Spells Abound, Stability Unsound. Private.

[Mynameis_Gurgle]

☽тɦαℓɩα ☾

Thalia ground her teeth as the cranky old warlock came out to voice his opinion, eyes narrowing slightly as she stared ahead. Of course Thalia had never been a witch to keep her own opinions to herself and soon enough her anger had boiled over and once against her attention was back on the medallion. ”Hag or not Sina is going to be helping us get your out of that Medallion. If you do not wish to have the help your apprentice could choose to leave you in there.” She huffed then and her eyes turned back to the road. ”Obviously you’ve given him no better ideas; from the outside you are certainly the one that seems to be the idiot.” Thalia ended that statement with a curt nod and a smile toward Eirkham, because honestly the man didn’t seem to be an idiot, just innocent.

When Eirkham swore, Thalia raised an eye brow and would have smirked if she did not hear the same thing he had. Of course she was the one that was going to need to think quickly, shaking her head Thalia knew exactly what she needed to do, leaning over she pressed her lips against Eirkham’s gently. Her lips were warmed by a spell that quickly spread throughout Eirkham’s body, shifting him just barely in appearance. His hair a darker shade, his physique taking on a bit more muscle and the man would shrink by an inch or two. Pulling away a bit out of breath, tired from the spell she leaned up to speak softly into his ear. ”Climb into the back through the window, maybe look for something to cover up your scent? I’m not sure how long the transformation will last.”

She sat back then, slowing Gavin down quite a bit, knowing that she would be asked to stop when they finally made it to her. ”I’ll try to get them to leave, but if they are to search the back, I recommend you act as a lover, I do not have other reasons for having a handsome man in my wagon.” She winked them, a grin on her lips before she turned forward as if she were just traveling normally.

☽ωɩтcɦ ☾

[Ellentasia]

Eirkham Delven of the Ardor Staff, Warlock of the West

…In training.

Eirkham smiled gratefully back at Thalia when she defended him, but did not respond otherwise. He thought maybe he should be backing up his master, but his brain was preoccupied with the sounds of the hounds and he was too distracted. He’d never leave his master in the medallion, especially considering it was stuck around his neck, but he was torn between the two.

He was trying to decide if he could risk attempting the spell he had done the day before when Thalia leaned over. He expected her to whisper some instruction in his ear; though why she couldn’t just say it normally he didn’t know. The last thing he expected was for her to kiss him! He went totally rigid in disbelief. He then felt the tendrils of magic seep through him and he understood what she had done. He felt simultaneously relieved and oddly disappointed by that. Spell or not though, the action had momentarily frozen all mental capacity.

It took a moment for the spell to take effect, but when it did, Eirkham doubled over and groaned in pain as his bones began to shrink. The chain around his neck lit up in a bright red until it met a few runes on his back that began to glow an angry blue through his shirt. He blacked out for a moment as his eyes once again whited out, but it was only a moment and it was gone before he was entirely aware of anything strange happening.

He turned to stare at her, wide eyed, until her instructions to hide filtered through to his dazed brain. Once they did, he leapt to his feet and scrambled through the window without a word. What was he supposed to say? He didn’t know how to pretend to be a lover. That was the first time he had ever been kissed! Maybe he could just be a servant. He rummaged through her supplies, looking for something he would recognize as not a potion to turn him into a toad. As he searched he caught sight of himself in a mirror and blinked in confusion. His hair was completely dark and his clothes hung off him as he had dropped nearly half a foot in height. His breeches would have fallen off his hips except for the extra inches of muscle covering his body.

Impressed, he whistled softly. He had assumed Thalia was powerful, but if she could cast that complete of a transformation that quickly, he really had found an amazing ally. Unaware of what had happened with the runes, it did not occur to him that the spell had been amplified. He eventually found some kind of perfume bottle and stared at it for a moment before spraying his neck like he’d seen a noble lady do once. For good measure, he spritsed his clothing and then climbed behind a box. He crossed his fingers and prayed that they wouldn’t find him.

He heard the horses of the soldiers thundering up around the wagon and the familiar voice of the captain as he called for Thalia to halt.

