Bleedy raced through the forest, leaves crunching under his paws as he ran. Charlie looked up, enjoying the wind sweeping against his face. The trees rushed by, and birds scattered at their approach.

Behind Charlie, Mousifer worked diligently, scurrying around the small satchel on Bleedy’s side. He propped up the bottles so that they were leaning partially out of the bag and then scampered up them. He carefully removed the lids, and then leaned his weight against the bottle to let the liquid trickle out.

They left a trail of baby formula behind them as they went.

When he finished, Mousifer let Charlie know with a happy squeak. Charlie rewarded him with a head pat. “Thank you, Mousifer. That stuff creeps me out.” They’d gone through the trouble of emptying out the bottles, instead of getting rid of them because they had some sort of magic property. The bottles were still cold, even though a couple of days had passed since Mary packed them.

Orb had spent most of the morning riding on Bleedy’s head, but now, he hovered beside, keeping pace.

He’d told them he needed to stretch his legs.

“You do realize you just had him get rid of all your food, right? You don’t have anything left to eat,” Orb said.

Charlie blinked. He had not, in fact, realized that.

Bleedy growled a warning. Charlie looked up and noticed thick foliage up ahead. He gently guided Mousifer under him and then leaned over to cover him with his body. Bleedy had already gone through some of the thick patches of vegetation a few times since they left Troa. In one of them Orb had flown right into a branch that bent backwards for a just a second before snapping back into place and sending him flying into a thick pool of mud.

They were being a little more careful now. Not careful enough to have Bleedy slow down, but more careful.

Bleedy shot through the foliage and then came screeching to a halt.

There was a town there.

It was built in a sizable forest clearing. A few scattered houses dotted the tree line. There were also a number of worn-down buildings that lined up along either side of a single street. In the center of the street was a small gathering space. Even now it was filling with people.

A man stood atop a horse-drawn cart, getting ready to speak.

“Let’s go check it out!” Charlie said, leaning forward on Bleedy’s back as if to urge him onward. They’d been traveling through the woods for two days now. He was itching for some excitement.

“Not so fast! Richard told us to avoid towns until we reach Arcadeya. What will people think if they see a baby running around by himself?” Orb asked.

“I’m not by myself! I’m with the three of you.” Charlie pointed out.

“Yeah… that doesn’t make it look any better, Charlie.”

Bleedy suddenly lifted his snout in the air, sniffing as if he caught wind of something. A minute later, he was racing towards town.

“Hey! Stop that!” Orb called out. He mentally sighed before zooming off after them.

By the time they reached the crowd, almost everyone around had gathered to listen. They whispered amongst themselves and brushed past one another to get a better view. Bleedy snarled in frustration, unable to find the source of the scent he’d followed.

Charlie looked up and noticed a stack of lopsided crates on the right flank of the crowd. He tugged at Bleedy’s fur and pointed. Bleedy followed his gesture and hurried over, climbing atop the sketchy stack of crates, and let Charlie dismount. When Bleedy was satisfied Charlie was well positioned, he scurried back down and sniffed around again for the lost trail. He skirted past the legs of those gathered there and Charlie lost sight of him.

“He’s going to learn the hard way people eat creatures like him,” Orb said.

Charlie shot him a horrified look.

“You wanna know how much I care? If I had shoulders, I’d be shrugging.”

“Squeak!”

“You’re right, Mousifer. That is rude,” Charlie said. They turned to look at the man atop the cart. He was getting ready to start.

The man was young, mid-twenties with the beginnings of a beard. His ruffled, jet-black hair was pushed back, and he wore a purple hooded cloak. His wooden cart looked expensive. It had a detachable covering that was lowered now. Probably so he could stand on it and give speeches like he was about to. His horse was brown, with a dark mane running down its neck. It stood beside the cart with a bored look on its long face.

The man cleared his throat to gather the attention of his audience.

“Hello everyone! Let’s get started. For those of you that don’t know me, and I imagine that includes… all of you, my name is Merlin. I’m a magician of some renown back in the capital, but I’ve since moved on from that life. Now I travel the country offering my services at a fair price. Just two silver pieces and I can make all of your troubles go away.”

