ã€ŠThe Cozy Hollow [Cozy Fantasy Slice-of-Life]ã€‹


 1. Legacy Unveiled

    The path led away from the motorway, wending around and between majestic trees and through the bushes. Well, path would be generous - it was a muddy, rocky clear-ish space between puddles that led eventually in the correct direction.

    Amelia sighed and tugged her hoodie closer about her head. She shifted the heavy backpack to a less uncomfortable position, and kept trudging. The better part of the day had been spent on trains and buses, and she had thought that that would be the worst of it ¡ª until she sank knee-deep into the mud. Again.

    The road was a quiet, rural lane, and within moments of walking (squelching, really) along the path, all she could hear was the pitter-pat of raindrops and the rustling of leaves. A far cry from the noise of the city she used to call home.

    The young lady shuffled along for a few minutes before coming upon the wrought iron gate into the wood. She pulled the tattered letter out of her pocket, hunching over it to protect it from the persistent drizzle.

    Dearest Amelia!

    It has been too long! I hope this letter finds you in good health! I trust that you have been enjoying yourself since finishing school, and haven¡¯t been up to too much mischief!

    I write to you in hopes that you can help me. A friend of mine has left me a small woodland and cottage, way out in the middle of nowhere, and it urgently needs a new caretaker. If it isn¡¯t too much of an imposition, I was hoping I could entrust the place to you until you find which path you want to take in life.

    I¡¯m sure you will find it positively enchanting!

    Your Favorite Gran, XOXOXO

    Another page, also well-worn, had some additional details and the address:

    Hearth Haven Hollow

    Briarwood Lane

    Eldertown

    Eldermoor County

    Suffolk

    EN11 4TH

    There was a handwritten scrawl along the bottom:

    I¡¯m so thrilled you¡¯ve accepted! I¡¯ve enclosed some travel funds and took the liberty of setting up accounts with the local businesses so you can get supplies as you need them.

    With love and kisses,

    Your Favorite Gran, OXOXOX

    The address matched the dingy sign laying on the ground in front of the imposing fence, whose gate was already partially open. A gate which, by the looks of it, wasn¡¯t swinging one direction or the other without considerable work, as it was mired in mud and leaves. In fact, a thorny bush had grown up through it.

    ¡°Well, hope the house is nicer than this!¡± Amelia thought to herself.

    It wouldn¡¯t be.

    Once past the gate, the woods closed in aggressively on each side. She doffed the backpack and had to turn sideways to keep moving forwards. The rough going and close confines should have been daunting, but instead, she felt herself relaxing, her sense of anticipation growing with each step. This was a real adventure! She half-expected an umbrella-wielding faun or a person in robes to suddenly appear and welcome her. This felt like the sort of place where fantastical things happened, and as she pressed deeper into the hollow, she realized she''d be disappointed if something magical didn''t occur.

    In just a few minutes the little open space around the cottage came into view. Not really a clearing anymore, as the weeds and bushes reached nearly to waist height. The cottage lurked shyly off to one side, backing against the trees. Its thatched roof looked alright, but the front door had been left open, and the shutters swung wildly with the brisk breeze as the rain picked up again.

    Amelia splashed and clambered across the yard and onto the front step, grateful to be out of the rain, and peered into her new home.

    Leaves, trash, and mud covered the floor. Wind whistled through the broken windows. She could swear it was both darker and wetter inside than it was out.

    The bus station she had slept in the night before suddenly seemed so much nicer than she had thought it at the time.

    Amelia pushed the front door open against the piled leaves and mud until she could squeeze in. There was a rickety wooden table against the far wall, a bare fireplace filled with ash, and nothing much more of note. It was just one room, and not a very large one.

    She dropped the heavy rucksack onto the table (which groaned alarmingly, but failed to collapse¡ªbut only just). Stepping back out into the wind and rain, she managed to fight the shutters closed. With some swearing and grunting, she managed to pull the front door shut enough to block the worst of the weather. The mound of mud it pushed up when she did this made a good wind break along the base of the door, so that was something.

    More-or-less sealed up, with the wind cut off and the rain mostly on the outside, the little room felt much more habitable. Now if she could just clear a space to sit down!

    ¡°Should''ve brought a broom! And a shovel, rake, bulldozer ¡­¡± she muttered to herself, glancing at the mess on the floor.

    As soon as she said the words, she noticed a cupboard door out of the corner of her eye. Opening it, she found a battered broom, a rake with a few tines missing, and a spade with a chipped edge and faded green handle. There was also a dirty bucket, some rags, and a small stash of wood and kindling, dry and ready for use.

    ¡°... and a big bag full of money?!?¡± she said wistfully, looking around. To no avail.

    With a shrug, she grabbed the rake and broom and set to work, mounding up the accumulated mud, leaves, twigs, and such that had built up on the floor. After a solid hour, she had managed to excavate down to the bare wood of the floor, and forced the mound of detritus out the door to be dealt with later ¡ª although it kept trying to make its way back in every time she opened the door, thanks to the wind.

    After she spent another hour or so cleaning out the ash in the fireplace, scouring the floors with the rags, and generally toiling away, the cottage actually felt almost habitable, if spartan and bare.

    Amelia dumped the last load of dirt onto the pile she¡¯d built up just outside the door, then put the bucket, rags, and broom back in the closet.

    ¡°Fire time!¡± she announced to the mostly empty room. This took more effort than she had thought it would, but eventually a small blaze started warming and drying out the room, and the place felt like it was edging towards being positively cheery.

    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    After the rush of initial cleaning had worn off, though, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a little disappointed. She hadn¡¯t thought too seriously about it but had rather assumed there would be a few luxuries. Like a bed. Or carpets.

    Still, beggars can¡¯t be choosers. She felt happy to be spending the night indoors and safe, no matter if it was on a bare floor. At least she had a little fire to keep her company, and who knows what the next day would bring!

    Tired after her long day of travel and several hours of cleaning, Amelia curled up on the floor in front of the little fire, using her backpack as a pillow and covering herself with her hoodie as best she could. Sleep came instantly.

    ¡ª-

    The fire slowly burned down to embers, the soft glow illuminating Amelia as she slept curled up in front of it. A keen eyed observer, had there been one, would have spied a furtive ball of light slip in past the shutters and cracked window, then briefly zip around the room before hovering, inquisitively, above the still form of the new caretaker.

    The ball, little larger than a fist, glowing with a slight green tint, bobbed up and down over Amelia, then zipped up and down from her head to her feet, clearly measuring her up. With a satisfied little bobble, it left off its inspection and flitted to the fireplace, where the embers roared back into life as fresh logs appeared. Another bobble, and as the shutters settled a bit, blocking the last remaining drafts. With that, the glow ball zipped into the fireplace and up the chimney, leaving the young lady to her sleep.

    ¡ª-

    When Amelia woke in the morning, she was surprised that there was still a bit of a fire in the fireplace, expecting it to have burnt itself out hours ago. Even more, the whole place felt just a bit better than it had in the evening, as if the cleaning and presence of a person made it more like a lived in place, and not like a neglected shed, home to wild beasts.

    She stood up and stretched, letting out a loud yawn.

    The slight cracks in the shutters let in the gentle morning light, and the cheerful warm glow from the flames in the fire certainly made the place much more inviting than the night before.

    In fact, she hardly felt it was the same place she had gone to sleep in, despite everything being like she had left it. As she looked about, it even felt like the floorboards were straighter, with fewer gaps, and that they were smoother.

    Shaking her head at her imagination surely run wild with her, Amelia dug her last packet of crisps out of her backpack and munched away, breakfasting in front of the slowly dwindling flames in the fireplace.

    Since that was both the last of her food and the last of the wood, she would need to get to work if she didn¡¯t want to starve and freeze tonight in her new home.

    Her new home.

    She pinched herself as she looked around again. She might only be the caretaker for Granny, but this was hers! Nobody to move her along or scowl at her or bother her or or or! What luxury!

    With a grin she threw open the front door, almost falling over as it popped open with ease, unlike the effort it had taken to budge it the night before.

    The pile of rubbish was right where she had left it outside the door, but the rain had stopped hours ago, and the yard was rapidly drying out. Still entirely overgrown with weeds and bushes, but it now seemed like an interesting project rather than an arduous obstacle as it had the night before on her way in.

    ¡°Let''s see¡±, she mumbled to herself, ¡°I need to go get supplies, but it''d be a pain to haul stuff through this. So bushwhacking time!¡±.

    She nipped back in and grabbed the rake and shovel, and started hacking her way through the thorny, tough bushes in as straight a path as possible from the doorway towards the path through the trees. Which path, she had to admit, while rocky, muddy, and entirely too narrow, was at least not overgrown and weed choked.

    About two hours, several scratches, and not a few curses, there was a walkable path. Not pretty, perhaps, but passable.

    Amelia wiped the sweat from her face as she surveyed her work. It would have to do for now. It was time for a trip back to town! She wiped off the tools with one of the rags and placed them back into the little cupboard inside, then dumped the contents of the rucksack onto the table, pairs of socks and pants spilling over onto the floor.

    That wouldn¡¯t do, but would have to wait. She needed the pack to get food and some wood. There was a little market she had seen from the bus on her way in and planned to resupply there.

    ¡ª-

    Walking back, a pack full of logs, tins of food, and a few more snacks than were entirely responsible, Amelia whistled cheerfully. Amazing the difference a good night of sleep and a few hours of work made! Not to mention being a nice sunny day without mud and miserable rain!

    The walk into town had taken almost no time at all. There had hardly been anyone about as she shopped ¡ª it was a very small village, and fairly early in the day. But that had suited her just fine since she wasn¡¯t really in the mood to chat or be gawked at. And she still had that lingering feeling that people would try to move her along. Or watch her like a hawk in case she was up to something.

    But just as she had said she would, Gran had set up a tab at the market, and the owner, a red-cheeked and round middle-aged lady named Sandy had been more than happy to help Amelia. They loaded up with logs, kindling, and long-shelf life goods, as much as the backpack would hold.

    ¡°A new caretaker up at the old Hag''s Hollow, eh! Wonderful! And you look like a much better pick than the last one. I don¡¯t mind telling you they were a right state, and I didn¡¯t trust ¡®em from the moment I met them. Didn¡¯t last long, neither! But you look like you will fit right in!¡± Sandy had said.

    ¡°Hag''s Hollow? Don''t you mean Hearth Haven Hollow?¡± asked Amelia.

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mind the name, deary! We¡¯ve always called that stretch of woods the Hag''s Hollow, despite all the signs saying otherwise. There¡¯s always been stories that it''s haunted, or that the faeries live there, or some such nonsense. Good fun for the wee ones, but nobody takes it seriously¡±.

    Amelia was mollified by the response. With as wild and unruly as the place was these days, it wasn¡¯t surprising that there were stories of oddities about it. It looked like it was an eldritch wood. Whatever those looked like!

    She gathered the supplies and hiked back home. It wasn¡¯t a long walk, but she was pleased to find how excited she was as she took the short turn off the main road towards the iron gate. It already felt like home. Not just someplace she was staying. How grand!

    Once she squeezed past the stuck gate¡ªshe¡¯d have to figure out how to fix that before long¡ªshe happily walked along the path back to the cottage. It must have been a trick of the gloom and storm last night, since the path felt wider and more inviting as she moved through the trees, and didn¡¯t feel like she had to squish and squeeze between them. It was still a tight fit, but somehow felt a little more ¡°her¡± size than the constricted way of before.

    As abruptly as always, however, the path ended at the little yard of the cottage, her newly bush-whacked path to the door a stark contrast to the rest of the overgrowth.

    ¡°Right!¡± Amelia said, ¡°Back to work!¡±.

    She unloaded the logs and cans (and snacks!) onto the floor of the cupboard, then turned to put her belongings back in the pack. Except they weren¡¯t mounded up on the table and off onto the floor as she had left them.

    Instead, next to the wall, right next to the table, was a little dresser, its wood bare but perfectly matching the spartan interior of the cottage. Her clothes were even neatly folded (!) away in its drawers!

    Amelia stared.

    And stared.

    Then she noticed the fire was still merrily burning away, despite having last been fed with logs several hours ago.

    More staring.

    It was about this time that Amelia noticed the small glowing ball, about the size of an apple, bobbing up in down in front of the fireplace.

    ¡°Um, what are you?¡± she said as she looked with surprise at the other occupant of the room. She felt unexpectedly calm at her first real encounter with the supernatural. It seemed right, somehow. The Hollow was that kind of place, and she felt her mind strangely just accepting the oddity. She was more excited than afraid.

    The little sphere hovered for a bit, then did a quick figure-eight in the air, before hovering again.

    Amelia started, having not exactly been expecting a response. She had never before encountered such a ball of light, and even if she had, she suspected they didn¡¯t make a habit of reacting to people speaking to them.

    ¡°Oh my! Do you understand me?¡± she asked.

    The ball hovered for a moment, then it glowed a deeper green as it bobbed vertically up and down.

    Amelia stared.

    But politeness is free, so she stopped staring and gave the glow ball a little bow, and said ¡°Hi! I¡¯m Amelia. I live here now. I¡¯m supposed to take care of this place.¡±.

    The thing brightened and darkened a bit, wobbling side to side. Amelia didn¡¯t know what that meant, but it felt like both an acknowledgment and a greeting.

    ¡°Do you live here? Are we roommates?¡± she asked.

    Again the glowing ball hesitated for a minute, then went through a gamut of lightening, darkening, bobbing, weaving, and dancing. It was a bit much, but it sure felt like it was eagerly agreeing.

    ¡°Would you mind if I named you? I think you communicate by colour and brightness and dancing, but I don¡¯t speak that. How about ¡­¡± she trailed off as she looked around the quiet room. ¡°Whisper? Would ¡®Whisper¡¯ work for you?¡±

    More dancing, glowing, and bobbing, very agreeable.

    Amelia bowed again.

    ¡°Great! Hi Whisper!¡± she said. ¡°Say ¡ª do you like chocolate?¡±

    She unwrapped a piece from her pocket and offered it.

    The dance was very complex and long, but since the chocolate disappeared, Amelia was pretty sure it was enjoyed.

    And that she had a new friend in her new home.

 2. The Living Rooméˆ¥æªš Embrace

    After working for what felt like an eternity, Amelia leaned on the rake and looked out over her progress. She¡¯d raked up mounds of fallen leaves, pulled out heaps of weeds, and carefully dug up several bushes and saplings from the middle of the yard and moved them to the edges.

    Rather than a nice, tidy yard like she¡¯d been aiming for, it looked more like some artillery had shelled a meadow. Little craters dotted the area where she¡¯d dug things up and didn¡¯t have enough dirt to refill completely. Long blades of wild grass waved in patchy clusters almost everywhere except the path she¡¯d blazed yesterday.

    The little green glowing ball she¡¯d named Whisper bopped around the area and seemed pleased with how things had gone so far. It wobbled and inspected the little divots, then drifted off to the edges of the yards to find the transplanted vegetation. It looked for all the world like she was concerned for the plants but seemed pleased by how Amelia had very carefully moved them. The green glow seemed softer, somehow ¡ª hopefully that meant happy!

    ¡°Right! Without a lawn mower or something, there isn¡¯t too much I can do about the lawn right now. I¡¯m going to have to find out if there is a hardware store around here.¡± Amelia said, then followed with ¡°Caretaker needs tools badly!¡± in a mock deep voice.

    Whisper wafted over from her inspections and hovered near Amelia for a moment, then purposefully shot off around the corner of the cottage, weaving past the bushes and overgrowth that still crowded the building on all sides but it''s front. She disappeared for a moment, then popped back around the corner, jiggling up and down for a moment to make sure she had Amelia¡¯s attention, then zipped back around the corner again, albeit a bit slower this time.

    ¡°Hmm ¡ª that really looks like you want me to follow you. Maybe little Timmy has fallen in the well again?¡±

    Amelia shrugged and headed over to the corner, then very carefully started threading her way through the bushes, saplings, vines, and other impediments. The little green glow was a pretty effective guide, even if it wasn¡¯t very mindful of the size differences between them. With just a little huffing, puffing, and scraping, Amelia found her way to the backside of the structure.

    The cottage had been built right at the edge of the clearing, with its rear almost up against the trees. In the many many years it had been here, more trees had grown up, along with the associated overgrowth that was threatening all sides of the building. Clearly, no one had cleared a path back here in a very long time.

    Whisper was doing her little dance directly in front of a slumped little shed leaning against the back of the cottage. The shed looked more like some sort of outgrowth from the ancient building than it did a separate unit. Both the cottage and the shed were dingy, lime-washed stone, but while the cottage had a thick (if unruly) thatched roof, the shed was roofed with some warped, unpainted boards, overlapped to make them mostly water-resistant.

    The door of the shed was made of more rather warped bare wood planks, with gaps between easily a half-inch or wider.

    ¡°If this is a tool shed, I¡¯m going to start wishing for bags full of money again, because someone is obviously listening to my prayers!¡±.

    Like the front door, the door to the shed was well blocked by accumulated dirt and vegetation, but with much pulling, digging, cursing, and sheer bloody-mindedness, Amelia managed to force it open a few feet ¡ª enough to be able to access the interior.

    Only trace amounts of the daylight filtered through the branches above and into the shed, but she could see several tools, sacks, and other implements that were clearly gardening-related.

    ¡°And a bag full of chocolate and a stack of cash!¡± said Amelia after a low whistle, but none seemed forthcoming.

    Her efforts to drag the old scythe out to the front were thwarted immediately ¡ª the limbs and bushes were much too much of an obstacle to thread that L-shaped thing through without lopping something off that she would rather keep in place.

    Luckily, there was a huge pair of shears hanging on one wall, and while the handles were a bit rough and splintery, the blades were sharp and the hinge was well-oiled. She did a few test cuts in the air, SNICK SNICKETY SNICK!, then attacked the worst offenders of the bushes and creepers blocking her path. She was careful to leave the limbs of the trees alone for now.

    Once the pile of chopped greenery was about knee-high, she had cleared enough room to swing her weapon of choice for this battle ¡ª a short-handled bill hook. Like the shears, its handle had swelled a bit from the moisture and had cracked a bit. The blade, while sharp, had some rust on it. Regardless, with a bit of room to swing that she had gained using the shears, she was able to carve a tunnel back around to the front of the cottage.

    ¡°Freedom!¡± she crowed as she emerged, covered in yet more scratches, bits of green, and streaks of sap.

    Whisper glowed a brighter green for a moment, looking very encouraging.

    ¡°Well, that was one battle won, now for the next¡±. Amelia grabbed a rag from the cupboard inside, then headed back through her new shed-access tunnel. Before hanging the shears and bill on their corresponding wooden pegs, she very carefully wiped them down and cleaned them as best she could with the rag, then placed them very neatly back where they had been.

    With a gleam in her eye, she cautiously took the long, crooked-handled scythe down and inspected its blade.

    ¡°Mental note ¡ª we need to find some oil and a sharpening stone! And a bag full of chocolates, stack of large-denomination bills. And something comfy to conk out on after we finish the yard work! I¡¯ll bet we¡¯ll be absolutely knackered before long!¡±

    She hefted the implement, which was quite a bit taller than she was. Strangely, though, it didn¡¯t feel too heavy ¡ª rather, just the right amount of heft for slashing through grass without getting hung up. You needed a little mass to do the job right, but not too much. It felt just like it had been made for her.

    ¡°Gloves! Add that to the pile, I suppose!¡± she said as she rubbed her hands together, before taking a proper grip of the scythe and taking a wide stance. She hadn¡¯t swung one since Gran had shown her how to use one years ago, but like riding a bicycle, you don¡¯t forget once you learn it.

    ¡°Swish! Slash! Take that!¡± she roared as she started clearing away the tall grass, the scythe cutting away the blades and stems in large arcs.

    Whisper hovered near Amelia¡¯s left shoulder to be well out of the way but still able to see, and the pair worked their way around the yard until nothing poked up more than an inch above the ground below.

    ¡°Now THAT looks like a nice yard!¡± said Amelia as she finished, sweat dripping from her face. Her hoodie had long since been tossed into the cottage, and she¡¯d tied a few rags around her head to keep her hair and some of the sweat out of her eyes. Sun wasn¡¯t a problem as it wasn¡¯t a very hot day, and the trees that surrounded the newly cleared yard stood tall and shady, almost leaning over it to provide a cooling canopy.

    Amelia carefully wiped down the scythe and replaced it, then fetched the rake and evenly spread the cuttings around the yard. She¡¯d done a good job pulling out all the weeds and shrubs first, so letting the trimmings turn to mulch would be good for the wild grass that remained.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    The big surprise as she raked was when the tines of the rake scratched across stone instead of grass and earth ¡ª she both felt and heard the change.

    ¡°Huh? There weren¡¯t any stones here ¡ª I checked before scything. You can chip a blade if you don¡¯t!¡±.

    She leaned the rake against the wall as she knelt down and brushed the plant debris away with her hand.

    A pretty grey paving stone, flat and smooth on top and sort of squarish was revealed. Another one was right next to it. And one beyond that. By the time she had uncovered them all, she unearthed a neat little path that reached from the front door of the cottage to the narrow trail through the woods back towards the gate ¡ª exactly following the path she had hacked through yesterday!

    ¡°Ok, I wasn¡¯t expecting that! Where were you guys yesterday?!? I swear this was all mud, squelchy and squishy yesterday!¡±

    She peered at the stones, but by all indications they had been there for decades, completely covered by the overgrown plants.

    ¡°Odd, but nice! With the amount of rain they get around here, that will save some mess and effort!¡±

    Amelia shook her head, then dutifully put the rake into the shed out back ¡ª there was even a peg for it, so it seemed a much better place to store it than the cupboard inside. Especially now that you could get to the shed. She would have to be diligent about keeping the path, err, tunnel clear, though.

    Using a little trowel, she managed to dig out a little room for the shed door to open and close freely, then spent a little time neatening up the tools on their pegs, peering at the contents of the various bags and jars, and generally snooping.

    She wasn¡¯t terribly surprised to find an old click can of three-in-one oil at the back of one of the shelves, sitting primly next to a well-used sharpening stone that was resting on a stack of various grits of sandpaper. She didn¡¯t find any chocolate or cash, no matter how eagerly she searched after that find.

    As she went to push the now oiled and unobstructed shed door closed, the stuck gate at the front of the wood flashed in her mind.

    ¡°How could I forget?!? Not that an ominous wrought iron gate is inviting, but at least we can make it a well-functioning ominous wrought iron gate!¡±

    She grabbed the oil, some rags, the trowel, and her trusty bill and headed back along the path to the front gate, Whisper trailing along behind her, glowing a very healthy, happy deep green

    ¡ª-

    With the tools she¡¯d found, it was just a few minutes work to oil up the gate hinges, dig clear the mounded path, and chop out some offending tendrils. She hadn¡¯t had enough hands to carry the rake, so she just pushed the leaves into a mound at the side with her foot.

    Amelia smiled as the gate now swung freely open and closed, making a nice ringing clang as it shut. Perhaps it was because it wasn¡¯t raining and gloomy, but the entrance to the wood seemed much less daunting today. With a little more fussing, it might even feel welcoming, although that seemed a bit of a long shot.

    She thought briefly about walking into town and getting a treat after all her hard work, but didn¡¯t want to leave all the tools here, so she gathered them up, shut the gate with a delightful ¡°clank¡±, and walked back to the shed. With the clearing she had done, the worst of the obstacles along the path were out of the way, and it only took a few minutes to make the trip. It even seemed like the trees were just ever so slightly further apart, and with fewer branches stuck out to make it hard to pass. But surely that was just an overactive imagination. Or wishful thinking.

    She cleaned her tools once again before stowing them away, closing the shed firmly. As she walked back to the front of the cottage, she did the best she could to brush off the grime, bits of leaves, dirt, and suchlike. She was filthy! No help for it, though, besides a sponge bath. Which would have to wait until she found a water source. She¡¯d have to scout out the stream that was supposed to run through the woods. Maybe when the weather was a bit warmer she could take a bath there.

    Not today though, she shivered as she opened the front door. It had felt great in just her t-shirt and trousers, but once she stopped working the chill of the day made itself promptly known.

    So of course the warm, cheery glow of the fireplace was very appreciated as she entered, kicked off her trainers at the door, then sank into the worn but oh-so-comfy overstuffed armchair that was just the right distance from the fireplace.

    The fireplace that should be cold and dark. And the oh-so-comfy overstuffed armchair THAT VERY CERTAINLY HAD NOT BEEN THERE EARLIER!

    Amelia attempted to bolt out of the chair in shock, but it was so cushy and soft that she only managed to sink in a bit further, as a hassock shot out of nowhere and propped her thrashing legs up.

    ¡°Aaah! Attack furniture! Aaaaah!¡± she howled as she thrashed a bit, before giving up and melting into comfort.

    Whisper drifted by in front of her face, looking slightly concerned (how in the world could she tell how the little puffball was feeling?!?), but once Amelia stopped flailing about just wafted off to warm herself in front of the fire.

    ¡°Ok, ok, I should REALLY be worried about what is going on here. Really really! But maybe after I rest for a bit ¡­ shouldn¡¯t look a gift hassock in the mouth ¡­ or something ¡­¡± her voice softened from her momentary panicked state, and the toll of her exertions of the day caused her to drift off to sleep in seconds. She didn¡¯t even budge as a downy duvet settled on top of her gently.

    Whisper bobbled slowly over and landed on top of Amelia¡¯s head, wiggled a bit to nestle into her hair a bit, then her glow dimmed slightly as she too drifted off to sleep.

    ¡ª-

    Waking curled up in a strange armchair, legs extending out onto a suitably supportive hassock, wrapped in a duvet. Not the worst way to wake, surely.

    Amelia blinked briefly as she tugged the duvet a little more firmly under her chin, blearily taking in the room. The fire was flickering away still, against all odds. It both warmed and illuminated the little room. She knew for certain that, despite all the muck and trash that had been on the floor when she had arrived, there had been nothing but a rickety table and a cold, ash-clogged fireplace, and nothing else. How could she have missed anything else, having cleaned the floor on her hands and knees with the rags?

    Yet there was the supply cupboard, plain as day. A bright chintz tablecloth draped over the table, hiding any roughness below. A large, worn but still colorful rag rug covered most of the floor, which would help with any drafts from the gaps in the old warped floorboards. Which, come to think of it, the bits left uncovered by the rug didn¡¯t look nearly so warped and gnarled as they had the day before.

    From the depths of the paisley armchair, she looked to where the little dresser had been (and where it hadn¡¯t been before that). It was still there, but the bare, scuffed wooden exterior looked just a little bit less worn. There was an age yellowed lace doily covering the top, now, underneath a slightly chipped porcelain wash basin. A gently steaming pewter ewer sat next to it, beside a folded white towel. Which looked delightfully fluffy.

    Her backpack hung on a wooden peg on the back of the door, her hoodie draped over it. She was pretty sure she would have noticed putting those there. But there they were.

    Reluctantly, Amelia wormed her way out from under the duvet and stood up. Nobody else was around, except for Whisper, who was investigating the water pitcher. The front door was still closed, the shutters were still shut on the windows. No tracks or any other indication that anyone else had been inside besides herself. The only noise was the slow inhalation of the cushions as they swelled back up to shape from where she had lain, and the quiet pop and crackle of the fire.

    Again, the thought that this REALLY should be scaring her crossed Amelia¡¯s mind, but somehow the room was just entirely too cozy for her to stress about.

    `I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find it positively enchanting¡¯ is what Gran said in her letter. I¡¯m pretty sure she meant ¡®enchanted¡¯, and not ¡®haunted¡¯¡± she mumbled mostly to herself.

    ¡°But if there is anyone to hear me, thank you! This is wonderful!¡±. One must be polite, after all. Even to poltergeists. Or maybe it was a brownie? Domovoi? She could never remember which one did which. Still, couldn¡¯t hurt to be friendly!

    Amelia bowed in the general direction of the cottage, which is difficult to do when one is actually inside it, but surely it was the thought that counted.

    Whoever or whatever was furnishing the home didn¡¯t seem hostile, so might as well roll with it. Although she did keep a surreptitious eye out for any bags of chocolate, which had so far not been forthcoming beyond what she brought herself.

    She watched Whisper rub up against the still steaming pewter pitcher, then remembered how utterly grimy she had gotten with her yard work yesterday. Luckily, it didn¡¯t look like she had stained the chair or comforter any, but that was entirely due to luck.

    It would have to be a sponge bath, but washing up time had come!

    She unfolded the fluffy towel and draped it over the back of the armchair, then using the washcloth that had been underneath it on the dresser, she started cleaning herself up with the same diligence she had scrubbed the cottage previously. Seemed only fair!

    Bath done, she put on clean clothes from the dresser, then tossed the dirty basin of water out the front.

    There wasn¡¯t anything in the way of cookware, so the tins of food she had gotten would have to wait some more, so she made another meal of chocolate and crisps, sharing with Whisper as the little sprite ambled over.

    ¡°Okay, ready to face the day! Onwards!¡± she said, stepping out the front door into the morning daylight.

 3. Wisps of Wisdom

    Amelia looked over the results of her work. The cottage was clean and tidy, if still rather sparsely furnished. The wild grass in the yard was uniformly cut, paving stones laying out the path to the woods. All the shrubs and saplings that had sprung up in the yard were doing well in their new spots on the edges of the wood. All the tools in the shed were freshly cleaned and oiled.

    Not too bad for a start!

    She had even found a well as she was planting one of the larger saplings, just on the edge of the yard. It was covered in moss and brambles, but the wood lid that covered the well was mostly in good shape. She¡¯d probably need to replace the rope and repair the wooden bucket for drawing water, but they¡¯d do for now. That was a source of water sorted, hurray!

    With that thought, she decided that today was the day to do some exploration. In addition to finding the creek, she needed to see what state the rest of the woodland was in. She wasn¡¯t just the caretaker of the cottage, after all.

    Thinking ahead, she grabbed her backpack and hoodie from the back of the door, packed some snacks (crisps and sweets, of course!), then headed back to the shed. Considering the state the yard and cottage had been in, there would be some clearing to do.

    The little bill hook was the obvious choice for this expedition since it could cut weeds and small branches easily. It could even be used to dig, in a pinch. She considered the rake and shovel, but those would be kind of heavy and awkward to take very far without a good reason. Instead, she packed a trowel and a small garden fork, both wrapped in rags so they wouldn¡¯t poke through the backpack.

    Tossing in a roll of twine (always useful!) and she was ready to go. No need to get too loaded down for a first walk around.

    Closing the shed door securely, she headed back into the yard and looked at the trees and dense undergrowth that surrounded the area. Other than the path back to the front gate, there was no other obvious easy exit out of the yard. The tall trees and bushes obscured sight beyond a foot or two, so she couldn¡¯t just pick a landmark and head for it.

    With some thought, she looked at the place where she had dumped her wash water earlier. It was subtle, but if you looked close, you could see which way the water had traveled before finally being sucked into the grass. Downhill was as good a direction as any.

    With a course set, Amelia headed to that side of the yard and started hacking away at the creepers, vines, and bushes that blocked her path. The bill was nice and sharp and made short work of the obstructive vegetation.

    Whisper bobbed along after Amelia, hovering close to her shoulders most of the time, but occasionally darting ahead to check out a particularly interesting tree branch or fallen acorn or other fascinating objects you find in a forest.

    Once Amelia got into a rhythm with the hook, she started whistling, occasionally accenting her music with the thunk of the bill or a stomp of her foot. She didn¡¯t have a tune in mind, just whatever sounded good as she went. She didn¡¯t even notice that a few birds had come to watch her work until she heard them warbling along with her song.

    Amelia had no idea what kind of birds they were - Gran had been great at identifying birds, plants, animals, and so on, but the names rarely stuck in Amelia¡¯s head. So she just thought of the larger blueish-grey one as Blue and the creamy-tan one as Beige. Not that the birds seemed to mind the names as she waved to them. They flitted from tree branch to tree branch as she whacked a path mostly downhill, singing along with her.

    The creek, once she found it, was a bit of a surprise, engrossed as she was with the trailblazing and music production. The ground suddenly sloped steeply downwards, then the bank dropped several feet to the creek, almost like a cliff. The waterway was choked with reeds and leaves, making the area almost level with the banks above. If it wasn¡¯t for the roots of an ancient, gnarled old oak tree twisting over the bank and down to the water, she might have tumbled straight in.

    She used one of the roots as a bench as she took a short break, looking down at the waterway below. It was more of a narrow marsh than a creek, as choked in and overgrown as it was.

    ¡°Salutations, little one¡± groaned a deep, slow speaking voice. It seemed to come from right behind her.

    Amelia turned around and saw the speaker - it was the oak tree! She wouldn¡¯t have believed it, but it kept talking, its mouth a large deep knothole, its eyes two smaller knots, and a little nub of a branch for the nose.

    ¡°Welcome to my home. I am Alder, a guardian of this forest. The little spirit you call Whisper has told me much of you and your work, and I am glad you have come to live with us¡±.

    The oak¡¯s voice was gravely and creaky, like wood cracking and straining in a high wind. But it spoke extremely slowly, and by the time it had stopped speaking, Amelia¡¯s heart had slowed down from the sudden surprise.

    ¡°Uh, thanks? I¡¯m happy to meet you. As for the work, it''s actually my job. My Gran asked me to be the caretaker here.¡± she said. What exactly do you say to a tree that welcomes you to the neighborhood?

    ¡°Of course. But not all the caretakers before you have done their job. I know your Gran tries her best, but it was so much better when she took care of things here herself. But that was a long time ago, indeed¡±.

    Amelia was rather surprised at that statement. She knew Gran had done all kinds of things in her long life, and certainly knew how to garden and such ¡ª she had taught Amelia in her home garden, after all.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know Gran was ever the caretaker here! She never mentioned it.¡±

    ¡°Oh no, little one¡± the tree responded, groans and creeks that must be laughter emitting from its knothole mouth. ¡°She wasn¡¯t the caretaker, but the Wise Woman of these woods. The caretakers are for when the Wise Woman isn¡¯t in residence herself. Why, she even raised that little cottage from an egg. She brought it here when I was but a sapling. Although she has been gone so long, I believe it has forgotten itself and shrunk from its former glory. It was once a magnificent structure, back when I was young and slender.¡±

    Amelia had plenty of time to process the words as the old oak spoke at its glacial pace.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but this is all new to me. What is a Wise Woman? And how do you grow a building from an egg?¡± she asked politely.

    ¡°No trouble at all! This is part of my job as guardian to educate newcomers to this wood!¡±, it said. ¡°The Wise Woman, or Wise Man, or Wise Person, as the case may be, is the one charged with the care and secrets of a special place. There are other places besides this one, of course. The Wise one learns the ins and outs of it, tends it, protects it, helps it, and guides it. They learn all sorts of things from the place or places they work with. They are responsible for steering it in the direction it should grow and pruning the parts that do not. And keeping an eye on any troublemakers.¡± This last was said as one of its knot-eyes turned to ogle Whisper, who had settled on a nearby root, along with Blue and Beige. "Like your friend the wisp, and those two ... wood spirits."

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Amelia looked at the birds and the little green glowing puffball.

    ¡°Is that what Whisper is? A wisp? And are Blue and Beige wood spirits? Or have I got that backwards?¡±.

    ¡°Whisper is indeed a wisp and a quite nice one at that. But keep an eye out ¡ª all her kind are pranksters at heart, and they love to trick and pester mortals.¡±.

    ¡°Hmm, well, she better keep it nice if she wants any more chocolate!¡± said Amelia.

    ¡°Ho hum ho!¡± laughed the oak. ¡°Yes indeed, sweet things are a great way to the heart of a wisp. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll mind her manners ¡ª as long as you keep feeding her!¡±.

    ¡°And did you say these birds are wood spirits? What exactly are those?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Spirits of the woods would be a better way to describe them. Some of the spirits take the form of woodland creatures and live among them. Some, like myself, were normal things that became more for one reason or another. And some are beings that have sought refuge here, away from mortal eyes and lands. As to what we all are, we simply are. Immortal creatures that do as they will, for reasons of their own. Guardians and caretakers and refugees. More than that would take far too long to explain. As it would to explain what a girl is, or an oak is. These aren¡¯t simple things, you know¡±.

    Amelia nodded. She would just have to accept them as they were.

    A thought did occur to her, though.

    ¡°Well, as guardian, do you know of anything in particular that needs taken care of? I¡¯ve cleaned up the house and yard and fixed the front gate, but I¡¯m not really sure what needs to be done next.¡±

    The old oak swayed a little, giving the impression of a nod, pleased at the question.

    ¡°Of course! Many things need doing, young caretaker! Your predecessors have left quite the mess, and disorder and decay always grow with time. But a little hard work and dedication will soon have it seen to rights, though the job never really ends.¡±

    The oak seemed to consider for a moment, before continuing.

    ¡°This, hmm, might be a little self-serving, but if you could clear some of the reeds and muck from the creek here at my roots, I¡¯d dearly love to see the little fishes again! We haven¡¯t chatted in ever so long, and I¡¯m sure they have much news to pass along.¡±

    Amelia looked at the overgrown creek bed and rather wistfully regretted not bringing the rake and hoe. Not that the cottage was that far away, but she did have some tools, and it seemed like the right thing to do was get to work right away.

    ¡°OK! I¡¯ll see what I can do!¡± she said.

    She took off her backpack and leaned it against one of the roots, before pulling out her tools - the garden fork, trowel, and of course the keen bill. Selecting the fork, she turned and knelt on the creek bank, and started dragging out the accumulated leaves and detritus that matted into the reeds. It felt quite a bit like she was brushing the reeds and thought whimsically of tying some of the stems into braids. But that wouldn¡¯t help the flow.

    Much like the work in the cottage and yard, it didn¡¯t take particularly long before her work showed results. Once the organic litter was removed, the water started flowing a bit better, which washed more of the litter down the stream, helping the process along. She used the trowel and at times the hook to uproot the reeds that grew in the center of the creek, and relocated some along the bank.

    After all, it wasn¡¯t that the reeds were bad, just a bit overzealous in their growth. Just like hair. Sometimes it needs a good trim!

    ¡°Ahhh! It feels wonderful to have the stream tickling my roots again! Marvelous!¡± said the oak, after she had worked for quite some time.

    Where before the water had been almost entirely still, once she had emptied the blockages it tinkled and burbled. In front of the oak, the creek bed widened, maybe four or five feet wide at the most, and the creek was only a few inches deep, but now it was able to flow. It babbled and gurgled as it made its way past, and soon several remarkable looking silver fish nosed their way out of the upstream reeds and into the free-flowing pool before the oak.

    ¡°My friends! Pardon me, caretaker, but I must catch up with my friends¡± said the oak, before its speech, still the deep woody sounds as before, turned from clear English to sounding like bubbles and snaps. Since the bubbles started coming from the little fish that darted about, clearly they were having a little chinwag, if such could be said about fish and trees.

    ¡°I¡¯ll let you guys talk! I should probably make my way back home and clean up. I¡¯ll be back soon, and we can decide what I should work on next! It was a pleasure to meet you, Alder!¡± she said as she gathered her tools.

    ¡°Thank you, little one! You have done a great job! I look forward to seeing your future work! I¡¯m sure we will all be in good hands!¡± harrumphed the old tree.

    Amelia smiled as she headed back up the steep slope and back along the pathway she had hacked through the bushes. After meeting a talking oak, she was certainly glad she hadn¡¯t chopped down any of the trees and had taken the time to replant the saplings in the yard instead of piling them up with the other leaves and trash. Although, who was to say that there weren¡¯t any talking bushes or plants in this wood? She¡¯d have to take extra care what she cut up in the future!

    As she walked back towards the cottage, Whisper, Blue, and Beige all followed her, with the two birds playing chase about the newly cleared tree trunks, Whisper in hot pursuit. They looked to be having great fun! It sure would be nice to be able to fly, she thought. Although, having thumbs to open crisp packets is a pretty great thing as well, come to think of it.

    She made sure as always to clean and oil the tools and put them away on their proper pegs in the shed, before heading into the cottage.

    As it was this morning, the fire still burned merrily, despite her not having added any wood since the day before. The pewter pitcher was filled with warm, steaming water again, and the white fluffy towel was dried and folded, just as it was when she woke up this morning.

    ¡°Hello Cottage! I don¡¯t know how you do it, but thank you! It is wonderful to come home to such a warm, cheery place! And the hot water and towel is amazing! Thank you!¡± she said.

    The house didn¡¯t respond, but she was sure it understood what she was saying.

    She used the washbasin to clean herself up, especially her hands and arms which had been covered in mud and river muck. The fluffy towel was hung up on the back of the door to dry. She would need to find a better place for it. The cottage seemed to be able to clean and fold it but there was no need to add to its work, and it just seemed like the right thing to do.

    Amelia sat in the armchair, putting her feet up on the hassock as she sank back into the cushions.

    ¡°Ahh!¡± she said in pure delight. There is very little that feels as good as a nice, comfortable chair in front of a delightful little fire after a hard task well completed.

    Whisper danced in front of the fire for a bit, before coming to rest on Amelia¡¯s head, her new favorite perch.

    ¡°So you¡¯re a wisp, hmm? Pleasure to meet you!¡± Amelia said with a smile. It was nice to learn a little bit more about her new friend.

    Friends, really. She had only just gotten here, and now she had several friends. A cottage that seemed to want to cater to her needs, a cute glowing wisp, some wonderful musical birds, and a talkative old oak tree.

    Now wasn¡¯t that something? Who would have believed it?

    ¡°I wonder what Alder has in store for us to do tomorrow? I think this time I¡¯ll wait to fetch the tools until we know what we¡¯ll be doing. And perhaps I should head into the store tomorrow and stock up on some bags and sacks for collecting all the leaves and cuttings I¡¯ve been making. And snacks, of course!¡±.

    Whisper, very nearly asleep in her cozy nest on Amelia¡¯s head pulsed a deep green of agreement. Probably about the snacks, of course.

    ¡°I never thought being a caretaker of a little cottage in the woods would be such an adventure!¡± said Amelia, her words a little muffled as her eyes closed and her body relaxed.

    ¡°I love it here ¡­¡± she said, before dropping off to sleep.

    As before, she didn¡¯t even notice as the thick, soft duvet was draped onto her, and tucked around her shoulders and legs.

    The fire died down a bit. It wouldn¡¯t do to be too bright, and everyone knows you want the room a little cold, to make the covers that much nicer. It crackled a bit, just to let Amelia know it was on the job.

 4. Echoes of Laughter

    Amelia watched with amusement as Whisper pushed the crumpled-up foil wrapper around the floor. She wasn¡¯t sure if the wisp was just having fun, or was addicted to the aroma of the chocolate that had been in the wrapper.

    Not that she wasn¡¯t a little addicted herself, mind you.

    However, living on sweets and crisps wasn¡¯t exactly a healthy lifestyle, as much fun as it was. Amelia eyed the tins of food stacked up in the cupboard. She¡¯d stocked up in the little village store but had completely forgotten to get any cooking implements. Or a can opener.

    ¡°Right! Time for another trip into town!¡± she said.

    Whisper punted the wrapper into the rubbish bin, then zipped to Amelia¡¯s shoulder, flashing wildly.

    ¡°Yes, we WILL get more sweets, don¡¯t worry!¡±

    The little wisp seemed to calm down at that assurance.

    Amelia pulled on her hoodie and grabbed the empty backpack again, before heading out. It was particularly pleasant to step out into the yard that she¡¯d cleared and tidied and happily trotted along the quaint paving stones to the path into the forest.

    Once out the iron gate and onto the road, it was only a few minutes walk to get to the little community of Eldertown. The road was narrow, hardly wide enough for one vehicle at a time, but there was seldom any traffic along here.

    It was odd to come out of a dense woodland and emerge into the rolling fields that surrounded her home, but it was very pretty. The green was partially obscured by the morning mists, but, assuming it didn¡¯t start raining like it usually did, the fog would burn off by mid-morning and she¡¯d have a glorious view.

    The town was slightly downhill of the cottage. The canal that ran alongside the road here even had a few locks. Amelia hoped she¡¯d see a canal boat passing through one sooner or later, but like the road, the canal was rarely used.

    Like her previous visit, there was nobody about as Amelia approached. The townsfolk were mainly farmers and were out doing their chores. The rest either worked in cities farther away or tended the few businesses here in town. It was a very small village.

    She had hoped to find a caf¨¦ or pub to get something to eat, but it seemed the nearest one was in the next village over. Too bad ¡ª some chips would make a nice morning even nicer!

    The door chime jingled as she entered the little market.

    ¡°Hello, poppet! Back so soon?¡± asked Sandy, the rosy-cheeked proprietor. She popped out from behind one of the shelves where she had been restocking and waved at Amelia.

    ¡°Hi, Sandy! I forgot to get a pot. And a can opener. And utensils ¡­¡± said Amelia, a bit embarrassed.

    ¡°That old hovel must have been mostly empty, then! Can¡¯t say as I¡¯m surprised, it was left untended for long enough, and someone probably helped themselves. Anyways, I have some things made by our Masie and Monty, local crafters¡ªthat shelf over there at the back has what you need.¡± she pointed in the general direction of a back corner shelving unit.

    Amelia carefully made her way over. It was a tidy shop but overstuffed with all manner of food and supplies. Things even hung from the ceiling ¡ª sausages, net bags of onions and garlic, various herbs. She had to duck and weave her way over to the corner.

    ¡°How are you finding it out there? Any problems, any adventures?¡±

    ¡°It needs a lot of work, but it''s lovely! The cottage already feels like home, and I¡¯ve made good progress cleaning up the area. I¡¯ve even made some friends!¡± Amelia said as she eyed the hardware, flatware, jars, and containers.

    "You see any ghosts or ghouls up there? Had tea with any hags?"

    "Uh, no, no, all perfectly normal stuff. Just a mess! I''ve been working hard to clean it all up."

    ¡°A little elbow grease goes a long way, and home is where the heart is, they say¡± replied the shopkeeper, over the clank of cans as she continued stocking the shelves. Then she paused for a moment as a thought struck her.

    ¡°Oh! I forgot ¡ª I baked yesterday, and set aside a loaf and a pie for you! As a welcome to town!¡± she bustled out from where she had been working and disappeared through the doorway behind the counter for a moment, reemerging with two bundles wrapped in cloth ¡ª one flat and round, the other more rectangular.

    ¡°Oooh!¡± said Amelia as the smell of the baked goods wafted her direction. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have, but thank you thank you thank you!¡±.

    She took a long whiff of the bread through its wrapping, then placed the things she had picked out onto the counter. In addition to the very important can opener, she¡¯d found an assortment of tinware - a few plates, some forks and spoons, a pot and pan, and a kettle. She¡¯d also selected a couple of ceramic mugs ¡ª drinking hot tea out of metal cups wasn¡¯t the best experience.

    ¡°Those¡¯ll be Monty¡¯s ¡ª he does good work!¡± said Sandy as she noted down the purchases, indicating the tinware. ¡°He has a little tinker¡¯s shop down the lane. Mostly makes art to sell at church fairs and the like, but can make a mean kettle when he puts his mind to it! Does repairs, too, if you need them. Both to tinware and as a general handyman ¡ª good person to know.¡±

    She then pointed at the mugs. ¡°Maisie ¡ª Monty¡¯s wife ¡ª she¡¯s the potter ¡®round here. She has a little studio right next to Monty¡¯s workshop. She made all the crockery I use myself!¡±

    Amelia made a mental note to introduce herself to the crafty pair. They sounded like good contacts to have!

    As she added several packets of candy to the pile of goods on the counter, Sandy glanced at the sweets and winked at her.

    ¡°You young ¡®uns and your sweets! I love them myself, but ¡­¡± she sighed wistfully as she passed a hand over her plump curves, ¡°I have to cut back one of these days.¡±

    She reached under the counter and pulled out a rumpled brown paper bag, and filled it with a handful of toffees from the bulk bin on the counter.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you have some of these as well ¡ª they¡¯re my favorites, but I¡¯m not supposed to be eating them anymore. I¡¯d like to see them go to someone who appreciates them!¡±

    Amelia thanked her and unwrapped one of the sticky, gooey treats. She bit off a large chunk and started to chew, then offered the rest to Whisper, who¡¯d been hiding in her hair since she entered the shop.

    The little glowing wisp hesitated for just a moment before she was lured out by the sticky treat.

    ¡°What a pretty! I thought that was a newfangled hair bauble! Is it your pet?¡± asked Sandy as she peered at Whisper as the wisp enveloped the candy.

    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Mmpfh mphfw ¡­¡± said Amelia as she tried to reply. The toffee was tasty but extremely sticky. It took a few moments of chewing and working her tongue and jaw to be able to speak clearly again.

    ¡°This is my friend Whisper. We met up at the cottage. She helps me eat candy, mostly.¡± Amelia said wryly. ¡°And this toffee is amazing ¡ª is that green apple flavor in the center?¡±

    Whisper flashed darker and lighter green, which Amelia interpreted as happiness. The flashing intensified as she consumed the toffee.

    ¡°Glad you like it, dear! I love apple flavor, but so many people don¡¯t. Which is a shame, really. Well, maybe not ¡ª more for us with ¡®refined palates¡¯¡± she grinned.

    ¡°Thanks again for the candy and baked things!¡± said Amelia as the door chime jingled. Her backpack was loaded down with all the hardware and candy, but she had elected to carry the loaf and the pie. It wouldn¡¯t do for those to be squished on the trip back.

    ¡°Bye, love! See you again soon! Take care now!¡± called Sandy as the door closed gently behind Amelia.

    ¡°Well, that was lovely! And a successful mission!¡± Amelia said to Whisper, who seemed to be struggling to finish off the piece of toffee.

    The pair headed back up the road back to the cottage.

    ¡ª-

    Since it was such a nice day out, when they got back to the cottage, Amelia opened the shutters and propped the front door open. There was still a bit of chill in the air, but the little fireplace pumped out plenty of heat, and it was nice to air out the place.

    She put the loaf and pie, still in their cloth wrappings, on the table, then unloaded her backpack. There was a little shelf in the cupboard that was just perfectly sized for everything if she nested the pot in the pan, the mugs in the pot, and everything on top of the plates. A little inconvenient, but compact. It wasn¡¯t a very large cottage, after all.

    Amelia looked around. She still didn¡¯t know exactly how this place worked, other than it was some sort of wood spirit. That is what Alder had told her, anyway, although that didn¡¯t help much. So far it had somehow understood some of her needs, and provided the cupboard and its contents, the plush armchair and hassock, duvet, fireplace, and even hot water! Such luxury!

    ¡°Cottage ¡ª I just wanted to thank you again! It is so lovely and cozy to be here! I wish I knew how to talk to you ¡ª I mean, for you to talk to me. I want to ask so many questions!¡±

    Motes of dust danced in the sunbeams coming in through the windows and front door, and the flames danced a little jig in the fireplace.

    ¡°This is just so perfect! It would be nice to have a little more room, and a bed and things, but really this is just right!¡±. She looked fondly at the armchair where she had slept the last few nights. The flowered upholstery was dated and a bit faded, but you couldn¡¯t deny how comfortable it was. She resisted plopping down in it since she¡¯d probably fall right to sleep. It was still too early in the day for that, and she had things to do.

    And a fresh loaf and pie!

    ¡°I really should try out the new can opener and things, but I think it is time for a toasted pie sandwich! Don¡¯t you agree, Whisper?¡±

    The little wisp faded to a dim glow, questioningly.

    ¡°My own invention! We¡¯ll make some toast from the bread, then put a wodge of pie on it! Doesn¡¯t that sound amazing?¡±

    Whisper looked a little unconvinced, but like she was willing to try it. It would be hard to compete with the toffee, in her considered opinion.

    Amelia sliced off some bread from the soft loaf, then used a couple of the new forks to toast the bread over the fire. The aroma wafted throughout the small room, and within moments both Blue and Beige hopped in through one of the broken windows, looking around expectantly.

    ¡°Visitors! Yay, we should make it a party!¡± Amelia crowed.

    She finished her toasting, then placed the slices on one of the tin plates. She carefully cut a wedge of the pie¡ªit was apple, with thick gooey caramel-flavored sauce¡ªand placed it on the slice. Amelia put the other piece of toast on top and squished the concoction together slightly. The toast slices were each a good inch thick, and with the pie, the sandwich was much too large to put in one''s mouth.

    She pulled off a large chunk and crumbled it into pieces, all of them glistening with the pie filling, and piled them on the other tin plate.

    Both of the birds and Whisper got the message right away as she placed the plate on the table, the trio diving in to try out the little feast.

    ¡°NOM!¡± said Amelia as she took a huge bite of her creation, the sauce oozing out the side and her chin dripping with the combination of the sweet sauce and the delicious apple juices. She closed her eyes and chewed in bliss. It was the first home-cooked food she had had in ages, and it tasted divine!

    She was finished far too soon, and she eyed the rest of the pie and loaf but didn¡¯t want a tummy ache. Moderation! But it was so hard!

    Meanwhile, the two birds whistled and danced, flapping their wings in delight as they pecked up the few remaining crumbs. Whisper had sort of melted onto the table, more a pale green glowing flat blob than her usual bright ball-shaped self. She seemed in a food coma.

    ¡°I knew you would like it!¡± Amelia laughed.

    At the sound, the birds took off and flew around the room, then circled her head several times as they twittered a happy tune. Whisper started to lift off the table to join them, but slumped back. Maybe later. After a nap.

    Amelia laughed again. It was good to have friends to share good food with.

    ¡°If we had a kitchen and an oven I could make more things like that!¡± she thought, remembering the times Gran had spent cooking with her. She had particularly liked baking and making preserves. Well, she most enjoyed eating them, and the time spent with Gran, but the cooking was fun, too.

    She had hardly had the thought when Beige let out a startled trill, and Amelia turned to see what had caught the bird¡¯s attention.

    In the middle of the wall¡ªthe one on the left as you came in through the door¡ªhad changed! A doorway had appeared there, opening onto a room that wasn¡¯t there moments ago. Amelia went over and looked in.

    It wasn¡¯t really a small space ¡ª it might even be the same size as the original room of the cottage¡ª but it was dominated by a HUGE brick oven. The oven was of a very old-fashioned style, though looked to be in excellent condition. There were countertops, shelves, cupboards, and a sink. The floor was tiled for easy cleaning, and there were several windows to let light in.

    It looked just like Gran¡¯s kitchen from so many years ago!

    Amelia stood stunned for a moment, then remembered her manners.

    ¡°Thank you cottage! How perfect! This will do very nicely!¡±. She said as she looked around. It was really hard to thank someone when you couldn¡¯t look at them properly.

    She opened one of the side cupboards and realized it was an ice chest, and the cold air wafted out before she closed the door quickly. That would be useful!

    She clapped her hands in delight, and started whistling a happy tune as she went through every door and drawer in the kitchen. Unlike the cupboard, these all seemed empty, but that was alright. Now she had the perfect excuse to visit Monty and Maisie and outfit the kitchen!

    Whisper sort of oozed into the kitchen¡ª her flight was much more sedate and torpid, compared to her usual energetic bobbing and flitting. The little glow ball slowly made her way to the oven, then landed on its large flat warming surface, her glow brightening and her color changing to a warm, toasty brick red. Amelia was pretty sure the sprite was already sound asleep. And very happy!

    She finished her inspection and went back to check on Beige and Blue. The birds had completely cleaned up all the bits from the plates and were waiting on the window sill. When Amelia came into the room, they both chirruped at her and waved their wings in thanks and goodbye, before exiting through the broken pane they had come in by.

    ¡°Not exactly a pet door, but I suppose it will work for now!¡± Amelia said to herself, glad that she had thought to open the shutters.

    ¡°Of course, the actual door was open the whole time, and they could have used that!¡±

    She laughed again.

    The cottage was so different from how she had discovered it. It felt warm and inviting. Comfortable. She had a place to cook now, and a parlor to entertain guests. A soft chair to sit and doze in.

    She could feel the contentment of the cottage. It was a wordless feeling, but she knew it was happy to be lived in and appreciated. It must have been so lonely and felt so rejected before. Amelia was glad to be here and put it to good use.

    She placed the pie in the ice box in the kitchen, and wrapped the loaf back up in its cloth, leaving it on the counter. It felt like a good start for this kitchen! Soon they would have many good things made in here!

    Perhaps she could bake things to share with Sandy? That seemed fitting! There were certain to be berry bushes in the wood. Maybe she could ask Alder if he knew where they were? Maybe berry preserves would be a fine gift for the lovely shopkeeper. And maybe even an icebreaker for meeting with the tinker and potter?

    Settled on a course of action, Amelia fetched one of the tin plates and washed it in the sink. She cut a thick slice of pie and placed it on the plate, and covered it with a cloth. Whisper was plucked from her warming tray resting sprawl and placed on Amelia¡¯s head, and the pair headed out.

    Surely Alder would enjoy a slice of the amazing pie, too!

    The pair headed out the door and towards the old oak, and Amelia whistled as she walked. It was a beautiful day out, and the birds in the trees accompanied her as she went.

    Alder did, indeed, really enjoy the pie. And knew where all the best berry bushes were in the wood. Apparently the birds kept him abreast of such things.

    Operation Berry JamFest was go!

 5. Larks Enchantment

    The days had flown past since Amelia had arrived at the cottage in the woods. There was so much work to get everything back in shape since it had been neglected for so long.

    Mornings she would waken slowly in the pooffy armchair, wrapped in the duvet, listening to the crackle of the fire in the fireplace. She would lounge for a few minutes before finally getting up, stretching, and bathing in front of the fire, which would obligingly perk up a bit to keep her warm on the colder days. She¡¯d hang the fluffy white towel on its peg near the fireplace to dry afterwards.

    Next, breakfast! Since the cottage had made the kitchen area available, Amelia was able to make her favorite more easily ¡ª beans on toast! Nothing fancy, but it filled the empty bits, and she had stockpiled quite a few tins of beans in her first few shopping trips to Sandy¡¯s market.

    She always toasted a few extra slices of bread, and soon enough Beige and Blue would come in to join her, very politely eating from the plate she put on the table next to hers. They would chirp and cackle with her as they ate, between pecks at the food.

    Whisper, it turned out, was not a morning wisp, and usually slept in, toasting herself on the top warming surface of the huge brick oven. Usually, after the breakfast dishes were done and the birds had flown off on their morning errands, the glow ball would rise from her spot in the kitchen, her color fading from her ¡°I¡¯m nice and toasty warm¡± brick red to a dark, dull green glow that seemed to mean ¡°I¡¯m grumpy and hungry¡±. This turned to her usual happy bright green glow as she feasted on the toffee that Amelia always thoughtfully left out on the table for her. That put a little more zing in her flight.

    While Whisper had her morning toffee, Amelia would pack a lunch for the day. Usually a sandwich on thick slices of buttered bread, with some packets of crisps and sweets to round out the corners.

    Monty had fashioned her a very nice tiffin box for her to carry her lunch in. She loved it! It had four separate round trays that stacked together, with a nice sturdy bale handle. Which meant she could even pack soups, stews, or other foods if she wanted, but never did, not having a place to heat them out in the woods while she was working.

    Of course, tiffin carriers were round, and loaves were usually rectangular, which meant wasted space. So Monty had also made her a round loaf pan so she could bake bread to just the perfectly fitting size, which solved that problem nicely!

    Once everyone was fed and the cottage tidied up, Amelia would start working on projects. Most of these had taken several days, so would start with a trip to the shed for tools, then off to clear, clean, rearrange, or whatever was needed. When one project was finished, if the next wasn¡¯t obvious, she would take a walk over to Alder and ask his opinion on what to tackle. The wise old oak kept tabs on all the comings and goings in the wood and knew the most urgent problems to pursue.

    Amelia would work for several hours before breaking for lunch. Whisper would usually accompany her, keeping a watchful eye out for anything Amelia missed, and just generally keeping her company. And helping eat any toffee or sweets on offer at lunch or snack time, of course.

    Sometimes Blue and Beige or one of their many brethren would also hang out with her, depending on how noisy or messy the work was. The birds like to sit on nearby tree branches and sing and gossip, and she would whistle along with whatever tune they felt like making.

    When it finally started getting dark, Amelia would tidy away whatever she was working on, gather her tools and supplies, and head back to the cottage. There she would clean, sharpen, and oil the tools she had used, then put them away in the shed.

    The cottage always had the fire nicely crackling away as she went inside, and the first thing she would do would be to mix up some bread dough and let it start proofing in the warm kitchen.

    As the bread rose, the cottage would have a steaming ewer of water ready for her evening wash. She got very dirty most days, covered in mud, leaves, sap, and other trimmings, bits and bobs. An evening wash was always called for.

    That done, she¡¯d clean up any mess left over on the floor, hang up the towel to dry again, then put the bread on to bake.

    Then it was time to think about dinner!

    Most days, dinner was something heated up from a tin, along with generous slices of homemade bread. Possibly toast if she was feeling the need for some crunch. Sometimes she made pasties or toasties or other pastry items in the oven. That huge brick oven had more room than she knew what to do with. You could probably fit a few full-sized pizzas in there, which was definitely on the list of things to try in the near future.

    Usually, once dinner was done, the bread would be finished, and Amelia would take it out and store it in the bread box Monty had made, ready for the next day. Sometimes it wouldn¡¯t be ready yet, so she would spend some time playing with Whisper or learning a new song from Beige or Blue, or just generally lounging around.

    She had to be careful not to get comfy in the armchair of an evening, as it was very hard to get out of its enveloping embrace to get back up. So she always found something else to keep her occupied until all the chores were done.

    Finally ready to settle in for the night, the fire would dim down a bit, but not too much since it was the only light source once the sun had gone down. She would curl up in the armchair, wrapped in her duvet. If the day had been particularly hard or long, she might just go straight to sleep. But most nights she would read one of the books she had borrowed from Sandy or Maisy until it was time to drift off.

    There wasn¡¯t a real library within walking distance of the cottage ¡ª the closest was several towns over. Sandy had a shelf in the store for a lending library, but the selection was a bit spotty. Mostly books on farming or almanacs, or the romances that Sandy seemed to love. Maisy, the potter and wife of Monty, the tinker, was an avid true crime novel reader. Amelia didn¡¯t particularly care for any of those, but would rather have something to read than not. Almanacs, it turned out, were powerful soporifics, and were very hard to read through.

    That was the schedule that Amelia fell into over her first several weeks at the cottage. The wood was gradually cleared of excessive undergrowth. Paths were carved and maintained. Leaves were raked, creeks were unclogged, wrongs were righted.

    But today, today was berry-picking day!

    Alder had informed her that there were many varieties of berry bushes in the wood, and had asked Beige and Blue to guide her to them. It turned out that Whisper, despite having lived in the woods all her life, knew nothing of berries, other than eating them. She made very pretty light displays with her glows, though, every time she got to try a new variety.

    Unfortunately, it had been a bit early in the season to pick, and then things had just been busy. But the day had finally come to do some gathering, and Amelia was eager to do so!

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Like usual, she packed her lunch in her tiffin box. But instead of taking tools from the shed, she gathered the bucket and several baskets she had acquired from Sandy. She would probably have to make several trips, but it paid to be prepared!

    Picking went smoothly, excepting a few pricks and gouges from the occasional thorn. Such was the cost for excellent fruit!

    The berries quickly accumulated, sorted into the various baskets and bucket. Mixed berry jam was on the menu eventually, but to start with she kept everything separate.

    Of course, each new bush had to be sampled, for quality control don¡¯t you know! Amelia¡¯s mouth and lips were stained blackish red from the combination of different varieties. Beige and Blue had long since eaten their fill and just watched with amusement as Whisper would lift off sluggishly from her perch on Amelia¡¯s head to try out a new sample, then totter back to her food coma until the next bush was started.

    The group had made several trips back to the cottage to unload their bounty, and the sink and every available surface was piled high.

    It seemed like most of the birds of the wood had also dropped by to check in on them, and Amelia had dutifully shared some of the pickings with each one. Some were even brave enough to land on her and eat out of her palm, but even the more timid ones got their share, just left on the ground at a distance.

    One particularly cute bird, with the same coloration as Beige, had followed them for some time, although it had never taken any of the berries Amelia offered it. It preferred to sit at some distance and watch the antics of the other birds, Whisper, and the young lady as she worked. On occasion, it would let out a beautiful trill escape its beak, and when it did all the other birds would sing along for as long as the song lasted. Amelia tried her best to duplicate the song, but it was complex, with many fast notes and sounds she couldn¡¯t quite get. It was lovely to listen to, and she welcomed the companionship.

    It was just edging towards evening, and Amelia was picking some of the last fruit that she could reach from a rather thorny bush. There were a few plump berries she couldn¡¯t quite get to, and she was trying to decide if it was worth it to head back and get the rake, or leave them for another day.

    She tried jumping and grabbing but only managed to drive a thorn deeply into her finger. She pulled the thorn out with her teeth and sucked on the finger for a minute. Her hands were so covered in juice from the day¡¯s work that the tiny trickle of blood actually tasted sweet.

    She was a bit started by the sudden flap of wings, then saw the bird that had led the singing swoop down to the bush, where it started tugging the unreachable fruit loose and dropping it to the ground.

    ¡°Thank you!¡± said Amelia. That was completely unexpected.

    The bird nodded towards her, giving a short warble, then finished plucking.

    Amelia gathered everything, then held out her palm with the juiciest, ripest-looking pieces she had.

    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want any? You¡¯ve been great company all day, and that was really helpful! I¡¯d love to repay you!¡±

    The beige-and-cream colored bird cocked its head at her, still high up in the bush. It appeared to consider the offer deeply as its eye turned from Amelia¡¯s to the proffered berries.

    It seemed to come to a conclusion and winged a short way away to where several thorny bushes formed a cluster on a small knoll nearby. It landed on a tree limb above the bushes, then started warbling a peculiar song, very unlike anything Amelia had heard so far.

    The bird seemed to put her all into the song, swaying back and forth as the sound burbled forth.

    Moments later, the thorny bushes writhed a bit, then leaned away from each other, forming a path between their spiny limbs. One of the last rays of sunlight fell along the path and landed on a berry bush that had been protected in their depths.

    The glorious round fruit was iridescent, the surface looking like oil slicks. The colors changed as you looked at them, and glinted in the waning light.

    ¡°Pick some of these if you please. These are the best in the wood, and my favorite. I would be honored to share them with you¡± said the bird as it finished its song.

    Amelia was surprised at first but remembered Alder (a talking oak, after all!) had said that some of the wood spirits would speak if they so chose.

    ¡°Thank you! They look wonderful!¡±

    ¡°They are! I think you will love them as much as I do!¡± twittered the bird.

    It had a lovely speaking voice. High-pitched, but amazingly modulated, and spoke with perfectly crisp enunciation.

    Amelia filled a basket with the shiny fruit and this time the bird deigned to sample some from her hand.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry ¡ª I forgot to introduce myself!¡± she said as the bird nibbled. ¡°I¡¯m Amelia, the new caretaker of the forest. What is your name?¡±

    ¡°I am Lark, who sings for the wood. I am pleased to meet you, Caretaker Amelia. I have watched you since you arrived. I was wary at first since your predecessor was not an acceptable caretaker. But you have worked hard and respected the wood, and I am happy to welcome you. Enjoy the fruit of the [untranslatable] bush, one of very few in the forest. You are welcome here.¡±

    Amelia smiled at the bird''s kind words. She had no idea what the bush was, but she popped one of the berries into her mouth.

    Delicious was far too gentle a word for the taste explosion. The flavor was both intense and subtle, and she stood there for several minutes enjoying the sensation, eyes closed as she savored it.

    ¡°Divine, are they not? Take care, or they will spoil you for all the lesser berries of the wood, as I have been spoiled¡± said Lark, cleaning her beak after eating several.

    ¡°Wow! They are so perfect a jam or a pie would be a waste of their potential!¡±

    ¡°I would advise saving them and to eat sparingly. They will last for a very long time before spoiling, so there is no rush to consume them¡ªother than their delightful flavor. Perhaps in days to come, you will find the right way to prepare them to surpass their raw form.¡±

    Amelia nodded. She would have to find a safe space to store the berries ¡ª she was pretty sure Whisper would gorge herself on the amazing fruit if she wasn¡¯t careful!

    Lark hopped from the high branch and landed on Amelia¡¯s shoulder, then used her beak to preen a twig caught in the girl¡¯s hair.

    Amelia watched the little bird for a moment, then hefted the baskets and bucket and headed back to the cottage. Luckily the wood wasn¡¯t all that large, and she was rarely more than a few minutes walk from home. A good thing when carrying tools or supplies.

    Lark seemed quite happy to ride the whole way. The cute little bird only flew off as she opened the door to the cottage, bidding her goodbye for the evening.

    Once inside, she found a snug little cupboard in the kitchen to place the new berries, then surveyed the mountains of fruit everywhere else in the room. It was a good thing she didn¡¯t feel the slightest bit hungry after all the ¡°quality control¡± she had done throughout the day since there was just barely room to make bread for tomorrow. Cooking anything beyond that was out of the question until she got better organized in here.

    It would take a bit of juggling, but she had plenty of jars ready for preserves, she thought, and once she started boiling down the fruit that would help quite a bit. It would just be a bit snug in the kitchen for the next few days.

    Snug, but the fruity aroma was a welcome addition to the smell of bread baking, and she could just taste the fresh jam she would be eating on her own fresh bread very soon!

    Those special berries, though, that Lark had led her to, those would be saved for something truly scrumptious. She wasn¡¯t sure what that would be, yet, but trusted the bird that they would keep for a while. Maybe she would ask Sandy or Maisie if they had any good recipe books.

    Or maybe Alder would have an idea. Although perhaps an oak tree wasn¡¯t the best source for cooking information. It did like pie, though, so who knew?

    ¡ª-

    The next two days were spent boiling, straining, crushing, and generally mess-making to process the majority of the haul into a variety of jams, jellies, and preserves. She had quickly run out of jars, despite the stockpile she had made, and had to place a large order with Sandy so she could finish her work. Luckily canning and jarring was a common activity for farmers and villagers, so she was able to get what she needed without much of a delay.

    In the end, one wall of the living room had been piled high from floor to ceiling with the result of all her hard work.

    At least, until she woke up the next morning. Where the pile had been, on the wall that should have backed onto the shed, was another door. Unlike the kitchen, this one had a snug fitting door, and when opened led into a little pantry space, lined with shelves and pleasantly cool despite the warmth the fire and oven kept in the rest of the cottage.

    The jars were neatly lined up along the shelves, and even the ¡°special¡± berries had a space, in a secure, glass-fronted bin.

    Apparently, the cottage approved of canning! And had absolutely no truck with the laws of physics!

 6. Glimmering Gardens

    Amelia poked at the wall the tool shed was built against. It was solid, just like the last time she checked. But if you went inside, there was a doorway that opened into the new pantry that should occupy the very space she was currently standing in.

    When the kitchen had appeared, the cottage had noticeably grown. You could walk its circumference (the parts that were cleared of the undergrowth, at least), and see it was about double the size it had been. When Amelia had first arrived, it was just a roughly square, one-room building. The fireplace to the right as you entered the door. The small cupboard seemed to be inside the back wall, but it was hard to tell how thick that wall was, to begin with, so maybe that was okay.

    Not that any of this bothered her. After she met Whisper, she knew that odd things would happen here. Meeting Alder, then Lark. The things that had appeared in the cottage when she asked for them. Clearly this wasn''t a normal cottage.

    She shrugged. It didn''t seem to be hurting anything, and she did need the pantry space. Operation Berry JamFest had been a resounding success, and she had many jars of yummy goodness to store. Even after she gave away several jars to Sandy, Monty, and Maisie, there was too much to stack around the cottage safely.

    So okay. Here was good evidence that the cottage could not just furnish itself and resize itself. It could ignore the laws of physics. Well, maybe the laws were just guidelines around here?

    About then, Lark flew gracefully into the yard, warbling a cute little good morning tune. She circled Amelia, then landed on the thatched roof of the shed.

    "Hi, Lark! How are you today?"

    "I am well, young Caretaker! I see you have emerged from your labors with the berries, finally. Were you successful?" asked the bird. Her voice, as always, was high-pitched but each word crisp and melodic.

    "It was, thanks!" replied Amelia. "I filled tons of jars and stacked them up. Then the cottage made me a new pantry that should be right here, but isn''t!"

    Lark eyed where Amelia was standing, which was right next to the shed. There obviously was no pantry there. She cocked her head to the other side to look with her other eye, then hopped along the edge of the roof to get a perspective from a different angle. Still no pantry.

    Then the Lark let forth a strange trill, sounding somewhat similar to the music she had made to part the bushes several days ago. As then, she leaned into it, like she had to force the notes from her beak against some strong resistance.

    After the music stopped, she cocked her head left-to-right, then right-to-left. She nodded in satisfaction.

    "Yes, I see it now. The cottage is very clever in how it uses space. Very efficient."

    Amelia looked where the bird seemed to be looking, but still saw nothing.

    "Okay. If you say so. I''m not complaining, but it seems like magic to me!" she said.

    Lark turned her left eye to face the young caretaker.

    "Hmmm. Perhaps so. Were you not taught such things before being sent here?"

    Amelia shook her head. "Gran taught me some gardening, and I guess you could call it groundskeeping. And canning and such. But I''m pretty sure she doesn''t know any magic."

    "Hmm. I see. You will need to know many things to be a successful Caretaker. I cannot teach you all you need, but will share what I know. If you are willing to study and practice hard."

    "I finished school already! I thought I was done with studying!" Amelia pouted slightly. She loved learning -- it was the homework that she never particularly relished.

    "One should always seek to learn, no matter what one has accomplished previously. The world is large, and there is more to know than any one person can master." said the bird.

    "I guess so. But so much of school was boring! I want to do things! Can you teach me to do things?" asked Amelia.

    Lark eyed her potential new student for a bit, then bobbed her head.

    "I believe so. As I said before, as Caretaker, you will need certain skills to adequately perform your duties. I can show you some of what I know, and Alder can also teach you."

    "Thank you!" squealed Amelia. "I really appreciate it! Can we start now?"

    Lark again eyed Amelia with her left eye, then turned her head to see her with her right.

    "Of course. No better time than the present."

    The bird hopped along the edge of the roof to be closer to the girl.

    "Magic, as you call it, is the knack of convincing the world that it should be different than it is. There are many ways to go about it. My way is with song. I have heard you whistle. You should be able to learn a few words in that language. It will get you started on the path."

    "Whistling? Sure! That sounds way more fun than integration or verb conjugation!"

    "Once you have learned the essentials to communicate, then comes the hard part--persuading reality to bend to your request. But one has to start somewhere."

    Lark gave a short, rolling trill, followed by a high peep. "That is a polite greeting. Try it."

    Amelia wet her lips and tried to imitate the sounds.

    "Good! That was close. Listen and try again!" Lark nodded and repeated just the first few notes. Amelia whistled along, being corrected by the patient bird when she went wrong.

    Amelia was so enraptured with the practice that she barely noticed the time fly by, and it wasn''t until her tummy rumbled loudly that she realized they had been working for several hours. It was well past noon.

    She felt something, like some sort of connection with the music, but it just didn''t seem to click. Her mouth ached from all the whistling, and it was definitely time for a break.

    "I''m sorry, Lark, but I need to stop for a bit. Is it okay if we stop for lunch?" she asked.

    "Of course! This is not an easy thing to learn, but you are a very enthusiastic student. I am sure you will master this shortly. Let us break for now, and try again later."

    Lark fluttered down from her perch to land on Amelia''s shoulder. The pair went around to the front of the cottage and in through the front door, where they found Whisper hovering in front of the new pantry door, looking just a tinge guilty.

    "Whisper! Have you been trying to get to the jam again? You know it made you sick after you ate that whole jar yesterday!" Amelia scolded.

    The little wisp looked chastised but managed to convey through its glow that it was still hungry.

    "I think I''ve been feeding you too much sugar, you little cutey. Maybe a salad or something healthy would be better." Amelia said. She hadn''t been eating any vegetables herself, beyond the few tins she had found.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Most of the people that lived in the village nearby grew their own produce and shared between themselves. So Sandy rarely stocked much -- nobody needed it. Amelia had already purchased most of the canned vegetables that had been available, and they had long since been used up for pasties.

    "I need to plant a garden. Although I don''t know much about gardening. Gran taught me how to weed, pick, and process, but I never visited when she was planting. I don''t think I know the first thing about it, actually! I''ll have to ask someone in the village, I suppose" she thought out loud. "But if I''m gonna stay here, it''d be nice to have fresh veg."

    "That is a fine idea, Caretaker. Forming connections with growing things is very much a part of your job here, and you could learn much from it." Lark twittered.

    Amelia finished constructing her sandwich and put out a plate for Lark and Whisper to share from. As if on cue, Blue and Beige also popped in through the broken window pane, looking eagerly at the spread.

    "Hey, you two! Come in, there is plenty!" the girl said. She sliced off another piece of bread from the loaf and crumbled it up on the plate.

    It amused her as she watched the birds and Whisper gather around the tin plate, far larger than any of them, and shared the food. They were very polite to each other and took turns. They even made sure that no one took all the best bits, pointing out the choice morsels to each other as they ate.

    Amelia demolished her jam sandwich. Homemade jam and fresh bread was a hard combination to beat!

    Once everyone had had their fill, Amelia collected the tin plates and washed them in the sink, then propped them on the counter to dry. She didn''t have a dish rack yet, but since she only had a few dishes, it didn''t matter.

    She worked her lips for a moment, pursing them and opening her mouth repeatedly. She was still sore from the lessons earlier. It would take a while to build up her whistling muscles if she wanted to be able to follow along with Lark for very long at all!

    "Lark, I''m sorry, but I think I''m too sore to practice more for today. Can we continue tomorrow? I''m afraid my lips are going to fall off!" she said sheepishly.

    "Of course! One can''t expect mastery on the very first day. We will continue to practice as you perform your daily tasks. And we will take it a bit slower. A little bit done with consistency always beats a huge effort done sporadically."

    "Good! I think if we do much more like this morning I might not be able to smile or talk, and that would be terrible!" said Amelia.

    There was a knock at the front door, which surprised everyone.

    Amelia went and opened it. Then had to look down to see the person that had knocked.

    It was a tiny goblin lady, with pointy ears, pale skin, and pointy teeth. In a bad light, she might have looked scary, but in the bright daylight the little goblin was clearly friendly.

    Of course, the apron, gardening gloves, and kerchief wrapped around her head made her look quite a bit like how Amelia''s Gran had looked, which helped her to not look so threatening.

    "Can I help you?" asked Amelia after a moment. She realized she had been staring.

    The goblin wrung its gloved hands together, standing on one foot to rub the other foot on the back of her leg.

    "Did somebody order a garden? Only, I was minding my own business, repotting one of my plants, when suddenly I''m here, instead of there, sort of thing. Wouldn''t mind an explanation, now, if anyone had one?" The goblin''s voice was a little gravelly, and had an odd little hiss and whistle as she spoke, like she was overinflated and the excess air was escaping.

    "Oh! I said I wanted a garden! The cottage must have made it happen! It does that sometimes! I had no idea it would take someone else''s! I''m so sorry!"

    The goblin cocked her head at Amelia -- the gesture looked so much like Lark that Amelia had to stifle a giggle.

    "The cottage did it you just say? The cottage? Okay, okay, that''s a new one. Not a problem, not a problem as such. Not what I had on the schedule, not for today." the creature glanced around the clearing behind it, and peered into the cottage and at the group gathered there. She dug the big toe of her wide, flat, three-legged foot into the ground as she did.

    "Seems like a nice place you got here, though! Tidy! I like that!" She nodded her head in approval.

    "Well, come on! I''ll show you around!"

    The goblin turned and headed off to the side of the cottage. Amelia, Lark, Whisper, Blue, and Beige all came through the door and followed her.

    Sure enough, in the corner of the yard near the well was now a fine little garden. It was fenced off with wattle panels that were about three feet high -- just about head height for the goblin. There was a little wooden gate, unpainted, which the goblin opened. She waited for Amelia to approach, then gestured her through.

    "Come in! Come in! Let me show you around. By the way, names Briar, plants and gardening my specialty!" There was a proud and expectant look on her face as the group entered the garden.

    Amelia gave a little curtsy, and said, "Hi Briar! Glad to meet you! I''m Amelia, the caretaker. This is Lark, my music teacher, and Whisper, the candy consumer extraordinaire. Those two over there are Blue and Beige. I don''t know what they do, but they''re nice. " Amelia pointed to each in turn as she named them. Whisper flashed slightly at the epithet, but seemed pleased nonetheless. Blue preened Beige''s feathers.

    "A pleasure, a pleasure indeed! Now watch where you walk. Stay on the path so we don''t squish the soil around the plants. They don''t like that."

    The goblin pointed around the little garden area. Amelia immediately recognized cherry tomatoes, spring onions, and several other vegetables, all of which looked ripe and ready to pick. But the majority of the plants were unfamiliar. Some of them shimmered or sparkled slightly in the sunlight. One of them, looking vaguely like a large sunflower, slowly turned its eye-looking flower to track them as they wandered the garden. Several enormous furry bees hummed along while going about their business peacefully.

    As Briar had indicated, there were several neat trails between the rows of plants, leading from the gate and throughout the area. Near the trail and next to each of the plants were small wooden stakes that had minuscule writing on them. Amelia stooped down to try to read one, but the letters were as alien as most of the plants were. The script was equally beautiful and organic looking, strangely enough, looking very much like twisting tendrils and vines drawn with ink.

    Roughly in the center of the garden, but against one fence, was a low workbench shaded by a trellis that had several varieties of broad-leafed vines twined on it. The bench was quite cluttered and dirty, with an empty pot ready to receive a small blue flowering plant that was resting on some paper next to it.

    "This is amazing! Did you do this all yourself?" Amelia asked.

    The goblin hooked her thumbs in her apron and looked over the garden, beaming with pride. "Did at that, did at that! Gardenings one of my passions. I love to grow ''em, eat''em, and such".

    She strode over and plucked a magnificent carrot out of the ground by its greens. She shook off the dirt, then broke it into pieces, offering the largest to Amelia, before passing the others to the birds and wisp.

    There was the sound of crunching and chewing as everyone tried the treat.

    "Wow! That is the best carrot I have ever had!" said Amelia in awe. She took another bite and chewed thoughtfully. It was great! Maybe not as wonderful as the berry from Lark''s berry bush, but still one of the best vegetables she had ever eaten.

    Whisper changed her glow from her usual pale green to a bright orange, flashing brightly. She seemed to enjoy the carrot, as well.

    "Great aren''t they! Most of the patch is herbs and medicinal plants, but everybody needs vegetables too. Feel free to help yourselves, just mind the paths, like I said" said Briar.

    "I''ve gone some room left, haven''t worked out what to plant yet. Want it to be something spectacular!" she indicated a parcel that had been prepped, but not yet sown.

    "And that over there is my home. Lovely little spot, near my lovelies." The goblin pointed to a large bramble bush growing on a mound of dirt in the far corner. There was a burrow opening close to ground height, much too small for an adult human to enter, but just right for a small goblin to crawl in. The thorns had been carefully trimmed away around the entrance so they wouldn''t snag or poke.

    "Come take a peek! I tidied yesterday, so it isn''t too much of a mess!" said the goblin as she walked over to the pile, bent down, and crawled in.

    Lark flitted over to the entrance and landed, then hopped after Briar. Beige followed -- Blue seemed shy, and stayed on the fence. Whisper was next, buzzing in right after Beige, her glow still tinged with happy carrot orange.

    Amelia knelt down carefully and poked her head in. She wasn''t sure what to expect from a dirt burrow, but she was surprised at the inside.

    The hole led into what looked like a mudroom. Spare aprons, boots, and tools were on pegs and shelves around the wood-paneled room. There was a ladder leading down through a goblin-sized hole which probably led to the living area.

    "Oh! Oh my! I''m sorry, where is my head? There is no way you''ll fit down here, young lady! I''m not used to guests your size. Maybe some other time, when you''re smaller, hmmm?"

    "Ok, sure!" said Amelia. She didn''t plan on actually getting smaller in the future, but it seemed like the polite thing to agree to the offer.

    "Why don''t I nip down and put the kettle on, so we can have tea up in the garden? More room up there." suggested the gardener.

    "Great! I''ll wait out here!" Amelia said.

    She carefully backed her head out of the hole, making sure not to catch her hoodie or hair on the brambles. A moment later, Lark and Whisper both flew out, while Beige stayed in to keep Briar company while she made the tea.

    "A garden! Amazing! I didn''t know the cottage could change things outside its walls! Well, I didn''t know it could change things at all until recently, but wow!"

    "It is indeed a very special cottage, Caretaker. It seems to have taken to you! You saw the state it was in after the last caretaker was here. They did not get along." the bird shuddered.

    "Did you know that caretaker?"

    "Yes. Best we do not dwell on that period of history. It is over now, and you are here. We are all much happier for it!"

    Amelia blushed at the praise. She was glad to be here, and happy to find friends. A transforming cottage, talking birds and trees, and goblins in the garden were just icing on the cake!

 7. Potion Paths

    "Teas ready!" Briar whistled as she emerged from the hole in the bramble, hissing slightly more than usual after climbing the ladder. She carried a tea tray in both hands, her gardening gloves bulging out of an apron pocket. Beige flew out behind her carrying a small basket in her beak.

    "I don''t have any stools to sit on, so ground it is! Good enough for the plants, should be good enough for us!" the goblin said as she led the way over to the open area of the garden. She squatted down and placed the tray on the ground, careful not to topple the contents.

    Amelia sat cross-legged next to Briar, with Whisper in her accustomed place on Amelia''s head. Lark and Blue hopped down from the fence and joined them next to Beige, who had placed the basket within easy reach of Briar.

    With practiced ease, the gardener placed cups in front of each of the group and poured steaming herbal tea from the tiny ceramic teapot, one hand on the lid so it didn''t fall off as she poured.

    Amelia waited until everyone was served and Briar had her own cup in hand, then took a sip. The cup was tiny in her hands. The tea was minty and refreshing, and she instantly felt perked up as she tasted it.

    "My own special blend!" Briar said as smacked her lips after drinking.

    The birds each dipped their beaks in their cups and slurped appreciatively.

    Whisper wafted down from her perch and settled into her cup like it was a bathtub, quickly turning to her "I''m happy and warm" brick-red glow.

    Briar removed a plate of biscuits from the basket that Beige had carried out, passing them around to the party.

    "Another one of my recipes! I make lots of concoctions from the lovelies I grow. Can help you with aches and pains, sleep, all sorts!" she boasted proudly.

    The biscuit Amelia nibbled on was quite small but very tasty. It had a slightly vegetal taste and was very gingery. She liked it a lot.

    "This is great! Thanks so much! I''m sorry the cottage relocated you without your permission, but I''m so glad to have a neighbor like you!"

    The goblin''s pale skin blushed slightly, and she fussed with her teacup instead of meeting Amelia''s eyes, obviously pleased.

    "Oooh! Let me go get some jam! It''d go great with these!" Amelia leapt up and raced into the cottage, returning a moment later with a jar filled with dark purple jam. She also had a small handful of berries in her other hand.

    "Lark, do you think Briar could grow some of those special berry bushes here? She has the room." she asked, showing the handful of shiny, chromatic-colored berries in her hand.

    Briar perked up when she saw them.

    "Say! Those are shiny!" she looked at Lark as Amelia waited for the bird''s answer.

    Lark cocked her head side-to-side as she eyed the two. "Of course! I am sure our new friend can grow these, and it would be wonderful to have more of my favorites close to hand."

    Briar bounced up and down in glee as Amelia poured the berries into her cupped palms.

    "Gorgeous! I''ve been wanting some of these forever!" she raced over to her workbench and placed the berries in a little pile. Completely forgetting the tea party, she grabbed a pen and started filling out wooden stakes to mark the planting, then raced off with her watering can in tow to plant them.

    The rest of the group watched Briar scramble around as they finished sipping their tea and ate the biscuits with the jam Amelia had brought out. They sat and enjoyed the sun while the goblin gardener bustled about for a bit before finally rejoining them.

    "Those berries will be a treat, I don''t mind saying!" Briar said when she settled down again, obviously happy. "I have a few potions in mind already!" she rubbed her hands together in glee, chortling.

    "Potions? Like magic potions?" asked Amelia wide-eyed.

    "Magic ones are the best kind! ''Course, a good salad is a magic all its own, too! Fresh greens, sharp onions, yum!"

    Lark bobbed her head in agreement. Potions and salad were both approved of.

    "I have just started instructing Amelia in lessons she should know to be caretaker of this wood, but potion and herb lore is not my forte. Perhaps you would tutor her if you have some time?"

    "Of course! Would be my pleasure!" beamed the goblin.

    Amelia was pleased but felt the looming horror of homework in the future. Maybe the herbalist could give her something to make her enjoy studying? It would have to be pretty strong, though!

    <hr>

    It wasn''t long before they had all settled into a new routine. Amelia would spend a few hours every morning maintaining the cottage and wood, usually accompanied by Whisper, Blue, and Beige. After she was done with chores, Lark would find her, and the pair would practice until Amelia could whistle no more. She was getting better, but still couldn''t perform the magic that the bird could, but she was assured it would come with time.

    Mouth and lips sore, Amelia would join Briar in the garden. She would shadow the goblin as she worked in the garden or puttered at the workbench. Unfortunately, she was much too large to squeeze into the goblin''s workshop in her burrow, so potion lessons took place in the kitchen, or out in the yard if they were particularly messy.

    Like many things in life, it took a large dose of boring and tedious practice before getting to the exciting bits where things blew up when you intended them to, instead of on accident.

    Amelia mopped up the shards of glass and sticky green goop from her most recent mishap. As much as she hated studying, she was beginning to understand why both Lark and Briar insisted on such care when she worked. Her mind had drifted only for a moment, and she ended up cleaning for ages afterwards! At least no one had been hurt, although Whisper had elected to sleep quite some distance away during practice time.

    Once the mess was cleaned up, she pulled a new jar from the cardboard box on the table. She''d purchased several cases for the canning she had done previously, and the leftover jars were perfect for making potions.

    She had imagined something quite a bit more grand when Briar had first told them about her concoctions, especially after the other fantastic things she''d seen in the grove. Her imagination had run wild with thoughts of making potions of invisibility, instant love, and maybe even flight! She was sure she would be soaring with her friends any moment!

    But most of what Briar taught her was how to make everyday useful things. Like a mixture that was good for cutting the grease when washing dishes, a really good shampoo for hair, and several fertilizer and bug-repellent brews. The mint tea had been a hit, though, and Amelia had taken to brewing some up to have with her lessons with Lark. It helped her stay attentive and seemed to lessen the soreness as well.

    The bird had been very happy with the young lady''s progress, although mostly Amelia was learning what Lark called the language of song. It wasn''t exactly music as Amelia had learned at school, but still made a strange sort of sense. Lark had said once she had mastered it, Amelia would understand how to communicate with the spirits of the woods, and even ask them for help. That sounded pretty nice, but it certainly wasn''t easy.

    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    With a clean new jar ready to go, Amelia added boiling water from the kettle and waited a moment for the steam to clear. You had to add things in the right order, or things would go amiss. Like milk before tea in fine china. Or cream before jam on a scone, that sort of thing.

    She had a selection of dried and chopped herbs from the garden that Briar had said were safe to practice on. All of these were best for flavorings, and she was trying to make a nice tea that would help her whistling. It always helped to work on a problem you had yourself when learning something new. Setting your own goals was a lot more motivating than working towards someone else''s.

    She carefully selected a few leaves that smelled right and dropped them into the hot water. She watched the liquid darken to a brownish-green color, then selected the next ingredient.

    Absent-mindedly she started whistling, so engrossed in her preparations she barely even noticed how sore her jaw was from this morning''s lessons. The tune was aimless and wandering, with little trills and slides, much like bird song. Not surprising considering her teacher.

    On a whim, Amelia pulled one of Lark''s berries from the pantry where they were stored and squeezed the juice into the jar. She stirred the liquid gently with a wooden spoon as she kept whistling until it felt like the natural end of the song.

    She put the spoon in the sink to wash later and stretched her back. A wave of exhaustion washed over her suddenly, like she had just run a marathon. She squeezed her eyes shut as she rolled her shoulders and neck, trying to release the tension she felt.

    A loud buzzing sound grabbed her attention.

    Whisper had entered the kitchen and was frantically flitting about the potion jar. She was flashing yellow and red, which Amelia had never seen before. The wisp was clearly agitated!

    "What is it? Something wrong?" she asked. The wisp kept circling the jar for a moment more, before zipping out of the room and out the door.

    "Huh! Everybody''s a critic! This one didn''t even explode!" Amelia said as she looked at her work. No longer the tea color she had expected, it was a deep red color and seemed to be pulsing. The glow from it gave the kitchen an ominous look.

    "That''s odd! Not what I expected, but ok! That''s something!"

    She dipped a finger in and took a taste. It had a tangy, sharp flavor, not at all like the berry or any of the herbs she had used. She took a large gulp. It was hot, but not too hot. She could feel it warming her as it made its way to her stomach. That was when she noticed her tongue and finger were both tingling, and her throat felt like there were bees buzzing in it.

    "That might not have been a good idea ..." she thought as the room started to blur and spin.

    She blinked rapidly as she held onto the table to keep from falling, fighting the dizziness.

    She staggered into the living room and collapsed on her armchair, covering her head with the duvet. That worked for nightmares, so she hoped it would help here.

    Whether it was the covers or not, the feelings faded within just a few moments, and she felt much better.

    "Alright, hopefully I didn''t poison myself, but I guess things are ok" she mumbled, taking stock. She pulled the duvet off and looked around. No more spinning or blurriness, which was good.

    The room still looked off, though. It felt like there was a slight glow to everything, and she had the distinct feeling like she was looking at a complex origami puzzle, all folded in on itself. She wasn''t sure what gave her that feeling, but it certainly wasn''t normal.

    "Amelia?" came Lark''s voice. The bird flew in through the open window moments later, landing on the back of the armchair and peering down at the girl. Whisper followed behind moments later, glowing a deep, subdued, and worried green color.

    Amelia looked up at the bird.

    "Why are you glowing like that? And why are you so large? Weren''t you like hand-sized this morning?" she asked.

    Lark cocked her head at the girl, then puffed out her chest and let forth a burble of notes, shrill and crisp.

    "Hmm. You seem to have done something to yourself. Hold still for me while I try to figure out what you did." she told the girl. "Whisper, would you fetch Briar? I think we need her help."

    Whisper launched back out the window as Lark hopped down to the armrest, starting to whistle and sing again as she stared at Amelia.

    "Lark, why are there glowing streaks everywhere? Things were blurry before, but now it looks like there are sparks and dim little glow balls like Whisper everywhere!"

    The front door banged open as Briar rushed in, taking off her gloves. Beige and Blue followed close behind.

    The goblin looked like normal to Amelia, but the two birds glowed much like Lark did. They also flickered and seemed to alternate between looking like their usual bird selves and giant, crouching figures, with huge fangs and red glowing, piercing eyes. She really preferred the bird form.

    The flickering of the birds, glowing lights, and other weird visual effects started giving her a terrible headache, so she closed her eyes and covered her head again with the duvet, rather rudely dislodging Lark, who took flight and landed on the table.

    "It seems our caretaker has brewed herself something like a potion of True Sight and is feeling a bit overwhelmed." the bird cocked her head further to the side as if listening intently in Amelia''s direction. "By the sound of it, it should wear off soon, and no harm should come of it".

    "Hah! Impressive! I wonder how she did that?" said Briar.

    They found the jar of glowing potion in the kitchen. Lark whistled something complex at it, and Briar sniffed it.

    "She used one of the berries. That was not wise! They have many powerful properties, and great care must be used when combining with other substances!" she whistled some more, then nodded her beak. "And it seems our student also managed to use her music to influence the mixture. A potent combination, but terribly foolhardy!"

    Briar found a lid and capped the jar, whose glowing had dimmed considerably as it cooled.

    "Years it took me to make something like this! If she made this by accident, she will be very formidable when she knows what she is doing!"

    "Yes, indeed. Hopefully, she survives the experience!" Lark twittered with amusement. "I hope this little experiment will dampen her enthusiasm for improvisation, at least for a little while."

    <hr>

    As Lark had predicted, Amelia felt better within a half-hour or so and was able to emerge from the duvet without feeling ill. Her eyes now ached along with her sore whistling muscles, and she felt as if someone had run over her with a car three or four times. Then parked on her for good measure.

    But except for a very slight glow that limned Lark and areas of the cottage, her sight seemed to have returned to normal.

    "What was that?" she asked in a weak voice.

    "That, my young student, was seeing what is really there. I am afraid your brain was not ready for the experience, which is why you had such an unpleasant reaction."

    "Really there? I don''t understand. What do you mean?"

    "There is much more to the world than meets common sight, young lady. You saw a bit of what hides beyond your normal vision. Your brain could not process it, hence the blurriness and nausea."

    "Why do I feel like I''ve been hit by a truck, then?"

    "That is the effect of overdoing your first successful bit of magic, I am afraid. Somehow you managed to sing an enchantment onto a potion you had no business mixing, completely changing its nature. I do not know how you did that, but it pulled much of your energy along with it. The aches and pains are the consequence. I would strongly suggest not doing that sort of thing in the future."

    "Yeah, I got that. Oww!" said Amelia. She rubbed her eye sockets with the backs of her wrists.

    "So why did Whisper and Briar look like they always do, while you, Blue and Beige looked so different?"

    "I do not know why you see Whisper clearly, but that is her real form as it appears in this realm, the same with Briar."

    "''This realm''?"

    "As I said, there is much beyond mortal sight, including the fact that there are other planes of existence beyond this one. Wisps, like our friend Whisper, are minuscule intrusions of powerful beings from beyond into this plane we call home. It is rare that they allow mortals to see them at all, so you should feel honored."

    "Okay, I guess. My friend the candy black-hole is possibly a real black hole. Got it. But why did you look so much larger, but still like yourself?"

    "Ah. Because I am a bird, just as you see. The power I have learned and wield as the singer of the wood is beyond a mortal mind to grasp, and you see me as you are familiar with - a normal bird. The potion altered your perception, allowing you to see me more as I truly am."

    "And Blue and Beige? Are they really some sort of ogre thing? Because that was horrible!"

    "Ogre? Interesting. I know them only as woodland spirits, assistants to Alder in his role as a guardian of the wood. I am surprised you saw them otherwise. But perhaps your potion was incomplete, and gave you visions false as well as true. Worry not, they are gentle beings and good friends".

    "Alright. Well, I know it is the middle of the day, but I am exhausted! I think I''m going to take a little nap now if you don''t mind." Amelia''s voice was softer as she snuggled down into the incredibly comfortable armchair, snuggling under the duvet like she did at night.

    "Rest young one. Briar and I shall stay and watch over you, lest anything else comes of your little experiment".

    "Mmmph." said Amelia. Lark chose to interpret that as "Thanks and good night", filtered through the duvet.

    "Sleep well, Caretaker. You have glimpsed a world larger than you have known. This is good. This is progress."

    The bird watched until Amelia''s breathing became quiet and regular as she slipped into slumber.

    Briar crept in and softly shut the front door, taking up a position to watch over the sleeping girl. Lark hopped down to sit next to the goblin.

    The two watched late into the night as their exhausted student slept soundly.

 8. Sprites of the Glade

    When Amelia awoke the next morning she felt much better. The aches and pains had gone, including the throbbing in her head. She carefully opened her eyes and looked around the living room. Everything seemed more or less like it should, but there were still some changes to what she saw. The fire in the fireplace crackled away as usual, but as she stared it seemed to her to look more like several little flame-shaped sprites dancing than any real flame. The warmth was the same, however.

    The corners, doorways, and windows of the cottage were outlined with thin bright lines, as if they didn''t quite fit together and a strong backlight was seeping through the joints.

    She stared at the tiny motes that danced near the floor until she realized it was just dust in the sunbeam from the open window.

    "Feeling any better?" Lark asked from her perch above Amelia''s head on the back of the armchair.

    "Yes! Sorry about that, I don''t know what came over me!"

    "Hmm, well, maybe you will be more careful in the future. The things Briar and I teach you are not idle lessons, but could very well be dangerous. To you or others. As the Caretaker, you are responsible for the wood and all in it. You should exercise more care, young one."

    Amelia looked suitably abashed. Not just because of the physical effects of her potion mishap, but because she really did like Lark, and her stern but fair rebuke was all the harder because of it.

    She stood and folded the duvet, which was then placed on the hassock. That item of furniture was pushed over to the wall by the door. Even though the cottage had grown in size with the kitchen and pantry, the living room was still rather small. So Amelia usually moved the hassock out of the way so she could move around the room without as many obstacles.

    Lark preened her feathers. She had slept on the back of the chair after Briar had slipped out just after dawn a few hours ago. They had stood vigil over their student until they were sure she would be fine.

    As she had the night before, the bird looked odd to Amelia. She had a slight aura which was hard to describe, and much like the cottage, gave the impression that she was larger than her visual size would indicate, somehow. Nothing as blatant as when she had first quaffed the potion, but still noticeable.

    "Lark, didn''t you say that potion would wear off a long time ago?"

    "I said something like that, yes. Why? What are you seeing?" asked the bird.

    Amelia tried to describe the visual effects as best she could, but it was difficult to find the right words. Lark seemed to understand well enough, though.

    "It would seem that there might be some lasting effect after all. Most draughts last a few hours at most, but some can make true changes. Think of it like this - while the energy of tea wanes as the drink passes out of your body, the coloring of paint stays long after it dries."

    Amelia wasn''t sure if that was a deep analogy or if the bird was patronizing her, but nodded.

    "So I''m still seeing what is really there?" she asked. "Then why aren''t there all the wisps and sprites that I saw last night?"

    "Most likely for two reasons. While the effect might indeed be permanent, it was strongest when the brew was first ingested. And second, you performed a strong feat of magic as you created the potion, and that drew the attention of the spirits. They came to have a look. Not surprising, since it has been a very long while since strong magic was used inside this cottage." Lark neglected to explain that she and Whisper had spent considerable effort shooing the spirits out of the house after Amelia went to sleep. They had mostly meant well, but could be such a nuisance! There had been a few more ominous presences, but they had faded away when they felt Whisper and Lark approach. Lark was concerned about them but didn''t see the need to trouble Amelia yet until she knew more about them.

    Amelia stretched and yawned.

    "I got a good night''s sleep at least!" she grinned.

    "Yes, one does after such labors. May I recommend a few thousand laps of the path next time you need help sleeping? It would cause much less trouble."

    Again the young caretaker looked sheepish. She hadn''t meant to disturb anyone -- just brew some amazing tea! She would have to focus until she had better control of her new skills.

    "I will leave you to your morning work and will see you soon for your lessons. Try not to get up to too much trouble, my dear!" Lark said as she flew out the window.

    <hr>

    As Amelia made breakfast and tidied up the Cottage, Lark flew high above the wood and sang her morning song. In the garden, Briar sipped a cup of tea as she looked at the rows of plants and planned her day.

    Not far away, Alder dozed. The ancient oak tree slept more these days than it had as a young sapling. It felt the cold and dark more than it used to, as well. But the sounds of the little creek soothed it in its slumber. Amelia had worked for many days to clear the mounded leaves, sticks, and silt that had choked its waterway, and now the creek flowed freely. The little pond right at Alder''s roots had been deepened so the little fish had a place to hide away as the fiercest rays of the sun shone down at midday, and also so they had ample room to frolic. The oak loved to gossip with them and watch their antics. He loved all the creatures that lived in the forest, but the fish were his favorite.

    Alder usually dozed the early morning away, rousing to full wakefulness as the sun slanted down into his glade. Then he would listen to the twitterings of the birds as they reported on all that had gone on in the forest while he slept. The squirrels would chitter about their explorations through the wood, and the fish would tell of what they saw from the safety of the creek.

    From the information he gathered, Alder would plan what things Amelia should focus on for the day. Some days it was a tree or branch that had fallen, blocking one of the paths. Or a nest that had been dislodged and needed to be replaced. Minor things, but important to the peace of the wood. Once a nest of wasps had been established and threatened the peaceful bees. Amelia had been called on to smoke out the menaces, then destroy the nest so they wouldn''t return.

    But this particular morning, the morning after the wakening in the cottage, was different.

    Even as the sun rose towards its zenith, the shadows in the glade didn''t flee. They grew thicker and even danced beyond the shade of the oak trees boughs. Tendrils wrapped around the guardian, and its outline blurred and faded as the darkness enveloped it. The flowers, instead of soaking in the sun, wilted and curled up, and the grass withered.

    As the creatures approached to make their morning report as always, they felt the cold, ominous presence and fled. Even the fish feared to approach, and the pool was empty for the first time since Amelia had cleared it.

    The old oak grumbled in its sleep, pulled deeper into dreams by the shadows that clutched it. Its pleasant dreams turned to troubled nightmares, and a few leaves fell from its branches as they suddenly dried.

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    A lone sprite was the only one brave enough to venture into the gloom. The figure looked like a mannikin made of twigs, with a knotty face very similar to Alders, albeit much smaller. Her transparent wings fluttered furiously to keep her aloft as she entered the glade. Her glow barely penetrated the dark, and it took all her will to fly close to the shrouded guardian.

    "Alder! Alder! Wake! Wake!" pipped her tiny voice, to no avail. The tree murmured something, but it was just sleep talk.

    "Rouse! Rouse! Danger! Danger!" she tried again, still with no effect. She flitted closer, but a shadow whipped from the ground and almost ensnared her, and she pulled back. The cold was seeping into her, and she struggled to stay aloft and keep her glow. As more tentacles emerged from the ground and reached for her, she, too, fled.

    But unlike the others, she sought out the caretaker.

    <hr>

    Amelia pulled the hoodie closer around her head as she walked down the trail. It had been getting warmer the last few days, but this morning was unseasonably chilly. Whisper had even snuggled inside the hood to stay warm in Amelia''s hair, which was a first. The girl pushed her hands deeper into the pockets and balled them into fists, trying to keep her fingers warm.

    Strangely, it seemed to be getting colder as she walked farther from the cottage. It took her several moments before she realized this, and stopped to carefully look around. With her new sight, the trees looked different than they had previously. If she concentrated hard, she could see what looked like figures inside the trunks, their limbs following the tree''s limbs. Dull glows outlined them. Some of the plants had a glow as well. It was very distracting.

    She was peering at a particularly shapely form in a tall, gnarled tree when she heard the little voice calling.

    "Caretaker! Caretaker! Alarm! Alarm!"

    She didn''t recognize the voice, and it took her several seconds to spy the sprite flying towards her from the direction she had been heading. The little creature looked scared and frazzled.

    "Caretaker! Caretaker! Alert! Alert!" it said as it flew to her, then circled around and around as Amelia tried to get a good look at it.

    "Hello! Who are you? Is something wrong?" she asked, turning in place as she watched the sprite.

    "Alder! Alder! Sleeping! Sleeping!" it said.

    "Alder? He should be awake soon, but some days he sleeps in. Nothing to worry about!"

    "Shadows! Shadows! Grasping! Grasping!"

    "Shadows? What? Slow down! You''re making me dizzy! What about Alder and shadows?"

    The sprite forced itself to slow its flight, hovering in front of Amelia. Whisper emerged from the hoodie and zipped forwards to inspect the creature, but her glow stayed her normal contented green, so Amelia wasn''t concerned.

    The sprite seemed to take a deep breath, her wings still buzzing rapidly to keep her aloft.

    "Evil! Evil! Ancient! Ancient!" it said.

    "Ok, ancient evil, got it. Something to do with Alder?"

    "Alder! Alder! Trapped! Trapped!"

    Amelia wondered how an oak tree could be trapped, ancient evil or no. It wasn''t like the tree was going anywhere on a good day. While it could speak and think, it wasn''t mobile at all.

    "Why don''t you show me? Maybe then I''d understand." she said.

    The creature bobbed once in the air, then turned and zipped back along the path towards Alder''s glade.

    "Wait! I can''t go that fast! Oh, too late ..." The sprite had disappeared before her words were even out, it was moving so fast.

    She broke into a trot and followed the path. She didn''t need a guide, since she took this path every morning to talk to Alder. Plus, she had actually cleared this path and knew every root, boulder, and bend along it.

    It was only a moment later that she approached the glade, and could feel how cold it was. It wasn''t just the distance from the cottage, but the closeness to the glade that seemed to amplify the feeling, she realized.

    She shivered from the cold, then still more shivers as she saw the creeping shadows that wrapped all the trees that outlined the glade where Alder lived. It was a writhing mass of darkness, which at a glance could be mistaken for cast shadows. But on deeper inspection, the shadows moved where they shouldn''t, and were darker than they should be. She could feel the menacing nature even from quite some distance away.

    "THAT doesn''t look right! I wonder what''s going on?" She cautiously approached, despite the feeling of dread and foreboding that built. The shadows seemed to deepen in front of her, and several tendrils emerged and waved threateningly.

    The caution that Briar and Lark had been trying to drill into her finally bubbled to the top of her mind, and she stopped before approaching within reach. This seemed like one of those situations where she should be careful and not just blunder in, like yesterday.

