[Path, Design]

  Opal and I portaled to the bookstore.

  “Ah the treasure hunter returns, did you come to inform me of another magical artifact, with the power to destroy ten thousand knights in the blink of an eye.”

  “Very funny Sparky, we’re here for Mossbeard, Opal and I are going to enclose the Ferraro estate in a magical field. We want Mossbeard to finish his portal drawing, and if we have time we’ll start on the last estate and install a portal there as well.”

  “Just remember that the whole point of making these fields is for you both to practice your gathering ability. The fact that you are enclosing the estates is just a perk. Practice comes before infrastructure, do you understand that junior apprentice?”

  “Yes, Sparky.”

  “Good, Mossbeard is in the back.”

  We went into the backroom, Mossbeard was painting.

  “Mossbeard, we're going out to the Ferraro estate, so when you need to take a break from painting, come out because I want to install the portal today and maybe even start on a portal drawing for the last estate.”

  “Okay, Rose, I’ll be there in about a half hour.”

  “No rush, it’s going to take longer than that to enclose the estate. Also what do you know about running a business and how would you learn more if you needed to? Don’t answer either of those questions now, just think about them.”

  Then Opal and I portaled to the vineyard and walked over to the Ferraro estate.

  “Alright sweetie, I’m going to watch you to start with, I want to see how well you can gather on your own, then after a little while I’ll join in to help. Just take your time and begin when you are ready.”

  Opal closed her eyes and her magical arm, anchor tattoo included popped into view instantly. She began the sweeping motion, arm spread wide then pulled in towards her chest. She was already at least as good at gathering as I was and it was only her second day. She really is going to be a formidable mage in many ways she already was.

  She was going to leave me far behind, if I didn’t work every bit as hard as she does, so instead of just standing here watching, I started to help with the gathering, soon we had a large sphere of magic gathered.

  “What’s your magic level sweetie?”

  “Eighty three percent, Rose.”

  “Try and recover as much as you can from the magic that you’ve already gathered.”

  “Yes, Rose.”

  I watched as the sphere shrunk considerably.

  “What’s your level now honey?”

  “Ninety seven percent, Rose.”

  “Great, let’s start gathering again and we’ll enclose this field.”

  “Yes Rose.”

  She closed her eyes and out popped the arms, as she began adding to the magical sphere. About one hour later we’d completed the gathering and had more than enough magical energy gathered to complete the enclosure.

  “Go ahead honey and finish the enclosure, sweetie.”

  “Yes Rose.”

  A golden glow covered the estate. Mossbeard had completed his drawing and was waiting patiently for us to finish the enclosure. Opal activated the drawing. I jumped to Juliet’s World to copy the drawing and add it to the portal wallet, which I copied twenty fold. I portaled to the Ferraro estate through the new portal drawing, walking to the center of the estate to join Opal and Mossbeard.

  “We still have some time left so let’s go over to the last estate and enclose it.”

  When we arrived at the Brown mansion, Michael Brown came striding out of the mansion and came straight towards us. I didn’t want this jerk interacting with Opal.

  “Opal you and Mossbeard go pick a good spot for the portal while I deal with Mr. Brown.”

  “Yes Rose.”

  They went off at an angle, Mossbeard must have realized I didn’t want Opal exposed with the second worst of the rich estate owners.

  “Oh Rose, I’m so glad to see you before I leave. I was going to just leave the keys to the house on the table in the foyer, but this is a lot better. I’m sorry I was such a boor the last time we met. I really thought you and your attorney were just out to cheat me of my family's legacy, when it really was those snakes the Harris’. Anyway I’m really sorry for how I behaved, it certainly wasn’t my finest hour.”

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  “It’s fine Michael, we were all under a lot of stress, all of it caused by the Harris’. I’m just glad that everything worked out well for all involved. Where are you headed?”

  “I’m going to join my uncle's law firm in Duskhaven, so if you ever get over that way, please stop in and say hello. The firm is called Brown and associates.”

  “Good luck, I hope you make out really well.”

  “Thanks.”

  By the time we’d finished talking I knew that we’d never have time to enclose this last estate today, so I thought it’d be fun for us to do a little exploring. When I caught up to Mossbeard who’d already begun sketching the portal drawing and Opal who was watching him sketch over his shoulder, I shared my idea.

  “I was thinking since we won’t have enough time to enclose the estate and to finish the portal drawing, why don’t we go and explore the mansion. Let’s make a game of it. We’ll each look around on our own, and we will each pick one thing, as the coolest thing that you found inside the house. If it’s too large, to put in your pocket, just make a real rough sketch and write down the room that you found it in. Look around for one hour. Then at the end, we’ll vote for the coolest, and no one can vote for their own. Does that sound like fun?”

  “Yes, Rose.”

  “I’m going to beat both of you girls.”

  “Opal, do you have your little sketch pad with you?”

