Cy couldn’t believe his ears at Max’s nonchalant response. “And? And!? Your buddy has bits of a human corpse in his pocket and your response is ‘and?’ What do you mean ‘and?’?”

“What’s the problem?”

“Are they even real magic bones?” Noah had finally recovered from the fright and was starting to make his way to the front of his shop. Max was by far the best at navigating through the piles, but Noah was second best, so it wasn’t going to take him long to catch up.

Cy didn’t seem to hear his question. “What’s the problem!? Disrespecting the dead? Grave robbery? Some poor grieving family’s stolen property?”

“Couldn’t the family willingly sell the bones?”

Max’s response made Cy pause. “Possibly.”

“Are they even real magic bones?” Noah repeated, now reaching the door. Cy made a slight face as he tried to avoid eye contact with him. “It’s Aldwin, after all. He probably got duped into buying fake magic bones.”

Cy’s sudden shifty movements and silence caught Max’s attention. Perhaps it wasn’t a coincidence that Cy closed his fortune telling shop whenever Noah reached the front of the line. “Are the magic bones real?” Max repeated the question.

“You think I can’t tell the difference between real magic bones and fake magic bones. What do you take me for?”

“I didn’t know vets were so well versed in magic bones,” Noah muttered. Max wasn’t too sure if he had picked up on Cy’s change of behaviour around him or if he just assumed their village’s newest temporary member struggled with socialising.

“Apparently a rabbit’s foot is luckier,” Max recalled from an earlier conversation. His statement was supported by a frantic nod from Cy. “Those poor, dismembered rabbits need healthcare too.” Both Cy and Noah grimaced at what Max was suggesting.

“Surely, it would’ve been kinder to put them out first,” Noha muttered.

“People are cruel. Anyway, do you know how Aldwin got his hands on real magic bones? He doesn’t make that much money.” They must be worth something since, according to Cy, people were robbing graves to sell them.

Stolen story; please report.

“You’ll never believe it.” Cy let out a dramatic sigh to build up the tension before he continued. “He traded them with some stolen beans.”

“… Stolen magic beans.”

“No, just regular beans. I think he got them from Andy’s farm. He grows a mixture of vegetables, right?”

“Sounds like a good deal, I guess?” Like Max, Noah had no idea what the value of magic bones were. Magic users were only rumoured to exist, so he didn’t think they were real. But if that were the case, wouldn’t they be worth a lot more than regular, stolen beans.

“A good deal!?” Cy instinctively cried out before realising who had spoken. He was becoming even more flustered, and Max couldn’t tell if it was because of Aldwin’s choices or because he accidentally responded to Noah. “A GOOD DEAL? What part about trading stolen beans for magic bones sounds like a good deal to you? I know this is a small village with not much going on apart from an approaching epidemic.” A contagion like that was quite something. “But honestly, who could be tricked into making such a bad deal?”

Max and Noah spoke simultaneously. “Aldwin could.” Max continued the thought since Cy may ignore Noah again. “But it sounds like he got a good deal this time.”

Cy finally fell silent as he looked confused. “What are you talking about? Stolen beans are worth way more than magic bones? Do you know how many spells require stolen beans?”

“None that are good,” Max blurted without thinking. Fortunately, the implications of his comment were completely overlooked by the two beside him.

“‘None that are good,’” Cy mocked him. “Alright, they may not be the best, but they’re priceless for beginner spells and-”

“Aldwin!” Noah shouted out causing Cy to freeze mid-sentence. Aldwin had been strutting in front of the blacksmiths on Shinu Road with a huge grin on his face from the good he had done that day. “Come here a sec will yah?”

The village idiot’s grin grew into a sinister smile. The cat had found its mouse. “There you are, freak.”

Without turning around, Cy turned his pleading eyes to Max. “Get me away from him. I’ll do whatever you want.”

“If you come inside, then I’ll close the door on him.” Noah offered. Cy kept his eyes focused on Max, but his face was getting gloomier from the option he heard. “Watching us shut the door really would be enough to keep him away,” Noah insisted.

“Aldwin, wait there for ten seconds,” Max shouted out, causing Aldwin to freeze mid stride. “He won’t even question it or knock,” Max verified, forcing Cy to acknowledge the only offer of sanctuary being presented to him.

“Never! I’ll never-” Max let out a shrill whistle used in sheep herding causing Aldwin to resume his pace. It was a handy command to have learned from the shepherd's boy before he started his descent into becoming a monster. Desperate, Cy let out a string of curse words before suddenly disappearing.

“Where’d the freak go this time?” Aldwin asked, bitterly disappointed.

Noah seemed mystified before muttering, “He sure is a talented vet.”