. Besides, I have something to tide me over while I wait¡­ don¡¯t I?¡±


    I arched an eyebrow. ¡°Surely, you aren¡¯t trying to insinuate I crack the last 358 for no reason, are you?¡± Tobin¡¯s smile faded. ¡°Aw, come on, kid, you¡¯re kidding, right?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Consider it your punishment for what you did this morning.¡± He deflated and shrunk down to kid-size. ¡°Fine, I get it, it¡¯s fair.¡± With that, he downed the rest of his mead and went silent. With that done, I leaned back in my chair and glanced over to Meleri, who was entertaining Miva, Ivy, and Midnight. She was always good with kids, and that didn¡¯t change over the years, it seemed, considering how gleeful Miva was behaving.


    ¡°Alright everyone, do you want to just relax tonight or should I -¡± That was as far as I got before Miva and Ivy started chanting ¡°Story time, Story time!¡± over and over. Midnight and Soot seemed reluctant, no doubt because of the terrible memories, but Winter was just as eager as Miva and Ivy.


    ¡°Alright, alright I hear you¡­ now then¡­ where was I¡­ Oh, right¡­¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    With the intruder gone, there wasn¡¯t much we could do but lick our wounds and make sure that a repeat didn¡¯t happen. And that meant adding wards to the house itself. It was... rough. Enchanting was finicky to begin with, but making it perpetual and selective at the same time was a nightmare.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t working¡­¡± I slammed my fist against the wall in frustration, causing the whole house to shake as I failed to control my strength properly. Soot landed on my shoulder. ¡°Calm down, Mistress. Just getting agitated like that won¡¯t help anyone.¡± I was about to bite back with a scathing remark, but stopped myself. Soot and Midnight took the brunt of my complacency. I didn¡¯t have any right to take my frustration out on them. Deep breaths¡­ deep breaths.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try again.¡± I cleared my throat. ¡°I make a permanent barrier to stop unwanted intrusion. That should cause my enemies some confusion. Make it so strong it can withstand any situation. And only let through those who receive my invitation.¡± It was rough, it was ugly, but¡­ As Soot found out when he tried to jump onto the windowsill from the outside, it worked. ¡°All familiars have a permanent standing invitation.¡± Soot tried again, and this time he didn¡¯t collide with a solid wall of yellow light.


    ¡°You did it, Mistress.¡± He seemed relieved as I nodded slowly. I felt numb. It only took three days of constant attempts, but I finally found a wording that didn¡¯t knock me out before it could take, or just failed to do what was intended. It was a constant drain on the local mana, but a minor one. Not enough to do any harm to the local environment, or impact the ambient mana¡¯s ability to recover, and that was enough for me.


    Midnight looked up from where she was sitting next to me. She was by my side every moment ever side since she recovered from the injuries that damn Fae inflicted on her. However, things were bound to take a turn for the worse for that Fae now, if luck was on my side, since Ivy found out that Soot got hurt.


    She was not happy to hear another Fae tortured her bestie, so she went to Nettle and complained. This prompted Nettle to launch inquires on my behalf to the local Fae courts regarding the assailant. So if my luck held up, Nettle would soon get me something to work with, be it a name or location.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    With those thoughts in mind, I went back inside to relax, now that the house was properly secured against unwanted intruders. As I sat down to relax with a mug of berry juice, however, there was an insistent knocking on the door. The knocking was too loud to be any of the pixies. Besides, they would have probably attempted to fly through the open window anyhow.


    With more than a bit of curiosity, as well as caution, I opened the door. Outside was an unearthly beautiful and pale lady in a dark purple dress and a cascade of flowers in her long silver hair. Right beside her was a similarly handsome man dressed in a lime green silk tunic and fine leather breeches. On his head was a set of antlers so massive I got to wonder how he got that tunic on, and the entire thing was covered in an equal amount of colorful flowers.


    Flying around them were¡­ pixies? No, they were too big. Fairies then. Eagerly picking up the seeds that dropped from the rapidly growing and wilting flowers before flying off, only to be replaced by another Fairy shortly after. The moment I laid eyes on them, I got hit with a feeling of ¡°wrongness¡±. Every instinct I possessed was screaming this duo was bad news.


    ¡°Good afternoon. I must admit I was not expecting guests on this day. May I inquire as to the reason for your visit?¡± Erring on the side of caution was likely the better option where this duo was concerned. Besides, if I remembered my Fae lore right, and if it was relevant, then these two were likely Fae Nobles. This meant I should be cautious with what I was saying, lest I get myself into trouble.


    There was an awkward silence for a bit as I looked at the two, and they looked at me. Then the silence was finally broken. ¡°Are you not¡­¡± ¡°¡­going to invite us in?¡± They waved their together sentences so fluidly that I was hard-pressed to even process when the speaker changed. I shook my head. ¡°No, I think not. The last time a non-pixie Fae set foot inside here, said Fae tortured two of my familiars to the brink of death. So no, you can stay out-¡±


    That was as far as I got before the barrier flared to life. I didn¡¯t even see the woman move, but now she was hissing in pain as she shook the hand that slammed into the barrier. Her companion glanced at the barrier for a moment. ¡°Surely, you won¡¯t be as uncouth as to let your guests stay outside, though, right?¡±


    As he spoke, there was that same pin-pricking sensation along my skull that I got when that other Fae started making inane demands. I was suspecting maybe there might be magic involved¡­ magic that was failing, likely because I wasn¡¯t human, though that was just an uneducated guess.


    ¡°If you were guests I was expecting, then that might be the case. However, you are not. And given the last interaction with a non-pixie Fae, I do not feel inclined to let others inside unless I know I can trust them. You two do not meet that requirement.¡± The man seemed surprised and glanced over to the woman. Then refocused on me. ¡°What a pity. We were¡­¡± ¡°¡­trying to be polite about this.¡± The two of them each put their palms against the barrier, and the drain on the ambient mana increased exponentially.


