Jasmine and I had departed for Talbotton, since of all my companions, she was the only one I trusted not to either burn up in the sun or turn someone into a newt. I had initially planned to walk there because of my current finances, until Jasmine pointed out that Talbotton was as far from Oakheart as Flowers-By-The-River was.

  We found transport through a simple carriage caravan, seated in the back with a bunch of other farmhands. Apparently Talbotton was a small town, with a castle for its lord and then two farms. The first farm was Rather Farm, and the other was Verity.

  Rather Farm was bigger than my own at 170 acres… Verity was bigger than Rather at 200 acres.

  Jasmine and I had already made our way to the Pickled Egg, one of the two inns of the small town. We sat by the window, Jasmine again ordering every single sweet pastry on the menu as I had just asked for tea. I looked out the window to stare at the castle across the river.

  [Mortis Visio].

  The blistering winds of winter that I had called felt odd here. There was something in the Symphony that responded, but not in the typical way I was used to. Adrian’s magic was an orchestra that played on time and in tune, whereas Madeleine’s sounded like the reverie of a swamp.

  This place sounded like pots and pans being banged on by a wooden spoon, but the child smashing into it had a sense of rhythm. It disrupted my concentration in a way that no other place could; noisy, clashing, and far too close to my ears and thoughts.

  I had to power through, and that was an intense experience.

  Levan was “buried” in the castle grounds; I could tell by the overflowing sensation of death as the Dirge concatenated itself in the center. Across the river, through the stone walls, and into the pits of their catacombs.

  I turned to Jasmine, who had opened her mouth wide and was about to devour a pastry covered in candied apple slices and coated with honey. “How do you eat all of that without getting fat?” I blurted.

  “I haf a good metabolism!” she sounded out, chunks of pastry and baked apple flying at me.

  “Woman, chew your food before you talk! Who raised you?”

  Jasmine chewed and then swallowed. “Ashley, you’ve met my mom! She’s a nice lady. Would’ve loved to come here with us.”

  I forced the annoyance off my face, and made my lips go straight. “I... see. Well, next time we go to a random town to, uh… see the sights, we’ll bring her along.”

  Jasmine looked down. “Mom doesn’t travel much since she got sick. I asked Madeleine and Nathaniel to watch her while we were out, Ashy. I’d love to take her here.”

  I hesitated. I wasn’t there when my own mom died. Adrian told me she passed peacefully, but he unfortunately had to promise her to take care of me. Fat luck that gave him.

  I still raised my arm up and patted Jasmine’s shoulder, who first flinched… and then eased into it. “Is it bad, Jazz?”

  “...She has rashes all over her body, is always tired and all. Doctors think she has Cupid’s Disease.”

  I wasn’t educated in medicine, so I had no idea what that was. “Is it curable?”

  “I… don’t know. But treatment’s far more than what a [Maid] can afford.”

  I leaned into the table. “Well, when we figure out what we’re doing, I’ll set aside a bigger portion for… our ma,” I tested the waters. Jasmine was, by all accounts, still my ‘acting sister’.

  And she smiled. Her eyes didn’t meet her lips on account of being all watery, but she smiled. “Thanks, Ash. You know, you’re not as bad as people say.”

  “Way to ruin the moment, Jazz.”

  “I mean… we are here to uh… you know, Ashy.”

  My eyes turned to the castle. “I know. How do you even think we break in?”

  “Oh. We ask the kids.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Right, you were a sheltered girl who got into fights. Missy and I and Isabel would sneak around to find new places to play. That’s a walled-off castle—it’s like Jacob’s Barn! There HAS to be a way in, even if it involves climbing the lattices and going through the second-floor window.”

  “Is that how you broke your arm?”

  “Nothing ventured, nothing gained!”

  “...Did you gain anything?”

  “Yeah, a broken arm!” Jasmine shot back, and took another big bite of her pastry. I elected to stop asking her questions so more spittle wouldn’t fly at me.

  Instead, I opened my book. I had to get ready to write about corpses and whatever secrets Levan had held. I took my hand to my cup of tea, and frost chilled over it.

  “Woah, Miss! How did you do that, are you a wizard?” a rather young, but annoying voice shot from my left.

  I turned around to look at a youngish boy staring at me. “Excuse me?!” I responded, looking at his eyes.