  She held it up for me to see.

  In we went, I don’t know if the others were as surprised as I was by the inside as it highly contrasted with the bright cheery exterior. It was so dark and dreary. The staircase that led upstairs was highlighted by a black metal banister, the supports were made of the same black metal in very intricate designs. This would make a perfect setting for a horror novel, if I ever got over my aversion to the genre.

  Mossbeard headed up the stairs and Opal followed him. I went into the first room on the right which turned out to be the library, it too was shrouded in darkness and looked like the least appealing room to read in I’d ever seen. I learned from Laura Eriksson, that while lots of rich people collect books, the number that actually read them is quite a lot fewer. That could be the only explanation how a reading space would be kept so dim.

  There also wasn’t a comfy chair in sight, another clear sign. I looked quickly at the volumes on the shelves and nothing stood out and I wasn't likely to get a vote for coolest thing if it was some dusty old book neither Opal or Mossbeard has ever heard of before. Only a Biblimancer would be interested in an obscure old novel, almost everything on the shelves was a classic and with Doug handing out first editions of any title we desired, these classics just couldn’t compare. I decided to move to the desk and chair at the center of the room.

  I sat in the desk chair, and it actually was kind of comfy, not to look at but at least it was nice for sitting. The light here on the desk also appeared to be the brightest in the room, while still a little dim for my liking at least I could see well enough. I opened the top desk drawer and rummaged around a little and found a beautiful fountain pen. It fit perfectly in my hand. I pulled a piece of blank paper from the drawer. And started to write. “It was.. Drat, the pen was out of ink.”

  I pawed through the other drawers looking for a bottle of ink, I found one in the very back of the top drawer. As I was filling the pen, a disturbing inkwell, I discovered on the desk. It is brass and depicts a human skull, with a coiled snake for hair and the head of the snake entering the left eye socket only to be poking out its two nose slits through the right eye socket. It was emptied and dried up so I put it in my pocket.

  It’s nothing I’d ever use but it was strange enough that Sparky might like it for his desk at the store. He was always trying to scare out customers and I was sure this eerie inkwell would do the trick. Besides, Mossbeard and Opal might just think that it was cool and I wanted to win.

  I tested out the fountain pen after I’d filled it and it wrote both beautifully and smoothly. I could just picture myself sitting at the desk in the backroom of the bookstore, writing my next novel. With this pen it would be the best one I’ve written yet.

  With my win far from assured I left the library and was back in the entranceway, where I proceeded to the next room down on the right. It was a sitting room, dim but now as dark as the library. I sat on a horsehair loveseat that was as hard as a rock. I guess the family didn’t want the lovers sitting for very long. There was a beautiful Tiffany oil lamp, the base was multi-colored blue glass with metal dragonflies but the multi hued green glass shade had a double coiled snake that circled the bottom of the shade. I felt we’d step into house slitherin, I was sure that Opal would get the reference.

  Now I had a choice, the lamp or the inkwell. The lamp was much much prettier, but which one would Opal and Mossbeard? Then it was time to move onto the next and probably last room I’d have time to look through before the time was up. The last room down stairs on the right was the dining room, so there wasn’t really a lot to see. A giant mahogany table stained almost black with matching chairs. I went over to the sideboard and opened the drawer to get a look at the silverware. It had the old style two tong forks and pointed dagger looking knives, the only familiar looking utensil was the spoon. But on the handle of each fork, knife or spoon was a unique snake design, some coiled, others looking like they were ready to strike. These people were just crazy for snakes. I walked back out into the hallway only to find Mossbeard and Opal waiting for me in the foyer.

  “Did you each find something cool?”

  “I found something disturbing, in the bathroom no less.”

  “I found Goldilock’s Bear in the bedroom.”

  “What’s Goldilock’s bear, Opal.”

  She showed me an intricate detailed drawing of a bear on its two hind paws, snarling mouth full of teeth, its two front paws held up over its head. Well if that bear didn’t terrify her I guess I can show here the skull and snake inkwell.

  “Wow, that’s terrifying Opal.”

  She giggled. “It’s right next to the bed, Rose, could you sleep next to that hulking over you all night?”

  “No, I honestly don’t think I could.” I really couldn’t and I sleep every night with a werewolf.

  “What about you Mossbeard?”

  “Well you two, I definitely have the winner, you would have to use the outdoor privy if you lived in this house. Wait till you see the faucet on the bathroom sink.”

  He showed us his picture. It showed a bathroom sink, in place of the regular spigot was a snake with rubies for eyes and from his wide open mouth water gushed.

  I pulled the skull and snake inkwell from my pocket.

  “Aah, that’s worse than my bear.”

  It was a really weird house, no wonder Michael was so happy to be moving from the family home.

  “We should leave things just like they are and make this our spooky house next Samhain.”

  Of course Opal won.