    Cracks appeared all over the wall as the local magic plummeted. At this rate, the local mana would take a severe beating for quite a while. Then the cracks faded away and the magic usage plummeted. ¡°What an amusing barrier¡­¡± ¡°¡­ We can¡¯t break it¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Since both the barrier and our magic¡­ ¡°¡­ Uses the same source.¡±


    So since I could sustain the barrier myself, should the ambient mana run out¡­ I was lucky. I held no illusions as to that. ¡°Well then, now that we have established you¡¯re not getting inside¡­ What do you want?¡±


    The woman tilted her head and looked at me, as a slight smile crept over her features. It was a strange and somewhat unnerving sight, as the smile made her even more beautiful than normal, but combined with the inky orbs of her eyes¡­ it made it unsettling too.


    The next moment, it felt like a truck was pressing down on my chest. I could barely breathe as I fell to my knees, gasping for air. ¡°You¡¯re quite full of yourself for a mortal. I can¡¯t rip you apart with my bare hands because of the barrier, but I can still choke your life out.¡± Her voice was as calm as if she were talking about the weather.


    Just then, a small piece of parchment fluttered down from above and hit the woman in the face. With her vision obscured, the weight on my chest disappeared. I fell backwards, coughing and gasping as I could breathe properly again. That was¡­ unpleasant. The woman ripped the parchment from her face and moved as to throw it away. Then paused. She looked down at her hand, confused.


    Then, with an annoyed grimace, began reading the parchment. Her expression became unreadable, but she now eyed me for a few moments before going back to the parchment. Once she was done, she handed it to the man. He read through it as well and did not hide his astonishment.


    Once he finished reading, he let go of the parchment, and it fluttered down to the ground next to me. ¡°The Fae won¡¯t harm you¡± - S. This was followed by a heraldry crest of a skeletal hand holding a flower. Whatever was on that parchment must¡¯ve changed its content based on the reader. Because they both spent a few seconds reading.


    ¡°You have powerful friends, Mortal. Or is it patrons? Either way, this changes things¡­ I Ilmahir promise no further harm will befall you from any Fae for the duration of our stay. Can we come in now?¡± I hesitated. ¡°Include my familiars and home into that promise, and you will be welcome.¡±


    Ilmahir broke into a dazzling smile. ¡°A sensible approach. Fine, I promise no harm will befall your familiars from any Fae either, for the same duration.¡± I took a deep breath. And then made one of the best choices I made after arriving in this region. ¡°I invite you inside.¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    Soot landed in my lap and I began stroking his feathers softly. ¡°Understatement and a half. It was risky, sure, but things became far easier for us afterward.¡± I leaned back and looked up towards the ceiling. ¡°An understatement and a half. I will openly admit, though, if not for ¡®S¡¯ intervention there, I¡¯d be dead. I don¡¯t doubt for a second Erydhe would have killed me then and there without her aid.¡±


    Meleri looked up at me. ¡°Would that be the same ¡®S¡¯ that¡­?¡± I nodded. ¡°That was the second time I heard from ¡®S¡¯ after moving in, the first being a series of notes scattered around the house to explain what was where and so on.¡± And then the third and final time yesterday. Though I didn¡¯t say it out loud. Some information would be better left alone.


    ¡°Say, why don¡¯t I grab some snacks from the kitchen before we continue, eh?¡± There was a unanimous cheer for that as I got up and headed into the kitchen. A perfect excuse, really, as I needed a few moments to clear my head. This next part was hazy for me. And I doubted it was purely because of all that happened in a very short amount of time.


    However, it was an important part, so I would need to recall it as much as possible. With everything sorted out in my head, I returned to the living room with a bunch of small bowls containing diced fruits, nuts, and some meats. A bit for everyone.

 Chapter 22: Guests and greetings.

    As I returned to the living room, I sat down the various bowls and took a deep breath. ¡°I will be honest. I¡­ don¡¯t really remember clearly exactly what happened next.¡± Soot glided onto my shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised about that. The moment they got inside, both of them slammed you with several charms in rapid succession to figure out how much you knew about S. You¡¯re resistant to magic Mistress, but not resistant enough to shrug off the full might from two Fae Nobles working in tandem. At least, not back then. These days, who can say.¡±


    I reached up and patted him gently. ¡°Mind taking over the tale, then, since I can¡¯t really recount things until they leave.¡± Soot ruffled his feathers in delight at my pats. ¡°Sure, it¡¯s not that long anyhow.¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    The two stepped inside with supernatural grace and, after a brief hesitation, made themselves at home on the couch. Mistress sat down in her chair, and Midnight hopped into her lap, where she eyed the two warily. ¡°So, mind telling me why you are here?¡± Mistress seemed rather curt still, not surprising given everything. I flew over to my roost where I would have a clear view of the room.


    The two glanced at one another. ¡°It has come to our attention that a member of my beloved Erydhe¡¯s court has gotten two of her pet Wargs killed by an ¡®upstart mortal¡¯ I believe the word was, for no reason. Simultaneously, we got a complaint from Lady Nettle of Nettledale where the selfsame Fae apparently also tortured the bestie of one of her fellow pixies, the familiar of said mortal. Given the conflicting claims, we felt compelled to investigate personally. As to avoid a biased ruling.¡± Given Erydhe¡¯s expression, it was clear she would rather rule in favor of the Fae rather than investigate. However, given Nettles unique position and high rank in the court, it would seem she didn¡¯t have a choice.


    Mistress leaned back in her chair, and I could see Midnight tense up even as Mistress gave her a reassuring pat. ¡°And so you came out here to get some clarity from the affected party, namely said ¡®upstart mortal¡¯ as you said.¡± Ilmahir gave her a polite nod in response. ¡°Indeed. And so we would like to use a memory crystal to see your memory of the proceedings, if you wouldn¡¯t mind.¡± Mistress glanced up at me and I gave her a slight nod. A memory crystal would do nicely.


