The Witch Child's Amulet: #5

Chapter 5 - Never Giving Up

It was increasingly hard for Vano to keep his bearings whilst under the ancient spell of Niris Tul; he almost couldn’t tell the difference between the way he had come and the way he was going, even with Bridgette leading. As for Bridgette, she had neither a map nor memory of living in the swamp as an infant, so the two companions were really just wandering aimlessly. Thankfully Bridgette was resourceful, and began to learn the flow of the land through the course of their wandering until at last she could lead in a steady direction. After a few days, Vano noticed the swamp began to lose its flatness and gradually incline or decline as they went. Bridgette turned opposite to the hills, following rain trails down the slopes, in search of shallow water where Keonor Root could grow.

Days and nights passed in succession, yielding no luck in their search.

Whenever the companions found themselves short of food, they would stop and forage. Berries and mushrooms grew in abundance throughout the swamp, though there were more mushrooms than berries. Neither minded however, because the mushrooms of Niris Tul were as varied in flavor as the fruits of fruit trees; some were sweet, some savory, and some were even spicy. For Vano’s part, he never thought mushroom pancakes could sound appetizing, but soon found himself wishing he had the foresight to bring flour to try it.

The only concern Bridgette and Vano had while collecting berries and mushrooms to eat was whether those berries or mushrooms were actually edible. Bridgette had acquired enough knowledge from her mother, and four years of living on her own, to make a good guess. Meanwhile, though all the flora of the magician’s ancient homeland was foreign to him, Vano had some idea of what to watch out for. They were lucky for the most part, and only had one incident when fuchsia mushrooms got mixed up with the Mind Mallow, forcing the two to listen to each other’s thoughts for the rest of the afternoon. In this way Vano learned about the five magic skills and how leveling worked, but he also learned it was more preferable to keep one’s thoughts secret at times, since Bridgette did not appreciate being considered adorable in every little thing she did. The benefit was that Bridgette could no longer conceal from Vano that fact that she enjoyed some of his antics, and was indeed becoming quite attached to him.

Both were relieved when the effect of the Mind Mallow finally wore off.

One sunny morning, Vano and Bridgette chose to enjoy a modest meal in a small clearing, where the sun overhead had no obstruction from shedding its glorious warmth down upon them. Their hearts were cheered by the light, and Vano noticed the very birds, beasts, bugs and plants around them seemed energized. When they reached the place of their picnic, he performed a one handed back-handspring and landed sitting cross legged. Bridgette sat beside him. While they ate, she looked around.

“You know, at first I thought this might be the Festival Grounds, but now I don’t think it’s big enough.” She said, almost to herself.

“Well, at least we’re not lost.” Vano teased, grabbing a berry from the pile. He tossed it in the air and caught it in his mouth.

“You’re in really high spirits today, aren’t you?” Bridgette asked, looking amused.

“Of course! It’s a beautiful day.” Vano replied, tossing a berry to her. “Want to try?”

“No way. Catching berries like that is silly.” She said, but stalwart refusal was not present in her gaze.

“Good! Silliness boosts morale.” Vano said.

Bridgette looked at the berry in her hand with a little hesitance, then tossed it over her head. She did not have Vano’s long practiced skill or agility, and as a result, the berry hit her in the eye. To Vano’s surprise and everlasting delight, Bridgette responded to this with an explosion of laughter, then tried again. He had to demonstrate a few more times and give her several tips before she finally got it, but when she did, they both cheered!

Cloudy days followed. Vano didn’t like them, but his suffering on those days was his own fault: There was no noticeable change in the feel of the swamp or the lifestyle of its creatures on cloudy days, so Vano had made the mistake of asking Bridgette to help him find something to use to differentiate one cloudy morning from the next. Thus began his education in the names and magical properties of all the various resources used for potion lore. At first it was interesting, but after three cloudy days in a row, he started to feel overwhelmed. To make matters worse, Bridgette was militant in making sure he remembered everything she told him. She would even quiz him whenever the two stopped for a rest or to eat. So it was, at the end of another cloudy day, Vano threw himself to the ground feeling like his head was going to explode.

