The village of Ern, as Garm had learned it was called, was idyllic in a way he hadn’t expected. Thatched roofs lined the streets, draped with peat moss and seasonal growth. Thin plumes of smoke wafted from iron chimneys, signaling the start of dinner preparations. Children, some barely old enough to walk on their own, darted too and fro among the houses and shops, seemingly without a care in the world. It had been three years since Garm began using the FAFO, and this might be the most peaceful place he’d ever been. The warning of the knight earlier, or lack thereof, was all the more clear. These people didn’t have concerns, not like other villages he’d visited. Their lives were lived out in peace, with mischievous pixies being at the fore of their troubles.
Garm smiled. “I bet that’s nice.”
List had vanished again, shortly before coming within eyesight of the town. Garm didn’t argue. Regardless of whether she was part of the problem, she likely wouldn’t be welcome. He made a mental list of steps and the order with which to accomplish them, now that he was in a proper town, and at the top of that list, was finding lodging.
An elderly woman looked up from sweeping her porch as he walked past. Garm hesitated for a moment, not wanting to interrupt her work, but the warmth in her expression was as inviting as any open door.
He approached with a smile and offered a short bow. “Good afternoon, ma’am. I’m a traveler in need of lodging for the night. I don’t have any coin, but I can offer goods to trade or services to render—especially if your town has need of a Magus.”
The wrinkles on the woman's face deepened in a genuine smile. “Oh, young master, it’s so nice to have well mannered visitors in town. If you are looking for room and board, then keep on the way you were headed until you see the sign of the Boar & Bottle. You won’t find a better meal in town, or a better beer, if that suits you, young sir. And if you have goods to sell, you’ll find traders of all kinds nearby. As far as work goes, you can check with the watch. They always have need of magic-folk.”
Garm chuckled. The old woman may as well have been a tour guide. “Thank you, truly. Your help is invaluable. Is there anything that I can help you with to return your generosity?”
The woman looked at him with genuine joy. “Oh no, young sir. I wouldn’t ask anything of a weary traveler.”
“Weary, perhaps, but never so weary as to not return generosity when it is offered. But if there is truly nothing you need, then I will say thank you again, and be on my way.”
The woman paused, and her eyes widened. “Actually, young sir, if you have a moment to wait, I have a small parcel you could run to Sloh’s Inquisitory—it’ll be next door to the Boar & Bottle. Let me fetch it.” The old woman leaned her broom against the wall and walked inside. Moments later, she returned with a small box, no bigger than a modest book, wrapped in parchment and tied with a golden strand.
She pressed it towards Garm, and said, “Give this to Eleanor in the shop. She is my granddaughter, and she has been waiting the better part of a month for this to come in from Hemmingford. I was going to run it over myself, but I think you’ll get there faster than I can.”
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Garm felt the weight of the package. It was unmistakably a book, but not just any book—a magical one. Its heft wasn’t entirely physical; it carried a presence, a gravity that extended into the intangible. The weight seemed to ripple into realms unseen, tethering this ordinary-looking parcel to a reality just beyond perception.
“Of course. I’ll deliver it now. Not to call myself out, but you are very trusting with what is surely a precious package.”
The old woman laughed. “Oh, if you were to run off with it, I don’t think you’d make it an hour from the gates before Eleanor caught you and swapped your eyeballs with your toenails.”
Garm cringed. “I’ll do my best to stay on her good side, then.”
“See that you do. Fiery temper on that one. She gets it from me.” The old woman grinned wryly. “Now, get on with you, young master. Best not to keep her waiting.”
Garm nodded and walked backwards into the street. “Thank you again for your help.”
The woman waved at him before returning to her broom and the dust at hand.
Walking down the street with a grimoire in tow made Garm feel more than a little nervous. In his hometown, it would have made him a target for every cutpurse and confidence man for half a mile. He didn’t have that same feeling about this town, but just to be safe, he raised his pointer finger to his forehead and touched it. The skin where the finger pressed stretched as he pulled it away, and then broke, creating a lidded, purple, third eye.
The Detection spell had countless applications—unearthing thoughts, sensing intentions, and uncovering hidden forces among them. In this instance, the purple iris signified its focus: the ability to reveal concealed magic. Any spell of deception or thievery cast nearby would be visible to him before it could take effect. It was probably overkill for a humble village like this, but the idea of losing a magical tome weighed too heavily on his conscience to take chances.
The world around Garm transposed from the vibrant of spring to the technicolor psychedelia of a realm inundated with unseen magic, and washed his surroundings in caustic patterns. Garm adjusted the intensity of the spell as he sustained it, so that the world regained some of its normalcy.
To his left, a tiny figure drifted lazily on the afternoon breeze. List was there beside him, invisible. He checked to see if anyone paid him any attention as he walked down the street, but most seemed content with their own concerns.
He risked a word aloud with this hidden pixie. “Are you OK, List?”
The aura of the pixie looked at him. “You can see me?”
“Yes, I can, and so can anyone else with this spell, which will be most mages.”
She stopped and crossed her arms. “That’s not fair.”
“Says the person who can turn invisible at will.”
List huffed, fluttering erratically. “How would you like it if I could see through your tricks?”
Garm ignored her. “I think as long as we are in public here, you are right to stay hidden. However, when I deliver this book, stay outside of the building.”
There was a small amount of awe in her reply. “Are you gonna meet a wizard?”
Garm ignored the change in tone. “It’s likely, and also likely that she will be able to see you.”
“But I want to meet a wizard.”
Garm almost tripped. “I’m a wizard.”
“Prove it. Cast a spell.”
He sputtered. “I just did. Don’t you see the eye in the middle of my forehead?”
The aura of List fluttered in his face and studied him before she confidently said, “You’ve always had that.”
“I—you know what, forget it. Just stay outside for a minute. The shop is right there. I’ll be in and out.”
List sighed, “Fine.”
Garm looked up at the arcane sign hung above the door. To anyone without magic sight, the sign would seem to be a simple wooden plank carved with the name of the store, ‘Sloh’s Inquisitory’, but through his third eye, Garm could see blazing fireworks, dragons breath that wove fiery letters, and wizard duels that ended in gracious bows. He smiled. It had been a long time since he’d seen artistry like that. Garm pressed his hand against the warm wood of the magicked door and pushed it open, completely oblivious to the small pixie that fluttered just out of his line of sight.