    Mistress took a deep breath. ¡°Fair enough. Use your crystal, then.¡± Ilmahir pulled out the memory crystal and carefully touched Mistress¡¯ forehead. The crystal went from milky white to slowly showing the events of our first encounter with the Wargs. ¡°Self defense, the Wargs attacked her.¡± Erydhe gave a low growl of annoyance. ¡°She did goad them, though.¡±


    Ilmahir shook his head, causing petals to scatter across the floor. ¡°The Wargs also attacked a mortal child. If Milnair tries to claim protection for their Wargs here, they will be in breach of the Treaty.¡± So the Fae¡¯s name was revealed at last. Milnair. It would be a good idea to remember that for later.


    Erydhe¡¯s expression was unreadable. ¡°That does not prove the claims of torture, however.¡± That spurred me into action as I flew down to the table. ¡°Both Midnight and I were on the receiving end of Milnair¡¯s ¡®tender¡¯ ministrations. I volunteer my memories for that.¡± Ilmahir took out another crystal and pressed it to my forehead, causing a sudden sense of disorientation as the memory was copied into the crystal.


    When the two saw the content, they visibly flinched. Ilmahir¡¯s smile faded away and the flowers that grew from Erydhe¡¯s hair changed into thorny barbs, while her face remained stoic. Erydhe stood up and left the cottage without a word. I almost pitied Milnair, almost. No doubt, Erydhe was furious about being lied to, and thus making her lose face to a mortal of all things. And if there was one thing I learned from my Master, it was that slighting a Fae noble¡¯s pride was a quick way to be in for a world of hurt. It was how the authorities found out about his many crimes, after all.


    Ilmahir, however, looked more vindicated than anything. ¡°It would seem Lady Nettle spoke the truth, as expected. Milnair has been skirting the edge of acceptable behavior for centuries, but to directly threaten to break the Treaty¡­¡± He shook his head. ¡°I offer my most profound apologies for all of this, Ms. Morgana. I will not darken your home with my presence any further. Though, I do hope, we can meet again under more¡­ amicable circumstances.¡± He offered a friendly smile as he too stood up and left.


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    I looked up at Soot. ¡°That doesn¡¯t explain why my memory of the entire thing is all foggy.¡± Soot tilted his head. ¡°I would assume the memory crystal is why. I can¡¯t ever recall my first usage of one, either, so I suspect it¡¯s a side effect. The Fae might be geniuses with magic and magical items. However, even they can¡¯t avoid all side effects with something as sensitive as mind magic.¡±


    It was as good an explanation as any. Meleri opened her mouth, then closed it again. I could already guess what she just stopped herself from asking. ¡°Since you are undoubtedly wondering, dear sister. The Treaty is an ancient well, treaty, the Fae made long ago after a war with the humans. It¡¯s an old thing long before my arrival, but it¡¯s binding to this day and breaking it would have severe consequences for either side. And by consequences, I mean it would spell the doom for whatever Fae court or city the breaker currently inhabits. Which is why Erydhe was none too pleased about it all, on top of the blatant lie. Milnair was a member of her court, after all.¡±


    Meleri seemed to get the gist of it. Miva looked up at me from where she was hugging Midnight. ¡°But¡­ you said Midnight died.¡± Midnight growled, displeased at the reminder. I glanced at her. ¡°Seeing as neither Midnight nor Soot are keen on me giving a long-winded explanation, I will give the short rundown of what happened so we can move on to more pleasant topics. It was¡­¡±


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    About two weeks later, we were sitting on the porch, enjoying the evening. The sun just set and the sound of grasshoppers chirping among the reeds and the hustle and bustle of the birds settling in for the night was all around us. I got no clarity about what happened with Milnair.


    As we were sitting there, the entire porch was suddenly plunged into pitch darkness. There was no warning, not even a hit of movement in the local mana. In the darkness, something smashed into me, pushing me to the ground under its sheer weight. I could hear a scuffle further away as well and a pained scream from Midnight, followed by a sickening, crushing noise.Stolen novel; please report.


    The darkness cleared and Milnair was standing on the landing pad, chuckling with their high-pitched voice. I looked around. Soot was up in the rafters, looking somewhat banged up, but otherwise no worse for wear. Before I could look around for Midnight, Milnair walked towards me and I could feel whatever was on top of me shift around. It was the massive Warg from our last encounter, I realized.


    ¡°This¡­ this is all your fault, wretched human. Because of you, everything that has gone wrong is because of you.¡± Milnair made a hissing noise akin to a chuckle. ¡°Well, at least I have gotten a modicum of revenge.¡± Milnair held up something, something drenched in blood and missing its¡­ A red haze descended over my eyes, and in the next moment I was back on my feet. Milnair¡¯s giant warg was lying near the wall. The wall above it cracked from the impact after I flung the thing into it.


    Milnair took a step back, but before they could use the darkness to flee again, I let out an incoherent scream of rage and blasted them with a curse brought on by sheer rage and unbridled hate. What exactly it did I couldn¡¯t tell, but when it hit, Milnair let out a horrific scream and fled, taking their Warg with them.


    Midnight¡¯s remains fell to the ground with a wet thud. I hurried over to them and cradled them in my arms. Midnight did not deserve this. ¡°Soot, fetch my book. I am positive there must be something about reviving Familiars inside.¡± My voice was barely above a whisper. Soot disappeared inside using a small pet door I installed up in the rafters. A similar one was on the main door itself, for Midnight. Not that she was keen on leaving the house after the incident.


    Soot returned about a minute later. ¡°The tome¡¯s at the door.¡± I got to my feet, my robes covered in Midnight¡¯s blood. If I got my hands on that wretched Fae I¡­ no, this wasn¡¯t the time for something like that. The familiar revival ritual was my highest priority.


    I made a mess out of the tome as I leafed through it, but I didn¡¯t care. A quick perusal of the ritual calmed my nerves. I already possessed all the ingredients, and as for a year of my life span? Bah, a small price to pay. I hurried inside and gathered the required materials. The ritual was under a strict time limit. One that was even shorter since Midnight¡¯s head was missing.