“You! Stop in the name of the king!” The man shouted to the witch as he pulled his horse up alongside the wagon. The hounds howled and barked as they surrounded the witch, excited that their prey was so close.

Greatest Sorcerer in Eulon
...By default.

((I don't know what she's got in her wagon. He could have grabbed some weird potion if you want.))

[Mynameis_Gurgle]

☽тɦαℓɩα ☾

Thalia was aware that Eirkham was distracted by the kiss and a part of her felt bad for how it had been. Despite her promiscuous ways Thalia never forced anything on to anyone, however it was the easiest way to perform such a spell in short notice. She had done much the same thing when changing Gavin as the spelled called for direct contact, or to have the subject standing in a circle. They didn’t have time for Thalia set up her circle here so the kiss had been the only way. She was happy he made it into the wagon before the horses made it to the wagon though; it would have been odd to explain why there was a man crawling into her window.

It took every muscle to stop herself from rolling her eyes at the sound of the Captains voice, though she slowed her wagon to a stop soon enough, attempting to be careful of the dogs, she didn’t need to do anything to truly make this man mad. That of course, didn’t mean that she wasn’t going to do whatever she could to distract him, to give Eirkham at least some time for preparation.

As soon as she was stopped, Thalia set the reins to the side and turned to look at the Captain curiously. A grin spread across her lips though and she leaned forward slowly, raising her shoulders a bit and allowing quite a bit of her cleavage to show, her grin turned to a devious smirk and she raised a thin eye brow. ”It seems we meet again, couldn’t get enough of me?” Thalia sent the captain a wink, though she sat up a bit afterward. ”Or did you decide you could use a bit of that luck?”

☽ωɩтcɦ ☾

((You can have it be whatever you would like, Thalia's wagon is filled with all kinds of mysterious things; only she knows what is all in there xD))

[Ellentasia]

Eirkham Delven of the Ardor Staff, Warlock of the West

…In training.

The captain pulled his horse to a stop with the wagon. The others quickly surrounded them so Thalia could not make a quick escape if they decided to. Behind his helmet, the Captain's lip curled in distaste at her behavior. He slipped down from his horse and stepped up to her. "I need neither your impudence nor your trickery, witch." The dogs swarmed around the wagon, though they steered clear of Gavin. Each knew quite well what happened around strange horses.

"We will search your wagon for our fugitive. If he is found, you will face the consequences." The man told her sternly. He jerked his hand up and motioned towards the wagon. Two other members of the guard dropped off their horses and walked behind them to enter into the wagon.

The Captain stayed put, watching Thalia with steely eyes. As far as he was concerned, she was a criminal too and he wasn't going to let her get away with anything funny. The three other members of his team stayed on their horses and kept them in the way of the wagon. One over-excited dog made a leap and scrambled up on the seat next to Thalia, snuffling along where Eirkham had sat and then scrabbling his claws against the window.

Inside, Eirkham could hear the soldiers entering and he held his breath as they began searching. He tried to crouch further down behind the box he'd hid behind, but then he realized his legs weren't actually on the ground. He looked back frantically and saw that his body was beginning to float upwards. Whatever he had sprayed on himself had apparently not been perfume. He grabbed ahold of the box to try to keep himself down, but his nervousness had left his fingers sweaty and he lost purchase. He made a dull thump as his body hit the covering of the wagon.

The soldiers looked up at him and then at each other. The Captain glanced up at the wagon when he heard the noise. "What's going on in there?" He called out.

"We found someone, captain." One answered. "But he doesn't look the same. He's also...floating."

The Captain turned suspicious eyes on Thalia and asked, "Who do you have in there and what did you do to him?"

Greatest Sorcerer in Eulon
...By default.

[Mynameis_Gurgle]

☽тɦαℓɩα ☾

Thalia pouted at the Captain’s words, leaning forward once again, her hands resting on the sides of the wagon. ”Ahhh, you’re no fun Captain.” She grinned then and tilt her head to the side as she thought about it. ”I could help you with that.” She reached out to run her finger along his shoulder; at least that had been her plan until he said they would be searching her wagon. She huffed and sat back, crossing her arms across her chest and sitting up straight.

