Callum handed Jessica a pair of silver bracelets he’d crafted on his workbench in the cozy cabin. She’d been visiting him more often lately and staying longer each time. He wasn’t great company, but she wanted to speed up her magical education, and he was the only one she trusted to help her.
She twisted one in her hands, peering at the symbols he’d stamped into the metal. “What’s the point of these again?”
He scowled at her before returning his focus to the workbench. “The veil is thinning. First, Vianelle. Now, all sorts of Fae are returning to our world. They’re not all friendly.”
Jessica frowned. “Then why not use cold iron instead of silver? I thought iron hurt them more.”
Surprised, he asked, “You really don’t know?”
Jessica frowned at Callum. “What? What don’t I know?”
He grumbled, “I can’t believe how uneducated you are sometimes. Professor, my ass.”
“You are the most insufferable man I know! Just tell me, for fuck’s sake!”
“Yes, you foolish girl. Cold iron would be an excellent ward against the Fae. But if you wore it, you’d weaken your magical abilities.” He shook his head. “How have you survived this long?”
Blushing, she responded, “Oh, no one ever explained that to me.”
He sighed, returned his attention to the workbench, and continued stamping another silver bracelet with the arcane symbols. She watched him impatiently, wishing to ask more questions but knowing he would snap at her in annoyance.
Finally, he finished the work and slid a bracelet onto his left wrist. Without a word, he gestured she should do the same and turned to retrieve a large pot from a nearby shelf.
“Would you hand me that bowl of dried agaric?” Callum motioned vaguely toward his small countertop.
Jessica squinted at him. “Dried what? What in the hell is agaric?”
“You are the most useless witch I’ve ever known. The mushrooms!”
She walked over and brought the bowl back. “How will this help with the Fae? Are we crafting a repelling potion?”
“What?! No, nothing of the sort.” He reached for the herbs drying in a nearby window. “Soup.”
“Soup? Are you serious?”
“Yes, soup! We need to eat. Don’t want you to lose those luscious curves of yours.” He grinned at her.
Jessica glared back. “Keep your comments about my curves to yourself. And while you’re at it, keep your ancient eyes off my curves, too. Old and withered mean men aren’t my type.”
Callum rolled his eyes and continued making the soup. Despite her anger, she had to admit that it smelled pretty good. Her stomach growled. Okay, maybe she’d stick around long enough to enjoy a bowl before leaving…
Jessica finished her soup and pushed back from the table. “Okay, that’s enough fun for the day. As much as I love your amazing company and scintillating conversation, I’m going to head back to the city and sleep in my own bed tonight.”
Callum frowned. “The sun is setting. Are you sure taking the forest trail this late is safe?”
Jessica laughed. “I’ll be fine, old man. Powerful witch, remember?”
He rolled his eyes. “Uh-huh. So powerful.”
She stepped outside onto his tiny porch and peered into the trees. A dense fog was quickly rolling in, blanketing the forest in darkness. The evening sky roiled with ominous, inky clouds.
Callum grabbed her arm, pulling her back. “Come inside. That’s not normal fog.”
“What do you mean?”
“I recognize it. That’s Fae magic.”
Suddenly, an eerie warbling whistle emanated from the black forest. Another whistle answered it on the other side of Callum’s cabin, and then another, and another.
“Get back inside. Quick!”
Callum pulled Jessica into his cabin and slammed the door shut. He dropped an iron bar across the frame to lock it tight. Hustling around the room, he closed the curtains on the windows and fed more wood into the fireplace. The flames blazed higher and lit the small cabin with a warm glow.
He grabbed Jessica’s hand. “Work with me. We need to cast a strong ward—now!”
Callum held her hand as he drew symbols in the air while speaking incantations to generate a ward around the cabin. Energy lifted her hair, and she quickly matched his rhythm to add her voice to the words while mirroring his symbols. Her fingers tingled as magical energy flowed from her body to feed the spell.
A pulsing wave of power expanded outward to seal the tiny dwelling from entry by the Fae. The whistling had stopped, but they could hear the patter of little footsteps pacing in the fog—thick as pea soup around the cabin—mixed with thudding footfalls from something quite large.
An angry hiss emanated near the front porch as something encountered the ward. Then, a low, rumbling growl echoed through one window. It almost sounded like a tiger, but this was an entirely different breed of predator that had never hunted these woods before.
Jessica gave Callum a questioning look, but he motioned for her to stay calm. Quietly, he walked across the room to stand closer to the door and listen.
A whispering, sibilant voice came from just beyond the magical barrier. “Wizard, why are you so unfriendly? We simply wish to speak with you about a matter of mutual interest.”
“Speak, then. I can hear you.”
“May we not enter?”
Callum chuckled drily. “Never.”
“Suit yourself, wizard. We’ll be waiting.” The whispering voice faded as it moved farther away.
Jessica raised her eyebrows. “Okay, now what?”
“Now, we wait for morning. Once the forest is sunny, they will retreat deeper into the shadows. You can leave tomorrow.”
“Grrrrrreat. How am I supposed to fall asleep tonight with the stress of them being out there?”
Callum wiggled his bushy eyebrows and leered at her. “Oh, I have a few ideas for how to tire you out.”
“Seriously? You’re a graybeard again. No thanks!”
He untied his robe, letting it slip to the floor. “Gray? Maybe. But my body is still quite young…”
Continue reading Part 2 of this story below…