Filif chewed happily on something he had found in the woods, Ben sat beside him yawning with a cup of coffee in hand, and Paulav munched on a smoked sausage.

  Spidena scowled up at Obbie, hands on hips.

  “No.”

  “I have been generous with you, witch!”

  “No you haven’t. You’ve barely been fair.”

  “You worked for two hours and you got a meal and a place to sleep! Of course I’ve been fair!”

  “We brought you business and got nothing in return.”

  Obbie growled, Spidena didn’t budge.

  “I am not tampering with the mind of Lord Earhav’s minion! That’s big magic meddling with even bigger magic! He would kill me if he got his hands on me after that!”

  “There is enough big magic around you and Man Chop that Earhav won’t be able to tell what was done!”

  “Like hells he wouldn’t! And that would just put a target on me!”

  “You magicked the memories of the other groups that have come looking for you two! All you need to do is make the spell extend a little more!” Obbie argued while wiggling his fingers in the air.

  “It doesn’t work like that,” Spidena scoffed. “Paulav, let’s go! We’re wasting time here!”

  Turning on her heel, Spidena already had her nose thrown in the air, prepared to stalk away, when Obbie called out once more. His expression grim. “I’ll tell Pesch where you are right now, and I’ll keep telling him where you are. Man Chop gave me the button, so I’ll always know.”

  Swinging around, Spidena’s eyes flashed. “Why can’t you just magic the duck’s mind yourself?”

  Obbie rolled his eyes. “Don’t be stupid.”

  “Why is that stupid?” Ben wondered from his spot near the fire.

  “Fairy magic isn’t the same as witch and warlock magic,” Obbie explained without sparing a look in his direction. “Earhav would know it was me. Fairy magic has a different look and smell. But you’re forgetting that the duck has been surrounded by a number of magical beings for the whole night! I can just say it was someone else who tampered with him. Someone unknown.”

  “Who are you going to say worked that kind of magic?” Spidena wondered, her tone indicative of her resolute doubt.

  “I’ll make someone up! Something like a blond witch cast it on the men because they were being annoying and the duck got caught up in it.”

  “It isn’t like tossing a blanket over everyone! It’s very specified casting! I can’t just casually make a deal with magic to include scrambling the mind of a duck that is also made of magic. The cost of that and possible consequences if I don’t get the payment right is astronomical!” Spidena shook her head adamantly.

  “Is it possible nothing bad happens if the duck returns to Lord Earhav with what he knows?” Ben asked wearily.

  “No.”

  Both Spidena and Obbie answered in unison.

  “Pesch explained to us why he and Earhav don’t get along. It is highly doubtful that he is going to be passive about The Fey Way popping up all over the woods near his property,” Obbie expounded gravely. “Pesch and Earhav were supposed to work together on a deal. A very big deal, but at the last minute he pulled out. Earhav disappeared for a few years, and when he reappeared he was ennobled. Pesch has avoided him ever since.”

  Spidena said nothing to add to this story, and instead kept her attention firmly fixed on Obbie. “If you tell Pesch where we are at all times, I will make your life absolutely miserable.”

  The fairy dropped his head over his shoulder and stared at her with a mixture of irritation and exasperation.

  “I don’t know what the big deal is. Lord Earhav is going to hear about the business eventually, so what if he hears about it now?” Ben contributed while rising from his seat.

  “The Fey Way is still new. It is easy to make a new business fail.”

  “Alright, then change the pattern of places it appears to be farther from Lord Earhav’estate.”

  “Daffy only knows nymphs in this area, and it took her a long time to convince them to use their copse’s for the inn,” Obbie explained while folding his arms over his chest.

  “How is it Lord Earhav hasn’t already found Pesch? Doesn’t Pesch own a number of public businesses? And isn’t he only a dodder?” Ben continued questioning in hopes of moving the conversation along and getting back on the road.

  Obbie opened his mouth to let out another snappish retort, until he registered Ben’s question and closed his mouth again.

  “That is a very good point.” The fairy rounded on Spidena, understanding starting to light his violet eyes.

  Her face burned red.

  “Spidena, did you make Earhav forget how to find Pesch’s businesses? Or make it so that he got confused any time he was close to them?” Ben ventured on, already sensing that he knew the answer.

  Spidena looked away from everyone without responding.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Which said enough.

  “Then this should be even easier for you,” Obbie persisted while letting out a breath. “All you have to do is extend the other incantations you cast on him to include this business.”

  “Then he’ll think I’m working for Pesch again and he’ll be watching out for me! He’s angry enough with me!” Spidena’s panic and fear was starting to overtake her features, revealing just how uncomfortable she was with this new plan.

  Given that it was tied to her unfortunate past it was becoming increasingly clear to Ben as well why she was so adamant about staying clear of the warlock. He’d be angry too if someone had magicked his mind to stop him from finding someone who had wronged him.

  “Like I was saying before, we can say Pesch is working with a new witch. Don’t worry about it so much,” Obbie sighed.

  Ben kept staring at Spidena. While he had been just a little distracted the day before when she had been sharing the story about her past, he had been listening enough to know why Obbie’s plan wasn’t going to work, and why Spidena had known from the beginning it wouldn’t.