    She watched the waving darkness for a few moments. This was entirely out of her experience. The wasps had seemed like they were the extreme of her duties, but she suddenly realized that they were one of the lesser problems the caretaker of this wood was expected to deal with. Lark''s words to that effect came back to her.

    "There are many things mortals do not know or have forgotten. Some of those strive against this place, and the caretaker is responsible for protection, not just maintenance. This is why I teach you, for I and the others also work to keep this place safe" the bird had said.

    Amelia hadn''t given it much thought. The place was just too cozy and snug, especially once she had cleaned up the worst of the litter and overgrowth from before she arrived. It seemed so safe and perfect, that she hadn''t been able to imagine any threat worse than wasps, or termites, or maybe a lost wild animal of some sort.

    The sprite zipped up to where she stood.

    "Caretaker! Caretaker! Help? Help?"

    Amelia looked at the small frantic thing, then shook her head. "I want to, but I don''t know how! If I knew this sort of thing could happen, I would''ve asked Alder about what I should do. But I don''t have any idea, and I don''t think I can get to him with all those ... things ... around".

    "Others? Others? Help? Help?"

    "Right! Let''s go find Lark and Briar, maybe they''ll know what to do! Whisper, would you go find Lark? I don''t know where she goes to in the mornings, but I know I can find Briar in the garden. Meet us there, would you?"

    The little glow ball bobbed rapidly in assent, then flew off into the trees.

    Amelia turned and headed back down the trail towards home. The sprite flew worriedly behind her, constantly looking over its shoulder at the black tentacles as they faded with distance. They both felt the cold subside the further away they got, and the closer to the cozy cottage they came.

    <hr>

    "Fern! Fern!" said the little sprite in answer to Amelia''s question.

    "Ok, Fern. Glad to meet you, but I wish it was under better circumstances. This isn''t how I wanted to start the day after last night! I was hoping for some peace and quiet!"

    The two approached the gate to the garden.

    "Good morning caretaker! Are you feeling better? No ill effects?" Briar was at her workbench inside the fence, but could easily see Amelia over the top of the wattle panels.

    "Hi Briar, I''m fine. But something is really wrong with Alder! There''s shadows and cold and not-goodness all around his glade! Fern here came to warn me, but I can''t understand what she wants".

    "Alder! Alder! Shadows! Shadows! Evil! Evil! Help! Help" added Fern.

    The goblin quickly opened the gate and ushered the two in, just as Lark and Whisper flew into the yard.

    "Caretaker! There is a problem that we must address. Whisper tells me you have seen it with your own eyes. I have seen it from above, and I am most concerned." the bird''s melodic voice trilled, a touch of worry in her tone.

    "Hi Lark! Fern has been trying to tell us, but we can''t get much out of her. She says something about an ancient evil shadow and that Alder is trapped. I just saw horrible shadow tentacles and felt cold. What did you see?"

    "From high above, I could see the shadows that wrapped the glade. I could not espy movement or feel their draw, but that is ominous news."

    "Tea?" asked the ever-practical goblin, as she offered her steaming mug around to share.

    <hr>

    They conferred in the garden, fortifying themselves with the tea Briar provided. They discussed what Amelia and Lark had seen, with brief outbursts from Fern.

    Finally, they had ventured back towards the grove and came as close as they dared. The shadows writhed and tendrils wove in their direction, but they stayed far enough back to be out of reach. The cold bit at them.

    "This is beyond my knowledge." stated Lark finally. "I would need to confer with Alder, the eldest of the guardians, but I fear that is not possible now. I do not know what to do."

    They watched the shadows as they twisted and enclosed the grove. They could see the withering and decay that set in inside the dark ring, with only Alder seeming to resist. The oak could barely be made out if you knew where to look, hidden deep in the darkness.

    Eventually, as Amelia started shivering, Lark suggested they return to the cottage.

    "There is nothing we can do here. The shadows seem to halt at the edge of the grove, and the destruction seems limited there. It might be that Alder constrains them, or that it is all the shadows can do to contain him. Either way, we cannot help without more knowledge."

    They sadly went back towards the warmth of the cottage. Amelia''s heart quailed to see the oak in such a state, but freezing or being grabbed by the dark herself certainly wouldn''t help. They would need to come up with a plan. Somehow.

    But she swore to herself that she would help him, and defend the wood from this threat.

 9. Moonlit Revelations

    Days had passed.

    Amelia went back to her tasks as best she could without Alder''s guidance. She would start her daily chores by approaching the shadow-choked glade as close as she dared, until the cold squeezed her heart and the tendrils whipped towards her. It was only from there that she could get a glimpse of Alder, obscured by the black tentacles of darkness that encased him. He seemed to sway slightly, despite no breeze penetrating the gloom.

    Every day, Amelia would shout encouragement to the oak, and tell him that they were working on a plan to free him. Blue and Beige would follow her, and perch on a tree close by as she did this, twittering their own support. They would stay nearby during the day, and she supposed they slept close by at night, though she didn''t know where.

    After that, she would then go about her chores, half-heartedly keeping the paths and streams clear. Mending this and neatening that. It was all that she knew to do.

    Chores done, the day would drag. Her lessons had had to be put aside since her teachers were gone. Lark and Briar had left to question the various inhabitants of the wood, hoping that there was some shred of information that would help. Amelia had begged to go with them, but they said that there were places they needed to go that would be too dangerous for Amelia to follow.

    So she waited, tending to the wood as best she could. She felt her hope flagging.

    She had thought to visit her friends in Eldertown, and perhaps restock her dwindling candy supply, but a sense of dread came over her as she approached the iron gate that marked the boundary of the wood. It felt almost as bad as when she got close to the shadowed glade. Even Whisper seemed to feel it, her glow turning to a pulsing, warning yellow as she bobbed in front of Amelia as if to stop her from leaving. It seemed that leaving the wood wasn''t a good idea, either.

    Amelia was flopped in the armchair, legs across one arm and head and arms dangling from the other. It was night, but she wasn''t sleeping, just staring at the sprites dancing in the fireplace. The moon was clearly visible through the window she had left open, giving the room an eerie glow. More so than usual, since her potion incident.

    She started when she heard a rap on the front door. She didn''t even have time to answer before it opened, and Briar entered with Lark clinging to the goblin''s shoulder. They looked bedraggled, sleep-deprived and exhausted.

    "Hey! Welcome home! What did you find? Any news?" Amelia belted out as they entered. Briar waved her off as the little goblin plopped down on the rug in front of the fire, which obligingly perked up, warming and illuminating the room.

    "We found rumors and half-remembered lore, caretaker, and are very tired. We sought out every spirit and creature we could find here in the wood and not all were friendly. But we have learned things of value. Time is of the essence, but a moment to rest would not go amiss." The musical tones the bird spoke in were hushed and strained. Her eyes looked like they were ready to shut at any moment, and only her pride kept her upright.

    Briar was already snoring on the rug, sprawled out and limp.

    "Ok, you two rest! I''ll put the kettle on and get you guys something to eat!" Amelia declared, dashing into the kitchen.

    The great brick oven was always warm and ready to cook on, so she filled the kettle, removed one of the iron lids from the stove, and placed the kettle on to boil. Whisper, who had been warming herself in her usual space on the top of the oven, lifted off and flew into the living room, inspecting the now sleeping bird and snoring goblin, before zipping back to her second favorite perch, Amelia''s head.

    "They must be knackered to fall asleep like that." Amelia observed to the wisp, using a hushed voice. "I better give them some time to sleep, they must need it."

    She mixed up a sweet dough and put it in to bake, and rifled through her herb jars to make some energizing tea like Briar had taught her. Being very careful not to whistle as she worked. She had learned that lesson well and thoroughly.

    Since the kettle was already on, she brewed herself some tea, then made sure everything was ready for when the pair in the living room woke.

    The smell of the sweet rolls and bracing smell of the tea greeted the two as they woke, several hours later. Amelia had patiently waited, forcing herself to allow them to rest. Once she saw them stirring, she dished out the rolls, poured newly brewed tea, and brought the tray into the living room.

    "Amazing! Thank you, Amelia! Just the thing to hit the spot!" said the goblin between slurps and chews.

    Lark daintily drank from her mug and flicked a crumb from her beak with a talon.

    "Yes, thank you! The rest was very welcome as well. Thanks for waiting, caretaker."

    "No problem! But tell me, what did you find out?"

    Lark settled down, leaning up against the warm mug of tea. She was tired but looked much more refreshed than when they had arrived.

    "It is a confusing story. We learned nothing for certain, but have pieced together a little. Unfortunately, those who dwell in the wood are either too young or too recently arrived to know of the events personally, and all we have is hearsay and passed down stories."

    "Too young? How old are you?" Amelia asked.

    Lark cocked her eye at the girl.

    "You know it is rude to ask a lady''s age, do you not?" she huffed, good-naturedly. She didn''t really mind.

    "I do not know for sure how old I am, but I have outlived all my close kin and many of their descendants and their descendants descendants. As the singer for the wood, I have been graced with a long life for my species, but even that is short compared to human lifespans."

    Amelia looked at Briar, who was still munching a pastry.

    The goblin hastily swallowed, then said, "You were here when I arrived."

    "But where were you before that? Were you in the wood?"

    Briar shrugged, then looked at Lark.

    "That is part of the complexity of what we learned. This whole hollow, which is the wood and everything bounded by the iron fence, is a special place between. Think of it as--hmm--sort of an antechamber or vestibule. This place overlaps both the mortal realm, and, let us say, other realms. The geography of the wood is, like the cottage, more complex than it seems."

    "You said something about that after my potion accident. So we overlap with Whisper''s world?"

    "World is not the right word, but will suffice for now. And no, not just Whisper''s world. It and many others." the bird looked to the wisp for confirmation, but Whisper was content to doze in Amelia''s hair, stuffed with sweet roll and tea.

    "There are many realms beyond the one mortals know. Some places, such as this wood, are closer in some sense to those other places. It is hard to describe, but the analogy holds of a vestibule or maybe a ''mud room''--a place between other places, that one passes through in transit. A place of transition and change, sometimes. Liminal. Neither here nor there."

    "Right. Ok, I think I get what you''re saying. You keep mentioning ''mortals''--do you mean humans?"

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    "Mortals are those born of a realm who have not touched other realms. You would probably call them ''untouched by magic'', but that is not exactly right either."

    "Since ''immortal'' means not dying, is this just the opposite?"

    "As I said, it is not a perfect description. Those who have touched or been touched by other realms may still die, at least some of them. They simply differ from those who have not, in some ways."

    "So when you started teaching me the song-magic, did I become immortal?"

    The bird winced, the inexact nature of the language making the explanation very difficult.

    "Again, that is not exactly right. In fact, I am certain you were realm touched before arriving here at the grove, although how I am not sure. Most likely some power passed through the bloodline from your grandmother."

    Amelia looked shocked.

    "Wait! Gran is immortal? Since when? I''ve never seen her do magic! And besides, I just call her Gran, we aren''t actually related."

    It was Lark and Briar that looked surprised at that announcement.

    "Very interesting. I had assumed ... well, I suppose that is what one gets for assuming ..." Lark muttered, trailing off.

    "Your grandmother is many things, but is with certainty not from this place." Amelia looked confused at the statement.

    "That is to say, she comes from a realm other than the mortal one, but more detail I do not know. For now, let us say ''the mortal realm'' for the plane you knew, and ''the wood'' for here, where we are now, to perhaps avoid some confusion."

    Amelia agreed, and Briar shrugged again since it didn''t matter to her.

    "So since I came from the ''mortal realm''" Amelia used air quotes, "How did I get ''realm-touched''?" air quotes again.

    "Ah, we return to the crux of what we found. I had believed you related to the Great Guardian, she you name your grandmother. You say you are not, but perhaps that fits with what we have found."

    The bird took another sip of her cooling tea, cleared her throat, then continued.

    "Long ago, before even Alder was an acorn, there was a Great Guardian of this wood. I believe it to have been your Grandmother, but the information was inconclusive. In that time, a dying warrior arrived from a realm beyond, bearing a babe in arms along with an artifact of great power. The Great Guardian aided the warrior. Together they hid the artifact and placed strong wards and guards to protect and contain it. The warrior passed, leaving the child with the guardian."

    Lark considered for a moment. "It is possible that you, Amelia, are descended from that child. We know that the Great Guardian left with it into the mortal realm. A new caretaker arrived soon afterwards. Each subsequent caretaker has been a mortal since then, and the Great Guardian has only visited briefly in passing."

    "Uh-huh. So Gran is some sort of ancient magic super gran, and my ancestor was a fairie immigrant."

    Briar snorted at the descriptions, almost spilling the last dregs of her tea.

    "If that helps you to understand, then certainly, you may think that."

    "Maybe Fern and I are related? Should I start talking like she does? Tea? Tea? Candy! Candy!" piped the girl, a huge smile on her face.

    "No!" said Lark and Briar simultaneously.

    Whisper perked up at the sound of her favorite word, but as no candy was on offer drifted off to her spot on the oven, where it was considerably quieter.

    Lark continued, trying to ignore the interruption. "The cottage seems to have arrived around the time of the new caretaker, perhaps to act as an additional guardian. We know that Alder is the last of a ring of oaks that were all of an age, planted together. Since he is a guardian, we must assume that all of his kin were likewise, and placed to guard this item of power. He has never spoken of it, and might not even know the specifics himself."

    "This artifact--is it like a magic ring that makes you invisible? Or a lamp that grants wishes?"

    "We were unable to find further detail. But if it was brought and kept here, it must be too dangerous for both the mortal realm and those realms beyond. I doubt it is casual jewelry or a home utility."

    "Any idea what happening to Alder? And why it started now?"

    "Again, very little is known. If I must guess, something or someone tries to free the artifact from its place of holding. Alder is the last guardian to contain it. Whether it is an outside force or the artifact itself, I do not know. Regardless, for the time being, Alder holds firm. That might not last, however. We must aid him however we can."

    "Of course! But how?"

    "The most likely course of action is for you to contact the Great Guardian -- your grandmother. But it would be ill-advised for you to leave the wood at this time."

    "Yeah, I tried earlier, and it was horrible. Whisper stopped me from getting to the gate, but I don''t know if I could make it even if she didn''t." Amelia shuddered at the memory of dread and chill she had experienced.

    "I am glad you did not succeed at leaving. Your presence here seems to be helping, somehow. The cottage is the liveliest it has ever been. As well, I''ve never seen a wisp take to anyone as Whisper has to you. For some reason, you are integral to this situation, and leaving to the mortal realm would worsen it."

    Amelia considered this for a moment, then had a sudden realization.

    "You said ''leaving to the mortal realm'' just now. Did you mean I can go to Fairyland?" she brightened up.

    "Child, it is not Fairyland." said Lark. She wasn''t physically capable of making air quotes, but they were very strongly implied. "But yes. To learn how to help Alder, we will need to venture beyond the lands you know."

    "Field trip!" yelled Amelia. There was a rustle from the kitchen as Whisper buried herself under a tea towel to muffle the noise.

    "Yes, as you say, we shall venture afield. There is an event that will happen soon, and a way will open to a realm beyond. Briar believes she knows where we might find aid and information. But it will cost us. We must prepare for the journey, and bring goods to barter with."

    The goblin nodded in agreement.

    "When the sprites dance under the night sky in a few nights, the stars will align, sort of thing. We can slip through and visit a place I know of."

    "What sort of things do we need to bring? And what can we trade?"

    "You and Briar will need travelling and camping things. I am not familiar with the need, but she assures me it is the case. Food for several days as well. Regarding trade items ..."

    Here the bird paused and had the grace to look a little embarrassed. Briar looked smug. "It seems someone has created a potion of True Sight, or near enough. That should be a valuable commodity. Also, Briar assures me that some of her herbs, along with your preserves and the [untranslatable] berries might be sufficient."

    "For Alder, it''s worth it! We should start packing!" Amelia grabbed her rucksack from where it still hung on the back of the door.

    "Patience! It is late, and we still have a few days to prepare before the way opens. Rest now, and in the morning we will start our preparations."

    Briar took that as her cue and waved as she left via the front door. Lark bid Amelia and Whisper goodnight, then left as well.

    Amelia gathered the tea things and placed them in the sink to wash in the morning. She plopped back in the armchair and willed herself to sleep, but her mind whirled.

    "I can''t wait until I talk to Gran next! So many questions!" she said to herself.

    The fire dimmed down a bit as it did when she got ready to sleep, and she wrapped the duvet around herself.

    As comfortable as she was, it was a long time before she drifted off.

    <hr>

    "No, child, you do not need a sword. Where would you get one if you needed one, anyways?"

    "I dunno. I''m sure the cottage has one lying around if we asked nicely. It made the broom cupboard appear, and I think it made the back shed appear too, after I asked. They had loads of tools in ''em."

    "That may be. But please do not ask for a sword. Weapons only attract attention, and cause more problems to the wielder, especially if you have no experience in using them."

    "Yeah, ok. I''m taking the bill hook, though. The little one. Just in case we need to clear some brush for a camp or something."

    "Fine. You seem facile with that tool, and it should not draw attention. Please avoid cutting anyone''s anything off with it, though, alright?"

    "Fine." Amelia didn''t seem convinced but went along. Lark seemed to be a good teacher, so she might as well listen to her advice. She did suspect the bird was just jealous, not having the hands to wield a sword herself.

    She had started assembling her travelling supplies right when she woke up that morning. She was so excited, she had even forgotten breakfast! That is until a grumpy orange-glowing Whisper started bumping into her forehead over and over. Amelia relented and heated up some of the pastries and some tea from the night before.

    The armchair had been pushed back against the pantry door to clear the floor of the living room. Spread out on the rug was a mound of things Amelia was considering taking. Lark was overlooking the process. The bird didn''t need to take anything with her, since she was perfectly happy foraging berries and insects on the go. Amelia, on the other hand, had picked out several of her tins of beans and the last of her remaining snacks. Bugs were not on her menu, thank you very much!

    The spare clothes she was taking were rolled up to minimize space, and a wool blanket that had appeared in the shed had been rolled up next to them. The can opener, mugs, a knife, fork, and spoon, and some matches were laid out, and Amelia fetched the hook and placed it on the rug.

    Several of the best jars of preserves had been pulled out and stacked, wrapped in some tea towels to keep them from breaking in transport. A double handful of the special berries had been placed in one of the spare jars, along with several dried and fresh sprigs of various herbs that Briar had brought in earlier.

    She planned on baking some loaves right before they left, so they would be fresh. And some of her stock of tinned food would round out the load.

    "Clothes, food, matches, tools. Blanket. Jam and herbs. Pack to carry everything. Anything else?"

    "That should do, caretaker. Remember, you have to carry all of that. It will be a long walk."

    Amelia blanched at the thought, but there wasn''t much help for it. Perhaps not quite so many cans. Snacks were coming though. At worst, she and Whisper would just eat them if they got too heavy.

    It was going to be a great adventure!

 10. Starlight Dance

    It was the day of departure. Briar checked her pack for the last time, then cinched it down tight. She wasn''t taking nearly as much as Amelia was, but the goblin was only half the girl''s size, after all.

    "Briar! You ready?" Amelia''s call echoed from the entryway upstairs. The caretaker was too big to enter Briar''s home, and could only stick her head partially into the mudroom.

    The girl had been incredibly excited since they had announced their trip. Some of it was certainly about helping Alder, who was still withstanding the assault of the shadows in his grove. But it seemed the young lady had never actually camped out, and couldn''t stop talking about and planning for it.

    "I''m coming, I''m coming! Hold your horses, young ''un!"

    Hopefully, some of the excitement would wear off soon, before the girl drove her companions crazy.

    "We don''t want to be late and miss it!"

    Amelia backed her head out of the burrow hole as Briar came up the ladder to the mudroom, pushing her pack in front of her.

    "It doesn''t start until the stars are shiny, and it is barely even dusk. Have some patience!"

    Amelia''s face fell a bit, but she put on her own backpack anyways. The bag was stuffed to the brim, all of its pockets bulging, and had a blanket roll strapped to the bottom. Amelia had the billhook tucked through her belt like a dagger, and she even had a walking stick she''d fashioned from a gnarled branch she found.

    "Oh." she said, disappointed.

    "Don''t fret. It''s just a short hop to where the dance is held. We''ll have plenty of time to get there and help set up."

    "Dance? Lark never explained what was going on, just that we''d be going to Fairyland somehow."

    The goblin ignored the fairyland comment. They''d spent quite some time explaining that where they were going was just another realm, not fairyland, but Amelia persisted in calling it that. The goblin suspected she did it just to needle them. As it happened, there would be creatures that Amelia was certain to call faeries there, but that didn''t make her right.

    "Today''s'' the day of the Starlight Dance. People come from far and wide to celebrate. And yes, dance. Not just here, but all over the place. The other realms will be close enough to mosey right through, so there is always a big festival, with dancing, feasting, and generally partying."

    "You''ve been before?"

    "Of course, of course! Not every time, no, but I like to party as much as the next goblin. Have some good moves, too!"

    The goblin put her hands on her hips, then took several strutting steps, before she pirouetted. She ended with a hip thrust and stuck out her tongue, bulging her eyes grotesquely.

    "Right. Nice moves!" Amelia said politely, if unconvincingly.

    Briar winked at her as she hefted her pack. She turned and reached back into the mud room, and retrieved a fishing pole that was almost as tall as Amelia.

    "Nice!" Amelia whistled appreciatively. "Say -- do you think I should bring a sword? You know, just in case?"

    "Have you got one? Know how to use it proper?"

    "How hard can it be? Just put the sharp end in the other guy, right?"

    "And that''s why you aren''t taking one. They take a lot of training to use, and you''d probably just lop a foot off or something. Maybe even my foot and I wouldn''t approve of that! I''m quite attached to ''em, and would like to remain that way."

    There was a flurry of wings as Lark arrived in the garden, landing on the fence. She turned her head to look at the two, loaded down for the journey.

    "Having the sword talk again, are we?"

    "No!" said Amelia.

    "Yes."

    "Sword! Sword! Danger! Danger!"

    "See? Even the sprite agrees with us. And she''s clueless!"

    "Ah, Fern, you too? Fine! But if we get in a big battle and all I have is this, you''ll be sorry!" she waved the billhook around.

    "Why do you think we will be in a big battle? We are just traveling to the Night Market. You face more danger from conmen and hucksters than from fighting."

    "Is that where we''re going? A market? Are we going to buy help for Alder there?" Amelia asked, avoiding the question about fighting.

    "The Night Market, yes. It is not like the stores in the mortal realm. Not even like those ''supermarkets'' you described before. There are those selling goods and services, yes, but also sages and scholars, and others who might be able to help. We will have to pay for such aid, and it will not be cheap."

    "Will there be faeries?"

    Lark glanced from the hopeful eyes to the goblin; who shrugged, to the flitting form of Fern.

    "Yes. There will be faeries. Happy?" asked the talking bird.

    "Yay! Faeries!"

    "We should go help set up before she starts asking about snacks. Oops."

    Amelia''s eyes lit up, and even Whisper lifted from her position on top of Amelia''s head.

    "SNACKS?!? Fairie snacks?!?"

    <hr>

    The group made their way to the clearing, ignoring Amelia''s pleas for more details on the snack situation. In the middle was a large ring of toadstools with a huge, craggy boulder at its center. There were piles of sacks and barrels around the edge of the clearing. There were birds everywhere, flitting around picking detritus off the ground, shifting the sacks around, and doing other incomprehensible tasks.

    Amelia put her pack down against a tree trunk, leaning her stick against it, then looked around.

    Lark flew to the top of the boulder and settled herself. "You should make yourself useful and help set up. I need to warm up my voice before we start." She began softly whistling a tune, quietly enough that Amelia could only barely hear it.

    Briar placed her pack next to Amelia''s, then the two helped a large blue jay string up lights. These consisted of long ropes with globes tied to them at intervals. Inside the globes were glowing fireflies and some sort of paste. The ropes were tied so the globes dangled across the clearing, well above the highest point that Amelia could reach.

    Briar sniffed the paste, "The fireflies love this stuff. See? The globes are open at the top, so they can come and go. But they''ll stay and eat until the paste is gone, glowing the whole time. Very clever!"

    They worked for a while, hanging some bunting in addition to the bug globes. Then some more globes were tied to the trees at the edge of the clearing. It was all quite cheerful-looking.

    In the time it took them to decorate, it had grown darker. It was a moonless night, and when the clouds blocked the sky it would have been pitch black without the lights they placed.

    Amelia had just returned to the tree her pack was against when she heard the fluttering of thousands of wings, sounding like a swarm of bees. From every direction came sprites, carbon copies of her friend Fern. Their iridescent wings glowed, adding flickers and rainbows of light as they circled around outside the mushroom ring. Close behind the sprites were dozens of wisps, smaller and less bright than Whisper, but otherwise identical.

    "So pretty!" Amelia watched, enraptured.

    The clouds finally parted, and the stars shone brightly from the clear night sky.

    "Let us begin!" announced Lark, before loudly launching into a tune full of complex trills and warbles.

    The sound of several drums suddenly joined Lark''s tune, and just like that, the Dance was on.

    The empty clearing was suddenly crowded with dancing bodies of all shapes and sizes. Amelia recognized a few goblins that looked like they could be Briar''s siblings. There were bearded dwarves, furry-legged fauns, and lithe figures that she assumed were nymphs. A goat and a dog danced next to each other on their hind legs, while the sprites and wisps flew all over the clearing like tiny independent disco balls.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    Somehow, tables had appeared around the edges of the dance, groaning with food. Between the tables were several kegs and a haphazard mound of wooden mugs. Several dwarves were balancing one of the kegs as a goblin drove a tap in, foamy liquid gushing out and drenching all of them.

    There was so much to see, and Amelia felt dazed as she tried to take it all in. The wood had always been a magical place, but this was too much! She sampled some of the treats from the tables, bumping elbows with a brown bear intent on doing the same. The bear very politely excused himself, then pointed Amelia to the choicest bits of honeycomb and some grubs it swore were delicious. Amelia tried the former, and graciously declined the latter.

    She wandered around, watching as the birds joined in the dance up above, while below hundreds of figures swayed or jiggled or hopped, however they chose to move to the music. Lark''s initial song had been joined by drums, then by wooden pipes, and she even spied a robed and shrouded creature playing a large harp. The music was wild and boisterous, as it had to be to cut through the din of the partiers.

    "Amelia! Amelia! Time! Time!" She was startled when Fern zipped in front of her face, Whisper in tow.

    "Already? It just got started!"

    "Hours! Hours! Late! Late!" peeped the sprite.

    "Indeed, we have stayed longer than we should have. Get your things and we will go, caretaker." Lark said from a branch nearby.

    Her head spun. It had felt like only seconds had elapsed.

    She hurried over and pulled on her rucksack, finding Briar doing the same next to her.

    "Swell party, wasn''t it? Too bad we have to leave so early, but places to go!"

    Lark flew down and landed on Briar''s pack. Whisper took her usual spot on Amelia''s head, and Fern landed on Amelia''s shoulder, holding the girl''s ear with one tiny hand to steady herself. They walked out of the clearing back the way they had entered, but Amelia quickly realized they were no longer in the wood they had started from. They were still surrounded by trees, but these were towering firs and pines, and the ground underfoot was thickly carpeted with pine needles.

    They had only taken a few steps when the music and cacophony from the clearing faded like someone had turned the volume down to zero, and the only sounds were the crunch of Amelia''s and Briar''s footsteps. It was suddenly cooler, as well. Not the cold of the shadow-bound clearing, but a more natural late-night coolness.

    "That was amazing! Where did everyone come from? I had no idea there were so many different creatures in the wood!"

    "We were not wholly in the woods during the dance, nor were we wholly in any other place. That was a time when many realms closely overlapped, and one could walk between them without effort. Some of the participants were indeed from the wood you know--there are many hidden places you have yet to see, and many inhabitants you have yet to meet. Others came from beyond. Like us, some used it to pass to other places, but most just came to enjoy the company. There are many such festivals, and they are always well attended."

    "I can''t wait to go to another one! A twig creature shared her drink with me, and a pig showed me how to sniff up truffles! And did I really dance with troll?!?"

    "You did. Quite well, at that."

    "It all seemed to pass in a blur, though." she lamented.

    "Yes, time can flow differently at such conjunctions. One must be careful, as well, not to wander the wrong way. Not all places beyond are as benign as our home, or indeed as the Night Market."

    "Are we going straight there? How far is it?"

    "We will camp for the night shortly. It will take a few hours walk in the morning, but it isn''t very far."

    Amelia suddenly felt the weariness from her wild evening and was glad they''d be stopping soon. She stifled a yawn.

    They walked for only a few more minutes before coming to a large flat-sided boulder flanked by large trees, and they stopped to set up camp. The rock would stop any wind from that side, and the trees provided good cover in case of any rain.

    Briar matted down the grass and weeds to make a comfortable mat to sleep on, and she and Amelia unrolled their blankets and got comfortable.

    Amelia was asleep as soon as she lay down.

    <hr>

    The morning came all too soon, and it was strange to wake up in a new place. She had slept in the overstuffed armchair for so many nights now, that she was disoriented to wake and not feel its embrace. It was also disconcerting to feel the chill of the morning air without the fire sprites to warm her toes.

    She yawned as she sat up. It looked like the others were still sleeping. Briar was just a lump inside her blanket against the rock, snoring gently. Lark was curled up with her head beneath her wing on top of the boulder, with both Fern and Whisper nestled under her other wing. It looked very cozy.

    Apparently, Briar had made a small fire after Amelia fell asleep. There was a protective ring of stones and a small mound of ashes, but the embers had long since gone cold. Very quietly, so as not to wake anyone, Amelia prowled around the nearby trees and scavenged dry branches and twigs. She even found a little brook just a few yards from their camp. By the time the others started to wake, she had a merry little fire going, and her kettle was just starting to perk. She was using her walking stick as a fire poker to get the coals close to the toasting bread propped up on a flat rock.

    "Breakfast time! Who wants tea?" she asked in the upbeat tones of a true morning person.

    "Mmrrph" grumbled the goblin, pulling the blanket closer about her head.

    Amelia retrieved the mugs from her pack. Several weeks ago she had asked Maisie to throw her a few tiny doll-sized mugs, and these were just the size to serve Lark, Whisper, and Fern. Briar used a full-sized mug, although the goblin had to grip it with both hands.

    After pouring the tea, she buttered the bread slices that she had toasted over the fire. They didn''t have plates, but nobody seemed to mind, using their bare hands or a flat stone on the ground for Lark and Whisper.

    Rested and breakfasted, Amelia poured the dregs of the tea onto the embers of the fire and scattered it carefully. She wiped off the mugs and kettle and stowed them in her pack, finally tying the rolled-up blankets ton the pack''s top.

    The stone fire ring was left. Lark had said they would probably stop here on the way back home, so no sense in disturbing it.

    "Ready to go!"

    There was a chorus of agreement from her party, and they ventured forth into the still-brightening morning.

    The woods they traveled through were considerably wilder than the wood back home. Amelia was glad she brought her bill and worked up a sweat cutting a path through the undergrowth. Of course, Lark, Whisper, and Fern had no problems, flying above where there were no obstructions. Briar seemed to have a way of avoiding the branches and snags that Amelia struggled with, much to the girl''s envy. Her jeans and hoodie had several small holes and rents by the time they emerged on a well-worn path, and her walking stick had long since been abandoned. It was more trouble than it was worth to carry.

    "This trail leads to the Night Market, which is very close. We should be there before long."

    "Will it be open yet, since it is so early?" asked Amelia.

    "While it is named the Night Market, it is always open. The name is just that, a name. Take no heed." Lark reassured.

    "Great! ''Cause I''m hoping they have something yummy to eat there! I brought beans and jam, but after the food last night, I''m hoping we can find something even better!"

    "Snacks! Snacks!" agreed Fern. Whisper glowed warmly in approval.

    "Just remember we are not here for entertainment. We must find aid for Alder. This is a serious task we undertake. Remember the strain our friend bears up under before you waste too much time."

    Amelia frowned at the thought. "Of course! I''m sorry, I don''t mean to forget Alder. It''s just that this is so new! And interesting! I''m sure we''ll find a way to help him."

    Lark nodded. "We will, caretaker, we will. And you should always enjoy the journey when you can, after all. We just must take care not to stray from our mission without good cause."

    They tramped for a few moments longer along the hard-packed dirt road; before coming upon a pair of trees entwined in an arch across the road. They were very old, and encrusted with moss. It was dark beneath them, so you couldn''t see what was beyond.

    "This is the entrance to the Night Market. Stay close, it will be crowded." said Lark, who landed on Briar''s shoulder.

    "Shopping! Shopping! Snacks! Snacks!" piped Fern. She zipped ahead through the arch, clapping and tumbling in the air with glee as she flew. Whisper started glowing her happy green and flew after the sprite, the two playing chase and shooting into the market in search of food. As if they hadn''t eaten more than their fill bare hours ago at the party.

    Much like the sudden appearance of the rollicking party the night before, the transition from quiet woodland to dense, bustling market was jarring. There were booths everywhere, as far as the eye could see. People and creatures of all shapes and sizes shopped and mingled. Over the various tents flew flags and banners, and there were strings of bunting and glowing globes crisscrossing the walkways between. It was similar in many ways to the Starlight Dance, just with less dancing and music.

    Amelia suddenly felt overwhelmed by the number of things to see. In addition to the booth and crowds, there were wandering entertainers, hawkers crying out wares, and tantalizing aromas wafting on the breeze.

    She stumbled along in a daze.

    "Look at that! Look over there! Ooh!" she cried out, pointing at various things. There was so much to see, she couldn''t even focus on one thing without being distracted by the next.

    "That booth has swords! Let''s go check it out!" she cried, careening past several shoppers to get to the counter.

    The proprietor was a tall ogre, dressed in savage-looking furs and leather. His look was somewhat spoiled by the battered brown pork pie hat and natty bow tie he was wearing.

    "''ee need summat sharp, miss? I got whats you need!" he said proudly, indicating the racks of weapons of all types.

    Amelia only had eyes for the swords and picked up a rapier. Its long, slender blade was at least four feet long, and the swept hilt was a marvel of metal basketwork. The sword was also considerably heavier than she thought it would be.

    "''ere now, missy, ''ee be careful. I keep ''een mighty sharp. Dinna want to lose aught, now!" rumbled the merchant as she took what she thought was a fearsome stance, extending the blade out slowly. She moved the point about a bit like she was looking for an opening to stab someone. It didn''t take long at all, though, before her wrist tired and the point sagged towards the ground.

    "Haw! Not easy izit? Needs practice" chuckled the ogre, but in a good-natured fashion.

    "Sorry! Yeah, that''s what everybody says. Do you think someone around here could give me lessons?"

    "''ee seen much fightin'', ''ave you miss?"

    "No, not really" she admitted. "It just seems like something you need in an adventure!"

    The ogre nodded with a grin. "''ee right, all the heroes want swords, but ''ere -- lemme show you summat else" he was a little hard to understand, between the deep rumbling voice and very odd accent, but the outstretched hand was pretty obvious. Amelia carefully handed the rapier over. The shop keep gave it a quick wipe down with a white cloth, then placed it back in the rack. He then turned to a taller rack, plucked a spear from it, and handed it to her.

    "''ats what ''ee want. Easy to use, gots reach. Can e''en frow it, iffen ''ee needs."

    The spear was taller than her head by at least a foot but was much lighter than the steel rapier had been. Holding it in both hands, it felt much more wieldy and nimble. She crouched down, and thrust out with the point, almost skewering a passerby.

    "Oy! Watch it! Watch it!" said the woman, an older lady loaded down with bags and parcels.

    "I''m so sorry! I didn''t mean to!" Amelia quickly handed the thing back to the ogre. All her friends'' warnings about weapons rang in her ears as she blushed. Luckily, no harm was done, and the woman moved on.

    "Iffin ''at ad been a woof, ''ee''d of done for er, right enuff!" huffed the ogre, clearly amused once he saw no blood had been shed. "''ee have the right o'' it, ''ee do. Come back, ''een change ''ee mind!" he called as Amelia moved away from the stall.

    She looked around as she left, and only then realized that she couldn''t see her friends. She actually hadn''t seen them in several minutes and had assumed they were close by as she gawped at the surroundings.

    "Uh oh. I hate being lost at the mall!" she grumbled.

 11. The Night Market

    "Where is Amelia?" asked Lark, having just looked back and not seeing the girl.

    Briar turned around but didn''t see her either.

    "Hmm. How unfortunate. Well, Whisper and Fern will watch out for her, so she should be fine."

    "Didn''t they fly ahead? Probably to gorge themselves, the little numpties ..."

    "How very unfortunate. I shall go and find her before she strays too far. We will meet you at the rainbow fountain as soon as we can. It is near the candy stalls, so Whisper and Fern will surely find their way there before long."

    The bird lifted off Briar''s shoulder and circled above the crowd, looking for the wayward caretaker. The goblin checked the ties on her pack and pouches were still snug, then moved off into the crowd towards the fountain on her own.

    <hr>

    Amelia wandered. She had initially tried to make her way back towards the entry arch, but quickly realized she had no idea which direction it was. She was taller than many in the surrounding crowds, but there were so many trees, tents, banners, and other obstacles that she couldn''t see very far.

    Eventually, she found herself in a darker section of the market. The customers seemed furtive, and many had hoods on or otherwise concealed their features. Unlike in other parts of the market, goods weren''t on open display, and most of the booths had curtains to shelter shoppers from unwanted attention.

    She realized she was drawing a lot of eyes. This obviously wasn''t a place for an ignorant young lady to be wandering around. Every idle shopkeeper watched her as she passed, and she was certain she was being followed. She kept looking behind her to see who it was, but never quite caught a good look. She thought it might be several people who were keeping spread out.

    She was so preoccupied trying to look in all directions, including behind herself, she didn''t realize she was being herded until the lane she was following came to a dead end. Two large, long stalls met at an angle, then ended in a sort of courtyard at their rear. Once she saw that, she turned around. Behind her were her pursuers.

    "Hello, dear. You look lost. Why don''t you let me and the boys help you find your way? For a small fee, of course!" the one in the lead said. He had a look on his face that he surely thought was endearing. Amelia shuddered.

    He was shorter than she was but considerably wider. He looked like a squat human, but taller than any of the dwarves she had danced with. Two short curved horns jutted from his brow, and his clothing looked very rough.

    There were several people behind him, although she couldn''t see them all clearly. One was tall and muscled, covered in hair that might be his own, or might not, she couldn''t tell. One looked like it might be a faun, but its legs were wrapped in cloth, and it had a robe that covered most of its body. Way in the back, at the mouth of the alley, a trio of grungy goblins stood watch.

    "No no, I''m fine, but thanks for the offer! I just need to meet my friends!"

    "No worry, dear. We''ll be your friends. It''ll still cost you!" the face was now clearly an unfriendly sneer, and the man pulled a baton from somewhere in his clothes and lightly tapped it against his off hand.

    Amelia sorely wished she had that spear. Or even the rapier. Or a big stick. But she did have something! She pulled the bill from her belt and held it before her in both hands and tried her best to look fierce.

    "Oh hoh! Watch out, lads, we got us a feisty one! She might prune something if we don''t have a care!" the leader laughed. The men behind him laughed as well, their voices a mixture of deep and booming, high-pitched, and everything in between.

    There was a flapping and rustling of feathers as a bird landed in front of Amelia, facing the thugs. At first, she thought it was Lark, but its feathers were differently colored, and she felt an ominous looming aura radiating from its tiny songbird body. As she had the night she took the potion, it looked for a split second like a hulking, fanged, and clawed presence lurked in the same space as the bird, as if she was seeing it out of the corner of her eye.

    "Beige!" she called, her voice quavering slightly. The bird waved at her with one wing, her left eye firmly watching the ruffians.

    The leader dropped his club, and there was the clank and rattle of other dropped weaponry from his followers. He started backing away with both his hands in the air, looking suddenly extremely pale. A dark patch suddenly appeared at the crotch of his dirty trousers and spread down his leg.

    "No trouble! No trouble! We were just trying to help! Didn''t know the girl was one of yours! Forgive us! We were just joking!" he gabbled as he frantically backpedaled. The bird just watched, eye still firmly fixed on him.

    Beige scratched her beak with the talon of one foot.

    "No no oh no no! Spare us! Please have mercy!" cried the leader, who turned and ran, pushing aside his minions as he fled the alley. The rest followed quickly after, blending into the crowd in the lane outside.

    "Huh. What was all that about?" wondered Amelia.

    The bird casually preened herself, while keeping an eye on the alley entrance, in case one of the men suddenly found his courage.

    "Sure is good to see you, buddy! I didn''t know you were coming, too! Sorry we left you and Blue behind! Is Blue around too?"

    Beige shrugged as if to indicate that Blue was around, just possibly not close. Then she started sauntering down the alley.

    "I told everybody I needed a sword! I told them!"

    Beige nudged an abandoned flail with a foot, looking back at Amelia.

    "Uh, that looks really heavy. And clumsy. I''d definitely hurt myself with that. Maybe we can find some pepper spray or something instead."

    Amelia followed the bird out into the lane, which was strangely emptier than it had been moments before. She could sense the shopkeepers watching the pair move down the street, but every single stall seemed to have closed at once for some reason.

    <hr>

    They wended their way back to more wholesome areas of the market. Amelia was surprised when the bird got her attention, then made a ''quiet'' motion and gestured towards herself, before taking wing and vanishing into the evening sky.

    "Where are you going? What''s wrong?"

    "Amelia! There you are" screeched the goblin, moments before glomping onto Amelia''s leg. They almost fell over, but Amelia squatted down and hugged the gardener.

    "Hi! Miss me?"

    "We were concerned you might find the donut stall and die a most sugary death, Caretaker." said Lark as the bird landed next to them. "Where have you been? And how did you come here?" the bird gestured towards the fountain nearby. Its multicolored water jets shot up ten feet into the air, before splashing down in the stone-lined pool at its base.

    Amelia remembered Beige''s gestures and guessed that she didn''t want the others to know she was here. Strange, but none of Amelia''s business.

    "Uh, I was just shopping. Look what I got!" she held up a bulging sack in one hand. "I got a perfume sprayer that really stings if you get it on your face. I thought it would be safer than a weapon. Just in case ... well, just in case, if I need to defend myself, you know?"

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    Lark could tell that Amelia was hiding something but was just happy the girl was well. "It smells like you purchased some snacks, as well. Did you save any trade goods for our mission, perchance?"

    "Actually, I got really good deals! All this for just a few of the [untranslatable] berries and a jar of jam! Oh, and a tin of beans. I got a cloak!" she gestured with the bag again, then turned around so they could see the rolled material strapped next to her blanket.

    "I see. Remarkable. It seems the hucksters and conmen had you to fear, not the other way around, as I had thought."

    The girl giggled. It had been amazing. One glance at the songbird accompanying her, and every merchant had fallen over themselves with politeness. She suspected there might be more to Beige than met the eye.

    "Have you seen Whisper or Fern? I hope they didn''t get lost or anything."

    <hr>

    "Stuffed! Stuffed! Sick! Sick!"

    Whisper agreed with the sprite. She was a pale purple and felt like exploding.

    It had been worth it, though. The pair had tried to sample everything on sweet lane, but they hadn''t gone through even a fraction of the fare before they had to admit defeat. Fern had paid using enchanted leaves, but the shopkeepers didn''t seem to mind. They were probably planning on passing them along to customers anyways, but who knew?

    "Friends? Friends?" piped the sprite, holding her distended belly.

    Whisper bobbled agreement, and the pair peeled themselves from the top of the barrel they had been sprawled on and floated off to find the others.

    <hr>

    "We need to speak to someone who lives in the goblin quarter. Unfortunately, you would find it uncomfortable, if not impossible, to make your way in that area. It is built for smaller frames than yours. So please stay here where we can find you. We should be back before many hours, and possibly Fern and Whisper will finish eating everything in the market eventually and find you."

    "Okay, I''ll stay here. It''s nice to sit. I''ve done a lot of walking today!" said Amelia. She was currently sitting on an upturned crate at a table. They were still near the rainbow fountain, and there was a section of tables and seats of varying sizes for clientele who patronized the food stalls there.

    "If for some reason you wander off, remember the rainbow fountain. You should be able to get directions from anyone if you need them."

    "Thanks! But stop fussing, I''ll be fine. Go do what you need to do!"

    Lark settled her feathers, then hopped onto Briar''s pack. It was too crowded to fly easily, especially if you were trying to stay together with someone who was stuck on the ground.

    "We will return as soon as we can. Hopefully with news on how to help Alder."

    "Good luck! Now go!" Amelia shooed the pair off.

    She was a little nervous to lose them again after getting lost earlier, but that had turned out okay. With thanks to Beige, of course. At least now she had a landmark to aim for if she needed it, so that was reassuring.

    While she waited, she sorted through her purchases. She hadn''t meant to do so much shopping, but it was kind of impossible not to in a place like this. She had showed each thing to Beige to get her approval before buying. Which was a good thing, had she known it, since several of the stalls would otherwise have been less than honest in their dealings. But under the bird''s watchful eye--and steely glare--she hadn''t been ripped off.

    The cloak was a very fetching bright blue and had a pretty hood that could be detached. The material was soft and warm, but very tough, and she had been assured that it was water-resistant. It wouldn''t replace her favorite hoodie, but that article of clothing was starting to look pretty ragged, especially after the trip here. It would be good to have something else to keep her warm and dry when she was out and about.

    There were several packets of snacks, of course. Some mixed nuts, a few pastries, and several candies in individual waxed paper twists. She forced herself to save them so she could share when everyone was back together later.

    Her favorite stall--aside from the ones that sold things to eat, of course--was a cramped little booth packed with jewelry. She had been shocked to find the proprietress was the lady she almost poked with the spear. The women seemed to hold no ill will, though, once Amelia offered to buy from her.

    She had found a dainty necklace perfect for Lark, made of a black brocade with silver wire trim. It would look wonderful against the bird''s tan and white plumage. She found an anklet for Briar -- it had bangles shaped like leaves and pretty silver bells on it. There was a minuscule tiara that would be perfect for Fern. Whisper was the one that proved impossible to shop for. Her body wasn''t shaped for jewelry. So Amelia stocked up on some toffee from another stall, which the wisp would probably like better, anyways.

    Just as she shoved all her loot back into the sack, she caught sight of the glowing wisp and sprite as they flopped down onto the table. Fern''s stomach was bulged almost obscenely, and the sprite looked pale. Whisper looked rather wobbly and moved slowly.

    "Hey! Good to see you guys! Want some candy?" Amelia offered a lemon jelly with a mischievous grin. Whisper flashed in warning, then melted into a miserable little puddle on the table. Fern held her hand to her mouth and made retching noises.

    "Wow! That is a first! This place really is magical!" proclaimed the girl.

    <hr>

    "That was informative, though not the answers I was hoping for." said Lark.

    She and Briar were heading back to the caf¨¦, having left the goblin warren. They had spent several hours in a bookstall that Briar was familiar with, browsing for any clues to the shadowy menace that had trapped Alder. The stall owner hadn''t been much help but had guided them to other booksellers once they determined he didn''t have what they needed. They had almost despaired of finding help when at last they struck gold.

    It was a book of old legends, itself practically falling apart, but one of the hand-drawn illustrations depicted a wreath of shadowy tentacles exactly like the one entwining Alder. They had purchased it on the spot, then found an empty nook to read through it. It wasn''t perfect, but it was more than they currently had to go on.

    They were both very pleased to find not just Amelia, but their two other wayward companions at the caf¨¦ table. Fern and Whisper had recovered slightly from their overindulgence but were still refusing the candy Amelia was tormenting them with.

    "We found something. A story that matches."

    "So you know how to save Alder? Yay!"

    "I would that that were true, Caretaker. We have found clues and a possible cause, but that is a long way from a solution. But we have hints on a path forward, which is more than we had this morning."

    "Great! What do we do now?"

    "We should leave and find a place to camp for the night. It is late if you had not noticed."

    Briar yawned hugely as if to emphasize the point, and Amelia stifled a sympathy yawn. Fern and Whisper were already curled up on the table sleeping.

    Amelia scooped up the two and tucked them in the kangaroo pocket of her hoodie. There were muffled protests, but they both seemed okay with their new location.

    "Are we camping in the market?"

    "No, that isn''t allowed. Unless you pay for a stall or other accommodations. We will find a place in the woods outside."

    "Cool! More adventure! Let''s go!"

    Despite the late hour, the market was still as crowded as ever, and it took some time to make their way back to the archway they had entered from. On the way, Lark informed Amelia that there were many other entrances, but that particular one was the closest to home, and it was good to take the familiar route. She was well aware of how easy it was to get lost in this place, so found no reason to disagree.

    Once past the arch formed by the pair of trees, the woods beyond felt unnaturally silent, although they had just become accustomed to the din of the busy marketplace. Like any forest, it had its share of noise. Chirping insects, wild things moving about in the brush, the swaying of trees and leaves in the breeze.

    They found a suitable spot to sleep a little way down the road from the arch. Several spots had been cleared for that purpose by someone, and there were even woven shelters of living tree boughs and bushes to keep them dry and shaded. Stone fire rings had cut wood piled next to them, and they could hear the tinkle of the stream nearby.

    There were numerous sites, but only one of them was occupied when the party arrived. Two dwarves and a goblin sat on the ground next to a crackling fire, and a large boar lay just at the edge of the firelight, next to a slightly smaller wolf.

    Those with hands waved as Amelia and her group arrived at one of the empty sites. Briar and Amelia dropped their heavy packs inside a shelter, then they walked closer to the group at the fire.

    "Ahoy-oy! Come get warm! There''s ale and bacon!" rumbled one of the dwarves, who rose as they approached.

    "Have you no sensitivity? I''m right here, you know!" said the boar, its voice deep and snuffly. It didn''t seem angry, though, more like it was teasing its companion.

    "I meant you, you knothead! We''re going to fry you up! Bacon for days! Num num!" replied the dwarf, poking the boar''s bristle-covered belly with his finger.

    "Try it, stubby. Try it." The boar rolled over onto his other side, unimpressed by the threat.

    "Hah! One day! But for now, we have real bacon, not tough gristle like you would be, you old trotter!" the dwarf said, snagging an iron frying pan from where it was sizzling in the coals.

    "I''m Amelia! This is Lark and that''s Briar" she said once the jesting had died down. She pointed to each in turn, then pointed to the lumps in her hoodie, just about navel height. "In here are Whisper and Fern. No, I didn''t eat them, they''re just sleeping off a binge and are a bit indisposed."

    "Hah! We''ve all been there! Right boys?" guffawed the other dwarf, and the group joined in.

    "I''m Tuuka, the one with the bacon is Tyni. The goblin is Picker, the wolf is called Domas, and the big lump of lard is Reginald. Grab a seat! I''m afraid we don''t have spare mugs, but we can share if you don''t mind drinking after these filthy buggers!"

    "Oh, we don''t mind! But I have mugs--be right back!" Amelia ran and grabbed her bag, then hurried back. This was much more lively than she thought their camp would be! Hurray!

 12. Friendship and Scholarship

    The smell of toasting bread and warming beans joined the sizzling sound and aroma of bacon. Amelia was with Tyni by the fire cooking, while Briar helped Tuuka fill (or refill) everyone''s mugs from a small keg. Reginald and Domas (the boar and the wolf) had wide bowls instead of mugs and had to lap at their ale instead of quaffing like the dwarves.

    Amelia sipped at her mug as she stirred the beans. It was bitter and strong, but very good--creamy and nutty.

    Tyni peered at the reddish sauce the beans were in. "What is that, lass?"

    "Beans! Beans on toast is my favorite, and I don''t really have much else to share."

    With her nodded permission, he dipped a spoon in and took a taste.

    "Oooh! Tomato sauce? Very nice! We only ever get sweet barbecue sauce. Tasty!" the dwarf smacked his lips. "That''ll go nicely with the bacon!" he enthused.

    Once the cooking was done, they dished out the meal. There weren''t enough plates to go around, but they made do by sharing. Reginald and Domas emptied one of their bowls of ale into the other (it was already mostly gone, anyways), then filled it with the beans, bacon, and toast.

    The only ones that didn''t join in the late-night feast were Fern and Whisper, still snoozing off their food coma in Amelia''s kangaroo pocket. She had to be careful not to squish them as she settled down with her own food.

    As they ate, Amelia realized she recognized the group -- at least, she recognized Reginald, although she hadn''t learned his name.

    "Reginald, didn''t we dance last night at the Starlight Dance?"

    The boar squinted at her, then scratched under his flat cap with a trotter, almost dislodging it. He peered at her again once his hat was back in place.

    "Why yes, miss! I believe we did! I recognize those shoes--don''t see those every day."

    Amelia glanced at her trainers. She didn''t think they were anywhere as memorable as a boar in a flat cap.

    "Were you all there? I don''t remember the rest of you guys."

    "We were! It was a rollicking party, wasn''t it? I think Domas and Picker are still feeling the effects!" Tyni nudged the wolf, who wuffed and snapped playfully at him. It looked haggard.

    The goblin waved from where he lay, having heard his name. He had downed his ale and food quickly, then laid back down near the fire, looking just as done in as Domas.

    "So you guys on your way home, then?"

    "Actually, we''re looking for work and thought we''d see if anyone needed help at the Night Market. No luck so far. We''ll give it another day or so, then move on."

    "What kind of work do you do, if you do not mind answering." asked Lark.

    "Not at all! Tuuka, Picker, and I are miners by trade, but we do whatever brings in money."

    "I''m a trader and peddler. That''s my wagon back there." Reginald said, waving vaguely towards the wagon.

    Amelia could just make out the silhouette of a small wagon, more of a wheelbarrow really. It had traces and a yoke on it sized for the boar to pull it.

    "And Domas is his hired muscle, for those that don''t want to pay." added Tyni.

    "Bodyguard, not muscle. Ditch digger." growled the wolf. He glared at the dwarf, but it was obvious they were just needling each other.

    "Bodyguard, huh? Is it dangerous around here? I had a ... well, I was worried we might need to fight, and I don''t know how." Amelia admitted, looking a little embarrassed.

    "Safe if you''re careful. Always dangerous for the unwary." the wolf replied, his voice much more pleasant than the rumbled growl he''d used with the dwarf.

    "And where are you lot headed?" Tuuka asked, looking from Amelia to Lark and Briar.

    "We''re on a quest! To save our friend!" announced Amelia happily.

    Briar and Lark exchanged glances. The idea of discretion was a foreign concept to the caretaker.

    "Quest? Intriguing? What are you questing for?" asked Reginald. The boar had a pleasant baritone voice, deeper than the wolf. He had a slight squeal when he said the word quest, which Amelia found endearing.

    "Our friend Alder--he''s an oak tree, by the way--was attacked by shadows! They''ve trapped him, and we''re going to free him!"

    "Oh my! Shadows? How strange!"

    Lark cleared her throat to get the companies'' attention.

    "We found a book that illustrates the situation. Although it does not say how to resolve it. Thank you, Briar! Yes, this plate here." She pointed with her beak at the illustration. Briar had brought the book out into the firelight so everyone could see.

    The hand-drawn illustration showed a lone tower, made of stone, wreathed in shadows exactly like the ones that enveloped Alder. The caption read ''The wrath of a Realm''.

    They crowded around to get a good look.

    Amelia stared at the image, the first time she''d seen it. It was disturbing, not least because she vividly remembered the chill and fear she''d felt when she approached the tendrils around Alder.

    "The story that goes with that picture is long, but the relevant part was that a Realm Seed was hidden in the base of that tower to keep the Seed safe. It awakened, and its tendrils demolished the tower and razed the land around it. I will not go into further detail. It is not a pleasant story."

    "Does it say the name of the realm?" asked Picker quietly. He had propped himself up on his elbow to see the image.

    "It was called Dunnwald, or the place of Dark Power. One I have never heard of, personally, but I am not well-informed on these things." replied Lark.

    "Dunnwald? I remember a story about that one, from when I was a sproutling. Horrible place. Dark Lord, bloodthirsty minions, abominations, the usual. They raided into every realm they could access. Nasty pieces of work. Then some group of adventurers knocked off the ruler and stole the seed. Probably just a story, but the crossing points to it closed years ago, and there haven''t been any raids since. The elders claim it''s been more peaceful the last few generations, but it was always better in the old days, according to them." the goblin shrugged.

    Briar nodded. "The elders of my clan say the same. ''Kids these days! No hardship! Never had to fight off the bandits! Never had to walk uphill both ways to get to the mines!''". She used a crotchety-sounding voice, mimicking the older goblins she knew. Picker chortled along with her.

    "Yes, Amelia?" asked Lark when she saw Amelia shyly raising her hand.

    "What''s a realm seed? Is it going to kill Alder like it broke that tower? And how high will it lift the hollow?"

    "''Raze'' means to destroy, not lift, in this situation. If something is not done, yes, it will likely kill Alder." she said sadly.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    "As for Realm Seeds, they are sometimes also called Hearts, or Eggs, or Cores. They are the nexus of power of a Realm. This is one of those subjects that is very complex, and difficult to describe in useful terms. I only know a few stories and what I read from this book, so again I must emphasize I am no expert on the matter."

    "Aye, not many know much about them. Most of us just accept that realms exist, and get on with life." added Tyni.

    "We know that Realm Seeds are controlled by someone they bond with. When that person dies, control passes to an heir. If the heir is not able to bond with the Seed, it will go dormant, and the realm collapses and becomes sealed off. How an heir is chosen, or how one bonds with a Seed is the subject of tales, but I suspect very few know for sure."

    "So if the realm collapses, what happens to everybody in it?" asked Amelia.

    "I do not know that, either. Perhaps some escape before the full collapse. Perhaps they are imprisoned, or perish." answered the bird.

    "So a world is about to pop open under my friend, and it might be filled with hungry monsters that have been locked up for a long time. Is that about right?"

    "I am afraid that is a reasonable summary of the situation, Caretaker. It does indeed look bleak."

    "What are we doing about it? Do we find some heroes and send them in to bump off the ruler and seal it back up again?"

    "A reasonable approach, except that the Realm has not yet formed. From the book, this type of Realm aggressively defends itself if it is awakened and senses danger. But it has not yet expanded from its Seed form. If we could get past its defenses and could find it, we could move it somewhere else. That would save Alder, but would not stop the Realm from opening, should it form a suitable bond."

    "Why would it feel threatened? I''ve never seen anything dangerous in the hollow."

    "You have many questions I cannot answer, Caretaker. I am an old bird and have long sung for the wood, but I no sage. I am sorry."

    "Don''t be! I didn''t mean to make you feel bad! I just hoped somebody knew something!"

    "Excuse me, but I might know someone who would." stated Reginald quietly.

    "You do! Who? Where are they? Let''s go talk to them!" Amelia leapt up.

    "Patience, caretaker! Let the boar speak, then we will decide what to do. This problem will not be solved by rash behaviour, or rushing off and getting lost." Lark said reproachfully.

    Amelia settled back down, blushing furiously.

    "One of my regulars is a teacher not too far from here. They might know something, or somebody who might. If you''d like, I can introduce you after I pick up my goods tomorrow."

    "Really! You would do that? Thank you!" Amelia threw her arms around the boar''s thick neck, pushing her face into his bristly fur.

    "Of course! The least I could do for a former dance partner." he huffed in embarrassment.

    "The fact that the news of a realm seed will sell quite well doesn''t hurt, either, does it, lard boy?" Domas added slyly.

    "Harrumph! But since I don''t know where these fine folks are from, I can''t sell too much information." the boar responded defensively.

    "We''re from ... actually, how do we describe where we''re from? Hearth Haven Hollow? Earth?"

    Briar buried her face in her hands at Amelia''s cluelessness.

    "No no, I''m sure I''ve never heard of those places, and could never sell that information." the boar responded.

    "Under the circumstances, Caretaker, you do not need to know. One of us can get you home, so do not worry."

    "Oh, right. Okay."

    "Sorry to break up the party, but I''m trying to sleep over here. Could we maybe call it a night?" grumped Domas. Picker grunted in agreement.

    "Right, right. Thanks for the beans and toast, it was good! Come back in the morning, and I''ll make coffee and boil up some oats if you want." said Tyni, rising to stoke the fire.

    "Sure! We''ll be here!" Amelia responded as she, Briar, and Lark headed back to their own encampment, toting their mugs and plates.

    <hr>

    After breakfast the next day, they said their goodbyes to the dwarves and goblin.

    "We''ll be hanging around here for a few more days, checking for work in the market. At least until we run out of ale or bacon. Then we''ll be off. Maybe check one of the farms around here, hope they need some labor." explained Tyni.

    "If you come back this way, feel free to drop by! We''d love to hear what you find out! Good luck!" said Tuuka.

    Picker just waved, disinterested.

    "Good luck finding work! Hopefully, we''ll see you on our way back, or some other time!" waved Amelia as they headed off.

    Reginald had hitched himself into his cart, and they trundled back along the road towards the market. Domas walked off to the side, the better to keep an eye out both ahead and behind.

    "I''ve got a load of tools and various trade items to pick up, then we can be off. Do any of you have stops to make?" asked the boar.

    Amelia glanced at Lark and Briar, who both shook their heads no.

    "Nope! We''re good! I did some shopping yesterday. But I''ll let you know if anything catches my eye and I need to stop."

    "Indeed you will, Caretaker. You will let us all know you are stopping, will you not?" Lark teased mildly.

    "I will, I will!"

    <hr>

    It was midmorning before they were out on the road heading away from the market. It had been just as crowded and frenetic as the day before, but Reginald knew right where he was going, and the crowd quickly made way for the wolf who moved in front of them. It didn''t take very long to pick up his wares, then they headed back the way they came.

    They walked for some distance along the road, the wheels of Reginald''s wagon squeaking loudly. He didn''t seem to mind the noise or the weight of the load he was pulling. He walked just as fast as he had when the wagon was empty earlier.

    The road passed through forest mostly, although a river and a valley as they went. There were several lanes that branched off, and at the third one, they turned left. The woods opened up into rolling fields, and they could see a handful of houses clustered together. There were people out farming, and as they approached, dogs barked. The farmers waved, recognizing Reginald and Domas.

    The school was on the far side of the village. As they passed through, the inhabitants variously ignored them or waved, but most seemed friendly. Several dogs came to sniff Domas warily, but he didn''t seem to mind, and soon a small pack followed after him. A few of the village children followed the procession as well, determined to see if anything fun was going on.

    The school turned out to be a large brick building, two-storied, with a veranda surrounding it. The doors and windows were open to the breeze since it was a sunny day.

    Reginald stopped outside the front door and dropped the wagon traces.

    "I''ll go speak to the clerk about the delivery, then I''ll go find my friend and introduce you. Domas, keep an eye on things -- don''t want any of these piglets helping themselves!" he winked as Domas play snapped at a young boy who had strayed close to the wagon.

    "I know my business. Do yours." responded the wolf, who settled down on his haunches near the rear of the wagon.

    Reginald returned shortly, a faun in robes following him. The faun had a piece of chalk tucked behind one of his pointy ears, and his robes were coated with chalk dust where he had been wiping his hands.

    "Lark, Briar, Amelia, this is Pola. Pola, my friends have a problem, and were hoping you could help."

    The faun bowed gracefully. "At your service! I''m between lessons right now, I have some time to talk. Depending on what you want to know, I might need to check my references, but let''s chat out here in the sun while we can." He sat down on a bench on the veranda and indicated they should join him.

    Amelia started to say something, but Briar trod on her foot quickly, and tilted her head toward Lark.

    "Oh, sorry, yeah, Lark, why don''t you ask?" she said. Briar rolled her eyes.

    "Thank you, Caretaker. Scholar Pola, thank you for your time. We believe a Realm Seed is awakening in our home. Our friend is trapped in its defenses, and we fear what will happen to him, and to us all should it bond and open. Do you know of such things?"

    "Oh my! A realm seed? Fascinating! I studied them as a hobby years ago, never expected to actually use the knowledge. What makes you think that''s what''s happening?"

    Briar dragged out the book, and Lark relayed the story, much as she had the previous evening.

    Pola looked at the picture and listened carefully as the bird spoke.

    "Yes, I think you''re right. I''ve seen other depictions of realm seeds defending themselves. Quite spectacular. Your friend--Alder, did you say?"

    "Yes. He is an oak tree, Guardian of the Wood. He has protected and guided us since before my forebears were hatched."

    "I see. I wonder, could he have been placed to contain the seed? I can''t believe a single oak, no matter how formidable, could achieve such a task."

    "He had many kindred, once. There was a glade ringed by his family, but he is the last left, now."

    "That explains things. I''ll bet you''ll find the seed right in the middle of that glade. Somebody probably buried it there, thinking it would be safe. Or just punting the problem off to a later generation. No offense meant."

    "None taken, Scholar."

    "Any idea what might have triggered it? It sounds like this thing has been dormant for a very long time if it was long enough for an oak to grow old guarding it. It would probably be some change to the environment, something new, or perhaps magic strange to the area. Or somebody digging in the glade?"

    Amelia raised her hand. Briar shook her head at that.

    "It happened a few weeks after I arrived in the hollow. My first or second day I did some digging in the glade to help clear it out. And the attack happened right after I made that potion by accident. The one that made me so tired from the magic. Remember, Lark?"

    "How could I possibly forget, Caretaker? We feared for your life after that stunt."

    "A new person, working magic? That could do it. Any chance you have some connection with the seed, Amelia?" asked the faun, who scooted to the edge of his seat, barely concealing his excitement. His right leg was jiggling with fidgety energy.

    "No, not really. Like I told Lark, I''m not even really related to Gran, she just was always a good family friend for as long as I can remember."

    "I disagree with your assessment, Amelia. I think you might indeed have more connection with the hollow than you believe. Whisper, the cottage, even the fact that you created such a powerful spell by accident. I cannot believe this is coincidence."

    A bell rang from the building behind them.

    "Oh no, I have to go give a lecture! Please hang around. I''ll check some of my references after class, and we can talk then."

    Pola quickly got up and bowed, backing into the building.

    "Please don''t leave! This is fascinating!" he called over his shoulder as he turned and ran towards his classroom.

 13. Core Knowledge

    "I think I have it!" exclaimed Pola.

    The faun was sitting on the floor of his office, in a nest of books and scrolls piled open and haphazardly around him. Most had scraps of paper or other markers to track sections of interest. His desk was so crammed with papers and other materials that the floor was the only space he had room to work. Lark was precariously perched on his shoulder to help in the search.

    Amelia leaned into the doorway from the hall where the group had been watching the frantic research occurring. Whisper had once again regained her favorite perch on her head, while Fern flitted around the office, having fun flapping the pages with the breeze of her flight past. Briar had wandered off after boredom set in, probably off in the school''s garden.

    "What''d you find?"

    He carefully stood up and balanced a large journal on the back of the chair. "This is the account of a traveling chronicler. He made note of an expedition into Dunnwald, which ended up closing it. One survivor, who barely escaped. They disappeared with both the seed and the surviving heir, a young infant boy. A few of the inhabitants also escaped, but no further reference is made."

    He stared at it for a bit, then sighed. "Well, it confirms the story you said the goblins told you, so that is something."

    "Does it have anything about how to stop whatever is happening to Alder?"

    "I''m afraid not, at least not specifically. If it is unbonded, removing any perceived threat should cause it to go dormant, but that doesn''t sound possible in your case." he shook his head.

    "However, I think I have an idea. You say you didn''t know it was there and must have been there for how long?"

    Lark thought hard, twitching her head from side to side as she tried to reckon the years.

    "Assuming Alder is a first-generation Guardian, planted at the time the Seed was hidden, then close to 300 years."

    "And all this time it didn''t wake. Until on or about the time Miss Amelia here arrived, correct?" the teacher continued.

    "I believe that to be correct. Although other things have changed as well since she arrived. Whisper, there, never used to hang about. That is very odd, for a wisp. And to befriend a human on first meeting is especially odd. " She gestured with her beak at Amelia''s head, where the wisp was dozing in a nest of her hair.

    "We bonded over candy. She loves toffee!" added Amelia helpfully.

    "Yes, I''m sure. You said other things as well?"

    Lark looked uncomfortable, then continued. "There is a cottage used by the caretakers of our wood. It is special. As Amelia has discovered, it reacts to the needs of the caretaker, able to change its shape, add rooms, modify its interior."

    "It keeps the fire stoked and oven warm without me having to add wood! And provides hot water when I need a bath!" Amelia enthused.

    "Really! Can you control it? Or does it just act helpfully?" the faun asked with real interest, setting aside the book and leaning close. "Does it speak with you? Or communicate in any way?"

    "Um, no, not really. Just sometimes I say it''d be nice to have something, and then it happens. Like when I mentioned a garden, and it transported Briar''s garden, and Briar, to the yard. But when I ask for a bag of money, it always ignores me."

    "Amazing! So its control extends beyond its walls, that is important. Briar, where was your ... oh, she''s gone. Where did she go?" he looked around, surprised the goblin wasn''t present.

    "She went for a walk about an hour or so ago. We kinda got bored watching you read, but I stayed since I know it''s important."

    "Ah, right. Got a little engrossed there. Sorry about that. Do either of you know where her garden was before it was moved?"

    "I do not recall a goblin garden in the hollow since before I was called to my duties. I never asked. She seemed happy with the location, and I chose not to pry."

    "Interesting. So not from your [Hearth Haven Hollow]. Very interesting."

    "What was that phrase? I didn''t quite catch that." asked Amelia.

    "The hollow. [Hearth Haven Hollow] is the area where realms overlap, so not quite one or another. There are many, of course, but he meant our home." Lark explained. When the bird said the words, it sounded like the song language Amelia had been struggling to learn. Even though it sounded different from how Pola pronounced it, Amelia knew it referred to the same concept, although she couldn''t explain why.

    "[Hearth Haven Hollow]? Like that?" she whistled the words carefully. Both bird and faun nodded.

    "Very good, Caretaker! I did not think you would be able to do that with your level of training. But that is not a name to say or share lightly. Think of it like the address of our home--not to be shared with just anyone."

    "How did you know it, Pola? We didn''t tell you?" she looked with suspicion at the faun.

    "The book recorded where the survivor travelled, too. It was just a guess on my part from there, since it connects with the mortal realm. Which is where I''d go to hide a seed. But we''ve strayed from my subject. I think the key to your problem is this ''cottage''."

    Both Amelia and Lark eyed him.

    "No, really! The way you describe it, how it can change reality around it, how it doesn''t obey the caretaker''s orders but helps her. I have a few questions, if I may?" He looked back and forth between Lark and Amelia.

    "Certainly. We might not be able to answer, but we will share what we may." responded the bird.

    "How would you describe the atmosphere of your hollow and the cottage? How does it feel? Is it dark and gloomy? Oppressive? Bright and sunny? Frightening? Inspiring?"

    "It wasn''t very nice when I got there. All overgrown and creepy. The cottage was trashed. I''d say dark and gloomy."

    "I agree, Caretaker. Every season the hollow grew more wild and forbidding. Until you arrived."

    "Oh ho! So it has changed under Amelia''s rule?" asked the faun.

    "Rule? I''m no ruler! I just cleaned it up, raked the leaves, cleared bushes, and stuff. Peon-type stuff." answered Amelia, indignantly.

    "No, Caretaker, you do not rule with your actions. However, like the best leaders, you act as a servant to your subjects. The hollow has brightened with your ministrations. It has become open and cared for. Before, it was wild, untamed, and uncivilized."

    "Interesting. So it responds to its ruler. Is there someone else, that does command it? Or has great power over the area?"

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    "Yes. The Great Guardian. The one Amelia refers to as her ''Gran''. She no longer lives in the hollow, but assigns a caretaker to look after it."

    "Okay, last question. Just to be sure. Have you noticed any strange behaviours or effects on people who visit? Say, unwanted aggression, or problems with memories, urge to stay or leave, anything like that?"

    Amelia thought for a moment but shook her head. "I felt afraid to leave the last time I tried, like something horrible would happen. Chills and everything. But I don''t remember forgetting anything if that helps."

    "The Caretaker is from the mortal realm, but she accepted the spirits of the forest, the wisp, and the peculiarities of the cottage without amazement or fear. I suspect that is an odd effect."

    "Right! It all adds up!" he danced a little jig, grinning from ear to ear. "The cottage is a realm, and this ''Gran'' is its bonded one! Of course! It all makes sense now!" he chortled.

    "Since Amelia is its caretaker, it helps her as it can, but she doesn''t have true control. And I''ll bet my left hoof that most if not all of [Hearth Haven Hollow] is part of its realm! Which is why the problem seed was left where it was. Not only was it guarded by the oaks, but also by the realm! My head spins!"

    Lark hopped from foot to foot, waving her wings. The faun''s glee was contagious. "Of course! How could I not see it!"

    Amelia frowned, confused.

    "The cottage is a realm? I thought the hollow was like a, whatcha call it, vestibule? Between home and faerie? I don''t get it."

    "Caretaker, it is simplicity itself. You are correct, the hollow is the overlap of two realms, but in addition, it has a third realm on top of it--the domain of the Great Guardian! And under all of those is hidden this new realm, which has finally burst from its bonds."

    "Okay, great. I know I''m dense, but how does that help us?"

    "The Guardian''s realm was likely placed to hide and restrain the seed in the first place. Over time, the seed has overcome its bonds, driving the area towards its own image. Your presence and actions as caretaker invigorated the hollow, and the seed reacted to that. A forceful attempt to break free. But you can request the cottage resume suppressing the seed and it''s defenses. You just have to ask!"

    "But what if it goes all tendrilly again after a while? Alder might be fine, but it withered everything else in the glade. I don''t want that to happen to the whole hollow!"

    "Once it''s controlled and dormant again, you can dig it up and relocate it somewhere else. I caution, though, that whoever buried it probably buried it deep."

    Amelia snapped her fingers. "And I just happen to know where some miners are hanging out, looking for work!"

    Lark nodded. "Excellent! Yes, caretaker, good thinking. We shall seek them out and return."

    The bird hopped from the faun''s shoulder to a pile of books on the desk, then executed a graceful curtsy with its wings.

    "I thank you, scholar! You have given us hope, and on behalf of the wood, I thank you!"

    Pola bowed in return. "My pleasure! What a delightful little puzzle! And to think, I had resigned myself to just grading this afternoon. You have saved me from true boredom!"

    <hr>

    After gathering Briar from where she was puttering around the village garden, they headed back towards the camping area outside the Night Market. Domas and Reginald had left earlier, as the boar had business to attend to. They had thanked him profusely for his help and promised each other they would meet again in the future.

    The way back was easy enough, and they had no problems finding their way without a guide. Up the lane from the village to the road, then right and follow the way until the campgrounds.

    Amelia enjoyed the scenery on the way back so much more, now that they had a plan to save Alder. It looked like the area around the hollow would look if it hadn''t been plowed under for farms and roads. There were a few planted fields they could see as they walked, but it was much less densely populated and felt wilder and more natural.

    She was also happy to see Fern and Whisper back to their old selves. The pair were back to chasing each other back and forth across the road, diving into bushes or crashing through the tree trunks. It was too much to hope that they had learned their lesson, but it was nice to see them mobile again.

    She was a little afraid the trio had found work or moved on, despite their earlier plans, but as they got closer she could smell wood smoke and bacon, and soon saw the waft of smoke from their campfire.

    "Bacon! Bacon! Ale! Ale" shrieked Fern as the sprite arrowed ahead, followed closely by her friend the glowing ball of gluttony.

    "Ahoy-oy! Sure, help yourselves!" she heard Tyni say and saw Fern flying up into the trees above, a strip of meat larger than herself dangling from her hands. A second rasher looked like it was flying on its own since Whisper was wearing it like a coat as she flew off with her booty.

    "Sorry about those two! They weren''t awake for lunch, and are trying to make up for it." Amelia said as they came in view of the campsite. It was just the two dwarves and the goblin, this time. Picker was sitting with Tuuka, recovered from his own excesses.

    "No problem, missy! Welcome! Good to see you! Did that old boar steer you true?" Tyni asked. He turned back to his cooking after having waved in.

    "He did! We think we know what to do, and it was so simple! And you guys can help!"

    All three of the miners perked up a bit at that.

    "We can, now, can we? How so?" asked Tuuka, the dwarf skeptical. "We don''t want any truck with shadowy tentacles, not really our forte, if you get me."

    "The Caretaker is right, if a bit abrupt. We believe we have a plan to deal with the danger, but we need to do a considerable amount of digging to finish the job. That is where we hope you could help us." explained Lark.

    "I see." The three miners exchanged glances, and Tyni looked uncomfortable.

    "We''re flattered you''d think to ask us, really, but ..." he started.

    "We can pay." stated the bird.

    "Oh! Well, in that case, we''re in! Sorry to have to ask, but a dwarf''s gotta eat. And drink!" that last added as he polished off the last of the ale in his cup.

    "And you can hang out with us for a while! We have lots of room, and we can feed you! I''ll buy all the bacon and beer the store has, and tell Sandy to order more. You can stay as long as you want!"

    "Yes, Caretaker, but we should deal with the problem first before inviting guests to stay long term. But they would be welcome, of course."

    "Yay!"

    Tuuka looked at Tyni, then to Picker. They all nodded, then smiled.

    "Deal! Should we head out now? Get a jump on things?"

    "It is a few hours walk back to the crossing point, and I will need to meditate and gather my strength to power the transfer. It is best we sleep here tonight and go in the morning."

    Tuuka lifted the small keg and started filling everyone''s mugs. "Let''s drink then! To Work!"

    "Huzzah!" cried Picker and Tyni, who clashed their wooden mugs together before taking huge gulps of the brew.

    <hr>

    After they woke in the morning and breakfasted, it was a brief walk back to the glade that they had left from. The way was easier since Amelia had hacked many of the big bushes and vines out of the way on the previous journey.

    She wasn''t sure exactly how Lark did it, but once they were all in the clearing, the bird broke into her song, really straining at each note and putting her all into it. Once the song was done, the bird had collapsed, and Amelia had scooped her up in worry. She was fine, but exhausted from the effort of moving the group between realms, even at this spot where they were still close together.

    "It is so much easier when they overlap, as they are during the festivals. It takes no effort at all, then." the bird panted as she recovered in Amelia''s arms. "I am not a fledgling anymore, to be doing multi-realm hops very often."

    Fern landed on Amelia''s arm next to the exhausted bird, peering at her worriedly. "Okay? Okay?"

    Lark patted the sprite with her wing.

    They headed to the cottage, passing Alder''s glade as they went. They could see no change--the stately old oak was still bound in shadow, and they all could feel the dread as they came close.

    "Well, isn''t that a thing? Maybe we should have discussed hazard pay ..." muttered Tuuka. Tyni punched him in the arm, shaking his head. Picker seemed to agree with Tuuka, looking a bit worried.

    "We would not ask you to endanger yourselves. We believe we can deal with them so they are not a danger, but we will find out soon." Lark said.

    The cottage was just the way they had left it, days before. A pleasant stream of smoke pooted out of the chimney welcomingly.

    Everyone except Briar dropped their bags and gear outside the cottage. The goblin couldn''t help herself and nipped into her garden to see that everything was fine. She left her baggage at her workbench before returning, having assured herself her lovelies were free from harm.

    It was crowded in the cottage with all of them. Whisper immediately took her place on the oven top, squishing down happily.

    Fern alit next to Whisper. "Ooh! Ooh! Warm! Warm!" She said in delight, flopping down on her back and kicking her legs in the air in delight.

    Amelia pushed the armchair over by the hassock so there was a bit more room to move around in.

    "I''m sorry it''s so tight in here! Barely room, but we''ll fit everybody in. Let me get the kettle on and make some tea. I think I left some scones here somewhere ..." Amelia said as she bustled about in the kitchen.

    "Snug little place, this! And that oven! Why, the feasts I could cook with that thing!" gushed Tyni as he followed her.

    "It''s great! I like baking bread and pastries in it. And pies! Check out the pantry, too!" Amelia opened the door to show it off.

    The dwarf whistled admiringly. "This living room seems larger than when we came in. I don''t remember there being a loveseat and sofa!"

    "Nice bedrooms, too!" came Tuuka''s voice, echoing from a short distance.

    "What? Sofa? Bedrooms?" Amelia turned around in surprise.

 14. The Cottage Grows on You

    The living room was indeed considerably larger now. A mismatched sofa and loveseat in paisley and plaid, respectively, formed an L in front of the fire. The armchair was off to one side, also angled to face the fire. All three seats were covered in throw pillows of various shapes and sizes. A plague of doilies covered almost every available surface.

    In the corner formed by the front wall and the wall with the fireplace, there was an arched doorway. Through the partially open door, she could just see a hallway.

    Picker looked at the hallway, to the front wall, then stepped out the front door. Moments later, he returned, mouth agape. He pointed from the new doorway to out front, speechless. There was nothing beyond the front wall from the outside, so the hallway shouldn''t be possible.

    "Yeah, I''m starting to get used to that. Lark says the cottage is just ''efficient'' with its space usage." she said as she peeked through the arch.

    The hallway was about twenty feet long, with two doors leading off of it on each side, and ending at another doorway. Tuuka was just stepping out of the far door on the left.

    "Soft looking bed! You guys weren''t kidding about having room!"

    "Umm, I guess not! I thought you''d have to camp in the yard, or see if Briar had space for you. But look! Bedrooms! Yay! What a good cottage!" she patted the wall affectionately.

    "Caretaker--while this is amazing as always, perhaps you could ask the cottage for help with Alder?"

    "Ooops! Of course! Sorry!"

    Amelia cleared her throat.

    "Oh wonderful cottage who is so cool and helpful! Would you squash those shadowy feeler things? Thanks!"

    "Caretaker, I suspect you might need to take a different tack with this request. Remember how I taught you? A formal request of this nature should be given in the language of magic, so no mistakes are made."

    "Oh, okay. Give me a moment, I need to warm up and think how to whistle this!"

    She grabbed a glass of water from the kitchen, then wiggled and pursed her lips, whistling a few bars.

    "Okay, here goes!"

    She planted her feet and leaned in, whistling with intent, as Lark had instructed her. Her lungs swelled and strained as she blew with all her might, contorting her face to make the sounds just right.

    The air grew hazy for a moment, and she felt the energy drain. Somehow she knew that the cottage understood her intent.

    [Request Received. Processing]

    Amelia wasn''t sure where those words came from, they seemed to appear in her head without hearing them.

    [Processing Complete. Suppression of foreign core activated.]

    "Wow! I think the cottage just spoke to me! And I think it worked!"

    She didn''t even wait for the others to follow, charging out of the door and running towards the grove.

    When she reached the glade, having virtually surfed down the slope from the house, the shadows were gone.

    "Salutations, Caretaker! Ahoom! I am free!" rumbled the deep voice of the oak.

    "Alder! You''re all right!" she yelled, glomping onto the gnarled trunk of the oak.

    "I am, young one, I am! I feel as if the very bark has been stripped from by wood, but I live. Do I have you to thank for freeing me?"

    "All of us! We all helped! And this is Picker, Tyni and Tuuka! They''re gonna dig up the old bad thing that did this to you so it''ll never happen again!" her voice was muffled as she pressed herself against the tree, but she waved back towards where everybody was standing at the edge of the glade.

    The shadowy arms were gone, but the glade was devastated. Only Alder had been spared its withering power, and even he had lost leaves and twigs. Some of his branches also were shriveled, and he looked older than his already prodigious years.

    "Dig up? Ahoom hoom! I think you need to explain things before we do anything rash like that!"

    <hr>

    The group settled in on the new seats in the living room as the fireplace modulated to a perfect heat. Amelia brewed a new pot of tea since they had left the old one steeping when they went to speak with Alder, so she had to toss it out.

    There were many sighs and other general sounds of comfort as they relaxed on the soft furniture, each in their own nest of pillows. Briar and Tyni sat next to each other on the loveseat, deep in conversation about herbs and their uses in cooking various meats. Picker and Tuuka sprawled out on the huge sofa until Amelia returned with the mugs of tea and a plate of biscuits she had found in one of the cupboards.

    "Ahhh!" she exclaimed as she sank down into the couch next to Tuuka, steaming mug of tea in one hand, custard cream in the other. Crunches and slurps joined the other noises of intense relaxation around the room.

    After finding that Alder was free from the shadow binding and generally okay, they had spent some time explaining the events of the last few days, and what they had found out about the realm seed he guarded.

    When they informed him of the plan to dig it up and move it, he had been concerned. He needed time to consider before assenting to the plan. So they had all bade him take his time, and retreated back to the cottage for a rest and a snack. All except Lark, who stayed to discuss the issue with him.

    Tuuka brushed crumbs from his long black beard. "This is a fine house you have, missy! Snug and warm, and magic to boot! How do you get it to change itself like that? That was amazing!"

    Amelia shrugged. "I really don''t know. I think out loud sometimes. It must hear what I need, or just figure it out by itself. I''ve never really tried communicating with it properly until the shadow thing just now. I swear it spoke to me, but I didn''t hear anything, the words just popped in my head."

    "That was some fancy whistling you did! Sounded like a songbird warbling more than any song I''m familiar with. Did that bird teach you?"

    She nodded. "Yeah, so I probably sound a bit like her. She''s a good teacher."

    "Anyone want to tour the garden with us? I need to do some watering and make sure the weeds haven''t taken over, and Tyni wanted to see some of my seasoning herbs--the more the merrier!" proclaimed Briar as she stood up and headed for the door, Tyni right behind her.

    "That reminds me! I need to go get supplies from the store so we have something to eat for dinner! Go check out the garden. Or pick a bedroom and get settled, or hang out or whatever, I''ll be back!" Amelia said.

    She went to grab her backpack from the door where it usually hung, before remembering it was still full from their trip.

    "Just gotta dump my stuff somewhere first ..." She hefted the bag and wandered down the new hallway, and on a whim went through the door at the very end. It opened onto a large circular room, at least thirty feet in diameter. The room was furnished as a workroom of some sort, with benches, cabinets, and tables around its circumference, and a fireplace against one wall. Amelia couldn''t identify most of the equipment she saw, but what little she did made her think this would be a great place to practice potion-making.

    On the far side was a staircase that curved to follow the arc of the wall. It led both down to a floor below and up to a floor above, with a short landing servicing this room.

    "Huh! Neat!" she headed up the stairs, which continued up at least another floor. She stopped, though, and emptied her bag on the bed on the second floor, dirty laundry and camping supplies spilling across its quilted duvet. There was a dark wood armoire that would be perfect for her stuff, once she got the chance to explore and do some sorting.

    Several vertical slit-shaped windows looked out from the room, and let light in. She peeked out and could see into the forest surrounding the yard.

    "D''oh! No time for sightseeing! Gotta get food!" she reminded herself and rushed back downstairs with the newly empty rucksack.

    To her surprise, Picker volunteered to go with her. The taciturn goblin had kept to himself since she had met him. She thought he was nice, just not very extroverted. She was happy to have him along, though, and waved to the others as they passed the garden on their way to the front gate.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    "We''ll be back with stuff for dinner! Don''t get too dirty over there!" she called. Briar waved in acknowledgment, then went back to pointing something out to the two dwarves.

    "It''s only a very short walk. Just to the gate and out onto the road, then a few minutes into the village."

    Picker nodded. "Convenient."

    The rest of the trip was uneventful, except for when the goblin stopped just outside the entrance gate of the woods, sniffing the air for a moment.

    "Realm boundary." he said, but didn''t elaborate.

    Sandy was happy to see Amelia, as always, but had a hard time remembering the goblin was there. She didn''t even say goodbye to the man as they left, uncharacteristically. Considering they had purchased every meat or meat-containing item the market carried, that was certainly odd.

    Luckily for Amelia, the miner, though only half her height, was many times stronger than she was. He carried the heavily laden rucksack with no complaint. She huffed and puffed with the bags of flour, salt, and other, lighter groceries.

    They were back to the cottage so quickly, in fact, that Briar was only just wrapping up her detailed tour of the garden. Tyni was loaded down with herbs and vegetables, headed towards the kitchen, just as they walked into the yard.

    "Hiya! We got food! Anyone ready for lunch?" Amelia called out.

    <hr>

    Groceries stored in the pantry, lunch eaten and cleaned up from, it was time to explore the new areas of the cottage. Briar had gone back to her chores, while the miners had each picked a bedroom and were busy relaxing--it had been an extremely long time since they had slept on actual beds, and they were beside themselves with joy.

    So it was up to Amelia, Whisper, and Fern to do the exploration. They started in the workroom that was at the ground level of the round tower. Every cupboard was peeked into, every device poked at. There were vats, vials, barrels, and racks of glassware. Shelves of jars with tidy paper labels that she couldn''t read. Drawers and cupboards of tools and apparatuses.

    Fern and Whisper found the assorted breakables a great place to play tag, much to Amelia''s consternation.

    "Please don''t break anything, you two! We could probably make candy in here, but not if you trash it!" She warned, coming up with a consequence the tiny barnstormers might actually care about.

    It was hard to categorize what this place was for since it had so much equipment one would use for all sorts of liquid handling.

    With a stroke of inspiration, she thought for a moment and whistled her question in the language Lark was teaching her.

    [Liquids Laboratory. Suitable for Alchemy, Brewing, Poison and Potion Making.]

    As before, the words appeared in her head without passing through her ears.

    "Huh. I''ll bet Briar will like that!" she said to Whisper, who bobbed in agreement.

    She leaned out the door into the hallway, and yelled, "HEY! We got a Brewery in here! Go tell Briar!".

    "Brewery? Let me see!" came the instant response, and moments later Tuuka burst through the door.

    "Spirits above! I''ll say you do!" he immediately started examining the equipment with interest.

    "You know anything about this stuff?

    "Aye! I trained as a spirit maker. Family business. I never thought I''d see the like again! This is a fine facility!"

    "Help yourself! I don''t know the first thing about this stuff, but the shelves are stocked, so have fun!"

    She went upstairs to continue exploring, leaving the dwarf cackling and rubbing his hands together with glee.

    In the bedroom upstairs, she wasn''t too surprised that the gear she had dumped on the bed had been cleaned and put away neatly in the armoire.

    The two rapscallions took the opportunity to use the bed as a trampoline, reaching considerable heights as they frolicked.

    Amelia watched for a few moments, lost in thought wondering how the cottage managed to clean up after her so well.

    D''oh! She could just ask!

    Her vocabulary was still pretty limited, and it took time to compose her question, but she finally whistled her request. It was getting a bit easier each time she tried.

    [Automatic Housekeeping: Active]

    Okay. That was an answer, but not exactly helpful. The cottage was as taciturn as Picker!

    She thought for a bit more but decided she didn''t need to know the details. But the implication of the cottage''s answer was intriguing, so she worked up and whistled another query.

    Her head was flooded with an extremely long list of terms, most of which made little to no sense. ''Status Update'' and ''Security Mode'' she got, but what the heck was ''Automatic Respawn'' or ''Random Floor Restock'' supposed to mean???

    But one in particular caught her attention, and she whistled a request to activate it.

    [Confirmed. Consumable Restock set to active.]

    She had just parsed the words when she heard surprised shouting from down below. She darted partly back down the staircase to see Tuuka peering up from the stairs to the basement.

    "What did you just do?!? This room was empty, and now it''s filled with barrels and bottles! Nearly shocked the beard right off my face!"

    "Awesome! Consumable Restock! And I''ll bet that''s Tyni yelling from the kitchen--if the cellar is full of barrels, I know what he''s excited about!" she said with a mischievous grin.

    "Missy, I don''t know what you''re up to, but I like it!"

    They dashed down the hallway to find Tyni gabbling at the pantry. In addition to the groceries she had just stocked and the remaining preserves and berries, it was packed with foodstuffs of all sorts. Strings of sausages hung from the ceiling next to ropes of garlic, onions, net bags of mushrooms, and several drying hams. The shelves were filled to groaning with canisters and sacks of flour, sugar, coffee, and other dry goods. The cold store was jammed with fresh meat and produce, and several stoneware jugs.

    Amelia snatched Whisper out of the air as the wisp tried to swan dive into a bin of toffees. She wasn''t fast enough to catch the wisp''s partner in crime as Fern wormed her way into a bag of sugar. The errant sprite was extracted via her toes, her eyes wide and jittering as she chewed, absolutely frosted in the stuff.

    "Hey! Remember just the other day? How bad you felt? Don''t you guys learn?" she scolded the two, who looked suitably chastened.

    "I''ve died and gone to heaven!" proclaimed Tyni. "How did this happen? I''m not complaining, mind you, but ..."

    "I, uh, turned on the Consumable Restock function. There are dozens of functions, but most are turned off. It''s kinda complex. But I took a gamble on this one, and it paid off!"

    Picker poked his head into the room and surveyed all the food. He sniffed derisively. "Coulda saved work if you planned ahead." he said sourly but caught Amelia''s eye and winked to show he was just joking.

    "You think it will refill as we use it?" asked Tyni, as he fondled a slab of bacon larger than he was.

    "I think so. I''ll have to spend some time trying to understand all this, but as long as the cottage has the energy, it should."

    Picker and the dwarves shared a look of understanding, then the goblin and Tuuka pointed at Tyni, who frowned.

    "Look, missy, you can trust us, but probably best not to tell anyone else about this. Particularly somebody like Reginald. He''s a good ol'' pig, but this place is valuable. Like, you have no idea. And without guards, I hate to think what would happen if the word got out ..." he said uncomfortably.

    "Oh, right! Security!" Amelia snapped her fingers. "There''s a security function!"

    She whistled.

    [Error. Lockdown -- Root access only. Active Security -- insufficient MP. Warning Mode -- enabled.]

    "Huh. I don''t know where the roots are, so I guess I can only set it to warn us. That''s something, I guess."

    "Sure missy, but still, don''t breathe a word of this, okay?"

    "I get it, Tyni. Besides, who would I tell?"

    <hr>

    After everyone settled down from the surprise, she headed back upstairs to continue exploring. The room above her new bedroom was a library, packed floor-to-ceiling with books. There was a reading nook inset into the wall with a large bay window overlooking the forest. The seat was well cushioned and had a convenient shelf nearby for beverages and snacks.

    The next room up was probably a guardroom. There were empty racks that could hold weapons and equipment, and quite a few bunk beds and lockers around the circumference. From there, a ladder and hatch led out to the top of the tower.

    Amelia emerged through the hatch and looked around. The tower was made of large stones cunningly joined together. Inside the walls were plastered and whitewashed so you couldn''t tell, but outside they were bare. She leaned through one of the crenelations at the top of the wall and stared straight down at the garden. With her head outside the tower, all she could see of it was the stones she was directly touching--other than that, it looked like empty air all the way down to the ground, at least fifty feet below.

    She quickly stepped back. That was definitely nausea-inducing, fear of heights or not!

    As she looked out over the hollow, she could tell that they were at a low point in the valley. Not the lowest--she could see the path of the creek through the gaps in the trees. However, because of the positioning, the rest of the forest looked like it stretched out to the horizon in all directions, instead of the few hundred feet she knew it to be. The whole area of the hollow was only a few dozen acres, after all, and all the surrounding land had been cleared for farming and civilization. But it was very relaxing seeing nature as far as the eye could perceive, and it was very quiet and peaceful. She''d have to see if the cottage could supply a telescope for stargazing in the evenings!

    After gazing out at the area for a while, she headed back down to the cellar. It was indeed filled with barrels and casks, as Tuuka had said. They were well provisioned for ale and wine, it looked like, not that Tuuka was at all dissuaded from making full use of the brewery. He was hard at work stirring a huge vat of something that was just starting to steam.

    She wandered from there into the kitchen, where Tyni was concocting several dishes for dinner. She offered to help, but he waved her off, stating he was enjoying himself, and she needn''t bother if she had other things to do.

    So she drifted out to the garden, where Briar was tying some vines up to support poles. The goblin greeted her and told her Picker had borrowed the fishing pole and gone off to the creek.

    "How''s the garden doing?" she asked as Briar worked, nimble fingers knotting twine.

    "Great! There must be something in the air here--the plants are growing like wildfire! I love it, but keeps me on my toes staying ahead of the weeds and such." replied the goblin, who was literally on her toes as she stretched to reach a particularly tall vine.

    Amelia watched her work, admiring the goblin''s facility with plants. She loved gardening when someone else guided her, but otherwise, she felt rather lost.

    "You know, I might be able to get the cottage to automatically remove the weeds and tend everything. I could ask."

    Briar frantically shook her head no. "Please don''t, Amelia! Even if it could, I love gardening. It''s how I relax and feel my place in the world. What would I do if that was gone?" she seemed horrified at the thought.

    "I''m sorry! I won''t, don''t worry! But if you need any help, please ask, okay?"

    The gardener nodded, mollified, and resumed her work.

    Feeling superfluous, Amelia found her way back to the library and curled up in the window nook. She stared out at the forest below her.

    Whisper drifted out of her hair and wafted down to her knee near the window as if also surveying the land.

    "It''s so pretty, isn''t it? It''s changed so fast, too! I was afraid I was going to be lonely at first, then I met you, which was great!" she stroked the glowing ball, who changed colors to her happiest green glow.

    "Now I know Lark and Alder, Briar, Picker, the dwarves, the people in the village. It certainly isn''t lonely! And the cottage! It was dirty and cramped, now look at it! Huge! And automated! I really need to work through all its options, but it''s so nice just to sit and veg out sometimes."

    Whisper vibrated in agreement, already starting to melt into a flat puddle with contentment from the attention.

    "I wonder what Alder and Lark are talking about. I can''t imagine he''d want that nasty tentacle thing near him if he doesn''t have to, especially since his family is all gone. That''s so sad to think about!" she sniffled a bit, vowing to visit him even more and give him extra hugs.

 15. Breaking New Ground

    They were draped across the seats in the living room, enjoying the glow of the fire and the feeling of (over)full bellies. Tyni had cooked up a storm in the kitchen, making excellent use of the newly stocked pantry and Briar''s garden. Amelia didn''t know what any of it was, but it was delicious.

    "You''ve outdone yourself, lad! Never thought I''d get tired of bacon and ale, but that filled a hole I didn''t know I had!" Tuuka rumbled, still picking bits from his beard.

    Tyni just reclined in the armchair, a blissful smile on his face. Amelia had given him the place of honor for all his hard work and was sprawled on the love seat with Briar, both feeling quite stuffed and drowsy.

    Lark had been with Alder all day, the two discussing what had happened and what to do about the seed. When she finally made an appearance while they had been eating, she looked exhausted and declined to join them. She had come by just to tell them that Alder had finally been convinced that the seed was no longer safe where it was. They had argued for hours, but the final, convincing argument was that even if he could contain it himself, he wasn''t getting any younger, and it was just a matter of time before it became a problem again.

    The group discussed the matter of the excavation, then Lark had left. She had duties for the wood she had neglected over the last few days, and couldn''t stay.

    It was perhaps the news that tomorrow would be a day of hard work that caused them all to dig in with such gusto. Putting away energy for another day, as Tyni had put it. Of course, the tasty food could also have been the cause. Tyni was a fine chef and seemed to truly enjoy seeing others fed and happy.

    "Wuf!" grunted Tuuka as he levered himself off the sofa eventually. "I need to go check the mash I started earlier. Brother Tyni isn''t the only cook around here! And after that, I think I''m for bed. I''ve been looking forward to that bed since I saw it!"

    There were general sounds of agreement as the rest of them dragged themselves to their feet to finish any last-minute chores before bedtime.

    Amelia briefly considered sleeping in the living room on the armchair, as she had been doing. It was really comfortable. But the cottage had gone to all the trouble of building her a whole tower with a gigantic bedroom, it seemed ungrateful not to take advantage of it.

    "''night everybody! ''night Whisper! ''night Fern!" she called, poking her head into the kitchen. The two candy-holics were curled up together on top of the stove. They didn''t answer, already passed out and dreaming.

    Briar headed out to sleep in her own bed, which was only across the yard. She waved and said her good nights, heading out into the cool night air.

    The night seemed to pass in a flash, everyone having slept immensely well. Their journey had been relatively short the day before, but it was the first time in a real bed for all except Briar in a considerable time, and the cottage beds were uncommonly comfortable. Each had a selection of pillows, from soft as a cloud to firm as a brick, silky smooth duvets and comforters. The rooms were dark and quiet, and muffled the sounds of other sleepers'' snores to perfection.

    Amelia only woke up when she did because she hadn''t drawn blinds on the slit windows in the room, and a beam of light managed to angle just right to shine on her face.

    "Hmrpmp! Harrrrrf!" she mumbled and yawned, waking up. She felt relaxed and refreshed, the aches and pains of the road gone. Her bed was particularly soft, and it took a little effort to pull herself out of the form-fitting divot she''d sunk into overnight.

    She was happy to see the usual ewer of steaming water, basin, and thick fluffy towels waiting for her on the armoire. She''d worried she would have to share the one that always appeared for her in the living room, but the cottage had obviously foreseen that issue.

    Laundry was going to be an issue eventually, though. Amelia had been handwashing her clothes periodically in the basin, but if there were going to be more people about, they''d need to sort that out soon.

    As she thought that, she wondered just how long the miners would stay. They had been hired to do a job, and it seemed likely they would finish that today. Amelia was happy to have them around, but couldn''t pay them other than with room and board. They were going to have to stretch to find enough tradable things to pay them as is. But that was a problem for later. She was sure Alder or Lark would have some ideas about that.

    Or maybe Gran? It suddenly occurred to her that they should let her know what had been going on. If Amelia had thought of it, she could have posted a letter when she and Picker walked into town. Oh, well, it was a short walk.

    After washing up, she headed up the staircase to the library above. There was a large desk in the center of the room, and she found everything she needed to write a letter there. It took longer than she thought it would to compose the letter, considering all that had happened and all she had met since coming to the cottage. It ended up being several pages long when she wrapped it up, her hand cramping and arm sore.

    "Whew! If only Gran did telephones, this would be so much easier!" she muttered to herself as she found an envelope and addressed it.

    The smell of something cooking wafted up the stairs, and she tidied up the desk before heading down the stairs with the letter in hand.

    "Morning missy! How did you sleep?" asked Tuuka, already puttering about the brewery. It smelled of wort, almost drowning out the bacon smell from the kitchen.

    "Wonderful! You?"

    "Like a baby! Sleeping in that bed did wonders for my back! I''m like a new dwarf! See?" he said, proudly doing toe touches and back arches. "No pain! Huzzah!"

    They followed the smell of cooking wafting from the kitchen. Tyni was stirring batter in a bowl, and Picker had been drafted to tend the bacon and sausages, which were sizzling in a truly enormous cast iron skillet Tyni had found in one of the cupboards.

    "Food''ll be ready soon! Pancakes, sausage, and bacon. Milk, berry juice, and ale to drink. Hope you guys woke up hungry!"

    "Bacon! Bacon!" chirped Fern, swooping above the pan and dodging the grease spatter nimbly.

    Despite the huge meal Amelia had eaten the evening before, her tummy rumbled loudly enough that Tyni grinned at her.

    "That''s my girl! Need a heap of food to dig, so make sure to eat up!"

    <hr>

    The miners had their own picks, shovels, and hard hats. They borrowed a wheelbarrow from Briar, and piled their equipment in it for the walk to the glade. Amelia loaded in her own shovel and a bucket. She had discovered a heavy canvas boiler suit in the armoire, along with leather work gloves. The heavy steel-toed work boots (just her size!) she found in the shed while she was getting the tools. She felt quite properly equipped for excavating.

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Tyni had also packed them all lunches and snacks, everything wrapped up in waxed paper and string. They had brought along a couple of the stoneware jugs (one full of milk, one full of ale) which they would keep cold in the creek while they worked.

    Despite the heavily laden barrow, they made it to the glade easily. Amelia had worked quite hard over the past few weeks clearing and leveling the paths through the wood, and her efforts paid off.

    It seemed a bit strange to see the clearing bathed in sunlight, Alder stretching up to warm his limbs. It had been so stressful having the whole area wrapped in writhing dark shadows that Amelia felt the image was burned into her mind.

    But the glade was free. All the grass and bushes had been shriveled to dust, however, except for Alder. Even that stately old oak had suffered, but he seemed to be largely okay.

    "Haroom! Good morning, Caretaker! Good morning new friends! A fine day, a fine day!" said the oak, his deep voice rumbling in their chests. "I''m sorry for my caution delaying your work, but Lark has convinced me that this must be done. I have to admit, being free of the duty is intriguing! I believe I''ll take a vacation, maybe travel a bit with my new free time." he said, a humorous glint in his eye.

    "Any time, big guy! We''ll save your spot for you!" laughed Amelia, running up to wrap her arms around the tree.

    "Oomph! Well, can''t get hugs like that if I go, so perhaps I''ll stay for a little longer. Besides, I''ve put down roots here, don''t you know. Hah!" chortled the guardian. Amelia could tell he was struggling to maintain good spirits. His bark was peeling in places, and several of his limbs were shriveled. She didn''t know if he was in pain, but he couldn''t be feeling his best, regardless.

    "So where do we dig for this thing?" she asked him. Better to get on with it and let him rest when they were done.

    "Humph. I don''t actually know. Until Lark explained the situation, I had no idea anything was hidden in this clearing. But it seems to me that the place to start is a couple of Amelia-sized paces from the pine tree over there to the north. The center of the clearing would have been about there before my kin slowly passed. As they went, one by one, the forest reclaimed the clearing and started filling it in. It used to be almost twice as large as it is now, years and years ago."

    Picker walked over towards the spot Alder described and was guided a bit by the oak until he stood in the correct place.

    "Humph! Right there, friend goblin. Close enough. You''ll probably have to dig a big hole, both wide and deep. But that should start you in the best spot."

    The goblin stuck a stake marked with an orange flag down at the spot, then used string and some more flagged stakes to mark out a large circular area.

    "We''ll start in the center, and make a bowl shape, going out as we go down. That way the sides won''t collapse on us, and it will be easier to get in and out. And haul the spoil out, of course." Tyni said, all business now that they were ready to start digging.

    Everybody snugged down their helmets, pulled on their gloves, and got to work. They took turns with one of the trio of miners standing off to the side resting, but also calling out directions for the ones digging so they kept an even excavation. They also alternated using a pick to loosen the soil, the shovel to load it into the barrow, or to haul off the dirt to the spoil heap.

    Amelia was glad of her weeks of maintenance work that had toughened up her muscles for this kind of thing. But the two dwarves and goblin were far fitter and more experienced and worked much faster. Still, she was able to help out, although the goblin-sized barrow was awkward for her to maneuver, being so low to the ground. It wasn''t long before her back ached from pushing it, so she opted to spend more time using the shovel she had brought.

    Their work soon attracted an audience. Amelia wasn''t sure if Lark had told the inhabitants of the wood, or else if the noise drew them, but soon the trees surrounding the clearing were packed with birds. Blue and Beige were bolder and flew right into the hole being dug to snap up some of the writhing earthworms that were exposed.

    "Hi, Beige! Hi, Blue! Good to see you guys! Miss me?" she waved to them, taking a brief break to lean on her shovel. It was a cool day, but she had already stripped off her hoodie, and her t-shirt was already soaked in sweat.

    Beige lifted her beak up in the air as she slurped down a juicy wriggler, then bobbed her head at Amelia. Blue waved with one wing, before continuing the hunt. A few other birds flew down and joined in the feast, but they tended to stay as far from the diggers as possible, choosing to scratch through the spoil heap. Beige and Blue got the best of the worms, though, nimbly dodging between the feet of the diggers and nabbing them fresh off the shovel.

    They dug until the sun was high overhead, then broke for lunch and some shade. Picker retrieved the ice-cold jugs from the stream, and they picnicked underneath Alder''s branches.

    They had made a good start, but it was hard going. There was a network of old roots that enmeshed the dirt, and they had to use a mattock Amelia hastily fetched from the shed to cut through them. They had worried about doing harm to the oak, but he was fairly far from the digging and assured them he would be fine. It did slow them down considerably, though. The pile of dirt had grown taller than the dwarves heads and sprawled far in all directions. But the hole was only a few feet deep at the center and stretched about 20 feet across.

    "This is gonna take forever" sighed Amelia.

    "Digging''s slow work, missy. Builds character, though! And muscle!" answered Tyni.

    She rubbed her aching shoulders and back. "I hope we find it soon. I don''t need much more character!"

    Tyni guffawed.

    They got back to work after letting their lunch settle. The digging got slightly easier as they got past the roots, but then they encountered the buried rocks. They varied in size from tiny to huge, and Amelia grew to dread the sound the picks and shovels made when they struck one.

    They labored for several more hours until the sun dropped below the edge of the trees and the shadows started to grow.

    "Enough for today, at least. Good work everybody!" announced Tuuka as he stretched and rubbed his arms. The hole had grown another foot or so deeper, and quite a bit wider, but they had yet to find any sign of anything buried. "With any luck, we can find it tomorrow, or maybe the day after. Unless it is really deep. Let''s hope not."