    We made our way to the ritual altar. The night was dark because of the new moon, but I didn¡¯t care. I could have conjured a light, but there wasn¡¯t time. As we neared the altar, I could see movement on top of it. There was something lying on top of it. As we got closer, that something looked up and looked at us. ¡°Meowstress? What happened, where are we?¡± The shock of hearing Midnight¡¯s voice was so total, Soot flew face-first into the Linden behind the altar itself without even trying to slow down. He was lucky, however, as he wasn¡¯t flying that fast. So he was only stunned by the crash and subsequent fall. ¡°Midnight? How?¡± My voice trailed off into shocked silence¡­


    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    ¡°To say we were surprised would be an understatement. I was seriously contemplating whether it was a trick caused by Milnair for the few moments it took me to get a light spell going.¡± Miva buried her head in Midnight¡¯s neck. ¡°That can¡¯t have been fun.¡± Midnight, for her part, seemed uncomfortable, but didn¡¯t protest to the tight hug. ¡°Is this Milnair insane or something?¡± I glanced over at Meleri, then just gave a helpless shrug. ¡°Who knows. Their behavior is quite atypical to those of their kinsfolk. But maybe the others just hide it better. I honestly couldn¡¯t tell you.¡±


    Miva, for her part, loosened her grip on Midnight. ¡°So whatever happened to Milnair anyhow?¡± Midnight gave a pleased purr for the first time all night. ¡°Erydhe killed most of their Wargs for endangering the Treaty by not monitoring them properly. Followed by banishment from the Court for lying to her. It¡¯s why they acted the way they did. Don¡¯t underestimate the rancor of a Fae with nothing left to lose.¡±


    Just then, the clock struck nine. Tobin glanced up at it. ¡°That late eh, well kids, I should be heading back home. It¡¯s been fun, and all that.¡± As he got to his feet, I lifted him up and gave him a hug. ¡°See you later, Tobin. Take care now, you old bean.¡± He gave a mirthful chuckle and hugged me back.


    ¡°Likewise, kiddo, take care now.¡± Miva also rushed up and hugged him as I put him down, burying her face in the Brownie¡¯s bushy beard. ¡°See you later, Tobin. Take care.¡± He gave Miva a loving pat on the head as she extracted herself from his bushy beard. ¡°See ya around kid, take care now.¡± with that he left and made his way back to Nettledale, while pulling out the grooming kit to fix this disheveled beard.


    As Tobin left, Midnight hopped into Meleri¡¯s lap. ¡°So, I heard about you from Meowstress, but¡­¡± her voice trailed off. Meleri reached down and scratched Midnight behind her ears, earning delighted purrs from the cat. ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a story, and a part of me has a hard time believing it, even though it happened to me personally.¡± Midnight didn¡¯t answer. She was too busy enjoying Meleri¡¯s attentive fingers.


    I glanced over at Miva who suppressed a yawn. "Well, I don¡¯t see why you can¡¯t tell her all about it. After all, it¡¯s bedtime for mischievous little Changelings, and I won¡¯t continue my story before tomorrow." Miva mumbled something, but another yawn interrupted it. Then she slowly nodded. ¡°Bed sounds good. I¡¯m still sleepy from this morning.¡± I gave her a goodnight hug. ¡°See you tomorrow, Miva.¡± She gave me a tired smile and walked off after giving Midnight, Soot and Winter a goodnight hug each.


    Once Miva was in bed, we told Midnight, Winter and Ivy about how she got here. Ivy knew enough about my origins anyhow, since she would have badgered the start of the story out of Soot, Midnight or Winter by now, and seeing how utterly unsurprised she looked. My suspicion turned out correct.


    Ivy flew up and hovered in front of Meleri¡¯s face, idly scratching one of her antennae. ¡°That sounds rough, but at least you found your sister again. That¡¯s what matter, right? Either way, I¡¯m Ivy. Nice to meet you, Meleri.¡± She stretched out a small hand for a handshake. Meleri glanced my way, and I stuck out my pinky.


    After a brief hesitation, she stuck it out and Ivy grabbed it and began shaking without hesitation. ¡°Nice to meet you too, Ivy. My sister is awkward with people, so I¡¯m glad she has made a good friend like you.¡± Ivy''s glow became pink. ¡°Aw shucks. No worries, it¡¯s what friends are for. Besides, she makes so delicious food, not being her friend would be a crime!¡± As she spoke, her light slowly became viridian again.


    Meleri broke into a wide smile. ¡°In that case, I can assure you the two of us will be fast friends too, as I am a rather excellent chef myself.¡± Ivy made a trill of happiness. ¡°Then I vote for Meleri making breakfast tomorrow so I can taste her cooking!¡± Hmm¡­ ¡°Say, sis, your cooking has improved since back then, right?¡± I was speaking English, mostly to not alert Ivy about the fact that Meleri¡¯s cooking skills back in the day were¡­ not that great.


    Meleri looked at me confused for a moment, then began laughing. ¡°I guess I never told you my job, huh? Head chef in a Michelin 3-star restaurant. So I dare say my skills with a spatula are beyond reproach now.¡± I blinked. ¡°3-star Michelin? Well then, I look forward to a breakfast worthy of that tomorrow.¡±


    Ivy gave an annoyed trill. ¡°No fair, I can¡¯t understand a word you¡¯re saying!¡± I leaned back. ¡°Nothing serious, just discussing tomorrow¡¯s breakfast. We want to surprise you with it, you see.¡± Ivy turned around and gave Meleri a hug. ¡°That sounds wonderful.¡± She brushed some pixie dust from her cheek as Ivy pulled back. ¡°No worries.¡±


    I glanced up at the clock. ¡°Speaking of, if we hope to get some proper rest, we should probably call it a night as well.¡± Meleri seemed surprised, since it was not that late. ¡°We wake at dawn here. That¡¯s around six in the morning, this time a year.¡± She nodded in understanding. ¡°Fair enough.¡± With that, we began preparations for bed.

 Chapter 23: The Mummir Merchant.