” The polite thing to do would have been to ask to search my wagon.” She was well aware of the fact that the captain didn’t trust her, of course she didn’t trust him much either. Thalia gasped when the dog jumped up next to her on the wagon, turning a glare on the hound. ”Back off Mutt.”

Thalia was just as surprised by the thump from her wagon as he was, though she blinked in confusion and turned to look back at the Captain. ”Well there was a man in my wagon… he wasn’t floating when I left though, perhaps a little bit last night.” She sent a wink toward the Captain before slipping off of the wagon and heading toward the back.

”They can never resist digging into the potions back there; you would think they would know better than to just use strange potions.” Honestly, Thalia thought the potion was a brilliant idea; maybe it could end up working in their favor.

She glanced inside her wagon a moment, snorting slightly before taking a step back. ”Yes, he’s definitely floating.”

☽ωɩтcɦ ☾

[Ellentasia]

Eirkham Delven of the Ardor Staff, Warlock of the West

…In training.

The Captain was not really one for flirting and he brushed off her advances impatiently. “A dangerous criminal is running rampant. I do not have time for politeness.” He responded to her. He was being rude, but he needed to find the warlock before he hurt someone else or joined Ponternia.

He was not really surprised that she had a man in her wagon. He was of the opinion all wild magical women bounced between partners with no concern. When she hopped off the wagon and wandered away, he reached up and dragged the dog back to the ground. “Stay.” He commanded before following the witch to the door.

The Captain peeked in after her, looking up to see the dark haired man trying to push himself off of the wagon’s rooftop. “State your name and purpose.” He ordered.

Eirkham looked nervously down at the Captain and the two soldiers who were looking at him in amusement. “Ah… Benji. Benji, Garret’s son.” He lied, using the name the spirit had given him. Sweat trickled down his neck. He was never good at lying, but since he was floating he thought any stuttering or nerves could be passed off as fear for falling. “My…purpose? It’s uh…” He looked helplessly over at Thalia through the now open door and felt the heat rush to his face as he remembered what she had told him to say. “Well…” He gestured awkwardly towards Thalia and one of the soldiers laughed.

“Where’d she pick you up then? Quite the prince charming. Captain, this can’t be our warlock. Look at him.” The one who laughed reached up and tugged down on Eirkham’s leg. He bobbed downward and then floated right back up.

As he bobbed, the chain of his medallion came a little loose and showed itself. “What’s that?” The captain asked, pointing. “The warlock stole the soul of a royal mage. Check it.”

Eirkham’s eyes widened as the soldiers once again reached to pull him down. He shook his head frantically. “N-No! It’s nothing! It’s just a… a charm. She made it. It’s for luck. She has others, you can see.” He didn’t know if she had anything else like it, but he hoped so. He tugged it out of his shirt and let it dangle for just a second before stuffing it back. He hoped the brief view was enough.

The Captain stared on for a moment before turning back to the witch. “Do you often take passengers like this?” He asked.

Greatest Sorcerer in Eulon
...By default.

[Mynameis_Gurgle]

☽тɦαℓɩα ☾

Thalia had to stop herself from giggling as Eirkham spoke; he was obviously uncomfortable with the subject, though with him floating at the ceiling everything sounded uncomfortable coming out of him. She raised an eye brow at the man who asked where she picked him up and a small smirk came to her lips, crossing her arms just under her bust. ”And you know so much about charming women? Bursting into their homes uninvited, delaying their trips to visit a sick friend?” The witch ‘tsk-ed’ though the captain interrupted her.

At the mention that she had other charms Thalia nodded, because in all honesty it was true. Thalia had quite the collection of charms and other symbols hidden away in her wagon. Many she had accumulated during her travels as forms of payment, some gifts from generous lovers, and a few precious objects that had belonged to some of her ancestors. Normally she would not give them out willy-nilly; however she would sell them.