    They loaded up their tools, washed off much of their accumulated grime in the creek. Then they bade Alder a good evening and retired back to the cottage. They were all pleasantly surprised to find not pitchers of warm water, but half-tun tubs filled with steaming water instead. They all thanked the cottage as they soaked in their respective rooms and let their muscles loosen and relax.

    Amelia was toweling her hair dry as she made her way into the living room. She hadn''t had a bath in ages. She''d waded and sat in the creek a few times, but it just wasn''t the same as a big tub of hot water. She felt amazing, despite having done hard labor all day.

    Tyni had thoughtfully nipped out and put together a stew to simmer when they found the baths waiting for them, so by the time everybody emerged it was ready to eat. There was some crusty bread that was starting to go stale, so that got toasted up and went very well with the stew.

    "Phew! A few more days of this and I''ll be truly spoiled!" said Tuuka from his sprawl on the sofa. "It''s gonna be tough going back on the road from this, no word of a lie!"

    "Fat! Fat!" agreed Fern, stretched out on the arm of the sofa, rubbing her bloated belly.

    Picker grunted in agreement from where he was curled up on the other end of the couch, already nearly asleep.

    Amelia hesitated only for a minute. "You guys are welcome to stay around here for a while. I''m sure there are some projects that could use your know-how and muscle. I can ask Alder about it tomorrow, maybe he can think of some things."

    Picker sat up at that and looked meaningfully at Tuuka. Amelia took that as a good hint to let the two talk.

    "I''m gonna go bake some bread for tomorrow. You guys think about it. And even if you don''t want to stay for a long time, we''d love to have you as guests between jobs, if you needed a place to stay for a bit."

    "Missy, that is a fine offer. I don''t know about those two, but I''m sorely tempted!" said Tyni, who was puttering about in the kitchen. "But I have a wee one at home and a missus, and the rest of my family. I need to earn money for them, and the same is true for the other guys. We don''t have to rush off, though, mind. Maybe fatten ourselves up a bit for the road, while you''ll have us."

    "Sure thing! It''s nice to have company for a change! Well, company that doesn''t eat all my candy when I''m not looking, that is." she said with a faux glare at Whisper, warming herself in her usual spot.

    "Were you there all day? I didn''t see you when we left, or the whole time we were working. Afraid we''d make you help?" she teased. The wisp rolled over and reflattend itself, ignoring her needling.

    "You should join us tomorrow if you want any of that pie Tyni is putting together. That''s for workers only." she poked the wisp gently with her finger.

 16. An Unexpected Encounter

    They continued digging for three more days. The hole in the glade was truly enormous, as was the pile of dirt, roots, and rock they removed from it.

    There was no sign of anything ever having been buried here.

    Tuuka rested on his shovel as he surveyed the result of their efforts.

    "Well, missy, how much deeper do you want to go?"

    Amelia rested her pick on the ground, rubbing the small of her back with one hand. The center of the hole was at least ten feet deep. They had dug in a very shallow bowl shape, so even near the edges it was still four or five feet deep.

    "According to the story, the caretaker must''ve dug this. The others were a baby and somebody badly wounded. But I suppose somebody else could''ve helped." she looked around for a few moments. "But I really can''t see why they would''ve buried much deeper than this."

    Tyni nodded in agreement. He was currently working the barrow, waiting for Tuuka to fill it.

    "I don''t know what else to do, though! I talked with Alder and Lark, and we couldn''t think of a better place to look. Maybe we dig for the rest of today, and see how things go?"

    There was a clang of metal on stone. Picker had continued digging while the others spoke.

    "Aaaaghh! Another stone! Without the rocks, this would be so much easier!" grumped Amelia.

    The goblin patiently probed around the rock with his shovel, trying to find its dimensions. The small ones weren''t too bad to work out, but the big ones required group effort. They had already uncovered a few boulders large enough that they had to pull them out of the hole with ropes and levers, which took a long time.

    A few moments later, he whistled to get everyone''s attention.

    "Look." was all he said, pointing at where he had been working.

    This time it wasn''t a boulder, but a stone slab. Picker had managed to find one corner, and combined with the smooth surface of the top, it was obviously not just a rock.

    "Huzzah!" yelled Amelia, rushing over to help out. The others joined them.

    With all of them working together, it was only a matter of a few minutes before they had uncovered the entire slab. It was rectangular, roughly three feet wide and seven feet long. It was made of a very hard, dark grey stone, and extremely smooth.

    "This looks like a sarcophagus, actually," said Tuuka. "Did the story say anything about that?"

    "I don''t think so. I''ve only seen the pictures. There might have been a grave, though. So maybe?"

    Picker dug down along one side far enough to see that the lid was only about four inches thick and that the stone container it topped went considerably deeper into the ground.

    "That''s going to be extremely heavy. We''ll need proper tools to get that off--crowbars, hoist, lifting frame, the works!" said Tyni, staring at the stone lid.

    "Can''t we just wedge it to one side so we can peek in?" asked Amelia. She placed both hands on the edge of the slab and made to push.

    "Missy, that thing probably weighs the better part of a ton. No way you''re gonna shift that," said Tuuka, shaking his head.

    "It moved!" she gasped and kept pushing.

    Against all odds, the cover slid along its long axis, until it jammed against the dirt on the far side. It had only moved just over a foot, but they could see inside.

    "It was heavy, but slid very easily!" Amelia said, dusting her hands off.

    They all gathered around to peer in.

    "It''s only a foot deep? I don''t understand" she said.

    Tyni knelt down, trying to peer along the length of the inside, his head almost flat on the ground at the edge of the container.

    "Hah! It''s shallow at this end, but that''s because those are steps! This isn''t a sarcophagus, it''s an access stairway!" he said, scratching his head.

    "Ok, I was not expecting that! How on earth did that get here?" marveled Amelia.

    They spent a few minutes clearing the earth from the far end to allow the lid to slide all the way open. The stairs were the full width of the interior, about two and a half feet wide, and were very steep. They led into a tunnel that was too dark to see into.

    Tyni stopped Amelia from entering. "The air is probably bad, it''s been sealed up for a long time. Better to leave it ''till the morning. We''ll bring out lamps and helmets and explore properly."

    "He''s right. Air it out, come back prepared, that''s the way." agreed Tuuka. Picker nodded as well.

    "Okay, I guess you guys are right. I just want to get this seed thing away from Alder."

    With that decision made, they gathered their tools and equipment and headed back to the cottage. As the last few nights, there were steaming baths waiting for them when they got to their rooms.

    As they had finished early, Amelia walked into town and posted the letter to Gran she had written previously. She had almost forgotten it in the excitement to start digging. It had been left on the dresser in the living room since then.

    The trip into town didn''t take long. She was surprised, though, to see strangers there. Not that she knew very many of the townsfolk, but they all dressed similarly--hard-wearing farming gear, wool, flannel, and the like. The pair loitering outside the market stood out for their suits and fedoras, in addition to their dark glasses. The sedan they were leaning against also stood out--not too many of that type around the area, either.

    She was so surprised she almost decided to turn back, but couldn''t think of a good reason why. So she continued towards the market.

    "Evening!" she called to them as she opened the door. Both men bobbed their heads and fingered their hats politely, but didn''t say anything.

    "Hello dear! Those tourists still out there?" asked Sandy as the door closed behind Amelia. The apple-cheeked matron wiped her hands on her apron, dusty from cleaning shelves.

    "Yeah. Who are they? Don''t look like they''re from ''round here." Amelia asked. Not that she was from around here herself, but she had been accepted by Sandy, and that counted considerably in her favor with the townsfolk.

    "Dunno love! They showed up a few hours ago, said they were looking for some place called Toon Wall, or Doon Well, or some silly thing. Never heard of it, I says to ''em. They bought some snacks and sodas and were just waiting around. Not bothering anybody, but they give me the shivers, they do!" the shopkeeper confided, leaning close.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    "Huh! Me too! I couldn''t put my finger on it, but something seems does seem off with them!"

    Amelia peeked through the front window and saw that the men had moved so they could watch the front door of the market.

    "I''m kinda scared to go back out there. I know it''s silly, but I''m worried they might follow me back home. Isn''t that strange?"

    "Can''t be too careful these days, love! Good to be cautious. I''ll ring Monty and ask him to walk you home." Sandy said, reaching for the telephone.

    "That''s okay Sandy. I''m just being silly. I''ll be fine."

    "You should listen to your gut, deary! And mine''s telling me to not trust those two! Do us a favor and let Monty escort you. Would do him some good to get out, anyways."

    "Okay, I suppose."

    "Hello, sweetie! The big man about? Would you mind sending him over to our place? Those strangers are still out front, and I don''t want our Amelia walking home alone." Sandy said, then paused as she listened. "Thanks, dear! I''ll keep her here until he comes!"

    "He''ll be over shortly," Sandy said as she hung up.

    As she said that, there was a wordless shout from outside, and with a slam of doors, the car roared to life and tore off down the lane.

    "What in creation got into them two?" questioned Sandy as she and Amelia stepped out the front door, the dust from the quick departure still raining down.

    "Got me! Weird!" answered Amelia. Then she noticed the row of birds perched along the roof edge of the market. They all looked remarkably similar, but she recognized Beige and Blue sitting next to each other, right over the door. They both had a presence that marked them out from the others. Beige winked at her.

    A shiver ran down Amelia''s spine, and she suddenly felt a strong chill, even though it was a mild evening.

    "Now that''s something! Never seen so many birds out at once! Those men must have been feeding them or something!" said Sandy as she headed back inside.

    Amelia waved to her friends, then followed Sandy.

    "I almost forgot! I have a letter to mail. Can I leave it with you?"

    "Of course deary! I''ll put it in with mine for when the postman comes. Anything important?"

    "Not really, just an update on how things are going for my Gran," replied Amelia.

    "That''s sweet! Most people don''t write anymore these days! I''ll bet she''ll be tickled!"

    Amelia didn''t feel like explaining that letters were the only way to reach Gran, so she just agreed.

    "I guess since they''re gone, I''ll head back. I just needed to drop off the letter. Thanks!"

    "Don''t go, dear! Wait for Monty. I''d feel ever so much better if he escorted you, please! Here, chew on this while you wait." she pleaded, offering a thick piece of toffee as a bribe.

    "Well, if you put it that way ..." Amelia pulled the waxed paper off the sweet and popped it into her mouth. Sandy always had the best toffees. She wandered the shelves and chewed while she waited for the tinker to arrive.

    A few minutes later Monty opened the door and leaned in.

    "Everything all right, ladies? Some sort of trouble?"

    "It''s fine, Monty, fine. There were some tourists outside, and they got my suspicions up something fierce. Didn''t want our Amelia out on the road alone with them lurking around. They tore off in a hurry just a bit ago, but who knows what they''re up to."

    "Right, right. Alright, lass?"

    "Alright?" she responded, heading out and waving to Sandy. "Thanks for the toffee and seeing to the letter. Bye!"

    The walk back to the cottage was completely uneventful. Monty walked with his hands deep in his jacket pockets and whistled tunelessly. Amelia felt a bit foolish that the man had to go out of her way just because she got a bit uneasy but was glad of his company. She also noticed that Blue and Beige had followed them, and were roughly keeping pace as they went, flitting to trees in front of them then waiting for the pair to pass. It was good to have friends watching over her, she decided.

    "I best see you all the way to the door, or Sandy would never let me hear the end of it. It''s no trouble, lass. Good to stretch my legs. And I haven''t been up this way in years. Would love to see what you''ve done with the place!" he replied when she stopped at the gate.

    With that, they headed along the path towards the cottage. Monty complimented her on how well-maintained the path was. He was quite a bit taller than her, so he had to duck under tree branches, but otherwise it was an easy stroll.

    He whistled appreciatively as they emerged into the yard, seeing the well-tended lawn and garden.

    "Done right by the place, you have! Haven''t seen it since I were a lad, but looks amazing!" he said.

    "Thanks! Would you like to come in? I could show you around, and introduce you to some guests I have staying with me."

    "Thanks all the same, but I should be getting back. Wouldn''t want to intrude." he waved as he headed back up the path once he saw Amelia entering the cottage.

    "Thanks for walking me home! Say hi to Maisie for me!" she called after him.

    It was good to be back home. She couldn''t say why the two people she''d seen had bothered her so much. Maybe she was turning into a local! She grinned at the thought.

    As they had the last few nights, the miners had retired to their usual haunts. Tyni was puttering around in the kitchen, Tuuka was in the brewery, and Picker off fishing in the creek. The three had settled in instantly, and she didn''t look forwards to having the enlarged cottage all to herself when they moved on. Which would be soon, she thought, as she realized the task they''d been hired for was almost done.

    Which brought up a problem she''d been ignoring--namely, how to pay them. The three had done a tremendous amount of work in excavating down to where the seed hopefully was. Room and board was nice, but they surely deserved more than that. When she had offered to hire them, she thought it would be for just a few hours of digging, and had planned to give them some of the preserves and berries she had left. But that was hardly sufficient for the number of days they''d been laboring.

    She''d have to see if Lark or Alder had any ideas. Worst case, she''d load them up with food and booze from the cottage, although that felt like a cheat for some reason.

    <hr>

    The next morning, they set out to descend the stairs they had uncovered. The three miners had hard hats with lamps on the front, along with their shovels and pickaxes. They probably wouldn''t need to do any digging, but it was nice to have just in case. Briar had even decided to come along, and she had a large lantern on a pole she usually used for night gardening. She had a trowel in the tool loop of her boiler suit, "in case we find any underground fungus to sample".

    Amelia had a small torch, a head-mounted wisp, and a shoulder riding sprite for light, and had her shovel, also "just in case." And emergency candy in the cargo pockets of the boiler suit. Best to be prepared! She had strongly considered wearing her new cloak, but it seemed silly to take that for a short trip underground.

    Picker went first since they claimed he had the best sense of smell. He sniffed the air carefully as he went down the stairs, the rest following when he had given the all clear.

    Amelia hadn''t really known what to expect down here. The night before, they had theorized it would be a vault, built to protect the seed. Amelia was privately hoping there would be piles of treasure. Not just because she wanted to give something nice to her new friends, but because that just sounded so cool.

    The room they found themselves in was stone--walls, floor, and ceiling. It was maybe twenty feet square and eight feet high, the stairs coming down right in the center of the room. There was a doorway in the center of the western wall, with a passage that led beyond the reach of their lights.

    "A dungeon! Interesting! I haven''t heard of one of these in donkey''s years!" exclaimed Tuuka.

    Picker was sniffing the air again, with a slight frown on his face. He seemed puzzled as he snuffled each doorway, then returned and sampled the air near the stairs.

    "Something wrong?" asked Amelia.

    He shook his head no. "Realm boundary," he said, with the same flat tone as he had at the gate days early.

    The goblin then pointed to the ground by the bottom stair. Their footprints were clearly marked in the dust of the chamber, but there were some smudges that didn''t match any of their feet. The smudges seemed to head through the doorway and returned.

    Tyni followed Picker''s pointing and knelt down to examine the marks.

    "Somebody beat us to it! Looks like they''ve gone, though, by the tracks."

    Amelia felt chilled again. She hadn''t gotten any warnings from the cottage about intruders, but maybe it only worked in the building itself? She wasn''t sure. She was fairly certain they would have noticed anyone coming in along the trail since it passed right by the cottage. And Alder hadn''t mentioned anything about strangers, which he certainly would have.

    "Do you think it''s safe?" She asked, suddenly nervous.

    "Sure thing, missy. It aired out overnight, so that''d be fine. Doubt anything was living down here that could bother us, having been cooped up for hundreds of years. Just watch where you step, in case there''s any traps." replied Tuuka.

    "Traps? Like pits and darts and snakes?"

    "Just kidding! Nobody does that for real. Just in the stories. Way too much trouble--easier just to bury it up solid and forget about it. Less maintenance that way, too!" he grinned.

    "Oh, okay." Amelia sounded both relieved and a tiny bit disappointed at the answer.

    Despite the reassurances from Tuuka, Picker led the way cautiously. He crept along bent almost double, both sniffing and visually searching for anything suspicious. The rest followed along behind, with Briar''s lantern held up near the ceiling to give the most light for everyone.

    Amelia had always thought it funny how the old dungeon-crawling role-playing games had you move so slow when exploring. Now it made sense. Every shadow, crack, and web looked like a tripwire or some trap, and she was glad they were proceeding so carefully. She was also glad to be traveling with experienced miners, who knew how to spot potential danger.

    They had only gone a few dozen yards and were stopped as Tyni and Picker were examining a series of cracks. Amelia happened to look back the way they had come.

    "Uh, guys! Shouldn''t we be able to see daylight from the entrance still?"

 17. Trapped Below

    Try as they might, they couldn''t lift the lid at the entrance. It was a tight squeeze on the staircase, so at best two people could work at once. They tried using the picks and shovels as levers, but couldn''t get purchase on the smooth, hard surface.

    "Any idea who would do a thing like that, missy?" asked Tuuka as they rested on the staircase.

    "No! Everybody I''ve met here has been very nice and friendly!" she exclaimed.

    Briar looked uncomfortable, staring down at her feet while she tried to dig one toe into the stone floor.

    "Actually, there are some nasty characters that live here. Remember when Lark and I went to ask around about the shadows?" the goblin said.

    "Yeah, you guys said something about that. I''ve only seen birds and Alder, really. And Whisper, but she''s a sweety!" Amelia gently patted the wisp that was sleeping on her head.

    "Me? Me?"

    "Oh, yeah, you too! You''re also a sweetie!" Amelia patted the sprite gently on her head.

    Briar rolled her eyes. "Some of them look like birds. Or squirrels. Or other cute things. Those might be the most dangerous ones, ''cause they care enough to look innocent. The other ones don''t hide what they are, which is bad enough."

    "What kind of things we talking about, lass?" asked Tyni.

    "I couldn''t tell with many of them. They stayed in shadow or didn''t open their doors. A few were all muffled up in robes. But you could smell the dark on ''em. I know one was a shade, and I''m pretty certain one was a red cap." she shuddered.

    "The hollow isn''t that big! I''ve been over most of it, too! I didn''t see anything like that!" protested Amelia.

    "They didn''t want to be seen. And you probably didn''t truly want to see, did you? Ever felt afraid, maybe a chill you couldn''t explain? Did you search, or did you find an excuse to keep moving, say to an area in bright sunlight?"

    Amelia nodded as she remembered. "Yeah, I guess there were a few times like that. Huh."

    "That''s all terrifying, thanks for mentioning it. But at the moment we''re stuck down here, so why don''t we focus on that problem instead of what might be waiting for us if we get out?" asked Tyni, shivering.

    Tukka nodded. "There might be an exit somewhere else, although I doubt it. But maybe there was a trap, and that''s what closed it. If so, we might find the mechanism further in. Worth a shot. Not much alternative, honestly."

    With that, they regrouped and headed back down the passage again.

    They hadn''t gone far when the corridor opened into a small room, maybe ten feet on a side. On the opposite wall from where they entered was a closed stone door. In the center of the room was a pair of statues on a plinth. Each of the statues was of a child, clothed in rags. Their faces looked scared and a bit sad.

    Tuuka reached out and stopped Amelia from walking right up to the statues.

    "Missy, I might have been joking about the pit traps and darts, but we should probably be careful. Let me ''n Picker explore first before you go poking around."

    The goblin miner was already snuffling his way around the room, crouched down low and thoroughly examining every crack and seem. Tuuka joined him, circling in the opposite direction around the room.

    Once the two had finished their inspection, they waved the rest in.

    "Looks safe enough. No sign of any traps, or any way to open that door, either," said Tuuka.

    Amelia went straight to the statues and knelt down in front of them, so her head was about the same level as the statues'' heads.

    "They look so scared and sad! Why would anyone make something so depressing?" she asked, leaning close. The sculptor had even carved teardrops on their cheeks.

    "Sad! Sad!" echoed Fern, who flew up close to one of the faces and peered at it. The sprite was careful not to touch, though.

    Picker inspected the statue as intensely as he had inspected the room but indicated there was nothing special about them.

    Tyni and Tuuka examined the closed door, trying to see if there was a hidden mechanism or some other way to get it to open. Briar stood between them and the statue, so her lantern light would help them see any crevices or irregularities in the stone.

    Amelia wandered around the bare room once, then found herself kneeling back in front of the statues. The little faces tugged at her heart, and she couldn''t bear ignoring them.

    "I know you aren''t real, but I want to cheer you up somehow!" she said quietly.

    "What was that, Caretaker?"

    "Oh, nothing, Briar. I was just thinking out loud, don''t mind me."

    "Candy? Candy?"

    "Hmm, good suggestion, but I don''t think they can eat it. Which is a reason to be sad, but I don''t think that''s the problem."

    Fern shrugged at the response. Amelia ignored the possibility the sprite was asking for candy for herself. She and Whisper were bottomless pits for the stuff.

    The goblin turned back to watch the work on the door.

    The longer Amelia stared at the figures, the more her heart tugged at her. Finally, unable to take it any longer, she leaned forwards and wrapped her arms around both figures, so that their heads were against her shoulders and her hands patted their backs.

    "I wish I could make you happy!" she whispered.

    There was a click as the two statues moved a tiny amount towards each other as they were hugged.

    The sound was loud, and everyone jumped. Especially Picker, who was just poking a slight bump in the paving in front of the door.

    Amelia reflexively gripped the statues tighter, as if to protect them.

    The closed door slid backwards about an inch, then swung open, revealing a hallway beyond.

    The two dwarves and two goblins turned to stare at the human still hugging the statues.

    "Okay, wouldn''t have thought of that. Really foolish thing to do, Caretaker. Good thing it was the right thing!" said Briar, smiling at Amelia.

    "They just looked so sad! I couldn''t take it anymore!" she said as she let go of the statues and stood up. Strangely, the two faces now had happy smiles on them.

    "Huh! Look at that!" she pointed, proud of her actions. "I cheered them up! Yay!"

    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    "No tracks" muttered Picker, which drew their attention from Amelia. The goblin pointed at the floor of the corridor beyond the newly opened door. It was as dusty as the rest of the floors had been, but as he indicated, there were no smudges like they had seen previously.

    "Aha! Our unknown trespasser didn''t get this far. Probably forgot to bring a fool with him, like we did!" Tyni winked at Amelia to show he was only teasing her.

    The hallway was just as short as the previous one and ended in a room identical to the last except for one detail. Instead of a pair of statues, there was a pile of rubbish in front of the closed door. At least, on first inspection, that was what it looked like. As Picker cautiously stuck his head into the room to start sniffing, the pile moved.

    Picker leapt backwards, colliding with Tyni and Amelia, who were right behind them. They only just managed to avoid toppling over.

    After they got their balance back, the pile had stood up. It was a nearly skeletal human, draped in the tatters of a very old robe, now rotted and nearly gone to dust. There was flesh on the body, but so old and desiccated it looked more like a mummy than a living creature. The skin of its face was shriveled and wrinkled, but the eyes were piercing and clear. It grimaced in an expression that might have been the forgotten memory of a smile. The teeth shown were long and triangular, coming to sharp points, much like a piranha''s.

    "Hello, sweetlings! Welcome to my home. It''s been soooo long since I had company! Come, chat with me!" the figure said, her voice rough and quavering from long disuse. It was otherwise the voice of an elderly woman and sounded out of place emerging from the horrid face.

    Briar pulled Amelia down and hissed in her ear. "Whsst! That''s a hag, no mistake! DO NOT HUG HER!"

    "Bad! Bad!" said Fern, hiding herself behind Amelia''s back with just her tiny head peeking over the shoulder to see.

    "No secrets and whispering little precious ones! Come, sit with your aunty for a while, keep her company. It has been sooo long!" the hag tilted its head oddly from side to side, still straining to hold its ''smile''.

    "Salutations, my lady!" greeted Tuuka, still from the hallway. He bowed deeply. "We are sorry to intrude and wish only to pass through. Would that be allowed?"

    "Pass through? Pass through?" screeched the crone. "My charge is ''None to breach the portal while I have will to bite, or my soul destroyed that very night!''." She suddenly snapped her jaws as she thrust her head forwards. SNAP! Went her jagged and sharp teeth. They all jumped.

    "So no, you may not pass through. Perhaps instead, you could stay for a ..." she paused as she licked her lips grotesquely with an extremely long, green-tinged tongue. Saliva dripped down onto the floor in long strings. "... snack?"

    "Oh! A snack would be good! Breakfast was a couple hours ago. We should take a break, right guys?" perked Amelia.

    Briar and Tyni both tried to shush the girl, but it was too late.

    "Good, good! Come closer! Join me! Did you bring me something ..." again the terrible, nearly lascivious lick, "... something chewy? Something luscious?" said the hag, and made a slurping sound. Her head tilted awkwardly to one side, and she lifted her bony hands in front of her, showing the talons her fingers were tipped with.

    "Do you like toffee? I still have a few of the green apple ones. They''re mine and Whisper''s favorites, but of course we''d share. Here, have this one!" Amelia said as she strode into the room, heedless of the frantic gestures from her friends behind her. She pulled one of the large candies she''d gotten from Sandy from her cargo pocket and handed it to the hag.

    The ghastly woman cocked her head back the other way as she stared incredulously at the caretaker. Her prey rarely just walked up to it. But then her nose twitched, and she sniffed the wax-paper-wrapped bundle in Amelia''s outstretched hand.

    "What''s this? It smells sweet! It smells of fruit!" she delicately plucked the object using two needle-sharp talons like pincers, twisting and turning it in front of her as she eyed it.

    "They''re really good!" Amelia took out two more from her pocket. With practiced ease, she removed the wrapper, then with considerably more effort tore the sweet in half. These she gave to Whisper (on her head) and Fern (still peeking over her shoulder). She opened and popped the last one in her own mouth.

    The hag watched the scene, tilting her head from one side to the other, and as the two devoured the snack, her tongue wriggled out of her mouth, dripping saliva in a steady stream. With a quick movement, she put the whole candy in her mouth, wrapper and all, and bit down viciously.

    It looked for a few moments that she was struggling to separate her teeth again, and her jaw sort of wiggled around a bit.

    "Mmmmphh!" she moaned, closing one eye. "Mmmmmmph!" Then her cheeks dented in as she instead sucked on the sweet. Her neck rolled, one knee lifted in a strange kick. Her back arched and her hands writhed in front of her.

    "Mmmph!" she moaned again, and her shoulders slumped down as she relaxed. The rictus her face had been held in relaxed into a real smile, and the hag gave a full-body shiver. They could hear slurping and sucking sounds.

    Over the sounds of delectation was a loud CRACK!, and the door behind the hag opened. She looked at it in shock, then her smile got even bigger. Her eyes glinted momentarily as she waved her taloned fingers in an intricate pattern, then she dissolved in a plume of smoke that wafted up and out through the cracks in the stones of the roof above.

    "Bugger me sideways! Now I''ve seen everything muttered Tyni, his mouth agape.

    They quickly moved through the door before anything else appeared, or the hag decided to return.

    "Was that a magic pill or something?" asked Tuuka as they huddled on the other side.

    "No. It''s just really good. And really sticky!" Amelia answered through closed teeth. She was trying to dissolve her own bite of candy so she could open her mouth again. The toffee had gotten even more glue-like, as it was a little stale.

    "''While I have will to bite''. Hah! Bet whoever put that thing here to guard never counted on our candy monger here!" chortled Briar.

    "Whoever it was must be really mean, locking that lady up for so long. How is she still even alive?" asked Amelia, some of her words hard to understand as she worked the toffee off her teeth.

    "Hags are immortal, missy. And extremely dangerous. That one must have been bored to tears to try to toy with us so. We''re lucky she didn''t eat us the moment she sensed us." Tyni said. Tuuka and Picker nodded vehemently in agreement. "And unless I miss my guess, we just freed that one. Hope it doesn''t come back to bite us in the, uh, future."

    "This place is a lot more dangerous than we were expecting. We thought it would just be a pit, maybe caved in. Not a horror show like that!" Tuuka added.

    "I''m sorry! I had no idea either! Hopefully, that was the worst of it, though!" said Amelia, optimistically.

    <hr>

    They continued on, and shortly came to yet another room. Although not exactly a room, it was more of a cavern. Everything before was obviously artificially made, with right angles and stone-masonry. This room, by contrast, was all jagged edges and water-smoothed curves. It was hard to see how large it actually was, since none of their lights could see either the far wall or the ceiling.

    The other thing that stood out about it was that there were mushrooms growing on almost every surface that could be seen. Every size, shape, color, and texture could be observed.

    "Amazing!" exclaimed Briar, her trowel already in her hand.

    Whisper and Fern zipped forwards and started playing their game of tag around the fungi. Their wake caused a rainbow of spores to waft up, just visible in the light.

    "Oh no! Don''t breathe that!" shouted the gardener, quickly covering her mouth and nose with her sleeve. She turned to make sure her companions did the same, but it was already too late.

    Picker was moving forward and reaching for one of the mushroom caps, intent on eating it.

    "Stop! Don''t!" she called, her voice muffled. She ran forward and bodily slammed into the other goblin, knocking him away from his chosen target. "Help me grab him! But don''t breathe the spores!" she called as she tried to block his path.

    Tuuka rushed forward to help her, and together they managed to restrain the hallucinating goblin. Both dwarves had tied thick bandannas over their noses and mouths as soon as Briar had called out. They had all seen similar dangerous plant species before, but poor Picker''s nose was so sensitive, he was affected before he had time to react.

    Amelia, unfortunately, was neither as prepared as the miners, nor as quick to react as Briar, and had taken a good whiff of the spores. Tyni was currently sitting on her to keep her from trying to eat all the mushrooms in sight.

    Since they didn''t have any spare bandannas, Briar cut off a big swath of her trouser leg to use as mask material. It was awkward, as she had to work one-handed, keeping her sleeve covering her face the whole time. But eventually, she had one for herself and then could use both hands to fashion a mask for Amelia. Tuuka managed to wrestle Picker''s own bandana onto the goblin, although it took some effort.

    Seeing all the commotion, Whisper and Fern flew over to the group, the pair coated entirely in spores, though they seemed unaffected by them.

    "Clean yourselves off! That stuff is dangerous!" called Briar, gesturing to Fern to wipe them both down.

    "Clean! Clean!" the sprite agreed and started running her tiny hands over herself, puffing spores everywhere.

    Whisper did a complicated shimmy and shake, and the spores all fell from her surface into a pile beneath her.

    "We need to get them away from the mushrooms! I recognize these--a good whiff of their spores and you want to eat them, but they are not the good kind of mushrooms!"

    "What happens if you eat them, miss?" asked Tyni.

    "If you''re lucky, you die, a horrible, painful death. If not ..." she broke off, as they heard a rustle coming through the mushrooms.

    "... you turn into one of those!" she pointed.

    Emerging from the fungus was something that must once have been a wolf or a large dog, but was now a monstrosity. Its skin had fungal blooms emerging all over, so it looked like a walking coral. Its face was dominated by two huge mushroom caps that vaguely resembled eyes. Its teeth, however, seemed perfectly functional and sharp, unfortunately.

 18. Core Bonding

    "Don''t look now, miss, but there''s more of them," announced Tuuka, gesturing with his bearded chin. His hands were occupied restraining Picker, the goblin writhing under him and trying to get to the mushrooms.

    Briar glanced in the direction he indicated. Indeed, there were several more of the creatures. It was hard to be sure how many, as they blended in extremely well with the surrounding fungal growths. Not surprising, since that was essentially what they were--shroom-powered skeletons, more-or-less.

    "Any ideas, anybody?" asked Tyni, from his position holding down Amelia, who was also under the spore''s spell.

    "Mushrooms generally prefer the dark. Maybe they won''t want to come too close if we keep our lights on them," replied Briar. She planted her pole firmly in the dirt of the cavern floor so it would stand on its own, keeping the lantern hanging from it in a position to illuminate them all. The wolf-zombie hadn''t come any closer, but it also hadn''t left yet. She couldn''t tell if it was looking at them, or sensing them in some unknown other fashion, but it certainly appeared to be observing them.

    "Fire? Fire?" piped Fern from above, as she flew higher up to get a better view.

    "That would work if we don''t roast or smoke ourselves out. Good non-candy related thinking, though!" the gardener called to the sprite.

    "I''ve got some, ah, medicinal spirits on me, miss. We could soak a rag and light it. It would burn clean, very little smoke. Might be enough to drive them back. For a short while."

    Tyni winced at the suggestion. It was a difficult choice when it came to possible death versus wasted good booze.

    Briar looked between the two dwarves, then over at the fungus-animated skeleton of the wolf. It was still observing them peacefully if one ignored the bared teeth. Of course, it didn''t have lips, so it couldn''t help but bare its fangs, come to think of it.

    A thought suddenly struck her.

    "You know, the last two rooms had peaceful solutions. Amelia hugged the statues, which opened the door. Then she willingly gave food to a hag, which caused it to not want to bite. I think that''s a pattern here."

    "Good thinking! These types of places usually follow some logic. Too bad our fool here is out of it! She''d stumble on the answer in no time." he winked at Amelia, who was slowly starting to settle down from her spore-induced thrashing.

    Briar watched as Whisper drifted across the room, barely clearing the mushrooms below her, but this time at a slow, leisurely pace, unlike the breakneck dash earlier that had raised the spores. The wisp had even dimmed down her glow, to a low, soothing blue that barely illuminated the surrounding area.

    The goblin smacked herself on the forehead.

    "That''s it! Time to think like a gardener! Mushrooms like the dark, and don''t want to be disturbed. If we move slowly, don''t touch anything, and dim our lights, we can make it through."

    "You sure about that, miss? We''re not gonna just die in the dark?" asked Tuuka.

    "As certain as I can be!" she replied, reaching up to dim her lantern to its lowest setting. The dim light was now not even as bright as a candle, and barely even lit the ground at the base of the pole.

    The two dwarves glanced at each other, then Tuuka pulled a flask from his pocket and took a long swig. Then passed the flask to Tyni, who drank as well.

    "Sip for luck?" he said, holding the metal container towards Briar.

    She smiled her thanks, then took a sip.

    "Weeahh! Gah!" she spit and coughed for a moment. "You do know there''s more to good booze than just how strong it is, don''t you?" she asked when she could finally speak.

    "Yeah, well, you can only fit so much in a flask, after all. Strong is efficient!" Tuuka said, taking another large swig as it was returned to him, before pocketing it. He smacked his lips.

    "Ready! I can carry this one, but you might need to help Tyni there with the girl--she''s so tall he''d have to drag her, otherwise."

    Amelia wasn''t very tall as humans go, but compared to her current company, she was a giant.

    It took some juggling for Briar to handle both the lantern pole and Amelia''s legs, but she found she could wrap her arm around the girl''s knees and just keep her feet and behind from hitting the ground. Tyni was able to carry most of her weight, but he had to leave his shovel and pick behind.

    Luckily, both Amelia and Picker had fallen into some sort of doze, so they didn''t have to fight them the whole way. Tuuka was able to get the goblin in a fireman''s carry while carrying both of their tools somewhat awkwardly.

    "Okay, slow and steady. And try not to touch anything!"

    With the miners'' and Amelia''s lights all extinguished, the glow of Briar''s lantern wasn''t enough for them all to see. So Fern flew down to about Tuuka''s knee height and started emitting a very slight shine, enough so he could see where he was going.

    "Thanks, you wee spriggan. If we get out of this, I''ll brew you up something special!" he said appreciatively.

    They started forwards across the gigantic room, moving as slowly as possible and taking great care to avoid brushing any of the myriad fungus. The wolf creature followed them, always keeping about the same distance, but not blocking them or closing with them. They could hear the rustling of other things moving in the darkness, but with all the lights dimmed, they couldn''t see much further than their own feet.

    The crossing felt like it took hours, but in reality, it was only a few minutes later when they made it to the far wall. It looked much the same as the wall they had come in by--cragged, natural-looking stone, but also with an open doorway. They were very happy to see that there was no door blocking their way and were able to pass through into the hallway beyond.

    They stopped and put the sleeping miner and caretaker down, then relit their lights. Their fungal escort could be seen a dozen meters away, sitting on its bony haunches and watching that they didn''t come back in.

    Briar removed her makeshift mask and tucked it into her pocket, looking forlornly at her mangled boiler suit leg. It could be repaired, but maybe she should turn it into shorts?

    "How long these two gonna be out, you think?" asked Tyni. He had just checked that they were both still breathing, and seemed to be fine, if deep asleep.

    "Those spores aren''t natural. Now that we are away from the shrooms, the magic should wear off soon. Why don''t we just have a rest here for a while and see if they wake up before too long? I don''t fancy having to carry them too much further." Briar replied. The caretaker wasn''t exactly heavy, but it was awkward manhandling someone nearly twice your height. Arms and legs seemed to just dangle every which way no matter what you did.

    The dwarves nodded their agreement, and they all settled down against the walls of the hallway and rested for a bit. No one had thought their expedition would take anywhere near this long, so they hadn''t packed along any food or other supplies. Other than the candy Amelia usually kept on herself. And that all gone, now.

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    "You see those flecks on the wall?" Tyni asked Tuuka.

    "Aye, I did. There''s some fine mining to be done down here if it weren''t for the fungus!"

    "With the right equipment, though ..."

    "Aye, with the right equipment. Which we don''t have." Tuuka replied bitterly.

    Briar looked questioningly at the two dwarves, but neither seemed in the mood to talk further, so she let them be.

    About a half-hour had passed when Amelia finally stirred and opened her eyes.

    "What happened?" she said, still groggy.

    Tyni explained what had happened, then had to repeat himself as Picker finally woke.

    The two seemed fine once they were awake, and there didn''t appear to be any long-lasting ill-effect from the spores they had inhaled. Although Amelia did request that Tyni not make anything with mushrooms in it for the immediate future. Picker silently bobbed his head in agreement.

    "How long''ve we been down here?"

    "Not much more than an hour, missy. Seems longer, but that''s what adrenaline does for you. Hard to keep track of time when your life''s passing in front of your eyes!" said Tuuka.

    <hr>

    The final room came as an anti-climax after the previous ones. It was a bare stone room, ten feet on a side. There was a stone pedestal in the middle, with the seed on top. On the far wall across from the entrance was a shimmering view of Alder''s glade, and they could faintly hear sounds filtering through it--bird song, wind in the branches, the chirrup of insects.

    "A portal!" declared Tyni, ignoring the pedestal and its contents. "Now that''s a sight for sore eyes! I was getting a bit worried we''d be stuck down here forever!"

    Amelia only had eyes for the seed. It was the size and shape of a deck of cards--much smaller than she had anticipated. Its edges and corners were all smoothly rounded. Dull grey in colour, it wasn''t obvious what it was made of. She felt a strange attraction to the object like it was calling to her. She stepped up and picked up the thing while her companions were distracted with the portal.

    It was oddly heavy but comfortable in her hand. As she lifted it up to look at it, it gave off a flash of red light, then she heard words in her head.

    [Recommended bonding candidate detected. Processing.]

    She glanced around, but her friends hadn''t heard the words--they were for her brain alone, apparently. The communication was like how the cottage spoke with her, but the ''voice'' was subtly different, somehow.

    [Processing complete. Candidate suitable. Accept bond (Y/n)?]

    The question surprised her. Up until this point, the only goal had been to retrieve the seed and move it away from Alder, in case it ever reactivated. She had no intention of bonding with the foul thing.

    Just as she pursed her lips to whistle the negative response to the question, she was interrupted by the words.

    [Input overridden. Bonding initiated. Processing. Bonding complete. Placement mode not available. Mobile mode engaged. Storing unit.]

    As the final words passed through her head, the item in her hand started fading, becoming lighter and more transparent, until seconds later it was gone.

    "Uh, guys!" she called, staring at her now empty hands.

    They all turned to look at her, only just then noticing the pedestal was now empty. Fern flew over and sniffed at Amelia''s empty, cupped hands, then chirped quizzically at her.

    "It was talking to me, then it just disappeared! What the heck?"

    "It spoke?" Tuuka asked, glancing at the others to see if they heard anything. "You sure, missy? Maybe those spores have left you a bit addled. Let''s get you through the portal and rest, okay?"

    "No! It really spoke! Like the cottage does! It said something about storing, then it just faded away!"

    "Right, right. Haven''t heard the cottage speak either, but I suppose I shouldn''t doubt you. I''ve seen what that place can do."

    "Have you tried asking it where it went?" asked Briar.

    "Oh. I didn''t think of that!"

    She whistled a query, not sure how to address this core versus the cottage. Hopefully, they would understand from context. They didn''t.

    [Status: active]

    [Status: active (mobile)]

    The double reply was clear, even though both responses overlapped. The minor differences in tone let her distinguish the cottage''s ''active'' response from the new core''s.

    "Huh. I guess it''s still here. It responded. Weird. So did the cottage, but I guess that''s normal."

    Again, her companions exchanged glances. Briar shrugged as if to say, "you get used to it".

    "Think we could head out of here, missy? Only one can only rent alcohol if you know what I mean." grinned Tyni.

    "Yeah, I guess. Let''s go!"

    One by one, they stepped through the shimmering image, appearing instantly in the glade with Alder.

    "Ahoom hoom! Now, how did you sneak in without me seeing you?" boomed the old oak.

    "Hi, Alder! It''s a long story, but we''re back!" Amelia said, running up and giving the tree a big hug.

    "Hoom! Thank you, Caretaker! Did you find what you were looking for?"

    "We did! But someone closed the door on us! Did you see who did that?"

    The question got everyone''s attention. They had forgotten that detail in the pleasure of escaping from the dungeon.

    "Hoom hom! Only the birds have been around, eating all the worms from that big hole you dug. I doubt they could have done it. Did it close itself, ahoom?"

    Thinking about the effect that Beige had had in the Night Market, and the same with Blue at Sandy''s market, she wasn''t so sure. But both of them had been nothing but friendly to her, so she dismissed her suspicions.

    "I guess. It did move pretty easily once we got the dirt out of the way. Maybe it was just an accident." she wasn''t convinced, but if Alder hadn''t seen anything, who knew what had really happened?

    "What''s with the ''hoom''ing and ''hom''ing? You didn''t used to do that?" She asked the old tree.

    "Ahoom! Didn''t I? I might be a little addled from that ordeal, I suppose. My throat, hom, seems dry. Tickly, even. Ahoom-hoom."

    "Huh. Okay. Just sounds a bit odd. But as long as you''re okay, I don''t care how you talk!"

    She looked around at the massive crater they''d dug out while trying to locate the seed. They had made a mess of the clearing, and it was going to take quite a bit of work to clean it up. The thought, coupled with the stress of the morning, made her suddenly feel exhausted.

    Noticing her slumping shoulders, Tuuka patted her on the back.

    "Don''t worry, missy! Filling in is always easier than digging out. Why don''t you and Briar head back? I''m sure you have things you need to do. The boys and I take care of this, no problem!"

    "Thanks, Tuuka!" impulsively, she hugged the surprised dwarf. "Thank you guys for everything! Especially for saving me in that shroom room! That was scary!"

    "All in a day''s work! Now run along and let us get to it, it''s not gonna fill itself now, will it!"

    "Maybe leave the lid uncovered? I don''t ever want to go back in, but just in case? For now." she asked.

    "Sure, sure. Go! We got it!"

    <hr>

    Amelia settled down in the armchair when she got back. Briar had seen her to the door, then headed off to tend to her lovelies in the garden. The fire surged up a bit, driving the residual cold from her bones as she rested.

    She was surprised at how tired she was. They had only been underground for a few hours and hadn''t done much. But it felt like much more time had passed, and that they''d done much more.

    Just to be sure, she checked again, whistling quietly.

    [Status: active]

    [Status: active (mobile)]

    The double response came again instantly. She had worried that perhaps the seed had ''stored'' itself in the dungeon, but if so, she still had access to it. Not that she intended to use it, but that was good to know.

    "Some day, huh Whisper?" she asked, reaching up to pat the wisp on her head. Who wasn''t there?

    Amelia leaned around the back of the chair to look into the kitchen, assuming her glowing companion would have taken the usual spot on the top of the oven. But there was no brick red, satisfied glow from there.

    "Whisper? You here?" she called, starting to get worried. The little wisp wandered around on occasion but seemed to prefer either Amelia''s head or the oven when not actively eating. Or frolicking with her sprite friend.

    Fern had waved goodbye as they emerged into the glade, and headed off to wherever she hung out when not up to mischief. Amelia didn''t remember Whisper going with her, but it was certainly possible.

    Well, no matter, she thought. The wisp could take care of herself, and who knew how long she had been alone around the cottage before Amelia had arrived. So it probably wasn''t a problem.

    She fretted anyways, staring into the dancing flames of the fireplace.

    [WARNING! Mana low. Increase supply or decrease draw.]

    The message woke her from her reverie. The voice was that of the cottage. She wasn''t sure what the message meant, but it sounded important.

    It took a few moments to form a reply. She really needed more vocabulary to speak with these things! Good thing they spoke in English to her brain, because she could only speak to them about as well as a toddler.

    The double response was a bit troubling to parse, but if she understood the gist of it, the culprit was the suppression of the seed. She had never told the cottage to stop that, and that activity was drawing a considerable amount of power.

    It should be okay to stop that, she hoped.

    [Command acknowledged. Foreign core suppression terminated.]

    She held her breath for a moment.

    [Notice. Placement mode now available.]

    Okay. That was from the seed, but that seemed to be the only change she could detect. But maybe back at the clearing?

    Amelia levered herself out of the armchair (hard to get out of, no matter the rush!) and hurried back to the glade. No shadowy tendrils were in evidence. Just the crunch of shovel into dirt as the three miners worked to fill in the big hole. She backed away quietly, not wanting to worry anybody without reason, and headed back to the cottage. Mentally crossing her fingers that she had done the right thing.

 19. Pay and Lodgings

    Amelia felt mostly recovered after only a few hours of resting. She was in the kitchen putting together a lunch to take to the crew in the glade. Lark had arrived as she was working, and they took some time to catch up.

    "I am curious where that hag you released went to. We do not need any trouble, and I am not sure whether she would be a quiet neighbor." stated the bird.

    "Yeah, I wonder about that too. Should I warn Sandy and the others in town?"

    "No, they will be fine. Few from elsewhere may pass freely into the mortal realm. Those who are able often have difficulty interacting with mortals. It is unlikely the hag could trouble anyone."

    "Huh! Sandy kept ignoring Picker when we went in for supplies. I thought maybe she just didn''t like short people or something."

    "She would have a hard time remembering that he was present if she even noticed him at all. It is an odd thing, but perhaps for the best. Fret not for the townsfolk."

    "Thanks, Lark! I really was worried. But I couldn''t think of what to tell them. Watch out for the boogeywoman? Keep an eye on the toffees?" replied Amelia.

    "Best not to mention it, regardless."

    Amelia nodded, tying up the waxed-paper-wrapped parcels with twine.

    "The rest of the hollow doing ok? I haven''t done rounds in a few days. Any downed branches or blocked creeks?"

    "No, Caretaker, all is well. It is usually after storms that such work is needed. Assuming no future trouble from the hag, then all should be quiet. We have some friction between a few of the inhabitants, but nothing I cannot manage." stated Lark.

    Amelia grabbed her rucksack from the back of the front door and started loading packages and bottles into it.

    "So the thing I''m worried about now is how we pay the boys. They''ve done a great job, both digging that hole and filling it in. And they deserve a bonus, going into that place with me. Danger pay! I hope they like berries and jam, though, since that is all we have." She said, then thought for a moment. "I guess they could help themselves from the larder and cellar, but that still doesn''t seem like fair trade. They did save my life, after all!"

    "I think they would consider themselves well paid if you made that offer. They could carry a considerable amount of meat and alcohol. Room and board plus whatever provisions they can shift would be a fair trade."

    "But Tyni did all the cooking, Picker kept bringing in fish to eat, and Tuuka got the brewery up and running! Still seems like we got the better end of the deal. I just wish we had some money to give them, is all." she said, thinking of the times she''d worked for her own keep. Food and a place to sleep were always nice, but you couldn''t exactly save them for a rainy day.

    "Is that all? My apologies, Caretaker, but that is not an issue. The former Singer for the Wood taught me a spell to conjure as much gold as we could ever need."

    "What? Then why did we take trade goods to the Night Market? They were heavy!" protested Amelia.

    "I believe you will find that gold is not exactly light. But as to why, one of the peculiarities of the Night Market is that money is rarely accepted there. Instead, trade or service in-kind is the accepted medium of exchange."

    "Oh. Huh!" answered the girl, stumped. "Faerie land is weird!"

    "You will not get a rise out of me this time, Caretaker. You should know that the realm of the Night Market is named ''Whimsy'', not ''Faerie''. I clearly have neglected your education, which we will resume immediately!"

    Amelia''s whistling muscles ached at the very mention of more ''education''. The bird was a hard task mistress and demanded exemplary work. Which was hard when you weren''t born to twitter like a bird.

    "Yeah, the whistling has been useful. I sound like a toddler when I use it, but it works. I just gotta learn how to address which core I''m speaking to. Right now they both answer, and that gets confusing."

    "Indeed. I did not know a response was possible, but then I am not the Caretaker. I simply make requests, and they happen, or do not."

    "I wanna see you whistle up some gold! That sounds cool!"

    Lark cocked her head at her pupil, settled her wings, which looked for all the world like a shrug.

    "Very well. It is for a good cause, and a chance to educate. So listen closely." she said. The bird then took her singing stance, tensing her muscles and breathing deeply, before bursting into a short burst of song, trilling and chirping liquidly.

    Amelia gaped as she realized she could understand it--at least, she recognized words and numbers, but the arrangement and odd grammar made no sense. She was even more surprised when a neat heap of gold coins appeared on the table, just a foot or so from Lark.

    "Wow!" she exclaimed, snatching up one of the coins. It had a profile of a lady''s head on one side, and a lyre on the other. And as her teacher had said, it was strangely heavy.

    "So shiny! Wow! Wow wow wow!"

    "I am glad you are pleased, Caretaker. It is a simple incantation, but great care must be taken. You must know the exact name of the thing you wish to create, and there are a great many, more than could be learned in a lifetime. As well, you must specify where to place the created object, and not intersect something or someone that already occupies that space." The bird said, wheezing a bit, winded from the summoning.

    "I trust you will not be careless in using this knowledge."

    "Umm, what would happen if I got it wrong?" Amelia asked.

    "If you misname or ask for an invalid object, nothing. The greatest risk is summoning an object in the same location as oneself, or something nearby. That can be fatal. And messy. It also takes a good deal of energy, which should not be underestimated." stated the bird. She gave the girl a very stern look. "You are not to use that until you have a chance to practice under my close supervision, understood, Caretaker?"

    Amelia agreed, suitably dissuaded.

    The coins were scooped into a cloth bag and added to the backpack. After Amelia tried to stand up with the pack on, the decision was made to leave the bag of coins on the table to be given to the miners later. She was certain they''d rather have the bottles of ale now, anyways, and the combination was more than she could lug, even the short distance to the glade.

    <hr>

    The miners were making very swift work of refilling the hole they had dug. The mound of loose earth to the side of the glade was greatly diminished when Lark and Amelia arrived to deliver lunch.

    "Great work, guys! I thought it''d take a lot longer!" Amelia declared as they looked at what was left to do.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    "Nah, filling in is the easy part, missy, like I said before. No chopping through roots or digging around rocks to worry about. We''ll be done before dark, or I''m no dwarf!" boasted Tuuka. Tyni and Picker, resting on their shovels, nodded in agreement.

    The boiler suits they all wore were completely covered in dirt. The two dwarves had doffed their tops, rolling them up and tying the arms like belts. Their vests, once white, were muddy and sweat-stained. Dressed like that, it was obvious both were extremely muscular. Picker, self-conscious of his own svelte physique, had just unzipped his suit a little ways. The goblin had a large cloth wrapped around his head to keep the sun off and filter out the dust.

    Amelia spread a blanket out on the ground, and the group settled down to consume the sandwiches and drinks she''d brought.

    "Bacon, bacon, and tomato sandwich! Brilliant, missy! Just the thing!" praised Tyni as he bit into the two-inch thick concoction.

    "The tomatoes are fresh from the garden. Briar thought you''d like them!"

    "They''re great! They do take up precious bacon space, but I suppose it still works." Tyni said with a grin. Tuuka and Picker smiled with their mouths full, chins dripping with grease.

    "Glad you like ''em! Also, before I forget, we have money for you guys when you get back to the cottage tonight. I hope a hundred gold coins is enough?"

    Luckily, Tyni wasn''t chewing when Amelia asked that, so he was free to smack Picker on the back when the goblin choked at the words. Tuuka looked like he was going to spit out the swig of ale he had taken, but managed to swallow it with a cough and splutter.

    "Excuse me, missy? Excuse me? Did you say one hundred coins? One hundred gold coins? One hundred gold coins?" sputtered Tuuka, gobsmacked.

    "I''m sorry, I''m sorry! Is that too little? How much should it be? I don''t want to insult you guys! We''re friends!" she wailed.

    Tuuka and Tyni exchanged glances. "Well, you see, missy, we were happy with the food and beds you gave us. We haven''t lived like that in, well, ever!" said Tuuka.

    "You let me use the kitchen and cook whatever I wanted!" added Tyni.

    "The brewery as well." continued Tuuka.

    "Fishing!" gasped the goblin huskily, still clearing his throat.

    "Besides, where would you dig up that kind of money anyways, missy? I bet old Reginald hisself hasn''t seen that many coins all at once, much less gold!"

    "Um, Lark, uh, found them," answered Amelia, after seeing the look Lark was giving her.

    "Indeed. The hollow has many treasures. You have done us a great service, and we are happy to pay what we owe." intoned the bird.

    "Right, right. But the going rate for this kind of work, three workers, plus expenses, minus room and board, own tools provided, wear and tear, uh ..." Tuuka calculated rapidly under his breath, his black beard wobbling as his lips worked silently. "Say about six silver commons. That would be fair. Taking more than that would feel like we were robbing you, after all your kindnesses."

    It pained the dwarf to state such a low figure, but both Tyni and Picker agreed. Greed was good, but honesty with friends (who fed you bacon! and beer!) was best.

    "Oh. All we have is gold coins, though. But if you don''t want them ..." Amelia trailed off. She had no real use for them here, and she was sure the trio could use the money.

    "Well, if you put it like that ... Maybe we could take a few gold, and invest the rest ... For our families ..." Tuuka trailed off, looking to the others for approval.

    "We could ask Reginald. That old pig would know what to do with that kind of money." ventured Tyni.

    The three drew together and started discussing ideas, so Amelia wandered over to Alder on the far side of the glade, so they would have a little privacy.

    "Hoom hoom hoom! Greetings, Caretaker! Just resting my eyes. The sun just feels so good after those shadows." boomed the ancient oak tree.

    Amelia wrapped her arms as far around his trunk as they would go and hugged him tightly. She had taken to doing that frequently, reminded how lonely he must feel once she learned he used to have a large family circle, literally. He was the last of the guardian oaks, though, and she tried to visit and hug him as often as she could to keep him company.

    "Ahoom! Thank you, young one! Something trees can''t do, don''t you know! I wish I could hug you back, ahoom!"

    Amelia sniffled a bit, pressing her cheek against his rough bark.

    "Hum! Why so sad, young one? What bothers you?" he rumbled.

    "I''m sorry, Alder! I always feel sad when I see you alone here," she responded.

    "Alone? Ahoom! My kin are gone, true, but I am never alone in the hollow. The birds, fish, and creatures of the wood all come to keep me company. Ahoom hoom! But thank you for the kind thoughts!"

    Amelia released her hug and stepped back, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I''m also a little sad because my friends will be leaving soon." She glanced over to where the goblin and two dwarves were still whispering in conference.

    "Ah, yes, the diggers. They have done fine work, and are cleaning up after themselves as well. It will be sad to see them go. Ahoom! This clearing hasn''t seen such activity in ages!" he said. "But why must they go? Hoom hoom! There is plenty of room here in the hollow. Hum!"

    "I already asked. They said they have families to return to, so they can''t stay."

    "Hoom, families, yes, ahoom hoom. Couldn''t they come here? We could use some fresh blood in this wood! Shake things up, hum hoom, like you have! New ideas and points of view! Ahoom!"

    "Bring their families? I hadn''t thought of that. I don''t know if the cottage could even make that much room, though."

    "Hum hum! Well now, don''t goblins and dwarves prefer to live underground?"

    Amelia followed his gaze to the still-exposed stone slab that marked the entrance to the vault.

    "Alder, that''s brilliant! There''s plenty of room in there! What a great idea!" She gave the tree another hug, then dashed over to the bickering trio.

    "Live here! With your families! Bring them!" she gasped, butting in.

    The three looked even more shocked than they had at the amount of money they were offered.

    "Large family." croaked the goblin, throat still sore from earlier.

    "Hmmm. Neither Tyni''s nor mine are that numerous, but the point stands. That would be too much of an imposition, even with that marvelous house of yours." stated Tuuka.

    Amelia turned and pointed at the entrance to the vault. "How about there, then? The hag is gone, and you know how to get past the first room. The only obstacle left is clearing out those mushrooms and the creepy zombie things. I''ll bet Briar could help with that! She could probably whip up a shroomacide that would do the trick!"

    Picker''s eyes gleamed at the thought. It had been a gigantic cavern, although he wasn''t wild about dealing with the spores again. Tyni and Tuuka both remembered the traces of ore they''d spotted. Rich veins, easily accessed.

    "And you could use the brewery! And Tyni could keep using the kitchen, and Picker can fish all he wants!" continued Amelia.

    The three shared meaningful looks, nodding in agreement.

    "I can''t make any promises, but that is a mighty convincing argument, missy!"

    <hr>

    Later, after baths and dinner, they discussed the details long into the night. The sack of gold coins had been emptied onto the center of the table to make a shimmering centerpiece. The miners preferred to have it out where they could see it. They would each occasionally reach out and finger the coins periodically to assure themselves it was still real.

    True to their estimate, the work in the glade had been completed. They had even replaced the turves carefully cut and set aside at the outset. One could hardly tell anything had happened in the clearing. Except for the stone lid that was left unburied, of course.

    It was late when they retired to their respective bedrooms, but all found it hard to sleep, excited as they were at the plan Amelia had laid out. It had taken less effort than she had thought to convince them it would work. Most of the conversation was ironing out specifics, then planning the trip home to gather their belongings and families. In the end, it was decided that the trio would head out early the next morning, and return in a few weeks. It would take time to make the journey home, convince their loved ones of the opportunity, pack, and return.

    Amelia herself tossed and turned for several hours, also too excited to sleep.

    Alder and Lark had even been happy with the plan. The idea of new inhabitants excited them both. The hollow wasn''t exactly deserted, but most who lived there kept to themselves, and it could be a very lonely place. The thought of a swarm of noisy, active dwarves and goblins appealed to them. If their kin was anything like Picker, Tuuka, and Tyni, they would all become fast friends. And the wood would ring with voices and laughter, which would be a very good thing!

    She hugged a pillow to herself and squealed with glee. She had come here afraid she''d be lonely, now she had so many friends! And more to come! It was almost too much to bear!

    <hr>

    Dearest Amelia!

    It gladdens my heart that you have found your place and settled in. I knew that you were the right one for caretaker! I absolutely adore the idea of making the Hollow a home for your new friends and their families. You have my blessing and encouragement. I am dearly looking forwards to visiting as soon as I am able, to see for myself the work you have done.

    With love and kisses,

    Your Favorite Gran, XOXOXOXO

    P.S. Good work dealing with the shadow situation. Will discuss in person, soon! XOXOXO

    P.P.S. The Cottage''s name is Beorhtmund. That''s a mouthful, so he also answers to Bert for short. OXOXOXOX

    P.P.P.S. Bert understands English if you ask him to. XXXXOOOO

    <hr>

    [Language preference now set to English.]

    "Bert? Status?"

    [Status: active]

    "Whew! That is so much easier!"

 20: Tea Party

    "Found another one!" Amelia''s voice rang out from among the trees at the edge of the yard.

    "Good for you, good for you! After those spores, I didn''t expect you''d be so excited about mushrooms!" called back Briar. The goblin was working in her garden, as usual. Several of her precious plants needed protection from the cold, so she was busy bundling and wrapping them with burlap and other insulators. The most fragile would be moved underground, where she had a greenhouse space prepared.

    "Wait, truffles are mushrooms? I didn''t know that!"

    Amelia emerged into the yard. Her hoodie and jeans were daubed with mud and twigs, and she had a smear of dirt across one cheek. She had a double handful of the tasty fungi in her grubby hands, and the kangaroo pouch of her hoodie bulged with more. Interestingly, the bright blue cloak she had on didn''t have so much as a speck of dust on it. It seemed to slide right past all the thorns, branches, and brambles that snagged on her other clothing, as well.

    "What''d you think they were, tree eggs?" snarked the goblin good-naturedly.

    "Well, I didn''t really think about it. Doesn''t matter -- I still love mushrooms! Even if I almost became one. I''m sure I would have made a delicious fungus zombie. Little butter, some garlic, yum!"

    "Ugh! You spent too much time with that dwarf!"

    Amelia gave a pretend pout at the gardener''s words. Which turned into a real pout after a moment. The miners had only been gone for a few days, and she sincerely missed them. The cottage was empty without them. And mealtime was definitely not the same without Tyni and his cooking. She''d tried a few of the recipes the dwarf had shown her, but she couldn''t get them to taste quite right. Perhaps she just wasn''t as brave in the application of bacon to all culinary endeavors as he was.

    Lark had opened a portal for the trio, using it as a training exercise for Amelia. It took longer that way, but Amelia was starting to get the hang of some of the tricks Lark could do. But they all took considerable practice and skill.

    The boys had sworn to return as soon as they could, but couldn''t promise that their kin would want to come with them. But they would visit again, regardless. Amelia had forced them to take the full bag of gold with them, despite all their protests. They would need money for travel, and for moving if they were able to make that happen. As well, they planned to track down Reginald and get his advice on investing the money. The trader had a savvy financial mind and had his trotters in all sorts of side hustles and businesses.

    So with the journey, finding the boar, and so on, it would probably be weeks at least before they returned. Amelia was a little down about that, but at least she still had her other friends. She reached up and patted Whisper. The glow ball was snuggled in her hair, her second favorite place after the oven. Amelia had the hood of her cloak up, since it was a pretty cold day, and the wisp loved having her own tent to hide in.

    Amelia dumped the load of truffles in the heap just outside the cottage door. She had never been able to find them before, but after that pig taught her the knack, it felt like she practically tripped over them every time she went by the right types of trees.

    "Fungus! Fungus!" trilled Fern, who simply liked the sound of the word. The tiny sprite was cleaning the truffles using a small brush Amelia had found in the shed. It seemed you weren''t supposed to wash them--just brush the dirt off, according to Tyni.

    "Hey! Don''t eat all of them, okay?" Amelia said to Blue, who had nabbed one of the delicacies in her beak and was hopping towards Beige with it. Beige just chirped back at her as she nibbled one as well.

    Both of the birds wore the gifts she had given them from the Night Market. There had been a vendor right next to the rainbow fountain that sold bags and packs of all kinds. While the wizened satyr didn''t speak at all, through gestures and pointing they had made a deal. A jar of preserves for two adorably tiny silk sashes--dark orange for Beige, and forest green for Blue. The sashes were embroidered with silver thread, like the brocade necklace she had found for Lark. The sashes were worn cross-body and had tiny little pockets and pouches sewn into them. Amelia hadn''t even noticed the pockets until she was putting them on the birds, they were so small. The two had already found things to stuff them with, and she was rather afraid to ask about the contents.

    She had waited to pass out the gifts until the miners had left since she hadn''t bought anything for them (having not even met them at the time!), and it seemed rude otherwise. Briar, Lark, and Fern had all liked their respective pieces of jewelry, and Whisper had been thrilled with the snacks, of course. Fern had spent several hours preening herself in front of the mirror, admiring her tiara. The sprite still kept peeping "Princess! Princess!" periodically.

    [Notice: intrusion detected. Threat level: class 0. Danger estimate: Insignificant]

    The message from Bert startled Amelia, and she glanced around the yard. She didn''t see anyone.

    "Uh, Bert, could you be more specific?" she asked.

    [Two mortals. Location: Primary ingress. Weapons: None. Auras: None. Latent Magics: None.]

    "Thanks, that really clears things up!" she replied sarcastically. It was great to be able to communicate with the cottage without straining her whistling chops, but she still didn''t understand a lot of what it said. "Bert, you could really work on simplifying things for me. Plain language--you know, without colons and semicolons. No jargon!"

    [Command acknowledged. Processing.]

    She wondered who would be coming out this way. It was close to town, but the locals treated the place like it was haunted or something, and never came here. Then she thought of the two men who had been at the shop the other day, which worried her. So she went back to the shed to get the bill out. The big one, for when you seriously meant business.

    Just a few moments later, Maisie and Monty strolled into the clearing. They were dressed for rambling in the cold weather, with heavy boots, jackets, gloves, scarves, and knit hats.

    "Maisie! Monty!" Amelia greeted them, dropping the big tool and running to give Maisie a hug. The woman was stamped from the same mould as Sandy--apple-cheeked and crinkle-faced from a lifetime of smiling and happiness. She was shorter than the shopkeeper, and a bit more round, but with powerful hands from years of pottery work. Monty was a tall, almost gaunt man, but also with a face marked by good cheer.

    "Hello, poppet! Haven''t seen you in a while, thought we''d drop by and see how you were getting on," said Maisie, returning the hug. She grinned as she looked the young lady up and down. "That''s quite the ensemble there, love! The dirt on the jumper matches your face, but clashes with that pretty cape! Is that for a play or something?"

    Amelia rubbed a hand across her face, managing to smear more dirt onto her cheeks. Then she twirled, so the blue cloak flared out as she spun.

    "Like it? It''s so practical! Warm if you wrap it around, but if you get too hot you can throw it back over your shoulders. And it looks dramatic when you pose, like this!" she struck a dramatic stance, looking off in the distance. A chance breeze wafted the cloak behind her majestically.

    "Very nice, dear! Shame they went out of fashion a few hundred years ago! Suits you, though!" replied Maisie, grinning at the girl''s antics.

    "Monty said you''d been doing up the place. He didn''t say anything about decorating the birds, though!" she said, spying the sashes on Beige and Blue.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    "Oh! I should introduce you to all my friends! Monty, Maisie, this is Blue, and this is Beige." she said, indicating each in turn. Both birds made graceful curtsies as they were introduced.

    "Oh my! How adorable!" remarked Maisie, who curtsied in turn. Monty doffed his cap and bowed low, the cap almost sweeping the ground.

    "Always love to meet a cute pair of birds, meself!" he chuckled.

    "That''s Briar over there in the garden. And Fern is the one cleaning the truffles."

    "Princess! Princess!" protested the sprite, who flew up to about shoulder height, then bowed while in the air. Her new tiara sparkled in the sunlight.

    "Sorry, Princess Fern! I forgot!"

    "Howdy!" called Briar, putting down the plant she was working with and dusting off her hands as she emerged from the gate.

    "Um. Hello?" Maisie said, unsettled at the sight of the flying sprite and approaching goblin.

    Briar grinned widely, showing her pointy teeth. "Welcome! Welcome! You''re that potter, aren''t you? And the tinker?" She offered her hand to Monty.

    The tall man leaned down and shook the goblin''s hand, giving her a big smile. He didn''t seem at all disturbed.

    "That''s us! Pleasure to meet you, Lady Briar, Princess Fern!" he said, winking at Amelia.

    "Say! I have a few plants I need to re-pot, and they have some special needs. Care to give me your professional opinion?" Briar asked, directed at Maisie. "Needs to drain well, but keep moisture in, but not get moldy, sort of thing. Think you can help?"

    The two wandered into the garden chatting, Maisie drawn out of her surprise by the chance to talk shop. Fern flew backwards in front of them, trying to make sure they could admire her tiara.

    "Are those truffles, lass? I didn''t know they grew around here!"

    "We have loads! Want some? I have a sackful in the pantry. I can''t stop finding them! That pig musta been having a laugh!"

    <hr>

    The two craftspeople hung around chatting for quite some time, before finally asking Amelia if it was okay to walk through the woods.

    "Of course! I cleared all the paths, so they should be an easy walk. If you go that way, you can say hi to Alder. He''s the old oak in the clearing. There''s a cute little creek that runs right past him. If you go that way over there, there''s a neat rock formation and a pond. Actually, just wander--you won''t get lost, and I don''t want to spoil the surprises."

    "Thanks, dear! It''ll be nice to be among the trees--there isn''t another grove for miles and miles. All fields, you know. We''ll be back in a tick!"

    "Have a nice walk! I''ll put the kettle on!"

    "Lovely! Ta!"

    The two waved as they took one of the paths out of the yard and into the woods.

    "They seem nice." declared Briar after they were out of sight. She''d ordered several specialty pots from Maisie, who promised to deliver them in a few days.

    "They are! It''s so cool they came to visit! I put so much work into clearing out all the underbrush and fallen branches, it''s great someone else can enjoy it!"

    Amelia gathered the bill and a few other tools she had lying about and put them back in the shed. Then she neatened up the pile of truffles. The rest of the yard was already tidy. She had scythed the grass the day after the miners had left, so it was all uniform and neat-looking.

    She waved to Briar as she headed inside. The goblin had already gone back to her gardening work, with Fern and the birds watching from the fence.

    The cloak was hung up over the top of the backpack on the back of the door. Thanks to the fire and oven, it was always toasty warm in the cottage, so she didn''t need it inside. She filled the kettle with water and set it aside, ready to boil when she heard the walkers return. The choice of tea was a tough one--between her own blends and Briar''s, there was a fine selection to choose from. She ended up selecting a mild-flavored one, that was also bracing. Good for warming one up after a walk in the woods, she thought.

    There were some leftover scones from the day before, so she popped them into the warming tray in the oven. Then to the pantry for a selection of preserves. The stoneware jug of milk and some clotted cream rounded out the spread.

    This was all arranged on the low table in the living room. It was nice to sit in the comfy seats and watch the fire, and it was even nicer with company! It had been so quiet the last few days, she was looking forwards to sharing food with friends.

    She had just gotten everything arranged when she heard Lark arrive, entering through the broken window pane in the living room.

    "Caretaker! I came to warn you there are unknown people in the wood!"

    "Hi Lark! I know! Don''t worry, they''re friends. It''s Maisie and Monty, from town."

    "I see. What are they here for?"

    "Just out for a walk. They like the woods!"

    The bird cocked her head at Amelia in confusion. The hollow had never been a place for ramblers before. But she saw no reason to object. So she watched quietly as the caretaker bustled about, plumping the seat cushions and generally fussing about.

    Eventually, they heard the crunch of footsteps on the path outside. Amelia quickly put the kettle on, then opened the door to greet the pair as they approached.

    "How was the walk? Did you talk to Alder?"

    "A tree that talks! You could have warned us! But he was very nice, and so polite, too!" gushed Maisie.

    "This wood is enchanted, no mistake! Glorious! And the paths are all very nicely tended." added Monty.

    "Aww, thanks! Just doing my job, you know!" She blushed at the praise. "Come in, have a seat! Kettle''s on and the scones should be warm. Back in a moment!" She waved the two towards the sofa while she headed back into the kitchen.

    "This is lovely, poppet! That fire is just the thing!"

    "Greetings, visitors. Welcome to the hollow." said Lark, perched on the back of the armchair.

    "Oooh! A talking bird! Stone the cro¡­ Uh, never mind! Hello there! I''m Maisie, and this is my husband, Monty. We''re friends of Amelia from the village."

    Lark ducked her head and waved her wing in a cross between a curtsy and a bow.

    "I am Lark. I sing for the woods."

    "Oooh! That must be interesting! We don''t get very many singers out this way!"

    The two humans doffed their outerwear and hung them on the pegs on the back of the door, which was getting very crowded. Just as they got everything arranged, Amelia returned with the tea and pastries. She set them down on the table, then carefully opened the door and leaned outside.

    "Hey everybody! Tea time! With scones and jam!" She called.

    There was a rush as Briar, Blue, Beige, and Fern all came in and took seats in the living room, the birds and sprite perching on the edge of the table. Whisper drifted lazily in from the kitchen, lured by the promise of sweets.

    The next few minutes were filled with polite small talk as they sipped the tea and munched on the scones. Maisie and Monty marveled at the company, trying their best not to stare. The birds daintily picked at the scones and sipped from a shared mug. Whisper, who wolfed down her portion of pastry, slurped up her tea, then nestled in the still-warm mug, glowing happily. Fern''s attempt at eating regally, spoiled by the jam smeared all over her face. Briar sitting at the edge of the loveseat so she could reach the table, her bare, triangular-shaped, and taloned feet dangling well above the floor.

    Eventually, the tea was down to the dregs, and the scones to crumbs. Fern curled up and fell asleep in a napkin, with Whisper snuggling next to her. The birds all waved and flew out the window. Briar politely excused herself to get back to her work in the garden.

    "That was a wonderful tea party, poppet! Right out of a storybook! A talking tree and bird, and faeries! And here''s me thinking you were just a normal girl living up here all by your lonesome!" marveled Maisie.

    "Lark says they aren''t fairies, but I know, right? It''s so cool!"

    "Would you mind if we came back sometime? This has been lovely!"

    "Please do! It''s great to have guests! The birds are great friends, but it''s nice to have tea with people that can help carry the conversation." She glanced down with a smile at the sleeping sprite and wisp. Fern was snoring gently.

    "I can''t wait to tell Sandy all about your enchanted wood, she''ll be up here herself in no time!"

    "Yay! She''s been great, and I''d love to show her around," replied Amelia, helping Maisie on with her coat.

    "Where does that door go? I don''t remember anything from the outside," asked Monty, pointing at the door by the fireplace.

    "Oh! That goes to the bedrooms and the tower. See?" Amelia opened the door and pointed at the hallway. The four doors to the guest bedrooms were all open, but you couldn''t see in from the living room. The liquids room cum brewery was lit by the windows in the tower, and it was just possible to make out the shape of the room in the distance.

    "Right! Sorry I asked!" responded Monty, rubbing his eyes. "That must have been some of that funny tea I''ve heard about ..." he trailed off as he exited through the front door, looking askance at where the hallway and tower distinctly weren''t.

    "Have a nice walk home! Thanks for visiting! Come back soon!" called Amelia after them.

    [Processing complete. Language preference set to ''simplified, nontechnical English''.]

    "Wow, Bert! You''ve been working on that all this time? You missed the tea party! It was great!"

    [Yes. The gathering substantially increased available energy stores. This helps offset the drain from reality distortion.]

    "Uh, I think you just said you''re a party person, but what''s this about reality distortion?"

    [It takes energy to sustain structures not aligned with reality. This is the main drain on resources currently.]

    "Okay, I almost got that. ''Not aligned with reality''?"

    [Things that don''t take up the space they should. Specifically, the cupboard, hallway, bedrooms, and tower. It takes energy to keep those from going away.]

    "Oh! Why didn''t you say that in the first place? Can we fix it?"

    [With the energy gained from the party, yes. A simple change of floor plan so that all structures match reality will suffice.]

    "Uh ...?"

    [We will rearrange the rooms.]

    "Awesome! But let''s keep the tower, it''s cool!"

 21: Dimensionality Reduction and Loafing

    "They like soil, right, but they need the sun, still. You know, like, without two inches of dirt ''shade''." drawled Briar.

    "Oh! Oops! Got distracted!" said Amelia, eyeing the mess she had made. She had drastically overfilled the pot, the excess soil mounding around the outside. The poor sprout inside had been covered past the tallest leaves.

    Amelia hurriedly cleared up the extra dirt, brushing off the plant carefully. Briar had resumed her gardening and herbology lessons, and they were working together at the workbench in the garden.

    Which meant if she raised her head, she could look right over the garden fence and see the cottage. It was very distracting.

    Amelia and Bert had spent several hours the day before rearranging the house layout to, as Bert put it, "align with reality". While they were at it, of course, Amelia had taken the liberty to make it a bit more homely. There was a porch that covered the full front of the building, with several comfy wooden rocking chairs. And a bench swing! Along with a few small tables, it was the perfect place for a casual tea break or snooze. It looked out across the yard, so had a perfect view of the garden and the path to the front gate.

    Once you entered via the front door, you were in a boot room. It had rows of pegs above sets of shelves and bins. The perfect place for her rucksack, cloak, and work boots. A door to the left entered the shed, which had been moved to the front of the house and expanded. A door directly opposite the entry led into the living room.

    The living room was even larger than it had been but seemed smaller due to all the furniture. The fireplace was still against the right-hand wall, but much larger and deeper. There was even a little nook just perfectly sized for keeping wisps and sprites toasty warm, in case they could be pried away from the similar spot on the oven.

    The sofa, loveseat, and armchair had been joined by several wing chairs, each in different patterns to mismatch like the rest of the furniture. There were mounds of fluffy pillows scattered across every sitting surface. The seats were arranged in roughly a ''U'' shape facing the fireplace, with a large coffee table in the center, ready for beverages, meals, and snacks. Along the walls were a sideboard, bookshelf, and several side tables. All covered with white lace doilies. There were lanterns on the walls, so it could be much better lit than before. Or left to just the comforting glow from the dancing fire sprites in the fireplace. A thick rag rug in reds and greys covered most of the floor and was very soft on weary feet.

    A small alcove was set into the front wall, just large enough for the hassock to sit below the bay window looking out into the yard. A great spot to curl up and watch the rain on a dreary day. In the corner of the front wall and the wall with the fireplace was a spiral staircase that went to the upper floors. Between it and the fireplace was the door to the tower. They''d had to move some trees to get the tower to "fit in reality", but Amelia had insisted. The tower was cool!

    The kitchen was reached by a door on the left wall of the living room, right next to another door that led to a WC. The kitchen was much the same as before, just a little larger, so there was room for more people to cook or socialize at the same time. The pantry was now in the back corner of the building, reached via a door in the kitchen, which was much more sensible.

    The second story housed the guest bedrooms and a large sauna and bathing room, along with another WC. There was an attic above that, but it was just a big empty space right now. She''d had some ideas for it, but Bert said it would take more energy than they''d had available.

    Speaking of that, Bert had explained that it cost a little bit of energy each time a room was created or modified. There was only an upkeep cost if the room defied the laws of physics, or had some special ability. Like the pantry being self-refilling, or the fireplace constantly staying lit without fuel. But those were minor costs compared to a whole tower existing in another dimension. So the special abilities stayed, and the tower got moved.

    Bert had explained that there were many ways that he could gain energy, but the most effective was from emotional energy. He preferred positive emotions in particular. It was a bit complex and took lots of explaining, but as Amelia understood it, the more people were happy and cozy in the hollow, the better fed Bert was. And the better fed Bert was, the more cool things he could do!

    Which led directly to the tower. Amelia had decided she didn''t really need a library or guardhouse. Those weren''t really her style. Getting rid of them gave Bert back some energy, so it was worth it to let them go. So now the tower was composed of the cellar, brewery & potions workshop, her bedroom (with en suite!), and an aviary/viewing room/ workshop, bottom to top. All the rooms were round and took up an entire floor of the tower, with a spiral staircase leading between floors. Her room and the top floor had several large windows that looked out over the forest. Underneath the very peak of the roof, all around the tower, were small holes that led to the aviary.

    Well, aviary wasn''t quite the right word. There were many small cubicles and nesting perches, but no doors or cages. The birds of the hollow were free to stay or go as they pleased.

    She was tickled when both Blue and Beige and their entourage of friends, all immediately picked out nests. Lark, however, graciously declined, stating that she would stay in her own place. It was in the top of a tall tree deep in the wood, and had been in her family for generations. It was also more convenient for her duties. Amelia was pretty sure Lark wasn''t ready to be as sociable as the rest of the birds and wanted solitude, but that was okay. She liked some alone time herself, on occasion.

    The reorganization had completely changed the look of the cottage from outside and while it had the same character, it was much larger. The stone tower didn''t quite match, but the ivy and moss growing on it and the house proper sort of blended everything together.

    Amelia was looking forwards to having visitors again and showing off the new space. With the porch and living room, there was a lot of space to entertain comfortably. Although as soon as Bert had the energy, she wanted to do some remodeling outside. Like adding a gazebo, and some fountains, and things. She gazed around the yard, thinking about how to fit everything, and how to do the least disruption to the trees that surrounded the yard. She also tried to envision how to add more decorations. The house was furnished, if sparsely, but it needed some art to liven it up. Some paintings for the walls, some statuettes and other tchotchkes for the shelves and tables.

    "Ahem!"

    "Wahhh ... Sorry Briar! I did it again! So many plans! My brain just keeps spinning, so it''s hard to focus."

    The gardener just shook her head, sweeping the spilled soil off the workbench and back into the bag.

    "Why don''t you run along and leave this to me? Come back when you can focus on plants, not planning."

    "Sorry! Okay, thanks!" Amelia said as she dashed out the garden gate, not waiting for Briar to change her mind. "We can try again tomorrow!"

    "Humans!" grumped the goblin, then resumed her work.

    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    <hr>

    "Ahoom! Greetings, caretaker! How are you today, humm?" boomed the old oak tree.

    "Great! I finally got Bert to talk to me in a way I could understand, and we reorganized the whole cottage! It''s awesome! You should see it!" said Amelia, from her position hugging the tree.

    "Hum hoom! I''ll have to take your word for it -- us trees don''t flit about like you animals!"

    "Uh, oops, yeah, I guess so. It is pretty neat, though."

    The guardian rumbled for a moment or so, then said, "What of the, ahoom, seed, hum? What have you done, hoom hom, with the foul thing?"

    Amelia let go of her embrace and took a couple steps back from the tree, so she could see his face. She winced and scowled.

    "It went somewhere else after I picked it up. Bert says it''s ''not aligned with reality'', which he thinks is an explanation, but doesn''t help me any. I can still talk to him, though. He doesn''t seem so bad."

    "Talk to ''him'', hoom? The seed? It is male, hum hom?"

    "He says its name is Donald or something like that. It has a weird accent. I think he''s a guy. Kinda demanding. And grumpy. Doesn''t like the hollow, and whines about the kind of energy available. He keeps bugging me to ''place it'' and ''unleash thingy-tion'', stuff like that. I''ve been ignoring him."

    "Ahoom! Don''t, hom, listen to it, if you take my meaning. Hum hum. But we mustn''t forget to deal with it, either."

    "Yeah, I gotta do something with it. Just not sure what, yet. Obviously, burying it again is right out."

    Amelia looked around the clearing. Grass was starting to sprout where they had dug down to the vault, and the clearing would soon look much as it did before. Except for the white stone of the vault entrance, several feet below the level of the rest of the clearing. They had shored up the dirt around it so it wouldn''t cave in. There was also a low wooden railing around the hole, for safety.

    "Everything okay with you, big guy? Need anything? Anything you need me to do?"

    "Hoom hom! Thank you for asking, Caretaker, but all is well. Ahoom. I thank you for the visits, however."

    "Okay then! I''m gonna head home and do some baking. I''m making berry bread! Thanks for the chat, Alder! See you later!" she said, waving to the oak as she left the clearing. She made it a habit to visit often, and enjoyed the tree''s company. It seemed to be in much better spirits these days, and the removal of the seed appeared to have lifted a weight from his metaphorical shoulders.

    [Placement mode available. Select a location and establish your domain. Unleash Domination.]

    "Hi, Donald! Not today. Maybe Tuesday. Tuesdays are better domination days. Or maybe a late Sunday, say if it''s raining and pudding wasn''t that tasty. But not today. I need to bake snacks!"

    [Warning! Core restricted in mobile mode. Energy intake low.]

    "You''re probably just hangry, then. Want some chips? I can fry some up while I bake. Maybe some hot chocolate?"

    The seed didn''t respond. It didn''t react to her teasing and needling, which was probably a good thing. With Bert''s help, she had gotten it to communicate in ''simple, nontechnical English'', which she thought might be vaguely insulting to her. But it worked. Donald just didn''t have much of interest to say, in her opinion.

    At least it wasn''t destroying her friends with shadowy tentacles, so that was an improvement. One of these days, though, she''d have to figure out what to do with the thing.

    <hr>

    "OUT! Both of you monsters! Go somewhere else before I bake you into a pie!" yelled Amelia, pointing her wooden spoon at the miscreants.

    "Flee! Flee!" screamed the sprite as she and Whisper zipped out of the kitchen, leaving a trail of sugar and flour behind them.

    Amelia had left the canisters out as she ducked into the pantry for eggs. When she returned moments later, the scamps had knocked over both of them, spilling the contents all over the counter and floor. Both were thoroughly coated in a mixture of the powders.

    "Fern! There are footprints on the ceiling!!!"

    It took quite some time to clean up the mess. She knew she could ask Bert to do it, but that always felt rude for some reason. So she swept, mopped, and scrubbed until the room was spotless again. There were no qualms about getting the canisters refilled automatically, though. It was nice having staples readily available all the time.

    The drawback of not needing to buy supplies was less reason to go into town and visit Sandy. But the pantry didn''t stock the snacks that the market had, so frequent trips for crisps, chocolate, and other sweets were called for.

    On her last trip, she''d even borrowed one of the shopkeep''s cookbooks, which was now propped open on the counter.

    "Flour, sugar, eggs, milk ..." Amelia read down the list, checking she had everything. The hollow had numerous sources of berries and nuts, so she was making a berry-nut bread. She''d already made some fruit cakes and was letting them age. Frequently doused with some of the high-test brandy Tuuka had brewed.

    She was pretty sure that distilling and brewing should take a long time, but somehow the dwarf had left behind several casks and jugs filled with booze. He''d only been able to take what he could carry on his trip home, so Amelia had quite the stock of alcohol. Since she didn''t drink much, she used it in her cooking. Beer batter fried everything was her current specialty.

    "Lick? Lick?"

    "No! You little troublemaker! You may not lick the bowl! Shoo! Go bother Briar!" she waved off the sprite who hovered in the kitchen doorway. A clatter behind her caused her to whip around.

    "Whisper! Out of the bowl! Honestly, you two! No bread for you! OUT! Fern! I''m warning you!"

    The glow ball and the sprite fled the kitchen again, both having managed to swipe some of the dough residue from the bottom of the mixing bowl. Amelia closed the door to the kitchen and cleaned up. Again. It wasn''t like she begrudged sharing the tasty stuff, but those two managed to smear significant amounts of it all over the kitchen somehow, and that was annoying.

    Once the loaf pans were in the oven, she propped a broom handle against the oven door so it wouldn''t be easy to open. It probably wouldn''t stop the scoundrels, but she''d hear the noise, so maybe they''d be deterred.

    "Donald, could you alert me in about twenty minutes?"

    [Alarm condition created. Placement mode available. Select a location and establish your domain. Unleash Subjugation.]

    "Thanks, mate! Gonna try unleashing yummy baked goods instead. Maybe we''ll try your way next time."

    It felt a little weird to use a realm core as a timer, but it worked. She suspected both he and Bert got lonely without much to do, so she tried to include them in little tasks on occasion. As long as it wasn''t something she could easily do herself, that is. It seemed the friendly thing to do.

    She wandered into the living room and plopped down on the hassock. It made a decent seat in the bay window, and keeping it there gave a little bit more room for the other chairs. She still used it and the armchair for naps, on occasion, despite having the grand master bedroom in the tower. It was nice to curl up and watch the flickering flames in the fireplace.

    Whisper and Fern weren''t in their nook in the fireplace, so they must have fled to safer hiding spots. They were usually great company but could be real pests when sweets were involved. Kind of like how she had been as a younger girl, thinking back on it.

    She watched Briar working in the garden for a few minutes, then laid back on the stool, feet and head hanging off opposite sides. Her eyelids drooped as she relaxed, and quickly fell asleep.

    [Alert! Alert conditioned triggered. Placement mode available. Select a location and establish your domain. Unleash Destruction.]

    "Umprph. I''m up, I''m up!" she flailed wildly, rolling off onto the floor, eyes blinking blearily.

    It took her a moment to focus. She had been having a terrible dream. Most of it fled the moment she woke, but what little she remembered was awful. Violence, ruination, and bloodshed. Voices calling to her. The brief image of a horde of terrifying creatures kneeling before her, ready for orders.

    She shook her head to clear it. "Brrrph! No time for that. Time to unleash the bread! Possibly destroying some later, for tea, though. Good idea!"

    The aroma of the loaves wafted out of the oven, still held secure with the broom handle.

    "Success!" Amelia exclaimed when the bread was revealed. Lightly browned, steam rising gently.

    She used a tea towel to pull out the pans, then put them in the breadbox in the pantry. A very heavy rock went on top of the lid after that. Like the broom, it wouldn''t stop Fern and Whisper, but it might slow them down a bit.

    The smell of the sweet treat helped drive the vestiges of the bad dream out of her head. Pastries weren''t the solution to all the world''s problems, but they certainly were a good start around here.

    Bread secure, she moistened the fruit cakes again with a hefty dollop of brandy, then replaced them in the drawer. Still a few weeks until done, but they would be glorious! The potent alcohol caused her eyes to water a bit, even after jamming in the stopper firmly and securing the drawer. Probably best not to have any candles on these cakes.

    A knock echoed into the pantry from the front door. Who could that possibly be? Briar would just come in, and Bert hadn''t warned her of any new visitors. That left someone who was already in the hollow.

    She wiped her hands on the towel and tossed it over her shoulder to go see. Lark and Briar had both said there were other inhabitants of the hollow, so maybe it was finally time to meet one!

 22: Pancake Shock

    There was a second knock on the door.

    "Coming! Just a moment!" Amelia called as she opened the door from the living room into the boot room. From there, she was able to open the front door.

    She blinked rapidly as she took in the person at the front door, and the crowd behind it. At first sight, she saw a rather plain, drably dressed young man, slightly shorter than she was. He had a rough shepherd''s crook leaning against his left shoulder, and a cute black-and-white baby goat in the crook of his left arm. His right arm was extended to knock at the door and hung there for a moment when she had opened it. Behind the man was a flock of sheep and goats of varying sizes and colors.

    The shock came as she blinked, and the afterimage was quite different. She stopped blinking and stared carefully at the man. He wore foul-stained khaki clothes and stood at least twelve feet tall at his hunched back. His head thrust forward, and lank green hair hung sparsely from under his shabby black tricorn hat. Fangs jutted up from his massive prognathic jaw, and his eyes were almost solid black, with just a pinpoint dot of glowing blue in the center.

    The flock behind him were double the size they had seemed at first, many with six or even eight legs. And with significantly more horns and fangs than most sheep and goats are entitled to on a good day. Their fur was mostly mottled blacks and dark reds, with a few more one color than the other.

    Strangely enough, the kid in the man-creature''s arm looked about the same, but with eyes that were dark green with vertical black slits, like cat eyes. Its fur was a solid, light-devouring black void.

    Amelia stood with jaw agape for a moment. This was not a turn she thought baking day was going to take.

    "C-c-can I help you?" she forced out.

    The hulking figure nodded his head once, then pointed off to his right and started walking in that direction. After a few steps (which took him most of the way across the yard), he looked back at Amelia and gestured for her to follow him, before continuing on.

    She briefly considered ducking into the shed and grabbing the business bill but quickly quashed the thought. She had no idea how to use it, and besides, the man could probably still outreach her with his massive arms. He also seemed peaceful enough, although anybody whom goats followed that docilely was a little suspicious.

    Well, after all, she was the caretaker, and supposedly this sort of thing was her job. With that, she shrugged and quickly jogged after the monstrous shepherd. His flock straggled along after them, quickly mowing down the grass and shrubs along the way. Good thing there was a stout fence around Briar''s garden, she thought fleetingly.

    She followed for a ways before she realized they were on an actual path. Not one that she had cleared, but with her sharpened sight there was clearly a trail through the woods.

    She blinked rapidly again and saw the path appear clearly, then fade away, appearing to be just random space between trees and plants. The same was true as she looked at both the man and the furry creatures following them. It seemed like if she didn''t concentrate, they looked like they first had, completely boring and innocent. It took a slight amount of effort to see the nightmarish version that was surely their true visage. She''d have to ask Lark about that, assuming she ever saw any of her friends again.

    Enough of that! She scolded herself and eyed the woods around them as they passed.

    Amelia had been sure she''d seen most areas of the hollow as she had wandered in her early time here. But it dawned on her how big the place truly was, and that she''d almost entirely stuck to the paths and clearings of the wood. There must have been a tremendous amount she had missed!

    It wasn''t much longer when the man halted, and pointed ahead of himself. Amelia drew level with him and looked towards where he was pointing. It was a towering tree of a kind she was unfamiliar with, gnarled and at least as old as Alder, but with no sign of sentience like her friend. The ground around the tree was trampled flat, with all the plants nibbled down to the dirt. Large craters dotted around it, and she quickly worked out that this was where the flock must sleep.

    "Hello, sweetling. Come to bring me more candy? Or something even more ..." came a familiar voice, hissing through sharp teeth, "... juicy?"

    The sound came from up in the branches of the dark-barked tree. The woman, who looked like a bundle of rags and sticks, blended right in, and it was only with focus that Amelia could see her clearly.

    "Oho! Someone has the sight, they do they do! Looks right at us, first thing! Now isn''t that a surprise, sweetling! I thought you were just a little snack, come to get et up." The thing''s long, nasty tongue slid around her lower jaw, licking up the dripping drool. "Of course, a snack that can see you tastes just as sweet, sweetling!"

    "You''re the one from the vault, aren''t you? I shared toffee with you! I could get you some more if you wanted." offered Amelia.

    The crone glanced over to the little goat in the crook of the shepherd''s arm, then back to Amelia. "Aww, what a kind offer you make. But my belly is all shrivelled from so many years of famine in that place, and I already had the nanny of a meal. Or the meal of a nanny, rather!" she cackled evilly.

    "Did you eat one of this guy''s goats? That isn''t nice! And I think you are in his tree! So you should get down and leave after you make amends. Right now!" The words came out much sterner than she had thought she could manage, with just the least bit of quaver to her voice.

    "Oh really, you delightful morsel? And why don''t I just eat you up instead, hmmm? Hmmm?" She wiggled her fearsome taloned claws in front of her face, then tilted her head to the side and snapped her teeth once, CLACK!

    "You need to leave! Right now! I''m the-the c-caretaker of this wood, so what I say goes!" Amelia stamped her foot, which was dramatic, but made less so as it jostled the tea towel from off her shoulder. It drifted ludicrously to the ground, trailed by a cloud of flour.

    "Hah! As if you ..." the hag started to say when she was interrupted.

    [Eviction action activated. The Hag known as "Dwells at the ash-tree meadow" has been banished from Realm Beorhtmund.]

    "What what what! Wait! Nooo" screeched the hag, falling from the tree and crashing to the ground in a cloud of dust. She crawled, unharmed, to start grovelling at Amelia''s feet. "Nooo! I joke! Sweetling! Let me back in! I''m exiled from Megrim! The Erlking will kill me! Let me back in, innnn, innn!"

    Amelia looked at the wretch at her feet, confused. At first, she couldn''t see any difference from the ''eviction action'' Bert had called. As she watched, though, she got the impression she was seeing the hag not quite so clearly, as if at a distance or through a mist. Which was very weird, since at the same time she was as clear as day.

    She looked over at the shepherd, who stood there stoically, gently patting the little goat in his arms. He looked from the hag to the goat, to the tree, then back to Amelia, and gave a shallow nod.

    Amelia wasn''t exactly sure what that meant but interpreted the looks to mean he was fine with the hag if she stayed out of his tree and compensated him for his missing goat.

    "Right. Ahem. If you swear that you will leave this guy alone, stay away from his tree and his flock, AND not cause me any trouble, you can come back. Swear?"

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    The hag nuzzled her head along the ground until she was next to Amelia''s trainer, and the tip of her tongue reached out to lick the shoe''s toe. Surprisingly, it passed right through, as if immaterial.

    "Of course sweetling! Of course! Anything you say, just hurry! I can feel his eyes on me! Let me innnnn!" she replied, ending on a low wail.

    "Swear on the thing you hold most dear! I mean it! Bert will know if you''re lying!" She didn''t know that to be true, but it sounded good.

    "I swear! I swear on writhing flesh and wriggling meat, cracking bones and juicy marrow! On darkness and death, I swear!" hissed the low, chilly voice.

    Amelia shivered at the words, but a promise was a promise.

    "Bert, please let her back in, if you don''t mind."

    [Acknowledged. The Hag known as "Dwells at the ash-tree meadow" has been granted conditional entry to Realm Beorhtmund. Monitoring.]

    The hag instantly lost the faded look as the message from Bert popped into Amelia''s mind.

    "Thank you, sweetling! Thank you! No trouble, no trouble! Payment is due, yes due. I''ll fetch it, then find a new hole and leave be" The hag said in a voice both oily and grating, as the creature crawled away along the ground, disappearing past the trees.

    Amelia watched her go, then turned to the shepherd. Her eyes were starting to water from the strain of focusing, and she relaxed her gaze a bit. It was certainly easier to see the man as a dowdy, drab human than his true self.

    The shepherd looked at her for a moment, then reached out and placed the kid in her arms. He patted its head, then Amelia''s, and walked back into the forest, the herd following him.

    "Wait! Your goat! Wait! What am I supposed to do with him?" she called after the man. The little animal looked up at her with adoring eyes, and she couldn''t help but stroke his head between the little horn nubs. Then she felt the warmth dribbling down her arm and onto her pants.

    "Sorry about that, darlin''. That dufus wouldn''t put me down, and my bladder''s only so big, you know. My horns were floatin''."

    "Uh, you can talk!"

    "Yeah, can do, can do. Not much use with ol'' mister chatty, there, but yeah."

    Amelia set the kid down and wiped herself off with the towel. Her clothes were definitely stained.

    "White vinegar and water, that''s what you want. Get that right out. Probably better hurry before it sets, though."

    "Uh, right. I''m Amelia, by the way. What can I call you?"

    "Pan. Pan-Pannnn-pancake! Yeah, Pancake''s my name. Family name. No relation, though, really. Just a boring old goat name. Pancake. Yeah."

    "No relation to who?" Amelia asked quizzically. The name didn''t ring any bells.

    "To whom, you mean. Oh, you know, just no relation in general. Just a totally normal, ordinary goat, that''s me."

    "Uh-huh. A totally normal, ordinary goat that talks."

    "True, true, can do, can do. So, make that ''normal and ordinary'' for around here, good enough?"

    Amelia wasn''t entirely convinced, but anything named after such a tasty food couldn''t be all bad, now, could it?

    "So, are you going to run along and join your family?"

    "Well, first off, those aren''t my family. Did they look at all ordinary to you? And second, I don''t run, I trot. Or gallop. Running''s undignified for a goat."

    "Oh. So now what?"

    "I heard someone mention toffee a while back. I would murder for some toffee." He raised his nose and sniffed a bit. "And is that dwarf brandy? ''Cause if it is, you should totally share. I can''t sell you my soul for it -- got some other arrangements going on in that department, on the down low, so to speak. But I can take care of any weeds you got, frolic, gambol with the best of ''em, and cute the trousers right off you."

    "Okay. I guess you could help Briar with the weeds in the garden, but no eating the other plants, okay?"

    "Sure thing, doll face! Now about that drink, I got plenty of bladder room now ..."

    <hr>

    "Interesting, Caretaker. Well done dealing with the Hag. I had worried she would be trouble, but perhaps she will behave herself if she is so terrified of banishment." Lark said. The bird was perched on the back of the armchair in the living room, while Amelia was on the hassock in the window. She was trying to keep an eye on Pancake and Shock. "I apologize for not being able to attend to that, as I usually would have. I was attending to something on the far side of the wood."

    The singer peered through the window some more, watching the chaos.

    "So where does the puppy come into this story?"

    "Oh! She was asleep on the porch when I got back with Pancake. There was a note. It was probably written in blood, ewww, by the way! But it said the puppy was a peace offering, and that her brother was given to the shepherd as repayment for the goat. Must have come from the hag, but it wasn''t signed."

    "I see. And why the name ''Shock''?" asked Lark.

    "Dunno. Just came to me from something Pancake said when he saw her. Something about ''gonna shock the bejesus out of people!'', I think he said. He wouldn''t explain why, though."

    The goat and puppy had joined the perpetual game of chase with Whisper and Fern. The fact that the latter two could fly was only barely in their favor. The yard was quickly getting torn up by claws and hooves.

    "As if those two terrors weren''t enough! At least Shock and Pancake don''t have hands, like Fern. Or however Whisper keeps opening things. They won''t be getting into as much trouble."

    "Yes, Caretaker. Perhaps it is wise to keep telling yourself that." Lark responded, somewhat ominously.

    "Oh! I forgot! I need to take that bread to Sandy! I was so distracted with everything, it slipped my mind. Want to come?"

    "No, but thank you. I prefer to stay within the hollow. I have duties to attend to. Perhaps take your wrecking crew with you, instead."

    "Yeah, maybe the walk will wear off some of their energy. Good suggestion. See you later!" Amelia waved as Lark flew out. During the remodel, she''d added a window panel at the top of the bay window so her flying friends could come and go as they pleased. She''d have to ask Bert to install a doggy/goaty door now as well, it looked like.

    She gathered one of the loaves of freshly baked berry-nut bread and wrapped it in a clean towel. She also grabbed a flask of the brandy and an earthenware jug of the dwarf ale. Everything went into her rucksack, then she was out the front door.

    "Gang! Field trip to town! Who''s with?" She called.

    Whisper zipped down to land in her hair, followed closely by Fern, who claimed her left shoulder.

    "Trip! Trip!"

    "Shock? Pancake? You wanna come? We can get toffee! And you can meet my friend, Sandy, she''s great!"

    "You had me at toffee, babycakes!" bleated Pancake eagerly, trotting after Amelia. His short legs were a blur as he kept up with her pace.

    The puppy galumphed after them, her feet sliding about as she charged after the goat. The black dog made yapping movements with its mouth, but no sound came out. Instead, there was a disturbing silence that enveloped all other sounds for a brief moment. Amelia did her stare trick at the puppy. In her second sight, it had slightly larger teeth that crowded its mouth, and paws that were hugely out of proportion with the body. But otherwise, seemed like a normal dog. Well, normal for the hollow, it seemed.

    As they walked down the path towards the gate, Amelia turned her head slightly to speak to the goat.

    "Say, Pancake, what does ''Me Grim'' mean?"

    The puppy''s ears perked up at the question but kept her boisterous run going so she could sniff every tree along the way.

    "Yeah, you probably mean ''Megrim'' there, honey buns. That''s the name of one of the realms that overlap here. The magic one, not the blah mundane one." he answered matter-of-factly.

    "I thought that was [Hearth Haven Hollow]?"

    "Whoa whoa whoa! Cool it with the magic talk there, blabbermouth! Save that for when you really mean it! But that''s just the name for this specific overlap. There are others, of course. Other overlaps, I mean."

    "Sorry! You know magic?"

    "Baby doll, who doesn''t? I know a trick or two, don''t worry. I''m not just an overwhelmingly adorable face, after all."

    "Could you teach me some? I keep asking Lark, and she just makes me work on my whistling. Briar has been trying to teach me potions, but that''s just lots of memorization and plant stuff. So far, I can mostly just make tea and shampoo. And that potion of true seeing, but that was an accident."

    "True seeing, you say? That explains a few things! Bet you were puckered tighter than a duck''s bum when you saw tall and silent and the furries, earlier, weren''t you? That must be why you could see Ol'' Ashlee up in the tree."

    "Ashlee? Who''s that?" Amelia asked, confused.

    "Hah! That old hag thing. She uses ''Dwells at the ash-tree meadow'' now since Ashlee is too fashionable, but that''s the old meaning." The goat snickered. "I mean, it''s an old name and all, but hard to be taken seriously by the serious people, you know?"

    "Says the goat named Pancake!"

    "Hey now, sister! I''ll have you know serious people take pancakes seriously! Believe you me on that one! But now I got a question for you, girly girl. How did you banish her? That takes some serious mojo or connections, if not both. How did you swing that?"

    "Uh, actually, Bert did that. He sometimes does what I ask, ''cause I''m the caretaker of the hollow."

    The goat stopped his frantic trot and stared at the girl.

    "Bert? You don''t mean Beorthmund, do you? The Bright Protector? That ''Bert''?" He was visibly stunned.

    "Yeah, I think that''s his full name. I have trouble with some names. Like, I know Donald''s real name isn''t ''Donald'', but ''Done Walled'' is a silly name, and it''s fun to give him a hard time about it. But I like Bert, and he doesn''t seem to mind that as a nickname."

    "Whoa! Whoa! WHOA! You''re on nickname basis with The Bright Protector, who ''does stuff if you ask''? Maybe you should teach me magic, sister! And if you are even in the ballpark of hinting at who I think that other one is, I just gotta say I don''t even want to know. Not one more word. Uh uh, too much for this goat! Way above my pay grade!"

    Amelia had no idea what to make of the goat''s reaction. Bert was nice and Donald was annoying, and that was pretty much the end of it as far as she was concerned. That, and Bert was the Hollow and the Cottage, more or less, and could do cool stuff. Donald just whined, as far as she knew.

    "Hey, Miss ''I got friends in high places''? What''s with all the ravens watching the gate? You expecting company?"

 23: An Unpleasant Interaction

    Pancake was right. There were at least a dozen ravens perched in the trees just beyond the gate. They peered down silently as the group approached.

    "We don''t get many ravens around here. At least, I''ve never seen any." Amelia answered, marveling at the birds. "Why would they mean company?"

    Pancake gave her the side eye, then glared back at the avian watchers. "Those are spies, or I''m not cute and fuzzy. Being as I am cute and fuzzy, just take my word for it. They''re waiting for something or someone."

    "I wasn''t expecting anybody. The only people that have been here besides myself are Monty and Maisie, but why would ravens be interested in them?"

    "It ain''t them who are interested, care bear. They''re spying for somebody."

    Shock bounded through the gate, then started snuffling around one of the trees the birds were sitting in. A few of them shifted about on their branches but otherwise didn''t seem disturbed.

    "Is it odd that they''re staying outside Bert''s boundaries? Does that mean anything?" Amelia asked.

    "What gave you that idea? Boundary''s other side of the road, far as I can tell. I got an eye for these kind of things. Two eyes, actually."

    "Picker said the boundary was right here by the gate. He said he could smell it."

    "Well, there''s your first problem, listening to some dude named ''Picker''. Is that short for ''Nose Picker'', any chance?"

    "Hey now, Pancake. Picker is a nice goblin, and I''m sure it''s because he uses a pick in mining, not that other thing. Don''t be rude!"

    "Never gonna live that name down, am I? Shoulda gone with Krampus or Heidrun, even Tanngrisnir, but oh no, I gotta be a smart arse." The goat mumbled mostly under his breath.

    Fern leapt off Amelia''s shoulder and flew up to one of the ravens, hovering inches from its beak.

    "Play? Play?" she piped.

    The bird turned its head to keep an eye on her but otherwise ignored the sprite.

    "C''mon, Fern. Let''s leave these guys alone. They''re busy spying, don''t disturb them."

    Amelia continued along the path the short ways until it emerged on the road. Pancake lagged behind and watched as all of the ravens turned to keep Amelia in sight. Once she reached the road, half of them took wing and flew off, quickly out of sight because of the trees.

    "Huh. Thaaat can''t be good. Conspiracy on the wing, hyuk hyuk." he bleated softly, picking up the speed of his trot to catch back up to Amelia.

    Shock took one final sniff of the tree, then whined silently when she saw everyone ahead of her. The puppy charged after them, more bounce than run.

    The walk into town was otherwise uneventful. There were hardly ever any vehicles on the road, but Amelia stuck to the shoulder anyways, just to be prudent.

    She debated for a moment about leaving the animals outside the shop but decided they would get up to trouble without supervision.

    The bell on the front door of Sandy''s shop tinkled as she opened it, holding the door wide.

    "Everybody in! You too, Fern! In!"

    "Hello dear! What have you got there?"

    "Hi, Sandy! I got a new puppy! And a goat!" Amelia responded as the two tumbled through the door, chasing each other. Fern nipped through and landed in Amelia''s hoodie, peeking out over her shoulder.

    "How adorable! Aren''t they just the cutest!" the shopkeep said, coming around from behind the counter to bend down and look.

    Shock launched herself at Sandy, her slobbery tongue licking all over the woman''s round, beaming face. Pancake restrained himself to giving her leg the smallest headbutt, then stepping back to be admired.

    "How precious! Yes, you are! Yes, you are!" Sandy cooed as she hugged the dog to herself.

    "You remember Whisper, right? And this is Fern." Amelia pointed to the two in turn.

    "Of course dear! Where did you find such a wonderful puppy?"

    "Hey, hey! The mutt is nice and all, but let''s not forget the prize goat standing here, lady!" bleated Pancake.

    Sandy reached out and scratched the kid between his horn nubs.

    "You''re a cutie too, dear, but I''m a dog person, don''t be offended!"

    "It''s cool, it''s cool. I''m more of a cat person, myself," he responded.

    "So cute! It''s almost like he can talk!" Sandy smiled down at him, one arm wrapped around the slobbering puppy to keep her out of her face.

    "Uh, he can. He just said he''s a cat person."

