We were halfway across the village commons when Melody, Jonny, and a couple of their hangers-on accosted me. Jonny’s dragonet hissed at me or more preciously the satchel Lily was in. Melody held a cat in her arms that looked as disinterested in what her bond mate was doing as most cats show toward people. Steve had a monkey sitting on his shoulder while Benny had a weasel in a satchel hanging across his chest.

“What are you doing in the village loner?” Jonny asked. Melody grinned at his question, and I groaned. But calling me loner instead of loser was at least a step up for him.

“Yeah! What are you doing here, loser?” Benny asked with a laugh and glancing at Jonny. Maybe we really had fated familiars. People had always said Benny reminded them of a weasel in look and action. Jonny turned his gaze back to me at the question from his sidekick.

“Well? What are you doing here?” Jonny asked. “Shouldn’t you be hiding in the woods?”

“Making deliveries for my mother, the alchemist,” I answered. I decided it would be good to remind them what position she held in the village hoping that would make them leave me alone. I felt movement in the satchel and then it was suddenly lighter. The dragonet turned its head like it was watching something. Jonny tuned to the dragonet as he saw its head bob up and down. I could only imagine Lily drunkenly flying away.

“What are you doing?” I muttered to Lily under my breath.

“Drake, what are you watching?” Jonny asked his familiar. The dragonet ignored him. Drake? One of them, if not both, had delusions of grandeur. Dragonets never grew larger than a house cat.

“We should let him get to it then,” Steve said. “My parents are expecting some things from his mother.”

“Steve is correct. Let’s leave the pathetic loser alone,” Melody said sitting down her cat. Jonny turned his attention to the mayor’s daughter, and she smiled. “Besides, you promised to buy me some cookies from the baker.”

“We should make Jase pay,” Benny murmured. Jonny’s attention swung back to his follower, and he grinned.

“I agree with Benny. Jase should pay us for the privilege of being allowed in the village.” Benny grinned and laughed. “What’s in the satchels?”

Melody looked around nervously. “Jonny this might not be the best idea. Too many people are around.”

“It’ll be fine. Steve, Benny, hold him!” Jonny instructed his underlings. They grabbed me quicker than I thought. I was suddenly thankful that Lily had flown away.

“I don’t know about this Jonny,” Steve replied not letting me go.

“Just hold the worm.”

“This satchel jingled,” Benny said tapping the bag on my right side. Jonny stepped close to me and punched me in the stomach. Benny let go as Jonny pulled the satchel over my head and quickly grabbed my arm again.

“That’s payment from the healer for my mother’s potions,” I said between breaths. Benny punched me in the ribs.

“Shut up!”

“Hold on Jase! I’m coming!” Lily shouted in my head. The other familiars turned toward the direction Lily had flown off in.

“Someone let my hogs out!” a voice shouted out. A few seconds later a small heard of five hogs came rushing toward us. Lily was riding the lead one.

“Aaaah!” Melody screeched. The rest of us turned to her. The first hog knocked the young woman to the ground and bowled into Jonny knocking the bully into Benny. I fell back taking Steve with me as the other hogs followed the leader. The other familiars, including the dragonet, ran away.

“There’s a pixie on that hog!” another villager shouted.

“I have saved you, my Jase!” Lily exclaimed in my head. I was surprised that she hadn’t shouted out loud. I quickly got up and grabbed the satchel with the money in it. The lead hog circled around. “Oh! Dizzy!”

“Come on, Lily,” I told my familiar and picked her up off the hog. I pulled the satchel holding the evening primroses in and dropped a few on the ground. The hogs started eating the flowers.

“You ruined my dress!” Melody screamed. Lily leaned over my fingers and threw up on the dress. “I can’t believe you did that!” Melody howled. I started walking away as more villagers came to get the pigs. Melody screamed after me, “Jase, you’ll pay for this!”

I looked over my shoulder and saw Jonny and the other two guys fuming while the older villagers were laughing, and Melody continued to throw a tantrum. I turned back around and put Lily in her satchel. “How did you get the hogs to listen to you?”

“Animals listen to us. I think I’m going to be sick again,” the pixie said. I stopped and she stuck her head out of the satchel to hurl once more.

“Good to know. You’re not ever getting anymore evening primrose nectar,” I replied after she finished and dropped back into the satchel. “Thanks for saving me by the way.”

“Anytime,” Lily replied. A few seconds later I heard a slight snore coming from the satchel. I chuckled as I started home.

*

“Mom?”

“Yes dear?”

“Do you think an herbal hangover remedy will work on a pixie?”

“Do what?” she asked looking up and putting down the jar she had been filling with basil leaves.

“Lily got drunk off some evening primrose nectar on our way to the farms earlier,” I explained. “She has been puking her guts up off and on ever since.”

“Where is your familiar now?”

“In this satchel,” I answered tapping lightly on its strap.

“I made some ginger tea a few minutes ago. It should still be warm and help detoxify her. Add some turmeric for pain relief and some crushed mint for nausea. The mint should help improve her clarity and boost her energy. The tea might not taste the best, but that should cover the worst of the symptoms. Then again, she is a magical creature so it might not work.”

“Thanks mom,” I replied setting Lily on the table and dropping the satchels in the basket we kept them in by the door. I poured some tea into a cup and mixed the mint and turmeric into it. I then used a dropper to get just a little. Kyra made a noise that sounded like a laugh. Mom and I smiled at the crow.

“She is adorable,” mom admitted looking down at the pixie. Mom tapped the table beside Lily’s head. The pixie sat up quickly.

“Wha? What?” she asked in alarm. My familiar grabbed her head. “Oh, my head.”

“Drink this,” I told Lily.

“I’ve had enough to drink.”

“This is a tea that will make you feel better,” mom said.

“We don’t have any small cups, so I have it in a dropper you can drink from while I squeeze the end.”

“Ok,” Lily replied. She did as I instructed. After swallowing a little, she pushed the dropper away. “Ugh! That is horrible. Jase, why did you give me that?”

“For your own good. As mom said it should make you feel better.”

“It’ll also teach you not to get drunk on nectar again,” mom chided my pixie as she laid down on the table and curled into a ball. “You can’t help Jase if you’re drunk.”

I laughed. Mom gave me an inquisitive look. “Let me tell you about my run-in with Jonny and his followers and how Lily used hogs to save me.”

“Well, let’s put on a pot of chamomile tea and you can tell me all about it,” mom replied.