The Witching Hour

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…”

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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.”

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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…”

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He hopped over and pulled out a small jar with a pale pink crème 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.”

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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.