  “Spidena is the first witch in decades who has been able to cast memory tampering incantations,” Ben repeated, his gaze moving over to Spidena, who locked eyes with him when he did. “So even if you say it’s someone else, it isn’t all that believable.”

  He could see the complicated emotions at war within her. She was still furious with him, but she also appreciated that he understood the gravity of the situation as well.

  “Are you two sleeping together?”

  Both Ben and Spidena’s necks snapped back round toward Obbie as they answered with a resounding, “No!”

  “Mm.” Obbie didn’t look convinced. “Look. We are running out of time and we need to figure out a solution. So, any ideas?”

  Ben gave an agitated huff. “Is there anything that could successfully hunt this magic duck?”

  Obbie arched an eyebrow and popped out his hip. “Like what? A magic wolf?”

  “Wait. That could work!” Spidena interrupted while stepping forward excitedly. “The pixies! We could lure them to Conquestorov! He is literally made of magic! If we trap him in a swarm they’d consume him!”

  Obbie blinked in surprise, then let out a low whistle. “The duck gets torn to pieces. Brutal. I like it.”

  Paulav seemed a little more uncomfortable with the violent nature of the idea, but didn’t voice his concerns just then.

  Filif shuddered in his place by the fire.

  “How do we lure a swarm?” Ben plundered on, hoping that they weren’t expected to be too hands on with this new plan.

  “Where was it you said that the swarm attacked you?” Obbie’s eyes flicked in Spidena’s direction.

  “It was the day before yesterday. Farther south down the road,” Paulav informed the fairy while avoiding eye contact and blushing to himself.

  “Right. You lot come pick up the duck. Invite him to this wedding you’re going to, convince him to travel with you. The sprite can lure the pixies to you using his mushroom paths to catch up with you. Then, trap the duck with the pixies. They get a snack, you get away, and no one’s the wiser.”

  “The only danger is if Earhav comes to see what is happening to his creation. He would’ve spent years making Conquestorov,” Spidena worried openly.

  “He never leaves his castle and we are several days away from his land.” Obbie shrugged.

  “While I do wish to help I—I’m a little worried about getting to the wedding on time,” Paulav interrupted nervously. “I don’t know that we can turn around and get Conquestorov. Also, are we certain he needs to perish? He is such an interesting fellow.”

  “He’s not a real person. Or even a real duck,” Obbie informed Paulav snidely.

  “The fact that this rude fairy is your taste, Paulav makes me stressed for you,” Spidena informed the merchant offhandedly with sincere sympathy.

  The merchant turned his palms up to the air helplessly, his eyes twinkling as he shot a wink at Obbie.

  Obbie rolled his eyes. “Look, to save time we can choose to appear as close to where this wedding is happening as possible tomorrow morning to make up for the lost time. What’s the name of the town?”

  “It’s a site near the village of Warbly.”

  “Ah yes. We have a spot we appear in not far south of there. So, is this settled?” Obbie scanned the trio in front of them.

  Filif sprung up onto his feet, dusted off his pants, and bobbed his head in agreement.

  “Only if Pesch isn’t around to see me,” Spidena interjected earnestly.

  “And one more thing…” Ben moved forward, drawing the fairy’s wary attention “You go as Paulav’s date to the wedding.”

  Obbie’s jaw dropped, as did Paulav’s.

  “Oh, dear. Ben, he of course doesn’t have to do that! That isn’t a very nice thing to force on someone!”

  Obbie held up his hand, silencing Paulav’s objections on his behalf as he stared down Ben who peered back up unbothered. “Fine. I’ll do it. I’ll hand off the duck by the road so you don’t have to come to the inn. Then I’ll tell Pesch some made up story about a carnivore sprite that ate Conquestorov. I will arrange for the inn to appear close to the wedding. Just know I’m only agreeing to that last part because a wedding is a good place to drum up business for the inn. People with more refined tastes can go inside and book a room to sleep.”

  “Then I guess we have a deal.” Ben offered his hand.

  Obbie smiled sharply—it wasn’t a very reassuring look on him—but he grasped Ben’s hand and pumped it up and down once. “Deal.”

  I hope you all are basking in the first day of spring. Loving every second of this day that officially marks the coming days of warm weather and sunshine.

  In case you haven't picked up on it, I've been more than a little excited for this. This winter was long, and a lot of unfortuante events seemed to unfold.

  However, as I've said before, I believe that when times like that happen, it means you had to pay upfront for a lot of incredibly good things.

  And given that the start of my poor luck was around the official start date of winter, it makes sense that that is when this ends.

  For those of you going through horrible times, I hope that this is true for you, too. That you now can start seeing positive changes in your and in the world. I know how hard you've been working, how dedicated you've been to keeping afloat. You're incredible. And you do deserve good things. So be open to them, and not only that. I want you to think or say aloud to yourself. "It's going to change now. Because it's time."

  Alright you brazen warriors of the world of good, of acceptance and kindness, you got this. I believe in you.

  Cheers, friends!

  Delemhach