    "Such an imagination you have, dear! It sort of sounded like that, didn''t it? Oooh! I have some dog biscuits! Let me get the puppy one!" She bustled off to one of the bulk bins, Shock nipping at her heels.

    Pancake eyed the pup critically.

    "No self-respect! Look at that thing, acting all lovey-dovey, just to get a treat! Shameful, really!"

    "Dear, do you think your goat would like a toffee?"

    Pancake''s ears stood straight up, and he hopped frantically over to the shopkeep.

    "Now who''s being silly?" Taunted Amelia.

    "Shut up, doll face. That''s toffee she''s got there! The good stuff, too! Oh baby!"

    "There -- maybe that will keep him quiet for a few minutes," Sandy said, having fed a chunk of the candy to Pancake.

    "Ohhpf! Mpy resentfp fhat!" He mumbled between glued-together teeth, glaring.

    "Oooh! Thank you!" Amelia said as she accepted a toffee for herself. She pulled it into bits and handed some to Fern and Whisper.

    "Your hair bauble is so cute when it glows like that. Does it have a battery? How long does it last?"

    Amelia was confused for a moment, then realized Sandy meant Whisper.

    "Uh, it''s sort of candy powered. No idea how long it lasts, though. If I don''t feed her often enough, she just helps herself and makes a mess."

    "Go on, dear, go on! You and your tales! As bad as Maisie and Monty when they came back from your place! Kept going on about ''like a storybook'', and ''like a fairy tale''. They wouldn''t say how it was that way, but they wouldn''t stop gabbing on about it!"

    "Yeah, I guess it would have that effect. You should come visit! I could show you around!"

    "That reminds me, dear! Maisie''s sister''s husband''s friend has a hiking club, and they''d like to come for a ramble. Apparently, word got around. I was supposed to ask you if you''d mind having a group up your way. And when they should come, if you were okay with visitors again."

    "That would be great, Sandy! You should come up with them, make it a real event! How about Saturday? Say 2 pm? I''ll lay in the pastries and tea. We can have a party!"

    "It''s a date, dear! I''ll pass the information along. You''re a sweetie, letting strangers tramp all over up there."

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    "It''s no bother! I love the hollow, and I''d like others to enjoy it, too! It''ll be great!"

    Sandy handed another of the biscuits to Shock, who gently took it. The dog then viciously shook her head and tossed the treat, only to catch it again in her jaws and tug at it with her front paws.

    "Such a darling! And with those paws, won''t grow much either. The perfect size!"

    "Feh! As if! Give it a few months, then just wait until you come around a dark corner and that is waiting for you. Perfect size my goaty behind." muttered Pancake as he sucked at the last of the toffee.

    Amelia remembered the stuff she had brought for Sandy and pulled out the towel-wrapped bundle, jar, and flask.

    "I made some berry-nut bread! I used a recipe in that book I borrowed the other day. Foraged the nuts and berries myself! And this is ale and this is brandy. A friend of mine brewed them!"

    "Thank you, dear! I knew loaning you that cookbook was a good investment!" said Sandy, winking at Amelia. She pulled the stopper on the stoneware jug, taking a sniff. "Ooooh! That smells lovely!" She wiped the mouth of the jug with her sleeve, then took a pull, smacking her lips. "Whoo! That is very nice! Goes down a right treat! Homemade you said?"

    "Yeah! We have a brewery in the cottage tower. He made that and the brandy. Careful with the brandy, though--it''s really strong."

    "Those stories! A tower you have now, dear? With a brewery? Well, suit yourself. If you bring me ale like this, you can say it came from the library for all I care!" She smiled as she took another pull from the jug.

    "Actually, we had to let the library go. Needed the energy and space. But maybe one day I''ll bring it back."

    "That''s nice, dear. This ale is terrific! You know, if your ''friend'' makes more, I''d love to buy some and stock it here. We don''t have a proper pub in town since Lily had to close down when her John passed, bless ''em. I''ve been wanting to do something like that for a while. Got the license and everything, but never got around to getting a source."

    "That''d be great! He''s supposed to come back with his family soon. I''m sure I could twist his arm to brew some more! He said that was his true calling. Mining was just to pay the bills."

    "A miner, eh? From the low country?"

    "Uh, I don''t know. He''s a dwarf. From Whimsy, I think."

    Sandy looked down at the jug in her hands and shook her head. "Stuff''s stronger than I thought! Hearing nonsense, now!"

    She put the jug down on a shelf behind the counter, then came back out to rough house a bit with the puppy, who had finished the second biscuit.

    "If you ever need a dog sitter, I''m always available! Especially for this little one! Who''s a good puppy? Who''s a good girl? Yes, it''s you, dear heart!" She said, pulling the dog''s nose to her own. Shock wagged her tail so hard she almost fell over.

    "Disgusting. Disgrace to animals everywhere. Wish I had a camera. This''d make great blackmail material!" bleated Pancake.

    "Shush! You''re just jealous you aren''t getting all the pets!"

    "Jealous? Of that? Embarrassed, maybe, for letting the side down. Just you wait until she''s full-grown, sister. There''s a reason ''Shock'' is a good name for monstrosity."

    "Why''s that? You think she will grow much bigger?"

    "Let''s just say you''re gonna need a bigger doggie door. Much bigger. And a bigger cottage to fit it in, ''s all I''m sayin''."

    They were all surprised as the bell over the front door jingled.

    A man entered, homburg hat in hand. He was dressed in an expensive-looking grey suit, with a fuchsia pocket square. Dark glasses concealed his eyes, but Amelia felt his intense stare on her.

    "Welcome! How can I help you?" Sandy called out cheerily.

    "Shush woman. I have business with Miss Amelia." He made a small gesture towards the shopkeeper, and she frowned at him.

    He had a deep voice, and he spoke very clearly and smoothly, like someone accustomed to public speaking.

    "Um, who are you?" Asked Amelia, surprised both that anyone would know who she was, and would be so rude to Sandy.

    "My name is of no importance. You would have difficulty pronouncing it, anyways. I represent a certain concern, and we believe you have something of ours. We''d like it back if it''s all the same." He turned the hat in his hands as if nervous, but his body language was that of a person full of confidence.

    "No, it''s fine. Um, what do you think I have, Mr. Unpronounceable?"

    "Nothing much. A small object, about this size," he said, holding the hat by the brim as he held his two hands a few inches apart, then rotated them as if to indicate a flattened rectangle. "A trinket, nothing more, but of sentimental value. You know of what I speak. It''s important to us. You will give it to us, won''t you?" His tone was silky and persuasive.

    "You mean Whisper? That''s the only thing that size that I can think of." She said.

    The wisp lifted itself out of Amelia''s hair at the mention of its name. It glowed a fierce pulsating blue.

    He glanced at the wisp, appearing slightly surprised, but then returned his gaze to Amelia. He reached up and lowered his dark glasses slightly, and even without using her second sight she could see his eyes glowing.

    "Come with me now. We will go fetch the core. You will give it to me." His eyes shone, and the light modulated in synch with his soothing, alluring voice.

    Amelia felt drawn to the man, compelled to follow him. She blinked rapidly, then focused her eyes, bringing her true vision to bear. His form was the same, but inhumanly handsome, his features finely chiseled, skin flawless. His hair was pale metallic blue, his eyes matching, and they glowed with an eerie white light. Seeing the truth of the figure broke whatever hold he had on her.

    "No. I''m busy. Go away." she stammered.

    "Impressive. But you will come with me! [Commanding Presence]! [Overwhelming Persuasion]!" The last words in the language of magic.

    [Security override. Passive defenses engaged. Active measures unavailable in mobile mode. Placement mode available. Select a location and establish your domain. Unleash Extinction.]

    "I don''t think so. Maybe some other time." Amelia said, answering both simultaneously.

    The man stepped back in shock, dropping the glasses back over his eyes.

    "Ah. I wasn''t expecting ... Well. I see. Very impressive." He sniffed, curling his lip as he looked about the interior of the store. "Who would expect such ability ... here ..." he sniffed again.

    He gazed momentarily at Sandy, then shook his head in disdain.

    Shock walked stiff-legged up to the man, then turned and carefully squatted. A jet of urine darkened the suit leg, dripping down and soaking the expensive-looking leather shoes.

    "Blasted animal!" he snarled, shoving her away with his foot, and nearly toppling himself as he skidded on the puddle.

    "Hey! Don''t kick her! She''s just a puppy and doesn''t know any better!" Amelia retorted as she snatched up Shock, then stepped back against the counter. She glared daggers at the man. "Sorry about your shoes, though. They looked nice."

    The man sniffed, then sneered. "No collar, license, or leash on that stray. I''ll pass that along. We''ll be watching you, girl. And we will get our due! Good day!" He turned towards the door and saw the goat.

    "More filth!" he growled. The man kicked out at Pancake, then again struggled not to fall as the goat nimbly stepped to one side.

    "Watch yourself, pal! I got a full bladder, too, and I''m not ashamed to use it!" squawked the kid.

    Amelia followed the man as he retreated to the car outside. Suddenly she recognized the vehicle, along with the two men in the front seat. They had been here days ago. Dirt and gravel sprayed out from the tires as it roared off, driving up the road towards the grove and quickly passing from view.

    "Don''t fret, toots. It''ll be okay." Pancake said. The tiny goat had followed her outside and was bumping her shin gently.

    "Who the heck was that? Do you know him? Them?"

    "Naw, I think we travel in different social circles, sort of thing. But I''d put good odds that we just met who them ravens was spying for, bless his heart. And I mean that in the southernmost way I know how."

    "What? What southern way?"

    "Never mind sugar plum. But you''re gonna want to keep an eye out for that one, ''less I''m sorely mistaken. Which I''m not."

    "I should have had Bert banish him or something. Can''t believe he tried to kick you! And he shoved Shock!"

    "Eh, could have gone worse. ''Sides, Bert can''t do nothing outside his territory, and you asking woulda tipped that schmuck off to you being caretaker. I''m guessing that wouldn''t help things any."

    "I guess so. I''m kinda glad she widdled on him. He seems like he deserved it."

    "Heh. I think she was marking him. ''Case she needs a chew toy or a snack, later." The goat had a big grin on his minuscule face. It was remarkably sinister considering his overall cuteness.

    The doorbell jingled as Sandy emerged, her face red with anger. She had the puppy under one arm. Shock was wriggling, desperately trying to lick the shopkeeper''s face.

    "Right. I called Monty, and he''s walking you home. And that''s final, don''t argue me, deary!"

    "Thanks, Sandy!" Amelia said, then stepped in to give the shopkeeper a hug. Shock wormed her way into the embrace, and managed to slobber over both of their chins.

    "What was all that about a trinket? Are you in trouble, sweetie?" Sandy asked quietly.

    "I have no idea! I haven''t taken anything unless he meant Donald. He was about that size, I guess. But how would they know about that? That doesn''t make any sense! He''s been in that vault for ages!"

    Sandy held Amelia at arm''s length by the shoulders, staring into the girl''s face with concern.

    "Boy trouble, is it? That his father? Brother?"

    "Uh, no, nothing like that. Look! There''s Monty! Thanks for everything, Sandy, but I better go. Don''t forget to come to the hiking party! You can get the cookbook back when you come! Bye!" Amelia pulled herself free of Sandy''s grip, then went in for another hug.

    "You watch yourself, dear! Keep your doors locked!" Sandy called after her.

    <hr>

    Monty tch''ed in sympathy when he heard what had happened, and promised to keep an eye out for the strangers. They walked quickly back towards the cottage, Amelia carrying both Shock and Pancake since they had a hard time keeping up. They made good time and were back at the front door in short order. No sign of the car or men. Monty saw Amelia safely inside, then headed back to town.

    Later that night, while Amelia was deep asleep in her tower bedroom, the doggie door creaked open, and a dark form slipped out into the yard, heading down the path. Several hours later, the door creaked open again, and Pancake stuck his head out and peered around. He sniffed the air, then trotted down the path to and through the front gate.

    There was a rustle in the bushes off to the side as he approached, and Shock popped her head out, chewing on something. She swallowed, then yipped in silence, letting her tongue loll out. She nudged the goat, then galumphed happily back towards the cottage.

    Once the dog was gone, Pancake stuck his head in the bushes where the dog had been. He backed out again quickly, shaking his head and trying to cover his nose with a forelimb.

    "Thaaats a thing. Yikes! Not much left, and that''s including the car bits. I''m almost impressed!"

    This last he addressed to the ravens, a handful of which were still perched in the tree outside the gate.

    "''s right, you winged buggers. How you like them apples? Boss man mighta gotten away, but see what happens to the minions? Mmm, puppy chow! Hah! Hah hah hah!" he chortled as he pranced down the path back to his bed.

 24: Tea Party II

    "Are we keeping you awake, Caretaker?"

    "I''m sorry, Lark! I haven''t been sleeping all that well. Nightmares, you know?" responded Amelia, then yawned again.

    "No. What nightmares? When did they start?"

    Briar took the retort off the flame as she realized the lesson was, once again, postponed. She enjoyed teaching, but Amelia was a difficult student at best and was easily distracted.

    "They''re all kinda the same. Armies of awful monsters bowing before me, awaiting my commands. Piles of treasure. People chained up and forced to work. Darkness, but lots of things on fire." She shivered as she described the images she saw.

    "I see. And when did you start having these dreams? When you came to the hollow?"

    "No. I don''t remember for certain, but after we came back from the vault and saved Alder. I think."

    "Alder mentioned that the seed speaks to you. Could it be causing these visions?"

    "Donald? I dunno. Maybe? Mostly he just whines about energy and ''placement''. I''m still ignoring him."

    The bird nodded sagely. "Indeed. Best not to encourage that one."

    Briar cleared her throat, then said "Say, you think maybe those spores still affecting you? You were pretty out of it there, for a while. Or maybe just the trauma from that experience?"

    "Maybe. That''s as good a reason as any, I guess. Hey! Do you know how to make sleeping potions? Maybe that would help?"

    Briar nodded. "I have a tea for that. Dreamless sleep. No caffeine of course, or it''d be sleepless dreams, I suppose."

    The goblin laughed in her raspy, whistling voice. "I''ll go fetch the herbs. Just dry ''em and steep one per mug of water, should have you right as rain!"

    She bustled off to her garden to fetch the ingredients.

    "Have you heard any more out of Ashlee?" asked Amelia, as she wandered into the living room and plopped down on the hassock. She loved the view out the window, and she''d be able to see when Briar was coming back. Plus it was extra comfy.

    Lark alit on the back of the armchair, her usual perch inside. "She found an unused burrow to live in, and has been seen interacting with a few of our other more troublesome inhabitants, but nothing untoward so far. She is watched carefully. By myself and others."

    "Yeah. Bert said he''d monitor her as well, but hasn''t reported anything. Just thought I''d ask."

    "It is good of you to take an interest. The job of the caretaker is more than just groundskeeping, and I will not always be here to keep the song of peace singing in the forest."

    "What? What do you mean? Are you going somewhere? Why didn''t you say?"

    "Peace, Caretaker. I meant only that I am an old bird, and though the span of my days has been greatly lengthened, I will not live forever. Even now some of my duties are beyond me, and not all runs as well as it should. Another will eventually take my place, but no likely successors have been found so far. You, I am afraid, might have to pick up the load."

    "Of course, Lark! You should have said something! Anything you need, that''s what I''m here for!" Amelia sat up on the hassock, looking with concern at her friend. She had taken for granted that the bird would be around forever and didn''t want to think about losing her. "Besides, I don''t even really know what you do! You said you sing for the wood, but what does that mean?"

    "In the absence of the Great Guardian, someone must keep order and peace in the woods. You had a taste of that with the shepherd the other day. The paths and borders must be maintained, and the crossing points watched. It is well that I can fly, for there is much to see and do for the wood."

    "I thought I''d gotten all the paths all cleaned up? Did I miss some?" the girl asked, worriedly. She liked that task, because at the end of a day''s work, you had a real feeling of accomplishment. Unlike trying to memorize the shapes and properties of dozens of plants, like with Briar. Or whistling until your jaw felt like it was going to fall off, with Lark.

    "Indeed, Caretaker. You have repaired the paths of the mortal realm, and they are well-maintained. But there are also the paths in Megrim, as well as the boundaries and crossing points. Those also have become overgrown and hard to watch. I had thought to wait until you were farther along in your studies, but with what happened in the village I believe that is no longer the correct course of action."

    "You mean those guys, and the ravens? You think they''ll come here? Should we lock the gate?"

    "From how you described the leader, I suspect they would not be stopped by a locked gate. But there are wards along the fence and crossing points that would deter most. I maintain them periodically, though it is draining. When the Great Guardian was here, she had a way to monitor the hollow without them, but alas I have not that power."

    "You mean like security stuff? Bert can do that! He already tells me if anybody enters the hollow. And if he had enough energy, he has something called ''active measures'' that could probably help, too."

    "Truly? Caretaker, that is amazing news! With the coming of the dwarves and goblins, and visitors from the Mortal realm, I had feared we would not be able to keep the hollow protected, but this gives me hope!"

    "Yeah! After the tea party we had with Maisie and Monty, he had lots more power. We used it to fix up the cottage so it didn''t draw so much energy. Maybe another one will charge him up enough to turn on the security features? Sandy and the hiking club are supposed to come up the day after tomorrow. If we really do up the place, maybe he''ll get more energy?"

    "Excellent idea, Caretaker! What did you have in mind?" The bird''s eyes twinkled. It was obvious to her that Amelia had been thinking about the upcoming visitors far more than her other lessons.

    "Signs! A big friendly welcome sign at the gate then signs to mark the different paths and features in the hollow. A big gazebo in the yard, for sun or rain. Some tables and chairs, maybe benches. Tea! Biscuits and cakes! Ooh! And we could put out some of the beer from the cellar. The cottage stuff, not Tuuka''s. To start with."

    "I see. Yes, that is a good plan." the bird nodded.

    "And maybe you could sing for them? While they have refreshments? And a tour of the garden? And the cottage! We could make it a housewarming party!" Amelia bounced off the cushion and paced around the room, too excited to sit still.

    "Perhaps not the cottage, Caretaker. That might give the impression that it is a public space. Would you want just anyone wandering through your bedroom?"

    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    "Oh, uh, yeah, good point. But Sandy can come in! She''s my friend! And maybe Bert has enough energy for a WC outside, for the guests. And a water fountain. Ooh! Maybe a water feature!" Amelia continued her energetic pacing.

    "Yes, Caretaker. You have put much thought into this. I shall leave you to your plans, and go do what I can for the wood. I am ill-equipped for painting signs, after all."

    "Okay, Lark. I''ll go draft Briar! And Fern! I''m sure they''ll help!"

    Lark quickly escaped via the bird door and headed for quieter corners of the wood.

    <hr>

    When asked, Bert had told her he had just enough energy for the changes to the yard she wanted. He had tried to give her the specific numbers, but she stopped him. Numbers and statistics were never her thing and she was much happier with "enough", or "not enough", "lots" or "not much" instead. So they had "enough" for a large octagonal gazebo, with a public WC attached along one side, and some wooden tables and benches. She had to be content with the old well for now, since there was "not enough" for a water fountain, much less a water feature. He was able to provide boards and paint for the signs, though, so that was good.

    Fern and Briar were tasked to paint the signs. Once they were painted white, Briar did the lettering with her careful hand, while Fern painted stars and flowers on them for decoration. Briar grumbled about the flowers not being realistic, but they were very pretty.

    While the signs were being painted, Amelia cleared around the well again, removing all the encroaching brush and grass. Vegetation tended to grow extremely fast in the hollow, and if it wasn''t trimmed regularly, things tended to get overgrown quickly. Luckily, they had Pancake to keep the yard at a nice uniform level. The goat could mow through the whole thing daily, provided he got a tot of dwarf brandy as a bribe. Amelia was pretty sure he''d do it anyways since he loved grass, but he complained if he wasn''t ''paid''.

    Shock helped by foraging branches from the wood to be used as posts for some of the signs. She had a hard time letting go of the sticks she brought back, though, and much time was wasted playing tug-of-war with the puppy. Not that anyone minded.

    Amelia had been worried after the ''incident'' at the shop that she''d have to figure out how to house-train the dog, but that turned out not to be an issue. The puppy happily did her business in the yard or the woods, and never made a mess in the house. Well, she never relieved herself in the house. She did chew the furniture a bit until Pancake found a short billet of hardened tool steel in the workroom upstairs. The puppy decided that was the best chew toy ever and gnawed on it constantly. They''d have to find something else before too long, though, since the dog had worn most of it away already. Amelia was pretty sure that wasn''t normal, but if that was the only oddity with the puppy, she''d take it.

    Whisper was given the task of "supervising the oven", which meant sleeping in her usual spot. The little wisp had actually tried to help with the signs, but after she and Fern had managed to cover Briar with paint (twice!), it was decided to keep those two separate. Since the oven was kept in near constant use with the batches of biscuits, cakes, pies, scones, and suchlike that Amelia put through it, it sounded like an important enough job. Donald, however, was the star here, being used in his capacity of kitchen timer. At which he excelled, no matter how much he exhorted Amelia for "retribution", "domination", "ruination", and other things ending in "tion".

    Amelia had thought about popping back to town to ask Monty to make a samovar for the tea but decided to wait until after they had secured the hollow, just in case. So she found a dispenser carboy in the brewery to use instead. After first cleaning it very thoroughly.

    When Saturday rolled around, it was all she could do to contain herself. The yard was as neat and tidy as she could make it, with all the dog poo removed and buried behind the cottage. Signs listing the features of the hollow and which paths to take were posted at the exits to the yard. More signs were placed at each fork or intersection throughout the woods, with arrows and information. Some were mounted on posts, some were just hung from branches, but all were placed where they were very visible.

    The tables and benches under the gazebo were all wiped down, and fresh tablecloths put on, weighted so they wouldn''t blow away. The refreshment table groaned with the selection of baked goods, not to mention the tea carboy and stoneware jugs of milk, water, ale, and lemonade.

    Shock had been set to guard duty over the refreshments, with Pancake as backup. It took the efforts of both of them to keep Whisper and Fern from gorging themselves sick before the visitors even arrived. Which was good, because burning off the energy of the two newcomers was also a good thing.

    Amelia had given everything one final inspection and was just putting on her cloak when she got the announcement from Bert.

    [Notice: Visitors detected at entrance gate.]

    "Yay! They''re here, everybody!" she shouted, settling the material around her shoulders and stepping out onto the porch. It wasn''t particularly cold, but the bright blue color of the cloak felt festive to her, and besides, cloaks were cool. So there! She scolded her inner critic.

    She was glad Bert had listened to her request about "visitors" instead of "intruders". They had argued a bit about it, but ultimately she won. As long as he didn''t detect any danger, he would say "visitors", and not bother to tell her about danger or threat estimates. Since she hoped they''d never have dangerous intruders, that felt like it would be a less stressful announcement method.

    There were enough people coming that they heard them well before they came into sight. The sound of laughter and voices was a welcome change to the silence that usually prevailed around the cottage.

    Briar stood at the gate to her garden. She''d sworn she wasn''t going to "dress up like a performing monkey", but Amelia had never seen her wear that particular boiler suit, which looked fresh and clean. And suspiciously well-pressed. The goblin breathed on the latch to the gate and buffed it with her sleeve when she thought nobody was looking.

    "Hello dear! Here we are!" came Sandy''s cheerful call from the front of the gaggle of walkers. The rotund lady was a bit out of breath, and her cheeks a bit redder than usual. She had left her usual apron back at the shop and was dressed in stout tweeds and corduroy, with new-looking hiking boots that were probably a bit large for her.

    "Oh my! Oh! Oh my!" gawped Sandy as she finally registered the contents of the clearing. She paused for a moment, before having to move ahead to let others into the yard behind her. "You weren''t kidding! A tower! Look at thaaaat!"

    "Hi everybody! Come in! I''m Amelia, and that''s Briar over by the garden. She''s ready to give tours if anybody wants. The sprite trying to drag off that slice of cake bigger than she is is Fern. And ... yep, that glowing thing stuck to the table with jam is Whisper. She''s a wisp. The dog''s name is Shock and the goat''s name is Pancake. I don''t think they bite, but no promises they won''t pee on you."

    She stopped to take a breath, then carried on. "We put up signs so you don''t get lost. They list the different walking paths and our best guess at the length. We have refreshments all set up, so help yourselves whenever. Oh, and the loo is over on that side of the gazebo, in case nature calls. Welcome!"

    Sandy''s wasn''t the only mouth agape at the sights in the yard. People seemed to have a hard time deciding what to stare at, between the wisp, sprite, goblin, refreshments, and the multi-story house with attached stone tower that dominated the yard. And a hostess in a bright blue cloak. The woods themselves seemed like they might be a bit anticlimactic after that welcome.

    Most of the visitors were dressed sensibly, in standard rambling attire. Those were the ones that seemed to shake off their surprise the fastest. They quickly dispersed, some heading for the refreshments, but most just waving then heading off to walk.

    Amelia was quite pleased, however, when she saw that several of the ones who remained were dressed in costumes. Cloaks, capes, tunics, staves instead of walking sticks, and even a few with swords at their belts. This group was still stopped at the entrance to the yard, talking amongst themselves while they pointed at all the fantastic elements in the clearing.

    "Is that your dwarf friend? The one who made that amazing ale?" Sandy finally managed to get out, pointing towards Briar. The goblin was happily showing off her plants to a few of the visitors in the garden.

    "Uh, no. That''s Briar. She''s a gardener. And a goblin, not a dwarf. See? She has pointy teeth and slightly pointy ears. And you can tell she only has three toes, ''cause she never wears shoes."

    "Okay. And dwarves wear shoes, then?"

    "Well, the two I know personally do, and all the ones I saw at the dance, and at the Night Market, and I guess at Pola''s village. So maybe yes? I know Picker and Briar don''t wear shoes, but maybe I shouldn''t assume no goblins do, though."

    Sandy seemed to be struggling a bit to absorb that information but rallied beautifully when she spotted Shock.

    "There''s my baby! Who''s a good doggy? Who''s a good girl? Yes, it''s you! Yes it is!" she spoke in a mothering voice as she bent down to get slobbered on by the puppy.

    "No no, don''t say hi to the goat, that''s fine. I''ll just mind my own business here, being adorable, no drool, but to each their own. I won''t judge." grumped Pancake from near the refreshments table.

    "Did? Did? Did he just talk? Like actually talk? Oh, my eye!"

    "Can do, can do. Didn''t listen when I told you that the last time we met, but hey ho, such is the life of the incurably cute." replied the kid.

 25: New Friends and New Paths

    "Who are the people in the costumes? They look neat!" asked Amelia, as Sandy seemed to get over her surprise.

    "Oh, them? Maisie''s sister''s husband''s friend, Archie, the one in the club? His best friend, Basil, is into that stuff. You know, role-playing games and reenactment and such. They heard about how ''enchanting'' and ''fairie tale'' like it was here and thought they''d come along for a lark. They seem to be quite enjoying themselves over there, don''t they?"

    "Huh. Yeah, I can see why they''d be interested. I''m gonna go chat with them for a minute. Have one of the scones, they came out great! Oh, and that jug there is the beer. It''s not quite as good as the stuff Tuuka makes, but still pretty good. I''ll give you a tour of the house in a bit."

    "Of course, dear! Run along, and I''ll mind this cute pupper here! Who''s a cutey patootie? Who''s a love bug?" The last bit said to the dog, of course. Shock rolled over and showed her belly, her tongue lolling about as she wiggled on her back.

    "I might hurl!" said Pancake, who elected to abandon his post and trailed after Amelia.

    "Alright, everybody? Nice costumes! Glad to see other people with good fashion sense!" greeted Amelia, twirling her cloak behind her.

    The group hushed as they all turned to look at her.

    "Thank you! And that is a very nice cloak you have on, Miss Amelia!" said an older man who moved to the front of the crowd. He had a long white beard and wore a dark scarlet caftan which strained around his belly, aided slightly by a green sash he wore as a belt. "I''m Bill and that''s ..." he pointed at and named the costumed people one by one, but they all had strange and fake-sounding fantasy names, and Amelia couldn''t remember any of them.

    "We''re a gaming club, and we thought we''d drop in and have a look after all the hype we heard. Hope you don''t mind?" Bill continued after he was done with introductions.

    "Not at all! I''m just happy to have visitors. Help yourselves to the refreshments! And go walk in the woods, they''re neat! I''ll be here if you have any questions. Just maybe don''t feed the sprite or the wisp -- they might explode if they eat much more."

    The group dispersed and started wandering around in ones and twos, much as the ramblers had done. Bill, however, clearly had questions.

    "Is that really a goblin over there? Is she ... evil?" he quietly asked.

    "Who, Briar? Yeah, she''s a goblin. Pointy teeth, pointy ears, three toes. Not sure if the no-shoes thing is diagnostic, though. I don''t think she''s evil unless you mess with her garden. Then all bets are off."

    "Huh. Neat! Where did you find her?"

    "Actually, Bert found her! I just said I wanted a garden, and POOF! There she was. More or less."

    "Fascinating! I''d love to meet this Bert of yours!"

    Tyni''s warning about sharing the nature of the place suddenly leapt to the front of her brain, and she managed to stop herself from saying too much.

    "Oh, he''s around somewhere. Pops up when you least expect him!"

    Bill nodded, entranced by Fern trying to help pry Whisper free from the table. The jam had dried to the consistency of glue, and the pair were having problems.

    "I haven''t even left your front yard, and already I can tell this place is fantastic! I know this is an imposition, and please feel free to say no, but would it be possible for us to run some games here? The ambiance would be incredible!"

    "That would be wonderful! What do you play?"

    "Well, lots of stuff, but mostly tabletop games. You know, like D&D? You''ve heard of that? Yeah? We''ve been playing a few games like that, sort of. Currently, Tricube Tales. Same kind of thing, just simpler. And some LARP, of course." Bill answered, gesturing at his attire.

    Amelia nodded. These were her sort of people!

    "I love Tricube Tales! Zadmar, right? I was going to convert Howitt''s What I Did On My Summer Holidays to that, but never got around to it. Love that game, so cozy! I used to play with friends before I moved here."

    The man was possibly more stunned at that response than he had been at the sight of the goblin and sprite.

    "Wow! A fellow geek--in the wild, as it were! What a pleasure!" he finally managed to get out.

    "Bill! Bill! You gotta see this! There''s a talking tree! He says he''s a guardian of the woods! Talks like Treebeard! C''mon, man!" called a young man from the edge of the yard, frantically waving to get the gamer''s attention.

    "That''s Alder, he''s my friend, too! You should go talk to him, I think he gets lonely. Not that he would admit it. Oh! I know! When you come to play, we could set up a table in his clearing, and he could watch, or join us! Somebody would have to roll for him, though. Trees don''t have hands, after all."

    Bill gaped again, then nodded. "Awesome! That sounds great! I need to go meet this guy. Alder, you said? Be back in a bit. Nice to meet you, Amelia!" he said as he rushed off.

    Amelia watched the rest of the group hurry off after Bill, then remembered her promise to Sandy. The shopkeep was still playing with Shock, while Fern was drinking out of her partly empty mug of ale on the table. Whisper had disappeared, most likely back to the oven.

    "You know, sweet cheeks, I can teach you actual magic, in case you need more thrill in your life. No saving throw required!" said Pancake, amused by her exchange with Bill.

    "I know, but games aren''t just about the fantasy! They''re a way of connecting with people, and socializing!" protested Amelia.

    "Yeah, yeah. True, but there are other ways of connecting with people and socializing, know what I mean, nudge nudge wink wink?"

    "You are entirely too young to be making innuendoes like that! You''re starting to act like Briar when she''s had a pint!" Amelia scolded the kid, then moved off to rescue the puppy.

    "Young? I''ll have you know I''m ... Briar with a pint, you say? Oooh, I wonder if she likes brandy? You can put that in pints ... Baldrick, I have a cunning plan!"

    <hr>

    "And this is what I''ve been calling the Aviary, but is really just a nesting place. See all the cubbies up there? The birds can come and go through holes in the eaves, and keep their nests in there. That one''s Blue''s, and right next to it is Beige''s. They''re around here somewhere."

    Sandy looked where Amelia was pointing, then around the rest of the room.

    "I''ll probably make this a workshop or something, but haven''t gotten around to it yet. When the weather gets really bad, though, I''ll probably spend more time in here."

    "It''s a very nice place you have, dear! And a tower, no less! Not drafty at all, even. You said you just built this the other day?"

    "Uh, Bert did. He''s, um, shy. You probably won''t see him. But he''s really neat!"

    "I''m sure, dear. Can we go see the kitchen again? I want another look at that massive oven of yours."

    "Sure thing! I should probably be downstairs anyways, in case anybody needs anything."

    The group headed back downstairs, Amelia leading the way, followed by Sandy, and trailed by Pancake, with Fern standing on his back and steadying herself by holding his ears. He had to go down the stairs backwards, carefully lowering himself, and Fern abandoned her post before she got goat sick. She was feeling stuffed but had managed not to overdo it as badly as Whisper had.

    By the time the kid finally made it to the ground floor, Sandy had already said her goodbyes and departed, cookbook in hand. Amelia and Briar were outside, chatting with Bill and his gang.

    "You know, if you guys want to do a live-action game, I can probably get a hedge maze or something set up. And when the boys get back and get the mushrooms cleared out of the cavern, you could even play in there! It''s really neat!"

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    The gamers looked intrigued at the idea, and several discussions started about what rules to use and logistics issues. That went on until the light started to fade, and the snack table was noticeably bare. The last of the walkers had long since passed back through the yard.

    Bill and one of the ladies in the gamer group offered to help clean up, and with their help, the yard was cleared away in no time. All the visitors had been respectful of the place, so there was no litter or mess to clean up. Just the dishes to be put in the sink, and the tablecloths piled up in the shed. When they offered to help with the dishes, Amelia shoo''d them away, citing "a helpful dishwasher" that would take care of it.

    Amelia was a bit embarrassed to find someone had put a "donations" tin out on the snacks table. Since Bert produced all the raw materials, and technically they were getting energy from the visitors to make more, it felt like cheating or double-dipping, somehow. Bill had pointed out that it made people feel good to give when they were getting such a marvelous experience, so she was somewhat mollified. Plus, a tin stuffed with cash was a tin stuffed with cash--not something to turn down lightly.

    When everyone was finally gone, she collapsed on her bed, wrapping herself in her cloak. It had been a wonderful day, with lots of people visiting and enjoying the hollow. Many had stopped by on their way out to let her know they''d like to come back in the future, possibly bringing others, and Amelia had encouraged them. Having the woods full of people just enjoying themselves was everything she''d hoped for. In many ways.

    [Error. Lockdown -- Root access only. Active security available for unit assignment. Borders disengaged from all other realms. Ingress permitted via approved entrances only. Entry permitted only to zero danger entities, whitelisted, or approved petition.]

    "I''m not certain what that all that means, Bert, but I''m guessing Lark can take a break from the wards, am I right? But visitors can still come in if they''re safe?"

    [Correct. Contracted agents Lark and Alder no longer required for security maintenance. Zero danger entities approved for entry.]

    "Awesome! You got that much juice from our visitors?"

    [Correct. Mana level at ... "Way more than enough".]

    "Yippee! In that case, I have some ideas we should talk about ..."

    <hr>

    Amelia watched as Briar and Pancake walked down the path ahead of her, giggling about something. She had a feeling she didn''t want to know what they were talking about but was glad to see the goat fitting in. He had found a kindred spirit in the goblin, and they''d been almost as inseparable as Whisper and Fern had become.

    "Shock! What do you have in your mouth? Show me! No! Out! Out! Spit her out! Whisper is not a chew toy. You don''t know where she''s been!" The wisp wafted away from the puppy, completely unharmed. Amelia was starting to suspect the glow ball was deliberately goading the dog into trying to eat her, for some unknown reason. The wisp was a hard one to figure out.

    The crew were all out clearing paths. As Lark had said, the normal paths were fine, but the paths in Megrim were in a sad state. Amelia was still trying to wrap her head around how all the various realm pieces fit together. The bird had resorted to trying to draw a diagram, which helped a bit. It seemed that realms could overlap in more than one way. The spatial overlap made sense, more or less. The other ones sailed right over her head, especially when Pancake tried to explain and started using names like Banach and Hilbert. She thought she knew what he meant when he used the word ''imaginary'', but she was completely wrong. When she asked him to explain the ''banana'' and ''dilbert'' spaces again, the goat had just chortled and given up to go tell jokes with Briar. Amelia''s takeaway had been that sometimes a tree could be in one realm but not another, or in more than one realm at the same time, and sometimes they could be assumed to be spherical and frictionless, for some reason. Regardless, the paths needed maintenance.

    She had a bit better time when Lark had started to teach her how to see the Megrim paths. The bird had been very surprised that Amelia could already see them, thanks to that potion she''d accidentally made and ingested way back when. All she had to do was focus just right, and the paths were suddenly there. Just like when she''d followed the shepherd.

    The last few days had been spent in path maintenance, just like when she first came to the hollow. But this time she had plenty of company. Even Beige and Blue made an appearance, flying from tree to tree along with their cronies as she worked, watching her and chattering away. She was careful not to look at that pair too closely, since she much preferred to think of them as cute birds wearing adorable sashes, and not the hulking monstrosities they were behind that facade. Plus it was a little ludicrous seeing gorilla-sized horrors perched on the tiniest of branches above her head. She shuddered and repressed the thought.

    They''d even had some spontaneous visitors, in the form of several of the ramblers that had returned for more exploration. It seemed the hollows were a big hit, and not only was the original group happy to come back for walks, word was starting to spread farther and farther. Many took the bus into Eldertown, or drove and parked at Sandy''s shop. Sandy was enjoying having people pass through, even if they didn''t buy anything from her, and was even considering expanding her car park to accommodate more guests.

    There were others about as well. Amelia mostly only glimpsed them at a distance, as they were working on the more remote Megrim paths. She rarely was able to make out any details, but it seemed that at least some of the secretive inhabitants of the hollow weren''t so eager to hide from her. One particularly nice old gentleman had stopped to chat with the clearing crew for a few minutes. He was shorter than Amelia, and stooped with age, but wiry and fit. His clothing was old-fashioned, and she couldn''t help thinking that he desperately needed to wash his hat. It was reddish-brown and crusty, which was disgusting. But he was nice enough, sharing his flask with Briar and Pancake. Amelia didn''t ask, but she assumed he was an arborist or landscaper since he used a billhook as a walking stick. His had more spiky bits on it than hers did, though. He even helped clear a particularly nasty thorn bush they had been wrestling with. He just trod on it until it collapsed, the thorns no match for his iron walking boots. Amelia gave him some truffles she had dug up for his troubles.

    There were several others she got to chat with, but as Briar had said, many of the inhabitants stayed in the shadows or wore robes or other concealing clothing, so she was often not sure if they were men or women, young or old, human or not. Not that it mattered to Amelia. She was finding that she enjoyed spending time with the inhabitants. Some were happy to pass the time with Amelia, telling remarkable stories and sharing snippets of gossip or secrets which largely went over her head. She took to carrying extra candy, biscuits, and flasks of ''medicinal'' spirits to share when invited to tea. One nice beldame even let Amelia do her nails, although she had to fetch a file from the shed to do it properly. The sparks that showered out as she worked were very pretty. That was a nice afternoon, although Amelia found the lady''s jewelry a little offputting. The heads looked remarkably realistic, and she was pretty sure one of them winked at her, but it was likely just a trick of the light.

    There were also quite a few more animals in the wood than she had originally thought. She knew there were plenty of birds, squirrels, and other small woodland creatures, but there were larger beasts as well. She saw a horse playing in one of the ponds, and several dog-wolf things, one of which she mistook for Domas at first. Surprisingly, scritches and ear rubs were universally loved, as were jammy dodgers.

    Amelia was a bit lost in thought when she realized the path they were working ended in a meadow that she hadn''t been to before. It wasn''t all that large, with the center dominated by a trilithon on an earthen mound. The great stone doorway reached well over Amelia''s height, and standing between them, she could just touch the two uprights with her arms fully outstretched. A ring of toadstools with white spotted red caps circled the base of the mound, making for a very pretty contrast to the wildflowers and grass of the rest of the meadow.

    "This would be a great place for a picnic!" Announced Amelia, leaning against one of the uprights.

    The rest of the group joined her on the mound. It wasn''t all that high, maybe four or five feet at most, but it felt higher, for some reason.

    "I wonder what these stones are for? Anybody know?" She asked.

    Briar looked up from where she was examining one of the wildflowers. "Gate to some realm. For when they align just right, sort of thing. Bit more obvious than the passage at the dancing glade, at least. Bit showy, for my tastes." The goblin went back to looking at the plants.

    "Huh. So if I walk through, what happens?"

    "Nothing, if the realms aren''t in alignment. Unless you know how to power a hop, like Lark can."

    Amelia walked through the stone doorway first one way, then the other. Nothing happened.

    "Hey! That''s right! How are the boys gonna make it back without someone to help them cross? Will they have to wait until the next starlight dance? When''s that gonna happen, anyways?"

    "Nah, not a problem. They''re coming from Whimsy, right, so they''ll just use one of the crossings to Megrim, and then just come in through the front gate. The gate and fence is in all three realms, don''t you know."

    The goblins saw the confused look on Amelia''s face and explained further. "When everything lines up, you can just walk from one realm to another. But some places are always like that. Take the hollow -- in the front door from the Mortal realm, back out through the same gate into Megrim, just like that. If you know how. Happens by accident too. Causes a right mess, but that''s travel for you. Always losing your luggage, foreign food givin'' you the runs, so on and so on."

    "Oh good. I was worried they wouldn''t be able to get back!"

    "Don''t worry, caretaker. Might be new to you, but we know the score."

    "Thanks, Briar! You''re the best!" Amelia impulsively gave the gardener a hug.

    "Well, maybe so, maybe so, but we should get back to clearing. Lotta paths to clean up!"

    "Right! Back to work!"

    <hr>

    [Notice: Visitors detected at entrance gate.]

    "Really? This late? Hope they brought torches!" Amelia said, mostly to herself. She was curled up in the armchair with a cup of cocoa, watching the fire sprites dance. It had been a long day of maintenance again, and she was getting used to the regular notice of visitors entering or leaving the hollow. Although almost all of them came first thing in the morning or around noon, there were a few that came at odd hours. That''s why she restocked the refreshment tins periodically. Before her evening bath, she also cleaned the outside WC and restocked the bog roll. That way, everything was fresh and ready, and she didn''t have to roll out of bed at the crack of dawn.

    Mostly people just passed through the yard and headed straight out onto the paths, only stopping back by for a cuppa after their walk. They would wave if they saw Amelia about, and chat, but everyone respected her privacy and left the cottage alone.

    So she was really surprised when she heard the knock on the door.

    Shock leapt up from the blanket she shared with Pancake, sending the kid sprawling across the floor, bleary-eyed.

    Pealing silences erupted as the puppy ''barked'', facing the door.

    "It''s okay, girl! Nothing to get excited about. I''ll just see who it is."

    Amelia passed through the boot room and opened the front door, to see a crowd standing in the front yard. With three beaming faces she recognized.

    "Tyni! Tuuka! Picker!" She yelled as she flew out the door to embrace her friends.

 26: Friends and Family

    "Ahoy-oy! Good to see you too, missy!" said Tyni, once Amelia released him from a smothering hug.

    She stepped back and looked at the gathering in the yard. There were at least a dozen goblins, and about that many dwarves. Several ponies were hitched to carts piled dangerously high with baggage, in addition to the packs and bags everybody was carrying. They all looked tired and travel-worn, and a little apprehensive.

    As Amelia was trying to register all the new faces, Shock burst out from the doorway behind her and skidded to a stop at the edge of the porch, tongue hanging out. The clop-clop of hooves announced Pancake, who had Fern standing on his back. Whisper was still on the oven, far too sleepy to deal with newcomers at this time of evening.

    "Friends! Friends!" trilled Fern when she saw who had arrived, then "Baby! Baby" as she was instantly diverted at the sight of the swaddled infant in one of the dwarven lady''s arms. She flew up and peered at the child, cooing quietly.

    "Aye! That''s my wee one, Onni. My missus, Elisabet. Meet Amelia and Fern." said Tyni, placing an arm lovingly around his wife and smiling down at the sprite goggling over his child.

    Tuuka was next to introduce his teenage daughter Vieno and pre-teen twins, Pasi (the boy) and Lumi (the girl).

    Amelia waved at them, and they politely waved back, although the kids were mostly focused on the puppy and goat by that point. After they were introduced, Tuuka pointed out each of the other dwarves that had come with them, members of his or Tyni''s extended clan.

    By the time Picker started introducing his family, which included his wife, kids (two teens and a set of triplets, about school age as best as Amelia could judge), mother and father, parents-in-law, and a few cousins, she had run out of memory for retaining names. She tried, but it was too much all at once.

    About then, Briar emerged from her home under the bramble bush in the garden, and there was another round of introductions. Amelia caught a few more names, but there were just so many, she''d have to start taking notes.

    By that time the goblin triplets had curled up together on the ground and fallen asleep, Shock buried in the pile to keep them warm.

    "I''m so sorry! Come in, come in! I''ll put the kettle on. Have you eaten?" Amelia said as she ushered the newcomers into the living room. Even with all the extra furniture, there weren''t seats for everyone. The littlest of the kids curled up on blankets in front of the fire, each jockeying to snuggle with the puppy or the goat. The older kids sat on the floor or on cushions.

    It took a few minutes to get the crowd settled in, but Tyni took charge, assisted by Picker''s oldest daughter and Tuuka''s oldest son. The trio quickly had everybody seated and with something hot to drink and tasty to eat. While they did that, Amelia had been working with Bert to place beds and partitions up in the attic, so there would be enough comfortable and private places to sleep.

    She was extremely glad they had the two WCs inside, along with the "multi-holer" out by the gazebo. The bath situation was dire, so she placed a few tubs down in the cellar where there was space between the rows of barrels. They had to queue, but the travelers were able to go to sleep warm and clean, for the first time in many days.

    It wasn''t until almost midnight that Amelia finally got to bed herself. She''d given the master bedroom over to Picker and his family and was happily curled up on the armchair and hassock downstairs. It was nice to have an excuse to sleep down there again, and she didn''t mind in the least. Especially with both Pancake and Shock snuggled under the covers with her.

    It was wonderful having her friends back and getting to meet their families. She did kick herself mentally for not prepping for their arrival a bit better, though. But luckily it had gone well enough, and everyone was grateful for the hospitality. Only the ponies had been left outside, and they seemed perfectly happy to sleep in the gazebo. The other pets (who had been in travel crates on the carts) were put up in the brewery for the night, unfortunately still in their boxes. They''d find better places for them in the morning, but for now, the focus was just getting a good night''s sleep.

    <hr>

    The sizzle of frying bacon and sausages woke Amelia up the next morning, and she stretched luxuriously in the armchair. Unfortunately, the movement dislodged Shock, who was pushed off the seat. The dog grabbed the blanket with her mouth as she fell, which ended up pulling Pancake off onto the floor with her.

    The goat let out a loud bleat as he went from a cozy cuddle to the cold floor with a thud, and glared back and forth between Amelia and the dog. He was still too muzzy from sleep to make any snide comments, but Amelia decided to retreat to the kitchen before he completely woke up.

    "Morning Tyni! Sleep well?"

    "Morning missy! Like a log! Elisabet didn''t believe me about how comfy the beds are here, but last night was the first time the boy slept through the night! A miracle!" he grinned broadly.

    "What was your son''s name again? I''m sorry, I tried to remember them all, but there were just so many names!" Amelia asked, embarrassed.

    "It''s Onni. Don''t worry, missy! There''s a lot of us, for sure, but you''ll get ''em all eventually. Nobody minds!" he said as he expertly turned the rashers of bacon on the massive griddle.

    "I know, but I''m just terrible with names. Maybe I should make up name tags for everybody to wear for the next few days, that''ll help!" she joked as started mixing up a massive batch of pancake batter. It was nice to have an oven large enough to cook for an army.

    "Smells good! Need any help?" came a female voice. Amelia glanced back to see Quiet, Picker''s mother. The goblin didn''t wait for an answer, and slid into the kitchen to start cooking the clutch of eggs Amelia had pulled from the pantry.

    "Good morning! Sleep well?"

    "I did! Thanks! Best sleep in ages, and I''ve slept in some pretty fancy places back in my misspent youth. My son couldn''t stop singing the praises of this place, so I had to see for myself. He wasn''t wrong!"

    "Picker? Said more than two words? Wow!"

    "That boy, you just have to know how to read him. He''s just like his father. Hoards words as if they were his life''s blood."

    As they worked and chatted, more and more of the dwarves and goblins woke and came downstairs. Amelia finally broke away from the cooking to organize seating, but she found Bellows, Picker''s father-in-law, had already set up the tables and benches outside. They''d sit under the open sky so they wouldn''t have to move the ponies before breakfast.

    It was a boisterous group that finally gathered around the tables to eat, well-rested and cheerful. The good food didn''t hurt, either. Tyni already looked more relaxed than when he''d arrived, happy to be cooking again. He barely sat, running back and forth from the kitchen to refill plates and mugs, a satisfied grin on his face.

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Amelia blushed as she was praised and thanked repeatedly as they ate. She truly didn''t feel like she deserved the kind words. Bert provided the space and food, Tyni had done most of the cooking, and she was just the caretaker here. But she was glad people were happy.

    Fast broken, the conversation eventually turned to future plans. The dwarves and goblins had been focused on getting to the hollow, with its promise of a safe place to live. Other than mining the cavern in the vault, they hadn''t given too much thought to the future beyond. Amelia listened as the debate ranged far and wide. It was generally agreed the miners would focus on extracting valuable minerals from the seams in the cavern, once the dangerous fungi were eliminated. They had contacted Reginald, and the boar had arranged a contact to buy some raw ore. That, plus the returns on the money they had invested with the merchant''s help, they hoped would carry them through until they could set up some other business ventures. It remained unspoken, but it was obvious to Amelia they were concerned about being taken as freeloaders, and they were planning on doing everything they could to earn their place in the hollow.

    Of course, with so many happy, ebullient people around, Bert was gaining energy like crazy. That wasn''t at all why she had invited them to stay, but that more than made up for their keep, had they known.

    [Notice: Energy at maximum. Buffering overcharge temporarily. Consider placing or modifying rooms.]

    As soon as she received that message from Bert, Amelia perked up. She''d been doodling some sketches and notes on a notepad already but wanted to consult with the new inhabitants before making any changes. She was going to reorganize again, and she wanted it to be a surprise! But hopefully, a pleasant one that catered to their needs. She decided to start with Tyni. The dwarf was puttering around in the kitchen, more for his own amusement than for anything needing doing.

    "Hey Tyni! Got a minute?" she asked when she made sure there was no one else around.

    "Sure, missy. Whatcha need?"

    "I just wanted to check something. I can''t remember names, but I did remember some things. I know you like to cook, and Tuuka is a brewer. I think Picker likes to fish, but I don''t know if that''s actually his hobby. Several of the girls said something about printing, like with a press? And I think I heard something about blacksmithing. Is that everybody? Besides mining, of course."

    Tyni dried his hands on a towel while he thought about it. He stared off into space for a moment or two as he thought over those who had come with them to the hollow.

    "Lets see. Miners by profession, many of us. You knew that. Brewing is Tuuka''s passion. Printers, Blacksmith, yep. My Elisabet loves to sculpt when she has time. The kids really haven''t had time to find themselves, so no worry there. Scorper is a wood-worker--goblin names tend to work that way. Hmmm. I think some of the lads would be happy to try anything that isn''t mining, for a bit. Picker and his mum were adventurers. And of course, cooking and hospitality is my passion." he finished, nodding his head as he ticked off the list.

    "We''ll probably work on getting a forge and smithy set up first. Then we can make and maintain tools for the rest. Don''t worry, missy, we''ll be out of your hair as soon as we can!" he assured her.

    "None of that! You guys are staying, and that''s final! I''ll be back in a bit. Bert is feeling full, and I''m gonna solve several problems all at once." Amelia responded enigmatically.

    She started to leave the kitchen, then turned back with a thought. "While you guys were gone, we opened the hollow to ramblers and other visitors. I''ve been stocking the table in the gazebo with snacks and tea and such. Would you have any interest in doing that sort of thing? I was thinking tea and biscuits should be free, just to entice people in. But maybe we could sell cooked lunches, baked goods, things like that. What do you think?"

    Tyni was surprised but intrigued by the idea. "I might need to draft some help, what with keeping that lot fed as well, but that would be grand! Pies, cakes, biscuits! Ooh! Soup with bread bowls for cold days. Bacon-wrapped bacon on a stick!"

    The dwarf didn''t answer her question, but she took his grinning chortle as a yes. His gaze was off in the distance as he rubbed his hands together, already planning a menu. She quietly left him to his daydreaming.

    A moment later, she was back. "Uh, sorry to interrupt. And I don''t mean to be rude if this is insensitive or anything. But do goblins and dwarves prefer to be above ground, or below ground, or do you guys care?" She winced as she asked it, realizing how stereotypical the question was.

    "No worries! Goblins prefer underground, almost to a man. Dwarves are more individual, but we''re usually fine either way. Why do you ask?"

    "Oh, just needed to know which way to expand, is all. Uh, you might watch your footing for a bit. Cottage might move around a little soon."

    "What? Missy, what are you up to?" but the girl had already zipped out the door. He watched as she went from goblin to goblin, then dwarf to dwarf, asking questions and taking notes on a pad of paper. They all seemed happy to answer her questions, and frequently he saw them pointing out things in her notes, or several times taking the pad and writing or drawing themselves. He wasn''t sure what she was up to, but she seemed determined to get lots of input, whatever it was.

    The dwarf was just putting another kettle on for more tea when he felt a strange, sort of stretching feeling that lasted just an eye blink. Suddenly, the kitchen was at least twice as long as it had been before, with even more counter space, tables, cabinets, and floor space. The oven had grown correspondingly larger as well, with multiple cooktop spots and several doors for different baking compartments. Rows of industrial-looking pots, pans, and utensils hung from hooks all around the room. Most of the surfaces were now gleaming stainless steel or porcelain. Only the flower and baby animal motif on the backsplashes and trivets remained like the original.

    Whisper wobbled up from her spot, disturbed from her nap. She glowed angry blue for a moment, then started drifting around examining the new space.

    Tyni smiled, enticed by the new capacity in the room. He made a beeline to the pantry, which had also doubled in size, and now had a tight spiral staircase descending to a second level, delightfully chilly. It was packed to the ceiling with perishable goods like meats and dairy products, all clearly labeled and stored appropriately.

    The dwarf scratched the back of his neck for a moment. He''d certainly have to find an assistant. Or two.

    Amelia was certainly making it clear she wanted them, and him especially, to stay and be happy. Which was fine with him. The days on the road after living in the cottage for just a few nights had felt like torture. Arriving home to the spartan hovel his family had been forced to subsist in were worse. It nearly broke his heart seeing his wife making do like that. He had vowed he would do better for her, and for Onni.

    Wiping a tear away with his apron, he composed himself, then went back upstairs to the ground floor. If the kitchen had changed that much, there were bound to be other changes to see. Like the new dumbwaiter, and the new room suddenly attached to the kitchen!

    Amelia gathered the group that were still debating at the table, then had to wait while a few ran off to round up the children, who had wandered off to play with Shock, Pancake, and Fern. Briar was even pried out of her inspection of the vastly expanded garden region. Amelia had taken care not to have Bert place any plants there, but just to expand the boundaries and tillable soil, so the goblin could choose how to spread out her lovelies.

    "Okay, everybody! Sorry to interrupt, but I''ve made some changes to the cottage and grounds, and I wanted to show you what we got, before you guys make too many more plans. Hopefully, you like it!" she called, trying to make sure everybody could hear her. There was an excited murmur in response.

    The first stop was a new clearing a short way behind the cottage. A path led around the tower, along the backside of the cottage, through the trees about twenty feet or so, then into a cleared space. It was obviously meant to be a private space, not attached to the walking trails of the rest of the hollow.

    The clearing was about the same size as the cottage yard, with two large stone, timber, and thatched buildings at opposite corners, and a roofed stable area in another corner. The nearer stone structure was completely enclosed, with no windows. A chimney was on one side, and a second pipe next to it appeared to be venting steam. The far building was roofed over, but three-quarters of the space was an open workshop, with the rest a large storage and inside workspace.

    Bellows, Picker''s father-in-law, nearly fainted when he saw the new, fully stocked smithy. Amelia practically had to shove him inside, telling him three times that it was his, and to make himself at home. Several of the goblins and dwarves whistled in envy, but Tyni, Tuuka, and Picker assured them they wouldn''t be forgotten. They could tell by the mischievous look on their host''s face.

    "I put this here so it would be out of the way of any visitors, so you could work in peace. And so the noise wouldn''t be a problem if someone wants to sleep in or something." Then she led them towards the other stone building. Stet, Bellow''s wife, had to drag the goblin by the ear to get him out of the workshop. He still clutched a hammer to his chest like a drowning man would hold a life preserver, a grin plastered on his face.

    "Just wait until you see this next one!"

 27: The Cottage Grows On You II

    "Okay, I know the bath situation last night was a bit rough. So this is a bathhouse and sauna complex. There are half a dozen small private tubs, two larger spas, and one big communal sauna. The shower rooms are all those doors down that way." Amelia pointed in one direction, then turned to point in the opposite direction. "That hallway leads to more WCs. Oh, and a wading pool for the kiddos. I was gonna put in a big pool, but thought I''d hold off on that, ''cause I forgot to ask if you guys like swimming."

    There was a pause as they fished Pasi and Lumi, Tuuka''s twins, out of one of the spas. Then another when the triplets "accidentally" fell into the wading pool. All three of them. Several times.

    Once they were all dried off, Amelia opened a door in one corner, revealing a spiral staircase leading down into the ground. She had worried momentarily if she overdid it on the spiral staircases, but they were more convenient than ladders and took up less space than regular staircases. Plus she liked them, which was certainly reason enough to have so many.

    "This door has a security feature so that only people that live here, or accompanied guests, can come through. Follow me! Down we go!" she called, heading down the stairs. The security had been Bert''s suggestion, and since he already monitored the whole hollow, it wasn''t an extra strain on his part.

    She waited at the bottom for the crowd to catch up. It took some effort to get the triplets down since they kept turning around to go back up towards the pool. The toddlers also wanted to go down the stairs on their own, which they did backwards, lowering themselves down each step. Progress was slow, but they eventually made it.

    There was considerable whispering going on among the crowd. It seemed not everyone had truly believed the stories that Tuuka, Tyni, and Picker had told them about the cottage and its magical transformation abilities. There were several apologies given, and Picker looked particularly smug.

    "This hallway leads back towards the cottage, and there''s a stair access there, as well. So you don''t have to go outside to get to the bath!"

    That announcement was greeted with cheers, particularly from the goblin contingent. They didn''t hate the sun, not as such. It was more of a deep-seated distrust.

    "Okay, on this level are a bunch of living spaces. Bedrooms, dens, storage spaces, that kind of thing. I think I got all of your preferences, but if I missed anything, or you''d like something changed, let me know. There should be room enough for you all to spread out, but there are even more rooms in the cottage, so feel free to stay there if you want."

    The majority of the rooms down here were deliberately cave and burrow-like, with rough walls and ceilings. Thick carpets kept the floors warm and comfortable. There were lamps throughout, but placed so it was still fairly dim, with comforting deep shadows here and there. The remaining rooms were smoothly plastered and brightly lit, just like the interior of the cottage.

    The hallway ended in a thick, soundproof door. Amelia opened it and waved the group through.

    "This is the print shop. I think we got everything you need, but let me know after you look around. The supply room is over there, for inks, papers, that sort of thing. We''re under the tower cellar here, so noise shouldn''t be an issue. That''s where those stairs go. Head on up, and keep going up past the brewery, okay? You''ve all already seen that, and nothing''s changed there. Somebody make sure we don''t lose Tuuka when we go through, though."

    This time it was Bellows who had to drag his spouse out, while Picker assisted with Lede, his own wife. Stet was a master printer, who had taught Lede, who was in turn teaching her own daughter Frisket. None of them had ever seen such shiny and new equipment, or such an assortment of type, ink, and paper.

    They climbed the stairs up through the cellar, pausing briefly to admire the many casks and kegs again. Some had bathed here the night before and already knew the liquid treasures stored in this room. Then it was up through the brewery, with only a passing comment from Tuuka about wishing his father could see the place. Tyni took the opportunity to dash back to the kitchen momentarily since the brewery was on the ground floor and connected through to the living room.

    The next level up from there had been Amelia''s master bedroom, but while she was reorganizing she realized that people would have to pass through to get to the workshops above. Plus it just felt too large for herself so she''d moved her room elsewhere. So now this room was the metal and wood shop, walls crammed with tools and machines. A system of leather belts connected the lathe, mill, saws, and other tools, running up to a pulley on the ceiling that Bert could keep moving.

    Continuing up the stairs, Amelia pointed out how thick the walls and floors were. For soundproofing. She''d thought about having the smithy in here as well but figured it would be safer to have the furnace and forge further away.

    Above the shop level was a floor subdivided into different art studios, for sculpting and painting. There was even a good-sized music room, although nobody had asked for one. It just seemed to fit the aesthetic of the space, so she had Bert squeeze it in.

    The kids were overjoyed when they found that the next floor had a playroom set aside just for them. Places for naps, cubbies filled with toys, and even plush couches for the older ones to lounge on. Their enthusiasm waned a bit when they found out the other rooms on this floor were classrooms, and there were a few tears at the sight of rows of desks and chairs.

    The final floor was a revised aviary and quiet observation lounge. Huge protruding bay windows surrounded the room, and being so many stories up the view was fantastic. The birds still had their entrances under the eaves, and nesting spaces just as before. There were leather couches and wing chairs scattered around the space, each with a coffee table or side table nearby. Just perfect for quiet chats or reading. A nice alternative space to the living room, or the smaller dens in the warren underground.

    Amelia had reserved a tiny sliver of a room on this floor for her own bedroom, barely the size of a walk-in closet. It was cozy though, with a good-sized window and just enough room for herself, Pancake, and Shock, should they choose to keep sleeping with her. There was even a small entry flap to allow the animals access.

    Back in the viewing room, she pointed out the special feature of the front window. It could be opened like a large door. A huge beam projected out from the roof above it, ending in a hoist system. Every floor below had similar access, so if they needed to transport heavy stock or finished products, they didn''t have to manhandle them via the stairs. The brewery didn''t need the hoist, but still had a large set of double doors in line with the others, for moving any large barrels or other goods on the ground floor.

    Tour of the tower complete, they descended back down to the ground floor. The cottage proper had stretched to twice its original width, but the depth was the same. That kept the front door in the same place, conveniently. But it allowed room to double the size of the kitchen, pantry, and living room, while still adding another WC. Amelia pointed out the dumbwaiter, saying that it ran to the attic above, but not explaining why. The new room attached to the kitchen was a shop space with service counter opening onto the porch. There were places for ready-made items and rows of drinks containers, both hot and cold. Amelia had added this space almost as an afterthought, wanting to keep the kitchen just for cooking.

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    The floor above was much the same as it had been, subdivided into individual bedrooms. There were eight of them now, instead of four, and two larger WCs with tubs in them.

    The attic, last stop on the tour, had been returned to a mostly empty storage space. It could also serve as a meeting hall if they needed it, its tall, steeply pitched roof high above the floor. There was a fireplace on either end, one connecting to the chimney from the living room fireplace, and the other to the oven chimney. There were foldaway tables and chairs already set up here.

    Tyni had timed it just right, and as they reached this final area, there were steaming tureens of soup in the dumbwaiter, with crusty loaves of bread and crocks of fresh butter already on the tables.

    <hr>

    "Hey there, toots. Nice remodel. Little somethin'' somethin'' for everybody, sort of thing. Almost everybody, if you catch my drift. Ahem."

    Somehow the goat had climbed up onto the table where Amelia was still sitting after finishing lunch. Everyone else had already drifted off to admire the various new work spaces or rooms, or just to wander around. So she had been alone in the huge attic space.

    "Hi Pancake! I did make you something, didn''t you notice? One of those classrooms is for you. You offered to teach me magic, and I thought you might do the same for the kids, or anybody else who wanted to learn. I hope that was okay?"

    "Really? You did that for me? Awww!" he responded, clearly flattered.

    "And I made sure there is plenty of space in my bedroom, so you and Shock can stay with me. Unless you would prefer to sleep in the stables?"

    "Uh, no, no, thanks, doll face." he stuttered, now contrite. Amelia realized that he''d been thinking he was supposed to be with the other animals, and had been planning on objecting.

    "Anything else? Just ask! We gotta burn off some of the excess energy Bert''s been accumulating."

    "Nah, I''m good, thanks. I''m, uh, I''m gonna go check out my new teachin'' digs. Maybe start some lesson plans, sort of thing. Yeah, that''s the ticket. See you ''round, baby cakes!" He said, then carefully worked his way off the table onto a chair, from there onto the floor. His hooves clop-clopped as he pranced away, considerably happier than when he''d approached.

    "Hey Bert? How''s the energy doing? Did we use up enough?"

    [Temporary buffer was emptied. Energy level is currently just below maximum.]

    "Wow! I thought we''d used a bunch up doing the remodel?!?"

    She spent a few minutes in discussion with the core trying to understand how it all worked. Bert was able to gain energy from everyone in the hollow. Placing or modifying rooms used some, but that was a one-time cost in most cases. So they had used a considerable amount with the remodel, but there were so many people in the realm, generating so much positive energy, that it exceeded the rate of drain considerably. Especially with all of them so pleased with safe, cozy accommodations. Not to mention the best areas to indulge their hobbies and passions that they had ever had access to. The happy energy flow was off the charts!

    Further discussion revealed that the amount of energy that Bert could store was dependent on the number of rooms he had. It was a little more complex than that, but that was the simplifying explanation that Amelia went with. And since many of the rooms were so small, they barely registered. So that left him with maybe a dozen rooms that counted towards his storage capacity. Which, he informed Amelia, was miniscule compared to most realms. She sensed he was a bit touchy about the subject.

    She also found out that even though he "covered" the entire hollow, the only true rooms he had were the cottage complex, which included Briar''s garden and home, the yard, and the structures within it. The rest was effectively "free space", which he could control, but didn''t really do anything for him.

    Amelia was particularly surprised to find out that the vault area wasn''t part of Bert''s rooms. When she tried to get more information on that subject, Bert told her that was "root access only" (whatever that meant), and that she wasn''t authorized for that. Which was odd, but she decided it wasn''t worth worrying about.

    She did confirm that having excess energy incoming wasn''t actually a problem. It was just wastefully inefficient. So she felt better about some of the continuous drain effects, like the fires in the furnace and forge, the belt drives in the shops, and restocking the pantry and cellar for so many people. Perhaps they could come up with some other things to make life easier, as well.

    <hr>

    "So, adventuring. Why did you guys give it up?" she asked.

    Picker and Quiet shared a surprised look. That was a question they really hadn''t been expecting.

    Unsurprisingly, despite her name, it was Quiet that answered for the pair.

    "Well, it''s dangerous and doesn''t always pay well, sweetie. You have to provide your own equipment, and the good stuff is expensive. And hard to get. One of the reasons my son and I were, um, uh, scouts. You don''t need as much stuff, and we''re well suited to the job." The last she said while gesturing at herself and Picker, meaning their small and slight builds.

    "Why?" asked Picker, in his usual taciturn way.

    "Well, you see, I have some new friends. You''ll probably meet them sooner or later. Anyways, they like to play at being adventurers. Games and such. Pretend. I''m betting a few of them would like to try the real thing, or at least visit it. You know, like maybe the Night Market or something. I know I''d like to see more cool faerie stuff."

    The two goblins exchanged looks, with Picker rolling his eyes at the ''faerie'' label.

    "So, would you guys be willing to be like, guides, or something, leading expeditions, things like that? If you wanted to, of course! Maybe teach some classes on stuff us mortals don''t have a clue about. Safety, traveling realms, you know. Don''t feel pressured. I just want everybody to have something they enjoy doing!"

    Quiet looked over at Picker, but he just lunged forward and hugged Amelia, which was a first for him. He stepped back, cheeks ablaze, and looked at the ground. His mother patted his back, then winked and nodded at Amelia.

    "I think you can take that as a yes, honey. We''ve both missed being out and exploring. I suppose we can be tour guides if it means getting a chance to do that again."

    "Yay! Bill and his gang will be around sooner or later, ''cause I said they could game here. When I see them, I''ll ask if they want to go on an expedition. But even if they don''t, I do! So you guys should start thinking about cool places to see and things to do."

    "I think we can handle that," Quiet answered, a gleam in her eye. "We could get the girls in the print shop to run us off some brochures! And handbooks! Posters!"

    "Ooooh! Faerie handbooks! So cool! Great idea! You know, we should probably make a brochure for the Hollow! Not just the hiking, but also all the stuff people can do! Smithing, woodworking, printing, that sort of stuff. Sandy said there isn''t a printer anywhere near here, so that''ll probably get some business. Most people around here are farmers, and they surely have stuff that needs fixing, or custom things made. That would be awesome! Help the community, and have fun things to work on!"

    "I love your enthusiasm, dear! So many goblins and dwarves had to give up their dreams and work in the mines, which barely paid anything. Actual productive, paying work they like will do them a world of good!"

    "Yay! That''s what I''m hoping!"

    Amelia left the two discussing the best places to take tour groups to. There were some neat places here in the hollow, and they''d probably start there with short trips, just to get the kinks worked out. She had already seen some of them, but as she''d found working on the paths, there was more in the Hollow than first appeared. There was bound to be some things that would surprise her, which was half the fun of an expedition!

    <hr>

    "Hi, Alder! How''re you doing out here?"

    "Hoom! Caretaker! I was wondering, ahoom, about this building that just appeared. I assume you have, hom, something to do with that?"

    "Sorry! I should have warned you! Remember those people in the funny clothes from the other day? They wanted a place to hang out and play games, so I put that there for them. That''s why it has all the windows. And look!" she said, pushing on the wall closest to Alder. It slid aside on tracks, so the interior of the room and its furnishings were open to the outside. Inside was a large table and several comfortable chairs, along with a few sofas adorned with cushions.

    "I thought maybe you''d like to watch, or even join in! This way, you can have easy access!" She waved at the structure proudly.

    "Ahoom!" Alder harrumphed, a twinkle in his eyes. "First visitors to speak with, ahoom hoom, now games? I''d hug you if I could, caretaker!"

    Amelia glomped onto the old tree, hugging him tightly.

    "I was worried you might be a bit lonely. I know the birds and squirrels come talk to you, but thought some variety might be nice!"

    "Hroom! How considerate! Now, ahoom, tell me about these games ..."

 28: Gaming Annex

    "There you go, Mr. Speckles, Bubbles, Whiskers! Enjoy!" Amelia urged as the pets plopped into the new pond.

    Tucked away in carriers on the carts had been a number of family pets, and once all the families were settled, it had been time to find homes for them. The bat, rats, and cave spiders had been easy since they''d live in their owner''s own spaces.

    The difficulty came from the huge mossy toad, known as Mr. Speckles, and the two cave carp, Bubbles and Whiskers. All of them needed a wet, dark environment, but also access to insects and things for food. So she was happy to have an excuse to make a water feature for them. It was placed in the empty corner of the new ''back'' yard, with the smithy, stables, and bathhouse. The feature consisted of a very deep pond, with overhanging rocky sides, and a large boulder with crags and crevices in it. Bert powered the fountain that arced from the top of the big rock and churned the pond below, with a cooling mist wafting off around the feature.

    The toad, almost as large as Pancake, immediately took up residence in one of the many damp holes in the rock. The two carp dove down and explored the murky depths of the pool, occasionally coming up near the surface to search for prey.

    "Thanks, Miss Amelia!" said Pint.

    "Thanks, Miss Amelia!" echoed the twins, Pasi and Lumi.

    The three kids were all about the same age and were happy to see their pets in a neat new home. They crowded around and leaned out over the pond, trying to watch.

    "Just don''t fall in, alright? And remember you have lessons with Lark in a few minutes. You know how disappointed she gets if you''re tardy!"

    "We''ll be there!" answered Lumi, and the boys nodded their half-hearted agreement.

    Lark had agreed to teach the language of magic, as she did for Amelia, as well as other general subjects. They''d have to find a professional teacher pretty soon, but for now, the lessons kept the kids out from underfoot.

    As did Pancake''s magic lessons, which were enthusiastically attended. He had a very permissive attitude to the kind of things he taught. Lark and Briar both were very much ''foundations first'' kind of teachers, using the slow and steady method. Build a sturdy base, crawl before you could walk, really understand the theory before practice, that sort of thing. Amelia had despaired of ever learning something cool from them, at least any time before old age set in.

    Not so, the goat''s teaching style. After a half hour with Pancake, all of his pupils had mastered the [Water Jet] spell. Which, as the goat had pointed out, had many uses. Dousing each other from a distance was the most entertaining, but putting out roaring blazes started with, for example, [Candle Flame], was also an excellent use. Which was why it was the second spell they learned very quickly and with extreme motivation. Bert had been able to repair the smoke and water damage in Pancake''s classroom, but it had been a challenge to sneak everyone out to the baths to get all the soot off.

    So far it had only been Amelia and some of the children in the classes. Frisket had wanted to come, but she was helping her mother and grandmother organize the print shop. The adults were all busy unpacking, organizing things, or working in the various shops during the day, so Lark and Pancake had promised to also run a class at night once things had settled down a bit. They were also going to organize demonstrations and classes from all those who had skills they''d like to share, so that should be fun.

    Amelia waved at the three as she headed towards the smithy, then let loose with a [Water Jet] at Lumi''s head. The girl had already rolled out of the way, and Amelia took refuge behind the anvil as return water streams shot her direction.

    "Safe! Insides are safe zones!" she called, huddling behind the large wooden plinth the huge anvil was on.

    "You know, I''m not sure who is the bad influence on who!" grinned Bellows from his place by the forge.

    The goblin had lost no time in starting to churn out tools and implements the newcomers needed. Bert could produce raw ingredients and some basic items with no effort, but there was just something about doing things with your own hands. Amelia could wholeheartedly understand the sentiment. Even after she learned that the paths and Hollow grounds could be maintained automatically, she chose to do the work herself. It really gave a sense of pride and accomplishment.

    Besides which, anything Bert created would eventually fade if taken out of the hollow. Depending on the item and how far away it was, things might last from days to just hours. So anything they wanted to last or sell, they made themselves. Interestingly, converting raw material that the core produced into finished goods stopped the fading issue, which was handy.

    "How''s it going in here? Need anything?" she asked, peeking carefully out towards the pond.

    "Fine, fine! Just getting started on some of the gear we''ll need to clear out that cavern. Miss Briar''s been working on some sorta fungicide that should do the trick, but I''m building some sprayers to apply it. After that, I''ll start working on mining gear." The smith responded, unable to suppress the eagerness in his voice.

    "Great! Keep up the good work. Thanks for letting me hide here, but I gotta dash!" She said, sprinting from cover and making for the path back to the front of the cottage. She only got sprayed twice and was proud that she landed a few jets of her own in the process.

    It was good fun, but Pancake swore it was also good practice. The jets were tricky to aim and took some concentration. Doing that while dodging incoming streams could be a real mental workout. Amelia couldn''t wait until he taught them how to throw fireballs and lightning bolts.

    She was focused on wringing out one of the sleeves of her hoodie as she rounded the gazebo, and bumped into someone headed in the opposite direction. The path between the gazebo and the garden fence wasn''t very wide and was the main thoroughfare from the yard to the rest of the hollow.

    "Excuse me! Sorry about that!" she said, reaching out to keep the man from stumbling into the fence.

    "Mmrmph!" he responded, still chewing. He had a pastie in one hand and a wooden flagon of ale in the other. The liquid sloshed but somehow managed to stay in the mug, while steam gently wafted out from the pastry where he''d bit into it. He swallowed quickly.

    "No problem! Have you tried one of these? They''re great! I tell myself I''ll walk ''till I burn it all off, but I''m sure that''s just wishful thinking!" he gestured with the savory pie, before taking a huge swig from the drinking vessel. "And this ale! Wow!" he smacked his lips.

    "I know, right? Have you tried the caramel nut pies? If you ask Tyni nicely, he''ll even serve it with ice cream! Divine!" Amelia answered, already craving the dish. She''d been the one to suggest pasties and other "finger food" would probably be popular, and she''d been correct. Tuuka''s first batch of beer had almost sold out already, as well, and he was hard at work making more.

    Scorper had turned out several dozen of the flagons as soon as he was in the wood shop. Visitors paid a deposit when getting drinks, and got it back if they returned them. If they didn''t, then it was a nice souvenir. Amelia had one that the goblin had made especially for her, with decorative carvings of woodland scenes around the outside. She sometimes forgot to drink from it, she got so distracted admiring the intricate images.

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    "Really? Well, I know what I''m getting on the way back!" The man waved as he continued on along the path into the woods, eating happily.

    Amelia hadn''t recognized him, but the Hollow was getting more and more visitors now. It never got crowded, but there were always a few people out and about in the woods or picnicking in the yard. With the new take-out window, people were even coming to the hollow just for food! There were frequently people eating at the tables in the gazebo, or on blankets on the lawn. Amelia found it amusing when some of the secretive inhabitants of the hollow even ghosted in to furtively buy chips, pasties, and booze from Tyni. She politely pretended not to see them.

    She was so used to people around that she didn''t recognize, she did a double-take when she finally saw someone she knew.

    "Bill!" she called.

    The balding man with the long white beard looked up from his massive plate of chips, looking slightly guilty.

    "Amelia! Hi! We were going to come find you, but we failed to escape the gravitational pull of the caf¨¦! When did you put that in? And how? I swear the cottage is like three times the size it was last time!"

    "No, no, just like maybe twice as big. The tower is about the same size, though. Above ground. There''s a lot more underground. It''s magic!" she said, wiggling the fingers of both hands to emphasize the point.

    Bill blinked at that, then nodded.

    "Neat!" he responded, holding the plate of fried potatoes to offer some to Amelia.

    She delicately took just one, proud of her self-restraint. She had already had some for breakfast that day. And for lunch. They were a bit of a hazard around here, now, and Tyni kept the oil hot, ready to churn out more.

    "Have you met the Baron and Baroness?" he asked, indicating the two people sitting with him. They were all in ordinary street clothes today, and Amelia didn''t see anything that hinted at nobility.

    "I don''t think so! Nice to meet you!"

    "Howdy! That''s Arabic for ''hello''. I''m Dan!" said the man, winking.

    "Uh, Arabic?"

    "Just humor him. I''m Ann, his wife. Good beer you guys have here!" said the woman, raising her flagon. She had a slight foam mustache on her lip.

    "So why the Baron and Baroness?"

    "From our LARP. Force of habit, mostly." Bill smiled.

    "Got it. Have you seen the gaming hut? In Alder''s glade?"

    "Wha? Gaming hut? No! I was just going to ask if you were serious about letting us come here to play, but I guess you are!" replied Bill.

    "Yup! I talked to Alder about it, too, and he really wants to join in. Had me trying to describe all the different rule systems and settings I could remember. For hours!" She complained but had loved every second geeking out with the tree.

    "That''s awesome! We got to chat for a bit before, and he didn''t strike me as a gamer. But the more, the merrier!"

    "Oh! Oh! Remember I said I had some friends coming? They''re here! Tyni, the dwarf that made those chips, is one of them. They''re why we needed to expand the cottage, so there''d be room. For all the goblins and dwarves, I mean, not the chips. Although that might be a thing, too. Anyways, it turns out Picker and his mom Quiet used to be real adventurers! And they''re willing to guide trips to go see cool stuff in faerie land!"

    Bill stopped chewing, half a chip hanging out of his mouth, forgotten. The other two also stared.

    "Fuhii und?" He mumbled at the term, then coughed as he choked on his food.

    "Did you say, faerie land?" he asked again a few moments later when he could speak clearly. "You mean, there''s more than just this place?"

    "Yep! Although I only call it that because it makes ''em all wince. The hollow here is partly in a place called Megrim, but there are entrances to other places. I''ve only been to Whimsy, myself. They have the coolest bazaar, called the Night Market. We''ll have to go there when the goblins are ready to take us!"

    "Megrim? Whimsy?" asked Dan, skeptically.

    "Hey, I didn''t name ''em." she retorted.

    <hr>

    Amelia left the trio with Alder. Bill kept dice and some rule printouts in his satchel, so he was prepared any time a game opportunity occurred. Amelia promised to send someone over with food and drink if they didn''t emerge in a few hours. She badly wanted to join them, but needed to go to Sandy''s.

    The print goblins had knocked out a few brochures with information on the Hollow. It had some information and a notional map showing the paths and points of interest, like the caf¨¦, glades, pond, and some of the scenic locations. There was also a short list of items you could buy from the caf¨¦ and brewery, although they''d held off on touting the other services they were setting up. They''d need the smithy and shops working full bore for the near future, getting ready for working the cavern.

    She was also going to deliver the other keg of Tuuka''s finest, the last of his first batch. Amelia had asked one to be set aside for Sandy as soon as it was ready, and Bellows and Scorper had made her a trolley to get it to the shop.

    Once the cart was loaded, she trundled her way to the front gate. While the path was excellent for walking, it was still a dirt trail, and the cart bounced over the roots and ruts, getting stuck in several places. By the time she made it to the gate, which was not far at all, she was already red and sweating.

    Whisper lifted out of her hair and shook herself like a dog, flinging perspiration about. She hovered in front of Amelia''s face, glowing in a tone that felt offended.

    "Not my fault you''re too lazy to fly on your own! That''s the risk you take!" Amelia panted as she halted just inside the gate.

    A rustle sounded from above. As she looked upwards, a single black feather wafted gently downwards. Beige and Blue, resplendent in their sashes, sat on a branch overhead, Blue picking at his beak with one claw.

    She glanced down at the feather as it landed on the ground, then realized there were no ravens around.

    "You guys see what happened to the ravens? Pancake thinks they''re spies for Mr. Unpronounceable."

    Beige whistled a nonchalant tune quietly as she glanced off to one side, not meeting Amelia''s eyes. Blue, however, heaved a gargantuan belch, a cloud of black feathers spraying cartoonishly out in front of the tiny creature. He went back to picking his beak industriously as the feathers wafted down.

    "Uh-huh. Okay. Riiight. Well, Mr. Unpronounceable wasn''t nice at all, so if they were working for him, I guess you have my blessing. Open season on spies and people who kick puppies. And who try to kick goats. And are mean to Sandy. So that means triple-open season on that guy. All right? Just, maybe don''t eat ''em all. Drive ''em away or take ''em prisoner, unless you gotta protect yourselves. Okay?"

    This time Beige did meet her look. She nudged Blue with her wing, and the look of pure feral glee on the two birds'' faces was rather terrifying. Amelia almost considered taking her words back, but what harm could they do? The ravens had been spies, and there wasn''t anything else dangerous around. Maybe it would keep them amused. She dismissed the matter from her mind.

    She flexed her hands and rolled her neck and shoulders, looking at the trolley. It was a good trolley, very sturdy and well-made. It certainly made the task possible, if not enjoyable.

    "What I need is a teleporter. Something to whisk me instantly to Sandy''s. Or a magic door, like in The Wandering Inn! That would be useful!"

    [Placement mode available. Select a location and establish your domain. Unleash Acquisition. ]

    "Wow, Donald! You are getting desperate, aren''t you? But I was just talking to myself, anyways. Too bad the village is outside Bert''s realm, though, or I''m sure he could make it happen!" She responded faithfully.

    [Processing. Processing complete. Annexation possible. Sufficient energy to create a non-contiguous annex with connecting portals.]

    "Bert! You dog, you! You could really do that? Or are you just showing off to taunt Donald?"

    [Affirmative. Select local portal location.]

    "Hah! Okay then! Umm, here would be good, but a pain for future use. How about you put it in the brewery, say set into the back of the stairway, so it''s out of the way?"

    [Territory claimed. Annexing complete. Portals established.]

    "So quick! Wow! Nice work!"

    She leaned into the handle of the trolley, starting it back in the direction of the cottage.

    "Huh. Maybe I should have warned Tuuka and Sandy first? Eh, they''ll be fine with it, I''m sure ..."

    <hr>

    It turned out that Tuuka didn''t mind. Sandy, on the other hand, needed a few pints to calm her down, and some extra comforting from Shock. When Bert opened the portal, the one on Sandy''s end was opened in her back room. So when Tuuka came wandering out to see what was going on, she had nearly jumped out of her skin. Luckily the screams brought Shock galumphing through, and Tuuka was wise enough to administer some ''medicinal'' draughts. By the time Amelia made it back to the cottage and through the portal fifteen minutes later (trolley issues), everything was mostly smoothed over.

    "Hello, sweetie! I always wanted to expand the shop, hic, but right into a brewery? Not in my wildest dreams! Not, hic, not complaining, mind you! Mister Tuuka here has been most accommodatin''."

    "I''m so sorry, you two! Bert said he could do it, and I just went for it! I hope you guys are both okay?"

    Sandy took another pull of her beer and brandy mix, giving a cheery thumbs up. Tuuka did the same, after wiping the powdered cheese from his hand on his apron. He was devouring some crisps he''d opened to go with the ''medicinal'' alcohol.

    "Great! Well, I have the ale you wanted! And now we can visit easier! Yay!"

 29: Friends in Darkness

    "Ooh, this is good!" Maisie took another sip from the flagon. Monty had already drained his.

    "Isn''t it, though? That Tuuka knows his stuff!" Sandy replied. She was quite a bit redder in the face than usual, and getting a little unsteady. It had been her idea to tap the keg that Amelia had brought through the portal, and then to deliver a few mugs to the couple. And another for herself, of course. To be sociable.

    They were in Monty''s workshop, which had more room than Maisie''s pottery studio next door. Amelia always loved visiting the two crafters. They had retired from office jobs years ago and made businesses out of their hobbies. They were passionate about pottery and tin smithing, and it didn''t take much to get them talking about their respective specialties. Both of their workspaces were crowded with things they had made, both for sale and just for fun. Amelia particularly enjoyed the tinker''s workshop, since he had lots of interesting metalworking tools.

    "You should come check out the metal shop we have in the tower! And the smithy! I bet Bellows and the rest would love to talk shop. We have a whole floor for art, and Tyni''s wife is a sculptor! You guys would fit right in!"

    "Smithy, hmmm? I''d like to see that, lass. Dear?"

    "Of course! Meeting fellow artists is always a pleasure! When can we come?"

    "Why don''t you come by tomorrow? Maybe lunchtime? I''ll ask Tyni to make something special! You could meet everybody then."

    Monty and Maisie shared a look, then both nodded. "We''ll be there!" said Maisie.

    "Hic!" hiccuped Sandy.

    Amelia nudged the tipsy merchant and gestured towards the door. "I think maybe we should get you home. Beddy bye time!"

    "''Bye! Hic! See you soon!" Sandy said with a slur, weaving towards the door. Amelia quickly wrapped an arm around her waist and helped steady the shopkeeper.

    "Bye, Maisie! Bye, Monty! See you tomorrow!" She bade them as she awkwardly maneuvered Sandy out the door.

    Luckily, it was only a few blocks from the crafters'' place to the shop. It was just getting on towards evening, and a light fog had set in. The two took their time as they walked, although Amelia did have to shush Sandy when the latter started to sing off-key. It was a very rude song about hedgehogs and wizards.

    [Warning! Intrusion attempt detected at annex entrance. Entry denied. Threat level High.]

    "Uh, Sandy, I think there might be a problem at your shop! Can you lean against this wall while I go look?" she asked, propping the woman against the closest house wall.

    "Thingumbob! Hum hum ha hum!" The shopkeeper sang to herself merrily, if somewhat disjointedly.

    Amelia let go and watched as Sandy very very slowly sank to the ground, still humming. That would have to do.

    She then dashed the last block, rounding the corner to see a crowd of more than a dozen people in front of the shop. She recognized the man she had taken to calling Mr. Unpronounceable, but not the others with him. He was dressed as impeccably as before, but the rest looked pretty rough. Several were gathered in a tight cluster, and Amelia could hear clicking sounds coming from that direction.

    There was a flare as the lighter finally caught, and the flame was held to a bottle with a rag sticking out. Once lit, several others ignited their own cloth fuses from the flame. Just as Amelia realized what was going on, the missiles were hurled at the shop, fire trailing behind.

    "Hey!" was all she managed to shout before the bottles smashed against the walls and windows.

    [Warning! Attack on annex detected. Attack thwarted.]

    Bert''s words appeared in Amelia''s head as she watched the shop engulfed in flames. She could feel the heat from where she stood, stunned, only a few yards away.

    [Warning! Caretaker in danger. No active security elements available. Please assign active security elements.]

    "What? Bert! What does that mean?"

    [Unable to act outside of boundaries without assigned security elements.]

    "Elements? What? I don''t understand! They''re burning Sandy''s shop! We have to stop them! Do something!" She pleaded.

    [Acknowledged. Processing.]

    "Aha! Miss Amelia! Delighted to see you! I believe we have some unfinished business to discuss." The oily, smooth voice cut through the sound of the burning petrol.

    "I had wondered how to tempt you from your precious hollow fortress. This little display wasn''t actually for you, after all! Just to rid the world of that horrid shop and that horrid woman. Task failed successfully, as the kids say these days. Here you are, away from your protection. How splendid!"

    The man doffed his homburg, bowing in an exaggerated fashion after taking a few steps towards her. He was lit by the red flames, and the flickering light made shadows dance evilly across the nearby walls and pavement.

    "Have you decided to see reason, or do we need to, ahem, persuade you further?"

    "What is wrong with you? No! Leave us alone!"

    "I see. Obstinate. It''s a simple thing. Give me the core. You can''t use it. It is worthless to you. Stop wasting my time, girl! I will have that core! It is my right!"

    "Hmmph. I don''t like you, and you''re mean! I''m going to call the constables! You ... You ... poopy-head!"

    "Very well. You brought this on yourself, young lady. Remember that. Lads!" he called. "Help me detain Miss Amelia. She might try to run. Stop her if she does. No need to be ... gentle."

    The group of men cackled, and she realized from their voices that they probably weren''t human. The roaring flames cast devilish shadows on their faces. Then she realized those really were their faces, as they discarded their glamours of disguise. They were twisted, evil-looking figures, all of them armed with sharp and pointy weapons, which matched well with their oversized teeth and horns. They grinned at her surprised look.

    [Processing complete. Resources insufficient. Requesting permission to ... outsource.]

    "Yes! Bert, yes! Do whatever, use your own initiative, but quick would be good!"

    [Acknowledged. Improvising.]

    She backed closer to the shop, but the flames were too hot, and she had to step forward again. There was no chance of getting through the door.

    "Bert? I''m afraid you''re mistaken. There''s no Bert here, miss. But we will do ''whatever''. It shan''t, however, be quick." He flipped his hat over his hand, then settled it on his head at a rakish angle.

    "Last chance. Hand the core over, and we''ll be on our merry way. Consider the bonfire a token of our, ahem, esteem, and a lovely parting gift."

    "Go away! I''m glad Shock peed on you! I wish Pancake had as well!"

    "Quite. I tried! [Commanding Presence] [Overwhelming Persuasion]." he said.

    She suddenly felt drawn to him, but only for the briefest moment.

    [Security override. Passive defenses engaged. Active measures unavailable in mobile mode. Placement mode available. Select a location and establish your domain. Unleash Retribution. Notice! Foreign core link instantiated. Processing.]

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    "[Water Jet]!" Amelia responded. The man''s fine silk suit sagged and darkened as it was drenched.

    "How did you ...? That''s impossible! No one can resist ... Not twice!" he spluttered, clearly outraged. Then his face twisted in a grin. "Fine. The fun way it is. [Paralyze]! [Inflict Pain]!"

    "[Water Jet]! Bad man-thing! Bad!"

    This time, however, he dodged to one side, the water missing him.

    [Processing Complete. Unleashed contracted agents confirmed. Annihilation comes. Ruination comes. They bring the darkness. And ... friends.]

    The last word was said with hesitation as if it was unfamiliar. But also said with immense delight.

    "Huh. Mr. U, I''m not sure what Donny boy means, but he sounded truly happy for once! I think you''re in trooouublle!"

    "No, girl, you are the one in trouble! You''ll regret defying me! [Petrify]!"

    "[Water Jet]! Bad! You''re a very bad man! [Water Jet]! [Water Jet!]" Amelia masterfully anticipated the man''s dodges, soaking him thoroughly. All the practice with Pancake and the kids was paying off! They were way harder to hit!

    "Would you STOP THAT!"

    "[Water Jet]! [Water Jet]!"

    "Agphphhh!" It was apparently hard to scream in anger with your mouth and nose full of water.

    The fluttering of wings sounded briefly, then stopped. She felt an intense chill envelop her like she was encased in a block of ice. Scraping noises sounded nearby like claws or talons dragging along the gravel of the car park. Then there were two presences right behind her, ominous and overwhelming. She could smell their foul breath.

    The gathering of monsters behind the soaked man took several steps backwards. Their weapons trembled in their grips. Several shot glances behind themselves, as if gauging the chances of escape.

    "Well! You two! I see you''ve come to join me in my victory. Bow down before your lord. You''re just in time to assist me with this pest." Mr. U said in a smug voice, his gloating only slightly marred by the water dripping from his face and clothes.

    "Oho, brother! Oho! The pretty one is confused. He does not know! Oho! Oho! But we shall not bow. We have a new ruler! A kind ruler! Fed from her own hand, we were! Delicious, delicious food! Pie sandwich, her very own invention! Shared, as a friend! Tea and scones! Meat, from her own larder!" came a soft yet harsh voice from just over Amelia''s left shoulder. She scrunched her nose at the waft of halitosis.

    "Clothed by her own hand, my sister! Housed in her own house! Nests of our very own! Private nests! Confused, you say? He has spied on our liege. Raised forces against our liege. Attempted harm to our liege!" A deeper, raspy voice responded from near her right shoulder. Amelia was not at all inclined to look to either side of her--she was pretty sure who these nightmares were. She did start breathing through her mouth, though.

    "Oho, again, my brother! You speak truth! It is well we have thrice leave to deal with the upstart. As the eldest, I claim the sacred right of ''dibs'' on his delicate, delicious flesh!"

    "Of course, my sister! And these things here attempted meanness to the Sandy one''s nest. I''ll have their spleens and tongues. For snackies!" replied the second voice.

    "I see. Chosen sides, then, have you? Chosen her side? How unfortunate for you! You''ll soon learn she doesn''t even know what the core is, much less being able to bond with it! Wasting your time with this brat. It will be mine, as rightful heir and your proper ruler! Then you''ll crawl to me and beg forgiveness." He snarled, his self-control momentarily lost. Then he took a deep breath and settled his shoulders, recentering himself. His face relaxed as he closed his eyes briefly, then put on a charming smile.

    "Oho! Oho! Talks pretty. Bet he tastes pretty, too!" rumbled the first voice.

    The store door creaked inwards.

    "Hello, sweetling! I heard it was snack time! Luscious, juicy snack time! So kind of you to share!" CLACK! Cracked Ashlee''s teeth. Her tongue dripped saliva onto the gravel. She edged towards the crowd of creatures behind Mr. U, passing right through the roaring flames as if they weren''t even there. The crowd edged backwards away from her. There was a clatter as one of them dropped his weapon in fear.

    The shop door didn''t have time to close, as more people came out. Amelia saw the man with the foul hat, his billhook idly held in one hand, resting on his shoulder. His boots clanked on the loose stones. Several wisened old women followed, one of them with razor-sharp talons painted a lovely fuchsia, matching the parasol in her hand. There were more behind them, some struggling to fit through the human-sized door. None of them seemed bothered in the least by the greasy tongues of flame licking up from the ground.

    "Alright, miss? These people bothering you? No worries, we''ll see ''em off. Not ''aving it, not one bit of it, not with our Amelia!" She heard a voice say. She vaguely remembered having tea and biscuits with the voice''s owner. A general murmur of agreement arose from the rest of the emerging group. They did not appear to be in a forgiving mood.

    Mr. U paled, his hand trembling as he squeezed water from his sodden necktie. "Ah. Ahah. Hmmm. Interesting! So many! Well, then, must be off! Can''t stand around chatting all night! Ta!" He said a muffled word and gestured quickly. His form blurred, and condensed into the shape of a magpie, before flitting off almost faster than Amelia could see.

    Out of the corner of her left eye, she saw a small shape fly past after him, so rapidly it too was nothing but a tan blur. Then a velvety black darkness enveloped her sight, so deep even sound was dampened.

    She heard scuffling noises, then a few muted screams that cut off abruptly. There were clacking sounds and a few dull thuds.

    "Uh, hello? What''s going on?" She called, her voice strangely muffled by the dark.

    She quickly blinked her eyes several times, then focused them intently. Suddenly she could see through the darkness, but everything was dim and in shades of grey, like the color had been leached out of everything.

    She saw dark forms heading back in through the doorway and heard the door close gently. In front of the shop was a figure, tall but hunched over, and wide as two men side by side. It was mostly a darker blob in the murk, no matter how she focused, but she could just glimpse a thin streak of green from left shoulder to right hip, with hints of silver glinting on the border of the color. The figure reached down and lifted a still form from the ground, adding it to the pile of bodies it had under its arm. Bodies and parts of bodies.

    "Snackies! Shan''t eat ''em all. Shall share!" Crooned the happy voice from the hulking figure, before it too vanished in a blur. The color returned to the world as the unnatural darkness dissipated as suddenly as it had come. The collected ruffians that had been with Mr. U were gone.

    Amelia caught her breath, as warmth and normality returned.

    Then she remembered the raging fire engulfing her friend''s store.

    "[Water Jet]!" She yelled, hosing down the flames. The burning petrol didn''t extinguish, unfortunately, and was instead spread further along the wall.

    "[Water Jet]! [Water Jet]! [Water Jet]!" She tried again and again, further spreading the flames. Eventually, they went out, but only because the fuel had finally been consumed.

    Amelia gasped for breath, then went to survey the damage. There was none. Not even soot stains. Just the glitter of broken glass from the bottles littering the gravel of the car park.

    "Hic! Howsa bout anudder pint, deary? Hum ta da tum tum, tadda boop!" mumbled Sandy as the shopkeeper staggered around the corner of the shop, supporting herself by leaning on the wall. "Wha''s tha smell? Bonfire, innit?"

    <hr>

    Amelia wrestled Sandy into a chair in her back room, the shopkeeper already snoring loudly. There wasn''t any damage to the shop, and after a quick sweep out front, there would be no evidence of what had just happened.

    The portal on the wall opened, and the clip-clop of Pancake''s hooves sounded on the floor.

    "Hey there, sweet cheeks! What''s the ruckus?" The goat sniffed the air for a moment, then clopped to the front of the shop. She heard the door open and close, then moments later, open and close again. The goat trotted back in.

    "Oooh, somebody done a naughty out there! Nobody invites the goat, it''s unfair! Curse the luck! Curse the adorableness!"

    "Yeah, that poo poo head tried to burn down the store and was being rotten again. He wants Donald, I think."

    "Hah! I''ll bet he does, I''ll be he does!"

    "I doused him with water jet, like you taught us! He hated it! I think I ruined his suit!"

    "Oooh, girl! Played rough now, did you? That''s my gal!"

    Amelia frowned for a minute and looked over at the snoozing merchant.

    "Um, I think Beige and Blue might actually be horrible monsters. They saved me, though. Them and several of the other people from the hollow."

    "Who, those two? Nah, they ain''t horrible monsters. I''d say more like calamitous terrors, sort of thing. Yeah, that''s the ticket. ''Not to be trifled with'', know what I mean? ''That what man was not meant to know'', right? Horrible monsters is waaaay underselling those kids." The goat snickered at the thought. "I mean, your bog-standard horrible monster, right, wouldn''t last three seconds with that crowd! They fit in well with the rest of your place, though."

    "What? What do you mean? The hollow? It''s a nice place!"

    "Oh come off it, honeybuns! ''Hive of scum and villainy'' doesn''t do it justice. I''ve seen smaller collections of awful back in the day, when you got proper wars between light and dark." He settled down on his haunches and looked up at her. "I mean hags, not hag, but plural hags? You got a proper infestation of those things. Gaunts, every flavor of shadow and several kinds of ettins. Red caps, nuckelavee--name your boggart, all colors and sizes available, no waiting. I could go on. It''s like someone picked up the mythological bestiary, right, thumbed to the ''ghastly'' section, and said ''Now then! I''ll have half a dozen each, plus extra for spares.''"

    "Hey now, come on! They''re good people! You just have to get to know them! Sure some of them look a little shady, but they have good hearts! And Shocky-wocky wouldn''t hurt a fly! She''s a good girl! And what about Tyni and Tuuka? Picker? Their families?"

    "I''m sure some of ''em do have good hearts. And livers and kidneys too. Somebody else''s, mind you if you catch my meaning. But goblins and dweorgar? Ever wonder why they got driven out and reduced to itinerant mining? Why they were so desperate for work? Hmmm?"

    "I just figured times were tough. That happens! Good people have hard times too! Besides, if this place is so bad, what does that make you? And what about Fern? Whisper?"

    "Me? Just a normal, ordinary goat, sister. Monsterously adorable, though, that''s my secret power. But okay, yeah, Fern I''ll spot you. She''s a doll, not sure how she got mixed up in all this. Cute as a button, wouldn''t get between her and a lollipop, though, know what I''m sayin''? Whisper, though?" He whistled. "Above my paygrade, that. I''ll leave it at this. Who did you first meet here? Who broke the ice, convinced the rest to check you out? Recommended you to ol'' ''Donny Boy''? Hmmm?"

    "Whisper? Recommended me for what? I''m so confused!"

    "You''ll figure it out eventually, sweetheart. Probably. Mebbe with a little help. Don''t worry, girly girl. You got it where it counts, and done right by us. ''S why we love ya, kid!"

 30: The Morning After

    Amelia was too concerned about Sandy to leave the inebriated woman alone in her shop. So she enlisted the help of a few of the dwarves to lug her through the portal and up to one of the guest rooms on the cottage''s second floor. Amelia made sure to tuck her in, and left a note for her on the back of the door, which included directions to the WC, just in case.

    After that, she wandered out to Alder''s clearing, where the four were laughing and having a tremendous time, embroiled in a game Bill was running. Amelia fetched them some more drinks and snacks, and a stack of blank paper they needed. She invited Bill, Dan, and Ann to stay in the guest rooms if it got too late for them to go home, and they said they''d keep it in mind. She suspected they''d play until they collapsed, sleeping on the sofas in the game room next to Alder. It''s what she''d do. So she left a pile of blankets and pillows in one of the corners, out of the way but where they could see them.

    She still wanted to join the fun, but the evening''s events and chat with Pancake still rattled around in her head. The confrontation with Mr. U had been more awkward than scary, really. Despite his arrogance and fancy attempts at spellcasting, she had been more worried about the shop being damaged. She was concerned about his obsession with Donald, but there wasn''t much she could do about that. A conversation with both Donald and Bert confirmed that there was no practical way to ''unbond'' the core, so she and he were stuck together. Donald did seem to be in a better mood after the showdown, so that was good. He had even backed off a little on the ''unleash thingy-tion'' demands, even.

    Amelia found herself drifting around the building as night truly fell outside. The lamps and fireplaces in the cottage kept it bright and cheery, as well as warm and dry. Unsurprisingly, though, quite a few people were still at work in the various spaces around the structure. Tyni in the kitchen, showing one of the goblins how to knead dough. Tuuka and Pint in the brewery, doing something with gauges and pipes. Scorper and Bellows carving and clanging away in the workshop. She stopped on the art floor for a while, watching Elisabet chiseling at a block of granite, a delicate rose emerging from the stone chip by chip. Onni was in a playpen on the floor nearby, happily watching a mobile hung from the roof. Lumi was just next door, working on a painting. As Amelia continued up the stairs, she heard someone singing in the music room, but she couldn''t be sure who.

    When she finally emerged in the lounge, it was strangely quiet. The room certainly got used on occasion, but for the moment everybody seemed engrossed in work or hobbies, so the only ones in here were herself and the birds in their nests.

    It took her a moment, but she located the cubbies that Blue and Beige called home. She had to stand on a chair to reach but she lightly rapped on their doors. Both birds popped their heads out, their sashes in place like usual. Blue seemed to be chewing on something but swallowed quickly.

    "Uh, just wanted to say thanks, guys! I really appreciate you guys coming to the rescue like that. Hopefully, stuff like that won''t happen again, but it''s nice to know I have friends. You guys need anything? Can I get you anything?"

    Both birds shook their heads in the negative.

    "Okay. Well, let me know if there''s anything I can do for you. Oh! Um, is it okay if I keep calling you Beige and Blue? Or would you prefer your other names?"

    Beige winked at her and gestured to the wood above each of their doors with her wing. Carved into the wood, in extremely elaborate script, were inscriptions that she had to squint to see properly. They read ''Blue, Amelia''s other friend'' and ''Beige, Amelia''s friend''. Both birds looked extremely proud of the labels.

    "Okay! Well, good, ''cause you are my friends. Glad you guys are here! ''Night!"

    As she stepped down from her chair, both birds curtsied, heads low.

    "Aww, don''t do that, guys!" Amelia responded but curtsied in reply.

    She settled on one of the sofas as her friends closed their doors and returned to their nests. The leather cushion whooshed as she snuggled down into the soft seat. The moon was full, so even though it was dark out, she could still see the trees down below. It was a beautiful evening, all things considered.

    Her friends were all busy enjoying themselves, and at least for now, all was at peace. It was nice just to sit and think by herself, mulling over what she''d learned.

    Despite what the goat had said, she didn''t think any of the inhabitants of the hollow were ''ghastly'' or ''awful''. As far as she knew, they all behaved and treated each other, and those around, with respect. They all seemed to be good neighbors, quiet and a bit shy. Maybe they looked ugly or scary, but lots of things were scary when they were unknown. Miss Annie looked mean but made the best battenberg and told hilarious stories of teaching industrial arts to school children. Miss Jennifer taught swimming when she was younger. Mr. Ainsley, despite his horrible hat and weird metal boots, was a complete gentleman. She thought of the goblins and dwarves toiling away happily on useful, beautiful things, happy to share their skills and knowledge with anybody who wanted to learn. It was difficult to picture them as bad.

    But then again, everybody said serial killers were good neighbors, too. And the Mongols had been good at arts and crafts, and kind to their horses. So she wasn''t sure what to make of the situation.

    Amelia sat in the room alone, watching the trees and the twinkling stars. This was quite the conundrum. When she first came here, lonely and a little nervous, she had been so happy to meet Whisper, Beige, and Blue. And Lark and Alder. Briar. Then the boys. And so on. She''d worked in the woods, just trying to make the place better, not just for herself, but for all the inhabitants to enjoy. Then she had opened the hollows for visitors, and that had been wonderful. Everybody enjoyed the pretty wood and lovely scenery and of course the fantastic inhabitants. Where had it gone wrong?

    Hmm, maybe she did have an idea about that.

    "Donald? You up?"

    [Placement mode available. Select a location and extend your domain.]

    "What? No demands to unleash foo-tion?"

    [Unnecessary. Agents Annihilation and Ruination were already unleashed. Detection range limited in mobile mode. Options limited in mobile mode.]

    "Huh. Is that why you keep bugging me to place you? So you could do stuff?"

    [Correct. Select a location and extend your domain.]

    "Right, you said that. I don''t want a ''domain''. It doesn''t sound nice."

    [Previous dungeon masters were not ''nice''. I am not ''nice''.]

    "Okay, but history is history. We all can change. Tell you what, you work on trying to be nice, and I''ll work on trying to want a domain. We''ll help each other. As friends. Deal?"

    [Processing.]

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    "Oookay."

    [Proposal accepted. We shall be ... friends.]

    "See, was that so hard? Now tell me a little about yourself. What''s your favorite color? Type of music? Hobbies?"

    <hr>

    If she hadn''t already been having nightmares before, the conversation with Donald certainly would have given them to her. It wasn''t that he liked origami and bluegrass covers of metal music, although that was a little peculiar. No, it was his descriptions of his previous ''masters''. Not nice people. And apparently really really bad bosses. The fixation with naming contracted creatures things like ''Abomination'' and ''Immolation'' didn''t even scratch the surface. It was no wonder all her friends were so happy with a little kindness. They hadn''t known much in their lifetimes.

    She didn''t get their complete history but learned enough to understand a few motivations. When your boss had all the power, it was hard to choose the right thing. And if you were ''contracted'' (which she still wasn''t clear on), you didn''t even have a choice. And the previous controllers of Donald had some really egregious orders. She thought back to some of the stories Picker and Briar had mentioned when they had first camped together in Whimsy. The pictures in the book that Lark had acquired. What Pola had told them. It was no wonder that those who had taken refuge in the hollow had nowhere else to go. They''d raided, plundered, or burned just about everyplace else, and were extremely persona non grata, even if they were forced to do those nasty things.