When he asked if she often took passengers Thalia shook her head once again. ”No, not usually.” She glanced toward Eirkham once more though she looked back to the Captain. ”However, he was heading the same way as me and he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.” She lifted the pouch of gold coins she had been given the night before, jingling the bag before tying it back in place. ”We’re heading toward Valwald Swamp; I believe the boy is in search of an adventure.” In the short time that Thalia had been with Eirkham, she had noticed his excitement for adventure; she knew he could at least speak of that with honesty.

☽ωɩтcɦ ☾

[Ellentasia]

Eirkham Delven of the Ardor Staff, Warlock of the West

…In training.

The soldier Thalia spoke with turned and glared at her, but the Captain was speaking so he didn’t respond.

The Captain looked at the jingling bag of coins in disgust and looked back up at Eirkham. “If the boy wants adventure he would be better off joining the army. But if all he really wants is to buy a woman’s bed, we’re better off without him.” He grumbled. He then turned his attention to his own men and barked an order. “Get out of there, we’re wasting our time.”

Eirkham, perhaps unwisely, felt the need to defend himself against that statement, “That’s not it! I just needed some help!”

The Captain turned back to the warlock and shook his head. “Not the sort to be buying help from.” He replied. “If you see this man, report it to the nearest guard post.” He pulled out the sketch he had shown Thalia originally and showed it to both of them. “This man nearly killed the king’s daughter, stole the soul of a loyal mage of the crown, and the Gods only know what terrors he has committed since then. He is dangerous and must be stopped.”

Eirkham wanted to protest this too, but that would have looked suspicious and what he said was fairly true. He sighed and ducked his head so he wouldn’t have to look at the poster branding him as a traitor. “Yessir.” He mumbled.

“Mount up.” The Captain called. On their way out of the wagon, one guard slowed and stepped by Thalia. It was not the one who had teased her about Eirkham.

“Lucky liquid, you said before?” He asked her, glancing off to see if the Captain was watching. “Does it work? My wife’s gonna have our first baby soon, and I don’t want nothing to go wrong. And if we don't find that traitor--between you and me I don't think we will--there's gonna be hell to pay back in the city. Can't lose my job now.” He dug a handful of coins out of his pocket and held them out. Eirkham looked at his back (That was all he could see.) sadly and was tempted to turn himself in. He sighed softly and held his tongue, knowing it was a bad idea.

Greatest Sorcerer in Eulon
...By default.

((Edited a little at the end.))

[Mynameis_Gurgle]

☽тɦαℓɩα ☾

Thalia did not respond when she was compared to a prostitute, she was well aware of how the jingling bag of coins looked. And with her reputation around these parts the comparison wasn’t that far off, though Thalia never took payments for her bed; those partners were often her best customers. The words did not faze her though she was surprised by their effect on Eirkham. Thalia had never heard the Warlock defend himself and a part of her was proud that he had worked up such courage, though she prepared to do some back peddling were the outburst to end badly for them. The witch had talked her way out of worse situations, she was sure she could get them out of this one.

She raised an eye brow as the Captain pulled out the picture once more, surprised by this extra piece of information. Though from the short time she had known Eirkham she didn’t believe that he would be off attempting to murder the princess. Perhaps he had another interesting tale to tell her as they finished their journey to the swamp.

When the men mounted their horses and began to leave the witch nearly jumped for joy, somehow the plan had worked out. Thalia was well aware that no good would come to her if she was to be caught harboring a traitor; the crown was always looking for ways to rid the streets of witches. It hadn’t always been that way, there had been a day when witches were valuable to the community, when a witch could feed a single village with one seed, heal the hurt, cure the sick, or ease the pain of those slowly dying. Before Eulon controlled the magic council and family magic was in danger of fading away completely. Thalia had only ever heard stories of those days, the processes had begun before she was born and by the time she came around the world was already beginning to forget the value of witches.

A smile came to her lips though, when the soldier came to speak to her, though it was replaced with a frown at his story. She didn’t know if it was Eirkham wearing off on her, or her sudden feel of nostalgia, but Thalia could not bring herself to con this soldier. ”Sorry love, liquid luck would only be a temporary fix, if fate truly wants this traitor free he will find a different way out and if fate wants your job she’ll take it. She’s a stubborn lady.” She paused though, taping her finger on chin. ”Wait just a moment though, I may have something to help.”