  “Dalliance!”

  “What?” I flustered, unsure of what he was asking.

  “Jasmine!” Jasmine responded, another puff of crumb coming out of her mouth. “Want a… I don’t know what it is, but I have a lot, Dalliance?”

  “Yes!” the young boy said, jumping up beside Jasmine at our booth, and I looked around. I couldn’t see anyone who even remotely looked like him. I could see other school-aged children though, which made sense. Taverns and inns were a common spot to hang around and get a hot meal after class.

  I was, however, still very confused about what was happening. I pulled my cup of tea closer.

  “You tell me how to do that, and I’ll help you get into the castle, misses,” ‘Dalliance’ stated.

  “Were you eavesdropping, boy?” I responded.

  “Eavesdroppin’? Nah, misses. Two women, one’s a [Wizard] and the other’s hair as fair as hay, comes in and they’re looking out the window. Any smart boy figures they’re trying to get into the castle,” he beamed.

  I looked at Jasmine, utterly confused. She did not look as confused. “Wow! You’re so smart,” she cooed, pushing Dalliance her pastry. He picked it up and examined it.

  And then shoved the entire thing into his mouth.

  The two of them chewed like animals, as my eyes remained wide open, watching this travesty. “So why do you two want to get in the castle?”

  “Ashley is looking to find something in it,” Jasmine volunteered for me.

  “I reckon I know how to get in, the other boys and I do it all the time. But… can you deal with the goblins in the forest?”

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “Goblins exist?” Jasmine responded, her attention completely lost.

  “Of course they exist! The kids and I tried to fight a few, but they gave us a proper beating. Still hurt from that.”

  “...You fought monsters?” I finally blurted out.

  “Not just me, Miss! My class and I did. We even had a plan. I’m mighty clever, you see?” He began, tapping his head.

  “I don’t understand what’s going on,” I continued.

  “Ashley! We get to be the weird travelers at the tavern being asked questions! Remember when we were kids and those adults would show up and do cool things! We’re the adults!”

  “You are not an adult,” I shot back, as more frost shot from my hand. It slowly froze the tea into a brick.

  Dalliance noticed. “Woah, you really are a [Wizard]. Come on, you gotta teach me a trick! You just gotta!”

  “What, why?”

  “Because you want me to tell you about the secret entrance to the castle, right?” He then looked at me, and his eyes concentrated. “I’ll even tell you where the catacombs are.”

  I froze on the spot. My head tilted, and my eyes narrowed at the boy. “How do you know all of that?”

  I focused my concentration on my left eye.

  [Soul Sense]

  My head hurt from that information. And no, I was not going to kill a kid. What in Rhyvesta’s name was a [Scamp]? What in Rhyvesta’s name was a [Pixie]?!

  I placed my arm on the table, and then my head onto my hand. Dalliance, for his part, patted me on the head. His hand immediately shot back. Jasmine chuckled at that action. “Yeah, Ashley is just as cold as she appears.”

  I rubbed my forehead, and just stared at the pair. “...You said you knew how to get us into the castle then?”

  “Yes, I do, Miss. But I’m willing to trade that information if you teach me one of your tricks.”

  I brought the teacup to my lips and was met with a block of ice. I scowled down at it, but focused my attention on him.

  “Sure. If you show me Topaz,” I shot back, wanting to be on the upper hand for once.

  It did not work.

  “Sure! She’d love to meet and make new friends.”

  “Topaz? That’s such a pretty name,” Jasmine said, pushing off the table to move. Dalliance got up too, and Jasmine immediately took the boy’s hand.

  My eyes twitched. I was losing my composure to a kid.

  Dalliance brought us to the edge of the forest. He brought candy with him, and instructed both Jasmine and I to do the same. I refused, but Jasmine was happy for any opportunity to be loaded with sweets.

  We walked around till the foliage above covered off the harsh rays of sun, and then the boy whistled.

  It was that same “sound” in the Symphony: pots and pans banging about in this strange rhythm. It crashed and clashed in various patterns, until finally, a small, genteel-looking woman appeared in front of us.

  She was also about the same size as a firefly, and had a pair of gorgeous wings that seemed like they’d fit on a monarch butterfly. I stared at her, trying to process what I was seeing.

  “Oh my god! You are so cute!” Jasmine squealed, moving towards her.