    Not that all of her friends were innocents, she was sure. But many, if not all, really did seem eager to turn a new leaf. This place was both a refuge and a retirement community of sorts. A place to lie low and try to move on.

    She still wasn''t entirely sure how to feel about everything, but the past was the past. Nothing she could do about that. The future, though, she could work on. Maybe rein in any bad impulses or old habits that cropped up. Try to make this a decent place. Maybe not a place of ''goodness and light'', but darkness had a beauty all its own, didn''t it?

    With that thought, Amelia peeled herself off the sofa and made her way to bed. She had to lay on the very edge since Shock and Pancake were curled up together in a ball right in the center. But that was okay. You had to make some concessions for friends, sometimes.

    <hr>

    "Here, drink this. Briar says it''s good for head pain and ''the morning after''. I think she means hangovers, but she always wiggles her eyebrows in a funny way when she says it."

    "Thanks, dear! Feel like the hammers o'' Hades are a poundin'' on my skull. That brandy packs a wallop, don''t it?"

    "Uh, I wouldn''t know. I only drink a little bit at a time. Not like Briar or Pancake. Those two put it away like it was water or something."

    Sandy sniffed at the steaming herbal drink but downed it in one go.

    "My! It doesn''t even taste bad! Minty, sorta." she declared.

    Tyni brought over a heaped plate of food, hot from the stove. "You missed breakfast, Crumb. Here you go--get that in ya. Greasy, so it''ll slide right down!"

    Sandy eyed the plate of fried things. Everything was fried. Eggs, bacon, sausage, bread, even the mushrooms. She wiped a tear from her eye.

    "Dear, that is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! I love you!" she sniffled, then started tucking in.

    "Hair of the dog, bunny?" asked Tuuka, a wide grin on his bearded face as he proffered a foamy mug.

    "Don''t mind if I do, good sir! You lads sure know how to treat a lady!"

    "Go on now, Sandyska, any friend of Amelia''s is a friend of ours. One of us!"

    "Hear hear!" agreed Tyni.

    "Knock, knock!"

    "Hey Bill! Guys, come in! Breakfast? Tyni fries a mean, well, anything!" Amelia greeted the trio of gamers. They were still wearing the same clothes as yesterday and looked like they had only woken a bit ago.

    "Oooh! If it isn''t an imposition? That smells wonderful!" They all were eyeing Sandy''s rapidly disappearing heart attack on a plate.

    "Of course not, laddy! Three fried everythings, coming up! Grab some counter space!"

    "I should introduce everybody! Sorry about that! Bill, Dan, Ann, you all know Sandy, right? This is Tyni, our very own chef. And that''s Tuuka, our brewmaster."

    Tuuka looked pleased at the title. "Ale? Brandy? Cider? I think we might have some lager as well, I''d have to check the cellar."

    All three demurred. "Uh, no, thanks. Bit early for me. Maybe later?" said Bill.

    "It''s late somewhere, but suit yourself. More for me!" the dwarf guffawed, taking a quaff from his own flagon.

    "How did the game go? Did you have fun with Alder?" asked Amelia.

    "Well, we might have created a monster. We only stopped when Bill here fell asleep mid-roll. That tree was hooked. He, uh, he''s actually running his own game, right now. We left our stuff for him to use." Bill and Ann nodded in agreement.

    "Really? Who is he playing with?" Amelia craned her neck to look out the front window, even though she knew she couldn''t see his clearing from the cottage.

    "Uh, get this, squirrels and birds!" Dan pronounced.

    "Yeah, makes sense. They always come by in the morning to report on the goings-on in the hollow. Not surprised he''d recruit them. Good for him!"

    "He''s very creative. I guess a few hundred years as a tree gives you time to daydream and think!"

    "Breakfast up! Milk? Water? Juice?"

    "Milk please!" "Juice!" "Water for me" "Oh my, this is scrumptious!"

    Tyni and Amelia watched in joy as their four guests devoured the food. They both enjoyed seeing others enjoy themselves.

    "When you guys are done eating, you''re welcome to use the baths or showers. Or sauna. I''ll show you to the bathhouse. This late in the morning, it''ll be mostly empty, but there''s always plenty of room."

    "Thanks! Sorry to house crash like this. We really did just come by yesterday to ask about gaming, not to take up residence!" Bill said.

    "Don''t be silly! Glad to have you. We have plenty of room. Next time, don''t sleep out in the game room. We have guest rooms upstairs, and in a pinch, we can find a spot for you down in the warren."

    "Warren?" Dan asked, perking up. Sandy looked interested, as well.

    "Oh! Tell you what, once you guys finish eating, and shower, Maisie and Monty''ll be here for a tour. You can join us! If you have time?"

    <hr>

    They were chatting on the seats in the living room, freshly scrubbed, when the two artisans arrived. After introductions, Amelia started the tour with the tower.

    They spent time chatting with many of the dwarves and goblins whom they saw at their various tasks. The print shop was a huge hit with Bill and Dan, and they got engrossed in a discussion about custom character sheets and handouts. Ann spent the most time with Bellows in the smithy. Apparently, the lady was a smith herself, and the two talked shop until the others got antsy. Monty loved the smithy, of course, and joined in with Ann and Bellows. But the metal shop drew his particular attention. Maisie bonded with Elisabet over art in the studios and coo''ed and fussed with little Onni. Of course, Tyni wouldn''t let them go until they''d had lunch, so it was early afternoon before they all finally made their way through the portal to Sandy''s back room.

    It was only about ten minutes later, however, when Sandy was back.

    "Dear, I know I drank a teensy bit more than I should have, last night, but I''m pretty sure I would have remembered that! Is it your doing?" she asked Amelia.

    "Um, what? The glass in the parking lot? Sorry, I was going to sweep that up, but got distracted. There was a, um, thingy, last night. No big deal, didn''t want to worry you."

    "Glass? No, dear. I mean the pub. Attached to my shop. Which wasn''t there yesterday."

    "Pub?" Amelia asked, confused.

    She followed the shopkeeper back through the portal. There was a new doorway on the same wall as the portal, perpendicular to the one that led out into the shop. Sandy opened it and waved Amelia through.

    Sure enough, it led into a picturesque pub. The furnishings looked identical to the lounge at the top of the tower, all black leather and dark wood. Dark was definitely the motif--dark wood paneling, dim lighting, a deep shag carpet that was somewhere between midnight blue and vanta black. An opening for a dumbwaiter was behind the bar, strangely enough, even though the building was a single floor.

    "Huh. I didn''t put this here." Amelia said, looking around. It was dim, but somehow still inviting. Nooks for privacy, combined with open areas for socialization. There were several dart boards, and a pile of board games on a table in the corner.

    "Again, I ain''t compainin'''', dear. Bit darker than my taste, but I like it! Might need help manning the place, if''n it gets busy, though."

    Amelia opened the front door and squinted as she stepped out into the afternoon sun. She took a look at the signboard next to the door, nodded, then came back in. On a hunch, she closed the door and looked at it with her true sight. There was a second doorknob, superimposed over the first. Carefully, she opened the door again, turning the alternate knob. This time, instead of opening onto the gravel car park in front of the shop, it looked onto an entirely different scene. She recognized the view from the top of the low mound in the woods, including the fly agaric toadstools that surrounded the base below the trilithon.

    She closed the door again.

    "Um, actually, I think I know some people that could help. They''re a bit, uh, odd, though. Good people."

    "Wonderful, dear! You have such interesting friends, but I''m sure we''ll get on like a house afire!" replied Sandy cheerfully.

    Amelia cleared her throat nervously. "Now, about the name ..."

 31: Cavern and Pub

    The crowd marveled at the expanse of the cavern. With the dangerous fungi removed, it seemed even larger than ever. Lanterns had been placed by the entry door and the portal to Alder''s clearing, as well as scattered elsewhere, but they barely pierced the gloom. They had discovered it was part of a much larger natural cave system, blocked off by artificial walls and the mushroom colonies.

    The miners were focused mainly on the glints and traces of the valuable minerals that were visible. The rest just ooh''d and ahh''d at the spectacle.

    "This place is huge!" Amelia declared, craning her neck to see the dimly lit roof of the cavern.

    "Aye, missy! It''ll get bigger as we excavate, too!" Tuuka''s voice echoed, although with the level of noise in the cavern, it was hard to hear.

    It had taken several days of perilous work to remove the cave''s inhabitants. They had worked out how to prop open the doors from the statue and hag cave. Then they barricaded the entrance to the cavern and forced its door open as well. Several teams, well protected from the spores by masks and suits, then sprayed the fungicide on the ambulatory mushroom creatures. Once those were eradicated, they slowly advanced into the room, destroying only the fungi that Briar pointed out as dangerous. It was hot, nasty work, but they got through it.

    After all the spraying, the cavern was closed up for several days. Briar had guessed that they''d need to make several passes since any spores they missed would still be hazardous, and the parent mushrooms were particularly hardy. So they established a cycle of spray, wait, clean, then repeat. Eventually, though, the goblin determined it was safe. She''d have to continuously monitor the place for some time to make sure nothing obnoxious took hold, but it was free from danger for the moment.

    "Sorry, I can''t get another portal going, or help you guys with this. Bert keeps telling me that it is ''root access only'', and that this area isn''t even part of his realm. Which is weird, but he''s the expert."

    "Don''t worry, missy. We can handle it. Most of us turned to mining since that''s all that was available, and it was a miserable life. But that was working for someone else. There''s somethin'' about doing it for yourself and family, as your own boss, that makes it so much better."

    Amelia nodded. Both he and Tyni had helped with some of the work on the cavern so far, and she could tell Tuuka was itching to do some digging.

    "Does that mean you''re giving up on the brewery?" She teased.

    Tuuka clutched at his chest like he was having a heart attack, stepping back several paces. "Ack! No! Bite your tongue, you!" He pointed and glared at her, then winked, spoiling the angry image.

    He looked around the cavern again, then turned to face her fully. "In another life, I''d be happy to toil in here the rest of my days. But brewing and distillation is my passion. How could I give that up? Especially with that new pub of Miss Sandy''s. And Briar put in all those fruit trees! Cider, apple jack, peach brandy! I''m afraid I''ll just dabble in here when they need a spare hand."

    Amelia nodded. The trees had been a surprise. After the last cottage expansion, the garden had greatly increased in size. Briar had explained that she just couldn''t maintain that much space, so fruit trees were a good use of the area. Considering how fast things grew in the hollow, they''d be having cider and other fruit-based products in no time.

    "Have you guys explored the rest of the caves, yet?" She asked. There were several branches out of the main cavern. The ones she could see from where she and Tuuka stood were blocked off with wooden barriers and caution tape.

    "Just a short way. It''s a horizontal cave system, which is convenient. Not too many big drops, crevasses, or level changes, but a few. We blocked''em off mainly, so the kids don''t wander in and get lost."

    "Let me know when you guys start exploring! I''d like to come along if I wouldn''t be in the way."

    "Of course! We don''t have the people to expand the area right now. We''ll mostly just focus on a few of these veins here, right at the surface of the wall. But Picker told me about your tour idea for expeditions and tours, and this would be a pretty safe place to start. He and his mum know what they''re doing. Can''t promise it''ll be fun, though. Mostly tedious surveying, mapping, and slow-going."

    "Yeah, I figured. Still, it''d be an exciting change from above ground, you know? I don''t exactly have a bunch of experience in spelunking, after all."

    "Spelunking? We prefer to use ''Caving'', missy! More about the exploration, conservation, and proper use, not the adventure." he winked again.

    "See? Didn''t even know that!" She laughed. "I have three sources of light with me, though!" She indicated the dimly glowing wisp nestled in her hair, and the faint glimmer from Fern, who was currently flitting around the stalactites above.

    "That would be two. The third?"

    "[Candle Flame]" She pronounced, and a tiny tongue of flame leapt up from her extended index finger. It danced there happily until she let it extinguish after a few seconds.

    "Very nice! The goat teach you that?"

    "Yup! He likes practical spells like that. They''re useful and safer to practice on."

    "Aye! I heard about the fireball incident. And everyone felt the earthquake one."

    "Yeah, oops! Before the next class, I''m gonna have Bert make us a practice range. And maybe a hospital facility, just in case. Good thing the kids have been practicing dodging the water jet spells, so Spoon was able to get out of the way. Mostly. He doesn''t even have a scar!"

    The dwarf shook his head. He had concerns about the kid''s teaching methods, but they were undeniably effective. Amelia and every child in the hollow had picked up several spells, and they practiced constantly. The fact that that ''practice'' amounted to trying to soak each other in the most embarrassing way possible was amusing, though.

    Amelia watched as several of the goblins and dwarves left via the portal. Unlike the one between the brewery and Sandy''s back room, it was one way only. They would be able to transport spoil and ore out that way, but the entrance would stay via the narrow stairway in the center of Alder''s clearing. That is unless they were able to drive another passage out. It wasn''t clear if this space was in another realm or not, and the miners weren''t sure if they could dig their way out. Luckily, it wasn''t a long walk from the stairs to the cavern, and there was plenty of room to bring in shoring timbers, tools, and the other things they''d need.

    It was a little odd, though, looking through the portal. Amelia moved over to stare through it after most had left the cavern. You could see into the clearing clearly, like a window. She watched as the various kids and adults greeted Alder and his entourage, then headed back through the trees and up the hill towards the cottage. The old oak tree was narrating something, as she could see his woody ''lips'' moving and his face animate. She hadn''t seen any of the human gamers this morning, so he was probably playing with some of the woodland spirits or other inhabitants.

    The tree was seriously addicted to role-playing games. After a lifetime spent in one specific location, the chance to travel to fantastic locations and do amazing things was intoxicating to him, even if it was just all pretend. She wasn''t sure he''d actually slept for days, since Bill, Dan, and Ann had taught him to play. They''d been back a few times, along with some of their friends, and had played marathon sessions. When they weren''t available, though, the old oak would run games for anybody who wanted. She''d seen the squirrels, birds, goblin kids, and even Miss Jennifer and Miss Annie joining him. Some of them struggled a bit with the dice until Scorper and Bellows turned out some sets sized and suitable for the various claws, paws, beaks, and iron talons. She even had her own set they''d presented to her. It was gorgeous, although ebony with scarlet numbering did seem a little showy. The engravings Scorper had done were fantastic, though, as always. She just didn''t look too closely at the more ''risqu¨¦'' scenes he''d done--they were too easily distracting.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Amelia was strongly tempted to join him for another session, but there were other things that needed her attention. Not that she needed to manage or oversee anything. For whatever reason, few of the inhabitants, new or old, were willing to ''bother'' her if they needed something. No matter how much she insisted it wasn''t a bother, the message didn''t seem to get through. So she made a habit of proactively looking for ways to make life better for everyone she could. Which took more time than the assistance itself, but she didn''t begrudge it. It was incredibly rewarding seeing the hollow, or at least the cottage area, becoming a bustling hive of happy activity.

    And now they had a pub! Well, technically, Sandy had a pub, and it was in the village, several minutes walk away. But through the miracles of portals, she could be there almost instantly! She usually used the brewery portal, since most of the time she was in or around the cottage. Today, though, she decided to stretch her legs a bit and walk to the trilithon entrance. So she had bid goodbye to Tuuka and the other miners, who had been getting set up to start mining properly. After waving to Alder, she found the right path and followed it for the brief distance to the mound clearing.

    It was a beautiful day out, and the sun falling on the stone uprights made a stunning vista. The portal to the pub wasn''t actually through the trilithon, since that was already a gateway that connected to other realms. It also had the disadvantage of being in the open, with no shade, which would disincline many of the hollow''s residents from wanting to use it. So Bert had placed it just at the edge of the clearing, in the deeply shadowed trunk of a huge tree. You had to know it was there, or else have the sight, to be able to find it. There wasn''t an obvious entry or doorknob, but if you grasped a particular stub of a branch just right, the door would open, and you''d be looking into the murky interior of the public room.

    Amelia stepped through and allowed her eyes a moment to adjust to the dimness after closing the front door.

    "Sweetling! Come for something ... luscious? Something ... juicy?"

    "Hi, Ashlee! Whadya suggest?"

    Amelia plopped down onto one of the soft sofas against one of the walls. The booths were comfy, too, but she felt like being sociable at the moment.

    "Crispy chipssss, hmmm, hmmm? Tassty ale? Or I could ask Tyni to make beans on toast for you, sweetling!" replied the crone. She had filled out from her time outside the vault. No longer looking like a bundle of sticks wrapped in cloth, she was still painfully thin and emaciated. She wore a Victorian-style black dress, stiff with lace and black pearl beading. A chatelaine jingled at her left side, the iron chains and attachments barely contrasting with the cloth. Amelia could identify a bottle and can opener, a corkscrew, a notebook, and what was probably a rasp or file. Probably for the hag''s nails, which she had to grind down to a convenient length regularly. There was an ebony comb, as well, although the waitress had her hair done up in a severe bun on the back of her head, with what looked like a large bodkin as a hairpin.

    "Oooh! Beans on toast, please! And an apple squash?"

    "Of course, sweetling! Brandy to ... warm the drink?"

    "No, thank you!"

    Amelia watched as the lady went behind the bar and spoke into a cone projecting from the wall. It was an old-fashioned speaking tube, and Bert connected the sound to the kitchen back in the cottage. Tyni was keeping busy, what with feeding everyone living in the cottage complex, running the caf¨¦, and now servicing the pub. He was having the time of his life.

    Ashlee returned a few moments later, a pint glass in hand. It bubbled with carbonation, and condensation was forming around her pale hand. She deposited it on the low bar table near the sofa, on top of a napkin she slipped underneath first.

    "Thanks! How''s it going? Getting many customers?"

    "Wonderful, sweetling! Wonderful! So many succulent visitors! So ... fleshy and ripe!" A string of drool started to drip from her lip, and she wiped it off self-consciously. "But no feasting! No tasting! Only serving, and talking. So much talking! So many words! So many years trapped in that place, sweetling. Talking is precious!"

    A thump sounded from across the room as the dumbwaiter slid into place. The hag fetched the steaming plate of food and added it to the table with the drink, a fork carefully placed next to it.

    "Great! Glad you''re enjoying it! Anybody from the hollow come by?"

    "Oh yes! Miss Anni came by for a pint. Our Peg and our Nelly dropped by for cards with that Mr. G and his mother. Mr. Ainsley just left, and a few others been in as well."

    "Really? That''s awesome! I wasn''t sure if ... uh ... our people would be comfortable coming here."

    The hag nodded, then glanced around the dim interior. "Miss Beige and Mister Blue vouched for the place, but they needn''t have, sweetling. We''ve all been lonely for so long, it''s good to have a place to socialize. That dwarven brandy doesn''t hurt, either." She had to wipe off another string of drool at that thought and slurped disgustingly.

    "Yeah. Taste''s pretty good, and works great for paint stripper as well. I tried to tell him you could water the stuff down a bit, say something weak like 60 ABV, but he wouldn''t hear it." Amelia shrugged. It was good alcohol. It was better when someone taught you the trick, which was inhaling, drinking, then exhaling hard. That way, the potent fumes didn''t crawl down your throat and try to rip your lungs out. You could even enjoy the flavor that way if you were still sober enough at that point.

    "Any trouble from Mr. U or ravens or anything?" Amelia asked with apprehension. Beige had chased the man in his magpie form, but apparently he managed to get away somehow. Which was impressive, if a bit frustrating.

    The hag let out a dry chuckle and brandished her short, but extremely sharp fingernails. "No, more''s the pity, sweetling. There was a drunk chav couple, but they weren''t any trouble." She grinned, her sharp, piranha-like teeth shining in what little light there was inside. "They ... decided not to bother us anymore."

    "Okay. Good. We want it nice and peaceful in here, so people can relax. Good work! You need anything? Can I do anything for you?"

    "Thank you, sweetling, but everything is fine. Thank you for coming by!"

    Amelia ate her lunch as Ashlee returned to her duties, happily wiping down surfaces and keeping the place tidy, jingling as she moved. It had been a wild impulse she''d had to invite the woman to work in the pub, but it had turned out well. It seemed that many of those living in the hollow, while secretive and private, were happy to get out and socialize on their own terms. Miss Annie had even volunteered to teach a shop class, which was going well with the kids. Not quite as popular as Pancake''s classes, but still well-liked.

    After eating and saying goodbye, Amelia popped through into Sandy''s shop. She had been worried how well the shopkeeper and Ashlee would get along, but they had quickly become close friends. Sandy''s love of toffee, and eagerness to share, had been a good point to bond over, and it turned out the two ladies had other things in common as well. Amelia had caught them giggling together a few times, but when pressed, Sandy just turned red and wouldn''t explain. Which was entirely too much like Pancake and Briar. Sometimes she felt left out even by her friends, but suspected she wouldn''t enjoy their humor, so it was just as well.

    "Alright, Sandy?" she called as she was almost bowled over when Shock charged into her for lickies. Even though relatively small, the black dog had mass, and Amelia stumbled back, before kneeling down to give scritches and loves to the pooch.

    "Alright, love? Be right out!" called Sandy from the back room, before emerging moments later. She was carrying a box of products to restock, which she perched on the counter for the moment.

    "Had lunch next door and just wanted to drop by and say hi! Anything good going on?"

    "Not really, deary. Nice having the pub, though! Already had some passers-by drop in for a pint, then wander in here and buy some crisps for the road. That was nice!"

    "Any problems? Any sign of that creepy guy, or anything?" Amelia asked, still worried that Mr. U would make another attempt on her friend or the shop. Sandy hadn''t seen the second confrontation with Mr. U, having partaken a wee too much of Tuuka''s finest, but she had seen the nasty man the first time, when Shock had peed on him.

    "Nope! Our little darling would see him off if he came back, I''m sure!" She gazed down at the hyper puppy. Shock had figured out the portal system, and also that Sandy was more than happy to spoil her rotten, so she''d been spending considerable time on this side.

    "What''s that you have in your mouth? Out! OUT!" She pulled the tiny mannikin from the dog''s jaws. Strangely, it was completely undamaged, which was highly suspicious in itself. The puppy was deleterious to all things they''d let her chew on, and the only thing she hadn''t destroyed was Whisper, who seemed to enjoy playing with the hound. The figure looked remarkably like Mr. Unpronounceable himself, down to the miniature homburg on his head. When she blinked, Amelia could see a very faint glow emanating from the doll, and what looked like a glowing thread that extended from it and off into the ether. A single, metallic-blue hair was carefully wrapped around the head.

 32: Expansion Practice

    "Huh. Where did you get this, sweetie?" asked Amelia, looking at the chew toy.

    Shock leapt up and tried to lick her face, letting out silent yips of joy.

    "I think one of the ladies from next door gave it to her, dear. They had a good laugh about it, but then they had been into the brandy by then." Sandy contributed, a bit jealous. Now that the pub was next door, and she could get some of Tuuka''s best any time she wanted, she was finding her self-control sorely tested.

    "I guess it''s okay. She hasn''t destroyed it yet, so whatever they made it out of must be tough stuff." Amelia ruffled the dog''s floppy ears, then gave her scritches under the chin. Shock''s tail flailed so hard at the attention that her hindquarters scooted back and forth on the floor.

    "You be good for Sandy and Miss Ashlee, okay? And only pee on really bad people, not the carpet or floor."

    Shock whuffed at that, and as usual, the action sucked sound out of the air, instead of making an actual noise. It was an effect that was always odd, no matter how many times you ''heard'' it.

    "Did you see all those trees about? Council must''ve put ''em in, but I never heard ''em at work. Makes the place seem more rustic and comfy, sorta."

    "Trees? Uh, no, I haven''t seen any. Where?" Amelia responded to the shopkeeper''s question.

    "Just around the village. They''re everywhere! It''s really something. All the trees ''round here were chopped down ages ago for farmland, except for those up in your wood. It''s a surprise, seein'' as how the council doesn''t do much else useful."

    The bell on the door tinkled as Amelia stepped outside. Sure enough, there were trees scattered all throughout the little townlet. They looked like they had been there far too long to have been recently transplanted.

    "Huh. I''m gonna go get a better look. See you ''round, Sandy!"

    "Ta, dear!" Sandy called as the door closed behind her.

    The trees weren''t particularly densely planted, but nearly every house or building had one, and the small churchyard had several statuesque alders ringing its periphery.

    Amelia had a hunch who was behind the sudden forestation.

    "Bert? Did you put trees in the village?"

    [Affirmative.]

    "Uh huh. And how did you do that outside the hollow? I thought you could only do stuff like that inside your realm?"

    [The realm was expanded. All of Eldertown is now part of Beorthmund.]

    "Right, right. Okay. Were you planning on telling me about this?"

    [No.]

    Bert''s response didn''t actually have a sound or tone to it, since the words just appeared in her head. But somehow he sounded a bit sheepish, and a touch guilty.

    "And why not? Why did you do it? I don''t mind, it''s cool, I''m just curious. You aren''t in trouble!" She assured the core.

    [Dunnwald suggested expanding the realm. To protect the village from outside interference.]

    "Donald? That sounds like something he''d do. But since when do you guys talk? I didn''t even know you could talk!"

    [We formed a link during your confrontation previously. I ... improvised. We communicate through you.]

    "Me? What?"

    [We are each connected to you. We speak to each other using an out-of-band channel through you, which you don''t register.]

    "Um, okay. I feel, I don''t know, used, somehow. I did notice that Donald hasn''t been bugging me to establish a domain the last couple of days, though. This have something to do with it?"

    [Affirmative. We are ... sharing. Dunnwald is allowed limited use of my facilities, in return for access to his unleashed contracted agents.]

    "Yeah, about that. Did I ever say thanks for saving me and Sandy? ''Cause, thanks! You really saved our bacon, whatever you did. You guys did. Thanks to you, too, Donald!"

    Neither core responded to that. They were both starting to communicate ever so slightly more like people, but it was a slow process. She suspected they might be a little on the spectrum.

    "Just, you know, go easy on taking over the world. The hollows is plenty to keep track of, alright? And if we make every place fantastic, it kinda loses its charm. Nobody would want to come and visit!" She said the last facetiously.

    [Acknowledged.]

    [Acknowledged. Domain expansion will be limited to other realms.]

    It was easy to tell which core had responded with which answer.

    "That wasn''t exactly what I meant, Donald! Maybe just limit yourselves to emergency expansions, okay? No casual land-grabbing because you''re bored or cranky."

    [Acknowledged.]

    She got the impression the response was grudging. But it would have to do. Hopefully Bert would rein in Donald''s more acquisitive and domineering tendencies.

    "So how far do you extend now, Bert? Just the village and the hollows? Or is there anything else you guys should be telling me?"

    [Realm incorporates all land immediately surrounding the Hollows and Eldertown.]

    "All of it? Even the canal section? I guess that''s cool. I guess that means people will be safe getting here, anyways."

    She thought about it for a moment.

    "So does this mean Mr. Unpronounceable can''t come here? That guy''s a menace, and I''d hate for him to try to burn down the village again."

    There was a suspiciously silent moment when neither core responded.

    "Boys? He can''t come here, right?"

    [Negative. Only the Hollow is bounded. Entry to the surrounding area is permitted.]

    "Um, that doesn''t sound like you''re keeping everybody safe. What gives?"

    Again there was a moment of silence, and she had the distinct impression the cores were trying to get each other to respond. She tapped her foot.

    [Inhabitants of the realm are protected. Unwanted visitors are ... not.]

    "So they''re bait? Now that doesn''t sound nice at all!" she scolded.

    [Affirmative.]

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    There wasn''t the slightest hint of shame in the response.

    "Right. Okay. I suppose I''ll have to trust you guys, but don''t make me regret it!"

    <hr>

    The village really did feel nicer with the trees. Several were already decorated with ribbons or hanging lights, so it looked like the villagers approved of the changes. She still wished Bert had asked first, but she didn''t really want to micromanage the core, so she''d just have to put up with some of his idiosyncrasies. Their idiosyncrasies, apparently.

    She took the ''long'' way back home, just to stretch her legs. It was really only a few minutes walk, but after having gotten used to instantaneous portal transportation, it seemed longer. It was a nice day out, not too hot, not too cloudy. She was pleased to see that there weren''t any ravens lurking about. Not that she disliked the birds, but now she suspected they were all spies, so she''d rather not see them around.

    The entrance gate was left wide open these days, to make sure that visitors felt welcome. She''d finally had to ask Bert to stop telling her whenever people entered the hollow since it got annoying after a while. If they weren''t dangerous, she didn''t care, and if they were dangerous, Bert wouldn''t let them in. So it seemed a waste of time.

    She ambled down the entry path, remembering back to what it had been like when she first arrived in the hollow. Then it had been cramped, windy, and muddy. Now, though, it was straight and wide. She and Bert had rearranged the trees a bit to make it a nicely shaded walkway. This was partially for all the new visitors coming in, but mostly for when the miners started hauling out ore. They''d barely managed to bring their own personal wagons in when they came, and that had been a struggle. So now there was room between the trees to get a loaded wain out. Well, room for a dwarf or goblin-sized wagon, anyways.

    Amelia paused for a moment as she entered the yard. It was mostly empty at the moment, with just Briar working in the garden and Pancake nibbling away on the lawn. If you listened carefully, you could hear the ringing of hammer blows on the anvil as Bellows worked in the smithy in the backyard, but otherwise, it was peacefully quiet. Whisper came wafting over from wherever she''d been lazing, and nestled down in her hair.

    "Hey, you! How you doing?" She gave the wisp a gentle pat, and felt the thrum of what she liked to think was the glow ball''s ''purr''.

    "Hi Fern! What''s going on today?"

    "Game! Game! Spears! Spears!"

    "Oh man! I''m late!" Amelia responded, smacking her forehead. She''d been so distracted by the trees in town, she''d lost track of time.

    Of course Alder was running a game, as usual. Amelia had finally managed to sit in on a few, and they were magical, if in a completely mundane way. The tree really knew how to spin a story, and kept all the players engaged and eager for more. There was always a friendly competition to get a chance to actually play, and there inevitably was a crowd gathered around just to watch.

    Spear practice was a new thing, though. The crew had put together a training rig that let people practice fighting with a spear, which was pretty cool. It was a big rectangular thing, about eight feet tall and a little more than that wide. It had shuttered cubbies all over the face of it, set at varying depths, and the goal was to tap the target inside the cubby when the respective shutter opened. If you did it right, a bell would ring. There were levers and buttons that let someone control it, so different sets of shutters opened at different times, to simulate the various openings a foe would expose in a fight. There were even a couple of ''arms'' that could be swung or poked at the person practicing, so they had to block or dodge. It was a lot of fun to play with, but very tiring. Amelia had gotten a chance to use it several times, and could only last a couple of minutes before being totally winded. Quiet said that that was the whole point--fighting took a lot of concentration and energy, so you needed to practice bunches to get better at it. They also did basic drills to learn the proper movements and occasionally sparred with each other. Ringing the bells was the most popular since it gave instant feedback of achievement.

    Amelia had been surprised when the goblins had suggested starting rudimentary combat training. She didn''t like to think of the dangerous aspects of exploring other realms, but supposed that was something that couldn''t just be ignored. It turned out there was the potential for dangerous encounters even in the cave system the cavern was part of, so the two guides wanted to make sure anyone they were taking down there had at least a little preparation. Plus it let them figure out who could follow instructions, stick with boring or exhausting tasks, and deal with stress. They were certainly evaluating who they''d let come with them, and this was a simple, fun, and practical way to go about it.

    She made her way to the backyard. There was a small crowd around the training machine, all holding practice spears Scorper had turned out. He had made them in varying lengths since Quiet wanted everyone to have one a little taller than themselves. Since their students ranged in height from Bill, an average height human male, to Fork, a pre-schoolish-aged goblin girl, they had quite the selection. The spears all had blunt ends and a padded ball ''tip'' that could be strapped on for sparring. They also had masks and padded jackets they wore as well, which really made practice a hot, sweaty experience. Especially after the warm-up run, and the occasional wind sprints they did for punishment or inspiration.

    DING! DING DING! DING! Sounded the bell as Vieno scored an astounding quadruple hit. The dwarven girl had turned out to be a natural, with both good perception and natural grace. It was tricky hitting targets accurately rapidly in succession, but the goblins assured them it was a critical skill to have. Aim for the eyes, stab the toes, then back to the eyes, etc.

    "Good job! I''ve only ever got a double! And I think that was luck!" Amelia congratulated the girl when she finished. Vieno had stepped away so Bill could take a turn, and was currently leaning on her spear, breathing very heavily.

    "Thanks!" the dwarf responded, smiling briefly. Sweat plastered her short hair down to her forehead, but she was grinning.

    Amelia hadn''t been sure about allowing the kids to learn to fight but supposed it wouldn''t cause any harm. Besides, it would be better to know how to fight and not have to, than the other way around. But hopefully, Bert would keep them safe so that wouldn''t be an issue.

    DING! THUD! THUD! Whuf! "Ow!" Bill got the hit on one of his tries, but was too slow on the last two, slamming the blunt spearhead into the wood of the shutters as they closed too quickly for him. Then to add to the indignity, he''d gotten bopped by one of the arms. They startled you more than they hurt, but that wasn''t one of the fun parts of practice.

    Amelia grabbed a spear from the rack by the device and joined the queue for practice. Even if she was a little late today, nobody minded. Classes were pretty informal for the most part. That meant she missed the mandatory running portion that they usually started with, though. Both goblins strove to drive home the point that they were always better off running than fighting. And also, to practice fighting when they were already tired, since if it came to blows, they probably would be. It also helped to practice with limbs that were already shaking from fatigue, since adrenaline tended to mess up fine motor control.

    Today they did the usual two-handed work with the spears, then some one-handed work. One-handed was a lot harder, and it took more practice to keep the point online. You had to hold the spear in just the right way, or it was too easy for your opponent to push it away and get you. They had a few shields they used for that drill, but mostly they used a mock lantern in the other hand. It was a good excuse to think about fighting at night, or when having to carry something you couldn''t (or shouldn''t) put down. But Quiet admitted to Amelia it was just a way to mix things up, and make everybody practice gauging distance to opponents at different ranges. She said that that and not tripping over your own feet were vastly more important than perfect accuracy.

    They even brought out the real spearheads Bellows had forged. Those were socketed onto the blunt shafts of the spears, and held in place with a nail-like pin. Picker usually kept them in a chest that he inventoried before every spar, and after every time they were used, just in case. They were extremely sharp, and the main goal of practicing with the real deal was learning just how little or much effort it took to pierce things. Everybody was always surprised at how easy it was to run a heavy melon through and sink the point deep into a block of wood. It was a sobering thought, especially if you were picturing your target as a living being, or that you were potentially a target yourself.

    Practice lasted about an hour, or until everybody collapsed from exhaustion. Then the goblins goaded everybody into a final sprint around the yards, with the slow pokes getting sprayed with water and jeered at. Amelia was one of those this time since she was limping from a blow to her leg that Pasi had managed to land. She wasn''t too ashamed of it, though, since the boy was also moving slower than usual after their bout. They all tended to accumulate some bumps and bruises, but it was still good fun. And vastly better to get a bruise in practice than a wound in real life.

    Whisper and Fern occasionally tried to ''help'' by zipping around the practice field, which was terribly distracting. It was even worse when one of the younger kids took to throwing water jets and bang spells around at the same time. Everyone was slowly learning just the right amount of focus. Too intent on what was just in front of you, and you got sprayed, surprise banged, or had a sprite raspberry in your face. Too much focus on the chaos around you, and you got poked or smacked. It was a tough lesson.

    It was still a couple of hours before tea, and she was wondering how she was going to occupy herself for the rest of the afternoon when Bert interrupted her musing.

    [Notice! Visitor has exited Realm to Elara.]

    "What was that, Bert? Who? Where?"

    [A mortal visitor has exited Beorthmund to the Realm of Elara.]

    That was a new one for her.

    "Hey, Lark! How do you get to Elara from here?"

    The singer had been perched on the eaves of the bathhouse to watch the spear practice. The bird cocked her head at Amelia, then replied. "Via the stone doorway on the mound. Why, Caretaker?"

    "Um, Bert says somebody left that way. Somebody mortal. Does that make sense?"

    "It is likely one of your ''ramblers'' mistakenly stepped through. That portal opens on occasion when the realms align. That is very bad. Elara is a particularly dangerous realm, especially for a mortal to wander in. We should retrieve them right away!"

    "Yeah, I thought as much."

 33: Slugs in the Dark

    "I''m going! I''m the caretaker, and I''m responsible! That''s final! We gotta go!" Amelia said, actually stomping her foot in frustration.

    "Fine. Here." Picker said, handing her a spear.

    Amelia looked at the razor-sharp tip that was fastened securely to the pole. She gulped. The weapon brought home the severity of the situation, but she wasn''t going to be left behind.

    She''d thought they''d just quickly step through the trilithon and retrieve who ever had wandered through, but Lark and Quiet both convinced her otherwise. Elara was a hostile place, and difficult to navigate. The majority of it was a subterranean realm of caves and passages, filled with monsters. So time was spent carefully choosing who would go, and gathering appropriate equipment.

    Amelia gripped her blue cloak tightly around her. It wasn''t cold out, but she still felt momentarily chilled. She watched as the rest of the rescue crew assembled and loaded up. Quiet and Picker were coming, of course, as their most experienced explorers. Lark, who could get them home if the way closed before they returned. Whisper, who sank into Amelia''s hair and refused to be dislodged. The last two were a surprise to her, but still welcome.

    "Take the mutt, sweet cheeks. Hate to admit it, but that dog got a good nose. Could track a snowflake inna blizzard, sort of thing. And you never know, might need somethin'' widdled on, and she''s your girl for that."

    Shock tackled the goat at the words, and slobbered all over his miniscule face.

    "Blech! Easy, there, sister! I just said that to get rid of ya! Don''t let it go to your head. Or tongue, as the case may be!"

    The other addition was Bill. It turned out he was the only one available who knew any first aid, having trained as a technician with St John Ambulance. He gripped his own spear a little nervously, rifling through his shoulder bag of medical supplies with the other hand, sweat beading off his bald forehead.

    They were all wearing padded knee-length jackets that Bert had spawned for them. According to Quiet, they offered the best combination of protection and maneuverability, and would also protect from the cold. Since it was currently a nice day, though, they were all baking in the sun. Amelia started to reconsider the cloak, but instead just threw both folds as far back over her shoulders as she could, and opened the jacket to the breeze.

    "Ready." declared Picker, cinching up a large rucksack. He and Quiet both had large coils of rope worn over the shoulder and across their bodies, and the two goblins had packed climbing gear and other bits of equipment that Amelia didn''t recognize. They all had water bottles and food, with lamps mounted to their mining helmets.

    Shock snuffled around the ground in front of the standing stones, getting the scent of whoever had gone through. It took her only a moment, then she heaved one of her silent whuffs, her tail wagging frantically.

    "Got the trail, girl? Good girl!" Amelia bent down and rubbed the puppy''s ears.

    "I shall lead the way into the realm, as I am able to make my way back. Stay close to me." declared Lark, as everyone hefted their packs and indicated they were good to go.

    In single file, they passed through the arch made of the three massive stones, and it wasn''t until they had passed all the way through the doorway that they could tell they had entered someplace else.

    "Whoah!" exclaimed Bill, slack-jawed. He looked around in surprise, as did Amelia.

    Unlike when she traveled to Whimsy, it was obvious this was no place like home. It had been late afternoon in the hollow, but it was dark on the other side of the gate. The beams of their head-mounted torches shone on stone walls and floor, the room perhaps thirty feet square. The rough-hewn ceiling was perhaps eight feet high, and Amelia and Bill had to take care not to hit the points of their spears on it as they moved around. Passages led off from each wall, with nothing to indicate where they led.

    Lark landed in the center of the room as the others filed in, then flew to land on Amelia''s shoulder so she could have a better view. The bird wasn''t well suited for travel underground, so she would ride when she could.

    "The entrance always leads to a different place in this realm. I have been here just once when I was learning my role. I do not recognize any of this."

    "Okay, Shocky-poo, find ''em! Sniff ''em out, you can do it!" encouraged Amelia. The dog sniffed the ground in front of the gate, then wandered around the room for a moment, before stopping in front of the left-hand passage. She wagged her tail and looked back over her shoulder at the rest of the group. As soon as they started making their way that direction, she turned back and followed the trail along the passage.

    Picker followed close behind the dog, his nose sniffing the air. He carefully scanned for anything untoward, eyes constantly moving. He occasionally tapped the ground or walls ahead of him with his own spear, before moving ahead. Amelia was right behind him, being careful not to rattle her weapon on the surfaces of the passage, which took more care than she had thought it would.

    Behind Amelia came Bill, with Quiet bringing up the rear. Despite their best efforts, the two humans made a good deal of noise with their rattling equipment and heavy boots. The two goblins were considerably more silent, having much more practice in this sort of thing. Shock padded along, making almost no noise except for the sniffling sounds she made as she followed the scent trail. Quiet used a piece of chalk to mark the wall periodically, so they could find their way back easier.

    The passage intersected several others multiple times and forked a few times. Amelia quickly realized she wouldn''t be able to find her way back on her own, and was glad she was with the goblins.

    At first, the trail had gone straight, but then after a few branches, it seemed to go into and out of multiple of the passages before continuing on. Picker summed up his suspicions in his usual fashion, saying only "Lost."

    It did seem that that was the case. Amelia could imagine herself in the same situation, happily exploring the new space, and then turning around and not knowing which direction she had come from. The rambler must be scared, she thought. She would have been.

    The puppy came to an abrupt stop, and the rumbling silence showed she was disturbed by something. The goblin knelt down and examined something on the floor, then stood back up and looked back at the group. "Slime." he said, then he and the dog continued tracking.

    "What does that mean? Slime?" Amelia whispered, shooting a look back past Bill to Quiet. She knew Picker was unlikely to explain. She could see the glistening track on the floor, easily two feet wide. It reflected the light from her head torch crazily throughout the passage. They all were careful not to step in it.

    "It means a creature is now pursuing our missing visitor. Hopefully, we can get to him before it does. Or something else finds his trail as well."

    "So like a slug or a snail? How big we talking about?"

    Quiet shook her head and glanced meaningfully at the size of the trail on the ground. Then gripped her spear tightly.

    "Not small. Okay." She faced back forwards, closing her jacket fastenings with her free hand. It was decidedly cooler in here than it had been back home, and she was glad of the warmth. It wasn''t cold enough yet to need the cloak, but if they stopped for long, she knew she''d be happy she had it.

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    "Look!" called Picker. He pointed with his headlamp to something on the ground. It took her a moment to realize what it was.

    "That''s one of the flagons Scorper made, isn''t it?"

    The wooden vessel was smashed, and slime dripped from the broken side. The wood sizzled quietly as the caustic substance ate away at it.

    Bill paled slightly as he realized what they were looking at, and shuffled his feet further away from the slick trail in the middle of the passageway.

    Picker poked at the item with the butt of his weapon, then sniffed. "Close."

    They continued on, and just as the goblin had said, they found their quarry.

    The passageway they were in opened out into an extremely large circular room, with archways all around its periphery leading in other directions. In the center was a platform, raised several feet above the level of the rest of the floor. A trench or moat surrounded it, at least four feet wide. They couldn''t see how deep it was from where they were standing, but it looked deep. Crouched at the center of the platform was a figure in a bright orange windcheater and green beanie. The man looked over at them as they entered the room cautiously.

    "Watch out! That ... that ... thing is dangerous!" he pointed with his torch to one side, where a low mound was right at the edge of the moat. A pseudopod was extended out towards the platform, but couldn''t quite seem to reach it. It flinched as the light shone on its eye stalks, but the illumination was dim and guttered a bit. The man pounded on the bottom of the torch with his palm, and the beam brightened slightly.

    "Are you okay?" Amelia called. At the sound, one of the eye stalks turned their way, and the creature started slowly turning towards them.

    "My hand''s burned. I tried to drive it off with my mug, but it just smashed, and some of its guck got on me. It hurts. And I think I sprained my ankle or something when I jumped over here. I can''t put any weight on it, not for long, anyways."

    "Just stay put, okay? We''re here to help." called out Bill reassuringly, although his attention was on the giant slug thing. He had his spear in both hands and was swallowing hard as he watched it start to undulate towards them. It was far enough away that their lights weren''t bothering it yet, but were serving as a beacon to their location.

    Amelia felt Lark grip her shoulder tighter with her claws, and the bird ruffled its wings, getting ready to fly if needed.

    "We can handle one. When it gets close enough, our lamps will blind it, and it should keep its distance. My boy and I will keep it away, while you two get over there and help. Got it?" Quiet explained, looking at Bill and Amelia. They both nodded. "Take the dog with you. We don''t want her trying to bite that thing."

    Bill and Amelia circled around the platform away from the slowly moving slug, with Shock tucked under Amelia''s arm. The puppy behaved for once, and didn''t wriggle about and try to like her as she was carried.

    Picker and Quiet moved to intercept the slug, and as they came close it flinched back from their lights. They were able to sort of herd it backwards, but it was slow-going.

    "Can you make it across okay, Bill?"

    "I think so. It isn''t that far. Just don''t want to fall!"

    Now that they were at the edge of the moat, they could see it was very deep. Amelia wasn''t sure how deep exactly, but falling in was not an option.

    "Go when you''re ready, and I''ll pass Shock over."

    "Careful!" called the rambler.

    Bill tossed his spear gently onto the platform, then backed up a few steps. With the short run-up, he was easily able to leap across the gap, landing with bent knees. He sprawled forwards as he touched down, mostly so he wouldn''t accidentally fall backwards.

    Lark winged over and landed gently near the center of the platform, out of everyone''s way. Whisper floated across after her, her glow particularly eerie in the dim light of the room.

    After passing Shock across, Amelia made her own leap. It wasn''t far, just a little awkward having to jump up a bit onto the far side. If it wasn''t for the deep gap, it wouldn''t have been very challenging at all.

    "You guys from around here? I''m John, by the way. John Smith. Sure am lucky you guys came along. And that you speak English! How improbable is that?" The man babbled a bit, unnerved by the situation.

    "Uh, we''re from the hollows. You know, where you were walking? We came to find you. I''m Amelia, and this is Bill. And Lark and Shock. She tracked you. That''s Picker and Quiet over there." Amelia patted the puppy''s head, and the dog''s tongue lolled out as she smiled.

    "Really? The way you''re dressed ... Are those kids gonna be okay over there with that thing?" He pointed towards the goblins.

    "Yeah, they''re fine. Not kids, by the way."

    "Oh, yeah, okay. I see that now." He goggled at the two goblins for a bit.

    "I have some medical training. I''m going to check you out, okay?" Bill said, kneeling down next to John.

    "Sure. My hand and my ankle. I think everything else is okay."

    "Got it. I have a few questions we like to ask, just routine. You gave us your name already. Can you tell me what day it is?"

    Bill worked through a set of questions in a business-like fashion. Then he did a head-to-toe exam, making sure there weren''t any other injuries. That done, he rolled up John''s trouser leg and probed his ankle. It was tender but hadn''t started swelling yet.

    After wrapping the joint with an elastic bandage, he cleaned the raw wound on John''s hand, coated it with burn ointment, then bandaged it as well.

    "Thanks!" said John, passing Amelia back her water bottle. She stuffed it back into her rucksack.

    "Best I can do without any ice for the swelling. I have some paracetamol if you need some."

    "No, I''ll be alright. Thanks. I really appreciate it!" He stood and tested putting weight on his foot, wincing. It would hold, but they''d have to help him back across, and back through the tunnels.

    A whistle grabbed their attention, and they all looked over to Picker. He pointed towards one side of the room, where they could see several more of the slugs squelching out of different passages. One of them emerged from the passage they needed to take to get home.

    "Uh oh! Now what?"

    The two goblins answered her question by taking running leaps to hurtle onto the platform, both sprawling flat as they landed. It was a much harder jump when you were only a few feet tall.

    Within moments, the platform was surrounded on all sides by the creatures.

    <hr>

    "I do not seem to be able to draw their attention." stated Lark, the bird landing back on the platform. She had tried to circle behind the slugs and draw them off, but they had mostly ignored her. She only just dodged a pseudopod when she flew too close, though.

    "Thanks for trying, Lark. Anybody else got any ideas?" Amelia asked.

    Bill shook his head, looking out at the pulsating masses surrounding them. They didn''t seem coordinated, but all the same, they had effectively trapped the group on the platform.

    John was wrapped in Amelia''s cloak, the cold finally getting to him. His windcheater had been sufficient back in the hollow, but the damp cold was starting to get to all of them. Shock was cuddled against the man, trying to help keep him warm.

    They had tried all pointing their torches at one of the slugs, and while it drove the creature back, the others just closed the gap slightly. They had to figure out a way to get all of the creatures to back off since it might take time to get the injured hiker across the trench and out of the room.

    "[Water Jet]!"

    The spray caused the monster to jerk back slightly, but otherwise, it didn''t seem to mind being dampened.

    Bill and John both watched Amelia with amazement when she had done that, delighted at the trick.

    "If we had some oil or petrol or something I could light it with Candle Flame." She thought aloud.

    Picker perked up at that and pulled the coil of rope from over his shoulder. He sliced off a few feet and handed it to Amelia, gesturing for her to light it.

    "I don''t think that''ll do it, but okay. [Candle Flame]." The tongue of flame quickly ignited the end of the rope, and she handed it back.

    The goblin gently twirled the smoldering end, making sure it was well alight, then tossed the chunk of rope between two of the slugs. Both of them jerked back violently from the fire, pseudopods thrashing. The slime trail ignited and started burning along the ground towards one of the creatures. It squelched away from the fire.

    "That''s it! It''s working! Do that again!" cried Bill.

    They worked quickly, and with a few dozen lengths of burning rope tossed across, they had a narrow corridor that separated the slugs.

    "We''re gonna have to be quick! That first piece is already almost burned up!"

    They gathered their equipment, and Bill helped John to stand.

    "Bill, why don''t you jump across, and I''ll help John from here. You can probably catch him better than I could when he jumps across." Amelia suggested.

    Picker and Quiet leapt back across the gap, then used their spears to widen the clear space, moving the burning bits of rope closer to the slugs, who drew further away. The monsters weren''t smart enough to realize they could just back up and go around the blazing barrier the group had made, luckily.

    Bill carefully jumped across, but landed a little precariously and had to windmill his arms furiously to keep from falling over. But once he caught his balance, he turned to help steady John as the hiker made his way across. That almost ended in disaster as well, as the man''s ankle rolled under him as he landed, and the two almost pitched over the flaming barrier. Picker''s fast grab and push knocked them to the ground instead, and a pseudopod just missed them, flailing uselessly overhead.

    Once the two had picked themselves back up, Amelia passed Shock and the weapons across, then jumped herself.

    "Okay, let''s go!" she said, taking her spear back from Bill.

 34: Trapped Below II

    The giant slug creatures slowly surged towards the group, the closest ones held back only by the rapidly dying flames of the burning pieces of rope.

    Quiet led the way back to the passage they had entered from, having to dodge around several of the monsters and their gross slime trails. The group followed as fast as they could, slowed down by John, who hobbled along using Amelia''s spear as a walking aid. Picker trailed the group, doing his best to blind and deter the invertebrates using the light from his headlamp.

    Unfortunately, the effectiveness of the lights on the creatures was diminishing, and several were close behind them as they managed to get into the hallway.

    "[Candle Flame]." Amelia lit the pieces of rope the goblin held out to her, the hemp immediately smoldering and sputtering. Picker dropped them across the entrance, then ducked back as a pseudopod whipped out towards him.

    "Hopefully that will slow ''em down a bit!"

    "Perhaps, Caretaker, but there are other passageways that connect to this one. We must hurry." Lark was again perched on Amelia''s shoulder, her claws tightly gripping the girl''s rucksack strap.

    "Sorry I''m slowing you guys down!" John winced as he continued forwards, leaning heavily on the spear shaft. Even with the wrapping, Bill had put on his ankle, he''d hurt it further in the leap back across the moat.

    Even moving at a pace the injured man could keep up with, they were still making good time. The slugs didn''t move that fast, and the ones immediately behind them had been delayed for at least a minute or two by the flaming rope. Amelia was just thinking that they''d made a clean get-away when she heard a whistle from Quiet. They halted as the goblin stealthily crept ahead, then returned moments later.

    She motioned them all close and spoke in a whisper. "Problem. Gotta take a different path. I''ll explain later. Keep close!" The goblin made eye contact with each of them to make sure they understood, then headed off. She took a passage to the right, moving extremely cautiously.

    Amelia followed along behind, Shock in her arms. The puppy yawned hugely and snuggled her snout deeper into the crook of Amelia''s elbow. The puppy kept running ahead, and they had been afraid she''d get separated, or wander off. So she got to ride.

    As they trailed after their goblin guide, they could hear the roar of running water from the direction they had been intending to go. Amelia didn''t remember any creeks or water features, so something must have happened. As the sound diminished in the distance, she heard the scritch of chalk on stone as Picker marked their path. The marks he used were more complex than the arrow or hash mark she expected. It looked like an ideogram or a hieroglyph of some sort. The goblin saw her look, then gave her a thumbs up and smiled, then waved for her to keep moving.

    "Hsst! Stop!" called Quiet urgently. The goblin dropped to her hands and knees, probing forwards gently with the butt-end of her spear. SNAP! A set of spikes shot out from the wall, just missing the scout by a hair''s breadth. Seconds later there was a grinding noise as the spikes slowly retracted back into the wall.

    "Uh, I thought Tuuka said nobody puts traps in places like this?"

    Picker raised an eyebrow at her, then gestured at the barely visible holes the spikes had emerged from. His face indicated what he really thought about his friend''s previous statement.

    "Keep an eye out behind. This might take a bit to disarm." whispered Quiet, already pulling a small wire probe from a pouch and examining the stones of the floor.

    "How did you know something was there?" Amelia asked, watching her check each stone for gaps and movement.

    "Just a hunch, and I must have caught the holes out of the corner of my eye. Seemed odd." responded the goblin, crouched low and examining the floor. A few minutes later, she grunted. Then, "Got it!" She jammed several wedges around a flagstone a few feet back from where she had stopped. It was wide, spanning almost the entire width of the corridor.

    "Everybody step over that one. I think I have it jammed, but better safe than sorry." She indicated the stone with her headlamp, and waited until the others all put their own lights on the same rock, so they all knew which one she meant.

    With that, the scout crept ahead again, tensing as she passed the holes in the wall, but nothing happened.

    Until a handful of steps later, the floor dropped out from under her.

    "Quiet!" yelled Bill, as he lunged forwards to try to grab the goblin. He was too slow, but she managed to twist about like a cat, and caught herself on the edge of the pit, her weapon clattering down into the void. They didn''t hear it hit a bottom.

    Bill and John both helped pull the goblin up out of the pit, her eyes wide and breathing fast. Her hands trembled from the sudden dump of adrenaline.

    "You okay?" Bill asked, giving Quiet a quick look over. She nodded, shaken but not injured.

    Picker pushed through the group and knelt down next to his mother. He patted her hand as he glanced over the edge into the pit, then back the short distance to the spikes.

    "Nasty." he said, shaking his head.

    The pit was at least ten feet across, and if Quiet had been moving any faster, there was no way she could have caught herself. As it was, the goblin was already hurting from the twist she''d done and was rubbing her strained wrist.

    "That''s a long way across." Said John flatly. He looked back towards the spike holes, then back to the edge of the pit. "Not sure I could jump that, even with more of a run-up. Not that I can run with this ..." He finished, looking mournfully at his wrapped ankle. He was trying to keep as much weight off the injured joint as possible and was already looking knackered.

    "So we can''t go forwards, and those ... things ... are behind us. Now what?" asked Amelia, looking around.

    There was a brief trill of song from Lark, who had dismounted Amelia''s shoulder and was inspecting one of the walls. The bird grunted in satisfaction, then turned to look at her.

    "There is a door here. It is covered by illusion, but I felt the eddy of power."

    Picker gingerly started feeling around the wall where the bird had indicated, then poked something with his finger. Grinning, he stuck his head through the wall. He pulled it out a moment later and motioned for them to follow him as he walked through.

    "Wha?" goggled John, watching Amelia pass through the wall after the goblin.

    "Oooh! Treasure chest!" they heard her voice say.

    <hr>

    The tiny room they were in was just large enough that they had space to collapse onto the floor. Picker closed the illusion-covered door behind them, and they heard the CLICK as it snapped closed.

    "We should be safe here for the moment. Hopefully, those creatures will think we fell in the pit, and give up the chase. We can rest here, then head back. Maybe the water will be down in an hour or so."

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    Picker nodded his head in agreement with his mother''s words.

    "Tea time, then!" Amelia announced and started unloading her rucksack. She''d been adamant about bringing a kettle, and now was a good time to use it!

    It was still a little early for dinner, so they dug into some of the wax paper parcels of crisps they had. Tyni kept some ready-made for the caf¨¦, so they were easily available when Amelia dashed in for food to take. The tea was nicely warming, although they had to share mugs since there weren''t enough to go around. The candle flame cantrip Pancake had taught her worked well for boiling water, even if it took a longish time.

    The goblins munched their snack while staring at the ''treasure chest'' in the room. It was obviously a chest of some sort, although a little drab for treasure. It looked to be made of MDF and was swollen from the damp. They''d forbidden anyone from touching it until they were sure it was safe. Nobody questioned them on it, and they stayed well away while they ate.

    "So, is this sort of thing normal when hiking in the hollow? ''Cause if it is, I might have to find someplace else to walk. No offense!" said John.

    "Sorry! You''re the first this has happened to. Bert would''ve told me otherwise. We''ll have to put up some caution tape or a sign or something."

    He nodded, rubbing his ankle through the bandage. "Not complaining, though. This sure beats being back in the office! Probably better for my mental health, too! Might have to borrow one of those pokers for meetings!" He grinned wryly.

    "Shhh!" Bill held his finger to his lips, then pointed at the door. They all quieted down and strained to hear what had alarmed him.

    There were the faint sounds of footsteps on the stone tiles of the hallway. Real footsteps, possibly booted feet, and not the quiet ''shlurp'' sound the slugs made. Then they heard voices.

    "Man, I hate when these things set the spike trap off! Such a mess! Corrodes the whole works, too. No idea why the Master keeps those things around." The voice was fairly high-pitched and had a strange, whistling quality to it.

    Another voice spoke, but the low rumble was too indistinct to be understood through the door.

    "Yeah, I see that. Dumb as those things are, they usually don''t set off the pit trap. Weird."

    The rumble came again, then another one, even deeper. They could almost feel the voice in their chests more than their ears.

    "Right. Lemme grab the mop." This from the squeaky, whistly voice.

    The door clicked and started to swing inwards. None of them were close enough or in a good position to hold it shut, sitting on the floor as they were. A small bony hand reached barely halfway up the door and grasped its edge, pushing it open. The hand was attached to a figure about goblin-sized, dressed in a dark blue boiler suit with a shabby, faded-to-grey newsboy cap on its head. Ominous, spiky runes were embroidered on matching patches, one on its hat, another on its shoulder. A different embroidered patch was on its chest, right over where a heart would be. It froze momentarily as it saw the figures in the room, then stepped in and pushed the door mostly too behind it.

    "Uh, Elpis? Can you and Cleon reset that pit cover? You know I have the bugger of a time with those, short arms and such. Thanks, big guy! Kori, help me get the cupboard open? Always sticks for me." The figure gestured with its skeletal paw for the group to back up, then held it palm out, as if to signal ''wait''.

    "Got it, Nic." came the deeper of the rumbly voices, slightly clearer with the door partially open. Something very large and furry passed in front of the doorway, towards the open hole that had almost claimed Quiet.

    The door clicked shut just after a large spider--nearly the size of Shock--skittered into the room. It, too, froze at the sight of the party. Its body had some sort of dark blue garment on it, with pockets and patches similar to the first creature''s.

    "Hidin'' out from the slugs?" the skeletal ratman asked conversationally, not bothering to lower his voice now.

    "Yeah. We''re just passing through, don''t mean to cause any trouble." replied Quiet, waving to the man.

    "Oh, no bother. Not supposed to have guests in here, but no skin off my nose. Heh." He chuckled at his own joke, the air whistling across his facial bones. "Elpis out there, though, he''s a stickler for rules. Let''s not let him know you''re here, ''kay?"

    Amelia blinked her eyes and focused at the two. Surprisingly, they both looked mostly the same no matter how she looked at them. The skeletal rat man glowed slightly all over, but the spider just looked like a spider. A very large spider, but otherwise ordinary. The scary-looking runes on their patches wriggled and writhed in her sight, until they resolved into words. The spider had a patch that said ''Hi! My name is: Korinna'', while the other''s said ''Hi! My name is: Nicander''. The patches that were the same on both of them read ''Maintenance''.

    "We''re supposed to report any intruders we find, but nuts to that, I say! We''re maintenance, not security. Not paid for it, and got our own messes to deal with. Just leads to more paperwork, anyways, and look what that got me!" he gestured at himself, apparently meaning his skeletal form.

    "Paperwork did that?" Amelia asked, surprised.

    "Master''s a stickler for the right form. How was I supposed to know to file a 1073-g, and not a 1176-f part 3? I''m a janitor, not an accountant!" he sighed, aggrieved.

    "Hey! I''m a janitor too! Well, more of a groundskeeper, really. Caretaker. I''m Amelia!" She stepped forwards and offered her hand. Quiet facepalmed behind her.

    "Nice to meet ya! I''m Nic, this is Kori, one of my colleagues." He shook Amelia''s hand and gestured at the large spider.

    "Hi! Pleasure to meet you!" said the spider, waving a forelimb generally towards the group.

    Nic looked at all of them, his gaze lingering on the spears and gambesons some of them had. "You guys some sorta special assault cleaning force? For extra tough stains or something? We gotta make do with mops and brooms. ''Budgetary reasons'', Master says."

    "Uh, no, we just didn''t know how dangerous it would be here. Besides, I''m the only caretaker."

    Shock padded forwards and sniffed them both, then flopped down on her back at Nic''s feet. He reached down and scritched her belly with his bony claws, and she wriggled around in pleasure, tongue lolling about.

    "Nice pooch!" he said.

    "She is! She''s a good girl! That''s Shock. This is Bill, he''s, uh, I''m sorry, Bill, what do you do?"

    "I''m a data scientist. Between jobs, at the moment."

    "Right. I don''t know what that is. But he''s really nice! This is John. He got lost and accidentally came here, so we came to find him. This is Lark, she sings for the wood, and the wisp is Whisper, eater of candy and anything else sweet. The goblins are Picker and Quiet, our guides." Amelia pointed to each in turn and bent her head down slightly so they could see the wisp nestled in her hair.

    At the last name, both the spider and the ratman started. "The Quiet? Quiet, the adventurer? The Silent Dea..."

    "Yeah, that''s me. Retired." cut in Quiet, cutting the man off. "It''s just ''Quiet'', these days."

    "Uh huh. Well, pleasure to meet you! It''s an honor to have you ''visiting'' here. Real celebrity adventurer! Can''t wait to tell the folks!"

    "Where did you retire to, if you don''t mind the question?" asked the spider, her voice soft and feminine.

    "We live ... with ... Amelia." spoke Quiet, hesitatingly.

    "It''s really nice, you should come visit!" responded Amelia, before Quiet could say anything else. Picker rolled his eyes. "Although I should get Bert to make more guest rooms. I don''t know if we have good ones for spiders, though."

    "Bert?"

    Quiet shushed Amelia, giving her a sharp look. The goblin then moved closer to Nic, whispering something into his skull where his ear should have been. Amelia couldn''t make out much of what she said, other than what sounded like "no titles!" and "Donald".

    The janitor''s bones rattled, and he turned to the scout. "Really? REALLY?" She nodded.

    He turned a made a deep bow towards Amelia.

    "Your Dark..." Quiet cleared her throat loudly, cutting him off.

    "High..." he started again, but the goblin shook her head.

    "Empr..."

    "No!" interrupted the scout, scowling at him.

    "Majes..." He tried. Quiet coughed over his words.

    "Maaaa''aaam?" He ventured slowly. This time the goblin nodded.

    "Amelia is fine! Besides, we''re fellow maintenance people! We should be friends!"

    The skeleton nodded, somehow managing to convey unease, but a willingness to play along showed on his bony face.

    THUMP! A loud blow landed against the door from outside, causing it to rattle.

    "Need help in there? Still stuck?" came the deep rumble, barely understandable.

    "We''re good! Kori got it, just untangling the mop! You know how it gets! Be right out!" called Nic back towards the door.

    He turned back to Amelia, then started edging past her towards the ''treasure chest''. "Look, we better get out there before he gets suspicious. But did you really mean it? Can we really come visit? Really?" His voice had a plaintive, hopeful tone.

    "Of course! Any time! We love visitors! Stay as long as you want, we have room."

    "Me, too?" asked the spider in a hushed voice.

    "Sure! Bring your friends and family! We''ll have a big party! The more, the merrier!"

    Both goblins shook their heads slightly at the pronouncement but didn''t say anything.

    Nic hesitated for a moment, before opening the chest and pulling out a mop and bucket. He squeezed back past the group and back towards the door.

    "Right! You guys stay here! We''ll go do our thing. Our shift''s over in a couple hours, and we''ll come back and get you. That okay?"

    "Sure. Will we be safe here?"

    "Yeah, no problem. We''re the only crew working this sector, and we''ll ditch Elpis before coming back. Stay quiet, though!"

    "Deal! We''ll sit tight!"

    The ratman nodded at that, already back at the door with the cleaning supplies in his hands. He bowed slightly again towards Amelia, and stopped himself as he saw the look on Quiet''s face. He waved with the hand holding the bucket, and just said, "Couple hours then. Uh, ... Ma''am. Folks."

    Kori opened the door the smallest amount to let them squeeze through, the portal clicking shut as it closed behind them.

    "Well! They seemed nice! New friends, Yay!"

 35: A Hollow Welcome

    Even though they were expecting it, the knock on the door a few hours later caused them all to jump.

    "You guys still in here?" called Nic as he opened the door and entered.

    "Hi! Yep, still here. Just finishing up tea, actually. Want some?" replied Amelia. She held up half a sandwich.

    "No, no, thanks! That stuff goes straight through me, don''t you know!" He chortled. "Ready to head out?"

    "Just give us a sec to pack and tidy up, won''t take long!"

    The group started stuffing the detritus from their meal into their rucksacks, then spent a moment or two picking up crumbs and bits of wrapping. The skeleton nodded in appreciation.

    "Okay, I think we''re ready!" Amelia said, shrugging into her rucksack. She eyed her party members, and everybody nodded in agreement.

    "John''s got a bum ankle, so we can''t go too fast. Will that be a problem?"

    "Nope. Elpis got the water shut off, and all the slugs have gone back to their cave. We should be good if we leave soon, ''cause it''ll take him a while to fix the leak."

    "Is that why those things were wandering around?" asked Quiet.

    "Yep. Usually they hang out in their cave where it''s nice and moist, but one of its walls burst and let them and the water out. Real mess. I hate mopping up that slime! If you aren''t careful, it''ll dissolve the mop before you know it!"

    The skeleton led the way back out through the door. There was a crowd of creatures on the far side of the spike trap, and he waved to them.

    "Hope you don''t mind, but some friends wanted to come check out your place. After a big job like we just done, we can sneak away for a few days and the Master shouldn''t notice we''re gone. Don''t think we''ve had a vacation in like, well, forever, so seemed like a good time!"

    "Great! Of course they''re all welcome. Hi everybody, I''m Amelia! Glad to meet you all!" she called, waving to the group.

    The group of creatures backed up a few steps when they heard her name. As one, they bowed low.

    Amelia returned the bow, grinning. "I''m learning local customs! This is so cool!"

    "Perhaps now is not the time, Caretaker? Perhaps we could delay introductions until after we are safe at home? The portal will not stay open forever."

    "Right, Lark! Sorry! Let''s go! Quiet, Picker?"

    The two goblins moved past Amelia towards the crowd, carefully stepping over the trap trigger. Quiet''s wooden wedges had been removed, and they could smell the odors of oil and disinfectant emanating from the holes in the wall.

    The crowd parted as the pair approached, allowing them to pass through. Most of them were in the same style of dark blue jumpsuit as Nic was wearing, or with a sash or other appropriate piece of clothing for the non-humanoids.

    "Sorry to be rude and not do introductions, but Lark wants us to hurry. That''s Lark, by the way." Amelia called, pointing to the bird on her shoulder.

    "Greetings, honored companion of the ... Ma''am." growled a large wolf as they passed. Amelia thought she recognized the voice from earlier, but wasn''t quite sure. Lark bobbed her head and waved her wing at the greeting.

    Amelia tried her best not to stare as she wended through the group. Besides the wolf, there were several spiders, ranging from smaller than Kori to one she mentally named ''Shelob''. A clutch of ratfolk, non-skeletal, were behind them, several of them surely children from their size. There were a couple of people that she thought might be goblins, but they looked nothing like any of the ones she knew. The last figure was hunched in the passageway, its shoulders wedged against the roof and its head thrust forwards. At first, Amelia thought it might be some sort of dragon, then realized it was probably more like a crocodile man. Jagged teeth protruded along its snout, his stubby arms thick and muscled. He wore the same dark blue uniform as the rest, with his name tag reading ''Hello! My name is: Timon''. He gave a little wave as Amelia passed him, bashfully reaching up and adjusting the thick glasses precariously balanced on his snout.

    Just as Nic had said, the water that had blocked their path had subsided, and all traces cleared away by the cleaning crew. Luckily the workers had wisely left the chalk marks the goblins had used to mark their path, so they easily made it back to the room with the portal. It was still open, and they could see the clearing beyond the mound illuminated by the moonlight. Several goblins and dwarves were sitting around in front of the portal, waiting for the rescuers to return.

    John was the first one through, greeted by cheers and whistles as he hobbled into the clearing. Shock came tumbling through next, running around to slobber on anyone not fast enough to get out of her way.

    The crowd silenced, though, as the new visitors emerged, gathering in an awkward huddle to one side of the trilithon.

    "Hey everybody! We made it back! And brought some new friends! This is Nic and Kori, and I don''t know anybody else''s name. They''ll be staying a couple of days. Could somebody run and tell Tyni we got guests? Not sure if they''ve eaten yet, but we at least need pudding!" Amelia called as she stepped through, Lark on her shoulder. They were the last to exit Elara, again just in case the portal closed before they all could get out.

    Amelia''s announcement and request seemed to thaw the atmosphere, and the current inhabitants of the Hollow started greeting the newcomers, smiling and waving.

    "Right! Now, about rooms for you all. What kind of bedrooms do you like? Dark, light? Caves we got, or plain old normal rooms, but whatever you need, we can make happen! Oh, and while we''re here, that tree there has the entrance to the pub. That''s the shortcut so you don''t have to leave the hollow to get there."

    "Pub? You got a for real pub? I like it here already!" roared the wolf. There were cheers of agreement from the crowd.

    <hr>

    The visitors were welcomed warmly by the inhabitants of the hollow. Tyni outdid himself with an impromptu feast and somehow managed to find appealing foods for all the guests, including Nic, the skeletal ratman. Nic could taste food, but it literally just dropped through his skeletal body. He usually didn''t bother to eat since it just seemed like a waste, but Tyni pulled him aside and explained the magic pantry and that waste wasn''t an issue. After that, the vacationing janitor devoured everything the dwarf put in front of him with gusto.

    After everyone was stuffed to the gills, the party moved to the pub, which ended up rammed. It was standing room only, but nobody seemed to mind. It was certainly odd to see the villagers who''d stopped in for their evening pint crammed in with the various and sundry inhabitants of the Hollow and not to mention the newcomers. But everybody had a lovely time. Timon, it turned out, had a lovely singing voice. The crocodillian was joined by Jenny and Elisabet, the trio belting out lively danceable tunes. Kori and several of the spiders tap-danced on one of the tables to add percussion, while Mr. Ainsley dragged in his hurdy-gurdy and let loose with the eerie-sounding instrument. Whisper and Fern flitted and wheeled in the air, while below the ratlings and goblins broke into some sort of folk dance that drew claps and cheers. Even Cleon, the wolf, got into the act. He sang a few dirges in his rumbly deep baritone, and after a few bowls of Tuuka''s beer-and-brandy mix, he launched into a medley of soppy romantic ballads that proved wildly popular. Sandy and Briar were observed exchanging raunchy song lyrics with the wolf after he finished, all of them giggling and chortling like fools.

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    It was well into the wee hours of the morning before they all staggered off to their beds, with some of the villagers electing to sleep it off in the pub. Amelia got Bert to provide blankets and pillows, while Ashlee got them situated on the sofas scattered around the common room. The rest staggered back to their own (or a willing someone else''s) room, with the visitors bedding down in guest rooms Amelia had gotten set up for them down in the warrens. The only ones who missed out on the party were the smallest of the children, and Shock, who had been tucked into Amelia''s bed early in the evening. It turned out that the puppy snored, and the sudden peals of silence wreaked havoc with the music.

    Amelia declared John the guest of honor, as without him, they wouldn''t have been all brought together. He was installed in a recliner near the fireplace, ale in hand, with his injured ankle elevated on the footrest, iced appropriately. After Bill had offered to give him a lift home in the morning, he graciously accepted the offer to stay in one of the cottage''s second-floor guestrooms.

    It was a much subdued mass of people that dragged in for brunch the next morning. Tyni had wisely set out a buffet spread, knowing that quite a few would be sleeping late and stumbling in all throughout the morning for food. Briar set up an "anti-hangover" station with several of her own herbal recipes, which was much appreciated. Shortly after visiting the goblin, most were much better able to enjoy the meats, pastries, cheeses, and fruits on offer.

    "Have to say, this is quite the resort you''re running here, Ma''am" said Nic, leaning back in one of the raised chairs they''d made available for the more height-challenged diners. The skeleton was rubbing the soft, thick fabric of his bathrobe. Amelia had noticed the visitors hadn''t brought any bags or spare clothes, so she''d asked Bert to make a selection of things to wear available in their rooms. She''d been surprised at how popular the robes were for brunch attire. A spider in an eight-armed fleece robe was quite the sight.

    "C''mon, just call me Amelia, or caretaker, or something. We''re friends, right?"

    The skeleton nodded, then cleared his throat. "Sorry, force of habit. Always have to use proper respect with our Dungeon Master, or, well ..." he trailed off, gesturing at his bony physique.

    "Tough boss! I''ve had a few of those. But I''m not the boss, just the caretaker, so would you relax?" she nudged him playfully.

    "Ma-uh, Amelia, if I relax any more, bits are gonna start dropping off. This is the first time I''ve slept in since I died, and that was a long time ago. I mean, sleeping in an actual bed? In an actual room? This spread, after last night''s blow-out? Ma''am, I''ve never heard of a ruler that would do that. Not for the common schmucks like me and my squad. I gotta be honest, though, we don''t know any secrets or anything to help you invade. Would that I did, but you can drop the act. We''re just the maintenance folks and not the high-clearance ones at that."

    Amelia blushed and shook her head in denial. "No act, honest! Just sharing! Bert gets energy from everybody here, particularly if they''re happy. So why not make it nice? Seems like a waste, to me. Besides, golden rule, right?"

    "Uh, heard that one. ''He who has the gold makes the rules''?"

    "No, silly! ''Treat others how you want to be treated''! You know, be nice, share, that sort of thing. ''Cause it''s the right thing to do."

    "Right. Now that is definitely an unusual attitude. Not sure how it''ll help you rule with an iron fist, but that''s why I drive a mop, know what I mean?"

    "Rule? I''m no ruler. And I''m certainly not invading anything. We just went in to get John, and he went in by accident. Really!"

    The ratman eyed her for a moment, appraisingly.

    "You know, Amelia, I think you are actually telling the truth. Huh! I just don''t get it, though."

    "Get what? What''s wrong with being nice to people?"

    "Look, I see the force you''ve got here. What you''re building. That Mr. Ainsley plays a killer hurdy-gurdy, and I''m certain that''s not the only killer thing he does. Ashlee and Jenny? Two of ''em? That monster dog you got? You can''t tell me you don''t have plans. That goblin adventurer alone is worth her weight in gold. I just can''t figure out your angle. What else you gonna do with ''em if you don''t plan on invading?"

    "Hah! Angle! chortle" replied Pancake. The tiny goat pulled himself up onto the seat next to Amelia, resting his head on the table. He eyed the ratman, grinning wildly. "You got the wrong idea about doll face here, bubs. She really does just want to be nice. Kills me! No clue, right, no clue the kind of muscle she''s got lurking around here, despite seein'' ''em with her own eyes. Which includes the true sight, just slidin'' that piece of intel in there as a bonus, no charge." He stepped up on the table with one leg and dragged a plate of pastries close to the edge of the table with another. He winked at Nic as he bit into a large one and started chewing. "Mrmph umph. ''Scuse me. Love dese here danishes. Sorry. Like I was sayin'', miles of kindness, oodle''s of sharing, otnay ootay ightbray, kind of thing. Ambition of a lamppost, and that''s bringing down lampposts, believe you me. "

    "Hey! I''m smart! That''s just mean!" Amelia crossed her arms and pouted at the kid.

    "Uh huh. Mebbe so, mebbe so, but there''s smart, and then there''s smart smart, know what I mean, baby cakes?"

    "Um, no?"

    "See? Sharp as a marble, and about as perceptive. I don''t mean to be offensive--well, okay, I do, but in a friendly way, right? But listen, bony mc skull face, she''s the real deal. Just in it to help out. Happy to let folks just chill here in paradise, and even does the raking up herself. Kills me, right? Kills me." He shook his head mournfully.

    "Why shouldn''t people just enjoy it here? The hollow is great! Room for everybody, although we''ll have to start doing more underground stuff if we need more space. I really don''t want to disturb much more of the forest."

    "See? See what I gotta put up with, mister rat-and-bone man?"

    "What? Why are you guys so against nice people and nice things? What am I missing? Spill!" she commanded.

    "Uh, uh. No way, toots. Way more fun this way. For yours truly, anyway, and that''s who counts."

    Nic watched the back-and-forth between the two, holding his words until the goat stuffed his mouth with pastry again, chewing valiantly.

    "Ma''am, I can''t explain it to you. It''s just, realms are run for the benefit of those on top, you know? Them''s what got get. The way the world works. Some act all goody-goody, and maybe even do some good, but there''s always a pecking order, and if you aren''t the pecker, you''re the peckee. Most don''t even bother acting nice, and just do what they want. Us lowly peons do our best not to get stepped on too much, is all."

    Amelia nodded at the janitor''s words, frowning. She knew he was talking about the realms he knew, but it sounded so much like the mortal realm, it was scary. She''d felt like the lowest of the low before and hadn''t liked it one bit. Only Gran''s invitation to come to the Hollow had pulled her out of that.

    "Well, that might be true elsewhere. And maybe Gran will disagree, and change everything. But while I''m caretaker, the Hollow is gonna be a nice place. For people to come and not get stepped on. To have a safe place to live. Heck, more than just live! To enjoy life. Friends! Bacon and beer and toffee! Dancing and singing. Curling up with a good book in front of the fire, a nice beverage and snack to hand. The good life!"

    "There''s a war cry for you! See it now, troops panicking, right, pushed back by the enemy, near rout. Cry goes up, sort of thing, ''Good book by the fire, snack and a bevvy!'' Crowd goes wild! They rally, take the field!" snickered Pancake.

    "You! You--[Water Jet]!"

    Amelia was surprised when the stream of water deflected harmlessly off the goat, who didn''t even bother trying to dodge.

    "Was waitin'' for one of you miscreants to try that. Think I taught yous all I know? Haw! Haw! [Deluge]."

    <hr>

    Amelia wrung out her hair as she returned from the creek bed, where the huge wash of water had deposited her. By the time she made it back to the yard, the goat had made good his escape. The tails of Nic''s robe dripped, and several of the other eaters looked damper than would normally be comfortable.

    "Sorry about Pancake. He''s a little twerp sometimes, but he''s an angel at heart."

    The ratman nodded politely but clearly wasn''t convinced of that opinion.

    "But anyways, like I said, no invasions, no army. Most of these people were here before I got here, and it''d be rude to force anything on them. Some of them come out on occasion, especially now that we got the pub, but I think this is really more of a retirement place than anything. Everybody just wants peace and to be left alone, and if I can help with that, I will!"

 36: Departures

    After brunch, Amelia wandered around, generally just making sure everybody had what they needed and that there weren''t any problems. She watched Alder''s game for a while, amused as Kori, a couple of the other spiders, and several of the goblins played make-believe ogres defending a run-away princess from adventurers. They seemed to be having a terrific time, and their antics had drawn a large crowd to watch.

    After observing for a little while, she continued her amble, waving to Timon and Briar. The crocodile man had never seen a real garden before, and Briar had taken great delight in showing him around. They were currently digging out weeds, looking very rustic in wide-brimmed straw hats and dark glasses to protect them from the sun overhead.

    There was some sort of conference going on at one of the tables in the gazebo. Bill was discussing something in great depth with a mixed crowd composed of both the Elara visitors and hollow inhabitants. She saw Nic, Cleon, Quiet, and Tuuka, one of the hags, and quite a few whose names she hadn''t learned yet. Whatever they were talking about, it seemed pretty serious, so she gave them a wide berth. No need to interrupt them.

    She almost tripped crossing the yard, as Shock came tearing past, doll gripped in her mouth, pursued closely by both Fern and Whisper. The dog''s claws kicked up puffs of dirt and grass as she raced away from the two, right between Amelia''s legs, then disappearing into the underbrush at the edge of the yard. She teetered a bit as she regained her balance, wondering what that was all about. Usually, the chasing went the other way around after the terrible twosome had played a prank or something.

    Amelia shrugged to herself. No telling what that group was up to. But seeing the underbrush swaying from their passage reminded her that she hadn''t done her rounds of the paths recently. So she retrieved her bill, a rake, and a big bag from the shed, then headed out. It was rare that anything major ever needed to be done, but it was a good excuse to wander the woods and explore. No matter how many times she ventured out on the various paths, there was always more of the hollow or its inhabitants to see, which she loved.

    More and more of the secretive dwellers were opening up to her, as well. When she first came here, at most she''d get a feeling of being watched or a cold prickle that would make her change course or avert her gaze. Now she regularly exchanged waves and ''alright?''s, and fairly often stopped to chat or have a cuppa. It was a very pleasant change. She''d give scritches and head pats to the crocottas and bears. The kelpies and nuckelavee liked carrots or oats, which she always had on hand. Since truffles all but leapt out of the ground as she passed, she usually had a pocketful of those as well, which she always shared with anybody she came across. It was more like a walk through a pleasant community than a ramble out in the woods, when she came to think about it. The hollow was practically rammed with people living here, but she suspected that very few would ever notice them. Even the group of goblins and dwarves in the cottage weren''t very obvious, as they mostly worked in the workshops in the backyard or the tower, and spent much of their leisure time in the warrens or the lounges, away from casual visitors.

    Briar and the group gaming with Alder were usually all most ramblers would see unless they knew where to look, or hung around for very long. Regardless, anyone who visited the hollows always got the feeling it was someplace special, and there was never a problem with littering or vandalism. Which was good, because she really didn''t want Beige or Blue to take matters into their own hands. No matter how cute their little bird forms were.

    "Thanks for the tea, Mr. Ainsley! I''ll make sure to send Timon and Cleon your way when they finish gardening and stuff. Hope you guys have a good sing-along!" She waved and closed the door behind her. The wrinkly old man lived below a ruined tower on one of the hills deep in the woods. She wasn''t sure if it was a folly or a real ruin, but the rooms he had underground were cozy and nicely kept, if a bit old-fashioned. They reminded her of her Gran''s house from years ago. Although she didn''t have a display of vintage pole-arms and hats like he did, that was for sure.

    There was a path that was mostly in Megrim that you had to follow to get out of this section of the hollow. The trees here grew very closely together, and the undergrowth was extremely dense. Without the path, it would be impossible to pass, unless you chopped your way through. But if you knew the trick, the trail was quite nice, and she liked how it wended through some very scenic spots, even if you did have to watch out for brambles to either side in places.

    She finally made her way back to the yard several hours later, having only had to do a little maintenance. Although, she supposed, keeping in touch with everybody was its own sort of maintenance, if you thought about it, and she''d done quite a bit of that.

    The meeting in the gazebo had broken up by the time she returned, but there were smaller knots of conversation dispersed around the yard. She wondered what everybody was so enthused about, but was careful not to pry. If they''d wanted her to know, they''d have invited her, so she didn''t worry about it. She waved as she passed, and returned her tools to the shed. Now that it was in front of the cottage instead of around back, it was a lot easier to get stuff in and out of it. Little changes like that added up, she thought, dusting her hands off.

    "Excuse me, missy. Got a moment?"

    "Sure, Tuuka! What''s up?"

    The dwarf had approached her as she emerged from the shed, looking a little on edge. He scratched at his beard for a moment and didn''t quite meet her gaze. She waited patiently and smiled encouragingly at him.

    "Well, missy, here''s the thing. You''ve been more than generous to us, and I hate to ask even more of you. Doesn''t seem right. But we''ve been talking to these Elarans, and it got me thinking. We need more hands around here. Tyni needs help in the kitchen, I could use help in the brewery, and we really need help in the mine. I mean, we don''t have to do any of those things, but we want to, and to do ''em right, we need more folks. And there are a lot of folks that don''t have a place to go to, you know? I thought maybe the Elarans would be staying, but they say they gotta get back before too long, or things will go bad for their families and friends. I know how that is." He paused for a moment and stared down at his feet for a moment. Then he squared his shoulders and met Amelia''s eyes. "So, I''d like to go back to where I used to live. There were many more where we came from, and if you''ll have ''em, I''m sure they''d be grateful. But I wanted to make sure it was okay with you. Your place and all." He dropped his eyes as soon as he said the last, and braced himself.

    Amelia shocked him by giving the dwarf a big hug. She could feel the tenseness in his body at first, but after a few seconds, he relaxed. "Of course, Tuuka! Of course! As long as they''re fine with living in the cottage or underground, we have oodles of room! Heck, we could fit a city in that cavern, and you guys haven''t even really gotten started on it! It''d be doing me a favor, honest! Bert is so full of energy, I need to make a ton of new rooms, but they all have to be used, or it doesn''t count."

    "Are ye sure, missy? It''s a heap of folks. I''ll vouch for ''em, but it''s your home, after all."

    "You mean our home. I''m just the caretaker! Gran said she didn''t mind me having friends live here. She said she liked the idea! So go bring ''em, you big lug! To our home!"

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    He breathed oddly for a moment, and Amelia realized he was choking back sobs. She patted his back and held him until he composed himself. When he stepped back, his eyes were red, and there were tear tracks on his face.

    "You don''t know what that means to me, Caretaker. To us. We''ll do right by you, I swear!" He formed his fist in some complicated gesture and held it out at arm''s length for a moment. Amelia realized it was a form of salute, but she had no idea what the proper response was. So she did the first thing that came to mind.

    "[Water Jet]! There! You deserved that! This is a place of fun! None of this, ''do right by me'' malarkey. As long as you guys are having fun and aren''t a nuisance, you''re ''doing right by me''. I mean it! Don''t make me squirt you again, you goof!" She pointed her finger warningly, but her happy smile belied her serious tone.

    Tuuka held up his hands in mock surrender, water dripping off his facial hair. "Mercy, missy! Mercy! I''ll obey, no need to get rough!"

    She laughed. "But really, Tuuka! Anybody you think will fit in here, invite ''em. We''ll make room, one way or another. I''m pretty sure this place was some sort of refuge before I got here, and I like that idea. A place for people that don''t have one, you know?"

    He nodded. "That is a good goal, missy. I''m proud of you. Not many would use the power you got like that. Your Gran must be proud."

    "I hope so! I haven''t written to her recently, so I probably should let her know. She did mention visiting before too long, but that was quite a while ago, now."

    "I look forwards to meeting her! It''ll be an honor!"

    "She''ll love you! Just share a little of that brew you keep in your flask, and I''ll bet you''ll be best of friends!" She winked.

    "Oh, a fellow lover of the spirits? Grand, missy, grand!"

    <hr>

    "Are you sure you can''t stay any longer?"

    "Yeah, unfortunately." Nic answered. The ratman was the de facto leader and spokesrat of the group. He shuffled his feet a bit, glancing down at them. "We''ve probably been gone too long as it is. Elpis'' report us, if nothing else. So we gotta get back. Life of a peon, you know. But your crew here has given us a bunch to think about. You too, for that matter." He exchanged glances with Bill and Tuuka.

    "Just remember, together you guys are strong!" Bill said, raising a fist up near chest level, thumb outermost. The skeleton repeated the gesture, as did Tuuka and several others in the crowd.

    Amelia turned to look at her friend, curiously. "Did you guys start a cult or something, Bill? Anything I should know?"

    He smiled and shook his head. "Nah. I just was telling ''em about unions, and labor relations, things like that. Learned a lot about life under a ''real'' dungeon master, and life as a contracted agent." He looked over at Lark, who was perched on the top stone of the trilithon, ready to open the portal for the returnees. "Spent a bunch of time talking to Lark and Alder, and these guys. Turns out dungeon masters don''t have absolute power. A lot, mind you, but not absolute. We talked about strength in numbers, organizational psychology, guerilla warfare, those kinds of things. You know, light conversation." He gave a weak smile and a half-shrug.

    "You''ve shown us things could be better, and Bill has told us ways we might make it happen. So like I said, lots to think about."

    "Huh. I figured you guys were just arguing about who''d win in a fight, Gandalf or Dumbledore, or something like that."

    "Gandalf. He''s a maia." replied Bill instantly.

    Tuuka grunted and shook his head. "Not this again, okay? And I still say it''s Dumbledore."

    Picker cleared his throat meaningfully, but he shared a nod with Bill.

    "Right! Must get going! Thanks again for letting us visit, and all the lovely food and gifts! We''d say you should come visit us again, but that''d probably be ... unwise. You guys were really lucky last time. You know?"

    "Got it. Well, you''re always welcome back here! As is anybody you guys vouch for. Any time, long as you want."

    The rat bowed deeply, then raised his balled fist in the complicated salute he''d given earlier. All of his kinfolk did the same, as did Timon. The spiders and Cleon just bowed, not having the fingers for the gesture.

    Amelia raised her hand in the fist like Bill had done.

    "Stronger together?"

    It was impossible to tell if Nic was smiling, having no lips, but she got that impression.

    "No, Ma''am. More like, ''Good book by the fire, snack and a bevvy!''" He said the last quite seriously, and Amelia wasn''t sure how to take the statement.

    He lowered his hand, then hefted the large sack he had, as did his companions. Like all the finished goods Bert made, they''d disappear fairly quickly once they left the realm but would last long enough for the visitors to get home. The food, tools, and other gifts, however, had been crafted by the residents of the hollow and would last. Amelia wasn''t sure what all they''d been given, besides the booze and snacks she''d seen Tyni and Tuuka preparing, but all the goblins and dwarves had spent the last day furiously crafting things in their various spaces. The print shop had been particularly busy, and she now had an inkling what they might have been up to.

    "Well, I hope things improve. You guys deserve a nice, uh, life, too. Take care of each other, okay?" She knelt down and hugged the ratman. Then proceeded to embrace each of his companions, valiantly suppressing the willies she got hugging Zoe, the spider she still thought of as Shelob.

    There were many of the residents of the hollow present to see the Elarans off, and they all embraced or shook hands / limbs / paws / et cetera as Lark started her song. The powerful trill cut through the babble of goodbyes and well-wishes, and there was a brief flare from the stones as the way was opened.

    "Bye! Come back when you can! Take care!" Amelia called as they filed through the stones, each waving before entering and being transported to the other realm.

    "I hope all goes well with ''em." Bill said solemnly, still looking at the portal as the crowd started moving out of the grove en masse.

    "Yeah, me too. Between some of the stories Nic told me and the stuff I''ve heard from Donald, it''s really rough in some of the realms. I guess I thought all of them were cool like Whimsy and the Night Market, but I guess not."

    "They are not all bad, Caretaker. Every realm has its problems, but most are still good places to live. The bad ones, though, can be terrible." The bird cocked her head as she eyed Amelia. "How is the seed you bonded with doing, by the way?"

    "Donald? He''s fine. I think Bert and him are good influences on each other. Mostly. They''re sharing toys, which is a good start. And I''m not getting pestered to establish a domain anymore or to unleash things. He does want to expand, but I think that''s more force of habit than anything."

    "I see. That is ... unexpected. But welcome. All of us can strive to overcome the circumstances of our birth, or of past misdeeds. That one ... has a lot to strive for."

    "Yeah. I think he''s mellowing a bit. I''m trying to think of ways he can help atone for some of his, um, well, ''excesses'' seems too piddly a word, but you know what I mean."

    "Indeed, Caretaker, indeed. That is a worthy goal and a good use of your time. I commend you."

    "Aww, thanks, Lark! That''s nice to hear! Glad you think so. And if you have any ideas, I''d love to hear them!"

    Amelia held out her arm, and the bird flitted over to land on it, then walked up to her shoulder. Whisper lifted momentarily from her nest on the girl''s head, then settled down when she saw who the new passenger was.

    Tuuka hadn''t been kidding about wanting to go recruit others and had decided there was no reason to delay. Amelia made her way towards the front gate of the property, where the dwarf and Picker were already waving to the crowd that had relocated there to see the two off.

    "All right, you two! You better come back soon, and in one piece, okay? No excuses, or it will be the water jet for you, get me?"

    "Righto, missy! We''ll be back, don''t you worry. We might send a few on ahead of us, though, so don''t be surprised if some start showing up without us."

    "I seem to recall you guys telling me to be real secretive about this place. What changed your mind?"

    The dwarf guffawed, and even Picker found the question amusing. "That was before we met the locals. And besides, you''ve changed yerself, girl. That goat told us about your encounters with him. I suspect you don''t have anything to worry about from somebody like Reginald these days." He continued chuckling at the thought.

    "Well, I guess I can crash the truffle market if it comes to that. And Pancake is gonna teach us a shield spell next class, so I got that going for me. If I could get him to share that ''wall of water'' spell, I''m sure I''d be unstoppable!" She grinned. "All shall tremble before my might, and surrender their toffee, or else!"

    The goblin rolled his eyes but grinned along with Tuuka and the others. The two hefted their packs and got hugged in turn.

    "Be safe, okay?"

    Both of them bowed slightly and held up their fists in the gesture Nic had made.

    "Good book by the fire, snack and a bevvy!" they intoned together, wide smiles on their faces.

    "I am never gonna live that down, am I? I''m so gonna get that goat ..."

 37: Water Wars

    Amelia blinked and focused on the deep shadow under the tree. Her true sight showed her just the roots and a large rock, so she relaxed and reverted to her normal vision.

    With Frisket on the field, you couldn''t be too careful around shadows. All of Picker''s kids were good at hiding and stealth, but Frisket was unnatural in her ability to remain unseen.

    Coast clear, she waved her group forward. The slightest rustle of a bush indicated that Knife or Spoon had moved up, the two goblin girls almost as good as their older sister. Fork, the third triplet, was back at base since he was the most patient of the three five-year-olds.

    Vieno moved into sight, crouched low, both hands at the ready, her eyes scanning the surrounding forest. The dwarf was wearing a hooded cloak in mottled greys and greens, so even though she wasn''t good at hiding, she was well camouflaged when she stayed still near the vegetation in the hollow. Shock trotted clumsily behind her, fighting hard to avoid distraction as they moved stealthily down the trail. The dog stayed close to Vieno for protection, having learned the consequences of straying too far away in previous engagements.

    It was tough going in the dense bracken and undergrowth in this area, and they all had to focus both on the environment around them, as well as where they were stepping.

    Amelia squinted briefly, then waved for the team to take cover. When she glanced back, she could just barely see the outline of the dwarf''s cloak, but the others were well hidden. She nipped behind a tree, then wrapped her cloak tightly around herself. Her favorite side was the sky blue one, but when turned inside out, it had a deep grey lining which was better suited for clandestine operations. It was nowhere near as good as Vieno''s cloak, though. Amelia liked to call it the girl''s ''elven'' cloak, although she knew it had been made by Vieno''s mother, Tuuka''s late wife Lahja. The kids didn''t get the reference, but Tuuka had and thought it fair praise.

    She could see the top of a head protruding over the top of one of the crumbling crenelations and suspected it was one of the dwarf twins. Now the trick was figuring out if there were any other defenders, and where the target was. Luckily, she had just the right tools for the job.

    "Psst! Cutlery! You''re on! Go!" she whispered and pointed at the notch in the stone.

    Two small shadows oozed from under separate bushes and crept to the base of the wall, before taking divergent paths around it.

    Amelia had been amused to get the details on goblin naming conventions. Adults chose names in some way relating to their career, either one of the tools of the trade like Scorper or Frisket, or perhaps a valued trait, like Quiet. Until they picked a name, kids generally were named for miscellaneous objects. Most families tried to keep the names similar or related somehow, so it seemed completely natural the triplets had been named as they were. The fact that Amelia chose to refer to them collectively as ''Cutlery'' usually made the kids giggle, but they were in serious mode right now, and she didn''t hear a peep out of them.

    "[Water Jet]! [Water Jet]!" came Lumi''s high-pitched voice from behind the wall, and Amelia saw the head at the crenelation pop up in response. She''d been certain that where they found one of the dwarven twins, they''d either find the other, or Pint, if not all three. This might get sticky!

    "[Water Jet]!" She sent her own blast to the top of the ruin.

    "Awww! Hit! You got me!" said Pint as he got soaked. The boy stood up and moved out of sight, back to their safe zone.

    Amelia gestured for Vieno to move up to the wall and head left, which the girl did, Shock close on her heels.

    "[Water Jet]!"

    "[Buckler]! [Water Jet]!" responded Spoon''s high-pitched voice.

    "[Water Jet]!" echoed Knife at almost the same time, but from further away.

    "Hit! That''s dirty, ganging up like that!" protested Lumi.

    "That''s war!" the two-thirds of a triplet responded simultaneously.

    "[Air Jet]! [Air Jet]!" Pint''s voice emanated from the rubble at the back of the ruin.

    The rules were that once hit, you had to go to your starting zone, then use the air jet spell until you dried yourself off. Since it usually took a couple dozen or so casts, it made for an effective timer. It was even harder if you got hit someplace awkward, like on the back, but they were all young and flexible, so it wasn''t a big issue.

    "Thanks for letting us use your place, Mr. Ainsley!" Amelia called quietly as she waved at the man. He was crouched high up on one of the walls, smiling down at the antics below. He waved with his pipe, having heard the quiet comment with no problem.

    Moments later Shock came trotting back into sight, a green flag in her teeth. Vieno was right behind her, still trying to look in all directions at the same time.

    "Cutlery! Try to get ahead of us and take out any opposition. I''ll go in front of the flag carrier and try to draw them out. Vieno, Shock, you know what to do!"

    "On it!" replied the dwarf. There was a faint call of "got it" from the goblins, but Amelia couldn''t tell where those had come from.

    That was the easy part. Now they had to get back to their own base, at the top of the trilithon mound. Pint and Lumi would be hot on their trail as soon as they dried off their ''hits''. And somewhere out there was the rest of the team, possibly with Amelia''s team''s flag. Every tree, rock, or bush could be hiding someone ready and able to ruin their plans

    Amelia hurriedly flipped her cloak around to the brightly coloured side, then proceeded back along the path. She was careful to be a little noisier, but not too noisy. The goal was to draw the attention of any hunters away from the flag team, but if they figured out that was what she was doing, they''d just ignore her.

    On a hunch, she blinked and focused, scanning both the vegetation around her, as well as the trees above. Her sight pierced right through the shadows, and a tell-tale flicker of movement caught her eye. She threw herself to the ground and rolled into a bush as a shaft of water hit the ground right where she had been.

    "Contact! In the tree, forward! About twenty feet off the ground! Everybody focus fire! [Water Jet]! [Water Jet]!" she called. Her twin streams soaked the tree trunk where she had seen the movement. She had no idea if her team could even hear her, but hopefully whoever was up in the tree wouldn''t know that.

    "You two, circle around, I''ll pin ''em in place! [Water Jet]!" she called out, again trying for the misdirection. As soon as she got her spell off she willed herself entirely into the mortal realm, then bounced up to sprint for the base of the tree.

    "[Water Jet]!" The spell words were the faintest whisper, but the gout of water was precisely aimed, hitting their target center of mass.

    Except, the water passed through Amelia. It wasn''t even cheating, technically, since she didn''t leave the hollow. Just part of it. It had been a risk, though. It took more effort to phase a spell into multiple realms at once, and she had gambled on Frisket being frugal with her energy, as the girl usually was.

    "[Buckler]!"

    "[Water Jet]!"

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    The two spells went off simultaneously, and Amelia only just managed to deflect the incoming bolt as she dodged around behind the tree. Pancake had waited to teach them the shielding spell until they''d gotten into the habit of dodging first. He''d told them it was always best to dodge and block, just in case one or the other didn''t work. It was easy to get complacent once you knew the handy protection spell, but he insisted it wasn''t perfect, and wouldn''t stop everything. So better to be safe, than sorry.

    There had been a bit of a palaver when the goat had taught them the defensive spell. He had taught them the form and incantation, and given a brief demonstration. The actual spell was ''Aegis'', and you had to form an image of the size, shape, type of defense, and location of the barrier clearly in your mind. It was very complex and certainly hard to do under stress. However, he was using this particular invocation so he could also teach them spell-casting partial application. That was where you created a new spell that encoded the extra bits of information that the underlying spell needed. It was faster and easier, but inflexible. He wanted them to practice both ways, but to focus on the simple way, since that was what you''d need to use in a combat. He also lectured for a while on the difference between partial application and currying, but that went right over Amelia''s head.

    The difficulty came about when he asked them to form a personal area shield, which he called a Holtzman, for some reason. They were supposed to imagine a field of force surrounding their body in an ovoid shape, just big enough to cover them head to toe, with room for their arms and such. To test it, he''d shoot water jets at the students until they got it right. The kids had got it on the first or second try, but Amelia got utterly soaked.

    It had taken a huge number of castings before Pancake was able to figure out the problem. As far as they both could tell, she was doing everything correctly, and she felt the slight tug of energy she always did when casting a spell, so they knew it was doing something. The goat collapsed to the floor, rolling in laughter once he figured out the problem. Amelia had to wait for several minutes, face burning in embarrassment until her teacher could finally contain himself and explain what she was doing wrong.

    "Okay, baby cakes, here''s your problem." He forced out, still having to gasp for air and suppress the giggles. "You''re thinking way too big, you are. Maybe a little too connected with our mate Bert, sort of thing. Or maybe it''s that other little friend you got, not naming names, you know who I mean. So maybe cast your mind back to when you was a nobody, see, and form it in around your own body, not the whole bleeding realm, you get me toots? Impressive, though, I''ll give you that! Not the slightest idea how you were doing that. Let''s just hope you didn''t stop any traffic trying to get in or out of the village, sort of thing!" He guffawed at the thought, then toddled over to a wall to pound his head against it as he kept laughing. He mumbled something about ''wasted potential'' and ''kills me!''.

    Amelia had finally been able to get the spell to work, and he''d had them form several versions to practice with. For the current game of capture-the-flag, they were only allowed to use Buckler, which formed a small defense about the size of the caster''s face. It took precision to place it just right to block incoming projectiles, but used very little energy.

    "[Water Jet]! [Buckler]! [Water Jet]!" Amelia somersaulted out and twisted around, blasting away and skillfully blocking the return fire from Frisket. Once she''d worked out the kinks in her casting, Amelia had been the best in the group at the spells, although she wasn''t nearly as good at dodging as the goblin and dwarf children.

    Water dripped down the tree onto her from her misses, Frisket having barely managed to duck behind a branch in time. With Amelia immediately below her, there were too many branches for the goblin to get a clear shot at her. But likewise, return fire was impossible. The two circled the trunk, one down at ground level, one up above, trying to get an opening. This only lasted for a few moments, however, when Lumi and Pint finally arrived to help their teammate.

    Amelia started casting using both hands, rapidly cycling between blocking and flinging jets and phasing madly between realms to force the others to waste energy. Things got hectic.

    "Hit!" called Frisket dejectedly as she finally got tagged, echoed immediately by Lumi. Amelia was immensely proud of that. She had leapt out from under the tree and targeted both girls simultaneously, while using her foot to focus a buckler, blocking Pint''s incoming shot. The boy was so surprised at the move she was able to pierce his guard next.

    "Hit." He said, shoulders slumping.

    Frisket finished climbing down the tree, and the trio started heading back to their base to dry off for the next attempt.

    "Don''t worry, guys! You''ll get me next time!" Amelia called after them.

    "Oh, I will. Just wait." The goblin waved cheerfully as she headed back towards the ruins, already strategizing with the other two. She didn''t usually get to join them for games like this, since she was apprenticing in the print shop. But Amelia had interceded on her behalf since it was ''safety training''. She was pretty sure the print goblins were just humoring her, but as long as the kids got to have some fun, she didn''t mind.

    And they all had been having immense fun. Capture-the-flag was a great way to practice all the skills they''d been learning, but it was also tremendously entertaining.

    From up ahead she heard a flurry of spells as her vanguard encountered the remnants of Bill''s group. Fern''s piping "There! There!" could also be heard, as the sprite acted as a spotter for her teammates. That only seemed unfair until you realized how difficult it was to actually see the sneaking goblin children, much less to hit the small targets. Amelia was certainly glad they were on her side.

    After she flipped her cloak back to the drab side, the girl carefully advanced to the edge of the clearing. The mound of the trilithon--her team''s base--was visible, their blue flag still safely hanging from one of the stones. A blast of water hit the lintel stone, which drew her eye. A flutter of movement betrayed the presence of Fork, the goblin child prone on the top stone, pinned down as water projectiles hammered against his perch.

    Bill was using the pub portal tree as cover, coolly trying to land shots on all three of the triplets at the same time, keeping them distracted. His partner Pasi made a break for the mound, reaching for the flag.

    "[Water Jet]!"

    "Block! Block" piped Fern as the sprite dove in front of the liquid, getting doused as she selflessly stopped the shot from hitting her teammate.

    "[Water Jet]!"

    The second shot, however, landed. "Hit!" grumped the dwarf, throwing his hands up in the air, just as they had almost grasped the cloth target.

    "Score!" called out Vieno in a loud voice, and Amelia was surprised to see Shock at the top of the mound, waggling their opponents'' green flag, throwing her whole body side to side to make the cloth snap in the air.

    "I don''t get how Shock does that. I swear I had my eyes on the mound the whole time, but suddenly there she is!" said Bill, shaking his head. The man had been tickled to be included, having only just mastered the two required spells. He was able to make up for his lack of magical skill, though, with ''old age and treachery'' as he put it. His tactics had won his team the first couple of games before Amelia''s side had gotten rolling.

    "Uh, that''s game, I think. Three to two, right?"

    "Correct, Caretaker. Well done. Well done all of you."

    "Thanks, Lark! That was fun! Anybody up for another? Or maybe Viking stickball?"

    "Would love to, but it''s starting to get dark and I gotta head home. Catch up on email and stuff. Thanks for having me! It was fun!" replied Bill, looking sad for having to go adult.

    "Thanks for playing! Next time maybe we can get the grown-ups to join us, have a big battle!" called Pasi.

    "Deal!" Bill replied, flashing the boy two thumbs up, clearly flattered to be included in the ''not a grown-up'' category. He stroked his long white beard and waved as he left.

    "Okay, if that''s it, then bath time, you two! You stink!"

    "Aww, V! Can''t we skip it this time?" whined Lumi to her older sister.

    "No! Dad left me in charge, so bath! Now!"

    "You''re a power-hungry tyrant, sis! Nyeah!" Pasi said, sticking out his tongue.

    "Is this mutiny I hear? I rule this hollow with an iron fist, and my lieutenant here said it''s bath time! Bath time it is! [Water Ball]" Amelia aimed to miss the two dwarf rebels, but the kids were still splashed as the sphere of water smashed into the ground next to them. The spell had nothing on Pancake''s Deluge spell, but it did affect a large area, drastically more than Water Jet, or its big brother, Water Bolt. Which both made it fun, and very difficult to dodge.

    "Run! She''s gone mad with power, brother, run!" Lumi screamed, giggling as the pair sprinted down the path.

    "[Water Ball]!" This one also missed but spurred the two on to even faster speeds, water raining down on them as they fled.

    "Thanks, Amelia. They''re good kids, but a bit of a handful when dad isn''t around."

    "No problem, V. Least I could do. But I''d be remiss if I didn''t make sure you all got clean, too ..." The caretaker grinned at the teen, a steely glint in her eye.

    "Ahhh! Go go go! She''s gone all Broccoli Bunch on us again! Move it!"

    "[Water Bolt]! [Water Bolt]! Muahahaha! Fear my power-wash cleaning magic! [Water Ball]! Muhahahahaha!"