“Quick! What does a Surge Lily do?” Bridgette demanded suddenly whilst unpacking her blanket.

Vano sat up promptly. “Hold on! I know this.” He cried, thumping his forehead with his wrist. A lot of flower powers came to his mind, but he wasn’t sure about any of them. “It… Cures fevers?”

“That’s Lunar Flower. Same family, different plant.” Bridgette said, shaking her head disapprovingly at him.

Vano moaned and dragged both hands down his face. “No more tonight please.” He sighed wearily.

Bridgette wasn’t sympathetic. “Come on, Vano, you’ve got to know this stuff.”

“Do I though? Do I really?” Vano countered, rolling his head to look at her.

“Yes.” Bridgette replied seriously, “You’re my specter now, and specters gather resources. You said so yourself.”

“Gathering them is one thing. Why do I have to remember what they all do?” Vano asked.

“Because real specters already know what they do.” Bridgette said.

Vano sighed and laid down again. “When are you going to get a real specter?” He asked, “It would certainly make finding Keonor Root a whole lot easier.”

“I want Corvin off my tail first.” Bridgette said.

“I’m going to have to deal with that guy at some point, aren’t I?” Vano muttered wearily. He was very tired and overwhelmed by the information Bridgette had crammed into his head. It was like she was trying to make him learn six years’ worth of her mother’s teachings in a few days. All he wanted to do was sleep. So, he closed his eyes.

Meanwhile, a sudden breeze caught Bridgette’s attention. “There’s a storm coming. It’ll be cold tonight.” She warned.

“My mind is too numb to even grasp the concept of cold-- Unless it’s the magical capabilities of Winter Leaf, Ice Bough or Frost Flower.” Vano replied dryly, keeping his eyes closed and trying to think of deserts where no magical resource, or any growing thing, existed for miles and miles and miles.

With a flick of her wrist, Bridgette sent a small pulse of magic toward his travel pack, knocking it over. The blanket fell from the roll and onto his lap. Vano glanced at it for a moment, then at Bridgette, who turned her back to him and pulled her own blanket up over her shoulders. Vano did the same and fell asleep quickly.

He woke suddenly.

Turning over and sitting up, he looked around. Bridgette lay only a foot away, sound asleep, breathing softly through her tiny nose. The night around them was deep, and thin traces of moonlight filtered in through the canopy above. Nothing seemed amiss. For a moment, Vano wasn’t sure what had disturbed him, then suddenly he detected movement. Something was in his travel pack! It wiggled and chirped. Then a black, peanut-shaped creature came crawling out, carrying with it the grass doll that Bridgette had won at Mithil Gan over a week ago.

“Hey!” Vano hissed in a sharp whisper, “That isn’t yours.”

The specter looked at him with big, gold eyes and blinked at him, almost like it didn’t understand.

“It belongs to her.” Vano continued, pointing at Bridgette, “Put it back.”

The specter’s gaze followed where Vano had indicated. It tilted its head curiously and chirped again, approaching the sleeping magician without reservation until it had a clear view of her face. For a moment, it stared at her, then it looked at Vano. He could’ve sworn it looked like a child who had just been given a cookie. It reached out suddenly and began to poke Bridgette’s face rapidly. She moaned and stirred.

“Hey! Knock it off!” Vano whispered harshly, leaning over and brushing the creature away with his hand. The specter chirped and looked at him grumpily. “Don’t wake her up. She needs to sleep.” He said in response.

The specter trilled sadly, looking at Bridgette. Vano furrowed his brow in perplexity, wondering why the creature hadn’t spoken to him yet. He could’ve sworn specters could talk; leastways Angry Sock talked. “What’s your name?” He asked.

The creature squeaked in response.

“Meep?” Vano repeated, “…Is that your name or just more of your noises?”

The creature made the same noise.

“Okay. I’ll call you Meep, then.” Vano said, “Listen Meep, let Bridgette sleep, okay? You can give her the doll in the morning.”

