Though Wyrn’s fists remained clenched, he didn’t advance.

A wail broke through the fading daylight, but it was a voice no one else heard—no one but Sorem and Marva herself.

Matax, once again a yellow fairy, neared at an incredible speed. When he was close , he twisted in the air then landed fully grown as a man.

The crowd flinched but calmed easy enough for Marva to guess they were used to him doing this.

“She didn’t burn your house down with some charm gone awry, Jaffo. I did.”

Bonn stepped forward but his wife held him.

“What does that mean?” one of the five men to hold Sorem asked. “You caused this fire?”

Matax scoffed. “Naturally. How well do you idiots know me?”

Vadde lowered her arms. “Why?”

Still naked, Matax shrugged. “For fun? For boredom?” He scanned the crowd, waiting for a challenge. “But I’m a yellow Fae. Meaning no matter what terrible thing I do, it will bring good fortune. So, I thought to test it and wondered what could be more terrible than this?”

He bowed with a smile but stood to a hand whipping across his face. Vadde’s chest still huffed, and she raised her hand to slap him again but didn’t have the energy.

“That was our home,” she said with a sob. “That was our life together. Our gifts to one another. Our precious possessions. And you burned it for sport.”

Matax’s eyes held shock at first, then a boast. “And you were forced to confess to carrying a fertility charm. Boo hoo.”

“Enough,” Wyrn interrupted. “I will talk to the fairy in private and reconvene.”

While the innkeeper stepped closer to Vadde and took her into a hug, the hunchback and the fairy walked off.

Marva didn’t know where, but she took on her position of power and fluttered her wings as fast as her abilities would allow.

The hunchback and the fairy came to a stop somewhere.

“You’re a damn liar,” Wyrn said.

“So are you,” Matax fired back. “I have no responsibilities or obligations to you, Jaffo. So don’t forget that. One would think you’d show some gratitude.”

“What gratitude? Her dabbling in magic brought a bad omen which burned our home to the ground.”

“No. A stranger with a caged night fairy burned your home to the ground! That is more than obvious.”

“A night fairy?” Wyrn marveled, “He has a night fairy?”

Matax was sure to cover his tracks. “What other fairy do you know who has full range of power even behind iron?”

Wyrn relented but said, “If it were true, he’s here because of the spell gone wrong. It’s a bad omen.”

“You can call it whatever you want, Jaffo. But that still doesn’t explain what your people plan to do about it. And I generously gave you an out. Good omen or bad omen? Which do you choose?”

Whichever, Marva prayed it was soon and at least audible so that she could hear as she could not see from where she remained hanging from Sorem’s belt.

Vadde was inconsolable. “I hadn’t meant for this to happen. It was only for good luck. I swear.”

“I know, dear. He’ll understand.”

“But his tools, his weapons…. He most certainly won’t understand.”

Perhaps but the hunchback and Matax, now wearing trousers, returned.

They stood before the crowd. Wyrn glanced at his wife only once before staring at the ground yet again.

Finally, he said, “We Jaffo don’t deal in rogue magic. It’s forbidden. I know there are some among us who aren’t real Jaffo.” His eyes settled on the innkeeper who, still holding Vadde close, took a step back. “And I welcome your way of doing things but magic counter to the one provided by The Living Goddess always comes with destruction. We have protections here in this valley, protections that fade once we’re out of it. In fact, I can say our true form as ~ and no enemy can hear it.”

Marva watched on, transfixed. He was right. The name of their true form failed to reach her.

Everything from her memory said that her magic—night Fae magic was nearly unparalleled. To discover something stronger certainly piqued her interest.

“That allows us to live safely. And I’m happy here,” Wyrn continued. His eyes settled on Vadde who turned in the innkeeper’s hold to watch him. “I thought we both were.”

She shed a tear and tried to step toward him but lost her nerve.

“But that all sounds very depressing, doesn’t it?” he joked. The laughter in his voice rang hollow but others chuckled as well, a customary service given to one’s leader. “That was what I was taught. Come to find that this was all carried out by a yellow fairy. Well, that’s different.”

Below the curtain of hair, the hunchback’s eyes drifted to his brother, Bonn, who still rubbed his gut from the punch.