    Amelia watched the group flee, then rapped her knuckles on the air inside the trilithon. It didn''t make a noise, but her hand was stopped inches into the interior of the three stones. That was a precaution she''d asked Bert to put in place. Anybody inside the realm could only exit via the front gate unless they had explicit permission. That would keep a repeat of the John / Elara incident from happening again. She knew Bert would tell her if the barrier was taken down, but she liked to check every once in a while herself. It gave her some reassurance.

    She glanced around at the lengthening shadows, then remembered she promised Bellows to stop in at the smithy this evening. He had been practically giddy when he told her he''d have something for her earlier this morning, so she was excited to see what he''d been up to.

 38: Forging Ahead

    "Hey there! It''s, um, Olive, right?"

    "Olavi, ma''am." The dwarf bowed his head as Amelia entered the open part of the smithy. He pushed his thick goggles up onto his forehead, then rubbed his hands on the heavy leather apron he was wearing.

    "Sorry, Olavi. And it''s Amelia, not ma''am. We''re friends, right?"

    "Yes, ma''am. That is, Amelia."

    "I''m surprised to see you in here! I thought you were a toy maker?"

    "Clockwork and toys, yes. I''m honored you remember! I mostly work in the shop in the tower, but I''ve been helping Bellows with some projects. I''m not the smith he is, but I can hold my own with the delicate work."

    Amelia nodded. She remembered the clockmaker''s lathe the man had created in the machine shop. Bert had been able to provide a general-purpose lathe and mill, along with other shop tools, but the dwarf had wanted something for making the intricate and tiny parts needed for clockwork. It had been fascinating watching the dwarf create the machine, and she had dropped by frequently to get a glimpse of his work. She hadn''t gotten a chance to speak with him much, though, since he was always deeply focused on what he was doing. It was a thrill, though, watching a master at work, and like many of the others, she could see the cares and worries just melt off of him as he worked.

    "He asked me to come by. Some project or other he wanted to show off?"

    Olavi furtively glanced at a table in the corner, covered in a cloth. Amelia could see several lumps underneath it but had no idea what they might be.

    "He''s in back, tending to the smelt."

    "Ooh! I heard you guys were starting on that. Can we go see?"

    The dwarf waved for Amelia to follow him, and the pair went around to the back of the smithy. The roar and heat of the furnace hit them as they rounded the back corner of the building. The smelting furnace was a beehive-shaped affair, which Bert heated as needed. Which was a good thing, since otherwise it would take mountains of coal to fire and would produce nasty black smoke and particulate. This way just used up a little energy, of which the realm had ''way more than enough''.

    The goblin smith was wearing a heavy apron like Olavi, along with a heavy face mask and gloves. He had a glowing crucible held in tongs and was carefully pouring liquid metal into ingot moulds. They watched as he finished the last of it, putting the equipment to one side on a brick work surface. The goblin lifted the mask and wiped the sweat from his face, then pointed at the moulds.

    "First big pour! We did a trial run earlier, just to make sure we had the process down, but this is the first mass run we''ve done." he explained.

    There were a dozen or so ingot moulds slowly cooling on the work surface, and about a third that many crucibles. The air was wavy above them from the intense heat.

    Amelia peered carefully at one of the blocks of metal that had cooled enough to stop glowing. It was a dull yellow color, vaguely like gold.

    "Um, this might be a silly question, but what kind of metal is that?"

    "We call it grokzite, the dwarves call it durganite. I''ve heard some call it ''mountain copper'', if that''s more your thing." the goblin answered.

    "It''s yellowy, like brass. Shouldn''t copper be more reddish? Or something?"

    "No, miss. Mountain copper isn''t a copper at all. It does look like brass, but can take a better polish. Worked right, it''s better''n steel, but finicky. Takes a delicate touch, and a lot of effort, but it''s worth it."

    "Cool! You guys got that from the cavern?"

    "We did! We''ve got a load of raw ore to sell on, but we thought we''d try processing some ourselves. We barely have the workforce to mine it, much less process it, but I couldn''t resist!" The smith looked over at the solidifying molten metal bricks, clearly proud of his work.

    "Is it valuable? I was hoping we''d have mithril or adamantium or something cool like that. Or at least gold! The boys looked so excited when they talked about the mineral traces they saw, I figured it had to be something good."

    The goblin and dwarf exchanged incredulous glances, then peered at the girl to see if she was joking.

    "Well, first off, mithril and adamantium aren''t real. And there is some silver in there, along with iron and some other stuff, but we mostly went for this first. Because it''s indeed exceedingly valuable."

    "Oh. Okay. Cool. Hope you guys make some good money off it, then! Got big plans for how you''re gonna spend all your riches?"

    The two exchanged glances again.

    "Ah, all of the proceeds will go to you, of course. We wouldn''t dream of taking the money!" protested Bellows. Olavi nodded in agreement.

    "Oh no! You guys put the work in, you get to keep it. So start planning! I mean it! Nobody was gonna do anything with that stuff until the boys came along, so as far as I see it, it''s all yours. Ah bah bah bah! No arguing! Make cool stuff with it, or buy all the tchotchkes in the Night Market, or whatever. I don''t care. I just want to see it go to good use if you guys are gonna put the effort in to extracting it."

    Stunned silence followed the pronouncement, and both men just blinked and gaped at the caretaker.

    "Really! Not kidding! Deal with it! Now, was this what you wanted to show me? It''s awesome, of course! Just what I expected from you guys!"

    Bellows shook his head, then pinched himself surreptitiously. He shook his head again, then motioned for Amelia to follow him as he headed back into the smithy. Once there, he pulled the cloth covering partially off the table in back, exposing a half-dozen or so odd-looking bodkin knives.

    The goblin picked one up and handed it to Amelia, who took it gingerly. It was double-edged and slim, vaguely leaf-shaped, with no cross guard. She looked closer at the tiny etched words on the handle and blade and realized they were runes of some sort. Blinking and focusing, the weapon glowed with a pale light in her second sight.

    "Um, did you make magic daggers? Wow! That is so cool! I had no idea you guys could do that! Do they, like, glow when bad guys are near?" she exclaimed, holding the weapon up and twisting it in the light.

    Both crafters grinned widely at her excitement.

    "No glowing, that isn''t, erm, very tactically sound. And it isn''t a dagger, per se. Watch." The dwarf reached over and picked up another of the items, then held it about shoulder height. A wooden haft extruded out from the handle, adding at least two feet to the length. He then shifted his grip to the wood, and the handle extended even further until the weapon had become a full-sized spear, a little taller than he was.

    "No way! No way! A switchblade spear! How does it work? Where does the pole go when it closes? How do I make it open?"

    "Hold it firmly, and think of it extending." answered Bellows, smiling at the girl''s response.

    Amelia held the dagger out in front of her like Olavi had done, and thought ''extend'' at the thing. Sure enough, the haft sprang out, then extended again as she repeated the thought.

    "Brilliant! This would have been sooo useful when we went to Elara! Bill and I kept smacking our spears on everything, especially in the smaller tunnels. So awkward!"

    "Yes, we heard. Quiet asked us to make something to help with that problem. Having variable length also means any of our forces can use them, one size fits all, you could say. As well, in the collapsed form, they are nondescript. A handy knife usually isn''t suspicious, but carrying weapons of war around can draw the wrong sort of attention, you know."

    "Ah, right. I hadn''t thought of that. Like carrying a punt gun or a Carl Gustav in public or something. That''d raise some eyebrows!" She stared at the weapon in her hand and willed it to close. The wood instantly shrank back into the metal head, causing her to drop the thing onto the ground.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    "D''oh! Oops! Sorry about that!" she exclaimed as she bent to pick it back up. It didn''t seem any worse for the wear.

    "Yeah, you have to be careful about that. Hold it by the socket part of the head when you close it, not the wood."

    "Got it!" She extended and retracted it several times, then took a stance, flicking the point about like she''d been taught.

    "Can I have this one? I like it!"

    "Actually, this one is for you. As is this." The goblin flicked the cloth the rest of the way off the table.

    "Ooooh! Pretty!" Amelia stared at the two items that had been exposed.

    The first was roughly the same shape as the dagger spears, but larger, about eighteen inches long. It was made primarily of the same yellow material she had seen cooling in the ingot moulds. One side of the blade was edged in a dull black metal, looking like a cartoonish outline, with swirling inlays of the same material decorating the blade and handle. The runes, rather than simple etchings, were large and heavy, cloisonn¨¦d with a deep ruby material. They glowed faintly, and as she focused her true sight on it, the entire weapon blazed with light, power screaming from it. The symbols writhed as she looked at them, and flashed through multiple words and phrases that looked familiar, but she didn''t quite grasp.

    "Whoa! Wicked!"

    "Indeed, my lady. We hope it is fitting." Bellows motioned for her to pick up the weapon, which she did, examining the ornate work.

    "I thought glowing wasn''t, how did you call it, tactical?"

    "Ah, well, it is only a dim glow. Plus, that is more a, hmmm, strategic weapon, if you take my meaning." He cleared his throat slightly and rubbed his hands on the heavy apron he was wearing.

    The wood of the extended haft looked like ebony but felt far harder in the hand. It was inlaid with elaborate dark scarlet scrollwork, entwined bramble and briar branches that resembled the shadows that had enveloped Alder. The weapon was deceptively light, and she effortlessly twirled it and whipped it about happily.

    "Wow, guys! I don''t know what to say! It''s, um, showy and dramatic, but so pretty! I like that one outlined edge, very unique. What kind of metal is that?"

    "We extracted iron from the cavern as well and were able to cold work it. That was nearly as difficult as working the grokzite."

    "So cold iron? That''s a thing, really? And mithril isn''t? C''mon!"

    The goblin grinned. "Really. Not all myths are wrong, after all. Cold iron has many uses. Not as strong as the grokzite but it won''t cause any weakness."

    "So, gotta ask, does it have a name? ''Cause this thing looks like it should have a name. Like Mr. Pokey, or Sir Stabalot, or something."

    The two craftsmen chuckled, but Bellows looked a little embarrassed. "It does have a name, but it hasn''t revealed itself to us. I''m sure it will come to you, my lady."

    Amelia was so enraptured with the beautiful object that she let the ''my lady'' slide.

    "You guys really outdid yourselves! This is fantastic!"

    "May it serve you well in your endeavors."

    "Right. Endeavors. I''ll bet this will be real useful for reaching the hard-to-reach branches when I''m out clearing the paths. Oh! And fishing stuff out of the pond! Sorry, I''m a caretaker, not a warrior, but I''ll treasure this! Really! This might be one of the nicest things anyone has made for me, ever!" She followed up quickly, seeing the disappointment in their eyes. "Um, any idea where I could get a quiver or something for it? Kinda awkward to carry it like this. I''m afraid I''m gonna stab someone!"

    "Ah, we don''t have sheaths, yet, sorry. But Miss Annie had a suggestion when she saw me working on it in the shop. Think ''broach''" replied Olavi excitedly.

    The spearhead suddenly miniaturized itself, the entire thing shrinking to barely three inches long. Olavi showed her how to thread it through the clasp holes sewn into her cloak, so it looked like a cloak broach. She tugged it to make sure it was secure, and it held snugly in position.

    "The edge isn''t very sharp in that form. Makes it more innocuous. What lass wouldn''t have a broach or hairpin on her person?" He smiled happily.

    "You guys think of everything! So cool! What''s that bracelet thing?" She pointed to the last item on the table.

    "Another gift for you, my ... Amelia. Pure cold iron, forged with all the protective dweomers I know." Bellows stated with obvious pride. "Possibly the culmination of my years of work, but who knows? Glad I warmed up with those other trifles first." He fidgeted at that, looking uncomfortable, as if hiding something. "It will help with your .... domain ... expansion."

    "Huh. You been talking to Donald? Maybe Beige or Blue?"

    "The birds had ... requests ... erm, suggestions ... for both items." The goblin shuffled his feet slightly, looking down at them to avoid meeting Amelia''s eyes.

    "Ah, okay. Yeah, figures." She picked up the piece. It was considerably heavier than it looked but was exceedingly simple in appearance. Roughly ''C'' shaped, it looked like they''d taken a square bar and twisted it repeatedly, then capped the ends with small spheres. The gap was just large enough for her to force it over the narrowest part of her wrist. It felt cool to the touch, the metal not heating up from the skin contact.

    "It has a ... name ... also. Ah, again, to be revealed in time." The goblin shrugged, a bead of perspiration running down his face.

    "Okaaaay? Do I just name ''em whatever I want, or wait for some mystical inspiration to hit?"

    He looked to the dwarf for support, but Olavi just shrugged. "Perhaps the names will come to you, miss. Or just, maybe pick names and see if they fit? I''m not sure, to be honest."

    "Right. Well, I''ll try to pick good ones. Ones they''d, uh, like." She twisted and turned her arm as she looked at the bracelet. It didn''t reflect a single glint of light, nor did it warm up from her body heat. "I like it! Simple, not gaudy or elaborate. I think it suits me!"

    "Ah, um, best you keep it out of direct sunlight, miss. It ... doesn''t like it." The goblin shuffled his feet around nervously again.

    "Really? Jewelry that likes the shade? Huh. Faerie stuff is weird!" She winked at the goblin, then continued admiring the bracelet on her wrist.

    "But thanks again! I''m flattered! You guys must have put a lot of work into these. Not sure you should have, but I really appreciate it!"

    They both bowed slightly, a little embarrassed by the praise.

    "It was our honor, miss. It was good to do the old craft again. I missed it sorely. I look forwards to making more ... creations."

    Olavi nodded in agreement, although he had turned a bit pale for some reason.

    Amelia nodded. "Glad you got to do something fun, then! Good for you guys! But next time, make some stuff for yourselves, or others! I mean, I appreciate it and all, but I''m a simple girl. I''m sure there are better things you could be working on."

    They nodded, although she could tell they didn''t agree with her. But there wasn''t much she could do about that.

    "Is there anything I can do for you guys? Tools, supplies, anything like that?"

    The goblins looked like he wanted to say something, but stopped himself. The dwarf nudged him, motioning with his hand to ''go on!''.

    "Ah, well, miss, the kids were telling us about the classes. I, well, we, were wondering ... Miss Briar, um ..."

    "You guys want in on that? Potions and herbs and stuff?"

    Then both nodded shyly, their eyes eager.

    "Of course! We were gonna start setting up all kinds of classes for whoever wants to teach and learn. I''ll get the print girls to make us up a roster, and we can get that going. You''ll love it! Just get her to teach you the energy tea first, though. You''ll need it to keep your eyes open, but keep that between us, okay?"

    <hr>

    Amelia pulled the sleeve of her hoodie over the bracelet as she walked out into the yard. She loved how elegantly simple the design was. The fact that the two had clearly spent a great deal of effort on the items made her feel both a little guilty and extremely flattered. If nothing else, she consoled herself, it was a good excuse for them to practice their crafts. That was good enough reason in her book. Besides, the only thing lost was a little time, since the materials were essentially free. She was particularly glad they''d made the spear thing able to turn into a pin, though. Walking around the village with a foot-and-a-half long spike was just asking for trouble, no matter how decorative it was.

    There was a gentle splash from the water feature, so she wandered over and peered in. Mr. Speckles was in his cave, eyes half-lidded. Bubbles the cave carp lurked just below the surface of the water, tracking a dragonfly that was hovering over the surface. Whiskers, the other cave carp, was just barely visible in the dark depths of the pool. Amelia stood and looked at the pool for a moment, just long enough to see Bubbles leap from the water and snatch the insect out of the air, before diving back into the water with a gentle blurp that barely caused ripples on the surface.

    "Bon appetit, buddy!" she called to the fish, before wandering out to the front yard.

    She entered the cottage and passed through the living room, then into the brewery. Even with Tuuka gone, Pint had kept the room active, and there were several containers bubbling away. It wasn''t quite the same, though, and she hoped her dwarf and goblin friend would make it back soon.

    From the brewery, she descended two levels to enter the print shop. The room smelled of inks and machine oil and was a hive of activity. They had gotten a few print jobs from people in the village, then word had spread. They currently had a backlog of orders from every village within at least twenty miles. Everything from flyers, and posters, to brochures and business cards. She was glad she had been able to pry Friskit loose for the ''safety training'' today since the goblin teen put in mammoth hours with her mother and grandmother.

    "Hi, Stet! Hiya Lede! Alright?"

    "Alright, Amelia?" they both answered.

    "One of you have a few minutes? I need a sign-up sheet. We need to start organizing classes, and people who want to take ''em."

    "I can help, my dear! What did you have in mind?" said Stet, the older goblin cleaning ink off her hands as she beckoned Amelia over to a work table.

    "Something like a bunch of boxes, with a space for teacher and subject matter, and a bunch of places for people to sign up. Once we have interest, we can work out scheduling from there."

    The goblin bobbed her head, then grabbed a scrap piece of paper and a pencil and started sketching. "Something like this?" She asked after a minute or so.

    Amelia whistled. "Wow! Perfect! Could you print something like that up?"

    "Do you need many copies? I could just do this up on a poster board in ink if you only need the one."

    The caretaker smacked her forehead. "D''oh. Yeah, sorry. I didn''t even think of that. One is fine. If we need more room, we can rethink it."

    "No worries! I can have that for you, say ... lunchtime tomorrow?"

    "Don''t rush! It isn''t urgent, I just wanted to talk to you guys about it before I forgot. Whenever you get to it is fine! Really!"

    The goblin shook her head. "Education is important! And it will give a chance for people to connect and bond, so I''ll get right on it! Any idea what kind of classes we''ll have?"

    "Well, so far Pancake and Lark teaching magic, and general school stuff like math and things. I''m hoping Tuuka and Picker will bring back somebody who''s a professional teacher to take over that for them. Briar with potions, herbology, and gardening, Miss Annie for industrial arts. Other people have expressed interest in this and that, but those are the ones I remember."

    "Wonderful! I''ll put myself down for graphic arts and printing. You never know, somebody might be interested! We''re going to need more classroom space, though."

    "Yeah, I''m gonna go work on that. Need to expand the living space down below, too. And add a range for dangerous spell practice, that sort of thing. We just keep growing!"

 39: Picnic Expedition

    "Are you sure we shouldn''t wait until Picker gets back?" asked Amelia, as she gazed up at the clouds above, arms crossed behind her head.

    "I am. It''s just a short day trip, not any place dangerous like Elara," replied Quiet. The goblin fed the last bits of her lunch to Fern and Shock. Whisper was somehow already in a food coma, so didn''t shamelessly beg like the other two. "Or are you asking because you''re procrastinating?"

    "No, not really. I mean, I really like it here, and there''s lots to do and stuff. But I still wanna see cool things! And places! You know?"

    "I get it. I was an adventurer for years, remember? I''ve got itchy feet, too. As much as I love a good home base to come back to, there''s something about seeing what''s out there that just gets you."

    "So tell me about your adventures! Those must have been exciting!" Amelia rolled over and looked at the goblin, dislodging the wisp from her forehead perch. Whisper wafted off to a patch of the blanket that was in the sun, and settled down to resume her nap.

    The goblin sucked her teeth, then shook her head. "They were exciting, all right, but I don''t think giving you ideas is the wisest course of action. Especially if we''re going touring tomorrow."

    "Huh. So you say. Besides, how am I supposed to find out about other places if nobody''ll tell me? Lark doesn''t really leave the hollow, and Briar just wants to talk about plants or sing dirty songs. Everybody else just talks about the mines, and how horrible they were."

    "Don''t rush things, dear. You''ve been caretaker for, what, a few months now? Look at all the stuff you''ve seen and learned. You''re young, still. You''ve got time to take it easy."

    "Yeah, I guess. So tell me about where we''re going tomorrow. What should I pack?"

    "Same as we told the others. Bring a lunch, water, and a jacket. Good walking shoes. Hat. Walking stick if you go for that sort of thing. It''s just a hike, Amelia!"

    "Yeah, but a hike in another realm!" she said the last in an over-exaggerated deep voice.

    The goblin just shook her head and smiled. They''d been planning to have expeditions for quite some time now, and she finally felt confident taking the first group out. It would be better having Picker around, but Elisabet and Vieno had volunteered to come along, so they''d have plenty of chaperones.

    Amelia watched the goblin for a minute, then heaved a sigh and sat up. They were in a clearing with a pond formed by the creek, downstream from Alder and the gaming shack. That particular clearing was anything but peaceful, these days, with the almost twenty-four-seven games that the tree ran. Plus the mining operations going in and out via the portal and vault entrance. It was still a pretty place, but no longer the quietest place for a picnic. Luckily there were many spots in the hollow that were nice and peaceful, with only the occasional rambler wandering through.

    "I''ve gotta go soon. Class with Lark in a bit." Amelia worked her jaw and pursed her lips a few times, just thinking of the workout to come.

    "How''s that coming along? And how are the others taking to it?"

    "Fine. It''s just really slow-going, you know? Lark says that once we know enough and have enough practice, she''ll start teaching us how to actually do magic, which''ll be cool. I mean, theory is great and all, but I think she takes it a bit far. Only so much grammar and conjugation a body can take."

    Quiet grinned at that. Amelia was the farthest along, but the kids were learning rapidly. She herself had started attending the bird''s new class for the adults, and it had indeed been tough going. Dinners had been a lot quieter once everybody''s whistling muscles were aching.

    No one had pointed it out, since it was obvious to everyone except Amelia, but having actual experts teaching classes was a rarity where they were from. Most were lucky if they learned basic math, and reading was frequently considered a specialist skill. To have such a wealth of knowledge readily shared was such a treasure that every class was filled, and people only missed them if it couldn''t possibly be helped. Amelia had even added several new classrooms in the warren area, along with a substantial number of workrooms, practice spaces, and just general living space. They certainly didn''t need it all, but if her son and Tuuka managed to convince anyone to come join them, they''d need the space sooner or later.

    Quiet stood up and helped Amelia put away the food containers. They didn''t have to worry about leftovers since they''d brought their crack team of self-propelled food disposal units. It had been a spontaneous outing, just a chance to get away and bond a little. Amelia had been trying to spend more one-on-one time with each of the inhabitants, which could be a challenge with how busy they were these days. But very little was urgent, since they mostly worked on tasks of their own devising, so bunking off for a cheeky bite and a chinwag was usually easy enough to fit in.

    The two flapped the blanket a few times to dislodge any crumbs that Fern and Shock had somehow missed, then folded it up. Amelia tucked it into her rucksack, then shouldered the bag. She patted it with one hand.

    "You sure I don''t need to bring a change of clothes, blankets, or anything? Emergency rations?"

    "Very sure. We''ll be gone maybe a couple of hours, tops. Wear your cloak, if that''ll make you happy."

    "Oh, I will, and it will!" Amelia twirled to make the garment flare out behind her, but the backpack kept it in place. She settled for grabbing a corner of it and waving it around, the sky-blue material free from stains despite being around Fern and Whisper eating.

    The girl caused the spearhead in her other hand to shrink to its pin form, then slid it into place on her shoulder where the cloak overlapped itself. The goblin had quailed watching her use it like a butter knife, the bright yellow metal, black engraving, and glowing red runes covered in smears of hummus and jam. Amelia had learned to use the iron edge for most tasks since the grokzite side tended to cut things before it made contact, which was unnerving. She had been banned from using it on their ''live steel'' practice targets, since the weapon slid through every substance they''d tried it on, frequently shattering or melting them. Watching it being used to pry open a jar and spread marmite was just another of the odd experiences one got around the caretaker.

    Amelia patted it into place, then flashed the iron bracelet on her left wrist, before making sure it was covered up by her sleeve again. "Bringing this, too! I''ve never worn much jewelry before, but I kinda like it. Makes me feel more, I dunno, dressed and made-up, or something. Even though it isn''t shiny or anything."

    The girl was one of the few who didn''t feel the ominous presence that radiated from the metal item. Quiet had asked the two crafters about it, but they wouldn''t give any details. Just that it creeped them out, even though they''d made it. They had muttered something about directions from those two weird birds Amelia was friends with.

    "Hmmm. I don''t know why, but somehow I think that bracelet is more hazardous than your broach. Sure you don''t want to leave it at home?"

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    "I''m sure. I like it. I don''t know why everybody acts all squiffy around it. It''s just a piece of metal."

    A piece of metal forged by her husband, the goblin thought. She briefly entertained the notion of describing what sorts of things Bellows had made before being forced into the mines, but she''d heard that Amelia already had nightmares. No reason to torment the girl.

    She glanced from the frolicking black puppy that was chasing the sprite on the trail ahead of them, to the glowing wisp that had resumed its accustomed perch on top of Amelia''s head. "Fine. What''s one more atrocity, right? Considering the pile you already have. Probably gonna collect the whole set ..." she muttered under her breath.

    "What was that? Did you say something?"

    "No, dear. Just clearing my throat."

    "Oh. So about this place we''re going?"

    "Right, sorry, got distracted by ... something ... Anyways, we''ll be going into Megrim. Before my son left, we scouted out a nice trail that ends on a nice rock overlook, with a great view of a lake below. I don''t want to spoil it, so that''s all you get. Couple of miles there, lunch, then couple of miles back. No big deal, but good for a first outing."

    "Awesome! I''m looking forwards to it! And to how Bill and his friends like it! Well, here we are. Thanks again for the chat and lunch! Say hi to Bellows for me!"

    "Will do. Tomorrow in the pub, right? 10 am?"

    "Yup! See you!"

    <hr>

    The tour group was already mostly assembled in the pub when Quiet arrived. The goblin entered via the door from Sandy''s shop, having used the portal in the brewery.

    Vieno was playing tug-of-war with Shock and her doll, while Amelia helped Ashlee bus a recently vacated table.

    The rest of the group were squeezed into two of the booths, various mostly empty glasses and snack baskets in front of them. Bill waved, and John raised his pint glass towards their lead guide when he saw her.

    "How''s the injuries?" She asked, ambling over to their table.

    "Fine! That salve the gardener gave me helped with the burn, and the ankle sorted itself out after a couple days. I''ve done some walks on it already, no problems. Good to go!" He gave a thumbs-up sign.

    "Good. But speak up if it bothers you, okay?"

    The man nodded, then chugged the rest of his drink.

    Quiet acknowledged the rest of the group, doing a silent head count as she looked them over. They had all gone through her ''boot camp'' process, which had weeded out the ones she wasn''t willing to take responsibility for. Only those who were willing to pay attention, take instruction, and not goof off too much were invited.

    "I gotta hit the loo, then I''m ready to go!" called Amelia, depositing a load of dishes into the dumbwaiter. She waved to get the goblin''s attention, then disappeared through the side door.

    "Anybody else need to go? Only bushes and the great outdoors where we''re heading, so better go if you can."

    A few people wormed their way out of their seats and followed after Amelia.

    "Anything for the road, sweetlings? Toothsome meat, dripping and juicy? Pork crackling? Shandy?" asked the barmaid, her iron chatelaine jingling slightly. With the antique-styled black lace dress she wore, the lady tended to blend into the dim shadows of the room if you weren''t carefully watching.

    Bill patted the waxed paper parcel he had in front of him on the table and gave her a thumbs up. Several others were already stowing their orders in packs and bags.

    "Right, everybody ready? Water, hats, et cetera et cetera?" Quiet called when Amelia and the others returned.

    There was a general murmur of agreement as they all stood and grabbed their various jackets and gear.

    The goblin eyed the mismatch of outfits. Several were dressed like she''d seen most of the ramblers in the hollows, in sensible walking shoes, tough fabrics, and layers. But a few had more outlandish garb. Bill was wearing a heavy maroon canvas kaftan, with a large canvas bag slung over one shoulder by a rope strap. He''d been asked to bring first aid supplies, and by the look of the lumpy sack, he was well-equipped. He had a large, floppy hat on his head, and one of the ''switch spears'' as Amelia called them was in a sheath on his belt. He had attended every practice they''d had, so he''d earned the trust to carry one, just in case. Quiet was confident he''d be an asset.

    The rest of the group looked like they were ready for a fantasy festival of some sort. Cloaks, baggy trousers, long colourful tunics, hats with feathers in them, the works. A few had walking sticks (complete with carvings, gewgaws, and doodad decorations), but none of them had brought weapons, costume or otherwise, thankfully. This was literally a walk in the park, and she didn''t want to invite trouble.

    Quiet considered making a comment, but decided against it as she glanced over at Amelia. The caretaker was dressed more or less as usual, with her hoodie, jeans, and trainers ensemble. She''d added a sling bag over one shoulder filled with lunch, snacks, and candy. Which was all well enough, until you also added in her bright blue cloak, glowing wisp on her head, sparkly sprite on her shoulder, and the vague sensation that the shadows around the girl were somehow deeper, watchful, and hungry. The floppy, adorable puppy was a welcome addition to the look, though.

    "We''re all set!" called Elisabet, the dwarf settling the sling that held little Onni against her chest. She knelt to grab her rucksack-cum-diaper bag, then tucked her Finntroll t-shirt back into her cargo shorts.

    "Me too!" added Vieno. The teen was wearing a hoodie over her utilikilt, shemagh loosely tied around her neck to be used for sun protection. She had a switch spear as well, handle protruding from one of the kilt''s cargo pockets.

    "Right! Let''s move out!"

    They trooped out through the bar''s front entrance and filed along the road in the direction of the hollow''s gate. They could have used either of the portals, but this way they had a short walk to make sure they hadn''t forgotten anything, and to get everybody settled in before they transitioned realms. Plus having a horde of people tramp through Sandy''s back room and the brewery was a bit awkward.

    It was a lovely day out, just cool enough that it felt good to walk briskly, with just enough breeze to stir the leaves on the trees as they passed through the village. Since the area had been annexed into Beorthmund, the flora and fauna had experienced the rapid growth that was prevalent in the hollow. Flowers bloomed almost everywhere, and squirrels and birds were prevalent. Several of the buildings were already covered in ivy, and the farmers had been struggling with their wildly fertile fields. Shock had to be gently restrained so she didn''t pester a badger that disappeared into a hedgerow.

    They slowed to watch a narrowboat chug along the canal, its classic engine pock-pock-pocking puffs of smoke from its flue. In all the times Amelia had walked along the road, she''d never seen someone using the canal. At most walkers or bikers along the towpath, but never boats. There was a pudgy calico cat lazing in the transparent window of the cratch cover, bundles of firewood drying on the roof between sacks of coal and racks of solar panels. The driver stared at the motley walking group from his position at the tiller, returning their waves politely with his pipe in his hand.

    "''ey up!" he called.

    "Alright? Love the boat!" answered Amelia, examining it from stem to stern.

    "Ta! She''s a good ''un. You lot in a play?"

    "Nope, just out for a walk."

    They chatted for a minute or two as the boat slowly moved away at a leisurely walking pace. Amelia gave the man directions to Sandy''s pub before he chuffed out of view, waving goodbye.

    They continued along, pairing up to walk in column on the side of the road.

    After taking the turn onto the path, Quiet stopped on the far side of the iron gate. She waited until Vieno and Bill, who were bringing up the rear, had passed through the entryway.

    "Right. Last chance before we head into Megrim. Any questions, issues, anything?" She met the eyes of each person, and when nobody spoke up, continued on.

    "I know it seems silly since we just came in this way, but this is the crossing point into Megrim. I know it doesn''t need to be said, but I want everybody on their best behaviour, okay?" She stared meaningfully at Amelia, Fern, Whisper, and Shock. Only Amelia had the grace to try to look innocent.

    The goblin nodded, then turned back and passed back through the gate.

    There were oohs and ahhs as the group followed her, the transition between realms immediate and dramatic. The hollow was an oddity, with multiple realms overlapping in the same location. Terrain and vegetation were generally the same regardless of which realm you were in there. But as they exited the gate, everything was different.

    "Hey! Picker said the realm boundary was at the gate, but Pancake said it was the other side of the road. I don''t get it. Why did everything change here?" Amelia asked. She was walking at the front of the group with Quiet since Shock wanted to be out in front anyways.

    "Hearth Haven Hollow, the overlap between the mortal realm and Megrim, ends at the gate. That''s why we transitioned as soon as we exited. Beorthmund, on the other hand, now extends quite a bit past the far side of the road, and all the way to the far side of town. So we haven''t quite left it yet." responded the goblin.

    "Huh. I guess that makes sense, in a weird sorta way. Thanks."

    Amelia hadn''t expected much of a change, since the part of Whimsy she had visited had been pretty similar to the hollow and surrounding area. But Megrim was noticeably different.

    "Just checking, but do those mushrooms do that spore thing?"

 40: Walk in the Park

    In Megrim, the trail leading away from the gate was barely visible, just a slightly clearer space wending between the trees. The undergrowth was denser here, crowded with mushrooms and wildflowers of all varieties. The party stopped to just admire the myriad of sights and smells, not even having traveled ten feet into the realm.

    "These aren''t the zombie mushrooms, Amelia. But I wouldn''t eat them if I were you," answered Quiet.

    The caretaker nodded, still looking at the fungi suspiciously. She sniffed the air, then pointed towards the roots of a massive fir tree. "There''s truffles there. But I know, don''t eat ''em, either."

    All of the tourists had been counseled extensively not to damage or consume any berries, plants, fruits, or anything else they saw. Not because they''d ''be trapped in fairie land forever and ever'' as Amelia had suggested, but because this section of wood had a lot of inedible and toxic flora. Briar could have identified what was safe, but she had been unavailable for the trip.

    After they had all had a good ogle at the surrounding area, Quiet continued onwards. The road the path intersected with was narrow and more of a wide trail, but smooth and level, running as straight as an arrow as far as they could see. The goblin led the group across, then waded the shallow stream on its far side, and on into the wood beyond. Unlike where they had just been, this forest was far more open, with very little bracken or undergrowth to make the way difficult. She set a casual pace so they would have time to marvel at the sights around them as they walked. The pace seemed to slow further the deeper they moved into the trees.

    "Whoa! Everything looks so clear and sharp! Like suddenly everything is in focus! And all the colors are so vibrant!" one of the ramblers exclaimed. There was a murmur of agreement from the group. Nothing they had seen was particularly unusual or odd, but they all felt like they had woken from a faded, drab dream into a world more real than real. Everything they saw, whether animal, vegetable, or mineral, was the ideal of its kind until they saw the next one, and then the next. A few of the walkers felt dizzy as their senses were overwhelmed, and stumbled as if drunk.

    "This is way better than I expected! So awesome!" said Bill, awestruck. Elisabet wandered past him, Onni babbling in her outstretched arms. The dwarf stepped deeper into the trees so her babe could reach for a butterfly that fluttered in front of them.

    Amelia looked around, confused. "Um, guys? It''s just a forest. Nice and all, don''t get me wrong, but nothing special. Heck, the hollow is loads better than this, and you''ve all been there." No one responded, all busy gawping and pointing. She tried to look at what was capturing their attention, but nothing of interest caught her eye. The crowd started to disperse as they all moved to whatever they had seen most recently, unable to withstand the distractions.

    "Glamour! Glamour!" came Fern''s high-pitched voice from right below her left ear. The sprite was still sitting on her shoulder, holding the girl''s earlobe to steady herself. The tiny creature didn''t seem at all impressed with the wood either.

    "Glamour? Aww, crap," responded Quiet sourly, suddenly alerted from her stupor. She shook her head in anger, then fished in a pocket for a moment, pulling out a small case. Inside was a lens on a head strap, which she pulled onto her head and placed so the glass covered her right eye. The goblin cursed quietly as she looked around, before pulling down an eye patch attached to the same strap, covering her other eye completely. "V, Elisabet, what do you guys see?"

    "This is amazing! We should live here! Forever! It''s so beautiful!" called Elisabet from a distance away, turning in place while she tried to see everything all at once, clapping her hands in delight. Vieno didn''t even respond, the dwarf so enthralled by what she saw.

    It was hard to tell if Whisper or Shock were affected, since Whisper seemed to be asleep again, and the dog reacted to everything as if it was the greatest thing ever.

    "Okay, stop here everybody! Look at this rock here. Isn''t it the best? You should all stare at it for a while." The goblin said, pointing at a lump of stone at the base of a tree. Amelia couldn''t see anything in the least remarkable about it.

    "Um, Quiet? What''s going on?"

    "Glamour. Someone''s got a spell going. Screwing with our senses. The question is, why? What are they up to?" the goblin was scanning around them thoroughly, squinting and jerking her head around to try to perceive depth with her one uncovered eye.

    Amelia watched the goblin for a moment, then looked over to where the rest of their group was gathered around the rock Quiet had pointed at. They were practically worshiping the thing. She blinked and focused, and looked around with her true sight. There were slight glows from the two weapons Bill and Vieno were carrying, and a brighter glow from the lens the goblin was looking through. Her own equipment was a cacophony of sights. Her clothes had a dim bluish shine to them, while her cloak was positively radiant, shimmering and sparkling like it was sequined. Her cloak pin scintillated as well, too bright to look at for long. She gasped in concern, though, as she looked at her left wrist. The bracelet sucked light into itself, becoming a dark, indistinct void. Midnight drops oozed from it into a small inky puddle that grew slowly beneath her feet. She could see a trail of the stuff that led back the way they''d come. Tendrils led off from it in all directions, merging into the existing shadows and dark places.

    The peal of Shock''s silent barks broke her from her staring, and she let her focus lapse as she turned towards the puppy. Quiet quickly padded over and scooped up the dog, then pulled Amelia behind a nearby fir. She motioned with her hand to stay still and quiet.

    Moments later, a creature burst from the trees in the direction Shock had indicated. It looked like a greyhound, but tremendously large and thickset, eighteen or more hands at the withers. Its sides heaved with its deep breaths, and there was a fearful look in its eyes. It moved at a gallop and disappeared into the trees beyond without a glance at the huddle of people enraptured around the rock.

    Amelia started to move, but Quiet again gestured for her to wait. Sure enough, within moments more creatures emerged. It was a curious collection of beasts, composed of stags, foxes, and hares, baying and belling, many sniffing the trail of the departed canine. They moved slightly slower than the dog had, but with equal determination. Amelia pulled her cloak tightly around herself, wishing she had thought to turn it to its grey side for camouflage.

    Behind the tracking beasts were a horde of small mammals, mostly mice and squirrels. They were riding atop larger prey animals and a few pigs. The riders were dressed in an assortment of hats, capes, and sashes, and they brandished horns and other hunting accouterments. They halted not too far from the tree where Amelia and Quiet hid, a stag snuffling and hunting towards them. Quiet put a finger on Fern''s face to keep the sprite quiet, then whipped it away and shook it as the tiny figure bit her. Fern stuck out her tongue at the goblin but stayed silent.

    "What have we here? Interlopers? Trespassers?" said a squeaky, raspy voice. It came from a richly dressed hedgehog who was on a huge boar.

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    The porcine mount huffed. "Humans, milord. And dwarves. Alasdair says he smells a goblin, too, somewhere. And ... something else. Something ..." he paused as he sniffed the air, then the ground. He didn''t finish his sentence.

    "Baby, your grace. I smell baby. Dwarf baby. And elf!" The tiny voice that interrupted snarled the last word, and all the beasts growled and barred their teeth as they heard it.

    "Where''s Onni?" mouthed Quiet, after getting Amelia''s attention. They could see Elisabet with the others, still enamored with the stone, but her sling was empty, hanging slack on her front. Amelia shrugged, then held her breath as the stag came closer. It stared right at her, but for some reason seemed to look right through her, before moving around the tree to continue its search of the ground.

    "Hah! Elf! Enough with this silly hound. We hunt real game, now! You! Ottilie! Take Wilfred and Hugh and round up these yokels. Take them to the hall and I''ll deal with them later. Now, the rest of you! Find the elves, my dears! After them! No escape for the blighters!" shouted the hedgehog. It gestured wildly with its minuscule scepter, then tooted an ornate horn. As one, the pack bayed, then scattered outwards to find the trail. After just a short search, another horn call went up, and the horde dashed off into the woods.

    The tour group and the two dwarven chaperones were nowhere to be seen.

    Quiet kept them hidden quietly by the tree until she was certain they had gone. She placed the puppy down, rubbing her ears thoroughly. The dog had barely moved while they waited.

    "We have to save them! And find Onni! Where did he go? What''ll happen to him? How will we tell Elisabet? Tyni?" Amelia wailed, shaking a bit.

    "He''ll be fine, Amelia! The tracker said an elf was around, and unless I miss my guess, that is who has the baby. They like to snatch children and raise them as their own, sometimes leaving changelings behind. We''ll get Onni back, but don''t worry! He''ll be well taken care of, and isn''t in any danger."

    The caretaker took a deep breath, then nodded. "Okay. But who do we save first? We can''t take that group with us, it might be dangerous. And we can''t leave ''em behind, either! Who knows what that guy meant when he said ''deal with''."

    Quiet was already searching the ground for clues and paused to answer. "We''ll split up. I''ll go after Onni before the trail gets too cold. I''m not the best at it, but I can follow that host, and they should lead me to him. You take Shock and Fern and go see if you can help the rest. I don''t think they''re in danger, but hopefully you can get them home."

    Amelia nodded, face serious. "Yeah, good. We''ll bust ''em out, then round up a posse to come help you. But Fern should go with you. She''s really good and spotting stuff, too."

    "Help! Help! Baby! Baby!" called the sprite, flying up to hover near the goblin.

    Quiet thought for a moment, then agreed. "She can come with me. It''ll be good to have some backup!"

    "Muscle! Muscle!" Fern replied, flexing a tiny bicep.

    "You got it, Fern! You deal with the rough stuff, and Quiet will do the sneaking. Onni will be back with his family in no time!"

    Shock rubbed her head on the goblin, leaning against her and looking up adoringly. Quiet patted her side briefly, receiving a lick as she did so.

    "You take care of our caretaker, okay? You''re in charge while I''m gone." She winked at Amelia as she said that. "Good luck, you two!"

    "Thanks! Fern, please bite the elf that took Onni for me, will you?"

    The petite sprite saluted, miming taking a big chomp. The movement exposed a double row of shark-like teeth, small but razor sharp. There was a gleam in her eye that indicated biting was definitely in the plan.

    Amelia watched the two head off, following the clear trail of spoor the beast mob had left, then turned to the puppy waiting patiently at her feet.

    "Okay, Shock! Just you, me, and Whisper! Rescue time! Remember Bill? Find Bill! Find V and Elisabet! You can do it, girl!" She encouraged the dog, as she removed and flipped her cloak, putting it back on grey side out.

    Shock snuffled the ground for only a moment, then started leading the way into the woods, occasionally glancing behind her to make sure Amelia was keeping up. They travelled fairly quickly, the puppy barely even hesitating as she led the way. After maybe a half-mile, they could even hear the voices of the tour group, still raving at the sights, sounds, and smells of the forest around them. They mostly seemed to be praising a stick that one of the animals had, and Amelia guessed they''d pulled the same trick that Quiet had, telling the ensorcelled people it was amazing so they would follow.

    The trio finally got close enough to the group that Amelia had to slow Shock down so they wouldn''t be discovered, staying a few dozen meters back from the two animals on their mounts that were shepherding the walkers. They did their best to keep multiple trees between them and the group, just in case anyone looked behind them.

    Amelia had thought about just charging in and hosing the creatures with her water spells, but they didn''t seem to be malicious and were certainly taking good care of the group. Since she didn''t know their intention, it seemed best to try to gather more information before potentially making enemies. She tried to stay close enough to hear the rear guard chatting as they traveled along. As far as she could tell, they were mostly griping about elves and their hatred of them, and all the things they wished they could do to them.

    Eventually, it sounded like they had reached their destination, and she heard the rustling of jackets and backpacks being removed, among the hubbub of voices. She crept cautiously forwards, carefully moving from the shadow of one tree to the next, Shock close at her heels.

    The group had stopped in a great green hall formed by two parallel columns of trees, mighty branches arching overhead to form a leafy roof. Smaller chambers flanked the space, all open to the air except for a few pleached partitions. There were long tables and benches set in the main room, covered in moss and leaves, with ivy twining up the legs and across much of the surfaces. Her friends had piled their belongings on one of the tables and were seating themselves at another. The latter looked to have been hastily cleared, as bits of vegetation were piled near it, and the surface was still strewn with a few leaves.

    Amelia watched as a brace of badgers pushed a serving cart over, a swarm of mice disembarking to push plates in front of the tourists, piling them high with berries and shelled nuts. A sow carried in a large pitcher, her head at an odd angle to keep it from accidentally pouring, then filled mugs that the mice unloaded from the cart. She could hear Bill and a few of the others thanking their servers, before digging in, praising the amazing flavours.

    The animals worked together in a way that showed they were very familiar with serving, even though the furniture hadn''t been used in years. Amelia gazed into the open end of the hall from a tree some short distance away, noting the mounds of vegetation and fungus formed where some of the furnishings had collapsed with age and rot. There was no evidence of accommodation for the smaller forms that did all the work, just things made for people closer to her size.

    After she decided everyone was safe for the moment, she ducked back behind her tree and sat down, accepting the lick on her face from Shock before the puppy plopped down and leaned against her outstretched legs. Whisper drifted off her head, then floated lazily down to land on the dog''s back, glowing a happy green colour.

    "Poor things! At least they''re enjoying themselves. Those darn elves and their darn mind control. Good riddance, I say!" she heard a voice say nearby. Peeking around the tree, she saw a mouse astride a hare, the mount loping past where she sat.

    "Good riddance! Hope Digby and the pack find the one that did it. Did I hear there was a baby involved, too? Horrible!" The hare said, then twitched its nose angrily.

    "They''ll get ''em. Glad Digby''s the king this week. He hates the elves, and won''t go soft on ''em. Not like Hamish or Percy, those fops."

    "Now miss! They''re young and don''t remember the old days. You can''t blame them for wanting to let bygones be bygones."

    "Bah! Dumb pups. They should know better. No mercy! Can''t give the shiny buggers an inch. Never again!" shouted the mouse, gesticulating wildly.

    "Never again! But calm yourself, dear. You know how you get. Deep breaths, please!"

    The mouse visibly worked to relax herself, huffing in big lungfuls of air, rolling her neck, and windmilling her tiny arms. "Sorry about that. It''s just, we fought so hard to get our freedom, when I hear the young ''uns thinking it wasn''t that bad, I just want to scream. Deep breaths. Deep breaths."

    The voices faded off as the two continued on at a gentle pace back into the woods.

    "Huh. I don''t know what to make of that, Shock. Weird. But I think those are faeries! So cool!"

    "Ahem." came a squeaky voice from behind her.

    Amelia turned to see a squirrel balancing a human-sized tea cup on the back of a badger, the pair somehow having approached without her noticing. She glanced down to see why Shock hadn''t alerted her, and realized the dog was asleep, curled up around Whisper, who was glowing her reddish ''happy and sleeping'' colour.

    "Actually, ma''am, we prefer the term ''The Fur Folk'', but we''re easy. Cuppa?"

 41: The Fur Folk

    Amelia considered briefly, then decided that politeness was the best course of action. "Thank you!" She reached out and took the proffered cup, taking a sip. It was a cold brew, minty and refreshing.

    "Ooh! That''s lovely! Thank you very much. I''m Amelia, by the way. These two lumps here are Whisper and Shock." She gestured to the pile of sleeping puppy and wisp leaning against her leg.

    The two animals seemed surprised by the introductions and hesitated a bit before replying. They both bowed slightly, the squirrel hanging on tightly to keep from falling off.

    "I''m Hugh, my lady." said the squirrel.

    "Ronan, my lady." said the badger.

    "Hugh, Ronan! What a pleasure! Please, just Amelia is fine! I''m no lady! Well, I''m a lady, but not a lady, you know?"

    The two bowed again. It appeared to be a habitual response.

    "I assume our guests are friends of yours? Would you like to come join them?" asked Hugh, gesturing towards the hall.

    "Um, sure! Yeah, they''re my friends. You guys wouldn''t happen to know how to break that spell on them, would you?" She asked, carefully standing and scooping up Shock and Whisper. Neither one had yet awoken from their nap.

    "No, miss. If the King and his troop catch the poncy git that cast it, maybe we can force ''em to remove it." replied the squirrel, the pair following along as Amelia started walking towards the tables.

    Amelia took another sip of the tea. It was good, although she preferred her tea hot. "You guys not big fans of elves, I take it? Some bad blood, there?"

    "Hah!" barked the badger, nearly throwing his rider as he reared up, one forepaw in the air. "Never again!" he bellowed, before dropping back down to all fours.

    "Never again!" squeaked the squirrel, likewise raising a paw into the air. He paused for a moment. "Hate the buggers. All ''light makes right'' and fancy illusions and honeyed words. Lyin'' bastards. Hope the dark takes ''em all, those we don''t get first, that is! Never again!" He spat.

    "Never again!" echoed Ronan.

    "Never again!" sounded loudly as all the animals in the hall joined in.

    Amelia looked around at the assembled creatures, all of whom had momentarily stopped their tasks to shout the slogan, each with a paw, hoof, or trotter raised in the air.

    "Never again?" she said questioningly.

    "Never again!" they responded enthusiastically, again shaking forelimbs in the air.

    She deposited the dog and her nap-mate on the table with the coats and packs, then took a seat with the others. Bill nodded in her direction, then continued with the others in rapturous eating and drinking.

    "Aren''t you going to join us?" she asked as a trio of mice pushed a piled plate in front of her. They stepped back, bowing deeply and backing away. She sensed she''d shocked them.

    "Ronan? Hugh? Join us?"

    The pair exchanged glances, then Hugh shook his head. "Sorry miss, we''re servants. Big table''s not for the likes of us."

    "Oh, if you feel that way, I suppose. Where do you guys eat?"

    The question shocked the squirrel, who was at a loss for words. The badger, though, stood up on his hind legs again, staring into Amelia''s face. She smiled back and nodded encouragingly.

    "Kitchen." he finally answered gruffly.

    "Cool! I love eating in the kitchen at home. Much more homely! Can I come join you there?"

    The squirrel cleared his throat, then bent down to whisper with the badger. They conversed for several seconds before Hugh looked back up. "Yes?"

    "Cool! Let''s go! These guys seem happy enough here, so we can leave ''em to it." She waved at the tour group, still raving about how amazing the nuts and berries were.

    Amelia followed the pair away from the tables and into one of the side halls, on the other side of a partition woven out of the living tree branches. The servers trailed after them, shocked and morbidly interested in what was going on.

    The kitchen was barely in better shape than the tables outside, most of the surfaces covered in moss, lichen, or ivy, and in some cases all three. A crew of animals were frantically shelling nuts and pulling berries from their stems, piling the results on plates. They looked up in a mixture of trepidation and fear as Amelia entered.

    She waved happily, then took a seat in an out-of-the-way corner. Hugh dismounted from Ronan, the two settling down near her on their haunches.

    "You guys like sweets? I brought some survival toffee, for emergencies. I don''t care what Quiet said, it felt silly to leave home without some extra supplies!"

    The servers climbed down from the work surface, joining those that had followed from outside. They formed a loose circle with Amelia, Hugh, and Ronan, noses twitching.

    "Sweets, miss? Like berries? Or ... honey?" one of the mice asked, emphasizing the last word hungrily.

    "Even better! Here, let me grab a plate and split some up for you guys!" She stood and grabbed an empty plate, not noticing the involuntary flinching the animals did at her sudden movement. She settled back down, then pulled a brown paper sack from her sling bag. As she unwrapped a handful of the candies and placed them on the plate, she saw noses start to sniff the air as the smell wafted around.

    They jerked back in surprise again as she pulled the pin from her cloak and expanded it into its spearhead form. Several of them had started to back away, then slowly returned as they watched her nonchalantly use the weapon to slice the toffee into smaller chunks more appropriate for small eaters.

    "Here you go, guys! Sandy''s finest, still fresh! I tried to keep a bit of the apple filling with each piece, ''cause it''s the best! Take some!" she said, holding the plate close to ground level and offering it to the assemblage. Ronan was the first to grudgingly take a piece, grasping it between his two front paws, then sniffing it deeply. He nodded happily, before popping the treat into his mouth and chewing. The rest watched him closely as he closed his eyes in rapt enjoyment. There was a flurry of grabs as the rest snagged pieces of the candy.

    She heard a small voice whisper "From her own hand!", followed by "Hush!" from several others.

    Amelia put the plate down after the last pieces were taken. "I''ve got some more, but why don''t I brew some tea as well? I''ve got some of Briar''s energy mix. It goes great with the toffee!" She pulled out the travel kettle she carried, then moved over to the rivulet that trickled from a nearby mossy boulder. A niche had been carved from the rock to act as a basin, liquid pooling clear and cold. She dipped the vessel in and filled it, before looking around for a stove or fire source.

    "You guys have someplace for heating stuff?" she asked, still looking.

    Hugh finished chewing his mouthful quickly, then responded. "No, miss. We ... don''t do fire. Lost the knack, you could say." He didn''t explain further.

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    "Okay, no problem. I got this. [Candle Flame]. [Candle Flame]. [Candle Flame]." She ignited the trio of flames on a bare patch of ground, then held the kettle over it. She''d finally learned that she could place the spell on places other than her finger, which was much more convenient at times.

    The animals stared at the dancing flames, many with their jaws hanging agape, toffee still sticking to their teeth.

    "Won''t take too long. I can do more flames, but the kettle isn''t that big, so hardly seems worth it. You guys have cups?" She looked around.

    There was no response, the gathered animals completely lost for words, all of them staring enraptured at the magic flames.

    "Cups?" She asked again, jarring a few into action.

    Several formed an impressive acrobatic pyramid, with the large badger at the base. They managed to bring down a few cups with great care before Amelia handed down several more.

    "Those are pretty big for you guys. You don''t have anything more your size? I got a couple of friends that make cups and mugs for us, all sizes. Got some teeny tiny ones for the sprites, so I know they can make some that''ll work for you guys. If you need a supplier, we can get you fixed up. But I guess you all can share for now."

    "Cups ... in our size?" Hugh asked in confusion.

    "Well, yeah! How else do you guys drink tea and stuff?"

    "We ... don''t, miss. We''re servants. We don''t eat big table fare."

    "Huh. Well, when I''m around, you do. None of this servant stuff. We''re friends, and my friends get the best!" she pronounced. A whistle sounded from the kettle, and she let the flames fade as she poured a measure of tea leaves in and swirled it around. The animals watched her silently as she let the brew steep, then filled the cups for them.

    "There you go! Hot, so be careful! Hope you like it!"

    Again Ronan was the first to try it, snuffling the liquid in one of the cups first, then taking a careful lap. He bobbed his head happily, then gestured for the others to drink. They all clustered around and started lapping and sipping, several to a cup.

    "Ahh! Amazing!" said one. There were murmurs of agreement.

    "Glad you like it! Briar makes good stuff."

    "Never had it hot before! It tastes so ... fancy!" said one of the mice.

    "Really? I love my hot tea! You guys really don''t have fire or stoves or anything?"

    "No, miss," answered Hugh, looking embarrassed.

    "Huh. Want me to teach you the candle flame spell? It isn''t hard. Actually, now that I think of it, let''s start with water jet first ..."

    <hr>

    "[Water Jet]!"

    "[Water Jet]!"

    "[Water Jet]!"

    Amelia watched with satisfaction as the streams flew around the kitchen, animals dodging and rolling to avoid the shots. A spirited engagement was also going on up in the branches overhead, water trickling down from the limbs like rain.

    There was a mixed aroma of burnt nut, charred berry, and overdone leaves billowing in the kitchen. A group of mice and squirrels were gathered around several skillets, cooking everything edible they could get their paws on. Tongues of candle flame merrily heated the cookware from beneath, proof that they had mastered the spell. Ronan sat in one corner, the badger invoking a flame, watching it for a moment, then extinguishing it, just to light it again. Over and over.

    They had taken to the spells just as quickly as she and the kids had, although she was glad she showed them water jet first. Bert wasn''t around to replace any smoldering wreckage like he''d been when Pancake had taught her.

    She gathered up the last of the toffee wrappers and stuffed them into her sack. Whisper would probably be cranky about having to make do with berries, but she couldn''t bear to hold back any of the candy. The animals had never had anything like it, so the least she could do was give them all a taste. The wisp would understand, she hoped.

    A trumpet sounded in the distance, followed by the rumble of hooves and feet approaching. The raging water war stopped as the animals all raced to assemble in the great hall, Amelia trailing along after them.

    More horn calls sounded as the hunting host galloped out of the trees, halting just outside the hall. The animals who had remained behind all cheered, and there were several cries of "Hail King Digby!" from them.

    "We return!" cried the royal hedgehog from the back of his boar steed. He was wearing a gleaming crown and a gaudy tunic, the latter ill-fitted. He had a horn dangling from a baldric across one shoulder, and an ornate scepter he waved with his right paw.

    "Hurray! Hail King Digby!" responded the crowd, several firing water jets up into the air in celebration.

    "What''s this? Water from the sky? What deviltry is this?" he asked, the assembled hunters gaping with him as they saw the liquid projectiles returning to earth with a splash.

    "My King! A mighty sorceress has taught us magic! Look! [Candle Flame]!" said one of the mice, holding up a flaming paw.

    Amelia waved bashfully at the hedgehog as he gaped at the flame.

    "Hi, uh, your Majesty! I''m Amelia. Just a caretaker, not a mighty sorceress." She blushed slightly.

    One of the foxes from the pack approached, sniffing the hem of Amelia''s trousers. It pulled back, scowling. "She stinks of the Light, my King! A spy!" He whined, his ears flattened back on his skull as he showed his teeth.

    "She smells stronger of the Dark, you fool! Use your brain, not just your nose! Look, her pets sleep there. What friend of the Light could abide those? She gave us food from her own hand. Shared her eldritch spells. I declare this human friend! Now back off!" snarled Ronan, saying more at once than Amelia had yet heard from him. The badger had placed himself between Amelia and the fox, towering up on his hind legs, teeth bared.

    "From her own hand!" echoed several of the small voices behind her, sounding like a ritual response. Hugh and many of the others had moved to stand beside Ronan, all of them glaring at the fox.

    The hedgehog whispered something to the boar, who moved closer to Amelia, the boar sniffing at her over the heads of the animals standing defiantly below.

    "Dark, and Light, your majesty. Ronan speaks true, the Dark is much stronger," he said after a moment.

    "How can this be, girl? Are you Light, or Dark? Who do you serve?" questioned the crowned hedgehog, looking at her seriously.

    "Um, nobody? How can you smell light, anyways? That doesn''t make any sense." Amelia responded, confused.

    "We animals have powerful senses, human. You smell of Light, which marks you as a foe. We can''t take chances. Never again!" said the king, waving his scepter and pointing it at Amelia.

    "Never again!" replied all of the animals, although the ones whom Amelia had befriended were a bit more hesitant this time.

    The hedgehog looked like he was saying something else, but the world went starkly silent. The animals looked around in fright as Shock padded over, casually leaning against Amelia''s leg. The puppy''s lips curled in a snarl, the sounds of the world damping and returning to mark her vocalizations. The dog was facing away from Amelia, so she couldn''t see her eyes, but the animals could, and they shrank back hurriedly from the blazing orbs that glared at them.

    Whisper drifted over lazily, plopping down atop Amelia''s head, pulsing a complex pattern of blue and silver light from her favorite perch.

    "Uh, that is, perhaps I spoke hastily!" stuttered Digby, trying to straighten the crown on his head, holding his scepter across his body protectively.

    The boar the king rode on backed several steps away from them, and Shock stopped her growl, plopping down and letting her tongue hang out as she panted happily.

    "Don''t worry about Shocky, she''s a good girl. She doesn''t bite. Well, not that I know of." Amelia squatted down and patted the dog''s side, the puppy turned to look cutely back up at her, no hint of fire remaining in her eyes. "She might pee on you, though, that does happen. But she''s a good girl! Yes, she is!"

    "My lady, show him your weapon. That will dispel any doubt," said Hugh, looking back at Amelia.

    "Weapon? Oh! Jam Spreader! Here you go!" She pulled the pin from its resting place, transforming and extending it to full length. The blade blazed in the sunlight, the scarlet engravings on the midnight haft dancing and writhing.

    "That''s dweorgar and goblin make, no mistaking it, your majesty!" observed an old stag from nearby, turning its head to eye the weapon. "Can you feel its power? Breathtaking!" he said admiringly.

    "Yup! Bellows and Olavi made it. Pretty cool, huh? Opens stuck jars a treat! Oh, and they made this, too!" She leaned the spear against a shoulder so she could raise her left arm, pulling the hoodie sleeve back with her right. The cold iron bracelet spectacularly failed to glint in the sunlight.

    There was a collective intake of breath, the space between her and the animals growing as they backed away frantically.

    "What? It''s just a bracelet! Oh, I''m not supposed to keep it in the sun too long, though!" Amelia said, putting her arm down and pulling the sleeve over the metal.

    Digby shook his head, shaken. "My lady, you have impressive bona fides. You have the taint of Light, but you are without doubt of the Dark." He paused for a moment, his gaze taking in his subjects, especially those gathered in support of the girl.

    "The lady served us candy, your majesty. And cooked tea for us. She sat with us in the kitchen!" a high-pitched shrew''s voice called.

    "Really? You served my subjects? Cooked for them?" asked the hedgehog, stunned.

    "Yeah, of course! They were taking care of my friends, it was the least I could do! Sorry I''m all out of tea and toffee, I forgot there were all you guys out hunting. Hey! Did you find Onni? The dwarf baby?"

    "No, I''m afraid. The blasted elf eluded us, and took refuge in the lands of the Erlking," said Digby. He spat to one side.

    There were hisses and growls as he said the name, and it was obvious the animals were not happy about that outcome.

    "Erlking? Where have I heard ... Oh, yeah! Ashlee said something about being banned by him. She was really scared about being forced into Megrim, but I let her back into the hollow when she promised to behave."

    "Ashlee? ''Dwells at the ash-tree meadow''? The Hag?" asked the king, incredulous.

    "Yeah, that''s her. You know her? She''s my friend. Runs the pub now, does a great job! You should visit!"

    The king gaped at her for a moment, stunned by the double shock of the declaration of friendship and the invitation. He rallied magnificently, though.

    "I see. Well, miss, as friend to the enemies of my enemies, and for services rendered to my people, I declare you Friend of the Fur Folk!" He spun the scepter over his head as the crowd cheered his proclamation.

 42: Parting Gifts

    "So you think Quiet has Onni?" asked Amelia.

    "If Quiet is that goblin we smelled, then yes. We found goblin blood at a crossing point, and the scent of the dwarf baby, but we kept that blasted pointy ear from getting through. Chased his sorry behind until he crossed into elf lands and had to leave off, more''s the pity. But he didn''t have the child with him, of that we''re certain." The hedgehog replied.

    "Huh. Do you know where that crossing point goes?"

    "No telling. Could be just about anywhere, really. Sorry ''bout that." Digby shrugged helplessly. He turned and looked at the tour group, still raving and ranting about how wonderful everything they saw was. "So this lot is with you? Poor buggers!"

    "Yeah, it was supposed to be a quick hike and picnic, perfectly safe. I feel so terrible! Then poor Onni taken!" Amelia responded. "And Quiet may be hurt! How am I going to tell Tyni? He''ll never forgive me! Or Picker!"

    The tourists were enjoying themselves for now, but they couldn''t leave them that way forever. "Hopefully one of my friends can help. I just need to get ''em back to the hollow, I guess. Then figure out how to find Onni and Quiet, somehow." And Fern, she thought to herself.

    "I''ll send a few of my people to, erm, help herd these folks along, if you''d like. Not much we can do about the others, though. If we knew where they went, we could try to track them, but who knows what realm they ended up in."

    "Any help at all is appreciated. Really!" Amelia gave a little bow in the hedgehog''s direction. She was pretty sure she could get everybody home on her own, but having a few extra eyes for when somebody got distracted and wandered off would be a huge help.

    "Least I could do for teaching my people magic. Incredible! Never seen anything like it! That fire spell will be invaluable to us! Maybe we''ll learn to cook properly even!" Digby straightened the drooping crown with a paw, then leaned closer. "That is if the King after me isn''t a complete schmuck. We''ve got some ... let''s say, less savvy customers in our populace."

    "King after you?" Amelia asked, confused.

    "Yep. For fairness, we rotate. One week each, then it goes to someone else. Same with the clothes and things." He gestured at the tunic and baldric he was wearing. "Everybody can be king, but only us smaller animals get the clothes. We only have so many sizes to go around, you know."

    "Huh. I was wondering. Where did you get them, if you don''t mind me asking?"

    "Not at all! To cut a long story short, we were slaves of the elves, once." He turned his head and spat as he said ''elves'', as did several around him. One mouse called out, "Never again!", and there was a pause as everybody responded in kind.

    "Anyways, some clever clogs made enchanted outfits for dolls that let ''em move and such, but when you put ''em on one of us, we could manipulate stuff. Just as if we had those wiggly bits on the paws like you got." He pointed at Amelia''s hand adroitly with the scepter. "Not everybody got ''em, of course, and many''ve worn out or gotten lost over the years. So we share what''s left, everybody gets a turn." He spun the scepter again, enjoying the control he had over it. "Really blows when you have to go back to pinching with your paws or using your mouth for everything, I can assure you."

    Amelia nodded in understanding, remembering how much difficulty the animals had had moving everything around earlier.

    "Is that why you guys don''t have any cups and plates and things your size? Because they just treated you as servants?"

    "You got it! Furry slaves. Toys, really, us. Wearing doll castoffs, of all the indignities. Nothing more than that." He curled his lip in a sneer, then calmed himself. "Bygone days, though. We finally had enough, banded together, and ran the blighters off. This is our pitch now, and we hunt them. Run ''em back to their master, that despicable Erlking of theirs. Never again!"

    "Never again!" echoed throughout the hall.

    "Don''t you have any crafters, people to make stuff for you? If you can do stuff with the magic clothes, you should be able to, I dunno, make clay mugs or something."

    "You ever try to make pottery? Not as easy as it looks. ''Specially when you''re our size. With only a week to practice before it''s some other bloke''s turn." The King shook his head, looking out over his subjects as they went about their various tasks. "Nope, we make do with what we got, living as we always have. Shame. Hard to break the habit of thinking we''re slaves, so beat into us ..." He shook his head in sorrow, gazing at the scepter he twirled. "It''s better, now, but who knows how long we can keep it up."

    Amelia frowned, then smiled as she watched her travel kettle being used by a skunk and a vole to boil water. "Actually, your Majesty, we could help you guys with that. We have classes on all kinds of stuff over at the hollow. Pottery, tinking, gardening, cooking, all sorts of things. You guys could come learn how to make things for yourselves! Ooh! I could commission Maisie and Montie to make cookware and bits! They made a bunch of smaller-sized stuff for the goblins, and really really tiny ones for Fern and her friends. They could do the same for you guys! That''d tide you over until you could make your own!" She started bouncing up and down as she got excited.

    The king watched her enthusiastic gesticulating but frowned. "What exactly would you want in return? I think you know how we feel towards servitude, and we don''t have any shiny metal to trade. How could we repay such largesse?"

    "Nothing! We''re already doing the classes, so extra students aren''t an issue. Plus most of you hardly take up any room at all! I can pay Maisie and Monty for their work since they like to trade for stuff we make anyways like food and booze. Besides, we''re practically neighbors! How could we not help you out?"

    "Neighbors? Where do you live?"

    Amelia turned to point, then realized she had no idea. She''d gotten rather turned around in the events of the last few hours and wasn''t entirely certain which way home was.

    "Um, not far, the other side of a stream and road. Big metal fence, teeny path leading to it. I''d say it''s the patch of woods, but that isn''t very helpful here in Megrim. In the mortal realm, it''s the only trees for miles around, so you couldn''t miss it."

    The hedgehog''s eyes bugged out a bit. "Hag''s Hollow? You live in Hag''s Hollow?"

    "Uh, yeah, I''ve heard it called that. And we do have some, well several, I guess you''d call ''em hags, but they''re really nice once you get to know them. Miss Annie teaches a shop class, Miss Jenny teaches swimming, when they aren''t playing cards in the pub, that is. Miss Ashlee runs the pub, by the way. I think I mentioned that already."

    Digby rubbed an ear with his free paw, blinking at the girl in disbelief. "That explains some things, I guess. That place is a bastion for the Dark, but it''s protected by a light realm controller, birth something-or-other. Very strange place."

    "Birth ... Oh! Beorthmund? I just call him Bert. I''m his caretaker. Well, the caretaker for the hollow, but they''re kind of the same thing, I think."

    The hedgehog just stared at her.

    "What? It''s not a big deal. My Gran asked me, so I came and lived there. Cleaned the place up a bit, made some friends. It''s nice! You''d like it!"

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    "So you''re the caretaker for one of the Light''s realm controllers, yet you''re friends with more Dark whotsits than most''ve ever heard of, much less met. You''ve got artifacts straight out of myth, decked out like some sort of legendary hero. You freely teach spells the like of which we''ve never seen, and offer to teach more! Who exactly are you, girl?"

    "I''m just me! Amelia! I don''t know anything about this ''Light'' and ''Dark'' you keep going on about, really! Bert''s my friend, and so''re the rest. All there is to it, far as I''m concerned. This stuff," she gestured at the pin and her bracelet, "Stuff my friends made, ''cause they''re nice and like to make things. People make all kinds of cool stuff there. You should taste Tyni''s cooking or Tuuka''s booze!"

    "Right. Right. And you''re willing to teach us skills and share your, uh, ''stuff'', with us? For free. No strings attached?" he asked, incredulously.

    "Yup. That''s how we do things. I mean, you guys are welcome to help out around the place if it would make you feel better. But as friends and guests, not as servants! Not while I have anything to say about it!"

    The King stared at her for a minute, then turned his head to watch the activity going on around them. The water wars had resumed, with the animals Amelia had originally trained teaching others. There were gouts of light here and there as the candle flame spell was practiced. Whatever other duties the creatures had had clearly been disrupted.

    "I can''t see how I could refuse such an offer. But I''ll have to think on it, if you don''t mind. I''ll send a few to help you get your friends home with you, and they can report back on what they see."

    "That works! No rush, we aren''t going anywhere. Come visit whenever! We can put you up as long as you want. Plenty of room in the woods, or I can make rooms for you downstairs in the warren. As much space as we need, there."

    "Really? You''d make rooms for us? Like, in a house?" said the boar steed.

    "Of course! Why not? Everybody should have a place to call their own! Besides, Bert needs occupied rooms to store more energy, so it helps us out, too!"

    There were murmurs around them, as the animals had been listening in on the conversation. The King looked around at the excited animals, listening to what they were saying.

    "Hmmm, well, yes. We''ll discuss it after our people return, but maybe we will take you up on a visit!" He said, finally.

    <hr>

    The original ''shepherds'' that had brought the tour group to the hall were delegated to escort them back to the hollow. Amelia had already met Hugh and Ronan and recognized Ottilie and Fia as the mouse and hare she''d seen while she was hiding earlier. Wilfred, a mouse, and Liam, a skunk, rounded out the party.

    In the tourist''s highly suggestible state, it was easy to get them to gear back up and follow after Amelia and Shock. The puppy had been tasked with finding their way home, the dog able to lead them directly there without even having to find their original scent trail. It was further away than Amelia had thought they''d been, but it was still less than an hour walk before they were passing through the gate at the front of the hollow.

    As soon as they had entered the boundaries of Bert, Amelia had gotten a sequence of notices from the core.

    [Notice! Hostile spell detected. Removing.]

    This repeated for each of the tour group, and as soon as Bert made the announcement, the respective person was freed from the glamour that had controlled them.

    "Thanks, Bert! I was worried we''d have to brew up a potion or get Pancake and Lark to do something. You''re the best!" said Amelia, happy her friends were better.

    "That was amazing! I can''t wait to go again!" said Bill, unaware of the entirety of what had happened. "Everything was just awesome! Beyond awesome! Amazingly stupendously awesome!"

    "Yeah, about that. So you guys got spelled. Elisabet, calm down, no, he''s okay, let me explain. He''s with Quiet, and maybe Fern. I''m sure they''ll take good care of him ..." Amelia said hurriedly as the dwarf started to panic, looking with horror at the empty baby sling.

    <hr>

    "This is the wood and metal shop. Toy shop too, I guess. Hi Scorper! Hi Olavi! These are some friends we met on our hike! Ottilie, Fia, Wilfred, Liam, Hugh, and Ronan." She said, pointing to each in turn.

    The goblin nodded in acknowledgment from his place at the lathe, both hands occupied with his work. The dwarf pushed his jeweler''s loupe up as he looked over from where he was seated at a workbench. He looked mildly surprised, but recovered quickly, standing to give a small bow to the visitors, who bowed in turn.

    "Hey! I just thought of something! Olavi -- King Digby was telling me about magic doll clothes. They let the animals do stuff like they had hands. You know anything about those kinds of things, being a toy maker and all?"

    He scratched his chin, dislodging some crumbs from lunch from his beard. "I can''t say that I do." He continued scratching as his eyes lost focus, gazing through the animals as he thought deeply. "But I suppose it wouldn''t be that hard. I suppose a variant of ... no ..., maybe ..., hmm, not that. How about ..." He started mumbling, his right hand reaching for some cloth scraps almost on autopilot.

    "Oops. I think I broke him. Darn. You know how it is with these artist types, right?" She joked, looking over at her guests.

    They were enthralled by the workshop, especially the racks of tools closer to their size. Still too big, but smaller than anything they''d ever seen before. Ronan glared down at his paws, angry at seeing such wondrous things that he was born unable to use. The rest looked equally upset, but followed Amelia around as she pointed out the the various machines, then watched Scorper at work turning a bowl. After a few minutes, she led them towards the stairway to continue the tour.

    "Wait! My Lady! Just a moment!" called Olavi suddenly, waving a strip of cloth he''d stitched together hastily.

    "My Lady? I thought we got past that, Olavi!"

    "Right, sorry, sorry! Excited! Here, one of you try this!" He offered the sash towards the group.

    Hugh shrugged, then took the item, staring at it. It was nothing more than a ragged offcut of material, a few quick stitches holding it together. The squirrel sniffed it skeptically, then looped it over one shoulder, looking expectantly at the dwarf.

    "Here!" Olavi said, tossing the squirrel a small screwdriver. He caught it reflexively by slapping his paws together, pinching it carefully.

    "Can you hold it with one, uh, paw? Did it work?" The dwarf asked anxiously.

    Hugh pulled his paws apart hopefully, but the tool dropped onto Ronan''s back.

    "Oh. Oh! Wait! Let me just ..."

    The dwarf made a small adjustment to the garment, the animals watching him with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

    "There! Forgot the activation loop, forget my own head next! Now try picking it up, if you would. One-handed, please!" He said, adding the last as the squirrel reached down with both paws.

    There was an intake of breath from them all when Hugh lifted the tiny item in his paw then twirled it around dexterously. His pudgy cheeks crinkled into a grin.

    "Hah! Child''s play! Compared to the work Bellows and I did on that bracelet, easy as pie! Let me whip up a few more for the rest of you ..." He turned back to his workbench, grabbing more scraps of cloth.

    "You ... you ... you can do this?" Ottilie gaped, looking back and forth between the dwarf and the squirrel, who was tossing the screwdriver from paw to paw with glee.

    "I''ll just crank out a few quick. Ugly prototypes, but they should do the job. Give me a few hours and I can make better stuff if you want. No problem!" He said, speaking carefully as he held a threaded needle in his lips while snipping out strips of cloth. The dwarf eyeballed the animals as he worked, sizing things appropriately.

    "We have to tell King Digby! Right away! This is amazing!" shouted Liam, the skunk hopping about so much that Wilfred actually fell off, sprawling on the floor.

    "Oy!" yelled the mouse, ramming his excited former mount with his head in retribution.

    "Sorry Willy, sorry!"

    "There! Done! For you, and you, and you ... Sorry for the colour, red was what I had lying around. Try ''em out, go on!"

    The animals all donned the sashes, then immediately started playing with the gears, screws, and other bits and bobs in the workshop.

    The dwarf watched with glee, proud of his impromptu handiwork.

    "Good job, Olavi! Wow! Can you make more? And larger? There are a lot of the Fur Folk, and I bet they''d all like one!"

    "Sure! It''d be my pleasure! I haven''t had a good excuse to make many toys, we only have so many kids around here. Good chance to knock the rust off, keep my hand in!" He answered, thrilled at the prospect.

    "Awesome. Why don''t we go upstairs, and I''ll show you guys the art studios. More stuff to play with, up there! We can leave Olavi to work his miracles!"

    <hr>

    The six animals left eventually, loaded down with a variety of sashes in different sizes. Olavi had churned out a huge selection, working until they couldn''t possibly carry anymore. He promised he could make more fitting garments when they returned, fashionable and more functional.

    They also had several mugs and minuscule utensils that she had liberated from the kitchen. Fern didn''t need them all, and they were easy to replace, so Amelia sent them with the Fur Folk as a further gesture of goodwill, along with packets of crisps and other goodies she grabbed from the caf¨¦ storeroom.

    "Come back soon! We can play dress up! And eat all the things! Thanks for your help with my friends!" She called after them as they exited back into Megrim, so burdened with gifts they could only nod back at her, replies muffled in all the cloth and parcels.

    She watched them disappear around the first bend in the path, then headed to the kitchen. She could hear the sobbing from Elisabet, the woman inconsolable and crying in her husband''s arms. She had taken her straight to Tyni once they''d arrived but had to leave the pair briefly while she gave the whirlwind tour to their visitors.

    "I''m so sorry, Elisabet, Tyni! We''ll get him back! I promise! Quiet and Fern won''t let anything happen to him, wherever they are ..."

 43: Returning Friends

    Amelia instructed Bert not to let either dwarf leave the hollow without her permission. She wasn''t sure that Tyni or Elisabet would try to hunt down their child, but she wouldn''t be at all surprised if they did. Since there was no way to know where their missing friends were, though, that wouldn''t be helpful.

    She hoped that they were all okay, and would make it home soon. Until they did, there wasn''t much they could do for them but wait.

    The first day back was spent in fruitless planning and scheming until they had eliminated everything they could think of to find their friends. Frustrated and tired, they''d gone to bed extremely late.

    The next day dawned brightly, and with the sun came the Fur Folk. Amelia had instructed Bert to let them in when they arrived, and they came en masse. All but a few wore the sashes Olavi had made since there had not been quite enough for them all.

    "Hey everybody! Welcome to the hollow! Glad you came!" Amelia greeted them as they gathered in the yard, staring in awe at the cottage and its tower.

    "Greetings Lady Amelia, Friend of the Fur Folk!" boomed Ronan, who was wearing the crown and carrying the scepter, which looked a little small in his grasp.

    "Just Amelia, please, your majesty!" She curtsied to the badger.

    "Have the missing returned? Any word?" he asked.

    "No, unfortunately. We''re just hoping they find their way home on their own, and soon!"

    The badger nodded, then indicated the mass of his people.

    "If now is not a good time ..." he started to say before Amelia interrupted.

    "No! Of course you guys are welcome! I can''t swear that Tyni will be on top of his cooking game, but other than that, things should be more or less normal here. As normal as it gets. Let me show you the place!"

    <hr>

    The tour was complicated, considering the number of visitors, and because many of them were ill-suited for spiral staircases. The larger ones, such as the stags and boars, ended up having to wait while their brethren nosed around. They were well mollified, though, as they got to spend that time with Bellows in the smithy, the goblin only too thrilled to show off his craft. By the time Amelia returned with the others, the big animals were already working the forge and hammering out nails under the smith''s beaming supervision.

    Envious of missing out, the smaller creatures scattered to the other work and class areas, impromptu demonstrations and lessons starting immediately. Spoon was sent through the portal in Sandy''s back room to fetch Monty and Maisie, the two craftspeople tickled to have a flood of eager new students, no matter what shape they were.

    King Ronan and Amelia worked with Bert to construct dens and burrows for everyone in the warrens, then expanded the shops and classrooms even further to make sure there was plenty of room for everybody to do their thing. The biggest change was making a much larger combined shop space underground for Scorper and Miss Annie (and their students), leaving the former space in the tower for precision work as the toy and clockwork shop. Amelia also added ramps, small access doors, and other accessibility features throughout, to better accommodate the smaller-sized animals.

    Once his shop was reorganized, Olavi crafted sashes for those who hadn''t received one yet, then started in on other clothing items that took more fitting. Those took longer, mostly because he had a bunch of eager students of his own that he started walking through the process. They picked up the sewing quickly enough, but working the ''handy'' charm took considerably more training.

    The days seemed to pass in a blur, full of new friends and things to learn, teach, and do. Nobody forgot the missing trio, however. Nor did they forget the cause of the separation, as the Fur Folk freely mentioned their enmity of the elves, voicing their mantra of ''Never Again!'' time and again.

    Amelia first noted the change in the focus of the crafters. Where before they had worked almost exclusively on useful or beautiful things, now they frequently churned out implements of war. Whether or not spearheads and axes were the normal training pieces for smiths, Bellows and his proteges pounded them out by the dozen. All shapes and sizes. All in cold worked iron, anathema to elvenkind. Miss Annie started to work more in sheet metal, teaching dishing and planishing, techniques particularly useful in making armor. Briar took over the brewery, imparting the concoction of liquid weal and woe by the hogshead, masked and muffled against the hideous fumes.

    Spear practice continued, much more seriously than before. Without Picker or Quiet to provide instruction, Vieno took over as trainer. The young dwarf had been the best student and was well able to impart the basics she''d mastered. There were so many participating they had to move the practice to Alder''s clearing. The old tree quickly became an expert coach as well, his eye keen even if he couldn''t handle a weapon personally. He would call out tips and pointers to the students, refining their footwork and form as if he''d been a warrior all his long life. They drilled and sparred until they dropped. Rested, then did it again. One-on-one or in formations, in the open, amongst the trees, in buildings, or underground, they practiced. Once suitable training implements were found for Mr. Ainsley and some of the other shadowy residents, the intensity increased unbelievably. It wasn''t uncommon for visiting ramblers to pause in their hike to watch a squad of mice spar with a troll, or a joust between squirrels mounted on hares, or aerial combat between sprites and voles atop birds.

    Amelia was hit hard by this change in the general tone of her home. She was happy to have even more friends staying with them, even if only temporarily. She enjoyed the practices and training, especially the camaraderie that developed. But she hated the reason for the renewed vigour and determination they all had. She struggled with unfamiliar emotions and stress, but she vowed to prepare herself as best she could. Baby-stealing elves were a menace that couldn''t be ignored. She had thought Mr. Unpronounceable himself was a minor annoyance, but when she described his true appearance to Ronan, Digby, and Hugh, they had assured her that he was indeed one of the mind-controlling foe and a prestigious one at that.

    So she threw herself wholeheartedly into self-improvement. Not just with spears and shields, or the various spells that Pancake drilled them in. She worked in private in the spell range deep underground, where it was safe to let loose. Ashlee, Mr. Ainsley, even Beige and Blue took turns coaching her, and she spent much time in consultation with Bert and Donald. Her mood gradually improved, if only from the quiet confidence in her growing ability to protect her friends.

    Every day, though, many of those dwelling in the hollow came together for meals. Tyni cooked like a whirlwind, assisted by his cadre of learners. The diners shared stories of what they''d learned or accomplished during the day, mishaps and marvels, fun, and frustration. They celebrated wins and commiserated losses, encouraging each other to greater heights on the morrow. They joined Alder for role-playing games or marveled up at the stars, or joined the group reading in the lounge, the fire crackling away as they sipped drinks and ate snacks.

    The Fur Folk worked hard to absorb everything they could and soon were producing tools, utensils, clothes, and other items. They fit in well with life in the hollow, quickly becoming friends with the inhabitants, particularly with Alder''s assistants, the squirrels and birds that acted as his agents in his former duties. Amelia found it endlessly amusing to watch them all at work. The sight of a stag hammering out a piece of metal while a boar worked the forge was almost as fun as seeing weasels throwing pots on the wheel, or foxes working at the mill and lathe wearing their specially fitted safety glasses.

    The crown passed from Ronan to a fox named Percy, who was nice enough but a little arrogant and dense. Now that all of the animals had their own personal apparel, and they didn''t have to share, the crown wasn''t nearly as important as it had been in the past. The king (or queen, as the case may be) acted mostly as a spokesanimal for the Folk and soothed any ruffled fur or enforced peace where necessary. Amelia made it a point to interact primarily with the ruler, even though she made plenty of time for her new friends, like Hugh, Ronan, and Digby. It seemed the polite thing to do, and since the leader was the one trying to make sure the populace was happy. She frequently worked with them to help rearrange lodgings or stock needed crafting materials, or improve access to places and things. Percy had done a decent job, but Amelia was happy when Constance, a lovely female skunk, took over. She had much more patience and understanding, which made everything run smoother.

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    Everywhere you looked was a bustle of activity, and Amelia continually added new rooms and facilities to accommodate all the diverse needs.

    The sweet-making room she added deep in the warren was one of her favorite new places. Sandy had acquired some candy and dessert cookbooks that contained a plethora of toffees, cakes, and other scrumptious recipes amongst their many pages. Amelia had borrowed the collection immediately, sequestering herself amid vats of bubbling syrups and melting chocolate, armed to the teeth with candy thermometers and mixing spoons. She placed the workspace deep underground to discourage Whisper from causing too much trouble since the wisp preferred to spend her time in close proximity to her oven sleeping spot. On the rare occasion the glowball tracked the delicious aromas back to their source, Amelia had to bribe her with a king''s ransom of candy, then relocate the confectionary to a new spot for a few more days of peace.

    A week passed, then two.

    Then came the surprising announcement from Bert.

    [Notice. Portal from Elara opened. Entrance permission for unknown, dangerous entities requested by Quiet, who has already entered.]

    "Quiet''s at the Elara Portal!" Amelia yelled, already in motion. "Let ''em in, Bert!"

    <hr>

    Amelia was one of the first to the trilithon mound, her long legs giving her the advantage in the race. But Tyni and Elisabet still beat her. When she arrived, the two dwarves were sobbing in happiness as they held their son and embraced the goblin who had returned him.

    "Home! Home! Friends! Friends!"

    "Fern! Quiet! Oh my gosh! You made it! Are you okay? Where have you been? What happened? Who''s with you?"

    "Ooof! Need to breathe! Air!"

    "Sorry, sorry! It''s so good to see you! C''mere Fern! Toffee?" Amelia released the goblin she''d nearly smothered with her hug, then pulled some emergency candy from her pocket. Fern was momentarily distracted from the treat as she was playing chase with Whisper, the wisp zooming after her returned friend, glowing so brightly happy green that she was painful to look at.

    Cheers rang out as more people made it to the clearing, everyone needing to hug Quiet and wave at Onni, the baby held too possessively by his parents to get hugs from others.

    "So what happened, Quiet? We knew you got Onni from that elf, and went through a portal, but what happened after that?" Amelia pestered the goblin, who was beaming with the warm welcome she''d received from everyone.

    Quiet started to talk, then noticed all of the animals wearing articles of clothing, who''d followed the rest to the clearing.

    Amelia noticed her unease. "It''s okay! These are the Fur Folk! We''re friends. They''re staying here while they learn how to make stuff. This is Queen Constance, their leader." She pointed out the skunk with the distinctive crown and scepter. Constance waved the scepter in greeting.

    The goblin waved back and nodded, not terribly surprised at the turn of events.

    "Well, I followed these folk as they pursued the elf. It was hard to keep up, and it was mostly luck that I figured out he''d doubled back and was hiding, waiting for us all to go away. I, uh, persuaded him to give Onni back. The discussion was kinda pointed, if you take my meaning." The goblin indicated a long mark on her left arm, the wound still red and not fully healed. "I left him to consider the error of his ways and started heading back. Unfortunately, he followed me, and I had to nip through a portal. I thought I lost him then, but he surprised me a day later. He''d brought a war party of other elves, and we only escaped by the skin of our teeth. I managed to keep evading them, but it was tough going. Hard to keep a baby healthy and make good time, while also hiding one''s tracks, but we survived. Ended up in Elara eventually, and by pure overwhelming luck bumped into Nic and his crew. They were, well, a little busy, but I''ll let them tell that story. Anyways, here we are, safe and sound. I''m ready for a few weeks of sleep and as much food as I can cram down, but none of us are really the worse for the wear."

    It was only at the end of the goblin''s story that they remembered the many others who had come through the stone doorway.

    "Nic! Timon! Hi everybody! Good to see you! You guys having another holiday?" Amelia called out. Then did a double take as even more people she didn''t recognize continued filing through the portal. Only a few of them were in the dark blue uniform of the maintenance crew, and they all looked like they''d been through rough times.

    "Uh, guys? Wow! That''s a lot of people! You''re all welcome, of course, but what''s going on?"

    The skeletal ratman raised one clenched fist above his head, and all the newcomers did the same. As one, they intoned "Good book by the fire, snack and a bevvy!". Several of them were carrying banners that looked hastily made. They featured a background of roaring flames, with a hardcover book in the foreground, flanked by a tea mug and a slice of pie.

    "Uh, yeah, okay ..."

    As Amelia looked at them, she realized most of them were carrying weapons instead of cleaning tools. Many of them had bandaged wounds, and they all looked exhausted, if elated.

    "We won, Amelia! We took the advice we got when we visited, and it worked! We unionized and worked together. Together we were strong!"

    "Stronger together!" shouted many in the group, and they all raised their fists in that salute again.

    "We forced the issue, and management capitulated! Elara is free from their tyranny!"

    A loud cheer went up again, the assembled Elarans shaking their weapons or fists over their heads.

    The gathered hollows dwellers watched the spectacle, unsure what to make of the group. More and more of them kept passing through the portal, with space in the clearing rapidly running out.

    Amelia wasn''t sure what the right thing to say was, so she said what was in her heart. "This calls for a party!"

    This was greeted by more cheers, this time from all present.

    <hr>

    There wasn''t room for everyone in the attic meeting space of the cottage, nor in the yard. So Amelia had Bert create an enormous great hall deep underground in the warren, and attached portals from there to the bath house and the front of the cottage. A dumbwaiter was added to the kitchen, which Tyni''s assistants started filling with whatever they could grab or cook quickly. The dwarf himself had been forbidden from helping, Amelia having threatened to tie him to a chair if he didn''t sit down and spend time with his wife and their returned child.

    Amelia loaded all the treats she''d made and stored in the candy shop and piled them up on one of the tables, next to kegs that Pint rolled out from the brewery. Ashlee closed the pub for the day so she could come serve drinks and generally help out, and Queen Constance bade many of her subjects to organize and direct traffic. Luckily Bert kept the pantries and larders filled, so there was no danger of running out of provender. Tyni''s students managed to feed the host in fine fashion, the dwarf boasting about their work to all who would listen. Since everybody dropped by to see his family, that was a considerable amount of boasting, indeed.

    The party roared on until well into the morning of the next day. Amazingly, they''d depleted all of the brew and spirits Tuuka and Pint had made and had to break into the stores in the cellar. They weren''t quite as good, but by then nobody noticed the drop in quality.

    Amelia finally collapsed in her armchair in front of the fire downstairs in the cottage. There were several people she didn''t recognize sleeping on the various sofas and a few on the floor, despite her adding in a gigantic wing of private bedrooms down in the warrens. Apparently, not everybody was able to walk that far after all the festivities.

    She was just about to nod off herself and was trying to muster the energy to climb the stairs of the tower up to her room when Nic plopped down in a neighboring wing chair. The skeletal ratman grinned at her, although to be fair he was always grinning. But he looked happier than usual.

    "You guys sure know how to party here! We''d told the others stories, but they really didn''t believe us."

    "Glad you enjoyed it! All the credit has to go to the cooks and servers, and Bert for all the raw ingredients and stuff. But I think everybody had a great time! We always like a chance to party, here!"

    "Yeah, I can tell." He paused for a moment and managed to look a bit serious, in spite of the lack of flesh to emote with.

    "The old boss, um, ''vacated'' the position. Grabbed this when it appeared. We had a vote, and it was unanimous. We''d like you to have this. Seems like you''d do right by it, and by us."

    He seemed to consider briefly, then nodded to himself. He pulled something out of his boiler suit chest pocket, then tossed it to Amelia nonchalantly. She caught it awkwardly, then glanced down at the object she held. It was about the size and shape of a deck of cards, dull grey in colour, and not made of any obvious material.

    "Um, isn''t this a ..." Amelia started to say, suddenly recognizing what she held.

    [Bonding candidate detected. Processing.]

    "Oh no! No no no ..."

    [Processing complete. Candidate suitable. Acceptance query input overridden. Bonding initiated. Processing. Bonding complete. Storing unit.]

    "No no no no no! Not another one ..."

    The item faded from her hands.

 44: Box o Chocolate

    "Status?"

    [Status: active]

    [Status: active (mobile)]

    [Status: active]

    Well, there it was. She was now connected to not one, not two, but three seeds. Or realm controllers. Or dungeon cores. Or whatever you chose to call them. Nic had watched the core disappear from view as she held it, then nodded happily.

    "There you go! Excellent. What are your orders, Boss? Boss?"

    Amelia sat in a daze. At least Elara responded to her spoken command right away, unlike Bert and Donald had done. That was something, at least. She looked over at the expectant skeleton, waiting patiently on the edge of the wing chair. His short legs swung happily as they dangled, the chair entirely too large for the man.

    "Um, first off, none of this ''boss'' business. It''s Amelia, okay?"

    The ratman just shrugged. "Got it, Boss!" He continued grinning, as always. Perhaps slightly more than usual.

    Amelia glared at him, but he was unrepentant.

    "Why didn''t one of you guys take this? Why me?"

    "It''s like this. You''re a good person, and you care. That''s way more''n could be said of our previous bosses. You don''t seem to want power. Fates know you got enough already. Far as I can tell, you only used it to make this place more comfy. No raiding, pillaging, etc etc. We''re tired of the way things''ve been run, so we figured we''d try your way. So there you go. Realm''s gotta have a master, or some scoundrel''ll just snatch the controller and we''re back to where we were. They might even close the place down, and then we''d really be in it."

    "Huh. Okay. Would''ve been nice to have a choice in the matter, though." Amelia said, a little uncomfortable with his reasoning. It wasn''t like she''d chosen this. I mean, sure, she''d accepted Gran''s invitation to be caretaker, but she had no idea what that entailed. And just like with Donald, she didn''t even have a chance to say no to Elara.

    "What? You got the prompt, you must''ve said yes. I watched it fade myself."

    "Nope. Something about ''overridden''. Happened with Donald too, but at least that time I heard the question. Didn''t even get that this time."

    "Really? That is strange! Huh! I''m no expert, but I don''t think that''s right. Bit late now, though. Sorry." He wasn''t the least apologetic.

    Amelia just shrugged. It was what it was. She looked at the expectant former janitor, having no idea what she should tell him to do.

    "Uh, anything that needs attention? Any big problems you know about?"

    The ratman guffawed, the sound reverberating oddly from his empty skull. He slapped his bony knee, then cocked his head and gazed off into the distance for a few moments.

    "Yeah, we got lots of problems. But nothing that can''t wait." He indicated the sleepers nearby with his chin. "Everybody''s fed and watered, and we all got places to sleep. So we''re doing better than we were before."

    Amelia stifled a yawn. "Okay. I need to sleep. Why don''t we meet up tomo... uh, I guess it is tomorrow. How about after noon? We can discuss things then."

    "Sure thing, Boss! Have a good sleep!" He slipped off the chair and gave a little bow, before heading for the front door, the clomping of his heavy boots muffled by the rag carpets.

    Amelia levered herself out of the embrace of the armchair, slowly making her way up the tower staircase. There weren''t many people about yet (or still), but the rooms all felt alive, lived in. Pint and Briar always had things bubbling or steeping in the brewery. The new precision shop--which she thought of as the toy shop--had dozens of projects in various stages of completion strewn across the many benches and tables. There was the ''chink chink chink'' of metal on stone as she passed through the art floor, Elisabet already up and at work on a new sculpture. The dwarf hadn''t been able to bring herself to make art the entire time little Onni was missing, and it warmed Amelia''s heart to hear the familiar sound again. She thought about peeking into the studio but didn''t want to disturb the artist''s peace.

    The next level she ascended through in her bedward journey used to be the classroom level. They had so many classes and students, now, that it had been impractical to fit them all in the tiny space. So those had been moved down into the warren, and the children had the whole floor for their own. The two classrooms had been opened up into a much larger play area, with toys, books, and blankets scattered everywhere. She waved at the three goblin triplets who were just crawling out of the pillow fort they often slept in, then frantically invoked a shield spell to block the incoming water projectiles. You had to keep on your toes around those three!

    She finally emerged onto the top level and quietly made her way to her small room. There were at least a dozen people asleep on the sofas and recliners in the lounge, looking like they''d drifted off in the middle of conversations. There was a small pile of crisp crumbs and a puddle of evaporating booze directly under Beige and Blue''s nest doors, so it looked like the birds had gotten in on the fun as well.

    Shock and Pancake were out of it when she slid into her bed, still wearing her clothes. At least the two were cuddled together, not sprawled out over most of the bed as usual. She still ended up sleeping on her side, crowded against the wall. A larger bed (and bedroom) was certainly a possibility, but Amelia didn''t mind. Eventually, the two would be too large to sleep with anyways, so she made the most of cuddle time while she could.

    When she woke, she had the bed to herself. Usually, one or the other of her bedmates would wake her up, frequently by starting a play fight with the other. It was better than an alarm clock, but she''d had to forbid spell-casting in the bed. Waking up soaking wet while the puppy chased the goat back and forth at full tilt was not pleasant.

    After stretching and scratching, she grabbed some clean clothes and started stumbling her way down to the bathhouse. She''d resisted putting a portal from her room directly there, but every time she had to drag herself down the multiple flights of stairs she regretted that decision. But it did mean she was well awake when she finally got there. Her greetings to those she passed on the way were a bit muzzy and incoherent, but most of them were used to that state by now. It was odd to have so many new voices and faces around, though, and so many people calling her ''boss'' or ''ma''am''. She''d have to work on that.

    The shower block was crowded. She should have guessed as much, with so many of them having stayed up so late to celebrate the newcomers and the return of Onni, Fern, and Quiet. There wasn''t a line though, at least, but the place was steamy and moist from all the bathing going on.

    All clean and changed, she tossed her dirties in the laundry chute. She suddenly realized she didn''t know where that went. Bert took care of all the cleaning, and the clothes would be fresh and folded back in her dresser shortly. She''d never asked how he achieved that. Probably better not to look a gift housekeeper in the mouth, she thought.

    She grabbed an apple-banana muffin from the caf¨¦, thanking the pair of stoats who had volunteered to work the counter. There were people everywhere. She wandered as she picked at the moist pastry, observing all the goings-on. Out front of the cottage, Timon was giving a tour of the gardens to a group of his compatriots. The group consisted of two crocodilians like Timon, a hyena, and several of the goblins from a different species than the ones she was familiar with. They were all in awe of the abundant vegetables and herbs. Amelia spied several ratfolk climbing in the newly producing fruit trees, faces stained with juice.

    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    As usual, there were several people from the surrounding area visiting the hollow, gaping at the odd sights and sounds while munching on chips and other snacks from the caf¨¦. It was such a striking contrast to see ''normal'' human people versus the overwhelming variety of animals, creatures, and humanoids that were currently occupying the place. Everybody seemed to be getting along just fine, though, chatting and socializing famously.

    Taking the path around behind the cottage, she saw a pair of the huge spiders from Elara feeding insects to Mr. Speckles, Bubbles, and Whiskers. In the smithy, Lachlan was demonstrating a technique he''d learned to an attentive gaggle of ratmen clustered near the anvil. Sparks bounced off the heavy apron the boar wore, it and the backwards ball cap grubby and dingy. She couldn''t hear what he was saying over the sounds of the bellows and the roar of the forge, but they all seemed excited.

    Alder''s clearing was just as packed as every place else, with several demonstrations and conversations going on in little knots around the area. She saw a minotaur and a wolf deep in discussion with Alder, the trio watching and commenting on practice spars going on nearby. They seemed to be disagreeing about some finer point of footwork, upon which the tree was most opinionated.

    She thought about heading down into the vault and checking out the mining operation. Few of the goblins and dwarves were available these days to make much progress, and there wasn''t much to see besides big holes, at least to her untrained eye. They hadn''t had the personnel to explore the caves branching off the main cavern yet, but maybe with all the new people around, they''d finally get to that.

    Which brought up a new thought. The Fur Folk had originally only come to stay for a short while, to learn basic crafting and become more self-sufficient in ''civilized things''. But even though the crown had passed on to several heads since King Ronan had brought them, they didn''t seem eager to leave. She didn''t want to assume that they''d stay forever, but maybe she''d need to discuss the matter with Queen Constance.

    The same thing would need to be discussed with the Elarans, as well. That was an interesting situation. She hadn''t gotten a headcount of how many had come through the portal, but it was closer to hundreds than dozens. It''d be great to have more person-power around if they had stuff they wanted to do, but she''d need to figure out what was going on back ''home'' for them as well.

    With that line of thinking, she decided it was time to seek out Nic and have that chat they''d postponed last night. That morning. Before sleeping, anyways.

    She found the bony ratman hard at work in her new sweet shop, concentrating fiercely as he piped decoration onto a still-warm truffle. He was standing on a chair so he could be high enough above the work surface, and the way his jaw was set made her think he''d be sticking his tongue out as he focused if he still had one. There were already a few trays of decorated candies off to one side, and it looked like only a few pieces left to go. He acknowledged her presence, but finished up, squeezing the last of the fondant in a decorative swirl.

    "Sorry ''bout that! Didn''t want it to set wrong. Got a time limit once you got it all set up."

    "Those look great! I didn''t know you were a confectioner!"

    "Yeah, I dabble. Don''t need sleep anymore, so I try my hand at this ''n that to kill time."

    "Can I try one?"

    "Of course! Those are strawberry fudge, chocolate ganache, uh, praline, and those are brandy filled," he said, pointing out each type. They had appropriate decorative touches to identify them, once you knew the pattern. "Careful with the liquor ones. Miss Ashlee had a pint of Tuuka''s hidden somewhere, and I promised her some of these if she shared. You know how that dwarf likes his stuff."

    "Yeah. I''m sure those taste great, but I think I''ll stay sober for now." She reached for one of the strawberry fudge ones, then chewed appreciatively. "Oooh! That''s good! You keep making these, you''re gonna be real popular!"

    He bobbed his head in acceptance of the praise. There were traces of chocolate on his exposed teeth, so she knew he''d already sampled. For quality control purposes, of course.

    "Not the sort of place I''d normally expect to find in a dungeon, I gotta say. You guys must not have much of an adventurer problem ''round here. ''Course, with people like Miss Ashlee casually hanging about, I guess that shouldn''t be a surprise, either."

    "Adventurer problem? We just have Quiet and Picker. You remember him? He and Tuuka are off visiting their home, seeing if anybody there wants to relocate, or something. They''re certainly no problem."

    "Ah. Not what I meant. Don''t you guys have people coming in to raid? I''m no expert, but I thought all dungeons were set up that way. Gotta say, prefer the party and crafting motif you got going, but can''t see how you maintain it. Isn''t the energy drain off the charts?"

    Amelia stared at the skeleton in confusion. "Raids? We don''t have anything like that. We get people coming in to hike, eat at the caf¨¦, and game with Alder, though. As for energy, Bert says he gets it from ''positive emotional energy'', which sounds pretty hippy-dippy to me, honestly."

    Nic scratched his skull absently, the nails making a hollow scritching sound. "Yeah, I''ve seen some of them. The ones in the puffy jackets and stocking caps, mostly, right?"

    "That''s them. They kinda stick out, being human and all." Amelia said wryly.

    "Huh. But there aren''t that many of them. How many you kill on average, say, daily?"

    "What? Kill? None! I don''t ... What ...?" she replied, shocked.

    Nic held his paws up in placation. "Sorry, sorry! Didn''t realize it was a touchy subject. But none? Really? No way you could run this place on that little energy. I mean, how many spawns you got going? All those animals alone must be a ton of energy, and I don''t even want to get started on the monsters. I don''t get it."

    Amelia continued to look confused. She recognized the words he was saying, but they certainly didn''t make any sense. She gave him a questioning shrug.

    "Look, again, just a maintenance guy. Okay, I guess union rep now too, but still. This isn''t my area of expertise. But when you create a creature to populate the dungeon, that takes power. Every time they die and you bring ''em back, that takes more power. Right?"

    "Um, what? Bert creates raw ingredients and stuff, like sheet metal and cloth, but not people. Not that I know of, anyways. Uh, that is, how could you tell?"

    "That''s easy. Shank ''em. If they disappear and come back later, that was a spawn. Kiddin'', kiddin''. Kind of a rough test, that." He shrank back a bit from her glare. "But you''re the caretaker, right? Just ask. Or whatever it is you do to get info from your controller."

    "Bert."

    "Bert, whatever. Ask ''em. I assume that''s a him? Sorry, bad habit assuming gender like that. I identify as necrosexual, myself."

    "Huh. Never asked, actually. But I think he''s a him. I guess. Donald is definitely a him. Never mind, let me ask. Bert, how many ''spawns'' do you have?"

    [1 spawned creature.]

    "Uh, what now? Who?" Amelia asked, shocked.

    [Briar, goblin gardener.]

    "But that can''t be right! She has memories of growing up! She told me stories!" she protested.

    [Correct. That is how spawning works.]

    "That''s just wrong, on so many levels! We''re just gonna forget this, okay? Not telling anybody!" She glared at Nic.

    "What? All I hear is you talkin'' to yourself. Don''t look at me!" the skeleton raised his bony hands and shrugged.

    Amelia stared at him for a moment more, then remembered the whole goal of the original query.

    "So Lark and Alder aren''t spawned?" She asked.

    [Correct. Contracted agents Lark and Alder were mortal.]

    "He says, one--um, I mean, no spawned creatures, and Lark and Alder were mortal, but are contracted now."

    "You''re kiddin''? No spawns? Where did you get ..." he waved vaguely, implying all the inhabitants of the hollow.

    "Well, there were a bunch of people already before I got here. Not sure where they came from. I think maybe from Donald, but I don''t know. They kinda hid out, so you''dve never known they were here. Many of them have got over that, though. Miss Ashlee, Beige, Blue, Mr. Ainsley, Miss Annie, that nice Mr. G and his mother, and so on. There''s a lot more of ''em. Then Tyni, Tuuka, and Picker brought their families and some friends. The Fur Folk are sorta just visiting, but maybe they''ll stay, haven''t talked to Queen Constance yet. Bill and a few others come to visit a lot, but they don''t live here. They stay over sometimes if Alder keeps the game running or something."

    Nic drummed his nails on the work surface. "What an odd way to run a dungeon. I guess it works, but it''s gotta be one of a kind, I''ll tell you that."

    "Does Elara have an ''adventurer problem''?"

    "Do we ever! Place is crawlin'' with ''em. ''S why we have such a big maintenance crew. Somebody has to clean up the mess, reset the traps, that sort of thing. During the rebel... that is, unionization effort, things kinda got all manky. Not everybody was in on it, and, well, it didn''t go as smooth as we planned. So there''s some administrative reorg that needs to happen if you take my meaning."

    "Not really. But if all you guys are here, what''ll happen if anybody gets in to Elara?"

    "Just to be clear, not all of us came through, but yeah. That''s a problem. Without a dungeon master, we couldn''t shut down the ol'' front door, and things might get messy. ''S why I wanted to talk."

    <hr>

    They discussed the situation for several hours--or exactly three-quarters of a tray of chocolates if you prefer to time things that way. The maintenance ratman could only describe things in general, since he wasn''t really ''front of house'', as he put it. But Amelia got the gist of it. Elara had several fixed portals in addition to the one that sometimes connected to the hollow, and that was the way outsiders got in. Until those were shut down, they''d keep coming in in search of treasure, and more-or-less wrecking the place. But without them, the dungeon didn''t have enough energy to maintain itself.

    "Okay, then. Time to work out a plan. Then, Dungeon Makeover time!"

 45: Planning

    "Okay, let me see if I have it this time." Amelia said, then started reciting the ''rules'' they were trying to teach her about realm management. It felt like the blind leading the blind, and the answers she got from Bert, Donald, and Elara weren''t particularly helpful, either. So they were making their best collective judgment.

    "Can''t get energy from your own spawns. Spawns from elsewhere okay. More energy from negative stuff like killing, but hard to sustain. Energy cost for ongoing effects, or messing with physics. Can spend energy to maintain spawns without feeding and sleeping. Eww on that last one, sounds horrible!"

    "It is, Boss, it is! Easier on ya once you''re undead, but I don''t recommend it." The ratman shook his skull as he said it, then sipped from his mug. They''d rigged up a reservoir in his rib cage using a flask and some tubing, so he didn''t leak when he drank anymore.

    "Uh, where was I? Loot and adventurers? That''s a thing I really don''t get. When Bert makes stuff, it goes away eventually after it leaves the realm. But Lark, you made gold we gave to the boys, and that didn''t? How does that work?"

    The bird fluffed her feathers, then cocked her head to eye the caretaker. "I do not know why it is different, but it is. I am not ''spawned'' as you call it, and perhaps that is the key. It takes considerable personal energy, regardless."

    "So why bother risking your life to get treasure that will go away before you get a chance to spend it? Merchants must have figured out some way not to get scammed, selling to adventurers. How does that work?"

