[Ferociously, Magnificent]

  Last night Lu and I talked about everything I’d learned from Doug, and what advice I’d gotten from Draco. She had been as supportive as she always was, reminding me to focus on the things that I could control or at least what I could do something about.

  “Good morning EG, Sparky asked me to check in with you periodically to see how things are going. Is there anything you need or that I can do for you?”

  “No Rose, thank you for asking, sales are pretty much steady, we are just barely making a profit.”

  “Better than a loss, right.”

  “Right indeed, much of the gain in sales seems driven by the increased foot traffic that has been generated by having a portal located directly in front of the entrance. So if you built the portals to increase sales, you have achieved your aim.”

  “I didn’t but I was hoping that sales would go up so a certain somebody couldn’t say I wasn’t focused on the store.”

  Mossbeard portaled in from the tower, just as the bells tolled.

  “Hi Rose, Opal asked me to tell you she was going for her magic lessons with Draco. What would you like me to do, want more backup portal drawings?”

  “No I don’t think that’s necessary, why don’t you just draw anything you’d like for a change. It must get tiresome, just drawing the same drawings over and over.”

  “No I certainly don’t mind at all, I’m happy to draw or paint anything you need, it’s certainly a lot more fun than eighteen hour days as a carpenter.”

  “Even so, just draw or paint what you want. Have you ever considered making a story book? You must have a million different tales they teach gnome boys and girls, right or you can think up your own story or even better you and Opal could make a storybook together. Sparky wants her writing, your drawings are inspirational. What do you think does that sound fun?”

  “I’ve never even considered doing something like that, I’ll sketch out three or four scenes before Opal arrives from her magic lessons.”

  “Good but don’t tell her the story, just show her your pictures and I’ll ask her to fill in a story that fits the drawings. Would that be all right with you?”

  “Yes it sounds a lot better than having to write the words myself.”

  “Really you mean that?”

  “Yes, for sure, I love drawing and painting, almost any visual medium and I love to hear a good story. But it’s just too hard stringing words together to tell the story that a single good picture can.”

  “Like the saying, a picture's worth a thousand words. I’m going to the bakery before I start writing sugar, helps me write, what can I get for you.”

  “Is it too early for pizza?”

  “Not if that’s what you’d like. I’ll be back soon.”

  I portaled to the bakery’s kitchen. Lily was taking some bread from the oven when I arrived, there was just something about the smell of fresh baked bread. Is it instinctual or coded into our genes? The simplest of recipes, flour, water, salt, three close to unscented ingredients when combined and baked make this mouth watering aroma.

  “Boy, Lily, that smells great.”

  “Thank you Rose, would you like a slice hot out of the oven, I have fresh butter that’ll melt right into the bread.”

  “Thanks you know I came for a sweet bun but was defeated by that fragrance, I’d love a slice. And a pizza for my lone companion at the store this morning, please. Also I have news about Arjun.”

  “What did you do Rose?”

  “Nothing Lily I swear, all I did was ask Doug if he knew anything about an Arjun Votrie.”

  “Don’t leave me hanging Rose, what did Doug know?”

  “He knew that Arjun is the Indian boy from Midsummer Night's Dream, Titania’s adopted son. What do you think of that?”

  “I think that is the worst possible news, you haven’t confronted him yet have you?”

  “No, not all but I am going to ask him about it casually to see if he lies.”

  “Why not wait and see if he brings it up himself. On the one hand this is terrible news if Titania sent him as a spy or worse but on the other hand, the tales are that she doesn’t want to be separated for very long from the boy, maybe that’s what Sparky is waiting for, for Arjun to be called home to court.”

  “Wow way to put a positive spin on a terrible fact, but I’d never considered that as a possibility but really it’s more like a probability when enough time passes.”

  Lily put a plate of sliced bread before me, steam rising from the slices, I put aside speculation about Arjun to concentrate on my breakfast.

  “This tastes even better than it smells.”

  “Thank you Rose, Lottie was singing your praises when I saw her last night. She told me all about your trip to Juliet’s World and Arjun and Opal healing a poor woman with nothing but their magic. She was very impressed but also skeptical that it could work. I think because it is so far from her experience on earth.”

  “Even when your magical bake healed her son of an untreatable disease.”

  “I think she thinks of magical bakes and the alchemist tinctures and potions as analogous with drugs from her world, so that’s how she rationalizes it. But on Earth they have a lot of fake faith healers all tied to their religions.”

  “Well I’d be skeptical too, of anything tied into religion. But she has her portal and she can visit Dr Denton and Mrs Eymen and see for herself that it worked. I hope for the woman’s sake it lasts forever, she seemed to be in a lot of pain. Well, I better get back to the store. Thanks again for the bread, it was delicious and the pizza, I’m sure Mossbeard will enjoy it as much as I did the bread.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  I grabbed the box of pizza and portaled back to the store. I put the pizza down next to Mossbeard, but he seemed to be lost in his drawing. I went into the back and made a couple of cups of tea and settled down at my writing desk.

