I took the vial. I popped the cork, expecting to smell something vicious and chemical like super glue, but it smelled like fresh-cut grass and mildew. I sat on the ground, placed the cork down, and lifted the staff. I watched the crow-man and his guards with one eye and started to pour the contents of the bottle on the gem.


    The liquid inside was clear and ran quickly over the gem, filling the crack like it was searching for it, and I watched as it hardened on contact.


    In a few seconds, the gem looked as if it never had any cracks, and its purple color became richer and more radiant.


    “There.” I lifted it into the sunlight as I inspected it. “Fixed.”


    Crow-man nodded to one of the crows around him. It flew towards me with its claws opened.


    I flinched for a moment, expecting the claws to wrack my face and body, but instead, the crow landed on the staff and cawed at me.


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    I realized that the crow wanted to take the staff. I hated to let it go, leaving myself defenseless. I yanked it closer to me, startling the crow to take off. Good. That one has the sense to run away.


    I tried thinking rationally. Being outnumbered by the ‘murder’ous crows was not the best option right now. Even if I were to swat at the crows with my staff, it was obvious what the outcome would be. Without a doubt, it wouldn''t end well for me.


    Still, I’d be giving up my leverage. How much is a magical weapon worth, anyway? And why should I trust these crows? My greed and basic distrust led me to grip the staff tight.


    Two crows dove at me, and I swung at them like I was at bat in a baseball game. Swing and a miss. One of them had to be the hotheaded nephew. I imagined his smug face while I swung again.


    A blast of wind and the dead leaves it picked up came from Mr. Crow. It whipped around me in a brief mini-tornado, stopping the madness. His angry eyes didn’t match his forced smile. “Come child, I have no time for these foolish games.”