The bird fluttered to a stop and alighted on my shoulder.
I turned to discover I was standing before The Sconery and Teashop. A wooden sign on which the shop name was depicted, decorated with hand-painted flowers, swayed in the breeze. On the sidewalk outside the café, people sat at small tables enjoying drinks and food. A glimmering chalkboard sign outside displayed theEvening Specials, which included varieties of hearty soups, baked savory pies, and breads. Inside, I saw Rosalyn fluttering about her shop. She was refilling glasses with a sparkling drink with lemon slices and lavender sprigs. The soft glow of the dying sunlight painted shades of pink and gold on the flowers outside her windows. They shimmered with golden light, perfectly framing the luminescent beauty of the woman within.
Here?
The bird led me here?
Once more, I felt a warm tingle on my skin. I looked down to see the blue runes on my forearm sparking to life.
I watched as the pixie stopped and chatted with her customers, all smiles and pleasantries. She was a pure beauty and kind of heart. I’d never met anyone like her before.
“Well, are you going in or not?” a small voice asked, pulling my attention away.
I turned, finding a gnomish woman in a massive straw hat, flowers adorning her chapeau, fixing me with a penetrating stare.
“I…”
“I don’t know you,” the gnomish woman said, her gaze narrowing. “Are you traveling through?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said politely, suddenly feeling unnerved and worried Rosalyn might see me standing in the middle of the street, gawking at her. If that happened, I might just die of embarrassment. I took the paper bird from my shoulder and carefully stuffed it into my pocket. “If you’ll excuse me,” I said, then looked down at Smoke. “Come on, boy,” I said, then hurried down the street, looking over my shoulder once more, watching as the gnome woman fixed me with such a stare that I felt guilty.
When I turned the corner, I laughed.
Never in my life had anyone made me feel like such a scoundrel.
“I expected many things would happen when I wasn’tPrinceBjorn, but being treated like a common criminal by a lady in a flowered hat was not one of them,” I told the wolf with a laugh, and then we headed back into town. At a vendor barbequing meat at a small stand along the river, I purchased Smoke a hefty piece of beef he chewed on while I watched the boats float by. I sat quietly, minding my business and enjoying the warm breezes as the sun set. Finally, when it grew dark again, I took the compass bird from my pocket.
“Okay, for real this time. The wolf is fed. Now, I need something to eat.”
Once more, the compass bird took off and flew back down the winding roads of the village. I was grateful to the gnomish boy who had gifted me the enchantment. I had no idea whereI was, and the streets of Moonshine Hollow rarely followed any predictable pattern. We climbed up a set of stairs and then turned down a street, the bird fluttering before me as it stopped. Coming from a different direction, I hadn’t realized where I was until…
First, I smelled the bread.
And then I saw the sign.
The Sconery and Teashop.
Once again, I was standing outside Rosalyn’s café.
Inside, she was tidying up for the night. Three enchanted brooms swept while she fluttered around the space. I looked more closely when I realized she had something fluffy hanging from one arm. She patted the little creature and then set what I realized was a caticorn on the counter. She had a whole conversation with the caticorn and then turned to clean again.
Again, the compass bird alighted on my shoulder.
“Very funny,” I told the bird.
A bell over the flower shop door beside Rosalyn’s café chimed. Once more, the gnomish woman appeared.
“You again,” she said with a scowl.
“I…”
“Do I need to call the constables? What do you want around here? Why are you watching?—”
“Bjorn?” Rosalyn called softly.
Please, Lord of Lightning, send a bolt and strike me dead.
Kill me here on this street.