  In the back of my head I’d been mulling over what to write. I want to write a mystery for Lu, but I also don’t want to outline the story. I know that lots of authors outline and then don’t follow it to the letter, but my style of writing is to watch the character in action then I make my best attempt at letting the characters choose what to do next. So instead of a straight mystery, I was thinking more of a cozy mystery.

  I like them the best for the entire mystery, thriller genre. Also it’ll distract me from the mystery that I have going on here in real life, that I can’t do anything about and that everyone I’ve talked to about it, Lily, Doug, Draco, Lu, encourage me to do nothing about it. So I’ll meander my way through a cozy mystery.

  “Rose, Arjun is here for you.”

  “Thanks Mossbeard, how’s the drawing going? You were really in the zone when I got back from the bakery.”

  “It’s good Rose, you had a great idea with the storybook. I don't think I’ve been this inspired in a long time. I always try to make an image I’m working on tell a story but this is a whole new ballgame, telling a unified story through a series of images.”

  “I'm glad you like it, but I can’t take credit for the idea, they’ve been around for hundreds of years.”

  “I know Rose. I saw them as a kid in the library, but your idea to team up Opal and me that’s brilliant.”

  “I just hope she thinks so.”

  “I’ll make this fun for her, Rose, I promise.”

  “Thanks Mossbeard, I better go talk to Arjun before he thinks I hid Sparky someplace back here.”

  I walked out front and Arjun had a big smile on his face.

  “Good morning Arjun, don’t you look happy. Did something good happen?”

  “Yes I took your advice.”

  “What advice was that?”

  “I went down to the clinic this morning and signed up as a volunteer and we cured someone dying of cancer.”

  “Wow that’s wonderful, no wonder you are smiling.”

  “Oh my smile is nothing compared to theirs, they were so relieved they cried right there on the spot, then dried their eyes and just beamed. Now I understand this altruism streak you have, it just feels great when you can actually help someone.”

  “But you’ve been a healer for a long time haven’t you? I mean you must heal people all the time, right?”

  “At home that’s all I was, a nameless person would be brought before me, the person’s doctor would point out where to pour my magic. The only way I even knew if it worked or not was if my magic cut off before my magic dried up. I didn’t feel like a person helping another person, I felt like a magical conduit pouring magic into flesh.”

  “That sounds horrible Arjun, I’m sorry. I treated you the same way didn’t I, as soon as I found out you were a healer I dragged you off to heal someone. I apologize, I really had no idea.”

  “No need to apologize, if we hadn't gone off and done that the other day, I’d never have seen two caring doctors at work. I came here for a magical field lesson if you’d be willing to help me. I didn’t care before about how much magical power I had, because I felt used. Now I want to have more healing power to help sick people who need it.”

  “Of course I’ll help, I think it’s wonderful. Let’s go out in the lane, it’s easier to see your own magical field if you are not standing in one already.”

  We went outside.

  “So Arjun, can you see the magic that pours out of your hands?”

  “Yes, it’s a golden glow that streams out of my hands, I see it.”

  “Alright let me show you how I do it, first and then we’ll figure out how to do the same thing with your hands.”

  I closed my eyes and the magic streamed out of my forehead a meter in front of me.

  “I have an idea, you can see my magical field right?”

  “Yes I see it, Rose.”

  “Okay, instead of pouring your magic into flesh, pour a little into the field and it’ll grow.”

  He started a stream of magic flowing into the field, once it got twice as big.

  “Okay stop.”

  He did.

  “Alright it took me a long time to learn this, but reach out your hand and really really want that magic back. It only worked for me when I craved for the magic to return. Go ahead and give it a try.”

  He reached out, and nothing happened, then very slowly I saw a tiny stream of magic seep back towards his hand. Once it actually reached his hand the flow back into him accelerated, till finally he had it all.

  “Everybody can do this so much better than I can, I don’t understand why anyone would want me to teach them.”

  “It wasn’t easy, but you told me exactly what I needed to get that magic to flow back into me. At first it wasn’t working, Rose, so I thought about what you said. I had to really want that magic back. Then it began flowing back to me. The magic responded to my desire. Maybe the person who taught you forgot what they needed to do to get it flowing in reverse the first time. You are a wonderful instructor.”

  “Alright you have one more thing to learn from me, you need to create your own magical field, then pause for a second and then expand it, then suck the magic back into your body. Now just pour a little bit of your magic around eye height and form it into a ball with your mind or shape it with your hand.”

  He spurted some magic out, then with his hand he shaped it into a small ball that hung there then he started expanding it, he made it five times as big as before then paused and slowly started to absorb the magic back into his body.

  “Rose, you are a fantastic teacher, I’m so glad that I came to Wyldwood. Thank you so much, my lunch break is over. I need to get back to the clinic. If you are willing, can I come back tomorrow on my lunch break and practice more with you?”

  “Sure if you’d like Arjun.”

  He went back inside and portaled to the clinic. I stood outside for a second longer, wondering what was going on. He never even asked about Sparky today. He seemed genuinely happy to be healing people but didn’t Titania send him here?

  “EG anything bad I should know about, I know that we were mostly outside.”

  “No, Rose, he was happy and content and no deceit.”