    The next morning differed from our standard fare. Instead of the normal breakfast, Meleri gave us the full three-star treatment. It comprised perfectly made toast, eggs poached and spiced to absolute perfection, sausages cooked the perfect amount to have a crunchy skin without being overcooked. And, of course, a small stack of American pancakes with syrup. The latter became a massive hit with Ivy, to the surprise of no one.


    ¡°This is delicious, sis. And you receive full marks from the jury, it seems.¡± I noted as I watched everyone else devour their food with abandon. The others didn¡¯t reply, they were too busy eating. She replied with a smug grin. ¡°Told you I improved, didn¡¯t I?¡± I finished another mouthful of a poached egg. ¡°Yeah, yeah, It¡¯s great. What more do you want, standing ovation?¡±


    She looked like she was about to reply when Miva held her plate out towards Meleri. ¡°Auntie Meleri, seconds, please!¡± She blinked a few times in surprise. The scene caused me to chuckle. ¡°I remember telling you I am an honorary aunt for her. I guess you have gained that status, too.¡± Meleri broke into a smile as she grabbed the plate. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound so bad, actually. Considering my older sister is about as aromantic as they come.¡±


    ¡°Ha, ha, ha, hilarious, sis. You¡¯re a real comedian.¡± I finished me meal and leaned against the back of my chair. ¡°You know, there is one perk to this place over the old one.¡± Meleri looked at me with an inquisitive expression, just as my plate and cutlery levitated towards the sink. ¡°The chores do themselves.¡±


    Meleri blinked a few times, then started laughing. ¡°I suppose they do, don¡¯t they?¡± After breakfast, we all assembled on the porch once more. It was still, so early the morning mist was still around, lending mystique to the morning view.


    As we sat down to relax, Miva in Meleri¡¯s lap, Ivy swinging from one of the wind chimes, and Soot was sitting on a crossbeam near the roof where he was preening his feathers. Midnight was resting on my lap, enjoying my gentle scratching of her head and neck, and Midnight was enjoying the bird bath. ¡°So, finally done with the unpleasantness as of yesterday, next up should be¡­¡± My voice trailed off as a familiar jingle filled the air. ¡°Never mind, looks like we have guests.¡±


    A few moments later, a wagon arrived from the direction of Nekkal. The wagon itself was pulled by a camel-like beast with three humps. The beast was whistling a melodious tune as it walked. Although, to call it an actual wagon, was a bit of a stretch. It was more akin to a hover sled than anything, as it was levitating off the ground and lacked wheels. The driver and the two men beside him could only be described as having an Adonis build, and their skin was darkly tanned. Their forms were loosely covered in runed bandages under the leather cloaks and loincloths covering their large frames. Upon arriving, the driver pulled up and one of the three hopped off and opened the door on the wagon itself.


    Out stepped a lithe bronze-skinned woman with black hair tied up in dreadlocks, deep brown eyes with golden eye shadow, sharp angular nose and thick lips painted gold. You could easily mistake her for an Egyptian queen from earth, risen from her tomb in all her beauty. There was a key difference, however.


    Her clothing was so skimpy you¡¯d be hard-pressed to call it decent. She was essentially wearing a leather bikini and the rest of her body was loosely wrapped in bandages with runes and a cloak, like her two guards and driver. Although her cloak was made from red silk and the bandages of a much better quality. As she looked up at the house and saw us, she broke into a smile. ¡°Morgana! Darling, how delightful to see you!¡± Her husky voice was as silky smooth as silk and a delight to listen to.


    I gave her a polite nod. ¡°Jaira, business must be doing well, considering you have added at least one more guard to your caravan. And arrived about half a month early.¡± Meleri gave me a sideways glance, since a caravan would need more than one wagon. But Jaira would have left most of her guards and wagons back in Nekkal, since most of what she was selling was not something I was remotely interested in, or approved of within my borders, and she knew it.


    Jaira beamed at my words. ¡°Oh, you noticed? I¡¯m touched! No, really Darling, I am.¡± she walked up the stairs and gave be a radiant smile. Then turned her attention to Soot. ¡°Hello to you too, Soot. Delighted, as always.¡± Soot lowered his beak in greeting. ¡°Ma¡¯am.¡± Midnight was next as she all but danced over to her. ¡°Oh Midnight, my divine darling. I have a treat for you.¡± She gave a quick snap, and one guard pulled out a box with some expertly cut meat on it from a magical storage.


    ¡°Sliced and boned fish from the great Alendek River of my homeland. I hope it will fit your distinguished tastes, oh divine Midnight.¡± Midnight glanced at me, but I just shrugged. It was not my place to tell her whether she should accept Jaira¡¯s offering or not. She gave it a sniff, licked her lips, then gave it a taste. She quickly purred as she kept eating, earning a beaming smile from Jaira.


    Jaira then skipped to where Winter was roosting. ¡°Oh Winter you cute little fluff ball you! You are just adorable, you are. I hope you are doing well.¡± She gently stroked Winter¡¯s feathers, earning a delighted hoot from the owl. She then looked up at Ivy.


    ¡°Oh, and what a delightful surprise. Ivy, my favorite pixie customer. Did you know I have half a dozen jars of Orange Jam with your name on them?¡± Ivy trilled happily. ¡°That sounds wonderful, same price as always?¡± Jaira nodded. ¡°Of course, I would never be so uncouth as to rise the price on my trusted regulars.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Ivy trilled eagerly as Jaira pulled out a small jar from her bag and placed it on the porch railing. ¡°Whenever you¡¯re ready, hon.¡± Ivy flew above the jar and began to rise and fall in rapid succession, causing a rain of glittering pixie dust to fill the small jar.


    Meanwhile, the same guard as before pulled out six bucket-sized jars filled with jam. "Pleasure doing business with you, Ivy, as always.¡± Ivy flitted over to the jars and pulled them into her bag in short order. ¡°Pleasures all mine, Jaira, I assure you.¡± She flew back to her wind chime swing, happily singing the word ¡°jam¡± over and over.


