“No,” Grae answered, firmly. “Take her in, if you want. But if you teach her magic, you’ll have her blood on your hands.”

“And why is that?”

“Because she’ll come to kill me someday, and I won’t let her succeed.” He growled. “Kill a beast, and its kind will avoid you. That’s wise.”

“But humans fight like bees or ants. Kill one, and more come. Sometimes it takes years. But then the pups grow up, and they’ve etched your name and the hatred of you into their hearts, so they’ll come and they’ll kill you or they’ll die trying.”

“I’ve never thought of us like ants or bees.” The witch admitted. “I’ve always thought we were made rather cleverly. With the power to lay hate and vengeance aside.”

Grae snorted. “How many use that power, in your experience?”

“But she’s smart.” The witch protested.

“Worse. I can tell you. Intelligence comes with a capacity for feeling. For rolling old hurts and scars over in your mind until they drive you mad with pain all over again.”

“I asked, not because I let others choose who becomes a witch, but because I was curious…” Her eyes shone a cold blue under the mask. “I was curious whether you had the power to lay hate and vengeance aside.”

“I do. This is kindness. Give her a home, if you can. But don’t give her the chance to chase vengeance. That will just lead to more hurt in the world…”

He paused.

“If she chooses to come after me when she’s grown, I’ll hold no resentment. But I’ll be older and wiser too, and I won’t show mercy then.” He said, with cold determination. “You can tell her that.”

“Cold.” The witch commented. “But I suppose kind, in your own way.”

“They’re not all bad.” Greenleaf said.

The little kobold speaking up at all was so unexpected that both Grae and the witch turned to her. She shrank back, unaccustomed to attention.

“The little ones, I mean. I used to… used to take care of them…”

Grae nodded. “The little ones are not all bad.”

His approval made Greenleaf smile.

“I like to think some of us grow up fine as well.” The witch added, sounding hurt.

“So far you’ve done nothing for me without a price. You can have a compliment when you pay for it.” Grae replied. In his rumbling voice it was almost impossible to hear the humor.

“Ask a question.” She said.

“The Constellations. Where do they come from?”

“There are three sources.” She began, holding up three slender fingers. “The first is High King Ru. The first and greatest king, who carved this realm out from wilderness and desolation. He left us the Open Eyes, The Crown, and the Lyre. The three Constellations anyone can gain.”

“Chaos and Order gave their children Constellations as well. For instance, by learning the songs of seven ancient kings and reciting them before an audience, I gained the Songbird. In ancient times, young warriors would descend into a dungeon and kill a monster, alone, to earn the Lantern. But only humans can learn those…”

“What Chaos gave to his children, I’m not entirely sure.”

“Anyway, Chaos and Order had children. Some of those children became demigods, and left behind three Constellations of their own. They’re not just given to people, though. First you have to earn the interest of the demigod, and then they’ll set tasks for you, usually things they accomplished in their own life…”

This was all explained with a flippant tone, but it set things clear for Grae. What he needed was to learn from other monsters what tasks Chaos would reward him for. Indeed, so far he’d only been granted attention from two demigods of Order…

“Now your turn.”

"Wait." Grae said. "My price isn't satisfied; how do you earn the Lyre and the Crown?"

"We agreed to one."

"And if I'm as stingy with my compliments as you are with your knowledge, what will either of us gain?"

She laughed, sharply. Grae thought, more than anything, she simply enjoyed haggling and arguing over a deal… "The Lyre is earned by achieving mastery of music. Some people say you have to play a song only you can play. Good luck with that. My teacher had me practice until my fingers bled and I still never found the right melody."

"The Crown requires becoming a king. And before you ask, no, you can't put a flower wreath on your head and expect it to happen. You have to do things properly."

"Properly?" Grae's hairy eyebrow lifted.

"Now that is a question that could cost a lifetime." She answered, clearly happy to frustrate his curiosity.

"How are you going to eat while wearing that mask?" Grae replied, trying to needle her back. But she was quite unaffected.

“It’s not for me.”

From outside there was a crashing sound as something heavy, unwieldy, and quite loudly cursing came through the bushes. Grae turned to see Oriole through the window, coming out of the thorny undergrowth surrounding the witch’s home.

Oriole saw him too.

The look on the man’s face was quite amusing.

---

“You.” The witch said in cool, steely tones. “Did not pay your price. The kobolds have helped me garden, the beast has presented me with rings, but you came to a witch’s door and left without giving payment.”

“I…” Oriole sat in a small chair opposite Grae. He was pointedly not looking at Grae, except when he thought Grae might not notice, but he was staring hungrily at the plate. “I made some mistakes, yes. Clearly. But I thought, well, I hadn’t realized I’d troubled you…”

“I read your fortune.” She replied. “Several days before you arrived, actually, which is how I knew to bind you with a curse of bewilderment.”

“Was that why I ended up going in circles? I ah, I thought the woods were cursed.” He muttered in a small voice.

“Oh they certainly are. You would’ve died if I hadn’t intervened.”

“Ah.” He seemed to be shrinking deeper and deeper into the overstuffed depths of the couch cushions.

She pushed the plate towards him. “Eat. And I will tell you your future, and what you must pay for it.”