With this, the specter smiled and trilled, then gripped the grass doll with both hands and scurried away. Vano made a grab at the creature, but it sped away even faster than he could reach it. “Hey! Bring that back!” Vano cried. The specter did not return. Bridgette sat up in alarm.

“What!? What is it? What’s going on?” She asked panickily.

“A specter. It stole your grass doll.” He complained.

Bridgette sighed. “Oh… Well, I didn’t want the doll anyway.” She said, laying down again.

“Well, I did!” Vano said.

“Why? You have your puppets.” Bridgette muttered.

“Sentimental reasons.” Vano replied, folding his arms in a pout.

----

The next morning, Bridgette woke and found the swamp around her shrouded in a dense fog. It might've been early morning judging by the light, but it was grey and cheerless. She turned over, and found to her surprise that Vano was already awake, sitting erect and staring intensely into fog behind her head.

"What?" She asked.

He didn't respond, so she followed his gaze. There, only a furlong away, an ominous silhouette rose up out of the mist. It was hard to tell what it was for sure, for it stood still as stone, but its shape was that of a person.

Instantly, Corvin came to her mind. Fear gripped Bridgette's heart and she instinctively shrunk back, finding herself drawing close to Vano's side. Unexpectedly, he put a protective arm around her. As he did so, the vision seem to pass and the figure vanished. Perhaps it was just a trick of the light, or else whatever it was had moved with the slight breeze and only seemed to dissipate. It was hard to tell.

"Any idea what that was?" Vano asked in a whisper.

"I'm not sure, and I hope my only guess is wrong." Bridgette replied just as quietly.

"Could he really have caught up with us so quickly? Surely we lost him by cutting through Mithil Gan." Vano whispered.

"We lost him, but he could've guessed where we were headed and gone around." Bridgette said, standing quickly and gathering her blanket. "We have to get out of here."

"No." Vano replied, and Bridgette was surprised to hear him say so. "We need to stay put."

"No way! If that was Corvin, then he's using the fog as a cover. He could sneak up right next to us and we wouldn't see him until it was too late." She argued.

"That's precisely why we should stay put." Vano said, "He can't see in the fog any better than we can, but if we go running off blindly into it for fear of him, he can easily herd us into a greater danger."

Bridgette hadn't thought of that. She felt a pit in her stomach as she looked around. Even though they were wrapped in a shroud so thick that everything more than ten feet away was obscured, she felt exposed. Vano stood slowly and beckoned for her to follow him. The drew closer to the trunk of the giant tree by which they'd slept and sat among its roots. With a gesture of his hand, Vano invited Bridgette to sit directly next to him. She didn't think twice about it, fearing Corvin more then she valued Vano's perception of her independence. She was surprised to find that she felt safe and secure being in such close proximity to him. For a moment, she almost felt like a child again, seeking comfort in her mother's embrace after having a scary dream.

Her stomach went tight at the thought, and she scooted a few inches away from him. Still afraid, she did not want to distance herself too much, but she would not permit herself to become attached to Vano, or view him as a parental figure over a mere friend.

Why not? The question came unbidden to her mind. Even after a week of being inseparably bound together, this was the first time that Bridgette considered the possible permanency of Vano’s company. He wasn't escorting her anymore, not really. He was part of her quest now. He had come with her into Niris Tul even though he didn't have to. Why did she feel their time together was temporary? Because it was just for the month. They'd surely go their separate ways when Vano returned to Suddlepuff... Right?

As Bridgette reflected on this, she felt Vano's eyes on her. "What are we supposed to do? Just sit here all day?" Bridgette whispered. She felt that speaking louder would give away their position to unfriendly ears.

"I could tell you a story if you're bored." Vano suggested, pulling a pair of hand puppets out from behind his back. To Bridgette's surprise, the puppets were in the likeness of Miva and Ikalis.

"Wha--?! When did you have time to make those?" Bridgette gasped.

Vano only winked.