    Jaira¡¯s gaze then fell on Meleri and Miva. ¡°Oh, fresh faces, how delightful.¡± She walked over and spread her arms with a friendly and winning smile. ¡°Oh, you are both so adorable, I could just give you a k-¡± That was as far as she got before I grabbed her shoulder in a vice grip. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it. No addiction inducing, life draining kisses for anyone on my lands, Jaira. Even less so, my friends and family.¡±


    Jaira blinked a few times, as she unsuccessfully tried to extract herself from my grip. ¡°Alright, alright, Darling, no need to get your cloak in a twist. It was just a manner of speaking, and I apologize if it appeared anything else.¡± I released her. ¡°Well, considering your primary stock of goods, and reputation, forgive me for not being entirely convinced of your good intentions, where strangers to yourself are concerned.¡±


    Jaira inclined her head. ¡°I understand, Darling. And I will admit I have earned my reputation, all things considered. Something that has marred more than one business deals as well. The mistakes of my youth will always haunt me, I fear.¡± Seeing that her regretful act was not working, she just shrugged. ¡°Fine, Darling, I swear on my honor as a merchant, no funny business with friends and kin of yours. Happy?¡± I nodded.


    Jaira massaged her shoulder for a bit before she turned back to Miva and Meleri, now all smiles once again. ¡°Well then, sorry about that, darlings. Allow me to introduce myself. Jaira V¨¨l-D?-Set, Master Merchant and leader of Caravan Jaira. It¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± She gave a polite bow.


    My sister looked a bit uncomfortable as she reached out a hand. ¡°Meleri.¡± Jaira took the hand and shook it immediately. ¡°It''s my pleasure, Meleri. Truly. And you, little one?¡± Miva looked far less uncertain or apprehensive. ¡°Miva, though we have met before, you visited my Granny¡¯s coven a few years back.¡± Jaira blinked a few times. ¡°Oh really, a few years¡­ hmm my last trip then... oh! Right, I remember. Aile¡¯s coven, right?¡±


    Miva nodded, and Jaira beamed at the confirmation. ¡°A delightful woman, truly. Sharp witted and sharp tongued. Sold her some ingredients for a potion of youth. What a great deal. I hope she got the remaining ingredients.¡± Miva nodded again, a bit overwhelmed by the sheer positivity in Jaira¡¯s demeanor. Jaira beamed even more at the news. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s marvelous, hon. My best wishes on the brewing.¡± She turned back to me. ¡°So, Darling, could I interest you in looking at my wares? As always, a special discount for you, of course.¡± Jaira winked and blew me a kiss.


    Meleri seemed to get even more confused, given Jaira¡¯s behavior. Best to get this over with before Meleri started coming to all the wrong conclusions. ¡°Why don¡¯t you prepare them, while I explain to my obviously confuses sister exactly what¡¯s going on here.¡± Jaira looked at Meleri, her eyes sparkling with delight. ¡°Oh, hon, why ruin the fun?¡± I arched an eyebrow, and Jaira threw her hands out. ¡°Fine, fine, we¡¯ll do it your way.¡±


    As Jaira hopped down from the porch, Meleri walked over to me. ¡°Is she¡­?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Jaira is not my girlfriend, no, she¡¯s that flirty with everyone and everything, it''s instinctual to her kin.¡± That seemed to poke Meleri¡¯s interest. ¡°Kin, you mean she isn¡¯t human?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Nope. She¡¯s a Mummir.¡± Meleri looked at me. ¡°A what?¡± I looked over at where Jaira and her guards were laying out numerous items.


    ¡°Mummir, the best way to explain what they are, would be¡­¡± I paused for a moment, looking for the words. ¡°Take the seduction, life draining and¡­ flirty¡­ aspects of a succubus.¡± I glanced over at where Miva was within earshot as I changed the last wording from its original meaning. ¡°The Egyptian motif of mummies, and the ¡°all female and female dominated society¡± motif of amazons and cram it into one package. The result is the Mummir. They''re a mercantile-obsessed species with a focus on two far less savory trades, given their abilities.¡± Meleri looked at me, not fully connecting the dots. ¡°Flesh and pleasure. Those men, they are hers, literally.¡± The disapproval in my voice as I spoke was obvious.


    Meleri finally got it. ¡°Oh¡­ but... if she is a slaver, why¡­?¡± I pointed at the wares Jaira was putting out to show off. ¡°She is the only Mummir willing to deviate from their usual fare of dealing in flesh for more common goods. She also understands that I don¡¯t approve of her usual wares, and so leaves most of her caravan back in Nekkal. Not only that, but she only takes items that might interest me, and a few bodyguards with her when she travels into my domain. Which is an outrageous sign of trust for her kin, I might add.¡± Jaira¡¯s men finished lining up the goods, and she approached the porch again.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not trust. It¡¯s that I know it¡¯s safe. What kind of bandit would be insane enough to waylay travelers in your domain, after all? As such, I only take a few of my darling bodyguards to ward off wild animals. Besides, I earn good money dealing with other items here in the midlands where flesh markets are at best frowned upon, if not outright forbidden. And with no competition from my kinsmen, any mundane items or food from back home go at a premium. And I have my darling Morgana to thank for this divine revelation called Supply and Demand.¡± Jaira¡¯s smile was absolutely radiant as she spoke.


    Meleri gave another confused look. I just shook my head. ¡°Ironically enough, Jaira will enter the next part of my story, so you can learn more about that later. For now, let¡¯s see what¡¯s for sale, shall we? I hopped down from the landing and Meleri followed suit. She then glanced over at Jaira again. ¡°Umm, not to be rude or anything, but... what¡¯s with the bandages?¡±


    Jaira looked at her, confused, for a bit. ¡°Bandages¡­ oh my Reimmeith? It¡¯s for protection against the elements, hon. As long as I wear it, I am comfortable, no matter how hot or warm it becomes. And a high-quality one, such as this, also doubles as magical armor. It might not look it, but this Reimmeith offers better protection to me, than a full plate would a knight. But enough about my clothes. Come now, browse, buy!¡± She grinned as she waved towards her exotic wares.