Several people turned to look at their neighbors, wondering what he was talking about.

“You! My good sir. Tell me, are you bald by choice or fortune?” Merlin asked.

“Not by choice,” the bald man grumbled. He crossed his arms against his brown tunic.

“Well then. For two silver pieces, we can fix that right up for you! Step forward, step forward!” Merlin said. The crowd exchanged doubtful glances.

“I’ve never heard of magic that can grow hair,” someone near Charlie whispered to her neighbor.

The man looked reluctant but stepped forward. Merlin offered a hand and helped pull the man on stage.

Merlin guided the man to stand in front of him and then held a hand out and chanted. “Hazel Hex Heal.” A hazel-colored hexagram appeared between Merlin and the man, and several members of the crowd gasped, unused to magic.

The bald man slowly reached his hands out to feel his head. He flushed red when he realized nothing had changed. “Not so fast!” Merlin said hurriedly. “We’re not done yet.” Merlin reached a hand behind his back and then ran it over the man’s head. He covered it so the crowd couldn’t see with his other hand. Then he reached down, grabbed a bottle of liquid, and poured it over the man. The bald man sputtered, spitting the liquid from his face.

He balled up a fist to strike Merlin, but the crowd’s reaction caused him to pause.

A woman, presumably his wife, pushed through the crowd. “Darling… your hair…” she managed. He looked at her before his hands shot once again to his head. A head full of wet, black hair.

“But how did—” he managed before Merlin cut him off.

“Don’t worry about that. As I said, magic. Two silver pieces, please.” Merlin smiled, holding a hand out.

The man dug into his coin purse and handed Merlin two silver pieces and made his way off stage to embrace his wife.

“Mister! Were you a member of the Hex Arcana?” A child called out.

Merlin smirked. “I can neither confirm nor deny something like that. But I’ll leave it up to your imagination. What I will say is I’m quite good at what I do. I know, I know. How can a man who worked for the kingdom be asking for money in exchange for helping people? Well. The truth is, before I left the capital, I caught wind of a countryside orphanage that was being shut down. It broke my heart. And so, I donated all I had. Every single piece of gold, silver, and copper. Now I travel the countryside helping my fellow man. All I ask is enough coin to feed my lovely friend Marvin here,” he gestured toward the horse on the end of his cart. “And enough for a warm meal and a bed at night. So, who's next?” he asked.

“Is this guy serious?” Orb asked. “He’s a total con-artist.”

Charlie thought Merlin seemed really cool. Mousifer squeaked something in his ear and pointed at a little girl in the crowd. She was standing next to an older lady, probably a family member. She was staring intently at the stage. The girl gripped her fist tight for just a second before patting her pocket. She turned, noticing a large coin pouch on the waist of the man next to her. She looked around to see if anyone was watching, and then she reached for it.

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But she stopped. She shook her head and then looked down at the ground.

She looked broken. Defeated.

“Squeak?”

Charlie looked at him, surprised. But then he smiled and nodded. Bleedy had run off with most of their supplies, but Charlie had hidden away a few silver pieces in his onesie for safekeeping. He dug them out and handed them to Mousifer. Mousifer stretched his mouth wide to fit the two pieces inside. Charlie giggled at how ridiculous he looked. The coins were too big, and both of his cheeks were comically inflated to make room for them.

Mousifer scampered down the crates and hurried in the direction of the girl.

Charlie turned his attention back to the stage. He’d missed Merlin giving someone a potion that would apparently help with wrinkles.

A little boy stepped forward next. “Can you fix my tooth? I lost it.”

The crowd erupted into laughter. Merlin flashed a knowing smile and held a hand up to quiet the crowd. He knelt on stage before the boy. “Well, a tooth isn’t something that needs to be fixed with magic…” he said.

“Please! I really hate not having a tooth. It was my favorite one!” The boy pleaded.

“Alright, alright.” Merlin held a hand up and said the words again. A hazel hex appeared before the boy’s face. He felt around his mouth with a finger but realized the tooth wasn’t there. The boy’s face sunk.

“Oh no. Don’t worry, it will return. I started to replace it but then I thought… why give him another normal tooth when I could give him a magical one,” Merlin said. He winked at the boy.

