by Sarah Noffke
Before she could finish her sentence, Mage Lenore pushed past her and engulfed Azure in her arms. “Dear, dear Azure, it is as the dreams foretold. You’re here to learn about the Howling Willow.”
Azure blanched in confusion when Mage Lenore released her. “No, Mage Lenore, I’m here because of the vampires.”
The old witch nodded, dismissing her. “Blessed queen, you may think you know why you’re here, but the reasons that brought us together are not our end objective.”
Another fucking riddle. Why were old people incapable of saying things directly?
Mage Lenore moved her gaze from Azure to the person who soundlessly arrived at her side. Ever opened his mouth to say something, but Mage Lenore cut him off by holding up her hand.
“Everett, your apology isn’t necessary,” she began. “Did you really think I didn’t know that you’d stolen a fallen branch from the Howling Willow? You could have asked for it and I’d have given it to you, since I knew how your attempts to find the Rogue Dryads would turn out.”
Ever bowed his head. “I don’t know what to say then, if I’m not allowed to apologize.”
A warm laugh spilled from the witch’s mouth, and she looked at Azure. “It appears that much like you, I make Everett speechless at times.”
Azure’s cheeks warmed, but she was granted a distraction when Blisters, Gillian, and Reynolds approached. Oak had remained with the dragons.
“Sari, why have you brought an uncivilized animal to sleep in my house?” Mage Lenore asked.
Gran stuttered, a strange thing for her to do. “B-B-Blisters will be on his best behavior, I assure you.”
Mage Lenore turned back to her. “I wasn’t referring to the unicorn. I was referring to this scoundrel.” She pointed at Reynolds.
He went down on one knee in front of Mage Lenore. “It’s an honor to make your acquaintance once more. I know that on our last meeting I didn’t make the best impression. Please give me another chance.”
Mage Lenore looked down at the wizard and her rectangular spectacles slid down her nose slightly. “That was three hundred years ago. I’m just giving you a hard time. I daresay your last-minute addition to the guest list was unexpected. We might actually have a good time now.”
Reynolds stood, relief flooding his face. “Thank you, Mage Lenore. I promise never to spike your drink again.”
The light expression on her face dropped. “Well, then you can’t come in for the feast. I was counting on you to supply the booze for tonight’s festivities.”
“Tonight’s festivities?” Azure asked. “We really have a lot of questions for you, and Gillian needs to review the Book of the—”
“Shhh there, queen. Tonight we celebrate,” Mage Lenore said.
“Celebrate what?” Azure asked in bewilderment.
“The beginning of the end, of course,” Mage Lenore said.
Ever gave Azure a sideways look that mirrored her confusion.
“And are you going to say that tomorrow there will be time for all our questions?” Monet asked.
Mage Lenore shook her head. “Oh, no. We will run out of time, and I’ll boot you all out confused and outraged that I offered you so little insight.” The old witch clapped her hands together. “You will all be simply livid with me. But tonight you have no reason to be upset, so we should eat, drink, and be merry.” She turned and opened the door of her house, and a delicious aroma spilled out.
CHAPTER NINE
Azure stepped into Mage Lenore’s house to find it transformed since her last visit. The comfy mismatched furniture was absent from the living room. Actually, the main area didn’t look like it was inside at all. Azure stepped back outside, bumping into Ever who had been behind her, about to come into the house. He gave her a quizzical look.
“I wanted to ensure we were going into the right house,” she said to him.
Ever knew exactly what Azure meant when they moved forward. His chin tilted upwards, as did everyone’s as they passed over the threshold. The ceiling had disappeared, replaced by a darkening sky complete with stars twinkling overhead. Two rows of stucco buildings now stood where the furniture had once been. The colorful buildings had large balconies that looked down onto the cobbled street where they currently stood. They were decorated with flower boxes dripping with blossoms as bright as the oranges, blues, pinks, and greens of the buildings, which appeared to be homes nestled close together.
“It’s like a street in Spain,” Ever remarked, his voice hushed.