Thalia hopped into her wagon, patting Eirkham on the leg once and handing him a different vile of potion, this one to drink, that would let him down from the ceiling. She rummaged through some drawers, pulling out a small necklace as well as a pouch. The witch hopped out soon after, handing the soldier the pouch first. ”Here, mix these herbs with boiling water and have your wife drink the mixture in the mornings after she has given birth. It will keep both mother and child strong for those first few months, they are the most critical.” After that she held out the necklace, a smile gracing her lips. ”And a charm for luck, I do not know if it will help you find your traitor, but perhaps it will keep you out of trouble, these parts are filled with those who do not appreciate the royal guard. It should ward against that type and allow for a speedy return home to your wife.” She stepped back to her wagon than, waving to the man. ”Keep your money soldier, you’ll need it for your family.”

☽ωɩтcɦ ☾

[Ellentasia]

Eirkham Delven of the Ardor Staff, Warlock of the West

…In training.

Eirkham watched the exchange between the soldier and Thalia with a soft smile. He felt horribly guilty about lying to them, but he knew they would never really listen to him if he tried to explain what had happened. They had their orders. The rest of Eulon was preparing for war and no one was going to trust him.

The soldier looked disappointed when she told him the luck wouldn’t hold out. He should have known better, but he was fairly young and hopeful. The potion for his wife cheered him up though. His helmet hid his face, but his emotions were clear from the way his shoulders perked up. “Thank you, Miss.” He said, taking the vial and charm. He pocketed his coins and nodded, thanking her again.

The Captain was then yelling for him, so he darted around the wagon to his own horse. They had some trouble bringing the dogs around but managed to herd them all off in another direction.

Eirkham breathed a sigh of relief when they were out of earshot and looked over at Thalia. “Thank you, again.” He said. It was the second time she had saved him from the guards. “Could you, um… get me down?” He really hoped she could. He didn’t want to be bouncing around in there until the potion wore off.

Greatest Sorcerer in Eulon
...By default.

[Mynameis_Gurgle]

☽тɦαℓɩα ☾

Thalia smiled to the soldier, glad to know that the value of witches had not been totally lost to this generation. She nodded to his thank you, waving him off as he ran around the wagon and moving to the front of the wagon to make sure that the dogs were off, glad to see they did not head in the direction Thalia and Eirkham had been moving. Thalia hoped that somehow this would be the last time they ran into guard, once they entered Valwald she knew they would be traveling further in Ponternia, but that would only protect them so much.

The witch turned to Eirkham after he spoke, quite suddenly bursting out into laughter; she held her stomach a moment, the laughter fading away slowly and a grin on her lip. ”That was brilliant! It seemed that luck was on our side this time, Eirkham.” She grinned at him, hoping up into the wagon and pulling down on his leg until he was closer to her, she sniffed once, checking to see which potion he used before pointing to a desk. ”Grab the end of that please.” Making sure he was holding it she rummaged through her supplies once more, coming back with a similar spray bottle, she sprayed him down and took a step back. ”I suppose once we get to Valwald it wouldn’t hurt to have a bit of a lesson in identifying potions though, hmm?” She didn’t expect him to learn how to tell exact potions from each other, but he could have a general idea that would help in the future.

Soon enough though she was heading out of the wagon, motioning for him to follow her outside. Thalia climbed up to the wagon once more, picking up the reins and making herself comfortable. ”Hmmm, we’ve got a long ride ahead of us still. That’s okay though, I’d like to hear all about how you almost killed the princess.” She raised an eye brow, waiting for Eirkham so she could get going.

☽ωɩтcɦ ☾

[Ellentasia]

Eirkham Delven of the Ardor Staff, Warlock of the West

…In training.

Eirkham was taken aback when she started laughing, but it was infectious and he soon joined in the merriment. It was a good release of tension and he couldn’t help himself. He still felt bad about lying, but Eirkham couldn’t hang on to negative feelings for too long, not unless they were very serious. He had to lie and he had to accept that.