“Magic?” The boy’s eyes lit up.

“Of course! It’ll be stronger and harder than a normal tooth when it grows back. Just make sure you brush them really well! Alright?” Merlin said.

“Okay!” the boy said, turning to his father. His father held out a few coins. Merlin took one of them but pushed the other back to the father. “Just one for this,” he said. The father nodded his head.

“Now! Anyone else? As I said, I’m a master magician! What else can I do? What ails the people of this village? You, good sir, in the back!” he pointed toward an old man not far from Charlie. “What did you do for a living?” Merlin asked.

“I was a carpenter,” the old man said.

“Ah. You must have cut down a lot of trees then.”

The old man nodded.

Merlin smiled. “The problem with cutting trees down is the karma. Sometimes our own…trees don’t grow back when you want them to. I can help with that!” Merlin winked. The crowd erupted into laughter.

“Oh, don’t worry about that! This old tree is strong as ever!”

Merlin laughed. “Well then, anyone else in need of my services?” he called out. Several hands shot up and people started making their way to the front of the stage. People with scars, coughs and broken hearts alike stepped forward to solicit his services. Little by little, the coin pouch on Merlin’s waist grew firmer and more filled with coin.

But Merlin turned as a little girl climbed up onto the stage. It was the girl from the earlier.

She wore a simple green dress and had bright orange hair fashioned into pigtails on either side of her head.

Silence spread throughout the crowd. Merlin stood up, surprised, and turned to face her. “Hello little one. What can I do for you? A boy break your heart? Or maybe you want vegetables to taste better from now on? What is it?”

The little girl looked unsure of herself before finding her courage. Determination spread across her freckled face. “My mom is sick! Please help her,” she said.

Merlin looked at her before chancing a glance at the crowd. “I see… and what exactly is wrong with her?”

“She’s got Darwanes syndrome. She’s had a fever for months and hasn’t been able to get out of bed,” the girl said.

A sad look spread across the audience. “Poor girl. She’s so young to lose a mother,” someone said nearby.

“Wasn’t all that long ago we’d have what we needed on hand to cure it. And now we can’t even go that deep into the forest,” another said.

Merlin grimaced. “That… for that, you may be better hiring someone to find Sycamara root. It’s effective against Darwanes. But magic is —”

“You said you can cure anything! Were you lying?” the girl demanded.

The crowd started muttering. Merlin had said he could cure anything, so why all of a sudden was he resistant to helping the little girl? Charlie wondered. Merlin noticed the turning crowd and regained his composure. “Of course, I can cure anything! Is your… is your mother nearby?” he asked.

The little girl shook her head. “I see…” Merlin said. He turned and looked around his makeshift stage and picked up a bottle full of clear liquid. “Hold this,” he handed the bottle to her. He cast a hazel hex on it. The liquid shimmered for a moment in the light of the hex before returning to its usual color. “Give this to her to drink, in a few days… everything should be all better,” he said.

His cheery demeanor wasn’t there anymore.

“Really?” Her eyes softened as she tenderly took the vial.

Merlin nodded and reluctantly took the two silver coins she handed him in return. People from the crowd pushed forward, holding up silver coins, but Merlin held out his hands. “That’s enough for today. Come back here tomorrow, same time and I’ll help the rest of you. I’m tired and need rest after my travels.”

He sounded deflated.

The crowd grumbled but gave in. Slowly, they dispersed.

An old lady walked up to Charlie and grabbed him from the stack of crates.

“Hey!” Charlie thought as she took him into her arms.

Orb started buzzing around her head. “Put him down!”

She didn’t seem to notice.

“Charlie! I told you this is why we should stay out of town. Now you’re being baby-napped!”

“Orb! Do something!” Charlie said, wriggling to get free of her grasp.

“Stop wriggling, Hilda! The nice man isn’t helping anyone else today. It’s time to go home!” The old lady said.

“Grandma, what are you doing? I’m over here,” a little girl’s voice said. Charlie and the old lady turned at the same time to look at the voice’s owner. It was the girl that’d gone on stage. Orb quickly hid behind the crates to avoid being spotted.