“New Spain, actually,” Mage Lenore said, flicking her wand at the street in front of them. A row of lanterns appeared overhead, tethered between the two sets of buildings and casting colorful lights on the cobbled road under their feet.
“Mage Lenore, what is all this?” Gran asked, her usually placid face full of awe.
“I thought we’d have a little fiesta,” Mage Lenore said. “I’ve been working on it all day. Why do you think I needed a siesta?”
“I still don’t understand what we’re celebrating,” Azure said, striding over to the nearest building. She ran her fingers over it to ensure it was real—which it was.
Mage Lenore laughed. “She comes to her own party and doesn’t even know what we’re celebrating.”
Laurel, who had been mostly quiet, stepped up next to Azure holding Manx in her arms in cat form. “One witch did all this?” she whispered.
Azure nodded as she took in the city street, which felt so authentic it made her head float. Finswick brushed against her leg to get her attention. “Is it possible that ML has lost her mind?” he asked, his mouth hardly parting for the words.
“Be careful, you three cats, or I won’t let you sit with us,” Mage Lenore said. “I’ll make you sit at the kitty table.”
“Ba-dum-tss,” Monet said, pretending to play a set of drums.
“That reminds me, we are lacking something important for this celebration,” Mage Lenore said.
“A knowledge of its purpose?” Azure guessed, which produced a punishing glare from Gran. She really wished that if the queen mother knew what this was about she would tell her.
“All in good time,” Mage Lenore said, waving her wand at the open street. A long table and two benches materialized. Decorating its center were multiple arrangements of sunflowers and purple hydrangeas, and blue and white covered dishes filled most of the open areas. The table was bursting with color, and Azure was suddenly incredibly hungry.
“Mage Lenore, you’ve outdone yourself,” Gran said, walking to the table and taking a whiff of one of the steaming bowls.
Mage Lenore waved her hand. “It was nothing. Just something I threw together.”
The rest of the group were moving toward the table to take a seat, but Laurel was still at the queen’s side. “I need a drink. Something strong,” Azure said to the werecat.
Mage Lenore, who was busy telling everyone what was on the menu, looked up suddenly. “Only one drink for you, queen. You’ll need your wits about you tonight.”
“I’ll have hers,” Monet said, raising a goblet in the air.
“What you won’t be having are the cheese enchiladas, Monet,” Mage Lenore said, picking up a casserole dish and sending it in the opposite direction.
“Au contraire.” Monet set down his goblet and pointed his wand at the dish to freeze it in place. “I’ve created a potion that fixes that whole lactose problem.”
“That’s nice dear, but it doesn’t sound like you’re aware yet of all of your food allergies.” Mage Lenore intercepted the casserole dish and once more sent it down the table.
Disappointment sprang to Monet’s face. “More food allergies? How is that possible?”
Mage Lenore shrugged. “Just imagine how even-tempered you’ll be when you eliminate gluten, dairy, and sugar from your diet.”
“Fucking miserable, that’s what I’ll be.” Monet turned to Ever, who had taken the seat next to him. “Seriously, kill me now. There’s no point in living.”
Azure bent over and picked up Finswick, who was sniffing wildly. “What do you smell?”
“Fish!” he said excitedly. “She made me fish. Unlike you, she loves me.”
Mage Lenore beamed in their direction as Azure and Finswick arrived at the table. “I do indeed love you, dear Finswick. It might be Azure we’re celebrating tonight, but she wouldn’t have this chance if not for the companionship of her trusty familiar.”
Azure set Finswick down in the seat next to hers. Mage Lenore had placed a plate on the table with food for the cat. “Arroz con pescado for Finswick Morgan,” Azure said, using his full name.
Finswick set his paws on the table in front of him and looked at Azure, eyes wide. “I don’t know what you did, but you must keep doing it.”
Azure tried to swallow, but that simple task was beyond her so she looked across the table at Ever. He and she were the only ones at the table who weren’t busy filling the plates in front of them with food. Gran and Reynolds were already deep in a conversation about a time that he visited New Spain and ran with the minotaur.