  “That… maybe, but…” Her attention shifted to Dalliance. “Child, I had told you to not show anyone my form.”

  Dalliance looked up at her, before tears formed against his eyes. Before his mouth could open and cry, Jasmine hugged him. “Ssh, ssh. You’re okay! Don’t let the mean flying insect-lady bully you. We asked you, since you wanted to learn a magic trick.”

  “Insect lady?” both Topaz and I asked at the same time. This caused us to look at each other.

  I took a breath, and offered Topaz the lemon drop candy Jasmine got for me to use as an offering. The pixie stared at it, and I could see her face and body stop moving. Her wings fluttered slowly, but her eyes darted between the candy piece and then at me. “What do you wan–”

  “Nothing from you, actually. I was mostly messin’ with your boy since he figured out why we were here?”

  That caused Topaz to pause and actually look away from Jasmine and Dalliance at me. Her eyes stared down.

  “Your [Veil] won’t work on a child of Danu…” she started and then immediately froze. Her prismatic body paled, and her wings began to flutter a mile a minute. “DALLIANCE. GET AWAY FROM HER.”

  “What is a Danu?” I asked, not seeing the problem.

  “Topaz? But why?” Dalliance muttered, enjoying the simple affection from Jasmine.

  “That-That is…”

  “A [Cryotheurge],” Jasmine began, but Topaz’s tiny frame turned to face her.

  “Are you fooled too…. Oh no. You’re not a [Maid]. A [Fence]?”

  She looked between us both, then at Dalliance. “Boy, I need you to walk away from those two right now.”

  I spat on the ground. “Okay, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that [Fae] of all things can’t be fooled by a [Veil].”

  I left that as a mental note. Anyone who was friends with a fairy was an immediate threat. But right now?

  Dalliance held onto Jasmine, but Topaz was getting ornery. I only knew one way to defuse the situation.

  “I don’t kill kids. I’m here to find out about Levan, and then I’m leaving,” I bluntly stated.

  Topaz looked at me, and so did Dalliance.

  The air was still, and outside of the Symphony—winds of ice beating against pots and pans being clanked together—the forest was silent.

  “Who?” Dalliance finally asked. “What is a Levan?”

  “You do not need to know, child,” Topaz stole the words from my lips. And being a [Fae], she might have actually done so.

  “I made a deal with your kid. He’d show me how to get inside that castle, and I’d teach him a spe–”

  “He is not interested in what you do.”

  “I might be! What does she do? Does she make ice?” Dalliance tried, and Jasmine pulled him in.

  “Ssh, let them talk. Ashley’s not a nice person, even when she’s in a good mood.”

  “I wasn’t going to teach your kid how to—” Topaz stared at me, and I bit my tongue. “I was going to teach him how to use a [Cryotheurge] spell.”

  Topaz looked at me. “You cannot. You can show me it, and I will teach the boy. Is that acceptable to you… [Cryotheurge].” Her last word was slow and filled with venom. The pixie didn’t blink once. It made my skin crawl.

  A flurry of snow and slush formed at my hand, and the air around me howled in pain. I launched it forward, striking against a tree. The crystals spread against its frame, coating it in white dust. The leaves that had been rustling in the wind seemed to slow, cracking with each involuntary sway.

  [Frostbitten]

  Topaz stared at the spell, and hummed to herself. Dalliance, however, stared eyes wide open. “Wow! I wanna do that!”

  Jasmine looked at me too. “You… have an actual spell now, Ashy?”

  I tilted my head. “I… made…” I looked at the boy. “...How do you not know I can do magic?”

  “I dunno! I just never seen you do anything!”

  I shook my head at Jasmine again, and turned my focus to Topaz. “Is our deal acceptable?”

  Topaz turned to Dalliance. “Do you want to learn that spell, boy?”

  “Yes! Oh yes, I really would,” Dalliance began, and Topaz sighed.

  “Your terms are acceptable, [Necro]—” she caught herself too. “[Cryotheurge].”

  I flicked my hair. “Your turn, Dalliance, how do I get into the castle?”

  “Oh! That’s easy. First, you have to get through the Goblin Forest, and then…”

  And off I went. I was sure I was going to see that boy again before I left. I decided to leave Jasmine behind, since she already didn’t like the dead, and two people sneaking through a castle was far more risky than me alone.