 Chapter 24: Relatives

    As always, Jaira¡¯s spread of wares was quite varied. What caught my attention, however, were the barrels of various spices, herbs and plants. ¡°Hmm. To begin with, I¡¯ll take the barrel of cocoa beans and the barrel of sugar.¡± As soon as the words left my mouth, one of Jaira¡¯s bodyguards moved the barrels out of the lineup and put them onto the landing.


    I kept going through, and soon a few more barrels joined the cocoa and sugar barrels, one containing dried dates and another containing raisins. With food taken care of, I moved down the line, and began putting aside a rather diverse supply of alchemical ingredients I couldn¡¯t get in the region. Thunderbird tail feathers and grounded salamander scales. The beak of a cockatrice gave me pause. ¡°How¡¯d you get your mitts on this? Those damn things are supposedly too dangerous to hunt.¡±


    Jaira tensed up as she saw me showing the beak. ¡°We didn¡¯t intentionally hunt the damn thing, Darling, I assure you. It attacked us while we were camped, lost a lot of stock and guards that night, all killed by its deathly glare before we even realized it was upon us. I spent most of the beast¡¯s highly valuable parts just to recover the losses of its assault.¡±


    I eyed the beak. It could be made into some incredibly dangerous weapons. ¡°Since you put it out, I take it you are intending to sell it?¡± Jaira nodded. ¡°Indeed. And the faster I can sell that last reminder of that horrible night, Darling, the better.¡± Hmm, a pair of knives for Meleri as self-defense wouldn¡¯t go amiss.


    ¡°Add it to the pile.¡± The bodyguard grabbed a linen cloth and lifted the large beak with great care. When he put it down on the porch, the white linen cloth was as black as soot. ¡°I see the death effect is still in the beak. Which means it must not have died by any of the easy means. My condolences for the one brave enough to land the final blow.¡±


    Jaira nodded slowly. ¡°Sireth, a brave man with a big heart. His battle with the beast will go down in tales. Even though he was dying from the beast¡¯s very presence, he struck the deathblow. He smiled even as the beast¡¯s deadly blood covered him and prevented us from saving him from joining the beast in the Great Beyond.¡± Jaira¡¯s voice was unusually solemn as she spoke. He must have meant more to her than she was letting on. Well, that was none of my business.


    ¡°Hey sis, you think I could have this?¡± I looked over at what she was holding. It was a rather skillfully crafted pan, spatula and other cooking implements, of a far higher quality than the rather rustic utensils of wood and iron pan I was using.


    I was about to answer when Jaira looked at it and smiled. ¡°Darling, there is no need for that. Take it as a gift, as an apology for my earlier tactless blunder. No, no, no Morgana, I insist, that¡¯s a gift to your sister. It¡¯s hers now.¡± She was clearly not budging on this. I gave a helpless shrug. ¡°If you say so. Saves me a bunch of gold anyhow, so you won¡¯t see me complaining.¡±


    Jaira gave Meleri a beautiful smile as she watched hurried inside to put her new implements away. ¡°That sister of yours is rather sweet. Or should I say¡­ my aunt?¡± I looked at Jaira for a moment before I gave a deep sigh. ¡°Sometimes I wonder if you ever remember who raised you after your kinsmen abandoned you. Although considering their abhorrent choice of raid target on their way, north, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised they went with the bad choices.¡±


    Jaira¡¯s pristine smile faded somewhat. ¡°I... do, Darling, it¡¯s just¡­ I am not sure if I should be happy about that series of events or not. I mean, I hardly remember my parents as is. So I can¡¯t really say whether it¡¯s my kinsmen¡¯s fault or not for abandoning me, or if I should be glad, they left me behind.¡±


    I looked at her for a bit, then walked over to her and put my arm around her. ¡°Look, kid. I never knew your parents, but I can tell you straight. Anyone who¡¯s willing to just up and abandon a child because they want the wealth and status of their inheritance, isn¡¯t worth keeping around, as your own relatives made clear when they offed them for leaving you behind.¡±


    Jaira squirmed in my grip but couldn¡¯t make my arm budge an inch. ¡°I... I know¡­ Mother Dearest.¡± The last two words were a mere whisper. I looked at her. ¡°Sorry, Jaira, could you speak up? I didn¡¯t quite hear that last part. Or are you embarrassed about being unable to keep your suave attitude in front of your boy-toys/lunch boxes?¡±


    Jaira went beet red instantly. ¡°H-hey that¡¯s unfair. Besides, I know you heard it, so stop teasing me. At any rate, Darling, why are you not telling your sister about this. Are you trying to hide it?¡±


    I arched an Eyebrow. ¡°Hide it? It¡¯s you who insist on calling me Darling rather than mom or mother in front of other people. Thus hiding our actual relationship unless I go into some really awkward introductions afterward. Man, you were so much easier to introduce to people when you were still a kid.¡±


    Jaira turned a light shade of red, and I was certain I heard at least one of her bodyguards chuckle. ¡°T-that¡¯s because it would be undignified to call you that in front of the sl... I mean servants.¡± I was not letting this slide that easily. ¡°Almost as undignified as almost outright flirting with the sister of your adopted mother, ain¡¯t it?¡± Jaira didn¡¯t have a response to that one.