“He had me cornered in a dead-end of a street just like this one,” Reynolds said, leaning toward Sari and talking in a rush. “I pulled off my robes, which were as red as the ones that Azure is currently wearing, and waved them at the beast.”
“Did that work? Did it distract the minotaur?” Gran asked.
Reynolds took a long sip of his wine and shook his head. “Hell, no! That minotaur shoved his horn so far up my—”
“Finnegan wouldn’t do what?” Monet asked Gillian, his face red.
The gnome shrugged. “When he found out that we were leaving Virgo on this trip, he refused to restock the shop. I have no idea why.”
“Well, hopefully you weren’t stupid enough to tell him Reynolds was accompanying you,” Monet said, running his fork through his rice but looking thoroughly uninterested in the food. He eyed the churros sprinkled with sugar with desperate longing.
Azure accepted a dish of paella, enjoying the different aromas wafting to her nose as she spooned some onto her plate.
“I can give you something to help you sleep, but you really need to find the root cause,” Mage Lenore’s voice traveled down the table.
Azure looked away from her food to find the old witch, who was counseling Laurel. The werecat nodded, picking at the whole fish dripping in red sauce lying on her plate.
“Are you not hungry?” Ever asked, gaining Azure’s attention.
She looked up at him to find his plate still empty. “You’re the one with nothing in front of you.”
“I’m…worried,” he admitted. Most were too engrossed in their conversation to pay them any attention. Manx and Finswick were too busy with their fish to take notice of anything going on around them on this lantern-lit New Spanish street. Strangely there was a warm breeze laced with salt, as if the coast were just on the other side of one of the rows of buildings.
“Worried?” Azure asked.
“What does Mage Lenore have planned for you?” Ever asked, leaning forward.
“I can only wonder,” Azure said. She looked at her family and friends, who were happily celebrating something that was a mystery to her.
“And I can only wonder how it will change everything,” Ever said, his blue eyes haunted.
~~~
The yawns at the table became contagious, spreading from person to person until almost everyone looked drunk from the food. Well, or in the case of Monet and Gillian, just plain drunk.
Mage Lenore clapped her hands together. “Yes, I thought that putting the sleeping potion in the food might get you off to bed at a reasonable time.”
“You slipped us a sleeping potion?” Azure asked, staring down at her mostly uneaten food.
“I thought I tasted a bit of chamomile root in my dish. Nicely done,” Monet said, swaying in his seat.
Mage Lenore smiled sweetly. “And no, Queen Azure, your food wasn’t modified. I require your help tonight, and we need the rest of this lot to be fast asleep so they don’t bother us.”
The yawns continued, creating a chorus down the table. “Well, off to your rooms. Take your pick.” Mage Lenore swept her hand at the villas lining the road.
“These building are real?” Gran asked.
Mage Lenore chuckled as if it were a ridiculous question. “Of course they are. You didn’t think they were only for decoration?”
Monet scoffed. “Yeah, Gran, what a crazy notion! Obviously these are real villas, cause that’s not completely insane since we’re inside a three-story house.”
Laurel was the first one to push up from the table. Like a zombie she marched off to the first villa, which was painted a rich shade of burgundy and had small palm trees in bright-blue pots flanking the door. “’Night, everyone. Think I might sleep for a year.”
“No, no, no,” Mage Lenore said. “You don’t want to miss the trip to Lancothy tomorrow.”
“Don’t I?” Laurel asked as she trudged off.
“I think I’ll take the purple one down the road,” Gran told them. “It matches my hair.”
“I knew you’d say that,” Mage Lenore said. “That was why I included a huge tub enchanted with an extra-large bubble feature.”
“Mage Lenore, you know me so well. I love my bubble baths,” Gran said, pressing her hands to her chest.
“That I do. Just don’t take a bath tonight, or I fear you’ll drown. Sleeping potions and baths don’t mix,” Mage Lenore said.
Gran nodded, then leaned over and pressed a kiss to Azure’s forehead. The gesture took the girl by surprise.