Thus began his puppet show where he mercilessly mocked Miva’s self-righteousness and Ikalis’ cruelty. Bridgette couldn’t help but laugh until her sides were sore. It’s quite possible that, though neither of them knew it, Bridgette was not the only member of Vano’s audience; for during the show, Vano referred to Miva’s family as “Miva and the mob”, and that term has been heard used in various corners of Niris Tul ever since. For Vano, Bridgette’s laughter and being able to ridicule Miva and Ikalis did much to mend the fright the pair had caused him. The two companions were having such a good time during the puppet show that they’d quite forgotten about Corvin or keeping their voices hushed, until suddenly--

SNAP!

Vano and Bridgette looked toward the sound, but pressed their backs against the tree as the thought of Miva's trick played simultaneously in their minds. They would not be ambushed from behind this time!

No attack came.

Instead, the snap was followed up by another, and soon a tiny shadow became visible in the fog. Its shape was unmistakably that of a specter. Eventually, the approaching creature was clearly visible: It was Meep. Big golden eyes, long eyelashes, and holding the grass doll.

"Oh no." Bridgette muttered.

"Oh good." Vano sighed at the same time.

Meep chirped and hurried forward, holding up the doll toward Bridgette. The young magician rose to her feet as if she intended to flee, but only stood there.

"Looks like it wants to give you the doll back." Vano said, putting his hand puppets away.

"I don't want it." Bridgette said to the creature.

Meep chirped insistently.

"No. Give it to Vano." Bridgette said.

Meep looked at Vano, who shrugged, then looked at Bridgette again and chirped in dismay.

"You DID come here to train." Vano said to Bridgette, "And Familiar magic is one of the skills you have to learn anyway. Think of it as a free level."

"I can't, Vano." Bridgette snapped, "Corvin might be afraid of you for being human, but he won't hesitate to kill any specter I take up with."

Meep chirped.

"No." Bridgette said firmly.

Meep sulked in dismay. The sight clearly struck at Bridgette's conscience, causing her to kneel in front of the creature. "I'm sorry. You obviously don't know who I am." She said softly, "Maybe you haven't heard about the Witch-Hazels yet, but when you do, you'll understand and be glad."

Meep trilled sadly.

"Look, I don't doubt you're a really great specter. I'm honored that you want to choose me-- But there are better magicians out there. My cousin Nyx doesn't have a specter yet, and she loves them. You'd find a good home with her." Bridgette said.

"Hang on. Is Nyx that Ayto with the pink face markings?" Vano asked.

"Yes." Bridgette said, almost irritably.

Vano leaned forward and blocked Bridgette's view of his mouth with his hand, even though she could still hear him. "In case you want a second opinion, I've met Nyx. Would not recommend." He whispered hoarsely at Meep. Bridgette glared at him. He only smiled smugly and shrugged.

Meep chirped in confusion, timidly offering the grass doll to Bridgette once again.

Bridgette looked at the specter for a long time, almost wistfully, then shook her head. "I'm sorry." She said, sitting back and drawing her hood up over her head. She pulled it down low over her face and drew her knees up to her chest, refusing to look at the specter anymore.

Meep trilled, glanced at Vano, then turned and wandered off sadly. Vano felt pity for the poor creature, and also for Bridgette. Being chosen by a specter should've been exciting for her, but instead she was forced to reject it. A strange feeling suddenly filled his chest. He was not familiar with it, but took less than a second to put a name to it: Anger. Anger at Corvin. The rejection that Bridgette was suffering, and in turn was being forced to give to others, was Corvin’s fault. Vano tightened his fists, glaring into the mist. He wouldn't permit his thoughts to go further than acknowledging the feeling and its cause, but resolved in that moment to set Corvin straight when they met...

…And they would undoubtedly meet because Vano was not going to leave Bridgette.

---

The day passed slowly, with no further sightings or disturbances. The next morning the fog was replaced by a heavy rain. Vano and Bridgette resumed their journey, but Vano noticed that Bridgette’s mood had deteriorated since sending Meep away. She kept her hood up, her head down, and would not speak or answer any question he put to her.