    ¡°Look, I am not asking you to shower me with a child¡¯s affection here, but a simple mom or mother would go a long way in clarifying things.¡± I heard the door open behind me. ¡°I mean, now I must tell my sister that I adopted you some century ago, even more so after your little number upon arrival. Besides, it wasn¡¯t like you seemed eager to clarify that yourself when you introduced yourself and omitted your final last name, Jaira V¨¨l-D?-Set Byrne.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Jaira opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again as she looked at something behind me. I just spoke up without turning around. I knew she was there. ¡°Yes, Meleri she is my adopted daughter, naughty as she is. I blame her instincts and not her for the¡­ flirty behavior, though. After all, it¡¯s not her fault that her primary food source is the life energy of other beings. Oh, don¡¯t get me wrong, she can get by for quite some time on regular food, but she will need life force, eventually.¡±


    Meleri stepped into view. ¡°I figured there was something going on, as you seemed annoyed as she introduced herself.¡± I shrugged. ¡°There were really two options when I stumbled over that scene. Adopt a kid whose only crime was having a shitty family who made multiple stupid decisions, or leave her to the not-so-tender mercy of a very vindictive and furious Nettle. Nettles vehemence towards Jaira has lessened somewhat in the years since, and Jaira can trade with Nettledale, provided she does not enter the village itself.¡±


    Meleri looked at me quizzically, causing me to give her a slight shrug. ¡°I¡¯ll go into more detail once we get to that part of the tale.¡± Her unasked question was pretty obvious, after all. Jaira perked up immediately. ¡°Oh, reminiscing about the past are we, Darling? How delightful. Well, in that case, if you are done perusing, all that¡¯s left is the payment and I will not disturb you anymore.¡± Jaira seemed suddenly keen to leave¡­


    ¡°Hang on, young lady. Aren¡¯t you forgetting a little something?¡± I could see her mumble something under her breath. ¡°What was that?¡± Jaira deflated. ¡°Fine, I will stay for dinner, as I promised the last time I was here.¡± Meleri looked at her with confusion, ¡°Not a fan of my sisters¡¯ cooking?¡± Jaira looked at her for a few moments, confused by the question. ¡°No, it¡¯s not that¡­¡± Her voice tailed off.


    I couldn¡¯t really understand why¡­ Soot suddenly flapped down and landed on her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Ma¡¯am. I won¡¯t make you eat bird seeds for dinner. You can relax.¡± I looked at the two. ¡°Bird seeds?¡± both I and Meleri asked in tandem. Jaira shrugged. ¡°I made a bet with Soot about whether you would remember my promise about dinner. If I lost, my dinner would be bird seeds. If he lost, he would give me a few feathers to sell.¡±


    Oh, well, that was silly of her. ¡°Jaira, Jaira, Jaira, you should have learned by now, dear, to never bet against the bird. I am quite certain that those eyes of his give him a level of foresight or something. As betting against him will all but guarantee a loss, if he¡¯s the one suggesting it.¡± Jaira nodded, her expression glum.


    I took a deep breath as Soot gave Jaira a loving nuzzle. ¡°Anyway, I will look over the rest of the wares and then get payment done. Why don¡¯t you relax on the porch with the others meanwhile, and I will-.¡± Meleri cleared her throat. ¡°You will do nothing, sis. I will be breaking in the new cooking implements for dinner, and you WILL sit back and let me do it. Non-negotiable.¡±


    I looked at her for a moment, then with a chuckle, I threw my hands out. ¡°Fair enough, fair enough. Dinner¡¯s on you, but you will NOT be cleaning. I use magic for that because it¡¯s way less of a hassle and doesn¡¯t leave anywhere near as much of a mess you have to clean up afterward.¡±


    Meleri gave me an eager nod. ¡°Sounds good to me. I hate doing the dishes, anyway. You won¡¯t believe how happy I was to be promoted to a position so high in the hierarchy, I wasn¡¯t on dishwashing duty no more. I mean, sure, it was more stack these, push them into the dishwasher, then pull them back out again a few minutes later, but you get my point.¡±


    ¡°I do, which is why I put so much time and effort into getting both the cooking and cleaning spells perfect. Granted, I spent more time than I¡¯d like to admit repairing broken plates because of my testing.¡± Meleri seemed surprised, so I gave her an explanation.


    ¡°Magic isn¡¯t an exact science. Wording and intent is just as important as having the mana reserves to actually cast the spell itself or the correct components on hand, should the spell require them. Even more so in witchcraft, because of its free-form nature. In fact, the only magic form that¡¯s more free-form is sorcery, which is a magic that is a mix of intent and instinct. Which makes it virtually uncontrollable early on.¡±


    Jaira put a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Darling, you¡¯re in teacher mode again.¡± I blinked a few times. ¡°Ah, right, sorry about that. I get a bit¡­ fixated on magic because of my own interests. Hmm, I should probably get back to the wares, shouldn¡¯t I?¡± I went through the rest of Jaira¡¯s offerings and wound up grabbing a bunch more alchemical ingredients and some items to make more potion flasks and minor magical items. But it was better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.


    Meanwhile, Jaira and Meleri returned to the porch and were soon in conversation with one-another. Good to see the two get along. A few minutes later, everything was on the porch. ¡°Hey Jaira, tally time.¡± I called over to her as I sat down on the stairs leading down from the porch itself while Jaira¡¯s bodyguards cleaned up the reminder of the wares.


    Jaira went over the pile with an appraising expression, and I joined her there a few moments later. ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s two platinum, thirty-one gold, eighteen silver, and fifty-seven copper, total.¡± I gave it all a once over with my Identification spell.


    ¡°Close, because of the high quality of this gem, you¡¯re actually thirteen gold coins off.¡± I held up a high carat ruby for her to see. Jaira blinked, and I could see the magic of an identification spell across her eyes. ¡°Damn, you¡¯re right. Ugh, I should¡¯ve just used the Identification spell to begin with.¡±


    I gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. To properly identify the worth of gemstones without magic or a loupe is difficult unless you¡¯re a dwarf or dragon-kin. That you were that close speaks for itself on your skills as a merchant.¡± I could see Jaira puff up ever so slightly from my praise, though she did her best to hide it.


    That kid, always putting up a front of a strong and independent woman, but deep down all she wanted was some praise for a job well done. ¡°Now then, how about I get these squared away, and I¡¯ll make your favorite sandwich for lunch?¡± I dropped the money into Jaira¡¯s palm, then levitated the items inside. I didn¡¯t need to even look at her to know she was grinning at the prospect.