“I’ve always been proud of you, but now more than ever I’m grateful to call you mine,” she said, her lavender eyes sparkling with emotion.
“Gran, do you know what this is all about?” Azure asked, looking up at her.
“I always knew it was a possibility,” Gran said.
Azure was more confused than before, but she didn’t have a chance to ask another question because Gran straightened and trotted off toward her villa.
Monet was using a levitation spell to make Blisters float. He was currently snoring loudly, his tongue hanging from his mouth and his new wings limp on his back. “Where should I put this one?” he asked Mage Lenore.
“Wherever you want, but you know he’ll end up with you. The villa you choose will have a bunkbed for you two,” Mage Lenore said.
“But I haven’t chosen one yet,” Monet said, looking perplexed.
Mage Lenore didn’t answer, only arched an eyebrow at him.
“You’re a very strange witch,” Monet said.
Finswick’s food must have not been doctored either, because he was sitting on the table watching all this with wide eyes.
Manx in rabbit form hopped across the table into Ever’s arms. “Take me to the black villa. It matches my soul.”
Ever looked down at the pooka and shrugged before glancing at Azure. “Beats sleeping with a snoring unicorn, I guess.”
She offered him a sympathetic smile. “Good night, Ever.”
Reynolds and Gillian made their choices, one green and the other magenta. That left only one—the largest of them, all at the end of the street. It was blue, and perfectly matched Azure’s hair.
“What about Oak?” Azure asked, picking up Finswick and rising from the table.
“He prefers to sleep with his dragons…you know that,” Mage Lenore said.
“I didn’t, actually. How do you always know things?” Azure was aware that it was a silly question. This was Mage Lenore, the oldest and most powerful witch on Oriceran. Still, she thought she’d chance asking.
“You know this stuff too, or you would if you allowed yourself to access it. That is one reason I chose you,” Mage Lenore said, summoning a robe that had fur lining the collar. She pulled the hood over her head, looking out at Azure with a cunning stare.
Myrtle’s last words before she’d kicked Azure from the shop echoed in her head: “Tell my dear cousin she’s chosen we
ll.”
“Is this when you tell me what I’ve been chosen for?” Azure asked.
Mage Lenore pivoted and strode for the door. “This is when I show you.”
CHAPTER TEN
The two moons were high in the sky when Azure and Mage Lenore exited the house. It felt bizarre to step out of the New Spanish street into the mountain air of Mage Lenore’s yard. The old witch moved surprisingly fast, crossing the grounds and heading in the direction of the Howling Willow, and Azure’s heart sank when the dawning started to fall on her. If she’d been honest with herself she’d have known something like this would happen, but she had been in denial. Azure set Finswick on the ground and he strolled beside her as they followed the old witch.
“Mage Lenore, is it the night of the harvest?” Azure asked, her breath misting in the cold mountain air. She pulled her robe tighter around her.
“It is, my dear queen.” A bucket had materialized in Mage Lenore’s hands, and it swung back and forth as she continued toward the tree.
“You don’t mean for me to… I mean, you’re the protector of the Howling Willow.” Azure realized she sounded cowardly. With each step closer to the giant tree, she felt more and more breathless. In the light of the moons, the crystals on the long branches sparkled like icicles. They clanged together to produce an enchanting tune, one that made Azure suddenly long for the things of her childhood. She remembered running through the long grass in the foothills with Monet. Skipping rocks by the poisoned bog, her new dress slipping into the water and catching fire. She was in her mother’s arms, having just awoken from a bad dream.
That dream! She’d had it all her life. The first time it had scared her, but since then she’d longed for the replay while she slept. The blackness of her dream always gave way to a white light, and she shielded her eyes from the brightness with her arm. A tree towered over her, its branches whipping through the air. One slashed across her arm, making her stumble back. From behind her, she pulled a sword. Where had that come from? She sliced it through the air, again and again, battling the branches. When she was done she looked down at her feet, feeling immense pleasure, but she never got to see what had produced the feeling. She always awoke from the dream right then.