The little girl still held the vial Merlin had sold her in hand. Mousifer peeked out from her pocket. He waved a little paw at Charlie.

“Then who is this?” the grandma asked, turning to squint at Charlie.

“That’s someone’s baby!” Hilda said. Hilda looked around and realized there wasn’t anyone left except them. “Well… they must’ve forgotten it.”

Grandma frowned. “That’s too bad. My father forgot me somewhere once. I ended up witnessing a murder. Even helped the town guards catch the guy. He spent twelve years in prison before I realized the red splatter I saw was just spilt tomatoes. My eyesight never was all that good. Anyway, that’s how I met my first husband.”

“You married him after he got out of prison?” Hilda asked.

“Oh, no. After I realized I got a craving for tomatoes. Went to buy one and ran into a handsome young shopkeeper.”

Hilda rolled her eyes. “What do we do with the baby?” she asked.

“It’s getting late. We have to get home before dark. We’ll come back tomorrow and look for his family,” Grandma said. Hilda nodded, eyeing the vial cradled in her arms.

“Well… looks like we have somewhere safe to stay tonight,” Charlie said.

“That was not the plan, Charlie! Didn’t you ever learn about stranger danger? This is the definition of unsafe decision making!” Orb said.

“Squea.”

Orb rolled himself. “I don’t care if you like her granddaughter!”

Charlie looked around. “Where did Bleedy go?”

As if he heard them talking, Bleedy trudged up, slowly following behind Hilda and her grandmother as they walked. His belly was unusually full, and he moved slowly as if he had overeaten. “What the heck, you ate without us?” Orb asked.

“Ball.” Bleedy burped.

“Who cares if I don’t eat? I still would like to be asked!”

***

On the far side of the forest clearing from where they’d first entered, Charlie and his friends settled into the cabin Hilda and her family called home. Her grandma was working on a large broth in a pot. On the adjacent countertop, Mousifer stole bites of her ingredients when she wasn’t looking. Bleedy settled into a corner. Charlie laid on the dinner table watching Orb buzz around the ceiling. Hilda was in the other room.

She hadn’t left her mom’s side since giving her the vials’ contents.

Grandma noticed Bleedy in the corner and called out to Hilda. “Hilda! Get in here, you forgot to walk the family dog! Hurry and take him outside before he pees everywhere.”

Bleedy’s head wheeled toward grandma and his eyes shot open. He slowly lowered his hind leg.

“What? We don’t have a dog—” Hilda paused as she entered the room and her eyes locked on Bleedy. “Grandma, what is that?!” she shrieked. Bleedy took cover behind Grandma’s legs.

“Oh, Hilda, hush. You’re scaring him.”

“But Grandma we—” A knock on the door interrupted her mid-sentence. Hilda signed and went to open the door. “Oh. Doctor! I thought you were coming tomorrow.”

The doctor and his assistant stepped inside at Hilda’s beckon. “Well, we were. But I was making a few house calls and figure I’d stop by just to be safe. Werner here was just saying how he hated missing the show today. Says he’s never seen magic.”

Werner, his assistant, still pouted at the thought. Grandma pulled out two chairs at the table. “Join us for dinner. There’s plenty.”

“I’d love to. But I can’t stay too long. Have you noticed any change, Hilda?” the doctor asked.

Hilda smiled. “I could swear her fever’s gone down just a bit! I think she’ll be better before tomorrow.”

The doctor laughed. “Is that so? Well, then—” A strained series of coughs came from the other room. The doctor and his assistant exchanged a look before hurrying to check it out. Charlie signaled Bleedy, who jumped atop a kitchen chair and then up onto the table. Charlie grabbed hold of Bleedy’s back and followed the procession into the other room.

The doctor’s face was pale. “What is it? What’s wrong with her?” Grandma asked.

Hilda’s mother had the same shade of orange hair, but it was longer. She had a peaceful expression on her face. Peaceful except for the growing purple splotches. That, and her lips turning a dark shade of blue. The doctor turned to his assistant. “Where did you say that magician was staying tonight?” he asked.

“Over in the inn. How come?” Werner asked.

“Because at this point, magic may be the only way she survives through tomorrow night.”