He grabbed hold of the desk she pulled him too and waited patiently for her to spray him with the other one. The enchantment holding him up disappeared and he dropped like a rock onto the floor boards. He scrambled up to his feet afterward and brushed himself off. He gave her a sheepish smile and nodded to her suggestion that he learn about potions. “That would probably be good. Lucky that wasn’t something worse.”

He followed her through the doors and back to the front where Gavin was still hitched. He took his old seat next to her and looked up at the long road ahead of them. Her request for the story made him flinch and he looked down at his feet with a sigh. “I didn’t know she was the princess. I mean, not that it would have made a difference, but I just thought she was some little girl. She’s not much older than six.” She wasn’t the direct heir to the throne. There was a brother ahead of her, but either way she was royalty and an assault on any royal family member was punishable by death. “Anyway, I had run to the palace from the tower after I realized what had happened to my master. I had gone to Lady Maevryn, she’s in charge of royal mages. She isn’t exactly magical herself, but she has some seer abilities, which is how she finds kids like me. I told her what happened and she had me wait in the courtyard while she went to get some officials.”

Eirkham kicked his feet together and tapped his fingers in agitation. This wasn’t a story he really wanted to tell. But Thalia had saved him twice now, so he figured she deserved to hear what he was in trouble for. “She was really cute. Lots of curly brown hair and the biggest blue eyes. She found me in the courtyard and once she found out I was a warlock she wanted to see some magic. I thought I’d just do something small. There was a fountain so I took some water and formed it in the shape of a bunny for her. I was gonna freeze it there and give her the ice but… the magic got away from me.” He kept his gaze downward and wrung his hands miserably. “I don’t know what happened. I used to make ice sculptures all the time, even when I was little. I'd make dice or chess pieces and play with Grandmama's customers.”

Greatest Sorcerer in Eulon
...By default.

[Mynameis_Gurgle]

☽тɦαℓɩα ☾

Thalia eased Gavin back onto the road, picking up his pace a bit to make up for the time they had been stopped. She sobered up when Eirkham began his story though, respectful of his feelings toward it. Of course as he began to tell his story she understood why he was so uncomfortable with it. Harming a child, even accidently, was not something to be taken lightly. Though she was also aware that his intentions had not been to harm the child so she could not judge him for that. "You have come into your magic differently than most people, generally that lack of control, sudden extra bursts of energy come to children." Thalia glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "It's not just your magic though, your transformation is… much more than I had planned on."

Not that Thalia couldn’t have done it, given a bit more time and a lot more energy she could have had him looking like that, but this had been in a hurry. "You are an unusual warlock." She paused, rubbing her hand against her chin. "Perhaps we'll figure out why that is during this trip."

Still, Thalia didn’t want them on this subject for the rest of the trip, she didn’t like the idea of Eirkham being sad, and so she changed the subject back to Ponternia. Telling some stories of customers she had come across during her own travels, a woman who had asked for a love potion only to end up accidently feeding it to her cat and a man who had been going bald stole a hair growing potion from her, not knowing how to use it he came back a couple days later looking like a huge bear. The stories always made the travel faster and soon enough it was growing dark and the scenery was changing.

The trees were more sparse here, but the reeds grew nearly as tall as Eirkham, closer together it seemed much darker here than in the forest. The paths had narrowed and Thalia slowed Gavin, not wanting to lose control and end up inside the swamp. They were close though, the smell of a fireplaces had begun wafting their way into the air and even Thalia could hear the voices coming from the Tavern on the other side of the reeds, perhaps after checking in with Sina that night she would sneak off for a bit.

Still they moved away from the Tavern, the voices fading away as she turned up a small path, barely large enough for the wagon and up a hill. They came into a clearing with a small cottage to the side, cauldrons lined the front of the cottage and strings of skulls hung from the corners of it the house. There was smoke coming from the chimney and candles had begun to be lit now that the light was beginning to disappear. Thalia eased the wagon to a stop and hopped down, a grin coming to her lips. "Oh Sina! You old hag, come out here!"