With fresh rain, it was easier to find rain trails, and the pair soon came across a small river to follow. It ran on for a time, then dropped suddenly down a slope off into a spacious mire. Vano and Bridgette stood at the edge. Vano lifted his hand up to shield his eyes and peered out as far as he could see. The mire was full of plants, but none stood out as being any greener than the others.

“No Keonor Root.” He sighed.

“Well then, there’s no reason to go down there. I imagine it would be very hard to crawl back up.” Bridgette said.

The two turned, but at that moment there was a crack of lightning just overhead. The ensuing thunder was so earth shattering and sudden that Vano lost his footing and slipped. The wet grass and mud offered no resistance, allowing him to slide unhindered down the slope, off the edge and into the mire! Because Bridgette was tied to him, and a good deal smaller and lighter, she was yanked along. Before they knew it, both found themselves floundering in muddy water that was almost to Vano’s hips and Bridgette’s neck.

Bridgette coughed and flailed. Vano grabbed her arm and helped her up onto a shallow bank. Both were thoroughly soaked, muddy and miserable.

“I can’t believe we still haven’t found any Keonor Root yet! We’ve been here almost two weeks!” Bridgette shouted. “It grows back even if only the tiniest hair strand of a root is left after it’s pulled up. How can something like that be rare? I mean, how long does it take to grow back?!”

She stood up, stumbled over the rope, and with a growl, removed it violently from her wrist. Vano sat silent. Bridgette had clearly lost her patience for this. She retreated toward the edge of the bank and stood fuming. The rain cascaded down around them, dripping off the brim of Vano’s hat. His mind returned to that day, two weeks ago, when he stood out in the rain with his theater wagon; dancing and singing to himself. The rain hadn’t bothered him. Doing what he loved in a place he knew, with the promise of a warm fire waiting, had driven the chill from his mind and heart. Here in Niris Tul, it was instead amplified, for they had no warm fire waiting. Neither was doing what they loved, and they were both lost. Vano shivered. Looking around at the dismal mire they were now trapped in, he almost wished they had never come there.

Then he saw what looked to be a house buried under the roots of a large, twisted tree. “Bridgette. What is that?” He asked, pointing.

Bridgette turned and gasped in surprise. “It’s a magician house!” She said.

“You mean someone is living in there?” Vano asked.

“Maybe.” Bridgette said, returning to his side where she stooped and grabbed the rope from the mud.

“So, we’ll want to avoid that, yes?” Vano said, watching her. It was a trick question, for though he said one thing, he truly hoped the opposite.

“It’s not hidden, so it’s either abandoned or whoever is living there is not afraid of discovery.” Bridgette replied, staring thoughtfully at the house. The windows were dark, but even so she watched for movement behind them.

“Hidden?” Vano repeated.

“Most magicians hide their houses and hideouts in an illusion that makes it seem like it’s not there. It’s why you haven’t noticed all the other magician houses we’ve gone passed.” Bridgette said.

“Sooo… Want to risk it then?” Vano suggested hopefully.

“Unfortunately, yes.” Bridgette sighed. She was wet and miserable too. She couldn’t stand another minute being tied to Vano, and he wouldn’t get lost if he was in a house. Still, they approached with caution. As they drew nearer the quiet cottage, they discovered the door hung loose on its hinges and was bent inward, like it had been kicked in. There wasn’t much inside except a small wooden table, four overturned chairs, and a cauldron in the empty fireplace. The cupboards were open and bare. Everything was covered with dust and cobwebs.

Vano took the liberty of searching the rest of the house while Bridgette attempted to get a fire going, using cut logs which were deteriorating beside the fireplace. There were only two additional rooms off the main one: A small bedroom and a bath. The bed had a wooden frame, seemingly woven of willow tree boughs, but there was no mattress. The only other piece of furniture was a wardrobe, wherein hung a single large and tattered black cloak.