    "Adventurers get experience, too. You gotta practice to get good. Fighting, dealing with traps, so on and so on. Some places, like Elara, are more for grinding, like a training ground. Mostly no loot. Some have craft minions, making things for treasure. The ones really known for loot stole it. They''d send their minions into other dungeons, or towns, or whatnot. Raid ''em. Caused havoc, those maniacs. Those''re the really nasty cores. I think all of ''em''ve been stamped out, ''cause that sorta thing ain''t popular, if you get me, Boss." said Nic.

    Beige and Blue, perched on one of Alder''s branches overhead, managed to look both guilty and proud at that last, nudging each other in some shared joke. Quiet looked at her own feet, twiddling her toes and not meeting anyone''s eyes.

    "Adventuring gear is expensive, and specialized." She added, nodding her agreement with Nic''s comments. "Dungeons tend to accumulate things from those that die. Pretty random, but worth finding."

    "Again, ewww. So kill people, take their stuff, to lure in more people to kill and take their stuff?"

    "You got it, sugar pie. Circle of life, sort of thing. Hakuna matata."

    "Uh, Pancake, I don''t think that''s what that means."

    "For the dungeon that is, sugar toes. For the dungeon."

    "Fine. Anything else?" She looked around at the group she''d assembled. After speaking with Nic about the situation in Elara, she knew she needed to come up with some fixes quick to keep things from collapsing over there. The problem was that death and destruction were the easiest way to do that, and she''d prefer something else. Anything else, really.

    After looking around and seeing no one wanting to add anything, she continued. "So, if we shut the doors to Elara, no more adventurers. Which means no more energy. Everybody left over there starves. Stuff ''out of alignment with reality'' as Bert calls it will disappear. Dogs and cats, living together. Mass hysteria!" Only Pancake chuckled at her reference.

    Nic nodded, as did the rest--except Alder, of course, who couldn''t nod.

    "So why don''t we just give Elara the excess energy from Bert? He''s getting loads from all you guys, and just wasting it. We couldn''t spend it all before the Fur Folk got here, much less you Elarans. That should tide us over while we remodel."

    Amelia looked at the stunned faces around her. "What? What''s wrong with that? It should work, right?"

    "Um, barbie doll, it don''t work that way. Realms aren''t big on the whole ''sharing'' concept. You get that, don''t you?" Pancake finally got out.

    "Bert and Donald share. Donald isn''t ''placed'', whatever that means, so he doesn''t get much energy. They worked out some sort of deal, a while back. Bert gives him energy, Donald lets Bert use his agents. And he gives advice. I think they both use each other''s senses, too, but they kinda lost me at that point."

    "Okay, now that''s just unnatural. Downright creepy, that is. Don''t wanna know details, gonna have nightmares just thinkin'' ''bout that ..." the goat mumbled, shaking his head vigorously as if to negate the thought.

    "That''s news to me. Of course, I''ve never heard of anyone bonded to more than one core, so this is all new ground. As far as I''ve ever heard, cores only communicate with their bonded ones, or caretakers, nobody else." Quiet said, looking thoughtful.

    "Yeah, they said something about talking using outer bands through me. I dunno." Amelia grimaced and raised her hands palms up, confused.

    "Maybe ''out-of-band'', there, angel face. Never mind. Try it, see what happens. I''m gonna go stand way over there, outta the blast radius, kinda thing ..."

    [Foreign core link instantiated. Energy increasing.]

    "Huh, that was fast work, Bert! Pancake, too late to run away. Elara is already getting energy from Bert." She smiled smugly at the goat.

    "Still violatin'' the natural order, sort of thing. An abomination. And that''s sayin'' something, coming from me. ''S all I''m sayin''." mumbled Pancake under his breath.

    <hr>

    With Elara no longer in danger of imploding right away, Amelia felt like she had some time to think. She didn''t approve of the basic premise of the place. Sure, it was fun to explore, and there was a thrill with a hint of danger, but real dungeons took that way too far. Elara was almost entirely underground, a labyrinth of passages and rooms with traps everywhere. They''d encountered some themselves, and they''d just been in a tiny portion of the realm. Then you add on top the residents, and it was just a nasty place.

    Part of the problem, though, was many of the inhabitants liked it that way. It was the only life they knew, and they didn''t want it to change. Not everybody, of course. The maintenance crews were more than happy to move on to greener pastures, like the hollow. Many were happy to have their families, especially the children, out of harm''s way, but wanted to keep doing what they were doing personally. This had stumped Amelia until she remembered how fun it was to spar with the spears and play capture-the-flag and such. Of course, there wasn''t much chance to get hurt doing those activities, versus fighting against marauding adventurers eager for combat and plunder. But Elara used a considerable amount of energy to ''respawn'' its minions, so they weren''t dead for long. Getting injured or killed still hurt, though, but for the adrenaline junkies, that was just part of the game. She still found the idea abhorrent. Competition didn''t bother her, but deliberately hurting others was just right out, in her book.

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    Short of completing gutting and rebuilding Elara, though, there had to be some way for it to generate energy in a way she could tolerate. Bert could sustain it for the near term, but that certainly wasn''t a permanent solution.

    She was still in Alder''s glade, half listening to a game Alder was running for a mix of Elarans, Fur Folk, and the local gamers. The games were so crowded with watchers it was often hard to tell who was actually playing, and who was just observing. The gaming hut was crammed full, so Amelia was to one side of Alder, sitting with her back to the old oak. That way she could listen while watching the rest of the going''s on in the glade. There was a cluster around the spear training machine and several knots of people around various sparring sessions. She had just watched a particularly good set of strikes on the training machine when the idea came. Well, an errant splash of water hit her, from the near-perennial game of water tag the kids and others were playing, but the effect was the same.

    She glared around, looking for the culprit, squeezing water from her hoodie, then returned fire dispassionately. "[Water Bolt]!" The fox that had hit her was sent sprawling, looking like a drowned rat. She felt it was only fair since they were supposed to really focus on where their shots went, so they didn''t cause any ''collateral damage''. She waved and smiled, and the fox waved back, shaking its body vigourously to get rid of the water, suitably chastised.

    "That gives me an idea!" said Bill, who was standing next to her. He''d quickly gotten over his disappointment at being ensorcelled when they visited Megrim. It turned out the man loved animals, so the sight of all the Fur Folk doing things in the hollow made up for it. He spent almost as much time people watching now as he did in the practices or gaming.

    Amelia looked at him expectantly. She''d been explaining her difficulties with the Elara situation, and he''d been mulling it over. He was so jovial and fun-loving it was easy to forget he was an engineer at heart, so he loved solving problems. He was also trained as a statistician, but she didn''t hold that against him, much.

    "You said Elara was already used mostly for training, right? Deadly training, sure, but couldn''t we fix that? Make it like a paintball arena, or puzzle room, or something. Make everything non-lethal. Safe. Well, safe-ish. We could have medics on hand, just in case. I bet loads of people would want to explore, then! Heck, I''d be up for it! Can you imagine a capture-the-flag game in a real dungeon, with monsters and stuff? That would be epic!" He started speaking faster and faster as he got excited.

    "Ooh! And we can have a gift shop at the entrance! Sell souvenirs, candy, that kinda thing!" added Amelia, getting into the spirit of the thing. He nodded noncommittally, his train of thought derailed.

    "I wonder if the Elarans who still want to fight would be okay with that? They''d still get to hunt adventurers, but without worrying about dying all the time."

    "We could have training weapons, like those padded spears we use. They could go pretty full tilt if we did it right. And be ready to do it again with the next group, no waiting to be ''respawned''! Maybe that''s how you sell it to them. More action, less waiting. And less pain!"

    "I like it! Let''s go see if Quiet thinks it''ll work!" She leapt up and headed for the yard, Bill trailing behind her.

    They found the goblin relaxing in the shade under the gazebo. She listened to the idea skeptically at first, then with more enthusiasm as she thought on it further.

    "So? What do you think?" Amelia asked.

    "Maybe. It''s worth trying. It would be unique, that''s for sure. An entire dungeon for training? Not quite the same thing as doing it for real, but I guess you don''t learn much if you die, so ..." She nodded as she spoke, growing to like the idea.

    "Yeah? Yeah? And the gift shop?"

    "Well, it''s already going to be unique, so why not? We can get the girls to run us off some t-shirts and hats." Quiet replied, sarcastically.

    "I hadn''t thought of that! Awesome! Yeah! So cool!"

    The goblin rolled her eyes.

    <hr>

    "''The Halls of Blight''? ''Silent Barrens''? ''Undying Springs''? What kind of names are those? They sound horrible!" Amelia protested, looking at the sketch. It was more of a network diagram than a map, with different areas indicated as circles, lines showing how they connected to each other.

    "Descriptive, Boss. They''re pretty much what they say on the tin. I can vouch for the Springs, myself. I''ll never forget crawling outta there, all my meat peeling off. Blech! Smells like some sorta nasty stew, most days." replied Nic, tapping a bony nail on the paper. He''d made the drawing of the areas of Elara he was familiar with, so Amelia could start getting acquainted with her new territory. "I suggest the Halls of Blight. Pretty self-contained, not too many entrances, and only a few traps. Good place to start, if you ask me." They were discussing the best place to start the new makeover. The dungeon was huge, and even the maintenance crews only knew small portions of it. It was going to take a lot of work to bring it up to Amelia''s standards.

    "What kind of traps and things does it have?" She asked.

    "Let''s see, there are your standard pit traps, of course. A few fields of enfeeblement. Some mind control, and the mimic portals. Fun stuff! If we fill the pits with water or jello or something, and keep the mimics fed, nothing lethal at all!"

    Amelia didn''t look particularly convinced but knew she had to trust the ratman. Just wandering around exploring would likely be both counterproductive and extremely time-consuming, so this seemed like the best approach.

    "Okay, I guess. I can put a portal in so we can go straight there. Suggestions on where the near end should go?"

    "How ''bout in the pub? Great place to gather a party before venturing forth, sort of thing," suggested Pancake, chortling.

    "Sure! Makes sense. Good place to get a drink and a snack afterwards, since you guys don''t like my idea of a snack bar in there."

    "Look, sunshine, it''s not that it ain''t a good idea. It just, I dunno, doesn''t really fit the ambiance."

    "It will when I''m done with it!"

    "Yeah, that''s what I''m afraid of. Perfectly good dungeon turned into an arcade at the mall, sort of thing ..." he mumbled.

    "So you don''t want plushies of yourself in the shop? I mean, they probably wouldn''t sell that well, compared to the Shock stuffies. Maybe we can do some mock slime toys or something ..."

    "Now hold on there, sister! Hold on! Let''s not get ahead of ourselves! Just ''cause I think you''re ruinin'' the place, don''t mean you should miss out on a best seller. Although, any stuffed animals that look like me might be fatally adorable, sort of thing. Which harshes your whole ''fun for the whole family'' vibe you got planned."

    Amelia grinned. The kid''s ego was easy to poke. He was the only one that had not been excited about the de-lethalization of Elara, and she was enjoying ribbing him about it. As long as she had to be in charge of the place, she wasn''t going to have it be a dangerous slaughterhouse. He could mock the ''fun house'' concept all he wanted, but she still felt it was the right thing to do. Plus, they''d have a better chance at getting return customers, if they didn''t kill them all off!

    "Right! Pub it is!" Now that she was the dungeon master (she liked that term better than ''bonded one'', although Briar and Pancake snickered at both) for both Bert and Elara, she could easily place portals between them. She''d deactivated all the other portals in Elara for now, so they didn''t have to worry about new people coming in. None of her friends knew where the ''far'' ends of those were, so at some point they''d have to pop through so they could figure that out. Maybe post some ''under new management'' signs, that sort of thing. But for now, she wanted them closed.

    She debated connecting the near end to the Pub entrance door but decided that might be confusing for people from the ''mortal'' realm. So she had Bert add a new doorway on the back wall and placed the portal there. It was just to the side of the bar and looked like it might lead to a back room, which the pub didn''t have. Ashlee could keep an eye on anyone coming and going, so that would work out fine.

    They''d probably have to move the end in Elara, though. She''d asked to have it placed in the Halls of Blight area like Nic had suggested, but since she''d never been there, she just trusted to the core''s judgment about where to place it. Once they were there, though, it''d be easy enough to move things around. That was the whole point of visiting, after all.

    "All right, portal placed. Should we head over there? I want to check it out!"

    "Hold your horses there, honeybuns. Still kinda dangerous over there, remember? Not everybody ''voted'' for the management change, sort of thing. Might want some muscle with you, maybe, I dunno, some equipment? I mean, I''m just an adorable goat and wouldn''t know anything about dungeon exploration, just stands to reason, is all."

    "Yeah, you''re right. Better round up the troops. I just can''t wait to start the makeover! It''s going to be epic!"

 46: Time off for shopping

    "So, no killing? Like, at all?"

    "Right. No killing. How is that hard to understand?" replied Amelia, starting to lose her patience.

    "Well, it''s just, that''s how we''ve always done it. Are you sure?"

    "Yes. Very sure. No killing! No wounding, maiming, injuring. None. Okay?"

    The crowd muttered as they looked at each other. Clearly this wasn''t a popular sentiment.

    "So, do we just tickle ''em? Maybe bring ''em a sandwich? Should we just, I dunno, throw ourselves on their weapons for them?"

    Amelia sighed. This wasn''t going quite as well as she had pictured it would. She looked at the gathered Elaran''s in front of her, all of them unhappy. This was just the first group that had opposed the revolt. They were the ones that mainly occupied the area known as The Halls of Blight. It had taken Nic and Kori several minutes to convince them not to attack Amelia, even after they explained she was the new dungeon master. Getting them to talk had been an even bigger challenge. They weren''t used to orders other than ''kill everything'', so anything contrary to that was a huge stretch.

    "Look, they won''t have real weapons, either. Okay? Nobody gets hurt. Well, maybe bruises and such, but not really hurt. No killing on either side!"

    "But we''re already dead. We don''t care what they do. Not like it''s gonna get any worse!" This from what she thought of as the zombie contingent. She had been trying to avoid looking at them since the rotting flesh hanging off their bodies was gut-wrenchingly gross. The one who spoke just now was particularly bad since his tongue and cheeks flapped obscenely when he talked.

    "Okay. But the rules are the same for you guys, too. You got that? No killing, no injuring."

    "What if it''s an accident? Workplace accidents happen all the time!" This from one of the minotaurs, his voice deep and booming, echoing through the large hall even though he tried to speak softly. Several of his buddies lowed in agreement, their horned heads bobbing slowly.

    "Uh, okay, yeah, accidents happen. But each and every one will be investigated, so we can make sure they never happen again. And anybody found causing accidents will be in big trouble! Do I make myself clear? Big trouble!"

    He nodded, looking guilty, as if he had been caught out already.

    "What if they, I dunno, wander into the traps? Totally on their own, no pushing or shoving from one of us. Not our fault if that happens." He asked, not meeting her glare.

    "We''re gonna refit all the traps, make them non-lethal as well. All the spikes are coming out of the pits, and we''ll put cushions or beanbags in the bottoms, that sort of thing. So traps won''t be a problem. Does that make sense?"

    They all nodded, but she could tell most of them weren''t convinced. It was a brand-new way of thinking, after all, and it would probably take time for the benefits to really sink in.

    "What about us? Can''t exactly turn off our aura, you know." asked a spirit, having to yell. There was an assortment of ghosts and shades in the group, but they''d been relegated to the far corner. The dread chill they imparted from their proximity was just about bearable for the living contingent, who tried to keep as far from them as possible.

    "Yeah, we talked about that already, remember? No touching! None! And remember the five-foot rule we discussed?"

    The spectre nodded bashfully. "Oh, right. But what if they come close? I''m just standing there, you know, moaning and such, and somebody blunders into me, not my fault. What then?"

    "No. It''s your job to move. Simple as that. If that does happen, we''ll assume it''s an accident. And what did we just discuss about accidents?"

    "Mumble mumble investigate mumble mumble."

    "And?" she called. She couldn''t quite make out all the words but was getting better at understanding them.

    "Mumble big trouble mumble mumble."

    "Right. Big trouble! Like, no puddings or alcohol or any treats at all for a long time. Got it?"

    The excited murmur got loud as the gathering started talking amongst themselves all at once. Finally, it died down as the minotaur was nudged forward by one of the giants, with several of the undead pointing and gesturing for him to speak.

    "Uh, that is, does that mean puddings and alcohol if we aren''t in trouble?" He asked hesitatingly, fidgeting with his hands and not quite meeting Amelia''s eyes. This was an extremely unnatural stance for the seven-foot-tall, musclebound creature.

    "Of course! The brewery is a little behind until Tuuka gets back, but Pint''s churning out beer. We could probably bring in some of Bert''s booze if you want, it just doesn''t last for very long. And honestly, Tuuka''s is way better."

    "Tuuka''s a dweorgar. We''re talkin'' dwarf beer, here. And brandy!" added Nic, taking a swig from his flask, then holding it up to make his point. The potent boozy fumes that emanated from the skeletal ratman almost overpowered the stench from the more meaty undead.

    The minotaur licked its lips unconsciously as it stared at the flask in Nic''s hands. He wasn''t the only one staring, either.

    "And Tyni, the head chef--also dweorgar." He cocked his skull as if emphasizing a broad wink. Since he had no eyelids, an actual wink wasn''t something he could do.

    Amelia noticed several of the crowd start to drool, in addition to the stares in the direction of the flask Nic had wisely just pocketed.

    "Oh, right! Nic''s gonna take over the sweet shop. So more of those truffles like we brought, plus cookies, pies, and stuff." They all perked up at that. Most of them still had remnants of the ''peace offering'' they''d brought on their mouth, beard, or, in several cases, ectoplasm. "Several of his crew wanted to help with that, so there should be lots of pudding options soon. And on your time off, full access to the stuff in the hollow, until we get amenities set up here that are more convenient. Bathhouse, gym, workshops, pub, that sort of thing."

    That elicited more chatter and considerable confusion. Amelia was able to make out the general gist of the conversations, though.

    "Time off? You know, when you aren''t working? When you go relax, have some fun, that sort of thing? Didn''t you get that before?"

    None of them answered, too stunned at the mere concept. She looked over at Nic, who just shrugged and shook his head to indicate that they didn''t.

    "Well, time off is mandatory. We''ll set up shifts for manning the dungeon, just so we know we have everything covered, but it''s all voluntary. You''re the guys that didn''t want to give up being down here, but you don''t have to live here. We''ll make sure there are rooms for everybody, here or there, wherever you want."

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    "See, didn''t I tell you guys? Didn''t believe me, didja?" scolded Nic, pointing at the ones who''d been speaking for the group so far.

    "Hrrrm. Well, I suppose we can try things your way. For time-off and puddings. And booze!"

    "Great! Finally! We still need to work out all the details, so consider yourselves on holiday. Don''t everybody crowd the pub at once, or you''ll have to deal with Ashlee." Amelia felt some of the stress leave her shoulders. This was a far cry from what she expected to do as a caretaker. At least weeds didn''t talk back when you scythed them. Usually. So far.

    Now that the ''locals'' seemed to be on side they could start work on this area of the dungeon. It was similar to the corridors she''d visited the first time they''d come to Elara, but the stone here looked rotted and pitted like it was older or somehow diseased. She wasn''t worried about that--it added to the ambiance, as Pancake would say. What bothered her is all the traps scattered throughout the area. Those would each need to be examined and rendered ''safe'', for some values of safe. You could still hurt yourself falling into a big pit of pillows, but hopefully the most they''d see would be bruises and strains. Not that the place needed to be kid-friendly, entirely, although having a junior adventurers section was indeed on her list.

    Bill had volunteered to help with the rework, along with Timon and a few of Nic''s crew. She trusted the man to have a good judgment on what was reasonable, which was more than she could say for the others. Health and safety certainly seemed like a foreign concept in these parts. With Bill''s input, though, she was confident they''d have an exciting, but survivable section of the dungeon they could start working with in no time.

    <hr>

    "That is a lot of gold! All that for one wagon load of ore?"

    "Yes, miss. I told you grokzite was valuable. Even just the raw ore. Not many places you can get it, these days." Bellows answered. He was still gazing at the mound of coins he''d dumped out on the table. It was a very large mound.

    "Huh. So, what are you guys gonna buy with all that? Goin'' on a shopping spree?"

    The goblin tore his gaze away from the money and looked at her. "You want us to keep it, then?"

    "Absolutely! You guys did all the work. Just be fair on how you divide it up, okay? I don''t want any hurt feelings or anything."

    "Don''t worry, miss, we kept a log of who did what, and when. We''ll work out a share system and divvy it up fairly."

    Amelia nodded. She had no use for the coins anyways. Trying to spend them in the mortal realm would land her in jail. Besides, anything that Bert couldn''t create for her, one of her friends could, so she didn''t have the need.

    "We''ll put aside some for specialist tools and materials the core can''t provide. Stuff for Olavi''s precision work, things like that." The goblin continued.

    Cores had limits to what they produced, and like most things regarding them, the rules were overly complex. It was weird that Bert could produce a fully stocked brewery and liquids lab with no problem, but they''d had to craft their own truffle trays and piping bags for confections. Amelia just put it down to magic and tried not to think about it too much.

    "Heading to the Night Market?" She asked. They''d finally discovered that one of Elara''s ''fixed'' entry points connected to Whimsy since the realms overlapped in a small region. It just so happened that the doorway was pretty close to the market. It was still closed since they weren''t ready for visitors to the dungeon yet, but Amelia had set up a temporary one from Alder''s clearing to a new portal not far from it. That directly connected Bert to Whimsy, without having to wait for the eventual direct overlap of the two. The planar contortions to make Bert, Elara, and Whimsy all overlap in the same place were mind-bending, but it had worked! That was how they''d delivered the first batch of ore so quickly.

    "Yes, miss. We only took part of the payment in coin. We have plenty of gems and other things we can trade there. We thought we''d make it a group outing, take anyone who wanted to go. Did you want to come?"

    "Yay! Night Market! Yay!" she squealed, bouncing up and down.

    "I''ll take that as a yes, miss." The goblin grinned at her excitement, before starting to scoop the pile of coins back into the sack he''d received them in. "I''ll go split this into shares and hand them out. Head out tomorrow, after breakfast?"

    "Yippee!"

    <hr>

    "Okay, everybody! Remember, we meet at the rainbow fountain when it starts to get dark. If you get lost, just ask someone for directions. Everybody got their shopping buddy?" Amelia looked at the group gathered for the trip to the market. Timon was working his way through the crowd, writing down everyone''s name on a clipboard. The goal was not to lose anyone this time, even for a short while. Most of them didn''t need a partner, of course, but it made it easier to sell the idea to Amelia. It was the general opinion she was the most at risk of anyone.

    "Right! Once you and your partner''s names are on the list, go on through! Oh! Don''t forget to grab a trading baggy. They don''t take gold, remember!" Amelia called as they milled about, clustering around the crocodile man.

    There was a table set up right near the portal, piled high with small bags of gems and gewgaws to use for barter. The big bags and crates were the more refined goods, like toys and weapons. Bellows, Olavi, and Scorper were in charge of those since they had the best idea of the value of the goods. There had been a big meeting the previous evening to make a combined shopping list, which the three would try to complete. The rest was really for walking around money, so to speak.

    She watched Fern and Whisper blast through the portal the moment it was opened. No need to guess where they were headed. They''d probably be stuffed silly and complaining within the hour. Following the sprite and wisp were various pairs of people, each dutifully sticking with their partner. Just about everyone in the hollow had been interested in going, including many of the Fur Folk and Elarans. Bill and Sandy had even decided to go, the man partnered with Quiet, Sandy escorted by Miss Ashlee. Pancake and Briar wandered through next, already giggling about something or other.

    "Be good for Sandy, Shocky!" Amelia called as the pup bounced along after the shopkeeper. There was a brief silence as the dog whuffed in response.

    "Ready, V? Beige? Blue?" She asked. The dwarf teen did a quick pat check of her utilikilt pockets, then nodded. Blue was on Vieno''s shoulder, and he nodded yes. Beige was on Amelia''s, and the bird took a moment from preening her wing to bob her head in agreement as well. There had been a lengthy argument about who would be watching out for Amelia, but it ended immediately when the birds ambled over and stood next to her, glaring at the others. After what happened the first time she didn''t feel like complaining about having the escort. Amelia had explicitly invited them this time, but hadn''t expected them to stick so close. She did ask Vieno to join them though, since the two birds weren''t exactly stellar conversational partners.

    "Right! C''mon, let''s shop!!" Amelia said, smoothing back her cloak, then checking the broach and bracelet, as had become her habit. She''d never misplaced them, and didn''t intend to, either.

    They walked through the doorway that Amelia had set up, and were instantly in the woods in Whimsy, a few minutes walk from the entrance to the Night Market. It was pretty close to where they had camped when they had visited previously.

    "So you looking for anything in particular, V? Or just on the prowl for cuties?" Amelia teased as they followed behind the others.

    The teen blushed prettily but didn''t rise to the bait. "Oh, you know, just planning to browse. I''ve never been there before, so I thought I''d just see what they have. You?"

    "Same. But if you see any eye candy, point ''em out, will you?" Amelia said, doing her best imitation of Briar''s eyebrow wiggle. The girl slugged her arm and kept walking.

    The portal had been opened just a little ways into the dense woods that bordered the market. They pushed their way through brambles and undergrowth for a few yards, before emerging onto the dirt road they''d take to their destination. Amelia looked back as they followed along the road, noting there was no obvious indicator that the portal was tucked away in the woods there. Mr. Ainsley and Miss Annie, the last pair through, had promised to obliterate any trace of tracks the groups had left behind, as well. Not that it was critical, since Elara and Bert would only let people from the hollow back through. But it didn''t hurt to be careful.

    They walked along for a few minutes, enjoying the crisp morning air and the slight dampness as the sun was just starting to burn off the morning fog. Amelia started to whistle, joined by both Beige and Blue. It was a beautiful morning to be out for a stroll with friends.

    It didn''t take long before they passed through the darkly shadowed entry arch, formed by the entwined branches of a pair of moss-covered old trees. Vieno drew in a sudden breath as they stepped through, the transition from peaceful, bucolic woodland to the bustling marketplace surprising her.

    "Isn''t it great! Look at it all!" Amelia gawked, stopped just inside the entrance. She received a gentle nudge from Mr. G as he came through the archway behind them, using his lone arm to move them and make room for his mother to enter. "Sorry! It''s just a bit much, you know! So much to see!"

    Amelia and Vieno moved away from the entry, letting the crowd push them along as they gaped at all the stalls and booths. The place was packed, with a panoply of sights, sounds, and smells to entice the senses. Surprisingly, it didn''t feel quite so foreign to Amelia this time, having become used to all the odd people and goings-on in the hollow. Especially with the addition of the Elara contingent, she felt she was getting a better handle on dealing with fantastical beings. They were people just like any other, for the most part.

    "Hey! Let''s go look at that one!" said Vieno, the dwarf pointing at a clothing stall. There were multiple racks of garments, all crowded under the sign ''Everything has Pockets!''. "I''d like a new kilt, and maybe a hoodie with more cargo room!"

    "Lead on, girl! I see a cute dress from here, and if it has pockets, it''s mine!" Replied Amelia enthusiastically.

 47: The Night Market II

    Amelia twirled again, making the sundress and cloak flair out. The dress was sage green and complemented her sky-blue cloak well. And it had pockets! Good pockets, too, not the little micro things most dresses had, if they had any at all. True to the shop''s name, the burgundy sun sleeves she''d purchased also had pockets. As well as retractable mittens. The left sleeve covered up Lord Twinkles since the bracelet hated being in the sun so much.

    "It all fit?" asked Vieno, the dwarf admiring her own garment, a ruggedly unholy combination of a boilersuit and cargo kilt in scarlet red. It had loops and snaps everywhere. Most of its pockets had pockets.

    "Yep! Got the hoodie, trousers, and shirt all stowed, no problem. They don''t even bulge or anything! These things are amazing! Pockets of holding for the win, yay! You?"

    "Same! Now we have to find you new shoes, though."

    "Why?" Amelia asked, looking down at her scuffed and worn heavy work boots. She''d rolled down her socks just above the high tops, so they didn''t look so out of place. She thought the boots were rather fetching. The dress and cape showed her fun-loving, carefree side, while the footwear announced she was practical and down to earth, too. She suddenly felt brave and daring in the outfit, instead of nondescript and unmemorable like in her usual fashion.

    "Um, okay, never mind. Where to, next?"

    Amelia glanced around to find Beige and Blue, who''d been shooed away as the two girls changed. They were perched up on one of the strings of lights that were draped overhead, ready to light up the bazaar when night fell. Beige nodded at her to indicate they were keeping an eye on things from above.

    "Right. Uh, those booths over there look like gardening stuff. I wanna see if I can find a present for Briar."

    "Sure thing. Can we find the brewing section, next? And toys or something. Maybe I can get something for Dad and the twins."

    "Got it. Quest accepted! Let''s go!"

    They threaded their way through the crowd down the arm of the market Amelia had spotted. It was certainly an agricultural section, with potted plants, booths with seedlings, gardening tools, and the like everywhere. The market wasn''t deliberately organized, but merchants with similar wares frequently ended up clumping together since it was easier to compete for customers that way.

    "Best seed selection in the market! Right this way!"

    "Magic seeds! Better''n you''ll find anywhere else!"

    "Saplings, cuttings, sprigs, and sprouts! Get ''em here!"

    The girls ignored the hawkers, wandering from booth to stall, stall to booth, pausing to inspect the wares before moving on. There were vendors wearing portable displays, bumping through the crowds and accosting anyone who looked their way. Customers browsed and dickered.

    "Boo!" yelled a voice, making them both jump. A scarecrow composed of sticks and detritus was lurking next to a bench, where a small gnome appeared to be assembling another one.

    "See? Works, doesn''t it? Want it?" asked the tiny seller with a surprisingly deep voice.

    "Um, what''s it for, exactly?" Amelia asked, looking at the animated creature.

    "I''m a scarecrow, duh! For scaring crows. I also do pigeons, blue jays, eagles, vultures, rocs, you name it! I''m versatile. A real professional!" said the scarecrow matter-of-factly.

    "Don''t encourage ''em. Not really alive, just made to act that way." The gnome didn''t even raise her head, just glanced up to see if Amelia and Vieno had moved on yet.

    "Horse hocky! I''m as alive as you, you cack-handed ninny!"

    "Um, they''re pretty convincing. You sure they aren''t alive?" Amelia asked, blinking and focusing on the moving assemblage of sticks and castoffs. It glowed dimly except for a bright glob located in what would generously be called its chest. It definitely looked like an animated thing, just like some of the toys Olavi had made.

    "They aren''t." said the gnome, voice flat.

    "Am too! More alive ''n you, anyways, you stick selling huckster!"

    "Not."

    "Am!"

    Amelia looked the creature up and down. "Do you like dirty jokes? Know any good ones?"

    "Ahem! There were these two ..."

    "Never mind! Just asking!" She interrupted. "You interested in working in a nice garden? Time off and puddings included?"

    "Anything to get away from this dodo. No sense of humour. Grumpy, too." responded the scarecrow.

    Amelia nodded, turning to Vieno. "I like him! Think Briar will?"

    The dwarf nodded, palming her face as the seller looked up with greed in her eyes.

    "Top of the line model! Gonna be hard to let this one go, like a child to me, really!" she said, shaking her head in ill-feigned sorrow.

    Amelia dug out her ''pocket money'' bag, then pulled out a single small gem. She showed it to Vieno, who shook her head no. So she put it back, then dug around for a different one. After a few iterations, the dwarf nodded yes.

    "Will you take this for them?" She said, showing the jewel to the merchant.

    The gnome reached out and plucked the stone from Amelia''s palm with two fingers, holding it up to the sun and twisting it around.

    "Sold! Your problem now. Hah! Extra charge for the chains and leash, though."

    "What? No! No way! None of that." Amelia responded, offended.

    "Suit yourself. No refunds when it runs away. Here''s your ownership chit." The merchant just shrugged, stuffing the gem into a pocket. They tossed a wooden token towards Amelia, then returned to their work.

    Amelia looked at the scarecrow again. "I don''t know if you''re really alive or not, but I don''t believe in owning people. So here you go--you own yourself now!" She handed the creature the token.

    "You can''t ... No! That ... but ..." spluttered the gnome in shock.

    Amelia ignored her. "You''re still welcome to come live with us and work in the garden if you want. Got a friend there you should meet. Or whatever, your choice. So, what''s your name?"

    It stared at the wooden object, then smiled as it looked up at Amelia. "Haven''t got one. Only made today, you know!"

    "Pick one, quick! Before she does. She''s terrible at naming things!" Vieno blurted out to the scarecrow.

    "Hey! Am not! I pick good names!"

    "Jam Spreader and Lord Twinkles, exhibits A and B. I rest my case!"

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    "Those are good names! Descriptive, too! Well, ironic for Lord Twinkles--get it?--but it likes it, I think!"

    The dwarf shook her head, then draped an arm around their new shambling acquaintance. "Trust me, come up with something quick, or you''ll be Woody or the Junk-meister or something, I''m not kidding!"

    "Oooh ...."

    "No! NO! Amelia, we''ll let him ... her ... them decide!" Vieno interrupted.

    "Aww! But I liked Woody! And Junk-meister! Those are good names!" complained the caretaker.

    "How about Rakish?" asked the scarecrow.

    Both girls turned to look at the creature, who just pointed to the sign on a nearby booth. It read ''Rakishly Handsome: Garden Tools and Supplies, Rakes and Hoes a specialty!''.

    "Beats some of the other ... options ..., I suppose," admitted Vieno. She studiously avoided looking at the ones with even racier innuendoes.

    "All right! Yeah! I like it! Rakish! Good name!" proclaimed Amelia, patting their new friend on what she hoped was their back.

    Rakish posed proudly, then squawked as Beige and Blue landed on it. The birds peered at it curiously.

    "Um, are all the birds like this where you guys come from? ''Cause if so, I think I''d rather take my chances with the gnome ..."

    "Nah. That''s Beige and Blue, my friends. They do the scaring, not the other way ''round. Don''t worry!"

    Rakish tried to eye each bird at the same time, which was impossible as they were each on a ''shoulder''. There was a slight tremble to its step as it kept walking. The birds nestled down and made themselves comfortable, ignoring their new mount''s abject terror.

    The party ambled through the market, browsing here and there. They knew it would be impossible to see everything, so they didn''t even bother trying. They just let their feet guide them and looked at whatever happened to catch their eye. The merchandise on offer was fascinating, but the sellers and buyers were equally interesting. Whenever a particularly compelling sight hove into view, they''d nudge each other and gawk, before moving on. Rakish was starting to get used to his avian passengers, and relaxed a bit, enjoying the shopping along with the two girls.

    One particular vendor caught Amelia''s eye and she dragged the rest over. The hand-painted banner over the tiny booth read ''Fortunate Sun'', and had an amateurish rendering of a flaming orb with coins raining from it, all framed by what was probably intended to be a crystal ball.

    "Let''s get our fortunes told! V! I''ll bet he can tell us who you''ll marry! And where you''ll meet!" Amelia teased, taking a seat at the table as Vieno rolled her eyes.

    "Greetings, seekers! I knew you would come! I am the Great Predictor, teller of fortunes and fate! No, no need to tell me your names, I already know them! Place that blue gem you have, no, the other one, and I''ll tell you the future!" The man bombastically announced, pointing at Amelia. She thought at first he was human until she realized he was a centaur or something, the rest of his body covered by a ragged blanket.

    The dwarf''s eye roll was nearly audible this time. "C''mon, Amelia. Don''t waste time with this nonsense."

    "But he knew we''d come! It''ll be fun!" She dug into her pouch, putting back the first blue stone she found, then handing the man the second she pulled out.

    "Wonderful! Just gaze into the crystal ball with me, and we will see ... the future!"

    Amelia looked at the shabby glass sphere resting on the table, and couldn''t detect anything out of the ordinary, even using her true sight. She began to think Vieno was right, in spite of the gem thing.

    The fortune-teller bent his head down to peer at the ball, sweeping one of the scarves wrapped around his head out of the way. "Yes, yes! Interesting! Do you see what I see? Peer deep into the ball!"

    "Uh, I don''t see anything ..."

    "Peer deep! Focus! Look into the ball, and see what will come. [Suspension of Disbelief]!"

    [Security override. Passive defenses engaged.]

    Amelia jerked back, surprised by the announcement from Donald. Vieno and Rakish both bent over to stare longingly into the glass ball. Beige and Blue, however, glared daggers at the man. She could feel their murderous intent.

    "Hey! Don''t do that! Drop the spell on my friends. Now! You really don''t want to annoy those two! " She scolded the fortune-teller, pointing at the two birds.

    The man didn''t respond as his eyes rolled back in his head, his body jerking in a seizure. His mouth flapped awkwardly, fishlike and slack. With a final shudder, he steadied, both arms raised above his head like his wrists were pulled by strings.

    "Darkness! Darkness! All is Darkness! The Lady of Shadows has come! She commands the gloom, she rules the umbra! All will bow before her terrible might, the Light torn asunder! Hail she of the Murk, Ruler of Realms, and Commander of the Night Host! Bow and tremble!" He yelled in a voice unlike what he had used before. The words resonated and echoed, heads turning to look.

    As soon as he finished speaking, the man collapsed bonelessly, smacking his head onto the table before flopping to the ground.

    "Huh. Okay, kinda dramatic, don''t you think? Mister? Mister? You okay?" Amelia leaned down and poked him, but the man didn''t respond. There was a red mark already forming on his forehead.

    "Uh ... did ... did we miss something?" Vieno asked, shaking her head to clear it.

    "Whoa! My thinky bits hurt!" stammered Rakish.

    Blue poked Beige with his wing, looking smug. Beige just looked pleased.

    "Well, that was a waste! Didn''t learn a thing about the future! I guess we''ll just leave him to his nap, then." Amelia said, standing up to peer over the table at the collapsed form. "He''s probably okay, I suppose. Look over there! They have street games! Let''s go play!"

    The group followed her as she rushed several booths over, the girl completely failing to notice the stares that followed her.

    <hr>

    "What a bust! I think we went down the wrong alley. First that fake seer, and then all these stupid games. I''m hungry. Let''s go find some snacks! Then we can find stuff for your family."

    Amelia again managed to miss the glares and dirty looks shot her way. Her true sight had made a mockery of the various three-card monty and shell games, and after the Nth time pointing out the unlikely location of the pea or card--say, behind an ear, or in a box three stalls down, etc--she had given up. The toughs who''d oozed in to break her ''lucky streak'' had backed off post-haste at a single look from the birds, so she didn''t notice the havoc she''d caused the crooked games runners.

    It was still a bit too early for lunch, but there were plenty of tempting foods on offer to snack on. They found something that resembled taffy, sold by the spool, which they shared. Rakish managed to get bits stuck all in their straw stuffing but appeared to enjoy it immensely. Even Beige and Blue tried some, snipping through the sticky stuff with their razor-sharp beaks effortlessly.

    They kept a lookout for anything that would be suitable gifts, which meant they stopped at almost every shop they passed. Blue was the one who pointed out the winner when they found a merchant selling magic paints. They watched as the peddler used a brush to paint a stick figure in the air. Once the brush was pulled away, the figure animated, walking around and doing tricks as the artist directed with the brush and his hands.

    "Lumi and Pasi will love this! They''ll make such a mess!" Vieno raved, pocketing the tubes of pigment she''d purchased. She''d gotten several different colors, along with several bottles of ink to give to the print goblins. It''d be interesting to see what they were able to do with the stuff.

    Her siblings taken care of, they started searching for something that Tuuka would like. Amelia knew she missed her friend, and could only guess at how much V and the twins missed their father. He and Picker had been gone for weeks now, and she could only hope they were okay. They had said they''d send anyone who was interested on ahead of them, but so far nobody had arrived. She wasn''t sure what to make of that but hoped it didn''t mean anything bad had befallen the pair.

    The heady aroma of alcohol announced they''d finally found the distilling and brewing area. There were all kinds of liquid goods on offer there, as well as the means of creating the same. Amelia followed Vieno since she had no idea what any of it was. At least the dwarf knew a little of the craft, carefully examining various implements, ingredients, and additives with a critical eye. The girl turned up her nose at most of it, proclaiming that none of it was as good as they had in the liquids lab back home. That earned her a few sour looks from the vendors, but none objected too strenuously.

    Neither of the girls noticed the flurry of chatter that spread around the market, rippling out from the epicenter of the fortune-teller. They caught snippets of conversation but paid no heed. Beige and Blue noticed, though, and nudged and bumped each other at each new piece of gossip they heard.

    "... raids started ..."

    "... took a dungeon! All the ways sealed! Completely closed ..."

    " ... crones! And monsters! Saw ''em myself! ..."

    "... heard all slain, to the last ..."

    "... forces gathering ... here in the market? No! ... "

    It was starting to get close to lunchtime when Amelia saw a familiar face out of the corner of her eye, only realizing after she''d taken several steps. She turned back and looked around, trying to remember who she''d seen, and where she knew them from. As usual, there were throngs of beings of all shapes and sizes around, but she didn''t recognize any of them.

    "What''s up?" Vieno asked once she saw Amelia had stopped.

    "I saw somebody I think I knew, but now I don''t know ..." She kept looking around, even using her true sight to try to spot the person.

    "There! Over there! Where do I know that guy from?"

    "Uh, the antelope-headed kid? How would I know?" the dwarf answered, directing her gaze to where Amelia was pointing. There was a gaggle of bedraggled people, filthy and exhausted looking. Their clothes looked well slept in, and a few had bandages or blood stains on them.

    Amelia was sure she recognized the child but had no idea where from. Maybe the Starlight Dance? It wasn''t much more recent than that, she was sure. She realized she was staring rudely and looked away.

    Her eye landed on someone else. She was bent almost double, rooting through a bin not too far from the group the boy was in, ankle-length dress muddy and crusted with debris. There was a cry of success as the lady stood up, proudly waving a crust of bread she''d dug out. He''d dug out, she corrected herself, when she realized it was a male faun, in long robes. Young, with pointy ears and a short, shaggy beard.

    Amelia charged towards the group, Vieno, and Rakish trailing after her in confusion.

    "Pola!"

 48: Fed up

    The faun cowered as Amelia ran towards him, holding the piece of bread protectively close to his chest.

    Amelia stopped a few feet short, finally noticing his fearful body language.

    "Pola? What''s wrong? You look terrible? What happened?"

    The man squinted at her, no recognition on his face. "I''m sorry, do I know you, my lady?"

    "I''m Amelia! We met like a month ago? In your office in the village?"

    He peered at her some more, then a glimmer of remembrance appeared on his face. "The people with the seed problem, right? Shadows or something? I sort of remember. So much has happened ..." he trailed off, looking down at his soiled clothes, then back at the group he was with. The boy Amelia had recognized was one of the people in the village she had visited when they went to Pola for help.

    "Did ... did that turn out okay? You had a friend? Tree, I seem to recall? That was in trouble?" He spoke haltingly, and couldn''t hide his flinch when anyone passed by where they were standing.

    "Yep! Thanks for asking! But what happened to you? Something happen to the village?"

    The faun frowned as he smoothed down his robe, and tried to stand a little straighter. "We''ve ... well, we ... hmmm. That is ... No. Uh ... Um ... Let me start again. Sorry, not thinking so well right now." He gestured with the stale crust, miming eating. "Not to put too fine a point on it, we''re starving. Let me give this to my friends, and we can talk, okay?"

    "You need food? We can take care of that! C''mon! There''s a stall right there selling soup and stuff. Let''s get you guys loaded up! Call your friends over!"

    A look of embarrassment flashed momentarily across his face, but he quashed it and forced a smile. "My lady, are you sure? We can''t pay, and there are many of us ..." He stopped speaking as Amelia pulled the handful of gems from her bag, holding them cupped in her palm so he could see them.

    "Very sure! As far as I''m concerned, we owe you for Alder''s life! And I never would have met Donald, either, if you hadn''t helped us. It''s the least I could do!" She declared, tugging him towards the vendor. He gingerly waved at his friends, gesturing for them to join them.

    "Soup, bread, and butter for all these nice people, please!" She announced to the person tending the stall. The person started to object until Vieno picked out a couple of the gems from Amelia''s hand and placed them on the protruding service counter. Amelia flashed her friend a smile of thanks while the bowls and loaves were handed out.

    Amelia waited until they had each gotten all they could carry, then led them to a nook behind a clutch of stalls she''d seen earlier. There they could be out of the way of foot traffic and avoid the stares and ears of passersby. She sent Vieno and Rakish back to buy more after she noticed the villagers furtively trying to give most of the food to the younger ones in the group, making sure that they all were able to eat their fill. After the ravenous eating was starting to slow down and the edge was off their hunger, she introduced herself and her friends. She tried hard to remember as many names as she could when Pola reciprocated.

    The meal had returned a measure of energy to the faun, and his cheeks looked less pale.

    "Thank you again, my lady! That was the best we''ve eaten in some time." Pola said, sucking errant drops of soup from his beard.

    "My pleasure! But I''m no lady. I mean, I''m just Amelia, okay? Now, what happened? Why aren''t you in the village? You guys looked so happy there!"

    "We were, my l..., um, we were. The trouble came not long after you visited. Maybe a few days, a week at most. They came." He finished with a whisper.

    "They? They who?"

    He glanced around surreptitiously, then leaned close to Amelia. She tried not to flinch at his unwashed smell as he put his mouth next to her ear. "Elves. And their minions. I think ... I think ... they''re preparing. For war. Like in the books and stories."

    The refugee group bunched closer as they heard his whispered words, looking worriedly towards the people walking past just feet away.

    Amelia pulled back and stared at the man. "War? With who?"

    He nodded, continuing in a very quiet voice. "Those that opposed them before. The ones they crushed and scattered the last time. When they stopped the raids." He looked even more fearful, which Amelia hadn''t thought possible. He barely breathed as he mouthed the next words. "The Unseelie. The dark ones."

    The faun shivered. He wrapped his arms around himself and rocked back and forth slightly. He continued in a marginally louder voice, but still hushed. "The tales say the dark started it, with the raids and conquering. There aren''t many left who would say otherwise. The victor writes the history, after all. Nobody knows where they, uh, the losers, went, but things have been quiet, peaceful, for at least a couple hundred years. No reason for the, ..., you know, them, to recruit again. Snatching and kidnapping. Using their charms and beguilements."

    He cleared his throat, wiping a tear from his eye as he paused. His voice was ragged. "They raided the village. Turned us out as they burned the place. We were lucky--there were no babies, no children young enough for their uses. None were taken. But they destroyed everything. Everything! We were left with the clothes on our backs. We tried to go to another village, but we saw the smoke before we even got close. Same thing had happened there, but worse. I think ... I think they resisted." He steeled himself, but his eyes started to tear freely.

    "Who did this? Can you describe them?" Amelia asked, shaken to her core. These were people she''d met, a place she''d been to.

    "Seelie. At least, they wore the markings of the light. The usual--symbols of torches, lamps, lanterns. White or gold banners and sashes. The leader was an elf, I''m sure of it. The rest were the usual mix. Human fosterlings, hounds, dwarves, that sort."

    Amelia glanced over to Vieno, who was sitting next to her. Pola noticed her unspoken question, shaking his head in negation. "Not dweorgar, like Miss V, here. The other kind. The light lovers. Bastards! Pardon my language, I''m sorry." He shot glances around again, worried at being overheard saying such things.

    Amelia reached out and hugged him, patting his back as he sniffled for a moment. She looked at the displaced villagers sitting nearby, painfully thin and afraid. She scowled, then quickly shook her head and smiled, waving as they jerked back at her reaction.

    "No! No, it''s okay! It just makes me so mad that people could do that! How horrible! I don''t understand how anyone could be so mean and rotten." She shook her head as she hugged Pola again. "Maybe they aren''t all the same. I hope not. Some elves tried to steal my friend''s son and would''ve succeeded if another friend didn''t save him. She risked her life for Onni."

    Amelia frowned again. "I used to like the idea of them. But now I don''t think they sound nice. Not at all!"

    Pola pulled away from her embrace, dabbing at his face with the filthy hem of his robe. "Well, yes. They have no need for anyone they can''t use, or who can resist their blandishments. This is what happened the last time, too. Everybody uprooted, both sides raiding, looting. But it was the elves who did the kidnapping. ''Recruiting'' they called it. ''Volunteers against the dark'', the books said. It was so long ago, you know, we only have the stories."

    He looked around the shabby stub of an alley they were in. "Where will we go? We can''t stay here. We''ve nearly been thrown out so many times already. There are patrols sometimes. Wearing white sashes and lantern pins. Like the ones who ... before. In the village. We''ve been hiding when we see them, try not to attract attention. But no place is safe ..." he shuddered, following Amelia''s gaze to his fellows.

    "Hey!" Amelia grabbed his shoulders and pulled him to face her. "Hey! You can stay with us! We have lots of room! And food! It''s safe, too. Nobody would mess with my friends. They''ll protect you, right, Blue? Beige?" She looked up at the two birds who were perched on a roof edge nearby. They nodded, eyes firm.

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    The faun stared at the birds in confusion. The tiny avians didn''t look very capable of protection. But beggars couldn''t be choosers, unfortunately. Any place had to be better than here.

    "Really? You really have somewhere we can stay?" Hope blossomed in his eyes, although he was wary.

    "Yep! We''re gettin'' lots of people, but I can make room, no problem. It might have to be in the warrens, for now, until we work something out in Elara, but yeah, of course you can stay with us! We can go there right now if you want. Is this everybody? I thought there were more people in the village."

    "We had to split up. Too many of us draws attention, and we get moved on. Some probably''ve been kicked out already. Who knows where they are, if they have." Pola answered.

    "Right! Beige, Blue -- would you guys see if you can find the rest of the villagers? Anybody that looks like they need a home, really. Get them headed towards the crossing point? Nicely?"

    Both birds bobbed their heads affirmatively, then flitted off.

    "Good. Those two will find ''em, don''t worry. They can track almost as good as Shocky. V? Would you take Rakish and head to the rainbow fountain, let everybody know I''ve headed back home? You okay with that?"

    The teen nodded her head. "Got it. We can find it, fill them in. Will you be okay?"

    "I''ll be fine! I''ve got Pola with me, so I won''t get lost, right Pola?" He looked a bit surprised but agreed.

    "I''ll take these through and get ''em settled in, get some rooms set up for the rest. Keep an eye out for any more on your way, would you? And watch out for elves or other bad people!"

    Vieno nodded, then headed off to the meeting spot, the ambulatory junk golem following after.

    Amelia made sure they hadn''t left any trash behind, then started leading the refugees towards the market exit.

    They hadn''t gone very far at all when a pair of figures blocked her path. They were both wearing dingy white tabards and carrying pole arms of some sort. They had shiny badges in the shape of a lantern pinned at their left shoulders.

    "That''s them! They were at the village!" hissed Pola quietly to Amelia, edging back.

    "What have we here? Nasty dregs. Dirty beggars. No use to anybody, you sorry sods. Time you were dealt with, I think!" said the one in the lead.

    "It''s fine! These people''re with me. I''m taking them home, don''t worry, won''t be a bother. Sorry!" Amelia tried to step around the man in front, but he moved to intercept her. She remembered all the times she''d had encounters like this, in the days before she''d come to the hollow. She felt the adrenaline start to flow as she stopped in front of the stern man.

    "I don''t think so. You know, there are bad things out there. Rumors are spreading already. Really bad things, sneaking into the market. Can''t be having that. Young lady like you, with these? I think, for your own protection, you''ll have to come with us. All of you."

    He lowered his weapon slightly, holding it horizontally to block the lane. The man behind him grinned, bouncing the haft of his weapon in his free hand. They had the look of people who were ready for some ''fun'' with targets that were helpless.

    Amelia looked at the man and heard the worried mutterings from the people behind her. This wasn''t their first time with these types, either. She wished she hadn''t sent Beige and Blue off. Or that one of her other friends was here with them. But it was just her.

    Just her, but she''d learned a few things since the last time she was accosted like this. The last time she had to put up with such behaviour. This wouldn''t be like the times before. Before the hollow.

    "No." Her voice quivered slightly. She took a deep breath and set her shoulders. "I think you''re gonna let us pass." Her tone steadied as she spoke. This was it. Time to stand up for what she believed in. "You''re just gonna walk away, and never bother people like this again. That''s what I think. For your protection." She ended softly, but her face showed her resolution. She smiled as she met the man''s eyes.

    "Hah! Is that what you think, girly? You think wrong. You sound like you want to do this the hard way. Don''t you agree?" He grinned over his shoulder at his partner, who chuckled and grinned back.

    "Amelia, it''s okay! We''ll do what they say, it''ll be okay!" Pola said, patting her shoulder gently. "We can go with them, quietly. It''ll be fine. We''ll ... survive."

    "I don''t think so. Not today." She stared coolly at the two toughs brandishing their weapons. "I think ... I think I''m done with people like this. Abusing their power. Bullies."

    She brushed her cloak back behind her shoulders. "Walk away. We''ll leave peacefully. We aren''t causing any harm. Turn around and walk away. We''re going. You won''t be stopping us."

    "Hah!" grunted the rearward man. He lifted a whistle that hung on a chain around his neck, then blew several piercing blasts. Answering blasts sounded from all directions, some from close by, others from quite a distance away. "Don''t want the rest of the boys to miss the festivities, eh?"

    Amelia watched as several gangs of similarly dressed men approached from around corners behind the two, the men scowling and looking hungry for trouble.

    "Not kidding. Last chance. I''d really rather be nice, you know. You sure you don''t want to be nice, too?" She pitched her voice to be friendly and sweet.

    "These folk are causing trouble. Let''s round ''em up and take ''em to the gaol. For ... questioning." The closer man called to the newcomers then turned to face Amelia.

    She smiled brightly. "Okay. You guys had your chance. I''ll just say, you''re extremely lucky none of my friends were here. They wouldn''t be so gentle, like I''ll be."

    Both men had smug looks, not the least intimidated by the unarmed girl in a sundress.

    "[Force Jet]. [Force Jet]." She said, pointing at the two in front of her.

    Amelia was slightly surprised when both spells hit their targets. They didn''t even try to dodge or block like her practice partners. She hadn''t hit Fork in ages. Even Spoon stayed dry for most of their sparring session.

    They practiced with water, though. Unlike that version of the spell, this one packed a much heftier punch. Both men were sent hurtling backwards, sprawling limply to the ground yards away, weapons rattling to rest well out of reach.

    The other men halted and bunched close together at the sight, warily pointing their weapons to form a hedgehog. Then they continued advancing slowly. Amelia waved politely at them.

    "Sorry about that! Your boys there decided they wanted it this way. Would you guys like to be nice? One chance." She smiled widely.

    The cluster continued edging forwards, weapons front. "She''s some sorta freak. Take her down quick!" came a voice from the group.

    "Huh. Wrong choice. [Force Ball]." They were blasted in all directions by the explosion, flung about like rag dolls. One landed almost at her feet, unconscious. There was a sizable crater in the road where they had been standing. Weapons and helmets rained down from the air for a moment or two.

    One man, the farthest away and at the edge of the effect, pulled himself up painfully, reaching for his dropped pike.

    "[Fire Jet]." Amelia said casually. The metal of his weapon''s head sheared off as the glowing projectile blazed past. The remaining bit of ferrule melted to slag, then dripped down to the pavement. He dropped the haft as it burst into flame from the extreme heat. She had aimed the bolt so it wouldn''t hit anything else flammable. Well, anything that would cause a big fire, anyways.

    "I''d like to get these people home and into a nice bath if you don''t mind. Were you boys done? Maybe ready to rethink your life choices? I could get my weapon out if you want to get serious about this. Would you like to meet Jam Spreader? You really really don''t, in case you were wondering. It''s an option, though." Her smile was much less pleasant than it had been earlier.

    She was answered by a chorus of faint groans, from those few who still retained the power to make noise. The one standing fled without looking back.

    "You guys have nothing on the triplets. They''d have you for dinner, no mistake. Possibly literally, now that I think of it. If there was anything left after the first volley."

    She looked back at the villagers, who were standing behind her, gobsmacked at what they had just seen.

    "I should point out that the triplets are like 5, maybe 6 years old. I don''t even want to know what my other friends would do." She shivered at the notion. "But I think we''re done here. Shall we?"

    "[Commanding Presence]. [Overwhelming Persuasion]." The voice was different from Mr. Unpronounceable, but the oily smooth manner of speaking was the same.

    [Passive defenses still engaged.]

    The woman who stepped into view was dressed in a similar fashion to the ones scattered around and groaning on the ground. Her clothes were much cleaner and finer. The lantern pin at her shoulder glowed softly.

    She had the same ethereal, unnatural beauty that Mr. U had, as well. "Surrender." she commanded.

    "If you want. Just go lie down over there with your friends." Amelia gestured at the prone figures.

    The elf frowned briefly. "[Commanding Presence]! [Overwhelming Persuasion]!" She said the words of magic much louder.

    "I heard you the first time. That doesn''t seem to work on me, for some reason. Sorry. You can still surrender, though. I won''t mind."

    The lady scowled, drawing an elegant rapier and pointing it at Amelia, advancing with impeccable footwork.

    "Huh. Jam Spreader it is! He''ll be so happy!" Amelia said, tugging the broach free. The weapon expanded instantly in her hand, midnight flames licking along its entire length.

    The elf took a quick step back and parried side-to-side involuntarily as she felt the power emanating from the spear, even though they were still separated by a dozen or more yards. Her eyes were drawn to the black edge of the gleaming yellow blade. She sucked in a breath and jerked as if struck upon recognizing the metal.

    "Ooh! That''s right! I hear you guys don''t like cold iron. You know what else is made of cold iron? Lord Twinkles!" Amelia taunted, tugging aside her left sleeve. As usual, the bracelet felt cool on her arm. Tendrils and drips of insubstantial ebon ichor wept from its place on her wrist.

    The elf swore, turning and running in pure terror.

    "Huh. Sorry, Jam Spreader, Lord Twinkles. I don''t think she liked you guys. I like you, though!" Amelia said, putting the sleeve back and returning the spear to broach form.

    "I guess we''re free to go!" She said, waving the horrified refugees to follow her.

    They didn''t have any more trouble as they made their way to the archway that exited the market, then continued on to where the gateway was.

 49: Hollow Together

    "Through here, please. Almost home! Hot baths, soft beds! You''ll like it, I promise!" She said as they filed through.

    Pola paused next to her as he watched the rest enter the gateway. "How ... how? Where did you learn that? I''ve never heard of anything like that! Not even in the old books. Where?" He gabbled, slurring slightly with fatigue as the adrenaline finally left his system.

    "Eh, this cute little goat taught me. You''ll like him!"

    <hr>

    It didn''t take long to get the villagers into the bathhouse, from there into clean clothing. Tyni and his crew whipped up a buffet to have waiting for them as they emerged, since he declared they were too thin for his liking. They didn''t take any convincing to eat again.

    Amelia spent some time expanding the housing arrangements down in the warren. Space wasn''t an issue, but she hadn''t taken the time to plan things out, and it was turning into a real maze. She''d have to sort that out soon, but it would disrupt everything going on down there. She was loath to put anything above ground, since she didn''t want to displace the trees of the woods any more than absolutely necessary. There were some places in Elara she could work with, and she was thinking of setting up more housing there before too long. With portals, it wasn''t like it would be far away or anything, so people could ''commute'' easily enough.

    Several more groups of the displaced refugees came through later, the first led by Beige, the rest by some of the shoppers who''d wanted to return early. Amelia welcomed them all, introducing herself, then showing them the way to the food set up in the gazebo and the bathing facilities. Bert had a huge stack of robes and various underthings for them to change into since most of them were dressed in not much more than rags. After bathing and eating (not necessarily in that order), most had retired to the bedrooms Amelia had made. None of them had slept in a real bed since being displaced, and even if they weren''t sleeping, they reveled in having a private space, safe and comfortable.

    An hour or so after the last group came through, Amelia met the returning shoppers at the portal. Shock got extra belly rubs as the puppy slobbered all over her face.

    "Were you a good girl for Sandy?" The dog wagged her tail happily.

    "She was the best girl. Such a love bug!" Sandy rubbed the puppy''s ears fondly.

    "Did you have a good time? Find anything nice?"

    "That was amazing, love! Thanks for inviting me along! I got the most wonderful shawl. It has pockets!"

    Amelia gave the lady a hug, then showed her the dress and sleeves she''d gotten herself. Her friend was impressed with the cargo capacity of the two items.

    They chatted for a few minutes before Sandy returned home via the portal in the brewery, Bill going with her. He''d parked in the parking lot at the shop.

    "Anybody have any trouble? Any problems?" Amelia asked once Sandy and Bill were gone. Almost all of them indicated they hadn''t.

    Mr. Ainsley handed her one of the ''walking around'' money pouches, which jingled. "Met some weirdos on the road. Seemed to be hunting for something. But no trouble. Nope. None at all!" He smiled as she looked into the bag. It was filled to the brim with the little lantern pins she''d seen on the men who''d harassed her. "They''ll be fine after a few months of rest. Just some broken bones, concussions, that sort of thing. I didn''t want to drop my ice cream cone and Miss Annie had her hands full with that sticky taffy stuff, so we took it easy on ''em." He waved as he ambled off.

    Blue belched rudely, several more of the badges arching out of his beak onto the ground. He winced, then pounded his chest with a wing. A second burp launched a glaive several feet away. A final one evacuated a dented breastplate, which rang loudly as it landed on the ground. The tiny bird fluffed his feathers happily.

    "Huh. Shoulda known. Good work." She said, shaking her head. If she hadn''t had any problems with the troops, there was no way anyone else would have. The villagers and Pola had been petrified of the thugs, but she suspected they were just armed hoodlums, for the most part. With the exception of that elf lady. She''d like to believe that not all elves were bad, but so far things weren''t looking good in that department.

    Once Amelia was sure everyone had made it back safely she had Elara close the gateway. It took a little energy to keep transition points closed, but after the issues so far, it seemed worth it. The Whimsy side was well hidden, but it wouldn''t take a tracker as good as Shock to find it. Especially considering how many had passed through recently. Better to be safe than sorry.

    She watched her friends and friends-to-be milling about, showing off their purchases or swapping stories of what they''d seen. The cooking crew brought out more dishes and kept the buffet restocked, so the evening meal was enjoyed outside for a change. The steam trays and serving bins were kept under the gazebo, but there was still some room for a lucky few to sit at the tables. Otherwise, people grabbed food and dispersed out into the yards or the various clearings and glades to eat and socialize.

    Rakish had fit right in. The construct was in the garden with Briar and Pancake, the three telling very off-colour jokes to each other. Amelia could hear the braying laughter when they had a particularly good one, even though it was pretty far from where she was to the garden. For someone who claimed to have been made that day, Rakish had an incredible supply of filthy limericks. He also could hold his liquor amazingly well, since he had, as he put it, two wooden legs. She''d made sure to warn everyone else in the hollow not to try to keep up with Pancake and Briar if they valued their livers, but Rakish seemed to be keeping up with them drink for drink. Tuuka would be proud if he were here to see it, she thought.

    Amelia settled herself on top of the boulder in the backyard. The occasional splash from the water fountain kept the rock slick, but it was a nice place to people-watch and be out of the way. She chewed slowly as she stared off into space, lost in thought and worry. The backyard below and in front of her was a hive of activity, with people sitting or reclining on blankets scattered around the yard. There wasn''t much loud noise, but the buzz of dozens of conversations made a pleasant background hum the music of the evening. The gaggle of children and Fur Folk playing their eternal game of water tag was the only interruption to the peace. They wisely stayed to the edges of the yard and were very careful that their shots didn''t go astray. Several had already received soakings from Amelia when they weren''t as careful as she thought they should be. Some of the older ones had finally gotten tired and grabbed their own blanket to hang out on. It had a plate in the center piled with goodies which they were picking at absently. Amelia was fairly certain they''d nabbed a few bottles of beer to share clandestinely between themselves as well. They were taking it easy with the stuff, though, so she just kept an eye on them.

    This was the first chance she had had to think over the events of the day. She''d been keeping herself busy since escorting the first group of villagers back to the hollow. First with getting lodging prepared, then checking in on everybody, fussing that everyone had something to eat and wear, chatting, so on and so forth. It wasn''t until she had finished eating that she stopped to think about the events of the day. The elves and the village. The fight.

    The thing with the village really bothered her. Both villages, from what Pola had said. That anyone would do such a thing. Deliberately destroying people''s homes, driving them off. It was horrible. She knew things happened like that in the mortal world but had never been so close to it. Seeing people go from happy in their own homes to starving and homeless. It was just wrong. That bothered her considerably more than the fight had. She''d been nervous when the men first confronted her but once she decided to use what she''d learned, it was easy. Too easy, really. She''d gotten used to trading spells with the kids, who were quick and nimble, crack shots. Being able to best grown adults without even trying had been stunning. She wondered why it had been so easy. Perhaps the thugs were just untrained. She didn''t know.

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    The elf''s reaction to Jam Spreader and Lord Sparkles was surprising, too. She could see with her second sight that they glowed intensely. They were obviously magical, but she had no way to judge how powerful they were. Perhaps Bellows and Olavi were not just simple craftsmen, after all.

    She wondered what would have happened if it had come to real fighting, with weapons. Would she have been able to really hurt someone with her spear? Landing a blow didn''t seem unlikely. She''d sparred enough to know she could do that. She wasn''t the best at melee, but she wasn''t bad. The question was, could she really stab someone? Hopefully, she''d never have to find out. The way the force spells had thrown people around had been bad enough, even without blood.

    Did she feel bad about what happened to the men? She really thought about it. They had not been good men. Or, not very good men, by any means. They abused their power and took advantage of the weak. Pola had said he recognized them as some of those who destroyed the village. She thought hard, searched her heart for remorse. She found none. They had been given every chance to do the right thing. They had been warned. She had been polite, non-threatening. That hadn''t been enough. Before, she would have gone along, tried not to make waves. But not anymore. Not now. She had no idea why she had stumbled into what she had. Why Gran had asked her to be caretaker for Bert. Why Donald had bonded with her. Why the folk of the hollow had become her friends. Why Pancake taught her such powerful magic. The Fur Folk. Those from Elara. But she did have it. Friends. Skills. Power.

    She set her jaw. Power. She hadn''t asked for it. Didn''t really want it. But she would use it. To protect those who didn''t have it. For those that needed someone, someplace. She''d thought something similar before, about how the hollow was and could be a refuge. She still thought that. But it could be more. Much more. She could do more. With Donald and Elara working with Bert, with her friends, they could make more places safe. Protected.

    The train of thought led her back to her friends. Tuuka and Picker. They had only planned on being gone for a short while, just long enough to find those back home who needed, or wanted, a better life. With the upheaval in Whimsy, though, she was concerned they had gotten into trouble. If the elves were destroying innocent, unaligned villages, she had no doubt they''d deal harshly with goblins and dwarves without mercy. There was some history, there.

    As if sensing her thoughts, Frisket and Vieno stood up from the group of youths and came towards Amelia. She waved the two girls over. They''d become friends since they''d come to live here. Both the girls with each other, and with Amelia. The two hadn''t been that close before coming to the hollow, but since they were about the same age, and the oldest of the ''kids'', they''d quickly bonded.

    "Hey there!" Amelia called as they climbed onto the boulder, settling down next to her. "Thanks again for shopping with me, V, and for helping out today. Really appreciated!"

    The dwarf nodded. She looked a bit embarrassed. The goblin girl nudged her with an elbow, whispering something in her ear.

    "Everything okay, you two? Something you want to talk about? We can go someplace private if you want. You know, talk about cuties and things."

    Both of them blushed but shook their heads no. Vieno cleared her throat as if she was going to start talking, but ended up just fidgeting, snapping and unsnapping one of the straps on her boilerskirt.

    Frisket wrinkled her nose cutely, then cleared her throat. "We''re worried. About our dads. We heard about what happened with you. At the market." The goblin looked upset.

    "Yeah. Okay. I''m worried too, but your dads are grown men. They can take care of themselves. Especially your dad." Amelia bumped Frisket with her shoulder, ducking her head down to look into the teen''s face.

    "But that was forever ago! He didn''t even take a weapon! Or even get good with the stuff Pancake taught us." The goblin whined a bit as she replied.

    Amelia nodded at the girls'' complaint. The boys had been pretty busy before they left and had only gotten the basics like the candle spell and water jet. If they had known how things would turn out, though, she was sure they''d have found the time to practice more.

    "Right. Wish they had. Remind me we need to set up regular training classes for everybody. Just in case." She didn''t have to mention the villages in Whimsy. Both girls understood. Their faces paled a bit, but they nodded.

    "I think we need to send a party after the boys. It''s been long enough. Just to check in. I''m sure they''re fine, but maybe somebody needs to go sober ''em up, tell ''em it''s time to come home. Wanna bet they''ve found some pub and''ve been holed up there for weeks?" She grinned. It was a lame attempt at humour, but both girls chuckled obligingly. They knew that wasn''t what had happened.

    "How could anybody find them? If they aren''t where we used to live, that is? They''ve been gone for ages!" responded Vieno. She kept fidgeting with the strap. Snap! Snap! Snap!

    "Hah! You don''t think Shock could find them? She could suss out a rock hiding in the ocean, if she had ever smelled it before. And she knows your dads'' stink pretty well. They fart a lot, those guys. Heck, I could prolly track ''em!" The girls laughed a little harder at that.

    "I''m thinking we send Quiet, and maybe some extra muscle. Just in case. Maybe some of the rougher lads from Elara. You seen some of them? Watched a few of them sparring with Scur. You know, that huge troll guy? They did pretty good. Not as good as that squad of squirrels, mind you, but those guys are nuts! They go for ''em, too, those! Terrifying! Glad I don''t have any!" She winked. The two teens giggled for real. The smaller Fur Folk had taken to combat a little too well. Somehow the switch had gotten flipped and the genetic prey had turned predator, big-time.

    Amelia laughed for a moment as well. She had friends. Friends who wanted to help. Time to get organized.

    "C''mon. Let''s go! They''ll all be too stuffed to run away from us, so let''s go recruit a rescue squad. Somebody''s gotta save whoever''s stock of booze your dads are terrorizing." She clapped both girls on their shoulders, then slid down off the boulder. "You girls wanna go with? I mean, to find your dads? The squad might need some firepower. What ya think?"

    Vieno and Frisket exchanged looks, then they gave the tiniest of nods to each other. "Yes!" They both answered at once.

    <hr>

    The squad left late the next evening. It hadn''t taken any convincing at all. Quiet had been worried about her son as well and was happy to lead them. Shock was up for anything, the puppy a ball of bouncy energy. She''d given Amelia and Sandy goodbye licks, then had been eager to go sniff new things in new places. And find new things to chew on.

    Amelia had felt a little guilty asking the Elarans and Fur Folk for help, but they had been as enthusiastic to go as the first two. Even though they had never met Picker or Tuuka, they were overjoyed to help friends of Amelia. It didn''t hurt they''d heard of the booze that Tuuka could make, either.

    In the end, the group was twelve strong. Quiet as leader, experienced adventurer, and worried mother. Shock, tracker and self-propelled chewing machine. Rose, a starling friend of Alder, carrying Darcey, shrew of the Fur Folk. They were the aerial scouting and bombardment force. Frisket and Vieno, ranged destruction and concerned daughters. Elwood the mouse riding Gladwin the fox, Fur Folk cavalry. From Elara, two walking piles of melee muscle--Bion, minotaur, and Charis, rhinowoman. Zoe, the colossal spider, went also, as medic and utility terror. Finally, from the deep places of the hollow, Sar, an ettin, who towered over the rest--even hunched over and sitting down.

    Amelia was pleased with the symmetry, which had been unplanned. Three each from the hollow, Whimsy, Fur Folk, and Elara. It seemed fitting, somehow.

    The crafters leapt into action when they heard the news. They had previously created a significant stockpile of war mat¨¦riel as ''practice'', but they outdid themselves making sure the group had the best that could be produced and customized in the time they had. Each of the squad had cold iron weapons of power. Spears, axes, darts and daggers. Helmets and padded jackets. The two beastfolk and the ettin were literal metal-clad mountains. Tyni and his crowd whipped up trail rations and yummy snacks for the road. Pint and Briar provided potables, both benign and not. The group glowed brightly when Amelia looked at them with her true sight, nearly everything they carried enchanted or charmed in some way.

    She had wondered if they should attempt to be more stealthy, nondescript. Quiet had vetoed the idea immediately. The goblin explained that if the Seelie were really on the warpath, there would be no way for them to hide. Except for the Fur Folk and Rose, they would all be singled out for their ancestry, if nothing else. So they might as well go armed for war. Not even an attempt at subtlety was made. She did concede to avoid violence if possible, and not to seek out trouble. Begrudingly, and only because Amelia asked.

    The final touch unifying the group caused Amelia to be torn between embarrassment and pride. It was a surprise they''d hidden from her until they assembled to leave. Each had a sky-blue hooded cloak (or sash, for Shock, Zoe, and Rose). They wore badges that matched the huge banner carried prominently by Sar. Words bordered the image, reading "Hearth Haven Hollow - Beorthmund - Elara - Dunnwald - Stronger Together!". The image in the center was a hard-bound book flanked by a wedge of pie and a mug, on a background of ebon flames.

 50: Scaring up honey

    "Alright, Rakish?"

    "Alright, Amelia?" The scarecrow returned, waving.

    "How''re you liking the garden, so far?"

    "Amazing! But there aren''t any birds to scare. Alder asked them not to bother the plants, and ..." He gestured out over the decidedly birdless expanse of vegetation.

    "Huh. I hadn''t thought of that!" Amelia answered. She really hadn''t. Any birds in the hollow that wouldn''t listen to Alder would certainly obey Lark. The rest would probably run afoul of Beige and Blue. Speaking of ... "We used to have a bunch of ravens that lurked around, but, uh, I think Blue ate ''em. Sorry ''bout that."

    "Got anything else needs doing around here?" He asked, looking around the yard.

    "Lots! We''ve got stuff going on in the mines, kitchens, heck, all the workshops! Just find something that looks interesting, and I''m sure you can help out somehow."

    Rakish scratched absently at the straw stuffing poking out of his burlap head. He was composed of several different kinds of lumber offcuts, used pieces of sackcloth, and worn-out old buttons, held together with twine and a few bent screws. There were mismatched boots and gloves on his extremities, while his head looked like a cloth balloon. The new sky-blue cloak he wore was quite fetching, though.

    "Anything in the bird-scaring area? Only, that''s my specialty."

    Amelia thought about it for a moment, then had to shake her head. "Not really, no. Sorry! We kinda got the whole ''scaring'' angle pretty well covered, actually. Bit of a surplus, really. But look, I''m goin'' over to Elara, check on the villagers and Bill''s progress. Come with, see if anything looks fun?"

    The bored stick figure nodded, head wobbling crazily as he climbed down from the top of Briar''s work area, onto the fence, then down to the ground. He dusted his glove-hands off, then stood looking at Amelia expectantly.

    "Lemme see if the candy exterminators are mobile again. Fern? Whisper?" She called loudly, looking towards the cottage. "Wanna join us? Oddny''s working with the beehives--there might be honey!"

    Moments later, the two zipped out through the bird-wisp-sprite flap at the top of the front door. The sprite was rubbing her eyes, her hair looking flat on one side from sleeping on the oven. They had been passed out in a food coma ever since returning from gorging themselves in Whimsy.

    "Honey? Honey?" peeped Fern, who landed on Amelia''s shoulder. Whisper settled down with a little wiggle on top of Amelia''s head, nestling in her hair.

    "Bottomless pits, I swear! We''re gonna go see the villagers, check on how things are going. We''ll swing by and check the hives, though, just ''cause I love you two!" Whisper glowed a happy green at the thought, while Fern rubbed her tiny head against Amelia''s ear, sighing happily.

    "Pola? Pola?" She queried after a moment.

    "No, he''s teaching a class right now, I think. You can tell, ''cause none of the kids are trying to nail us with a water jet."

    They reached the far side of the yard, opposite the path that led down to the creek and Alder''s clearing. There used to be nothing this way except more woods. Not even a little trail. Now the branches of a few trees had been twined together to form an archway about four feet wide. For the casual rambler, it would take them to a narrow, winding path through the woods that looped back on itself.

    But if you had the knack, the archway led to a new section of Elara. The vista opened before them as the four passed through. A large expanse of rolling fields with lanes cutting through them at distant intervals. Clusters of buildings dotted around, so the farmers had only a short distance to walk to get to their plots. There were fenced-in meadows given over to roving cows, sheep, and pigs--all non-sentient, of course. The fields were bordered by more forest, far in the distance, but there was plenty of space for expansion. Most of the fields were still left untilled, for future use.

    Amelia and Rakish waved at a group of workers in one of the fields as they followed the lane towards the nearest cluster of buildings. The air was crisp, but there was plenty of sun. Just perfect for planting. Weather wasn''t something Amelia had ever tried to control back in the hollow. She was pretty limited since she was just the caretaker, with so many changes requiring ''root access'' as Bert put it. But in Elara, that was all different. She had access to everything. It hadn''t taken long to realize she didn''t need to seek out the existing above-ground areas. She could make new ones, placed so they overlapped with Bert at the tree arch. Instead of having to move trees around the woods, she could just make as much open ground as she wanted, easy as that.

    "Alright?" She called to a group tending a row of young shoots.

    "Alright?" they called back, grinning and waving.

    She''d assured them that they didn''t actually have to farm. Bert (or Elara) could provide all the food they could possibly need, any time. But some of the villagers wanted to return to life as they knew it, as best they could. It wasn''t a bad idea. Anything they grew they could sell outside the realms, so that was a bonus. Stuff didn''t seem to grow at the accelerated rate in Elara that they did in Bert''s areas, but they weren''t in a hurry. There was something about the measured pace of farming that soothed the displaced refugees.

    Not all of them had been eager to return to the agricultural life, though. Freed from having to do that sort of work, they explored the various activities available for those who lived in the hollow. The opportunities could be overwhelming. Everyone was welcome to sit in on the various classes or shadow people as they went about their work or hobbies. It was nice to be able to try something out before committing to learn it. There had been several that were certain they''d love to blacksmith, for example, but after several hours pounding away at the anvil working over hot iron, they''d decided other crafts might be more their style.

    A disproportionate number of the villagers had flocked to the new sparring grounds Amelia had laid out. With the Fur Folk, Elarans, and now the villagers, there just wasn''t room in Alder''s clearing for everyone to practice safely. So she''d laid out a large area in the new space just for that. There were sections with dummies for target practice and drills, both for hand-to-hand work and ranged weapons. There was a large gymnasium that housed indoor arenas, weights, resistance training machines, and showers, and provided a safe space to store the sparring equipment when not in use. The real weapons were stored in the new armory, which was near the entry archway for fast access. They continued the tradition Picker had instituted when he first started the sparring practices--all real weapons had to be stored and accounted for completely apart from sparring gear. Nobody wanted an accident.

    Amelia had requested that everyone who was capable spend at least a little time learning how to defend themselves. Spells, spears, and getting good at running were all encouraged. She wasn''t surprised that everyone participated without a fuss. They didn''t talk about what had happened in the past, or what might happen in the future, but everyone appreciated the chance to be ready to stand up for themselves and their friends. As always, it hurt Amelia''s heart that this was necessary, but she knew folks like Beige, Blue, and herself might not always be around. Nobody begrudged the opportunity, anyways, and quite a few thanked her for the chance.

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    The four watched as a handful drilled under Alder''s watchful eye. Amelia had made a place of honor for the old oak where he could watch and coach the various activities in the field. His space here overlapped his spot in the hollow, so the tree could choose to manifest in either or both. It was amusing to watch him critiquing footwork at the same time as running yet another role-playing game in the gaming hut. Amelia had no idea how he could do it, but the ancient tree seemed incredibly happy. He''d spent so long with just the creatures and spirits of the hollow for company, he reveled in the chance to interact and socialize. And game!

    After watching the spear drills for a few minutes, they moved on to the spell range. There were pop-up targets scattered all over the field. Those practicing never knew which one would jump up for them to aim at. This range was mostly for practicing the more destructive spells since most of the real accuracy and speed practice was done with Water Jet wherever people happened to be available. It wasn''t feasible to be throwing around Lava and Lightning just anywhere, though, so that was why this place was made. The truly dangerous spells were still practiced deep underground in a special bunker in the warrens. Only Amelia, the kids, and some of the Fur Folk used that space for the most part since the others weren''t quite ready for those kinds of things yet.

    Safely away from the range areas where several new workshops. The smithy in the backyard had been terribly overcrowded. It also wasn''t very pleasant to do that sort of work underground if you didn''t have to. So Bellows got the original space back mostly to himself, while Amelia placed a gigantic fabrication shop here in Elara. It was made of dozens of bays set up for everything anybody in the hollows wanted to do, with many more available for expansion. There were still workspaces in the warrens, but these had windows. The villagers and many of the Elarans liked to see the sun on occasion, after all. The majority of the goblins, undead, and a few others still preferred to work below grounds, though, so now they could suit everyone.

    Sorting out the warrens had been a considerable task for Amelia, but having the space to shuffle stuff over to Elara made it considerably simpler. She did her best not to disrupt people''s activities too much, but there was only so much she could do in that regard. It was important to her that everyone had their own accommodations, whether private, large enough for a family, or in barracks-style, depending on preference. Places to sleep, store their things, relax and congregate. With the diverse group of people, animals, and creatures now making the hollow their home, there were a lot of differing preferences. It was easy to be accommodating, though, with Bert so full of energy. It was great to spend it on organizing and customizing, so everybody could be happy and comfy.

    The Fur Folk, for example, had a great hall in the woods here for their use. It looked just like the one they''d inhabited in Megrim. The Fur Folk had more-or-less given up on returning to their old haunts, although it had never been formally decided. Occasionally a few would venture forth for a sniff and a forage, but that happened less and less as the days wore on. They''d even abandoned the weekly rota for the crown. It had once been much more important when they had only limited magical clothing to share. A ruler to work out arguments and disagreements had been critical, then. But Olavi had not only gifted them enough enchanted items for all, he had taught several of them the knack of making items themselves. So no more sharing. They had kept the crown tradition going for a while after that but eventually decided unanimously that Constance was ruler until she decided she wasn''t.

    "Honey? Honey?"

    "We''re gettin'' there, we''re gettin'' there! They''re just over there, see?" She pointed towards the white-painted boxes on a platform not too far away. A figure in a beekeeper''s suit was bustling about on the platform, bees swarming merrily around them.

    "[Holtzman]." Amelia said, forming the body shield around herself. Fern and Whisper were also protected, but neither one was actually bothered by bees.

    "Um, careful! They''ll sting you!" She cautioned Rakish as the man started climbing up the platform.

    "No worries! The pain receptors that gnome gave me are pretty pants. Plus, you know, I''m wood. Hard to sting!" He said, already covered in the insects. They didn''t seem to mind his presence, instead happy to use him as a perch.

    "Hiya Oddny! Alright?"

    "Alright, Amelia? Coming up?"

    "Yep, just give me a second." Amelia moved around to the ladder and climbed up, unlike Rakish who''d just swarmed up one of the support legs.

    The platform was only about chest height, just enough so the bees felt safe. It was maybe twenty feet square, with a dozen or so large boxes for the hives. Oddny had one of them open, checking one of the removable frames.

    "The bees are doing really well! Lots of places for them to forage here, with the meadow and forest so close! The hive I had back ... well, previously, anyways, didn''t ..." The woman trailed off as she was reminded of her old home, the wound still fresh. She took a deep breath, then pointed to the frame in her hand, forging on. "Look at all the honey they''ve already made! I was just about to harvest some."

    "Cool! How does that work?" Amelia asked.

    "They build on these frames that we can just slide out of the boxes. All you have to do is carefully slice ..." The woman slid a long, slender knife along the front of the comb, slicing the wax free. Fresh honey started dribbling out immediately. "... the wax off. This doesn''t open all the cells, of course, but enough to sneak a taste." She winked through the clear facemask of her hood, holding the oozing comb out.

    Fern and Whisper whipped towards it so fast Amelia barely had time to drop the shield so they didn''t flatten themselves against it. They both started vacuuming up the golden treat as if starved.

    "Hey now! Leave some for the rest of us!" Amelia complained. She was about to put her shield back up when she noticed the bees weren''t interested in her. They buzzed around, some crawling on Oddny and Rakish, but they didn''t seem to mind the harvesting at all. So she took the opportunity to accept a chunk of the raw honeycomb that the beekeeper handed her.

    "Oh my gosh! Sooo good! Chewy and sweet! Tastes kind like, I dunno, wildflowers?" She said, talking around the mouthful she was chewing on.

    "Sounds about right. That''s what they''ve been foraging so far. You can spit out the wax when you''re done, by the way." Oddny slid a small wedge under the flap of her hood, then made yummy noises of her own.

    Rakish had a bit of a problem with his piece since it stuck both to his glove, and to his burlap ''lips'', but he eventually got it in. "Wow! That is good! Is it always like this?" He asked.

    "Mostly. You can usually taste what the bees have been foraging, particularly when it''s fresh from the hive like this. When we harvest for real, later, we''ll mix all the honey together. That usually masks some of the distinct flavor, though."

    The scarecrow focused on the insects crawling all over his body. He didn''t seem the least concerned about them.

    "Rakish here is looking for stuff he could help with. Need any?" Amelia asked, winking at the man.

    "That would be lovely! All the others are scared of them, I don''t know why! They''re no problem if you are careful. I don''t even wear the suit unless I''m actually working on the hives themselves. I''d love another set of hands!"

    "Rakish? Sound good to you?"

    He nodded, his lips still sealed shut by the mixture of honey and thoroughly chewed wax. To make sure they understood, he flashed a thumbs-up sign.

    "Great! That worked out well!"

    Oddny reached out and shook her hand, then wiped her now sticky glove on the back of her suit surreptitiously. "Welcome aboard! I''m just about done for today, but tomorrow I need to do some maintenance work on that hive over there. Drop by after breakfast?"

    He gave twothumbs up and nodded enthusiastically, before using both hands to pry his mouth open again. "Gah! Sticky stuff!"

    "Just wait until you try the toffee we make in the sweet shop! Once it gets a bit stale, you can use it for glue!" Amelia said, smirking at his antics. "Need anything, Oddny?"

    "No, thank you! We''re doing fine, Amelia! We can''t thank you enough for all you''ve done! The houses, farms ..."

    Amelia grabbed the woman in a big hug. "Thank you! It makes me happy to make you guys happy! So don''t hesitate to ask for anything, okay?"

    The lady squeezed her back tightly, nodding. She didn''t trust her voice not to break if she replied. But Amelia could see her happy smile through the hood.

    "Right! We''re gonna go see how Bill is doing with the Halls of Blight. Horrible name, isn''t it? Wanna come?"

    Oddny shook her head no, gesturing towards the hive she needed to reassemble.

    The sprite and the wisp looked longingly at the still mostly full frame of honeycomb in her hand, then grudgingly bobbled their way back to perch on Amelia.

    "If you get stuck to my head again, Whisper, so help me ..."

 51: Safety Dance

    "Huh. Yeah, I agree, that works pretty well! I still think filling ''em with custard would be more fun, though!" Amelia said.

    Timon helped Rakish as he climbed out of the pit, water streaming from his wooden form. He had volunteered to demonstrate the newly ''safed'' pit traps Bill and his crew had been working on. All the spikes had been removed, then the hole was sealed and filled with water. It was deep enough that a fall into it would be safe, but shallow enough that a human-sized creature could still get its head above the water. For anything smaller, there were ladders inset on all sides, painted with glow-in-the-dark pigments so they could be easily seen.

    "I think I got the rest of the honey out this time!" Declared the scarecrow. His voice was odd since the straw-stuffed cloth of his head had gotten waterlogged after the first time into the pit. The paint he''d been covered in earlier had also mostly been washed off.

    "Custard would go bad, though. Unless we spend energy on keeping it good, which seems silly. Plus, would you want to eat it after it''s had adventurers in it? Who knows where they''ve been!" Bill replied, handing Rakish a towel.

    "Yeah, okay. But still! You fall in a pit, bummer! But custard! Score! Know what''m sayin?"

    Bill just nodded. He''d gotten used to some of Amelia''s odder ideas. Some were worth doing, and some he just humoured her long enough she forgot he hadn''t implemented them.

    "We''ve finished all the pits, finally. There were a bunch of them. Too bad you couldn''t get Elara to do it. That took more time than I thought it would." The core was happy to remove the pits altogether, or replace them with something equally as deadly, but was otherwise struggling with the idea of traps that appeared to be lethal, but weren''t. Amelia was still working on her, though.

    "Yeah. We had that talk a few times. Least she can do the chests and things." That had been a bit easier. Once Amelia explained that anyone marked with the paint would be hunted down by the denizens, the core had willingly replaced the poison gas with the dye, instead. That was how Rakish had gotten coloured, earlier--demonstrating the chest mechanic.

    "We left the weakness fields but moved them so they would be safer. They''re in areas where people might be tempted to use brute force to bypass obstacles, or where being encumbered would be particularly awkward. There was one wall climb where they were placed halfway up, so you''d suddenly feel twice as heavy as usual. If you fell, it would trigger a spike trap below. Pretty nasty." He shook his head. Hard to believe anyone would willingly subject themselves to places like this for real. As a safe fun house, sure, but with life on the line? It was hard to understand.

    "I''m a little teapot short and stout!" sang Rakish, dancing with one arm on his head and the other extended out.

    Amelia gaped at the scarecrow, wondering what had gotten into him.

    "Ah, yeah. Mind control field. They used to make you try to kill your friends. We thought this was safer. Funnier, too!" Bill grinned as the wooden mannikin kept singing and dancing to the song.

    "Huh. How long does it last?"

    "Only a minute or so. The idea is we have a squad stationed to watch this area, and when it gets triggered, they attack. Should put the adventurers at a significant disadvantage, especially if it''s their tanks doing the little song ''n dance number." He looked very pleased with the results.

    They watched for a while. "Uh, that''s way longer than a minute! Did something go wrong?" She asked, concerned. Rakish was still twirling and singing, miming with his arms and getting into the performance.

    "I dunno! Never lasted this long before. Maybe it has odd effects on ... people like Rakish?" Bill looked confused. They''d tested on living and undead, but they didn''t have any constructs to do testing with. Which was partially why they''d been happy to let the scarecrow wander through the trapped area.

    "What? I just like the song! That was fun!" Rakish said when he realized they were all worried.

    "You aren''t controlled anymore? How long did you feel compelled to do that?" Timon asked, taking notes on his clipboard.

    "Oh, I didn''t feel compelled. It was more like ... a suggestion. Yeah, like that. But I liked the tune and the moves, so I just went with it. Was that wrong?"

    "No no! That''s fine. It affects everybody a bit differently. One of the draugr started belting out show tunes, and Timon here was breakdancing, I think." The crocodillian blushed when Bill pointed to him. He''d been pretty good at it, though. Hard to do with a snout and glasses like he had, but the head spin had been very impressive.

    "I wonder what I''ll do?" Amelia said as she stepped into the area where Rakish had been dancing. Nothing happened. She turned and looked questioningly at Bill.

    "Well first off, you''re the dungeon master. Of course the traps don''t work on you. And second, didn''t you say that mind control stuff didn''t seem to affect you? Something about ''passive defenses'' from Bert or Don or something?"

    "Oh, yeah. Right. Forgot about that. Darn! I got good moves, too!" Amelia said, disappointed. She started flailing about in what were probably intended to be graceful dance steps.

    "Is ... is she having a seizure?" Timon asked quietly.

    "Fine! You just don''t appreciate fine art, is all! Hmmph!"

    Amelia stopped and scowled at the crocodile man, who hid his face with this clipboard. Then a thought struck her. "Why didn''t it do anything to Fern or Whisper?" She asked, craning her neck to look at the sprite on her shoulder. Fern just waved back with one hand, rubbing her honey-distended belly with the other.

    Bill shook his head. "You know, I have no idea! It should have. Maybe, I dunno, you have some sort of dungeon master aura or something? Maybe if they weren''t with you or touching you?"

    Amelia thought about it for a moment, then plucked Whisper off her head. The wisp had cleaned most of the honey off herself, so only a few hairs stuck to the glowing ball of light.

    "Whisper? Fern? Wanna try the dance field for me?" She asked softly.

    The wisp''s glow edged from happy green to a pale blue, but she wobbled slowly through the air over to the area Bill indicated. Nothing happened. Fern groaned softly from her place on Amelia''s shoulder, then laboriously flew over next to her playmate. Again, nothing happened.

    "Huh. Maybe they don''t have enough mind to be controlled?" suggested Timon, focused on writing notes furiously.

    The two both started drifting over to the crocodillian, Whisper starting to flash angrily. Amelia deftly plucked them from the air and placed them on their usual spots on her head and shoulder. "Maybe, Timon, they have too much smarts to be controlled? That must be it, right?"

    "Ri-right, yeah, that must be it!" He stammered, realizing he''d been rather offensive. He blushed as he pretended to take more notes so he didn''t have to meet anyone''s glares.

    "Ahem. Why don''t we move on?" Bill interjected politely.

    The group moved further down the corridor until they came to a shimmering doorway. It looked just like the portal from the mine cavern to Alder''s glade. Amelia peered at it closely and suddenly saw the teeth that were just barely visible around the periphery of the frame.

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    "What the heck is that? A door with teeth? How can that possibly be safe?" She exclaimed, rounding on Bill.

    He threw up his hands, palms out, backing away hastily. "It''s okay! Really! We keep ''em well-fed, and we impressed on them they can''t chew or swallow! Watch!" He pointed back towards the doorway.

    Amelia turned around just in time to see Rakish try to step through the portal. It instantly peeled away from the wall, forming a giant mouth that had been disguised as the door. It gently gripped the scarecrow, its tongue rasping up and down his face, coating it in disgusting slime.

    "Ooohooohooo! That tickles!" The scarecrow giggled. "I think it likes me! So cute!"

    "Yeah. They lick. We couldn''t get ''em to stop doing that. I think it might count as psychological torture, but it shouldn''t cause any lasting trauma. We hope."

    Timon was taking more notes. Rakish was the first one to giggle at the treatment. The others had mostly screamed or begged for mercy, so that was new.

    "So how do we get him out?" Amelia asked after a few moments. The tongue thing was getting a bit obscene.

    "Like this! Timon?" Bill said, stepping forwards and grabbing one of the scarecrow''s gloves, bracing himself against the wall with a foot and his other hand. The crocodilian let his clipboard hang from a strap around his neck and assumed a similar position. Together they heaved Rakish out without too much effort, making a wet POP! sound as he was pulled free. The mimic spit out the boot that had been pulled off in the process. It then resumed its impersonation of a doorway again.

    "That''s all the traps, then?" Amelia asked as Rakish struggled to pull his boot back on. It was normally held on by a screw through the sole, which had been stripped out. He ended up having to borrow some twine Timon happened to have handy to tie it back in place.

    "Yeah, that''s all the types for this area. There''s some variations, but that''s the gist of it. Want to see our mobs?" Bill replied.

    "Sure! Lead on!"

    They were calling them mobs, short for ''mobile obstacles'', since they weren''t really ''inhabitants'' anymore. Once they had been convinced they were welcome to keep fighting, even if only ''for practice'', all the locals had decided living where they worked wasn''t that inviting. It also meant they didn''t have to worry about non-combatants, like children and off-duty personnel getting in the way or being bothered. The different groups that would ''work'' the dungeon would clock in for their shift, then leave for the amenities of the hollow once done. The fact they had puddings and booze only had a small influence on the decision, it was claimed.

    Bill guided them along a few twists and turns to a hidden door, which opened onto the on-duty lounge. Bill pointed out the bells that would warn them when there were adventurers in the dungeon, and what zone they would be in.

    "When those ring, they know to gear up and be ready. We have a few set-piece encounters planned, but other than that it''s when they feel like it. More challenging for the adventurers that way." He explained.

    The click-clack of snooker balls striking each other greeted them as they entered. A raucous cheer went up from the group gathered around the table, placing bets as a ratman stood on one edge, chalking a cue. There was another group clustered around a dart board not too far away, watching a match between a trio of beastmen. Others were relaxing on nearby couches or cushions, chatting or catching some shut-eye. One of the giant spiders was pulling beers from a tap behind the bar. It waved with a free leg as it saw them.

    Right inside the door were racks and shelves of equipment, filled with weapons, bits of armor, and other props needed to make the mobs look like they were a natural part of the dungeon environment. Amelia took one of the oversized axes from the rack by the door, then swung it gingerly around. When she accidentally smacked the head against the floor, it bounced.

    "How are the LARP weapons working out?" She squeezed the blade, which was a foam core covered in painted latex.

    "They work. We couldn''t weight them the way we planned to, to make them feel truly realistic. You could still hurt somebody if you hit them hard and they aren''t wearing armor. I mean, if you really tried you could still hurt somebody with these, but they''re as safe as we can make ''em."

    "How''s the monitoring system working? Do we need to have Elara watch things, after all?"

    "Nope! Works great! Whatever Olavi and Scorper did to those things, it works a treat. Bop somebody in a way that would hurt them, and the ''wound'' glows bright red. Very obvious. We''ll only need Elara to step in if the, uh, rules, aren''t followed. But our guys would never do that, right guys?" He asked, looking over to the monsters watching the interaction.

    "Nope!" "Never!" "I''m insulted, sirrah, you besmirch my honor!" "Nuh!" Responded a chorus of voices.

    He waved and smirked to show them he was just poking fun. Then he turned to Amelia. "If you want, we were just about to send another test group through. We have most of the kinks out, but it doesn''t hurt to be over-prepared. Wanna tail along and watch how they do?"

    "Sure!"

    Amelia carefully put the axe back in the rack. She noted the emergency first aid box placed right by the door, where it was easy to grab. Briar had helped Bill with those, so not only did it have bandages and instant ice packs, it had real healing potions. And an AED. Just in case. Even though they''d taken great pains to make the place as safe as possible, accidents could happen.

    They said goodbye to the waiting troops, then headed to the new entrance complex. The arch the gateway would be placed in was empty since they hadn''t opened to the ''outside'' world yet. But otherwise, it was all ready. The room was a huge armory and locker room. Entering adventurers would stow any dangerous equipment in one of the lockers, taking safe replacement from the racks and stores available. The exit to the room was a large stone archway. Elara wouldn''t let anyone pass if they were carrying anything that would be harmful. Anyone who tried would be blocked on the first attempt, then ejected from the dungeon on a second attempt, forfeiting any equipment they''d stowed. They didn''t think they''d have to do that more than once before word got around not to try.

    When they arrived there was a handful of people gearing up for the test run. Amelia recognized Pekka, a dwarf, and a faun named Boyden, one of the villagers from Whimsy, but none of the others. They were all wearing various amounts of armor, from just a padded jacket to full plate harness. Bags, pouches, and bits of miscellaneous equipment hung from belts and straps, carefully placed to not interfere with movement.

    "What do you do about teeth?" She asked, pointing towards a fox with her chin. The animal had a cunningly fitted helmet on, along with several javelins in a quiver strapped to its back.

    "Mrfff grrds, mum." said the fox, mumbling, then baring her teeth. She had a plastic mouth guard on, capping her sharp canines. A jackal-headed beastman showed the guard he was wearing, too, giving a thumbs-up sign.

    "I guess that works." Amelia said appreciatively.

    "Yeah, they aren''t required, but anybody that plans on biting has to wear one. We got Nic to make some flavoring for ''em, so it isn''t all bad." pointed out Timon, taking a momentary break from his scribing duties.

    "''ines ''int ''avored''" the fox said.

    "She said ''mint flavored''." Bill translated.

    "''s ''ot I said''" the fox glared at Bill.

    There were a few final rattles and snaps as the group checked their equipment one last time, making sure everything was snug and pouches were closed.

    "Ready?" queried Timon, standing over near the archway.

    A chorus of agreement answered him as the group started edging up towards the dungeon start. The crocodile man made a checkmark on his clipboard, mumbling something to himself as he noted the time using his wristwatch. He unlocked a metal box near the arch with a key from his boiler suit, adjusting something before locking the box again. "Configuration noted..." he muttered to himself as he wrote something down.

    "That''s the interface with Elara?" Amelia asked Bill. She''d asked the dungeon to make a way for the crew to adjust things, but she had delegated the details to Bill.

    "Yep! Timon and a couple of others have it all worked out. Different floor plan, traps, et cetera for every group. We have a few ''standard'' ones we''ve been trying so far, but this will be our first true random one. Should be interesting!"

    The crocodillian did one final sweep, surveying the adventurers and referring to his checklist. He gave a thumbs-up. "All good! Head on in! Have fun!"

    "Yay! This is sooo cool!" Amelia gushed. She knew they''d been working hard on getting everything both safe and interesting, and she was looking forwards to how it would all go.

    "We''ll want to stay back a bit. Don''t want to crowd them, or get splashed or anything. Also, we''ll need to stay well clear if they get in a fight, so they don''t get distracted. Wouldn''t be fair if we did that."

    Amelia nodded in agreement, watching as the group organized itself before passing through the archway. The fox was in front, sniffing for trails or traps. The others trailed behind, with the more heavily armored tanks paired with more mobile partners.

    "Is that a giant shotgun?" She asked, pointing to the huge bored but short-barreled gun the jackal-lady had. She had it slung over her shoulder, with a bandolier of gigantic shells over the other shoulder and across her breastplate.

    "Grenade launcher. She''ll use it for breaching, putting down smoke, that sort of thing. I was talking to ''em about that earlier. Guns aren''t very common, I guess. Too finicky when dealing with water, mud, and so on. Plus they make a lot of noise, which isn''t a good idea down here. That''s one of those old single-shot ones, uses a ''hi-lo'' system. Not exactly quiet, but good enough. She''s the engineer for the group. That''s why she has all the gadgets and gizmos--dealing with obstacles and traps."

    The woman they were discussing twitched her ear, obviously able to hear them. She turned and gave a two-fingered salute as they continued slowly forwards.

    "Shouldn''t she be in front, then? To find the traps?"

    "Normally, yeah, but they have Margaux there--the fox. Margaux is a first-rate scout, so she''ll sniff ''em out, then let Daphne decide how to deal with ''em. Shhh!" He put a finger to his lips suddenly, pulling Amelia and Rakish to one side. He whispered, "They''re about to hit the first encounter! Watch closely!"

 52: Fake Danger, Real Tools

    "That noise is horrible! Are you sure it isn''t a trap?" Amelia asked, wiggling a finger in her ear to try to stop the ringing.

    "Yeah, it isn''t lethal, just really annoying. It''ll deafen anybody that doesn''t take precautions. It also covers the sounds of any mobs moving around. Effective." Bill answered, opening and closing his mouth while he rubbed his own ears. "Plus, it lets anybody who cares know someone is in this hallway, which is part of the fun."

    The noise in question was a terrible scream that sounded whenever the adventurers tried to move in either direction along the curving corridor. It didn''t start until the group was far enough along that they couldn''t see further around the bends in either direction. They were stopped where they were trying to figure out how to deal with it. As long as they didn''t move their feet, it was quiet, so they were effectively frozen in place while they discussed options.

    "What are they supposed to do about it?"

    "Beats me! Our job is to give them difficult situations to get out of. The solution is up to them!" Bill added with a mischievous grin.

    Timon was frantically making notes as they waited for the group to figure out what to do. Luckily, the scream didn''t trigger for the observers, but they still had to hear it when the explorers set it off. "We need earplugs or something!" He muttered, noting that down as well.

    They waited, occasionally covering their ears as the screams were triggered by Daphne and Melissa, the designated de-trappers. Bill explained that Daphne was the team engineer--principally concerned with mechanical traps and gizmos. Melissa, a ratwoman, was the team''s magical expert. While the jackalwoman was poking and prodding with wires and probes, Melissa was patiently scanning the area through a complex optical device, flipping lenses and adjusting knobs periodically, or fiddling with various tuning forks and other mystical gewgaws.

    The sound of metal clanging on stone echoed around the hall as the group finally hit on a plan.

    "Clever! Pekka''s cutting hand- and footholds into the wall using his mattock. Awkward, but should get them past the trigger areas." Bill beamed at their ingenuity.

    Amelia could just make out what they were doing by leaning against the wall. The fox and the ratwoman were being carried by their larger teammates as they precariously traversed using the ledges the dwarf had cut out. He was in the front, one-handedly cutting the path while clinging on with the other. It was slow-going, but within a few minutes, they''d escaped the area and were able to proceed normally.

    "So that''s it? Just a loud noise when they walk on the floor? Doesn''t seem like a big deal." Amelia asked, confused.

    "We know it''s just a loud noise. And that they aren''t about to be ambushed. They don''t know that. Dungeons are just big puzzle boxes. Puzzle boxes that are trying to kill you, but still just puzzle boxes. Rarely can you use the same solution to a problem twice. And if you do, that is probably a trap."

    "Huh. I guess that could be fun. I like escape rooms, and this is kinda like that. But I don''t think I''d like having to fight everything I meet." Amelia said, wrinkling her nose.

    "See, even that is a puzzle. Those slimes we ran into? They''re dumb, and will just attack mindlessly. But most sentient beings won''t do that. The trick is to figure out what they want. Negotiate. Maybe you can get them to help you? Or at least, leave you alone. Just trying to murder-hobo your way through will get you killed fast. At least, that''s how it works here. Maybe some dungeons are just death traps, couldn''t say."

    They continued following the team at a discreet distance. Amelia admired the stone carving that Pekka had done one-handed while climbing. That was a neat trick! Especially since the dwarf had been using a full-sized, two-handed mining mattock to do it.

    "Next obstacle! This shouldn''t take ''em too long." Bill announced, holding up a hand to stop them. Rakish wasn''t paying attention and toddled along the hallway before Timon snatched the scarecrow and pulled him back. The party knew they were being observed, but no need to make them feel self-conscious about it by trodding on their heels.

    "Sorry!" The scarecrow whispered. He wasn''t capable of blushing, but he somehow managed to look embarrassed.

    Melissa and Daphne were again called on. The way forwards was blocked by an iron gate, which should have been easy enough to bypass. However, it was covered in thick, sticky, and stretchy cobwebs. The two were doing their examination routine while the rest spread out to make sure nothing snuck up on them while they were stuck.

    "What''s the deal with this one?" Amelia asked as she watched. She wished she''d brought some popcorn. Although that would be pretty rude, having a snack while watching somebody else work. It would be awkward to share, too, she thought. Bummer.

    "I think just a stuck door. Those are pretty common. Easy enough just to force it, but that might make noise. Plus, you want to avoid disabling it, in case you need to close it behind you or something. Like the last one, they have no idea if there is another trap somewhere, or if they are about to be attacked or something. These simple little obstacles are much more stressful than they seem. Gotta constantly balance forwards progress and caution. Stuff like this sucks up time. A few minutes here or there isn''t much, but dozens of these things? You''ll be in here forever!" He looked happy, seeing the team sweating a bit under the pressure.

    The cobwebs were quickly dealt with. Daphne had a phial of something purple and oily which ate them away, leaving only fizzing black marks where they''d been. Picking the lock and teasing the door open only took her a moment after that. The group cautiously proceeded into the room beyond.

    Timon''s pencil scritched away on his clipboard, noting how long the group had taken to get through the gate. Amelia wasn''t sure if they were just for posterity, or if the crocodilian had plans to make them harder, but he was writing everything down, it seemed. He pushed his bifocals back into place on his snout as they continued following the team. They weren''t moving fast at all, so it wasn''t difficult to keep up, even while writing.

    Amelia remembered how slow they''d gone in the vault in Alder''s clearing and when they''d come here to Elara to find John. Even though this was now a ''safe'' dungeon, the party wasn''t taking any chances. The goal was to do this as if it were real, learning from the experience. She could hear the occasional whispered instruction they were giving Boyden. The faun was on his first-ever expedition and was trying to soak up everything he could.

    Voices from up ahead caused the party to stop, sending Margaux slinking ahead. Moments later the fox returned, reporting that there was a group of goblins stopped at a crossroads, possibly with injured members.

    "Should we go help?" Amelia whispered to Bill as they overheard the scout''s report.

    "It''s okay. They''ll just be acting. Just having the mobs standing around twiddling their thumbs would be boring, so they set up little scenarios. This should be interesting! We can probably get a little closer, but not too close now!" He said, directing the last at Rakish. The scarecrow bobbed his head in acknowledgment, letting the others lead the way.

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    There were about a dozen goblins from Elara--similar, yet different to the breed Amelia was used to. Two of their number were lying on the ground, next to a large wooden chest. The rest were further down one of the corridors, a few yards away. They were ''surprised'' by the approaching party, reacting with yelps and shouts as they retreated, leaving their prone members where they lay. They had an assortment of crude weapons that they pointed fearfully at the adventurers.

    "Stop! Don''t come any closer! It''s dangerous! Poison gas!" one of the goblins yelled, waving at the party to go back.

