“What if he’s hurt?” Jaime made kissy noises. “Come here.”
The minky glared at him.
“Maybe the wise woman can lure him away with a bit of food.” Aleric had a feeling that if he peeled off its limbs, the minky would have no trouble wrapping its arms around his arm or neck. He’d never get it off. “He doesn’t look hurt. Maybe someone owned him and he got lost.”
“He’s cute. I’ve always wanted to see a real one.”
“I guess he is,” Aleric grudgingly admitted.
Dear Elira, please let the wise woman be able to get him off. Aleric couldn’t come home with a new pet looped around him no matter how cute it was. Father wouldn’t be pleased. Cats and dogs made him sneeze, and a minky might do the same.
The minky kept patting his stomach and making his odd little noise while his tail snaked back and forth through the air. Why,Aleric couldn’t begin to guess. It only took a few more minutes to reach the wise woman’s home. She’d fixed it up since the last time he’d been by, and the simple plank home had been whitewashed. The fence had been moved too, enlarging her garden, and a few trees he didn’t remember were to one side.
Aleric hadn’t been there since his last batch of contraceptive herbs several years ago. He’d gotten them from her since they were better, and she knew someone in Iceland where they were originally invented. The tabs were supposedly better than teas or anything else.
The wise woman, Delphine, heard their horses and stepped out. “Oh, m’lord. I haven’t seen you in a while. I heard you were ill and wouldn’t be up for a bit.”
“I’m fine.” The ride had tired him out, and he wanted to sit. “This minky came out of the trees.”
“Oh, that’s Foofy.”
“Excuse me?”
“He’s mine. I named him Foofy.”
“How did you get a minky?”
“He climbed in my window one day and never left.” She shrugged as the two men dismounted. “I think someone owned him before and lost him, or he ran away. He likes to go out for his morning exercise.”
Foofy released Aleric to scramble over the fence and run to her with his long arms out. They looked funny enough with their tiny bodies, and even funnier when they ran. Or at least Aleric thought so.
“I need you to check the ingredients of a medicine Jaime’s got here.” Aleric gestured to Jaime. “This is my aid.”
Delphine picked up Foofy. “What do you mean?”
“It made me feel ill,” said Jaime. “I got it from a wise woman back near Natora. It’s for stress.”
She let them in, and Foofy got down to run to a bowl in the corner where sliced vegetables and a bit of meat had been left. Aleric knew to stay away from the bowl since he was pretty sure the book had mentioned them being quite protective of their food despite their placid natures.
Delphine sat at her scrubbed wooden table with a tray and rearranged her faded shawl. Jaime gave her the jar, and she turned it around. “This is for stress?”
“Yes,” he said while Foofy shoveled down carrot slices like he hadn’t eaten in weeks. “It made my stomach hurt quite badly.”
“You weren’t eating the herbs after you steeped them, were you?”
“No. It’s for tea. Would you eat tea leaves?”
“Some eat the herbs because they think it’ll work faster.” She made a face and dumped out the contents. “You could have just stopped taking it, but if it’s something you feel you need, you should know what’s causing a reaction. Is this the first time?”
“Yeah.”
The minky ran over to climb up Aleric and hug him again while patting his stomach. “Does he run up to everyone and do this?”
Delphine raised an eyebrow. “No.”
“Why does he keep patting me?”
“I guess he’s taken a shine to you.”