Assured of the house’s vacancy, Vano repaired the door and made sure it was bolted while Bridgette used the cauldron to heat rainwater for the bath. She went to get clean first and Vano tidied up the place. Then Bridgette started a stew of the mushrooms they had packed while Vano took his turn. When both companions were clean and warm, they sat down to eat, though neither of them were dry. Bridgette had not packed any additional clothes, so she cleaned her old ones while in the bath and put them back on while they were still wet. Vano chose to do the same. He didn’t want to be comfortable if she wasn’t. For him, it was enough to have his jester outfit returned to its bright and proper shade of pink and yellow and green, instead of brown with mud.

The two ate in silence as the rain outside pounded harshly against the windows.

“We’re never going to find it.” Bridgette muttered at last.

“We found plenty of other resources, why not just make a different potion?” Vano suggested.

“The Potation of Location is the one we need in order to keep you from getting lost.” Bridgette snapped, “There is no other potion that’ll do it, and I can’t focus on my training if I’m having to babysit you!”

Vano frowned, becoming a little indignant. He thought it was unfair of her to complain about being tied to him while training, since he’d been led around like a dog on a leash for the past two weeks and hadn’t complained. “What kind of training do you have in mind that you can’t do with a rope on your wrist?”

“Any of it.” Bridgette retorted.

“Oh really? So, you can’t teleport a person to your side, or use a wand, all because of a rope?” Vano replied hotly.

Bridgette grit her teeth. “Maybe I could, but I don’t want to. I don’t want to drag you around anymore!”

“Well, that’s good, because I don’t want to be dragged around. I’d like to climb a tree once in a while, or play with those pudgy little specters we’ve seen.” Vano said, “You are very goal-oriented, and that’s fine, but I personally would like to explore.”

“Explore then! I’ll just find you when I’m done.” Bridgette said angrily, fixing her eyes on her bowl of stew. She wouldn’t meet his eyes in case she’d hurt his feelings. Vano stared at her for several minutes. It actually didn’t bother him that Bridgette wanted to be on her own for a while, they were both kind of tired of being together all of the time; but even so, he had a feeling that wasn’t the real problem at all. There was something else on her mind.

“What are you thinking about?” He asked finally.

“It’s not fair. It’s not fair that I don’t get to live in a place like this, that I don’t get to call anywhere home.” Bridgette began slowly, “I’m sick of always feeling like I’m in danger, of always having to run. I’m sick of being hated by everyone, no matter where I go. I’m sick of trying to teach myself because no master will take me. I can’t do it anymore! I hate it!” With this, her voice cracked and her fists clenched.

Vano felt his heart sink. He was almost at a loss for what to do. Over the years, Vano had often found one of the Suddlepuff children sitting sadly by themselves, with hurt feelings or a scraped knee, and a simple puppet show had never failed to cheer them up. Bridgette’s hurts were too deep to be mended by tomfoolery. Yet, he had to do something. Pulling out the Miva puppet from before, he had it toddle across the table. “That’s rough, kid. Not that I care. I’m too pure-blooded to care about anything. Say, let me tell you about my fabulous hat!” He said, speaking for the puppet in a high voice.

"Stop. You're not funny." Bridgette said sternly, pushing the puppet away. She turned her back to him and the table.

"I'm hilarious. You're just in a bad mood." Vano said nonchalantly, standing and walking around until he stood in front of her.

"I'm serious, Vano! What is wrong with you? Stop trying to make it better and just give up on me!" Angrily, she pulled her hood up over her head.

Vano blinked. "Give up on you?” He repeated. Setting the puppet aside, he bent forward, supporting himself with one hand on his knee. The other hand, he lifted to the rim of her hood and flicked it back. "Never."  

The fire illuminated Bridgette’s face. She looked up at him with tear filled eyes. She seemed so defeated. Vano continued: “You’re right, it’s not fair. But you know something? Nothing is fair right now. Yeah, this was somebody’s home, but they had to leave it. Magicians everywhere are enslaved, or angry, or afraid. And humans too believe it or not. Even kings are forced to make an oath to my uncle that they don’t want to keep… Life isn’t fair. It wasn’t meant to be.”