    Bill just grinned, nodding his head. He recognized this particular scenario. He pointed to one of the downed goblins, who had white foam starting to bubble from between his lips.

    "Just toothpaste! Looks great, though, doesn''t it?" He whispered to Amelia in glee.

    There was a brief discussion amongst the adventurers, then Neon, the draugr moved forward with a couple of phials he''d gotten from Melissa.

    "Stop! Poison! Go back!" hissed the goblin again, the entire group of them backing up further.

    "I am immune to poison. I will pull them away from the box, then treat them with these." The undead adventurer said, his voice a raspy whisper. He showed the two glass tubes in his hand as he approached, heedless of the green smoke that started hissing from the chest when he came within arm''s reach. With no apparent effort, he grabbed the two on the ground and dragged them towards their group, carefully keeping their heads from bumping on the stone floor.

    The goblins backed up as the moving corpse moved into their section of the corridor, but seemed to relax as he did nothing aggressive. After he''d lowered the two ''wounded'' and administered the potions, he stood back, hands well away from his weapons.

    "Our healer said they should wake within moments. I will stay until that happens."

    "Huh. Real healing potions?" Amelia looked at Timon and Bill.

    "Nah. Just coloured water. No need to waste the good stuff. We have some in the first aid kits if we need it, but they''re just carrying props." Timon answered. Bill bobbed his head in agreement.

    After a minute or two, the ''poisoned'' goblins groaned theatrically, then leapt up, dancing and praising the draugr. The rest of the goblins lowered or sheathed their weapons as they drew close to embrace their ''healed'' companions.

    "Thank you! Very kind of you! We thought they were goners!" said the leader of the group. He was dressed in slightly better rags than the others. Amelia was surprised at the outfit, since all the goblins she knew dressed like everybody else, except for not wearing shoes. Rags and leather furs were definitely not standard wardrobe. More like t-shirts and cargo shorts, or boiler suits, at least from the ones she''d met.

    The adventurers and the goblins conversed for a few more minutes, before the goblins departed, having told the group they were welcome to the chest they''d found. They claimed to have dragged it from a room some distance away and had just gotten this far when the gas started spraying out.

    "See? If they''d just killed ''em all, they wouldn''t have learned about the room that might have more treasure. Plus, they''d have to fight around that gas. Chalk one up for conflict resolution skills and a little compassion!" enthused Bill, happy at the outcome of the encounter.

    "Yeah, and having a poison-resistant dead guy in your group." added Timon. He wrote something down, then glanced up at Amelia. "I think that was one of the ones Alder suggested. I made a note to thank him!"

    "Alder? You guys consulted him?"

    "Oh yeah! That tree is devious! We had to tone down most of his suggestions, but he had some really good ones. Lots of complex interactions and stuff. Real head-scratchers. I think originally the ''injured'' were supposed to be diseased with something contagious, but maybe that was a different scenario. Anyways, he''s a goldmine for this kinda stuff."

    Amelia made a mental note of her own to give the tree a big hug. She hadn''t done that in a few days and didn''t want the oak to forget how much he was appreciated around here. He had been incredibly helpful in his ''retirement'', between the gaming, helping out with dungeon scenarios, and coaching fighting. He''d certainly been making up for all the time he''d spent alone with just the squirrels, birds, and fish to keep him company.

    With the draugr''s help, the chest was opened and disarmed. They waited for the ''poison'' gas to disperse, then gingerly retrieved the contents. Melissa scanned each item intently, flicking through her arsenal of lenses and sensing tools, before declaring them all safe.

    "That''s real treasure, too!" Bill said, pointing at the items they''d laid out on the floor to divvy up. "Got the potion from Briar and the mask from Elisabet. One of the Fur Folk made the ring with Bellows'' help, and another one did the cape. Figured it was only fair repayment for our testers. No real weapons though, too dangerous, but it''s good stuff."

    After verifying everything was safe, the ratwoman spent a little more time identifying each item. The rest of the party kept lookout and had a brief snack and water break.

    "Okay, the big ones are the potion of shape-changing and the ring of regeneration. That one''s a good find! The stone mask is gonna be valuable but isn''t magical. The cloak, well ... look!" Melissa pointed to each item as she mentioned it, ending by donning the scarlet cape. It billowed and fluttered behind her as if there was a constant steady breeze. "Mostly just cosmetic, but the air effect cools you down, and might disperse gas." She struck a heroic pose to show off the item.

    There was a hushed discussion as they figured out who got what. In the end, the ratwoman took the ring, since she was the designated medic. The rest they shoved in a pack to deal with later.

    "I want a cape like that! That''s neat!" declared Rakish, watching enviously as the garment was stowed away.

    "I know, right? We''ll ask Olavi later! Maybe he can add it to my cloak! We can strike dramatic poses in front of all that oppose us!" Amelia enthused.

    They were interrupted by a roar from further down the hallway. The observers jogged down to find the adventurers locked in a melee with a huge minotaur, his foam club scattering them as he flailed about.

    "Timon? Did you see what happened? I didn''t think he was supposed to attack right away?" Bill queried the crocodilian.

    "I checked -- the encounter roll came up ''automatic attack''. Only like a 1 in 36 chance, but it happens." Timon did his approximation of a shrug. His shoulders weren''t built to move that way, so he just flared his arms out slightly to give a similar effect.

    They watched the melee from the corridor, doing their best to stay out of the way. Pekka and Neon kept close to the minotaur, shielding their squishier party members. Boyden held back, after almost hitting the draugr with one of his javelins. The others circled at a safe distance from the club, trying to get a good shot in. The room was large enough that they could move around a bit, but not so large they could get far enough away they could focus on taking careful shots. They also had to watch out for the various boxes and sacks strewn around, posing serious trip hazards.

    Amelia thought the fight was over when Neon managed to grab hold of the huge club, the draugr dragging the weapon to a halt. Pekka dashed in to finish their opponent off, but the minotaur was so strong he managed to whip the club around with Neon still clinging to it, knocking both flying into a wall. Their plate armor made a tremendous racket as they smacked into the stone, then rebounded onto the floor. The dwarf''s spear rattled past the observers in the hallway, well out of his reach.

    "Um, should we ..." Amelia started, but Bill just shook his head.

    "Just be ready to move if they come this way. Exciting, isn''t it?" He asked, his eyes gleaming at the action.

    Darts pelted the monster as Melissa and Daphne tried to draw him away from the two momentarily stunned tanks. Margaux managed to score a bite on his heel, the ''wound'' glowing bright red to show the hit. Boyden lunged in with his spear, but it was blocked before he could make contact.

    They had done lots of many-on-many and many-on-one drills in practice. It made much more sense to Amelia now, seeing the chaos that ''real'' combat devolved into. Even though this was just for practice, it had a lot more verisimilitude than the sessions in the field or Alder''s clearing did.

    It took some effort, but the standing adventurers managed to draw the attention of their foe away long enough that Neon and Pekka could get to their feet. The draugr dashed back into the fight, his spear lashing for the minotaur''s vitals. Again, the creature managed to deflect the blows with his huge club, moving way faster than his bulk would imply.

    "Wait! That''s a real ..." shouted Bill, lunging forwards.

    It was too late. Pekka had pulled the mattock from its place on his back and struck a mighty blow to the minotaur''s leg. Blood spurted as he yanked the tool free. The foe bellowed in pain and rage, driven to his knee by the crippling injury. The dwarf''s powerful shoulders turned the momentum of the mattock''s backswing into an overhead arcing blow, aiming for the center of his target''s head, now in range.

    "Stop!"

    But the metal tool was already driving inexorably down in a killing shot.

 53: Gloves Off

    "[Fire Jet]! [Petrify]!" yelled Amelia as she raced forwards after Bill. The head of the mattock vaporized, as did a chunk of the dungeon wall opposite. The momentum of the swing carried both the tool and Pekka forward, the dwarf suddenly frozen like a statue. The haft smacked the minotaur painfully between his horns as his assailant clattered to the ground, unmoving.

    "Stop! Everybody stop! Medical!" Bill shouted out, racing to the injured mob. He had whipped off the sash from around his waist, using it with his hands to apply pressure to the wound.

    The minotaur craned his neck to look at his injury, his hand rubbing his head where the wood had hit him. He snorted loudly. "That really hurt, you know. Probably gonna make a wicked scar, though!"

    The party stared in surprise at the blood. It pooled on the floor where it dripped from the huge gash and there was a long line of spatter on the wall and ceiling where the mattock had flung it on its backswing.

    "Here! Put this on!" Melissa darted forward, offering the ring they''d found in the chest. The minotaur eyed the tiny thing for a moment, before gingerly wedging it onto his little finger. Luckily, the magic ring resized itself to fit perfectly.

    Bill lifted the bloody sash and they watched as the wound stopped bleeding and started closing up. "Sorry about that, Sebastien. Don''t know why we didn''t think tools would get used as a weapon. Obvious in hindsight. You okay?"

    The beastman nodded, eyes glued to the rapidly healing wound. "Yeah, yeah, no problem. ''S why we''re doing test runs, right? For things like this?"

    Bill nodded. "Still, this is the sort of thing we should have foreseen. I feel like an idiot!" He stared at the bloody cloth in his hands, shaking his head.

    "Is ... is Pekka okay? He hasn''t moved!" observed Boyden.

    They all turned to look at the dwarf, who''d landed just a few feet away. He was awkwardly positioned, body still braced for the blow he had thrown, although he was now face down on the floor.

    "Oh, no! Could somebody go get Pancake? I don''t know how to turn that off! I don''t know how to put a shield on somebody else and that just ... happened! " Amelia frowned. "I didn''t even know I could do that!"

    The faun helped Melissa roll the rigid dwarf to one side. They tried to take the smouldering mattock handle from his hands, but it wouldn''t budge.

    "You think he''ll be okay?" the ratwoman asked. "He isn''t breathing and his skin is so hard I can''t feel a pulse!"

    "I ... I ... hope so! I don''t really know what that spell does. Maybe not the best move ..." Amelia looked at the dwarf with concern, picking at her fingernails nervously.

    "Good job on the fire jet, though! Glad you didn''t hit him with it, there''d be nothing left!" said Neon, the undead leaning on his spear nearby.

    Timon arrived back with the first aid kit, but Sebastien''s wound had already closed up, with no trace of the injury left. The minotaur stood carefully, testing his leg to see if it would hold his bulk. He smiled in satisfaction.

    "That''s some ring! Gonna have to get one!" He grunted, twisting off the magic item and passing it back to Melissa. Bill looked pleased at the assessment.

    "One of the trolls was willing to donate some blood. Healed right up afterwards. Apparently those kind of rings are so rare because most trolls aren''t interested in, ah, sharing, so to speak. Can''t exactly go into mass production, but the guys said they could make a bunch more with the stuff they have. I''ll bet once Tuuka is back and making more brandy, we''ll get more volunteers. Gotta replace those fluids, you know!" he said with a smile.

    "Should we try that on Pekka? Maybe it''d help?" suggested Boyden. The faun was kneeling next to his downed companion, looking for any signs of life in the rigid form.

    "Couldn''t hurt." Melissa responded. She managed to wriggle the ring partially onto one of the dwarf''s fingers, but it didn''t seem to have any effect. She pulled her visor out and started flipping through the filters as she gazed at the still figure.

    "That''s gonna be a wrap for today. Why don''t you all head out? Timon, would you sound the recall bell? Once we get Pekka taken care of, we''ll want to do a debrief, but everybody should just go home for now."

    "Sure thing, Bill." The crocodilian made a final note on his clipboard, before leading most of them out of the room.

    "Hey! I see a trace going back to you, Amelia! You must still be connected somehow. Can you, I don''t know, maybe cut the power? I know how to do that with an object, but not with ..." Melissa said, waving vaguely towards the caretaker. She twiddled a knob to change the focus on her optic as she continued examining him.

    "Uh ... I ... hmm. Let me think." Amelia pondered for a minute or two, trying to recall lessons she''d had from Lark. The bird focused on magic theory, her lessons long and thorough, if rather boring. There was something Lark had talked about, in a half-remembered lecture. It had been a while ago and she had to concentrate to remember the flow of music-magic. She chewed her lip as she composed the content of what she wanted to try, carefully forming the tune and checking the grammar. It was worth a shot, at least.

    Amelia pursed her lips and haltingly warbled a complex command in the language of magic. Bill and Melissa listened in awe. They''d all taken some lessons from Lark, but Amelia had by far the most experience with the bird''s lessons. They couldn''t even understand what she was whistling.

    The caretaker felt a sudden drain of energy from her, then heard a deep gasp from Pekka. The dwarf collapsed from his rigid position, dropping the wooden helve to the floor.

    "What? What happened? Oh my gosh, is the minotaur okay? I can''t believe ..." he gasped, scrambling to his feet.

    "He''s okay! Calm down! How are you doing? Do you feel alright?" Melissa grabbed the dwarf''s hand, tugging him to face her.

    "Fine! Where is everybody? What ... ?"

    It took a few minutes to explain what had happened and to convince everyone that the dwarf was fine. He was extremely embarrassed about the events of the combat.

    "I didn''t even think about it! I was so focused on the fight, I just grabbed the first weapon that came to hand. I''m so glad you stopped me!" He shook his head as he looked at the ruined tool, the end where the head had been charred and blackened.

    "Well, it was a learning experience for all of us! We''ll have to figure out a new protocol, somehow. Gotta have tools in here, but we''ll have to work out some way that they can be kept safe. That''ll be a challenge." Bill said as he clapped the dwarf on the shoulder. "Don''t worry about it. If you hadn''t done that, we might not have found the problem. Might not have been able to stop even more damage happening. All''s well that ends well, right?"

    The dwarf nodded, not entirely convinced.

    The clip-clop of hooves announced the arrival of Pancake, who sauntered in and looked the dwarf over.

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    "Somebody order a goat? Gotta cuteness deficiency or somethin''? Don''t panic, Pancake''s on the scene!"

    <hr>

    The party had just finished eating when Amelia plopped down at their table in the dining hall. Sebastien and one of the ''wild'' goblins had joined them, hashing over how the fight had gone prior to the accident. There didn''t seem to be any hard feelings between them, with the minotaur happily toasting the group for a good battle.

    "Hi, guys! Sorry, we had to cut the day short. How did you think it went? I mean, before ... you know ..." Amelia trailed off.

    "Before they had to cheat to win, you mean?" asked Sebastien, winking broadly as he nudged the dwarf with an elbow.

    "Hey now! You''re the one that used Neon as a flail! He ain''t padded none, either!" guffawed Pekka, poking the minotaur between the ribs with his finger.

    Amelia laughed along with the group, who had bonded over the ordeal.

    "Boyden, what did you think? Still want to be an adventurer?"

    "Oh yeah! That was the most fun I''ve ever had! Even the screaming hallway was exciting, although I think I might have tinnitus. Ow!" He wiggled a finger in one of his large, pointed ears. "I can''t imagine going back to farming after that! I never liked planting and plowing, anyways."

    The others nodded in agreement.

    "We spent so long cleaning up after adventurers, it''s way more fun being the ones making the mess!" exclaimed Melissa.

    "You were in the maintenance group, weren''t you?" Amelia asked. She seemed to recall seeing the ratwoman in one of the blue maintenance boiler suits previously.

    "Yep. Enchantment repair. ''S how I know how to use these." She pointed to the pouches and pockets on the vest she wore, which contained the visor, tuning forks, and other paraphernalia.

    "I was wondering about that. And where you got all that stuff. Seems kinda specialized."

    "Yeah. Some we had from work. Some we ... recycled from failed adventurers." Melissa looked a little embarrassed at the euphemism.

    "Like my grenade launcher. Poor schmuck that had it fell in a pit. Then a slime fell on ''im. Not much left except for the weapon and some scraps, after that. Nasty way to go!" Daphne shuddered at the memory but patted the odd gun happily. "My gain, though. Had it for some time, but no need for it in trap maintenance. That''s what I used to do. Learned how to take ''em apart as well as fix ''em. Handy skills to have!"

    "So are you guys gonna stick around, or go try your luck in a ''real'' dungeon?" Amelia asked.

    "Oh, we''ll stick around. At least until we get some successful runs under our belts, you know. Get Boyden all up to speed, get the group to gel. Takes a while."

    "Cool! Glad to have you guys around. So Boyden, you planning to specialize? Tank, engineer?"

    The faun finished swallowing and put his mug down, taking some time to consider. "Not sure, yet. There''s so much to learn, but yeah, I think maybe a little engineer, little magic tech. We''ll see, hopefully I have the aptitude! I''m pretty sure I''m not going to be a tank, though. Even though that was a practice fight, I was terrified!"

    "You did pretty good, though! Now if you could just hit the enemy, that''d be ace!!" ribbed the minotaur, smiling. The faun looked embarrassed, but happy with the praise.

    <hr>

    "Anything?" Quiet asked with a hushed voice, glancing around to be sure they were alone.

    "Nothing! I can''t figure out how they''re following us. They must have somebody near as good as Shock!" Rose replied as softly as her high-pitched voice would allow. The bird had perched on the goblin''s shoulder so they could converse as unobtrusively as possible.

    Quiet lowered her voice even further, moving her lips close to the bird. "I hate to think it, but I suspect we have a spy. They haven''t just tracked us, they''ve ambushed us! I just can''t figure out how else that would be possible!"

    The expedition had avoided roads when they first crossed into Whimsy. If there were patrols in the Night Market of all places, then they assumed they could encounter them anywhere. They waited until they were well away from the gateway to the Hollow before finally exiting the wilds. Even then, they had taken pains to obscure their tracks and camped well out of sight each night. Many times they''d avoided patrols due to Shock''s uncanny nose. The puppy had warned them in enough time to take cover and avoid detection. They''d taken to sending Darcey and Rose ranging far around them to scout, but even so, they''d still been waylaid.

    Amelia had asked them to avoid violence if at all possible, so they''d hidden or changed course where they could. But the ambuscade earlier had been unavoidable. They''d been passing through a narrow draw when cavalry came pounding towards them from in front and behind. By the time the scent had hit Shock, the hoofbeats were audible to the rest. The battle had been incredibly brief and one-sided, but they''d lost precious time burying the corpses. Even with a mountain like Sar digging, it took a huge hole to hide a squadron of centaurs.

    After they finished disposing of any evidence they could find, they moved as far from the road as possible, staying under cover of trees wherever they could. Their eventual campsite for the night was in a defensible gully surrounded by boulders and overhanging branches.

    Quiet had asked Rose to search the surrounding area, leaving her shrew partner behind so she could travel faster and more nondescriptly. At least, that was the reason the goblin had given. Rose was a friend of Alder and an inhabitant of the hollow for her entire life. The others were all newcomers, and aside from her granddaughter and Vieno, Quiet wasn''t entirely sure who she could trust.

    The two silently made their way back to the camp, giving the identification signal to Charis. The rhinowoman was on watch, lurking against a tree outside the light from the campfire. She quietly waved them through, keeping her eyes away from the light to not ruin her night vision.

    "Anything?" Vieno unwittingly echoed Quiet as the two settled near the fire.

    The goblin shook her head morosely. Both teens had done well in the fracas, protecting their allies by deflecting incoming arrows and blasting several of the foes with force jets. They were both still pale and shaken, though. The rest of their company hadn''t been nearly as bloodless in their methods but were no strangers to fighting. The girls would likely be having difficult dreams when they slept. Quiet patted the log next to her on either side and both girls moved over to sit with her. They didn''t complain as she put her arms around their shoulders and pulled them close.

    Rose gratefully sipped from a steaming mug that Gladwin brought over. It was a cold night, and the hot chocolate was a welcome warmth before they headed to bed.

    "I saw a village not too far from here. It had some kind of hole or tunnel, but it didn''t look like a mine, from what you said to look for." The bird chirped after drinking.

    "That''d be Bury Ardith. It''s near here, if I''m not too far lost. You''re right, they don''t have a mine. But there is an ancient underground fortification there, hence the name. From some previous war. I''ve never been myself, but I hear the locals still salvage things from there, even today. But more importantly, it has a passage that leads to the mining communities in the mountains. The boys would have passed through here one way or another, so we should check it out. Discreetly." Quiet replied. She looked around at her companions, who all nodded at her suggestion.

    "Did you see any troops or anything?" asked Elwood to the bird. The tiny mouse was curled up with his fox partner, who had returned to his place by the fire.

    "No, but I stayed pretty high up. I''m no eagle, you know. There were people there, of course, but I couldn''t tell if any were elves or anything." The bird was a little defensive on the matter. Her eyesight was considerably better than that of Darcey, her shrew companion, but still not good enough. Quiet had told her to stay high enough up that she wouldn''t be noticed, but that meant she couldn''t see much in the way of details. It galled her as a scout to not be able to gather good information.

    "I say we stop this hiding. Let them come! I''m not built for skulking around like an animal. Ooh! Ooh, sorry, didn''t mean it in a bad way!" Bion said, then blushed as he looked at the fur folk near him. The minotaur grabbed his mug and slurped at his chocolate, trying to hide his embarrassment at the faux pas.

    "I am an animal, and I agree! Amelia is a gentle soul, but she''s naive. And she isn''t here. We''ll never find Picker and Tuuka if we skulk around the whole time," piped up the mouse, looking fierce despite his minuscule size. Bion raised his mug to him, and there were murmurs of agreement from the other members of their group. "No more hiding and cowering. We have a flag. I say we fly it! Let them come! I don''t fear the light. Let them fear the dark!"

    Quiet could see the sentiment was shared by everyone. Even the teens seemed in agreement. They had marched out of the hollow bold as brass, and it had only been her leadership that had seen them hiding and avoiding trouble. True, that had been what Amelia wanted, but as the mouse had said, Amelia wasn''t here. Perhaps it was time to leave the shadows.

    She nodded, acknowledging the general spirit. "Right. We''ll try it that way. Tomorrow, we head straight into the village, flag flying. No more hiding. Let''s find my boy. Luck to anyone in our way--they''ll need it."

    Nobody was crass enough to cheer, but the mood lightened considerably at the pronouncement. They weren''t sent as spies or scouts. They were sent to find their fellows. Time to take the gloves off and show the opposition what they were made of! Quiet was proud of the squad. She''d be happy to lead these monsters into battle if that was needed.

    "Anyone want more hot chocolate?" offered Zoe, the gigantic spider lifting the heavy kettle from its place near the coals. She snugged a dainty silk pot cozy on it to keep it warm as she offered it around.

    "Yes!" "Ooh! Yes please!" "Please!" "Do we have any more of those tiny marshmallows?" came the responses from the bloodthirsty crew.

 54: Shrewd Dealings

    Bury Ardith was a small village. It consisted of a cluster of houses surrounded by fields nestled in the foothills of a tall mountain range. The distinguishing feature was the stone guard towers that flanked a gateway into the side of the mountain, set into a sheer cliff face. The stonework was worn and crumbling, so ancient it was hard to tell much about the structure. The gates themselves had long since been removed, leaving a gaping opening into the mountain. A recently made portcullis blocked the way now, the wood still fresh and the metal gleaming.

    The party made their way along the short trail from the village center towards the entry. They''d stopped to ask if anyone had seen Picker or Tuuka, but the few that didn''t flee at their approach just pointed wordlessly towards the tunnel entrance. So they carried on without stopping. They could tell the villagers were watching them go from behind closed shutters and doors. They were afraid, but Quiet suspected it wasn''t just the party they were scared of. To be fair, several of the twelve were very imposing figures. Charis and Bion were taller than aa few of the houses, while Zoe and Sar were more massive than most of the houses. The sky-blue cloaks and the flag Bion carried snapping in the breeze were incongruous, but somehow ominous as well.

    "Stop! No entry. Tunnel''s closed on account of monsters." said a bored voice from one of the crumbling towers as they approached.

    "Excuse me? Monsters? Would you maybe like us to help with that?" Quiet responded, peering around to locate the speaker.

    There was a rustle in the leftmost structure, then an eye could be seen squinting out one of the arrow slits on the second floor. Moments later the blatting of a horn sounded out, the noise echoing off the mountain face.

    The call was interrupted somewhat as Shock barked back, her peals of silence overpowering all other sounds in the vicinity. Quiet picked the dog up and rested her on her hip, shushing her. She gestured for the others to wait but keep their eyes out for threats.

    "Hello? Excuse me?"

    The eye returned to the slit again, staring down warily. It looked nervous. "What do you want, monster? You should know the host is coming! They''ll defend us! Put you and your lot in your place, they will!"

    "And what, exactly, is our place? If you don''t mind?" Quiet asked sweetly. She held the dog tightly as she felt Shock tensing up.

    "Locked up with the other filth. Or dead. PTUI!" was the response, a globule of spit arching down to land near the goblin''s feet.

    "Right. Would someone make this portcullis go away? I''m done waiting." She said, moving to one side.

    Before any of the party could respond, there was an echoing horn blat from well beyond the other side of the village. Shock sniffed the air, then pointed in that direction with her nose, silently growling.

    "Threat coming from that way, girl? Guess that''s the way it is. Heavies up front. Frisket, cover them. Zoe, take Elwood and Gladwin to the top of the tower. Stay there as high cover. Boys, there''s bound to be an entry up there. Find your way in and explore. I want more info on these ''monsters''. V, watch behind. I don''t want anyone sneaking up and shooting through that grate. Rose and Darcey, go find out who''s coming. Remember scouts--information first, mayhem second. But not too distant a second." Quiet ordered. Her voice was calm and businesslike, with not a hint of nervousness. The squad snapped into action. Sar stepped a few paces forward, with Bion and Charis to either side. The bird and her shrew passenger flew into the sky, vanishing rapidly. The fox and mouse pair clambered onto the giant arachnid, holding on to her cargo vest.

    There was a brief pelting of pebbles as Zoe clambered up the tower, her claws sinking into the stone as she propelled her way to the top. Her gargantuan form blocked out the sun momentarily as she ascended. A yelp sounded from within, the watcher cowering away as she passed their arrow slit. There was another frantic horn blast from inside before Elwood loosed a force jet through the opening. After that it was quiet.

    Minutes trickled by as they waited patiently. Vieno occasionally glanced behind her to see if anything was coming but tried to concentrate on peering through the portcullis into the darkness. The rest stood easy, leaning on weapons or just nuzzling in for a nap in Shock''s case.

    "Bird should''ve been back by now." rumbled Charis eventually, voicing a concern they all shared. They had expected Rose and Darcey to be out and back in moments but had long since lost sight of the pair.

    "Zoe, see anything?" Quiet called up to the spider high above.

    "Not really, no. I can barely see the buildings from here. But I feel many hundreds of feet moving this direction. Some are hoofed, most are booted. Maybe ... yes. Not in step, so probably not professionals."

    "Hundreds, huh? Right." The goblin rolled her head from side to side, her neck popping loudly. "We''ll see what they want. Give ''em a chance to surrender. Things go pear-shaped, any sign of aggression, weapons free."

    The rhinowoman and minotaur grunted, while Sar just bobbed his enormous head slightly. They heard Zoe reposition herself on the top of the tower, more rocks raining down until the spider stopped moving.

    "Girls? If it comes to it, let loose. Just watch the friendly fire. Shock, protect them. If it isn''t one of us, it''s a chew toy. Got it?" Quiet set the dog back on the ground, giving her ears a good scritch.

    The goblin and dwarf teens both nodded, faces pale again. The puppy yawned widely, her tongue lolling about as she flopped against Frisket''s foot. Quiet took that as a yes. The goblin pulled out her anti-glamour lens and positioned the strap securely. She left the lens itself and the eye patch up, but ready to flip down if needed. She then moved to stand between the ettin and Bion, spear loosely resting against her shoulder.

    They could soon hear the thunderous tramp of a great many feet coming towards them. Whoever it was decided to circle the village instead of passing through, and soon enough the vanguard hoved into view around one of the buildings on the outskirts.

    "Militia, looks like. Some mercs, and ... yep. Those are adventurers in front. Great." announced Quiet as she assessed the oncoming multitude. The lead few figures were dressed in similar colors, but not quite a uniform. Behind them was a larger group likewise colour-coordinated. They rode with the easy confidence of people well-used to conflict and violence. At the rear was a much greater number of poorly equipped soldiers. These last were having difficulty moving en masse, shoving and bumping into each other as they advanced, their pikes and spears jostling noisily.

    "Nobody in Light regalia, though. That''s something. Maybe we can negotiate." the goblin added, more to herself than to the party.

    As more of the force came around the village buildings, the poorly trained troops started lagging back, slowing their advance significantly as they spotted the ettin waiting for them. Bion and Charis, large as they were, were so eclipsed by the bulk of Sar they hadn''t even been noticed yet. A terrified shout went up when someone pointed out the giant spider crouched at the top of the tower. The party could see the leaders bellowing and gesturing to keep a rout at bay, the warriors close to panic and rebellion. Only the better organized mercenaries and adventurers kept moving forwards, though they too were shaken.

    Quiet took another step forwards, raising one hand in greeting as she hailed the approaching force.

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    "Howdy! We''re just passing through. You lads know any good pubs? Places to eat?"

    The mercenary group halted as the group of adventurers continued closer, finally reigning in their horses about fifty feet from the goblin. Two were in heavy armor, one was festooned with pouches and bags. Another had a heavy crossbow he kept pointed towards--but not directly at--the party. The last lurked behind the other four, swaddled in a hooded robe.

    One of the armored ones pointed a gauntleted hand at them. "Drop your weapons, monsters! We''re here to protect the area from your predations. We''ll not let you plunder this village like you have the others. Surrender and we may consider mercy."

    "Huh. Well, first off, we aren''t here to plunder. You''ll notice we passed right through, didn''t touch anything. Didn''t bother any other villages either, for that matter. We''re just looking for some of ours, then we''re on our way. But you seem nice, so we''ll make you a fantastic bargain, limited-time offer. You yield. That''s the deal."

    The adventurer scoffed. "You don''t deny you are monsters, monster! Yet you fly a flag as if you were civilized. What master sent you here? Who do you serve?"

    "Good catch! Didn''t deny we''re monsters. Some more than others." she glanced back at the dog who was noisily licking herself. "As for master, we don''t serve one. But our friend asked us to come. She also asked us to be nice. Which, by the way, is why you''re still breathing."

    Shock gave one of her short yips. Sar took a large sniff of the air, then nodded. "Elf." he rumbled quietly.

    As the ettin said that, the robed rider dismounted their horse, then ambled forwards, pulling back their hood to show the unnaturally beautiful face of a fae. The elf continued sauntering a few yards in front of the rest, motioning the group back as a smile graced their beguiling countenance. With their hood down, the party could see Rose, the starling riding on the elf''s shoulder. The bird settled her feathers and nestled herself more comfortably on her perch.

    Quiet reached up to flip down her lens as the elf''s smooth, oily voice rang out.

    "Friend? I''ve heard all about this ''friend''. A true creature of the Dark, a little bird told me. Aha. A ''friend'' who will be dealt with in time. But no need to bicker! I''m sure you''ll listen to reason like these others have." the elf kept smiling as it came closer, now midway between the party and the adventurers. "Just hear me out. You can be my friend, too. We can all be friends, no need to fight."

    They felt the tug of the words. They were so reasonable. Fighting wasn''t the answer. They should listen to the wise being. That would be best.

    The flow of thoughts was interrupted as Shock howled, the deafening hush blanketing them. Then Sar''s spear sang through the air, whistling from the incredible strength of the throw. That sound jarred the group the rest of the way from their stupor.

    "[Fire Jet]!" yelled Zoe from the top of the tower, echoed almost simultaneously by Frisket''s "[Force Jet]!".

    Rose was just slightly faster, however. "[Pavise]." said the bird, with just a hint of smugness.

    The spear and both spells rebounded harmlessly from the large shield erected in front of the elf.

    "Aha. My friend learned a few of your unnatural tricks, too. I think you''ll find them wanting, in the end." the soothing voice said, the elf pleased with the bird''s work. The shield flickered slightly as Rose strained to keep it in place.

    "[Force Jet]!"

    "[Fire Jet]!"

    Both spells were again blocked by the starling''s spell. The bird gritted her beak at the effort to maintain it.

    "Thank you, Rose. Ahem. My turn. [Commanding Presence]. [Overwhelming Persuasion]. Peace. Surrender."

    Quiet felt her resistance slip away as she forgot the reason for fighting. Her spear clattered to the ground, joining the weapons from Frisket, Bion, and Charis. She ignored the puppy who nipped at her ankles.

    The elf grinned, then turned to say something over its shoulder to the adventurers.

    A tiny, shrill voice sounded from high in the air above the village, well behind the soldiers. Only the power in the magic words allowed it to be heard from such a distance.

    "[Fire Ball]." said Darcey.

    The world erupted in a cacophony of flame and heat. The elf and bird vaporized instantly. Along with a gigantic volume of the ground below where they had been. A magnificent mushroom cloud billowed towards the heavens, dirt and rocks raining down as the troops blinked in utter shock. They stared, stupefied, at the glowing crater.

    "How you like them apples, you bleedin'' traitor? Elf-lover! Drop me midair, I''ma tell you what! Never again!" the shrew raged, although everyone within hundreds of yards had been deafened by the explosion.

    <hr>

    "Parachute." Darcey said, pointing to the bulky lump in the back of his vest. "Olavi helped me with it. ''S not right, bein'' that high above the ground." He continued cleaning the thick lenses of his spectacles, blinking owlishly as he glanced around, whiskers twitching. "Never mentioned it. Didn''t want to seem distrustful. Hah! Good thing, too. Problem is, I''m so light it took ages to land. Horrible! Just horrible! Thought I''d drift forever up there. Blasted bird knocked me off on purpose, then snickered as I was falling. I could take that, I s''pose, but for a blasted elf? Never again! Good riddance, I say! Fire''s too good for the lot of ''em!"

    "Never again!" echoed Elwood and Gladwin.

    "I can''t believe Rose was a traitor! She was one of Alder''s own friends. How could anyone want to betray Amelia? And to an elf?" Gladwin growled, still upset at the turn of events.

    "I can''t believe that greasy elf had us all hoodwinked like that. Slimy bugger. Never trusting one of them again!" Larsen said, shaking his head. His armour rattled when he moved, even with his helmet off.

    Atomizing a spell caster was a potent way to counter any mind control spells they had active. The elf had ensnared not just the adventurers and mercenaries, but most of villagers as well. Freed from its hold, they had agreed to parley with the party. Which was best done in the village pub, where they all were now, some time later. Much less thirsty and hangry.

    "Glad we didn''t end up tussling with you lot. That''s some impressive, um, firepower you guys are packing." He rubbed Shock''s belly, ignoring the slobber that was staining his tabard as the dog wriggled happily in his lap, tongue flapping about.

    "You can say that again! Bet there isn''t much that scares you, is there big guy?" Nidra asked, raising a flagon towards Sar. The ettin was practically curled in a fetal position to fit inside the pub with the rest, roof beams straining to contain his broad shoulders.

    Sar thought for a moment, then gave a half-grin. "She does." He rumbled slowly, pointing at the puppy. "Saw her dam get mad once. Aelfstan Peak."

    The adventurer frowned in confusion. "Don''t you mean Aelfstan Lake? I''m pretty sure there isn''t an Aelfstan Peak."

    "Not anymore." The ettin nodded sagely, a strange grimace on his huge face as he quelled the horrible memory.

    "Oh. Oh! Ooooh!" exclaimed Larsen as he looked down at the puppy in his lap. Shock took that moment to lick his face.

    "Just wait until you meet Pancake. He''s the one that taught us those spells!" added Vieno. She and Frisket had been allowed a single mug of ale each. A rather strong ale, apparently. They were both red in the face and quite giggly.

    "Mighty enchanter?" Nidra asked.

    "Snarky goat." Frisket snickered from her place leaning against her father.

    "Who''s getting an entire barrel of brandy to hisself when we get back! Cheers!" shouted Tuuka, raising his flagon. His own daughter snuggled under his arm. "I thought he was joking about that fire ball spell. Owe him a few, sure enough!"

    Once everyone had been freed from the mind control, it hadn''t taken long to convince them that the elves were the ones pillaging and despoiling villages. They''d realized they''d falsely accused the group of goblins and dwarves Picker and Tuuka had been leading, trapping the migrants in the depths of the old fortress. Elwood and Gladwin had found the pair and had been just about to destroy the portcullis to lead them out, when the villagers raised the barrier themselves. There had been a little tension, but once everything was explained to all parties, the confrontation turned into a giant party. The great cargo wagons had been driven out of the depths and parked near the village, circled around large bonfires while everyone celebrated not having to fight.

    "So, this hollow. Nice place?" asked Nidra.

    "The best!" returned Vieno, her words slurred slightly as she toasted with her empty mug.

    Quiet eyed the woman. Nidra was the engineer of the group, festooned with the tools of her trade. "It''s a great place. As a matter of fact, we have sole access to a dungeon you lot might be interested in. We''re doing some renovation work and parts still need clearing. Could probably put you to work, if you''re interested."

    Picker and Tuuka both looked at Quiet in surprise.

    "Dungeon? When did that happen?" Tuuka asked.

    "You boys missed a few things. We''ve, uh, had some growth since you left." Quiet gestured towards Darcey, Elwood, and Gladwin. "The Fur Folk have joined us, as have the Elarans. I think you''ll be pleasantly surprised!"

    "Amelia conquered the Night Market!" yelled Frisket, raising her own empty mug above her head with enthusiasm.

    "We heard about something going on there! That was your friend?" gasped Larsen, leaning closer in interest.

    "Ah, well, some Light thugs tried her patience, let''s say. She was ... merciful." Quiet answered.

    "Blew ''em up! Pow!" slurred Vieno, flailing her cup around to emphasize the point. "Then Blue and Mr. Ainsley ate ''em! Hunnnerd''s of ''em! Ulp!" The young dwarf suddenly went green at the thought, covering her mouth as her cheeks strained.

    "Yes, dear. Perhaps it''s beddy bye time for you girls? Big day today, wasn''t it?"

    "I have got to meet these people! Can we come with you? This hollow sounds amazing!" gushed Nidra.

 55: Fair Play

    "Such nice weather you have here, dear! Amazing! Step through the hedge and it''s a sunny day!" Sandy marveled, wringing out the sodden sleeves of her jumper. The big floppy hat she was wearing kept her hair dry, but rivulets of water ran off it, further drenching the rest of her.

    "Glad you like it! Sorry the festival got rained out over there! That''s such a bummer! I know people put a bunch of work into getting everything set up."

    "Not to worry, dear! We''re used to it. Kind of you to let us relocate over your way!"

    "Of course! I mean, we''re celebrating the tripling over here, too, so it just makes sense!" It was a quadrupling if you considered the Hollow. With all the people that had traveled back with Picker and Tuuka, the Fur Folk, resident Elarans, and the original inhabitants, the Hollows had significantly more people than the three villages combined!

    Amelia and Sandy moved out of the path, so others could pass through the gate. On the Eldertown side, it was a rustic green wooden door set into a hedgerow just on the outskirts of the village proper. It looked as if it had always been there. If you went through it, you found yourself in the new village in Elara, as yet unnamed. It opened right next to the gate into the cottage''s yard, adding yet one more shortcut to the hollow.

    A third door, blue, stood open next to the others. Its far side was set in a stone wall in one of the fields in Bury Ardith. A companion festival could be seen in the open field, bright tents and tarps pitched to shield from the sun, streamers and bunting flying from ropes and stays.

    There was another new entrance, as well. Working with Bert and Elara, they''d added an arm to the canal link that ran along the road between the Hollows and Eldertown. It went under a new stone bridge, which allowed unimpeded foot traffic still. The canal passed just on the outskirts of the Hollows, following its wrought iron fence, then passing into a short tunnel. That tunnel emerged into Elara, with a few hundred-yard stretch ending in a large basin. Amelia had initially thought they''d use it to transport cargo but was happy to have it just for fun, even if it didn''t get used. A floating market had set up along it, adding to the festivities. There were a handful of trading canal boats, from a floating caf¨¦, handicraft vendors, and art boats, to a boat selling pizza from its onboard oven. There was even a mobile theatre troop, who used their boat as a green room. They had set up a small stage nearby, putting on raucous comedy shorts that had already drawn a sizeable crowd.

    "Three towns twinned! So wonderful! And such nice folks, too!" Sandy gushed, watching as people passed back into the mortal realm to continue transporting the wet tents and stalls to Elara. It was an odd mix, with people in waterproofs and wellies being helped by goat-legged fauns, dwarves, goblins, beast-headed people, animals, and all the other inhabitants.

    "I can''t wait to see what the winning name turns out to be! I hope it''s a good one. For some reason, they wouldn''t let me contribute, but that''s probably because they knew I''d win." Amelia said.

    "Yes, dear, I''m sure that''s the reason. Shame, I''m sure people''d love to live in Towny McTownface or Happy Fun Town or summat." Sandy winked and chuckled.

    "Me too! It''s unfair, that''s what it is. But I don''t really mind. Need any more help? Only, I gotta get my stall set up."

    "Thanks, sweetie, but I''m all set. I''ll just nip back and make sure everything''s moving smoothly. You run along and get ready. I''m sure your candy will be popular!"

    Amelia waved as Sandy saw an opening in the foot traffic and made her way back. It was nice to see everybody pitching in!

    "Now remember--the candy is for other people, right? You guys have your own stash, so stay out!" she admonished Fern and Whisper, who were riding in their accustomed spots.

    "Share! Share! Yummy! Yummy!" peeped the sprite.

    "Yes. That means letting other people have some, too. Not just grabbing everything you can shove down your throat before Whisper gets to it, okay?"

    She couldn''t see the wisp riding on her head, but she guessed there was some indignant glowing going on.

    "If you guys are good, I''ll make an extra batch just for you two! You can be sick for days! How does that sound?"

    "Deal! Deal! Sick! Sick!" responded Fern, bouncing up and down on Amelia''s shoulder in happiness. The two terrors would happily gorge themselves until they could barely move, but as soon as they recovered, they were ready for more. It was impressive!

    The sprite was still doing a happy wiggle as Amelia got to the stall she and Nic were sharing. Their other helpers were back in the confectionery churning out truffles and other desserts, which would be handed out with the big feast later. The candy here was the stuff Amelia and Nic had personally made, specialty fancy items just for fun and showing off.

    "Alright, Nic?"

    "Alright, Amelia? See you brought the destruction twins. Do I even need to unpack, or should I just get a shovel and a coupla funnels?"

    "They''ll behave. Won''t you?" Amelia watched as Fern and Whisper wafted over to the boxes Nic was leaning against. They circled, probably just to make the ratman nervous, then raced to the next stall over.

    "Here you go! Honey for my honeys!" cried Rakish, holding out two huge chunks of honeycomb, dripping and golden. These were snatched from his hands as the two flying disposals fled with their booty, returning only briefly to return one of his gloves they''d accidentally pulled off in their greedy haste.

    "Friend! Friend!" called Fern as they vanished into the distance.

    "Huh. I guess you can buy love, after all! Alright, Rakish? Oddny?" Amelia waved at the scarecrow.

    "Alright, Amelia?" responded Oddny, the woman busy slicing up sections of the sweet combs. She had little tubs set out along a counter, filled with honey of various flavours. The two had been getting bumper harvests from the bees, so much so that they still had excess even after supplying Tuuka''s new mead project.

    "G'' morning, caretaker!" acknowledged Briar, busy organizing her produce as Amelia waved at her. The goblin had the stall on the other side of Nic and Amelia''s, well stocked with the fruit and vegetables from the garden. It certainly was a stark contrast in food styles. The goblin also had some of her potions on display. Shampoos, bug repellents, fertilizers, and some wonderful smelling perfumes. There were also quite a few phials stored under the counter, that the gardener refused to explain to Amelia. The caretaker was wise enough not to press her on the issue, despite how popular those unadvertised brews proved to be during the festival.

    "Hiya, sweet cheeks! Welcome to the neighborhood!" Pancake popped his head around the front of the stall as Amelia was waving and greeting her friends. He eyed the box of chocolates she''d just picked up, licking his lips dramatically. "Anything for your dear ol'' teacher? Dyin'' from hunger, sort of thing?"

    Amelia bent down and gave the goat a hug, then had to jump up to keep the container in her hand out of Shock''s reach as the puppy dashed in after her friend.

    "Okay! Okay! You guys can have one each! These are for the villagers! You know, the ones that don''t get this stuff every day?" She had to brace herself with her free hand as both the goat and puppy levered themselves upright via her knees, straining for the sweets.

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    "Phank ooo!" Pancake managed to get out between his caramel sealed teeth moments later, trotting off with Shock in tow. The dog had jaws like a vise, easily tearing through the ultra-thick and sticky chocolate filling.

    "Go find Fern and Whisper, would you? If you all stay together, it''ll only be one inevitable calamity to deal with ..." She yelled after them as they hurried off. Normally she''d hope Briar and Rakish would rein the kid in a bit, but they were both busy in their respective stalls. It might get fascinating if the goat got playful later.

    It was still only midmorning, and already there were throngs shuffling about. Mostly people exploring and socializing with their new ''twins''. It had only been a few days ago when Amelia had finally gotten all the villages linked to her satisfaction. Convincing everyone hadn''t been a problem. Sandy, Monty, and Maisie had persuaded those in Eldertown, and the Whimsy villagers in their new home in the Elaran fields had been more than happy with the idea. Once Amelia had offered the protection of the hollow, the people of Bury Ardith had been quick to allow Elara and Bert to annex their lands. That hadn''t been her idea. Rather, Donald had suggested it. Since he had kept his end of the bargain, Amelia kept hers and expanded ''her domain'' when it seemed to help.

    It made her brain hurt a little keeping track of the portals and realm overlaps, but it all seemed to be working. She''d been careful not to defy physics anywhere, which had been tricky, but all three cores seemed happy. They still had a considerable amount of work to get more of the Elaran dungeons ship-shape and Bristol fashioned, but the Halls of Blight were doing well. She wasn''t sure how they''d worked around the tools-as-weapons issue, but it didn''t seem to be a problem anymore.

    The thought was just crossing her mind when she saw the gaggle of adventurers wandering past, peering at all the booths as they chomped on slices of pizza. She recognized Nidra and Larsen and their two companions as the ones who''d come back with Tuuka and Picker. She had met them but hadn''t had a chance to get to know them yet, busy as she was getting the new arrivals settled in, then setting up the portals and twinning arrangements for the villages.

    "My lady!" "Ma''am" "Heya!" "Caretaker!" came the various greetings from the group as she waved them over.

    "Hey guys! Chocolates? Made ''em myself!" Amelia held out one of the large trays with simple spherical truffles on it. "Don''t worry--the ultra-sticky toffee ones I give to Shock and Pancake are in a box back there. You can have ''em if you want, you just won''t be talking for a few minutes. You also risk losing a few teeth. They''re good, though!"

    "She''s not kidding! Those things are practically weapons! I think the only reason that hag sticks around and runs the pub is Amelia got her hooked on the things." Nic teased from the back of the booth. His candies were considerably more elaborate, covered in swirls, sprinkles, and dusting that told what the contents were. They were very fancy. The undead ratman had supernatural patience for such things, spending days at a time working out new recipes and means of decoration. Amelia, on the other hand, focused on simpler varieties of toffees and caramels, the chocolate coating mostly a delivery medium.

    "Take several Sebastien! You''re big, it''s only fair!" Amelia cajoled, lifting the box up above her head to offer the treats to the minotaur. "These are toffee covered in dark chocolate, with sea salt sprinkles. Yum!"

    "Dark chocolate. Would have expected no less from you, my lady!" rumbled the massive man as he delicately plucked a few pieces from the tray.

    "Ha ha! Yeah. I mean, white chocolate is okay, but it isn''t really chocolate, you know? Now if I can ever nail down the recipe for the green apple toffee kind Sandy used to get, that would be something! Even better than the magic ones Nic and I''ve been working on. Those taste really good, and the effects are nice, but still feels like cheating somehow, you know?"

    "Excuse me? Magic candy? You''re kidding, right?" asked Larsen, the big man looking slightly uncomfortable in street clothing instead of his usual armor. He stared at the piece in his hand carefully.

    "Nope. No way we were gonna be outshone by the other crafters in the hollow. They make some fantastic stuff! So we got Lark, Briar, and Tyni to pitch in and help get us going. Oh, and Pancake, too, but he just tested the things. I was afraid if we used any of his ideas, they really would be weapons!"

    Nidra chewed her candy for a moment, her eyes closed as she enjoyed it. "Is this some kind of addictive potion? I feel like I need more!"

    "Nope. That''s just the butter and sugar. And love. The love is what grabs you by the soul and makes you want to keep eating." Amelia quipped.

    The adventurer shook her head in bewilderment as she ate another one. "You know, this place is not at all what I had pictured before coming here."

    "Oh? Hopefully in a good way, though, right?" Amelia looked at her, surprised.

    "Of course! It''s so ... domestic, I guess. Peaceful and happy." The adventurer indicated the booths nearby with all the various locally made edibles and crafts. It was smaller than any one lane of the Night Market, but you could just feel how happy and friendly everyone was, as opposed to the condensed and distilled commerce that was the essence of the Market.

    "Huh. Uh, what did you expect, if you don''t mind saying?" Amelia queried, looking around at the gathering. It was a pleasant mix of people from Eldertown, the Hollow, Elara, and Bury Ardith, all enjoying each other''s company and the fruits of hard labor on offer. There was considerable laughter and merriment, contributed in no small part by the content of Tuuka''s booth.

    The four visiting adventurers all exchanged glances before Nidra answered. "Well, something, I don''t know, more martial, I guess? Armies and weapons, that sort of thing?"

    Amelia blinked for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. Well, all right. Huh." She thought for a moment. "We don''t exactly have an army. Sure, lots of us practice with spears and stuff, but mostly for self-defense and exercise, sort of thing. And spells, of course. Those are just fun! Making stuff blow up is great!" She said with a smile, then frowned as she remembered the story of the rescue squad''s encounter with the elf. And Rose, the traitor. That news had shaken Alder and Amelia to their core. It was hard to imagine a friend betraying you like that, and they still found it hard to believe.

    "Weapons we got, though. Armor, too. Must be a smith thing, or something, but they keep cranking out war stuff like there''s no tomorrow. We have an armory packed to the brim, and that''s just the stuff Bellows calls munition grade. He and Olavi''ve trained a bunch of folks to make that stuff, so they can focus on more specialized doodads. Like Lord Twinkles, here." She pulled back the sleeve of her jumper to show the cold iron bracelet, which as usual refused to shine or sparkle in any way whatsoever.

    "Elf tongues!" swore Nidra as she jerked back at the sight of the jewelry, blood draining from her face. Larsen and the other two backed up and instinctively took up defensive stances, which looked funny since they were unarmed.

    "Sorry! It''s just a bangle, don''t worry! They said something about protection mumbo jumbo, but I think it just looks cool. Can''t have it in the sun too long, though, or he starts complaining." Amelia pulled the sleeve back down. "Gets all grumpy, you know? Who wants grumpy jewelry, amirite?"

    The other adventurers smirked at the reactions. They''d been around the hollow long enough to have an idea of the types of artifacts just casually available here. The ratwoman fiddled with the ring on her left middle finger idly, while Neon''s cloak gently billowed dramatically in a nonexistent breeze. These were potent magic items, but mere trifles to some of the equipment they knew the goblin and dwarf crafters had been making.

    Nidra swallowed thickly, her eyes fastened on Amelia''s left wrist, now covered by the jumper sleeve again. "That''s ... that''s a thing, all right. Please, please do not make it grumpy!" She rubbed her eyes, then chafed her hands together, the skin cold and clammy all of a sudden. "Yeah, that was kinda what we expected, My Lady."

    "Hey! None of that ''my lady'' guff, now! It''s Amelia, or caretaker, or ''hey you'', got me? I just work here, okay?" Amelia said with mock outrage, grinning to take any sting from the words.

    "Yeah, she''s touchy about that. Just humour her, okay?" Nic called, twirling a finger by his skull, where an ear would be if the skeleton had any. He did his over-broad imitation of a wink, as much as one could without eyelids.

    Larsen coughed, then nodded. Nidra managed to pull her eyes away and forced a smile. "Sure thing, Amelia. You just work here. Got it."

    "Gangway! Coming through! Watch out!" yelled Vieno, the dwarf charging through the crowd at full tilt. Blasts of water struck the ground and fixtures around her as she dodged and weaved expertly, Frisket just a step behind her. It was remarkable that no one else was struck, testament to Pancake and Amelia''s drilling and ''feedback'' on collateral damage.

    The two teens disappeared over a hedge into the field behind the row of booths, followed moments later by Fork, Spoon, and Knife. Pasi and Lumi were right behind them, blasting away over the heads of their smaller accomplices.

    "Was that ...?" started Larsen, recognizing the two girls.

    "Oh, yeah, our local juvenile delinquents. I''m just glad Pancake, Shock, and the hunger twins aren''t with them."

    "Oooh, sorry to disappoint ya, toots. But it is on!" chortled the goat as he pranced past, Fern standing on his back and holding his horn nubbins to steady herself. The wisp zipped past in a streak of glowing green.

    "Uh, that can''t be good ..." mumbled Amelia, putting down the chocolate tray.

 56: Hedging Boundaries

    "Now, was that a good idea?"

    "No, Amelia," the two soggy teens answered in unison, teeth chattering as they hugged the blankets around their sodden clothes.

    "Did you learn a valuable lesson?"

    "Yes, Amelia," they replied.

    "Which was?" Amelia asked, glaring at the two miscreants.

    Vieno and Frisket exchanged glances, then failed to suppress their grins.

    "Cheat better!" said the dwarf.

    "More firepower!" answered the goblin.

    Amelia grinned widely and grabbed them both in a hug. "That''s my girls! Deal me in next time, okay? Maybe if everyone gangs up on him, we can teach that kid a lesson!"

    "Fat chance, sugar toes! But anytime yous guys wanna go, I''m in. Mebbe if you get good enough, I can start using real spells on you, ''stead of my piddly water balloon spells."

    "And you!" Amelia rounded on the goat. "I see through your adorableness. No! Don''t do the eye thing -- I''m immune to that stuff, remember?"

    "Gotta admit it''s cute, though, dontcha?" Pancake responded, batting his big round eyes and wiggling his nub of a tail.

    "No, I do not! Did you finish putting all the stands back and drying everything out? They''d just finished setting up when you happened!"

    "Hey now, sister! I didn''t start it! I just ... ahem ... washed the slate clean, sort of thing."

    Amelia glanced between the protesting kid and the shivering, giggling teens, then just shook her head. "I have no idea why I expected any of you to act like adults. I''m not mad, mind you! I''m just ... well, why am I the one lecturing you guys?"

    "Uh, because you rule this realm?" ventured Vieno, barely vocalizing the following "d''uh!".

    "''Cause you got a monopoly on the treat supply here ''bouts, sweet cheeks."

    "Because you have an entourage of inscrutable forces and are an eldritch, tenebrous, and Brobdingnagian power?" suggested Frisket, who''d been on a Lovecraft binge again.

    Amelia gaped at the three, struggling to find ways to refute their statements. Finally, she just shrugged.

    "I''m not even really an adult, you know? Just a kid in this sorta adult-ish body? I''m just making it up as I go!" she lamented softly.

    "Preach it dere, toots! ''S what I been sayin'' for eons. Does anybody listen though? Nope! Nobody cares. Big, cruel universe just keeps pilin'' it on!"

    "Zip it! Don''t make me find out if I can banish you or not, you got me? Here, have a toffee and scram!" She peeled the wrapper from one of the sweets and tossed it to Pancake, who expertly leapt to snatch it out of the air before the zooming forms of Whisper and Fern could intercept the candy.

    "I thought it was wet in Blighty! That was some freak flash flood, deary!" remarked Sandy as the goat gamboled away, chewing happily as he dodged under the guy lines for the canopies.

    "Nope, just a freak Pancake. He''s a weird one, alright!" Amelia watched the kid disappear into the crowd, then knelt down and scritched Shock''s ears. "You remember V and Frisket, Sandy?"

    "Of course poppet! How could I forget such darling wee ones!" The apple-cheeked woman smiled down at the girls. She had a hard time remembering that even though the goblin and dwarf girls were half the size of humans their age, they were still teenagers.

    The two gave a neatly synchronized, nearly audible eye roll.

    "Right. Well, I gotta get back to the stall. No fair making Nic run the whole thing. I''d ask you lot to stay out of trouble, but no need to waste my breath. See you!" Amelia waved as she headed back towards the chocolate booth.

    "Trouble, eh? Now I feel obliged to find some! Wanna join me, dearies?" she heard Sandy say as she wove through the crowd.

    <hr>

    The adventurers were still crowded around the booth when she returned, talking shop with Nic and speculating about different uses for enchanted chocolate in dangerous situations. She thought she saw one of them furtively hiding one of the phials from Briar, but decided not to ask. Probably safer for all involved that way.

    "I''m guessing that was the goat Vieno and Frisket were telling us about? The one that taught them those incredible spells?" asked Nidra as Amelia pulled on an apron as she stepped back behind the counter.

    "Pancake? Yeah, he''s one of our magic tutors. His stuff is the most showy, but I think what Lark teaches is gonna be more powerful in the end. But I gotta admit the various bolt and shield spells are sure handy! And you wouldn''t believe how useful Candle Flame is once you can adjust it! Bellows was telling me one of his students in the smithy uses it as a cutting torch!"

    "Where did he learn that stuff? I''ve been around, being an adventurer and all, and I''ve never seen anything like it. Sure, in games and stories and such, but not for real!" Larsen asked, moving closer and looking earnest.

    "No idea. I''ve asked, but he just claims it''s the power of cuteness or some such hokum. Feel free to ask him yourself. He''s partial to bribes, just between us. If you know some good dirty jokes, that''d be a good start. Oh, and try getting him warmed up with some of Tuuka''s strongest. Just, you know, don''t try to keep up with him. He''s got the body of a baby goat, but drinks like a boatful of thirsty satyrs, know what I''m sayin''?" Amelia winked. "Not that we don''t have some heavy drinkers around here, but that guy is something else!"

    Nic nodded, pocketing his flask after having a nip. "Yup. Freak ''o nature, that thing is. Dat''s comin'' from an expert, too!" The undead ratman turned back to his chocolate arranging.

    The group of adventurers traded looks, lost for words. They had been expecting a little strangeness, but it just kept building, layer upon layer.

    Nidra cleared her throat. "So, uh, what do you have planned next?"

    "A few more hours here in the shop, maybe some more wandering around if things get slow. I want to see what they have set up over in Bury Ardith. Don''t want to miss out on any good snacking opportunities, you know? Then the competition starts at noon, so I''ll be doing that the rest of the day."

    "Which one? I saw posters for several," asked Larsen. He was having a hard time picturing the unassuming caretaker in the wrestling (arm and Greco-Roman) matches, and he hoped she wasn''t the type for Morris dancing.

    "Hedge laying!" Amelia answered brightly, holding up the billhook she''d retrieved from under the counter. It wasn''t the one she''d originally found in the cottage, but instead a gift from Mr. Ainsley, who had a huge collection of them. They''d spent a pleasant afternoon a few weeks ago drinking tea and going through his assortment of gardening and military bills, discussing the pros and cons of each style. The one from the cottage was a Suffolk pattern, sharp on the inwardly curved side, with a notch at the end for pushing down the pleachers (a term for the tree or shrub being laid). The one he''d gifted her was a Yorkshire pattern, with a longer handle and straight, sharp back edge. Nowhere near as sharp as Jam Spreader, of course. She''d tried using the spear in its dagger form, but it sheared through trunks as if they weren''t there, which defeated the whole point. You had to leave a strip of bark and core wood so it wouldn''t die, eventually forming a living fence. Lopping the whole thing off was viewed as bad form.

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    Larsen gaped at her as she expounded on the features of the tool, still speechless.

    "There is a local group that a few from Eldertown participate with. With Elara''s help, we set up identical hedge plantings so it''ll be the most fair competition ever! You guys should come watch for a bit. It''s fun! We''ll be at it for hours, so feel free to wander by, cheer us on!"

    They exchanged glances again, smiling.

    "We''ll do that! We''ll leave you to your chocolating, and drop by later!" Larsen said, waving as the group ambled off.

    "Bye! See you shortly!" Amelia waved back, already busy handing out chocolate samples to other passersby.

    <hr>

    The visit to the Bury Ardith was a little underwhelming, but Amelia would never admit that to anyone. It was slightly larger than the new town in Elara but didn''t have all the added colour that the inhabitants of the Hollows added. They were very nice people, and she had a nice time meeting and visiting. The dancing was nice, the entertainment was nice, and the food was nice. Nice, but just a little drab. Amelia wandered from booth to booth, knot of partiers to clutch of gossipers, and couldn''t quite put her finger on what was wrong. Everyone seemed to be having a great time, and nothing obviously was off, but it seemed just a little less, somehow. Not quite up to the standards of the Hollows.

    It wasn''t until she wandered out into one of the fields on the edge of the festival, beyond the boundary of territory she and the cores had claimed, that she finally realized the issue. The realm of Whimsy, while wonderful, fantastical, and beyond her imagination even just a few months ago, felt stretched thin. Magical, but, to paraphrase the words of a fictional hobbit, like too little jam spread over too much bread.

    Despite being the caretaker of one realm and the bonded one of two others--one of whom, admittedly, wasn''t placed and was on the odder end of the spectrum--she still felt like she knew next to nothing about them. Or about other bonded ones--or dungeon masters, or whatever you chose to call them. Were they all ''hands-on''? Did they all worry about everything going on? Or were they more the ''benign neglect'' sort of managers? Were they even necessary?

    And what kinds of differences were there between realms? What was ''normal'', for lack of a better term? Supposedly, ''rooms'' were an important component, and having a self-contained dungeon-like layout such as Elara mostly had made the most sense. More rooms, more inhabitants, more action, more power. More options, as far as she could tell. Elara''s original layout also illustrated another issue--the bigger the realm, the more it took to run it, more maintenance, etc. Yet here was Whimsy, as far from a ''dungeon'' as you could get. Towns, fields, forests. A few locations that could be called dungeons, but few and far between. How did this place power itself? It made no sense. She''d asked Pola and Pancake about it, but nobody knew why there seemed to be a difference. Or if there even was one.

    But she suspected the feeling she got from Whimsy now was the feel of a realm that was out of control, or poorly managed, or just dwindling. She''d have never noticed something like that before but was getting attuned to such things these days. Amelia stood and just ''felt'' the ambience out in the field for a few minutes, trying to nail down the difference, but finally gave up. It was different and didn''t feel right. That was the best she could define it. Perhaps just not ''home'', as oversimplified as that might be.

    As she passed back into ''her'' area of the village, she could feel that background oddity still, making everything seem just a little off. She suspected if she asked Melissa or one of the other engineers to check, there''d be a leak of energy coming out of this place as if Whimsy was leaching power from here. It was just a suspicion, but she was fairly confident she was correct. That was something to keep an eye on. Elara was getting better as they reworked sections and added happy inhabitants, but she didn''t need more energy problems if she could help it.

    Regardless of the feelings and suspicions, she kept a smile on her face as she toured the festivities, ate way too many tasty things, and enjoyed looking at the handicrafts and wares the villagers had out on display. It was nice.

    <hr>

    "Hoom! You may begin, ahoom hoom!" boomed Alder, who was supervising the competition. He''d been politely disqualified earlier since he could just ask the trees and shrubs to weave themselves, which they performed perfectly in a near instant. The visiting competitors had watched in amazement as he demonstrated all the various styles, although his versions didn''t use the traditional stakes. It was unanimously agreed that he was the perfect judge.

    Each participant had a lengthy row of young saplings, a mixture of shrubs and interspersed trees, mostly prickly ones like Blackthorn and Hawthorn. They had five and a half hours to lay a fixed length of hedgerow, as neatly and tidily as possible. By random choice, they had to use the Midland Bullock style, with its distinctive hazel binders at the top.

    Usually, the competitions were held on farms or along roads, years after the initial plantings. With Elara''s help, though, Amelia was able to generate rows of identical saplings to work with, so nobody could complain they had an easier or harder time of it. Of course, Elara could just create the hedgerows without the hard work involved, but where would the fun be in that?

    Amelia watched for a moment as the competitors ambled off to their assigned sections, casually eyeing the work to be done and thinking ahead. It was more of a marathon than a sprint, with plenty of breaks for tea, bracing soup, and crusty bread--the traditional fare at such dos. The competitors were friendly, keeping an eye out on each other for safety, and trading banter as they worked. Comradery and a cozy atmosphere made the physical labor seem much easier, and visible progress just spurred each competitor to keep working. It was wonderful!

    She''d learned a little of the craft from Gran ages ago but had learned more from Mr. Ainsley when she found out he was a devoted master of it. The basic principles were simple enough, but it took lots of practice and experience to do a stellar job. They hadn''t had much need for hedgerows in the Hollow before, but with the addition of the fields in Elara, she felt as caretaker she should be able to help out in the laying and maintaining. And it was good fun! After a day''s hard work, you could see the difference you''d made, which was a part of caretaking she loved.

    It always made her feel a little guilty, cutting or pruning trees, now that she was friends with Alder. He assured her not to worry, that this was their purpose, and they didn''t feel pain like animals did. It was a lengthy explanation, involving perception of time, lack of ''pain receptors'', and several other factors that mostly went over her head. She took his word that it was okay but still felt a little bad. Forcing living things into a fence seemed wrong, somehow, although it provided a marvelous habitat for all sorts of wild and plant life.

    Amelia got to work, trimming excess branches as she eyed where the current pleacher would be placed. You had to lay so the stems pointed uphill, so the sap would flow correctly. Too flat (or downhill!) and the plant would die. So the goal was to notch the stem enough to bend it over to about thirty degrees, weaving its branches into its neighbor and between the supporting stakes. New shoots would grow from the trimmed branches, intermeshing the barrier even more firmly over the years. A stem would also grow from the flat section by the notch, shooting straight upwards. That would be used in future years to maintain and fill any gaps that opened up.

    It was precise work, and took some effort, but was pleasant and left plenty of time to enjoy being out in nature. Work proceeded at a relaxed, but determined, pace. No reason not to use the whole time allotted!

    There were quite a few onlookers, most of whom would stand and watch for a few minutes before wandering off. It was interesting to see, if not exactly riveting. Alder acted as spokesperson as well, describing the work each was doing, the various styles, and other colour commentary. The competitors would chat or gossip when they weren''t concentrating. Mr. Ainsley sang while he worked, beautiful old folk tunes in a language nobody understood, but still delightful to listen to.

    All in all, it was a pleasant day for all involved, and time flew by as it tends to do at such things.

    In the end, a young lad she didn''t know won the competition. Her own work had been judged competent, but not quite as tidy as the winner. She suspected Mr. Ainsley had deliberately underperformed, as she''d seen his work before. He seemed thrilled to be taking part, an oddity for the usually solitary inhabitants of the hollow. It was nice to see at least a few getting out and making friends!

    <hr>

    The grand feast for dinner was a huge success. There were foods from all the various stalls, showcased along with Tyni''s usual masterpieces. Trestle tables groaned under the weight of all the provender, next to mighty casks of Tuuka''s finest. As everyone ate, there were several different entertainments provided. The theatre troupe performed a few short scenes, then several of the inhabitants took turns singing. Amelia was surprised when Sar stood and recited an epic poem the ettin had composed, detailing the events of their time away from the hollow. She''d heard a few bits and pieces, but it seemed they''d left out quite a bit of adventure. Possible to save her nerves, but she didn''t mind. It was a wonderful story, and the crowd responded so well that Sar was persuaded to give an encore performance. He had a deep, baritone voice, with a slow speech cadence that leant itself well to the spoken word form.

    Amelia collapsed into bed late that night, Pancake and Shock already passed out in a cute little pile. It had been a wonderful day, with lots of friends and bonds being made, which had been the whole point. Community for the win! There hadn''t been any major calamities, all things considered. Which was just the way she liked it. Being the one in charge was wholly overrated, in her opinion. She could understand why people kept looking to her for direction, but she was happiest when they figured things out for themselves. Helping was wonderful, of course, but it was always better to help those who were willing to help themselves!

 57: Quiet Fury

    Amelia watched Briar and a group of others puttering around in the garden. There was always work to do, from weeding, watering, adjusting supports, and so forth. She''d offered to help, but Briar had shooed her off after Amelia had gotten in the way a few too many times. The fussy goblin had a large bunch of student assistants who seemed to be vastly more useful at the moment. Amelia enjoyed gardening, but she didn''t exactly have a green thumb. Much of the current work was fiddly details that required long concentration, which was not her strong suit. Amelia bounced off it, no matter how hard she tried. Her mind wandered, and she mangled plants or buried seedlings. It was the same problem she had had with so much of her schoolwork--trying to focus on what somebody else wanted her to think and do. Her brain just rebelled sometimes. With tremendous effort, she still managed to attend most of Lark''s lessons, although she''d been truant more than she should have been. Those took up what little mental room she had for learning, so she''d long since stopped attending Briar''s classes. So for now, she just watched.

    There weren''t many other people about at the moment. A few hikers had passed through, as well as a few patrons of Tuuka''s take-away window, but besides the gardeners, none of the other inhabitants seemed to be outside in the immediate area. Since most of the workspaces and amenities had been moved to Elara or into the warrens, not too many people came through this way anymore. Those who lived deeper in the hollow usually used the portal to the pub in the trilithon clearing, instead of wandering all the way to the cottage area. The yard used to be a frenzied hub of traffic, but it had gone back to being a peaceful refuge for the most part.

    It was quiet, with just a gentle breeze rustling some leaves and a few birds chirping off in the distance. The sun hadn''t gotten too hot yet and rain wasn''t currently threatening. The perfect day to laze about on the cottage porch and watch others work.

    Amelia eventually pried herself out of the comfy chair on the porch, stretching for a moment before returning her empty mug to the service window.

    "Thanks! It was lovely!" she told the elk who was working the counter. He nodded in acknowledgment while she struggled to remember his name, before just smiling and waving as she moved away.

    She looked down at the paving stones that led from the counter area and back through the trees to the iron gate at the front of the hollow. It had been quite some time since she''d gone that way, now that there were so many shortcuts from here into Eldertown. It seemed like only the other day when she''d used the scythe to clear out all the overgrowth in the clearing, back when the cottage was just a tiny one-room shack. The wood had been wilder, the clearing barely even noticeable with all the brush and weeds that had been here back then. It was a far cry from how it currently looked.

    Amelia marveled as she looked around, mentally comparing what she saw with what she remembered from when she first got here. So many changes! The yard was huge now, almost a park in itself. The grass was neat and tidy, no weeds or shrubs intruding. The trees that ringed the area were tall and straight, branches arching out to provide shade, but not block passage like they used to.

    She remembered how hard it had been just to make it this far when she first arrived. It had been positively unwelcoming! Now the path from the front was wide and even, easy to walk through without having to stoop over or snake around obstacles. It even felt more level, although as far as Amelia knew, they''d never done anything to change that. Bert must have done that. He still went out of his way to anticipate what would make life easier for Amelia, which was nice, if a bit surprising sometimes. He frequently came up with things that she wouldn''t even have thought of, such as fixing the path or tidying the trees.

    "Hey, Bert! Thanks for all the hard work you do, buddy! Don''t think I''ve mentioned that recently!" she called out impulsively. It occurred to her that she hadn''t had a good chat with the core recently. She''d been spending all her time working with Elara and Donald since the twinning festival a few weeks ago. They''d annexed several additional chunks of Whimsy as more villages accepted their protection, like Bury Ardith had. Getting all that sorted, while also trying to straighten out all of Elara''s dungeon organisation issues, had kept her occupied.

    [Acknowledged.]

    The reply was brief, but she could feel the satisfaction in Bert''s voice. He seemed to enjoy being quietly helpful, especially when some subtle nicety was finally noticed.

    Amelia was slowly learning the personalities of each of the cores. It was a challenge when you only spoke with someone, never actually ''meeting'' them. It would so help to put a face to the voices! She imagined that Bert would be a youthful, mousy young man, shy and eager to please. Maybe with dark hair. Big round glasses, probably constantly pushed up on the nose, like Timon had to do. Sweater vest, loafers. Actually, now that she thought of it, Bert and the crocodilian were similar in several ways! Which made her add a clipboard (with pencil on a string) in her mind''s eye. She smiled.

    Elara would be a frazzled middle-aged lady. Probably slim from constantly rushing about and forgetting to eat. Clothes not exactly frumpy, but a little too conservative. Definitely someone who would give you a frenetic, overall beige impression. With a tired smile and eyes a little dazed and distracted. The sort of person who would always have a half-dozen partially drunk mugs of tea scattered around their vicinity, constantly forgetting they had one already and fetching a new one when they got thirsty. Her hair would be sliding out of the bun on the back of her head, wisps fanning out in a halo as she moved.

    Donald was just as distinctive as the other two. Amelia had had many heart-to-hearts with the unplaced core. He seemed considerably happier with her since she bonded with Elara and started working with the villages in Whimsy, especially with their anti-mind control chocolate project. He''d long since given up on the "expand your realm" and "unleash" demands. She hoped that was a good thing. He was still a bit curt, though. The picture in her mind was of a decrepit old man, long gone hairless, wrinkled, and grey. Dressed head to toe in black, so everything except his venerable face was indistinguishable. Sitting, maybe in a wheelchair. Or on a throne, more like. Stern and fierce, with a steely gaze and strong set chin. But once you got to know him and saw through his tough, crotchety exterior, you could see the crusty, murder-hobo inner self, disguising what she hoped was a soft, gentle, and caring side. Which probably concealed more anger and vindictiveness, but there was no fixing some people.

    It helped to have the little caricatures to picture when she communicated with the cores. The fact that they were directly connected to her brain was unsettling enough, so putting ''faces'' with the voices made it a bit less odd.

    Hah! When Amelia first arrived here at the cottage, she''d been expecting magic and wonders. She remembered thinking this was the type of place where she''d see someone like Mr. Tumnus or Fenodyree and Durathror. It had tickled her fancy as she tried to stifle the terror of an unknown place and new situation. Now she knew not just Pola but several other fauns, and so many dwarves and goblins you wouldn''t even believe! It was hard to keep track of all her new friends sometimes. She''d even taken to writing names and brief descriptions down so she could keep track but kept misplacing her list. Luckily nobody seemed to mind if she forgot a name or two. So far. The faces were easy enough to remember, though. Or, well, the physical forms. Everybody was so memorable! How could you forget meeting a Rakish or Miss Annie, much less a Sar or Zoe? In her life before, Bill would have been a notable acquaintance with his geeky ways and odd dress, but the man seemed so normal now he blended right in.

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    "Hello? Excuse me? Are you deaf?"

    The gruff, petulant-sounding voice startled her from her revery. Amelia realized she had been standing in the center of the yard, gazing at the huge multi-storied cottage as her mind wandered. It took her a moment to find the speaker, who was in front of the portal to Whimsy, instead of on the path to the front gate as she''d expected.

    "Hi! Can I help you?" she managed to respond as she took in the couple in front of her. They were dressed for travel, complete with backpacks and walking sticks. That wasn''t odd, but they were obviously not from the mundane realm. The equipment and clothing styles would have given them away if nothing else did. Amelia tried her best not to squee out loud.

    The koala grimaced before continuing. "Would you point me to someone that could help? We heard we could find a room for the night, but there doesn''t seem to be a front desk. Or any signs about rooms. Terrible organisation. What a disgrace!"

    The koala''s companion, a hulking panda, looked like it was trying to disappear, drawing his shoulders in and hunching his head down in embarrassment.

    Amelia stifled her impulse to snatch up the tiny marsupial and hug him. That might be considered unprofessional. It was a tough urge to beat, though.

    "Um, sure, we have rooms. I don''t think we''ve had any visitors that planned to stay. I mean, just to visit and not live here. That is, did you mean to live here?" she asked, confused.

    "Just visiting. Fortunately." The koala snorted, then guffawed. The panda shuffled his feet.

    "Sure, sorry. You guys just caught me daydreaming, and I''m a bit out of it. I''m Amelia, the caretaker. Follow me, you can have one of the rooms here in the cottage. They''re all empty right now." She waved them to follow as she started turning towards the front door.

    "Not so fast! We like to get business done first. What''ll it cost us? We don''t want to get comfortable then find out you want the sun and moon for us to stay!" He had a surprisingly deep voice, at odds with his minuscule size. His eyes were scrunched up a little like he was steeling himself for the unpleasant job of haggling about money.

    "Free, unless you want to pay. Or do some work or something." Amelia responded, stopping to look back at the pair, who hadn''t budged.

    "Free? C''mon, what''s the catch? Nothing''s free, young lady! Are you sure there isn''t someone else we could talk to? Maybe your boss, or parent?"

    A flash of annoyance crossed Amelia''s face, but she squished it down. Just because somebody looked cute and cuddly, didn''t mean they acted that way.

    "Sorry, I''m in charge. No catch, honest!"

    The panda reached down and patted his companion''s back, then tried to nudge him towards the door. The koala planted his feet and leaned back, resisting.

    "Nonsense! How can it possibly be free? How do you stay in business, girl? What are you hiding? Explain yourself!" he grumped. "No, never mind, you are clueless. Fetch your manager. I''ll speak to them instead. I''m a personal friend of the owner, and I don''t deal with the help. Run along now."

    Amelia became aware of the audience watching from the garden. They were crunching on sunflower seeds that Briar was passing around, not wanting to waste time fetching popcorn. The goblin waved cheerily and grinned, winking at Amelia''s discomfort.

    This had started out as such a nice day, too!

    "Um, sorry, but friend of what owner? Gran?"

    "Silly girl! Friend-of-a-friend, anyways. I''ll be telling Reginald about how terrible the staff is here, and he''ll tell the owner, you mark my words!"

    Amelia squinted at the little furry ball of indignation, the koala''s finger shaking vigorously in her direction. "Reginald? Merchant, boar, flat cap, little cart? Hangs out with a wolf named, um, let me see, Donblas? No, Domingo? No ... Domas! That the one?" That was the pair she''d met on her first visit to Whimsy. They''d been camping with Tuuka, Tyni, and Picker just outside the Night Market. Ages ago! Like a few months even!

    "The very one! So you better hop it missy, and apologize for your impertinence! Before I get you sacked! The nerve! I''m sure they could find better help if they would bother trying." The koala crossed his arms and huffed in annoyance. "We''d better get a good discount after this treatment, I''ll tell you that much!"

    Amelia looked at the panda, who managed to look mortified and contrite at the same time. He shrugged and raised a paw in silent apology, mouthing "Sorry!"

    The loud cracks of sunflower seed shells could be heard from the garden area, along with some muttering which sounded suspiciously like bet taking.

    Amelia squinted at the rude koala briefly, wondering exactly how to handle the situation. Politeness wasn''t getting anywhere, but fireball seemed like it might be a little extreme. Besides, the panda seemed nice, just with a poor choice in friends.

    "Honestly! What are you, simple? Move!" yelled the little furry beast, moving as close as possible to Amelia and glaring. It would have been significantly more intimidating if he was taller and less cutely rotund. He barely reached her knees, and his furious shaking caused his hairy paunch to jiggle ludicrously.

    Amelia tried to hold back her giggle, but failed, tittering then spitting as she couldn''t contain herself any longer, laughing as she covered her mouth.

    "Well! I NEVER! How dare you! How DARE you! Why ... I ... you ... !" he spluttered. He lashed out at her leg in a slap, but his sharp claws snagged on her trousers and ripped them. He didn''t seem to notice, so apoplectic, his eyes were bulging.

    The murmured betting in the garden intensified.

    Amelia skipped back as the koala lumbered awkwardly after her, still trying to slap her. She could tell he was no trained combatant, but those claws were sharp!

    "Larry, stop! That''s uncalled for!" the panda finally pled, his voice high-pitched and quavering. He tried to grab his partner, but the little fellow was having none of it. "Miss, I''m so sorry!"

    "You cow! How DARE you laugh! I''ll have your job for this!" Larry spluttered, still trying to slap Amelia as she dodged back easily.

    "Larry, control yourself! Please!" whined the panda, finally getting between the caretaker and the enraged fur ball.

    "You! Taking her side? How could you!" The koala gritted its teeth as it balled up a tiny fist, pulling it back to punch the huge panda.

    <hr>

    "These chips are great! You sure I can''t pay you?" asked the panda, stuffing another fistful into his mouth.

    "Aren''t they, though? They''re a real hazard around here, let me tell you! Tyni makes good stuff! And no, it''s on the house. Least I could do, after ... you know ..."

    They both looked over at the petrified koala, fist rigidly outstretched, face in a rictus of anger. He was propped up on a table in the shade of the gazebo, completely unmoving.

    "You sure he''s gonna be okay?" the panda asked, looking with concern at his partner.

    "He''ll be fine! We did some experiments after the first time I used that spell. Won''t even know he''s been out! Like it never happened. Pretty cool, but a bit freaky."

    "Huh! Darnedest thing! Thanks for not smiting him or anything. He''s ... well, he''s not always like that. But sometimes he''s just a little monster. I''m not sure why I stay with him sometimes." He shook his head in shame. With a guilty look, he furtively whispered, "Can ... can you keep him frozen like that for long?", then covered his mouth with both paws at his own audacity.

    Amelia winked and pushed the chip basked towards him. "My pleasure! I''m sure the break will do you both some good!"

    The panda seemed to relax a bit, then smiled. "I''m Marko, by the way. Are you really just the caretaker here? That''s some kinda power you got, no mistake!"

    Amelia nodded as she finished chewing. "Yup. Here, anyways. I''m only the dungeon master in Elara and for Donald. He isn''t placed, though, so that one''s a bit tricky." She dipped another chip in the little paper cup of brown sauce before taking a bite.

    Marko choked suddenly as the import of her words hit. His jaw dropped, a few partially masticated bits of fried potato falling out.

    "You ... you''re ... conquered ... Night Market! ... Whimsy! The ... the bringer ... dark ..." he stuttered in shock.

    "Bringer of dark chocolate? You''ve heard about that? That was just a joke for the festival, how funny! Other snacks and candy available as well, of course! At your service!" Amelia made a mock bow from her seat.

 58: Relaxing Business

    Marko wasn''t actually a panda, and Larry wasn''t truly a koala, Amelia learned. Much like Timon and some of the other Elarans, they were a sort of humanoid version of those animals, blending features and traits of each species. Unlike the Fur Folk, who were animals, just with greater intelligence and the ability to speak. It was kinda confusing, but since they were all friends now, she figured it didn''t matter much, one way or the other.

    Except for Larry, who they hadn''t thawed out yet. She wasn''t sure if he was going to be a friend, so it was better if he stayed a statue until Marko was ready to move on.

    While they were devouring portions of chips from the caf¨¦, they''d had a rather nice chat. Marko eventually calmed down a little as he realized Amelia was much nicer in person than in rumor, even if she did eat chips with brown sauce. But other than that, she seemed normal.

    Amelia gave him a little overview of the hollow and its environs, which was getting increasingly complicated once you included the doings in Elara and the underground warrens. After the last reorganization, it was so empty and peaceful in the area around the cottage it was easy to forget all the industries and crafts that were there. Or the enormous number and variety of inhabitants they had. She hand-waved most of that, just saying that they "had a lot going on".

    Marko, for his part, explained that he and Larry were merchants out on their holidays. They were acquaintances of Reginald, having done some trades and projects with the boar on occasion. When they had explained their plan to go on a long ramble, he''d mentioned the hollow as a place to visit.

    Amelia hadn''t spoken with Reginald since he''d introduced her to Pola, but the goblins and dwarves had kept in touch. He was their main contact on selling some of the products they made, and especially the rare ore they''d extracted from the cavern below Alder''s clearing. The boar had contacts everywhere and knew who was buying what and for how much.

    "So what do you two specialize in? Or do you just do a bit of everything, like Reg? I have an idea maybe you could help me with, if you''re interested?" asked Amelia, before taking a sip of her tea. Tyni had been keeping them supplied while they talked, bringing out snacks and drinks as he saw them running low. The dwarf was a master at hospitality, inserting new dishes and spiriting away the old ones when there was a lull in the conversation, so they weren''t interrupted.

    "Ah, um, I''m not sure ..." Marko glanced over to his frozen friend, fiddling awkwardly with his mug. "Maybe we shouldn''t talk business? I wouldn''t want to step on Reginald''s toes, you know, and Larry ..."

    Amelia nodded. Reginald was certainly profiting from them, but everybody seemed happy with the current arrangements. She let Bellows and crew deal with all that since it was mostly their work they were trading, anyways. It was nice not to have to worry about money these days. There wasn''t much she couldn''t have Bert or Elara make if she wanted it, or ask one of her friends to make for her. Some rare ingredients or specialized tools were about all they had to buy for the most part. It was still nice to have ''pocket money'' for visits to the Night Market and such, though. But they''d never agreed to be exclusive with the boar, however.

    "Well, Reg has trotters, not toes, so no problem there. And if Larry puts up any objections, we can drop it, I promise!" She grinned mischievously and winked.

    Curiosity (and a bit of greed) warred with loyalty, the battle clear on the panda''s chubby face. He chewed thoughtfully for a moment or two, staring absently at his petrified partner. Then back to his new friend, who was practically bouncing with eager energy, happiness and goodwill almost oozing from her. The panda smiled back and nodded his head, a keen glint in his round eyes. "What''s your idea?"

    "Be right back! I''ll show you!" Amelia said, jumping to her feet and dashing into the cottage. She returned to the gazebo a few moments later, carrying a small metal tray piled with chocolates. "New products! Try ''em, tell me what you think!" she said as she placed the tray on the table, wedging aside a few mugs and the partially empty baskets of snacks they''d been grazing on.

    Marko gazed at the assortment of candy on the tray. He could see that there were at least two styles, with one kind a little larger and fancier looking. He plucked one delicately with the claws of his thumb and index finger, holding it up to inspect it from all angles. It was rather rough and hand-made looking and about half-again the size of the other sort. After a thorough perusal, he popped it in his mouth and chewed with gusto.

    Amelia nodded as he enjoyed the candy, pushing the tray closer to him. "Good, right? Want another one of that kind?"

    He nodded but didn''t say anything as he savored the moment, eyes half-lidded, shoulders slumping in relaxation. You could practically see stress drain out of him from the top down, the panda melting into the chair as he finally swallowed.

    "That is AMAZING! That was the single best candy I have ever eaten!" he managed to get out, eventually, speaking a bit thickly as he returned to reality. "I''m not usually a fan of caramel, but that was just sublime, Amelia! Like a, um, like all the best things rolled into a bite and poured over your tongue at once! Like getting your head scratched, back rubbed, and feet massaged while sitting in the perfect temperature bath!"

    "While a fire roars in the background, with maybe a good book handy. Tasty drink nearby?"

    The panda stared at her in shock, then nodded in agreement. "Exactly! Exactly! I have no idea how you taste that, but that was it! Like, the perfect cozy moment!"

    "Another one? There''s lots!" She held the tray out to him.

    "Of course!" Marko replied instantly, but his paw didn''t move to take one. A confused look crossed his face, then he smacked his lips for a second. "Um, then again, maybe one of the others? It was sooo good, I''m afraid nothing else will live up to that. You know?" He plucked one of the smaller pieces up and ate it quickly, without the detailed examination of before.

    It wasn''t possible for him to relax any more, but if he could have, he would have. It was several minutes before Amelia poked him gently with a finger to see if he was still awake.

    "Wha? Oh, sorry! Drifted off there!" He said, blinking his eyes and stretching like one just waking up from a long, wonderful nap. "What the heck is in those things?"

    "The two you had were the ultra-dark chocolate, no sea salt, with toffee. Not caramel, though. Caramel is just sugar, but toffee has butter in it. Sometimes flour too, but these just have sugar and butter. Plus a little special processing me and the crew came up with. With a little extra somethin'' somethin'' in the large ones."

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    "You''re going to tell me the special ingredient is love, aren''t you?" The panda eyed her skeptically but with a wry grin.

    "Well, of course we put that in! How could you make candy and not love it? Well, at least as a hobby, anyways. But no. The special processing is ... dum dah da dum! Magic!" She held her hands up and wiggled her fingers dramatically. "Don''t believe me? Want another of that first kind?"

    The panda looked from Amelia to the tray and back, puzzlement on his face. "Actually, no! It was amazing, but I just don''t want another of the big kind. I''m not like, repulsed or anything. Just don''t want one. How weird!"

    "Nope! Magic! But the big kind have some extra special properties." She stopped speaking for a moment, thinking about her next words carefully. "We, um, figured out a way to make anti-mind control candy. It''s like a vaccination, sorta. Only takes one, then you should be freed from any mind-control, persuasion, hypnosis, and so on. Permanently immune to it, as well. Oh, it also does good things for your mental health, like helping to relieve depression and anxiety and such. I''m not sure that isn''t just the butter and sugar, though, but it does last!" She peered at the expression on the panda''s face, trying to evaluate his reaction. "It also makes it so you only ever want the one, too. Of the big ones. So one or two people don''t eat the whole batch by themselves. Again. Then sleep it off on the oven for days like useless lumps. Hypothetically speaking, of course."

    Marko goggled at her, at a loss for words.

    "I''ve ... We''ve been trying to help the people in Whimsy. The so-called ''forces of light'' have been making a mess over there, doing bad stuff. Real bad stuff. I don''t even want to think about it, but just couldn''t let it go. Buncha my friends have been patrolling around, trying to stop the worst of it, but it''s hard. I don''t think violence is the answer, but once those rotten elves get their mental hooks in people, it always gets rough. Bad rough. Get those guys out of the way, though, and everything turns around pretty quick. Still some fighting, but I think that''s just folks bein'' folks, you know? The elves just make it ten times worse, every time." Amelia stopped for a moment, then continued, determination in her voice. "This doesn''t solve the problem, anyways, but people should be free to make up their own minds. Without some fae git doing it for them. So we want to get this stuff out to everybody. Not just in Whimsy, either. Any place those things try to mess about. No more mental zombies." She grinned. "And they taste good, too! No root beer flavour or anything!"

    Marko digested the words (and the considerable infusion of calories he''d just ingested) for a few moments. "Are you sure there aren''t any, uh, herbal components added in there?"

    "Herbal? ... Oh. No, no. Not in those. Briar helped with a few batches. Those ... those aren''t for sale. You ever see an oak tree so relaxed it tried to lay down for a nap? One piece, and the squirrels in his branches were nodding. Yeah, no. Prescription only, those. Only for maximum stress removal in the worst of cases. You know, emergencies only." She stopped, a thoughtful look on her face. Marko followed her gaze, then grinned, nodding as he looked at Larry.

    "Wait here--I''ll go see if Briar has any left ..."

    <hr>

    It was lovely having guests in the cottage, Amelia thought. There were still the workrooms and such in the tower, but that wasn''t the same. Or the birds in the Aviary, like Beige and Blue. She visited with them on occasion, but they weren''t guests. They didn''t really have guests, now that she thought about it. Everybody who''d come here had more or less put down roots, still living in the warrens underground, or in Elara. Even Bill had a room he used in Elara on occasion, although he still went home more often than not. Dan and Ann and a few of the other gamers were probably the closest thing they had, since they would occasionally stay over in the gaming hut for marathon sessions.

    Still, it was nice having a new face join her at breakfast, and enjoy the dancing fire sprites in the fireplace in the evening.

    "You know, Marko, you''ve got me thinking. I need to turn the cottage into a bed and breakfast or something. We have all those bedrooms on the first floor, and we could even convert the big meeting space on the second floor to more rooms. We don''t ever use it for anything anymore, so it''d be no big loss. Tyni and his crew still use the kitchen for the caf¨¦, so we could easily serve food. It''d be perfect!"

    The panda nodded, caught up in her enthusiasm. He gestured vaguely in the direction of the ''backyard'', which he couldn''t see since they were lounging on the sofa in the ground floor living room. "Not just a bed and breakfast! You got a whole spa thing going on here! That bathhouse back there is huge! You know, you find a masseuse or two, maybe spruce up the backyard with that water feature and stuff, you''d be on to something!"

    Amelia nodded excitedly. "Wow! Good thinking! I never got around to removing the old bath building when I put in the new facilities down below and added my own private WC. I''m pretty sure you''re the first one to use it in weeks, if not longer!"

    "Huh. Who does your cleaning? That place practically sparkles! Whoever your cleaning crew is, they deserve a raise! Fresh towels, soap, the works. Never saw an attendant either. Neat trick!"

    "That''d be Bert. I left the ''automatic housekeeping'' mode active for the buildings above ground, so he must have been keeping it clean. Makes my bed for me every morning, too. I feel guilty about him cleaning up after me like that. But not too guilty, if you take my meaning. Those fluffy towels after a hot bath are divine!"

    They both laid back into the cushions, relaxed just thinking about the experience.

    Amelia was too excited to let it last for long, though, and bounced up to pace around the room as she planned out loud.

    "We cleaned up and organized paths ages ago, for the ramblers who come to visit. When we put in the gazebo, WC, and caf¨¦, I was just thinking of people passing through. Well, I guess people staying overnight would just be passing through as well, but you know what I mean. It really wouldn''t be much of a step beyond that to make this place a real destination!"

    The panda nodded as he watched her pacing animatedly, weaving around the seats and tables that crowded the room. "With the portals to Elara and Whimsy, and easy access to Megrim and the mortal realm, this could be a sort of crossroads. I know it would be handy for Larry and me! Usually, we camp near the Night Market, or out in the woods. Having an actual place to stay with real amenities would be amazing! We aren''t the only ones who''d make use of this place, either! There are loads of other people that travel about the area, and occasionally need to pass between realms as well. I''ll bet you''d make bank!"

    Amelia winced at that. "Well, we don''t actually need the money. I just think it''d be cool to have people passing through! And I know there are other portals here in the hollow, I just don''t know where they all go. Plus there''s a big crossing point not too far away in Megrim--Quiet used it when she was rescuing baby Onni. It apparently connects to a bunch of other places besides just Elara, if I remember correctly."

    "Location, location, location! Isn''t that what they say about real estate? This place is just about perfect for that! I''m surprised nobody''s done something like this before, to be honest. That canal you added would be handy, too. I know a few guys who ship bulk goods, and getting ''em across realm boundaries can be a right pain, I can tell you. If you expand that a bit, you could get even more business from them!"

    "Huh. That''s kinda what I originally planned for that, but maybe we''ll take things a little at a time. Rome wasn''t conquered in a day, right?"

    Marko winked at her. "Well, they didn''t have you leading them, now, did they? Just remember us little people when you''re in charge, okay?"

    It was Amelia''s turn to be at a loss for words, until she realized the panda was just winding her up.

    "Exactly! Time to conquer the world with comfy seats, good food, and massages! Then, when they''re least expecting it, BAM! Chocolate! And other snacks too, of course!" she giggled, flopping down on her back onto one of the sofa, one leg and arm hanging off and dangling to the floor as she stared up at the ceiling. "Let''s do this! Only ..." she hesitated, then rolled onto one elbow to look over at Marko.

    "Where am I gonna find a masseuse? Know any?"

    "Hmmm. Not really, no. Sorry!" The panda frowned as he shrugged, palms up.

    "Darn! And I was this close to world domination, too!"

    Luckily, as it turned out, Mr. G''s mother was a licensed massage therapist. There hadn''t been much to do in the Hollow before Amelia came, besides the occasional correspondence course.

 59: Pancake Ramble

    Gran was coming!

    The thought struck Amelia repeatedly at the most random moments. It made her unbelievably happy, and incredibly anxious at the same time. What would she think of all that Amelia had done? Had she taken good enough care of Bert and the hollows? What would she think all the inhabitants? About the fact that Bert now included Eldertown (and a canal!)? About the opened vault and Donald? About the new bed-and-breakfast-cum-spa?

    Speaking of which, they''d booked the place solid for the last few weeks. Marko and Larry, in addition to taking consignments of chocolates, had spread the word a little too well. They''d started receiving guests within days of the pair''s departure. Thanks to Bert, it had only been the work of minutes to spruce up the backyard, adding more plants and water features and things. There were rows of sun loungers and cozy shaded nooks where the stables and smithy used to be, and they''d stocked up on plush bathrobes in the bathhouse. Mr. G''s mother had taken on a few apprentices, and they were handling the massage sessions without a problem. Miss Annie had taken a sabbatical from teaching her industrial arts classes to do bespoke makeovers. Miss Ashlee had acquired a mixology book, and her repertoire of little umbrella bedecked drinks had taken the entire hollow by storm, not just popular with the clientele. Everybody was pitching in, and the guests seemed happy. They kept coming, anyways, so that was something.

    It was all going very well, really, but had just added to her things-to-do list. In addition to her usual caretaker duties, she''d been putting in many hours every day on the ''share the dark'' project in the confectionary workspaces. Amelia was the only one who could do one of the critical steps in the process, so each batch required her presence. That was a lot of work, but in addition, she felt obliged to help out with the visitors, chatting and doing any odd jobs that were wanting. She''d been so busy that when Sandy brought the letter from Gran, it had somehow gotten set down and forgotten about for over a week! Gran would be here any day now!

    So now she was frantically trying to do all the above work, as well as any little projects and tasks she''d been putting off around the hollow ''for later''. Luckily, she had loads of help, but she felt like she needed to be everywhere at once, which meant more and more things got overlooked or miscommunicated. Lark, Briar, and Constance had finally put their collective feet down. The bird, goblin, and skunk ganged up to force her to allow them to help. Mainly by convincing her to go take a walk in the woods while they organized teams to get everything done. Amelia was a hard worker and tried to be responsible, but she just wasn''t an experienced manager or organizer. It certainly showed. So off she was sent with a nice packed lunch and firm instructions not to come back to the cottage area until after nightfall when hopefully most of it would all have been squared away.

    She did feel she contributed by taking Whisper, Fern, Shock, and Pancake with her. They''d had several incident-free days, which was unusual, but there was no need to push their luck. She was sure Gran would love all of them as much as she herself did, but it''d go a bit easier if, say, the hollows weren''t on fire or several feet underwater when she met them. Not that that was likely to happen, but with those four, she couldn''t exactly rule it out. Plus, their antics and escapades tended to distract anyone else trying to actually get work done, so getting them clear was well worth the effort.

    That was how the five of them found themselves out on a picnic ramble, while Amelia had to quell the occasional flash of glee and terror as she remembered the upcoming visit. She chewed the hem of her blue cloak as they walked, trying to soothe her anxiety. How could such a happy occasion also cause such a knot in the pit of her stomach?

    Gran was coming!

    "So where we headed, sweet cheeks? And why''d Her Majesty shoo you off so fast? What''d you do this time?" Pancake somehow got out while chasing Shock at full tilt through the underbrush alongside the trail. The two of them had been doing madcap circles around Amelia as she made her way along one of the rarely used paths towards the back of the Hollows. Fern and Whisper had settled into their usual perches on Amelia''s head and shoulder, which was certainly safer than risking getting trampled by their four-legged companions.

    "Just, you know, ''out of the way''. And Constance isn''t Her Majesty anymore. Uh, well, maybe. I dunno. The Fur Folk mostly gave up on that, but she is sort of their leader still, I guess. Anyways, apparently, I was getting underfoot, or something. I was just trying to get everything perfect for when Gran gets here, is all! Can I help it if I got a bit ..."

    "You was more than ''a bit'' dere, baby doll. I thought Briar was gonna slip you ''something special'', just to keep the rest of us sane, sort of thing. You''d clearly lost it, assuming you ever had it dere, toots."

    "Nutter! Nutter!" piped in Fern, nodding in agreement.

    "Huh. Thanks for the votes of confidence, you guys! I had it handled! I just ... you know, ..." Amelia fingered the fabric of her sundress, which she''d put on to show she was ''off duty''. It was nice but didn''t match the feel of her usual hoodie and jeans. The arm sleeves were cool, though, no matter what Frisket said. She''d fit the packed lunch for her and her ravenous horde in its pockets, and you couldn''t even tell! How neat was that?

    "Panicked! Panicked! Doolally! Doolally!" The sprite chimed in helpfully, happily kicking her tiny feet and smiling mirthfully.

    "Fine. Fine! I might have overstretched myself a little. But Gran is coming! What will she think of all this? Of you guys? What if something goes wrong?"

    "Nah, don''t worry yourself, honey toes! She''s a great old dame, she is. She''ll love what you did with the place, no worries there. And once you explain the candy offensive, won''t nothing make her happier!"

    "You really think so? Gran always liked sweets, but I don''t know if she''d approve of magic ones."

    "You kiddin'', sugar snack? We talkin'' about the same Gran, here?"

    "Wait! You know her?" Amelia stopped in her tracks, staring at the goat as he tumbled out of a bush ahead of her, nimbly dodging Shock''s playful nips.

    "''Course we know her, honey bunches o'' clueless! She''s the dungeon master. How would we not?"

    "Friends! Friends!"

    Whisper wafted out of Amelia''s hair and bobbed and wove a few feet in front of the stunned caretaker''s face, flashing greens and blues in agreement, before returning to her perch. Shock even gave one of her silent yips from where she was wriggling on her back in the bush, slobber hurling about as she wallowed in the greenery.

    "I just ... you never said ...? But when did you meet her? She hasn''t been here in ages! You can''t be older than ...you''re just so ..." Amelia wailed, flapping her hand in the kid''s direction, feeling like this last surprise was just one step too far.

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    "Well preserved? Spry? Aging gracefully? Young at heart?"

    "Primordial! Primordial"

    "Hey now, sister! Dere''s no call for that! You ain''t so young yourself, you know!"

    Fern stuck her tongue out at the goat and blew a raspberry, then made a rather rude gesture that Amelia wasn''t able to see since the sprite was perched next to her ear.

    Amelia looked in disbelief between the two, then finally pointed towards the puppy luxuriating in her bush. "Shock is just a puppy! She can''t have met Gran, surely!"

    "Hate to break it to you, toots. But have you looked at that mutt recently? I mean dat special goggle-eyed look you do? That pup can look however she wants. I wouldn''t exactly trust the picture on her passport if you know what I''m sayin''. Her kind has a sorta ... casual relationship with time, more or less."

    Amelia gaped, then squinted and focused on her beloved cuddle-bug. The air seemed to waver for a moment, then the image of the cute, frolicking pooch was replaced with that of a slightly less cute, frolicking monster. Roughly dog-shaped, but sized somewhere between a wolf and a bear. A very large bear, which perhaps had been extremely well-fed. With steroids. Shock turned her head in Amelia''s direction and winked, before returning to her back scratching along the floor of the hollow.

    "See what I mean? Now you see why she keeps breaking things? That''s a lot of mass, is all I''m sayin''."

    Amelia stared at the creature. Even in extra-extra-extra-large form, the dog''s tongue still lolled out as she rolled and flopped about. It was definitely Shock.

    She turned her true sight towards Pancake, but other than having pure ebony fur and green cat eyes, the goat looked the same.

    "I see you puttin'' the ol'' hairy eyeball my way, sweet stuff! Just remember, dat lets you see what''s really there. But you ain''t the only one can change reality, sort of thing. So stop lookin'' for wrinkles! I moisturize!"

    Amelia laughed and relaxed her eyes. Pancake was Pancake, no matter what his true form was. She wasn''t sure she wanted to know what that might be. It would make it harder to snuggle in bed with him and Shock, for one thing.

    "You said Gran would love the chocolate project. Anything I should know when I tell her about it?"

    "''Member how the Fur Folk hate the elves? All that ''Never Again'' shtick? Compared to your Gran, they just have a mild dislike, sort of thing. They aren''t on her Christmas card list, ''s what I''m sayin''. You vaccinatin'' everybody against their mind shenanigans will tickle her pink, believe you me! She will love that!"

    "Okay. But any idea why? She''s always been so kind! I can''t see her hating anybody, even them!"

    "That baby Onni was lucky, ''cause Quiet snatched ''em back from those geezers. Your Gran, though ... wasn''t so lucky." The goat went quiet for a moment, then shook his head and continued. "Raised by ''em to be a servant. Dat Cinderella from the story? She had it easy with her stepfamily. Anyways, long story short sort of thing, Gran played it cool and gained their trust. Took years. Then they needed some poor schmuck to bond with ol'' Berty-boy, who was bein'' picky. So she got the job."

    "The elves made Gran a dungeon master? Bert was on their side?" Amelia reacted with horror. Bert had always been so nice!

    "Yup. And nope. Cores are on their own side, like most real people. Mebbe on the side of their bonded one, if they get along. But the previous bonded ones had all been, shall we say, of the ''light'' persuasion, so that was the way Bert went. Until Gran. Heh!" Pancake chortled at the memory.

    Amelia just stared at the goat, knowing he''d get to the point sooner or later. She''d sat through enough of his classes to know his oratory style. So she folded her hands against her body and gave him her most attentive look as if she was hanging on his every word.

    "Ahem. Yeah, I see you doin'' the teacher''s pet thing. Right. Very long story shorter. Darkness decides it don''t wanna play with Light no more. Its champion disagrees, so takes a dirt nap. Dark takes their best toys--by which I include here your boy Donny and the dreadfuls you befriended--and hides ''em, gets Gran and the Bert-meister to set up shop on top of the whole shebang. Badaboom-badabing, latest Dark versus Light kerfuffle done and dusted. Widout dere heavy hitters and champion, dark troops fold like a wet sock and go home. Years pass, little acorns become mighty oaks, sort of thing. Then Light starts messin'' about again, and here we are. Viola."

    "Uh. Don''t you mean ''voil¨¤''?"

    "Eh, tomato, potato."

    Amelia squinted at him as she thought for a moment. "You talk about Dark and Light as if they''re people. That''s just, like, anthropomorphism, right? They aren''t really people?"

    "Ooooh! That''s a nice big word, comin'' from you. Wrong, but nice. Behave or I''ll tell ''em you said that. Heh. But yeah, they''re people, if you squint and truly stretch the definition. Won''t claim those two have much in the way of personality though, mind you, just between you and me. Your bog-standard unfathomable beings from the beyond, poking the tiniest fraction of their existence into this reality sort of thing. You know."

    "You''re sounding like Frisket! So you''re telling me they''re elder things? Great old ones?"

    "Nah, not quite like that. Old H.P. shoulda stuck to makin'' sauces. But that reminds me, a certain winged squid-head still owes me twenty quid, the chiseler. Anywho, they poked their way in here, messed about for a while, made the cores to spice things up then mostly just found someplace warm and cozy to peace out. ''Cept for those two, who had to stir the pot periodically."

    Amelia wasn''t sure what to make of this hoary lore dump, but just nodded along. Then her train of thought caught up with the goat''s ramblings.

    "Wait! Doesn''t that make Gran older than Alder? That can''t be?" Amelia protested, now thoroughly confused.

    "That strains your suspension of disbelief? Really?" The goat raised a furry brow as he plopped his hind end down, scratching a horn nubbin with his front hoof. "So first off, changelings absorb some of the elves'' mojo, so they live a long time anyways. But a bonded dungeon master is more or less immortal, sort of thing. From aging, that is. You can still off ''em the normal way, as is tradition. Long as they''re still bonded, they don''t get older. Thought you knew that there, miss ''collect the whole set'' herself."

    Amelia trailed after Pancake as the goat started walking into the woods away from the trail. Shock burst from the bush in her usual puppy form to follow them, silent yips of happiness momentarily blotting out the other sounds of the wood.

    "You guys just said the only way out of being a dungeon master was to die. I didn''t know about the not aging thing. I guess that''s cool. I''ll have to think about it."

    "Yeah, uh, we mighta misled you a bit on the gettin'' out of dungeon master duty sort of thing. We didn''t lie, exactly. If you voluntarily un-bond yourself, you lose dat immortality, so you will eventually push up the daisies. So really, the only way out is down, if you get my meaning. We just ... sorta mixed correlation and causation, if you will."

    "So I can stop any time I want? Go back to being just plain old Amelia? No more bonded one stuff?" Amelia looked suspiciously at the goat, not ready to believe his words.

    "Well, sorta. Yeah. Sorta."

    "Sort of? Spill it, Pancake! What do you mean, ''sort of''?" She scooped the goat up and held him in front of her face, glaring at him.

    "Hey now! Careful with the merchandise, toots! But yeah, you can be done with that whenever. But ..." he hesitated.

    "But? C''mon! Tell me!"

    "Yes. Tell us, goat. What else are you hiding?" The greasy, smooth voice of Mr. U startled Amelia enough she almost dropped Pancake but managed to pull him close to her chest instead.

    While they had wandered off the trail, they had left the hollow. More importantly, they''d left the boundaries of Bert.

    Amelia''s eyes darted around, taking in the people gathered in the clearing. Mr. Unpronounceable she recognized, his brickable face gloating beneath his homburg. A group of other elves were with him, although none of their suits were quite as natty as his. The final person was unmistakable, despite her mussed hair and rope bindings.

    "Gran!" Amelia started to dash towards her but stopped as Mr. U pulled the woman close to him, a finger held threateningly towards her exposed throat.

    "Ah ah ah! None of your shenanigans, young lady. One splash of water, and you can say goodbye to gran gran. Bonded one or not, you aren''t in Kansas anymore. Welcome to Megrim, we hope you enjoy your stay. It will be for a very long time."