Javorora prowled the edge of the markings. She was exhausted, it was winter and she was supposed to be asleep. But she couldn’t sleep right now. She was too afraid for her friend. It was barely a hundred yards, but the orange line Master Garthis had drawn on the ground was needed.

She had already tried once to cross that near-invisible line to approach the house she could just barely see through the trees. She had been driven back almost instantly by the thorns which grew up in front of her legs, even with her bark-like legs it cut and sliced her. She didn’t bleed easily, but it was like barbs of iron rather than plants. They only looked like plants.

From the other directions three figures approached. Haytham and Hyacinth walked together, not touching but clearly supportive of each other. From the other side Rashir the werewolf walked, his head turned slightly to watch the house as he walked, edging the orange just like Javorora had.

“Anything?” Javorora asked them as they approached.

“No, it’s a ring around and each place we tried to enter has traps or visions or… well it’s clear nothing should be getting in,” Hyacinth said, staring at the house with an expression of worry.

“What happened?” Rashir asked. “What caused this?”

“Kaitlyn found something I think,” Haytham said. “Master Garthis says the lines of magic are shifting all over the house.”

“Is he coming back?” Javorora asked.

“He said not until one of his spells either wears out or tells him the house is safe,” Hyacinth said gently, “there is no point until this… stops.”

“What about Kaitlyn? She might be hurt… hungry…” Javorora’s lips trembled as she fought back her tears. Hyacinth came and hugged the dryad.

“I don’t know,” Hyacinth said.

“I shall watch,” Rashir said, “My pack and I will come by as much as we can and if anything changes I will come and tell you.”

Javorora nodded with a definitely morose expression. She slowly began trudging back to her tree, sniffling a little as she went. She wanted to be here for her friend. She was worried Kaitlyn would come out of this hurt again and need help. She didn’t want to go to sleep for the winter and wake up to learn she might never see her friend again.

Hyacinth caught up with her and said, “If we haven’t seen changes by midwinter, I will come and bring you some cake.”

“Thank you Hyacinth,” Javorora said and continued her trudging pace towards her tree. When she arrived she stepped up against the trunk and sank into her tree, allowing it to wrap around her with love and sleepy cool winter sap.

Hyacinth rejoined Haytham and stood for a long time shoulder-to-shoulder with him looking in the direction of the house. She looked at him and said ,”This place has been important to our relationship.”

“What relationship? We fight and we…” he said.

“We debate,” Hyacinth interrupted, “and we make love. For your love for me is undeniable.”

“I think thee have confused love with something else,” Haytham said.

“You continue to speak in untruths to try to annoy me,” Hyacinth said, “but I speak only the truth. If we do not have this place to meet and bond, it will be painful.”

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He didn’t reply with words but silently put his hand in hers and leaned his head on her shoulder. She sighed and said, “And the lie I will speak is that we are strong enough to wait.”

“Mistress Kaitlyn won’t make us wait long,” Haytham said, “and that is a truth I believe. She’ll be back before we know it.”

“I hope so,” Hyacinth barely whispered, and then turned and kissed Haytham with a fierce passion she rarely displayed.

Rashir sat at the base of a tree and looked into the forest, his back to the direction of the house. He couldn’t bear to look at it any more. Born werewolves could choose when they shifted and he considered turning into a wolf just to avoid being able to see as well as a human, but then he would smell like a wolf. The smell coming out of the house was… always intoxicating.

The entire pack basically drooled when they even mentioned her bread. Her stew recipes had been replicated for the pack enough that they argued which of her recipes to cook on any given night. They ate more vegetables than they ever had before and often found they all were healthier for it. Komas hadn’t had a toothache in over a month.

It might be her kindness that made him want to be around her. It might be the others around her, Fapallo’s sense of humor, Master Garthis’s knowledge. As he sat he noticed a group of satyrs walking towards the hut. They passed right by Master Garthis’s spell warning flashing symbols and playing a warning note.

He transformed into a half-wolf form and loped over to them, growling in frustration. He called, “Stop!”

“We honor the treaty, this is neutral ground beastman,” the satyr said. “Go away and let us go get some mead.”

“You can’t fools,” Rashir said with a deep growl. “Did you not see the warnings?”

“Those must be for others, we keep the treaty,” the satyr said.

“No,” Rashir said, “there is dangerous magic at work and makes the tavern unavailable.”

“When will it be done?”

“No one knows,” Rashir said.

“We will tell others,” the satyr turned and left. Rashir watched them leave, worried whether any of this was the right thing.

He looked up in time to see the large dragonic form fly over the trees. Master Garthis had arrived. Rashir took off towards the wizard, curious what he was going to do.

Master Garthis was setting up a table and setting spell ingredients on it. Clearly, her was going to study this magic as well. Rashir sat back on his haunches to watch the wizard work. he started by throwing a rock towards the house. Then the wizard levitated rocks into the space. He sent a rabbit in. He threw herbs and several different potions. After each thing, the wizard wrote in a notebook.

Rashir shifted back and asked, “Can you get to her?”

The wizard whirled and jumped back, raising both arms with a shout. He put a hand on his chest and said, “Don’t sneak up on me like that.”

“I wasn’t sneaking,” Rashir said, “I have been here for at least half an hour watching you throw things.”’

“The threads of magic are… there is definitely a pattern to them,” Master Garthis said thoughtfully. “It’s a massive spell, and I can’t find a source of the magic. This can’t just be Kaitlyn. I think.”

“You think?”

“Her power being unlocked the way it was… she was as strong as most mages get only after a century or more of study and practice,” Master Garthis said, tapping his lip with a finger, “and she’s been here over a year, practicing while this house is… siphoning power from her.”

“Are you saying she could be that powerful?” Rashir asked.

“No,” Master Garthis said more firmly as he looked at something he could see but Rashir couldn’t, “not this powerful. This level of power… I could guide this much power but I don’t think there is a single creature that creates this kind of power.”

“What is happening in there?” Rashir asked.

“I wish I knew,” Master Garthis said, a wistful tone in his voice. “She must be seeing some amazing magic and I just hope she can describe it to me when she comes out.”

“So you aren’t worried she’ll starve or anything?” Rashir asked.

Master Garthis scoffed and said, “The house isn’t going to let her starve when it still has plenty of food stores. Now, if it’s still inaccessible come spring I might get worried.”

“Why does everyone keep talking about this like she will be gone for months and months?” Rashir grumbled.

“Big magic takes time,” Master Garthis said, “I don’t know what magic Kaitlyn is wrapped up in right now, but she found something big. I’m so jealous.”

Rashir looked at the wizard in shock and said, “Jealous?”

“Oh yes,” Master Garthis said, “Kaitlyn is getting to experience so much while she is young. I only wish I could be there with her to see it.”

Rashir shook his head and resumed his wolf form. If it might be months, he wanted to make sure his pack was taken care of and could manage to help with other fools like the satyrs who might ignore the warnings. All they could do is wait.