Bridgette turned her face away. He gently grabbed her chin and made her look at him again. “Never say you can’t. Because in the short time I’ve known you, Bridgette Witch-Hazel, you’ve proven that you can do anything short of fly. You are too brave, too strong, and too stubborn to give up… And hey, if you need a home or someone to love you, I have one and I already do.”

Bridgette stifled a sob and threw herself into his chest, causing the chair to topple over behind her. Though initially surprised by her sudden movement, Vano’s eyes softened. He wrapped his arms around her in a comforting hug and rubbed the back of her head reassuringly. She was so tiny, and as he now discovered, thin and frail. She hardly had any meat on her bones, and she trembled as she tried to suppress her tears. Maybe she couldn’t let herself cry yet, but for all the joy her laughter had brought him, her sorrow now brought him just as much pain. He almost wished that he could pick her up in his arms and hold her until all her fears and hurts went away. Silently, he prayed for her.

Bridgette felt the despair flee her heart, and the fears in her mind were quieted. Soon, her only focus was on his heartbeat. She almost expected it to be quick and flighty like a bird, but it wasn’t. It was strong and steady. A heart with love in it; love for her. She had been looking in his eyes when he said he loved her, and the truth went straight to her core. Finally, after four years, she was loved again. 

“Sounds like the rain has stopped.” Vano said after a while. Bridgette softly pulled away from him, and looked at the window. “Should we resume our search or stay here for the night?” He asked.

“I want to stay here.” She said quietly, then with renewed fire in her eyes, looked back at him. “We’ve got to stay here, at least for a while. I can go outside and practice casting, and you can stay here without getting lost.”

“You underestimate my ability.” He said with a teasing smile and a wink.

Wiping her cheek with her sleeve, Bridgette went to fetch her shoes, which she’d left beside the door. Vano gathered the bowls from off the table and returned the contents to the cauldron where it had been brewed.

“Promise you won’t leave the house.” Bridgette said seriously, pointing at him with one hand while the other was on the handle of the door.

“I promise.” He said with an erect salute.

As Bridgette ventured outside, Vano sat down just beyond the threshold of the house, watching her as she walked away. Several yards away, she focused her energy on the branches of a tree and cast her magic upon its boughs. Vano smiled. Then suddenly, a movement in the tall grass next to him drew his attention. There was Meep. The specter had come up beside him and was staring off after Bridgette with admiration and longing.

“You won’t give up on her either, eh Meep?” Vano asked with a smirk.

Meep chirped resolutely.

“Well then, it’s you and me. We’ll take care of our girl.” Vano replied.

The specter looked surprised, then chirped in affirmation and smiled.

“Actually Meep…” Vano began slowly, glancing at Bridgette to make sure she wasn’t watching. “Would you happen to know where any Keonor Root is?” Meep tilted its head curiously.

“Bridgette needs it for a potion, but we can’t find any.” Vano explained, “Could you find some?”

Meep chirped and began to sniff the air. After a moment, it chirped again and began to wander off in one direction. Vano watched it go, only to be surprised when it stopped and beckon to him with a tiny hand. He shook his head so quickly that the bells on his mask jingled. “I can’t yet. That’s what we need the potion for.” He said.

Meep looked worriedly down at the grass doll it was holding, then squeaked despairingly at Vano. “Right. Your arms are so tiny, you can’t hold the root and the doll at once.” Vano translated. Meep nodded. “Well, come here then, let’s see if we can’t do something about that.”

As the specter hurried back over, Vano pulled a thread from the hem of his jester cowl and cut it with his teeth. Then, tying one end of the thread around the doll’s neck and the other end around its waist, he slipped it over Meep’s head like the strap of a satchel. The specter examined itself for a moment, then trilled happily. A moment later, the creature scurried off. Vano bit his lower lip and looked at Bridgette, hoping she hadn’t noticed him just adopt a specter.

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