They were to Wyrn’s left, but to his right, Sorem still knelt, held down by two men. The three behind the prince had their swords drawn, more than ready to carry out any order.

“The protection spell says Jaffo women to leave do not return, no matter how badly they wish to. Well….” When he rested his gaze on Vadde again, he said with affection, “Perhaps this is a different sort of omen, Princess. Because you want to travel, more than anything, and a fairy has burned our hut just as a man with a quest has fallen into our laps. Surely…surely that’s a good sign.”

When Vadde let the innkeeper go, Wyrn held out his hand to her. She was slow to approach him but moved faster the closer she came. Once he caught her, she put her head on his shoulder and he rubbed her back.

“It’s a good sign.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“No. You meant well.”

“But, Wyrn, look,” a child said, walking from the hut. He held up an identical copy to the sock now on the ground. As Wyrn predicted, it was unharmed despite Marva’s fire having burned true. “What does this mean?”

Wyrn held out his hand for the sock then picked up the other. He stared at them both for some time then uprooted his shirt and tied both socks to the hem.

“I will affix it properly later. For now….” He took Vadde’s hand and said with affection. “I’ll carry the charms and the magic with them. And…and we’ll go on this quest, no matter what it’s for.”

The innkeeper finally stepped forward. “Wyrn, I’m sorry. The weight of the magic requires a counterweight. It’s a common charm given to humans because they have no magic to push back against it. I…I hadn’t thought about—about it properly. Perhaps you should throw those away. They might endanger your life.”

Vadde’s gasp had Wyrn giving her hand a firm squeeze. “A yellow Fae has burned down our house and a quest has arrived just in time. These are good omens.” He turned his attention to Sorem and told his brothers, “Let him up. Sir, who are you and what is the request you have of me? I promise to take it, no matter the danger.”

Sorem needed time to steady, even after his release. His body still shook but Marva had other problems.

“Prince Sorem, do you hear? He’s vowed, in plain sight, to take any quest. Tell him the truth. Tell him everything. Tell him it now. There is no better chance.”

After brushing himself off and giving his fancy priesthood title, Sorem did as instructed for once, ending with, “My quest, and the request I have of you, hunchback, is to kill the Fairy King.”

The gasp that time came from everyone, even Vadde who’s hands flew to her mouth, but not from the hunchback who nodded, bitter. Wyrn hove a sigh. “Of course, it is.”

“Sacrilege!” someone said.

“He’s mad. He’s absolutely mad!”

“Killing a fairy is bad enough. Killing that fairy? How many family members must perish with you?”

But as the world erupted in chaos, it was the innkeeper who said, “It won’t be extended family. It’ll just be his bloodline.” She focused on Vadde and admitted, “And his wife.”

Before utter panic could reign, Matax raised his hands. “Good, simple, soft-brained people, calm yourselves. Of course such a life-threatening guest would come our way.” He thrust out a hand to point back at Wyrn and Vadde. “As these two simpletons wish to procreate. Life begets life. But I assure you, all will be well, as I plan to join them in this quest.”

Wyrn grumbled, “Yes. Now, we are certainly doomed.”

Matax turned his head but kept his body stationary as he threatened, “Or would you rather I didn’t?”

It was Vadde to step forward, pleading, “Why must we go at all? I’m—I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused. It’s fine. We’ll burn the charms. We’ll rebuild the hut and everything’ll go back to normal. I’m sorry.”

Wyrn held her face and she quieted. “No. You want this quest. We’ll go on it. And we’ll come back with everything we want. And should we be lucky, Matax will perish in the confusion,” he teased.

“Very. Funny.”

Sorem breathed a sigh of relief, but Vadde watched him—more specifically, Marva’s cage. “But, sir, you carry a fairy?” She asked Matax, “Do you plan to bargain for its release?”

Matax scoffed. “You know nothing about the Fae. We have one very basic rule,” he said, staring directly at Marva’s cage, and in turn, Marva herself, “fairies give no rescue and receive none as well. Wipe your own ass.”

Marva took the words personally, and they hurt, but when she thought of all the ways she planned to kill Matax slowly, her peace of mind returned.

This was a good omen for everyone.

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