There was some clattering within the house and the door of the house slammed open revealing a woman, Sina. Sina was much taller than Thalia, though not quite as tall as Eirkham, much like Thalia she wore layers of skirts, though her top was not quite as tight, she wore two strings of bird skulls around her neck and what looked to be a small fox’s skull hung off her belt. The woman chuckled upon seeing Thalia and held her hand out before speaking. "Ah, Thalia, old friend! It seems you brought company, normally you leave your handsome men behind."

Thalia smirked then, as she walked toward the cottage. "Ahhh, he’s here to see you. This young man is in need of help."

The hag raised an eye brow at this before turning, motioning into the cottage. "Well why don’t the two of you come in, we can discuss the help you need over dinner. The young man running the tavern brought by a couple rabbits from his hunt, they have made a delicious stew."

☽ωɩтcɦ ☾

[Ellentasia]

Eirkham Delven of the Ardor Staff, Warlock of the West

…In training.

Eirkham nodded as she spoke about his magic. “My Master used to say that. Or…something like that. He said I was degenerating, like there’s something wrong with me.” He frowned and bit his bottom lip in consternation, chewing lightly. He fully believed his master’s words and was totally convinced he was some sort of dangerous anomaly. He sighed and threw up his hands in defeat. “Most people get more control as they grow, not less. I’m like…like a weed. You think the dandelion’s really pretty to start and then there’s a hundred of them and they hurt every other plant.”

‘Unusual’ was not the word most used, but he appreciated the different slant and managed to smile over at her. He hoped she was right about them learning why he was the way he was. Maybe they could fix it and he could be a normal warlock.

He perked up as she began telling stories of her travels. He laughed at the various antics, knowing he probably would have done much the same thing. He looked around the swamp with a degree of wonder, though he was a bit more hesitant about his fascination with new things. Any manner of creature could be lurking in the tall grass, waiting to eat a hapless warlock.

He looked over his shoulder in the direction of the tavern sounds and felt a little nervous as they mounted the hill and headed into the clearing. The hanging skulls didn’t make him feel much better. Thalia didn’t seem at all bothered though, so he swallowed hard and tried to be brave. The hag’s appearance surprised him, though her face somewhat reminded him of his grandmother’s. The skulls hanging all over her were unnerving.

Eirkham hopped off the wagon and, after hesitating for a moment, scrambled to follow Thalia so he wouldn’t be left alone. He kept with her as she entered the cottage. He had a flashback to being a child and being told about hags eating his bones for breakfast and gulped again.

“Uh…Hello.” He said nervously when they reached Sina. He made a sort of awkward bow that he had seen people make at court. Hag or not, it always paid to be polite. “I-I’m Eirkham. Th-thank you for meeting with us. I could r-really use your help.”

Greatest Sorcerer in Eulon
...By default.

[Mynameis_Gurgle]

☽тɦαℓɩα ☾

Sina looked the young Warlock up and down as he entered, a smirk spreading across his lips when the boy bowed and she motioned him further into the cottage. "Don't be nervous child; any friend of Thalia is a friend of mine. Make yourself at home and then you can explain your situation to me." She pat Eirkham on the shoulder, the movement causing the skulls around her neck to clank together.

Thalia had already made herself at home, going through the cabinets in search of bowls, she pulled a couple down, scooping herself and Eirkham a helping of the stew sitting over the fire before setting the bowls on the only clear table in the room. The house was messy, filled with stacks of books, old chairs and tables covered in various jars and skulls once again. The right wall of the cottage was covered with maps, diagrams, and some pages written in various languages from Ponternia.

Sina entered the cabin once more, picking up a long pipe from one tables, she packed it, lighting it before turning back to the two and taking a long drag. The smell of tobacco filled the room as Sina allowed the smoke to escape her lips. "Now tell me Child, what problem do you have that Thalia thinks an old woman like me could help you with?"

Thalia snorted, though she didn't comment, to be truthful Thalia was about twenty years older than Sina.

☽ωɩтcɦ ☾