Henry saw her again in his dreams: the woman, the same one who had lain lifeless in the road from earlier that day, who now turned and stared at him with her glassy, empty eyes. Her mouth opened and shut, as if speaking, but nothing came out; as her jaw flapped about, she slowly staggered to her feet in an unsettling manner, her neck at a grotesque angle that hurt Henry's own spine just looking at it.

  She reached out to Henry, her pale and bloated arms and fingers curling towards him like tendrils; try as he might, he couldn't escape her grasp, stubbornly rooted to where he stood no matter how strongly he pulled at his legs or willed himself to move.

  As she wrapped her arms around him, she drew close to his ear, and he could at last make out what she was saying.

  "I'm waiting. I'm waiting! I'M WAITING!"

  Her jaw opened up to an impossible degree, and she swallowed his head whole as he screamed in terror.

  He woke with a start, bolting to an upright sitting position in his bed.

  Sweat drenched his tunic and his sheets, as his mind raced to confirm that he was back in reality.

  Gentle sunlight was filtering into the room through the small window on the wall, with the faint twittering of birds and other chattering forest critters audible through the shutters.

  "Henry, are you up yet?" A pounding emanated at Henry's door as Arthur's voice drilled into his ears. "I said I'm done waiting! Get up, we're burning precious daylight!"

  Henry shook himself fully awake as he swung his legs out of bed. "I'm up, I'll be out shortly!"

  "Well, it's about time!" He could hear Arthur huff indignantly at his door. "Usually, I'm the one getting rude awakenings!"

  After Henry had dressed and packed everything into his bag, he descended to the first floor and found a scene of chaos. Pots, pans, and other cutlery were being washed with brushes and sponges wielded by invisible hands, as other dishes floated to the table bearing breakfast items of various sorts. Arthur sat at the table, munching on his dish of sausage, beans, and mash, whilst Nezwick and Rebecca were furiously arguing in silence within what appeared to be a bubble that enveloped them entirely.

  "Ah, you're finally up and at 'em," Arthur said cheerfully. "Help yourself to anything. I'd avoid the eggs, though. Nezwick said something about them coming from forest newts or the sort."

  Henry sat down at the table and pulled a dish containing what looked to be a chicken pasty from the air. "What's going on with them?" He asked, nodding towards the arguing wizard and apprentice in the bubble.

  Arthur shrugged. "Beats me. They cast some sort of spell that won't let us hear what's going on." He plunged his fork into a sausage and took a bite. "Wish there was something they could do for the sight. Spoils the appetite a bit, seeing them go at it like that."

  "How long have they been in there for?" Henry took a bite of the pasty; it was surprisingly warm and soft on the tongue, as if it had come straight out of the oven.

  "About twenty minutes now." Arthur rolled his eyes. "I've half a mind to chuck something at them to see if the bubble breaks."

  As they ate their breakfast, they watched with mild curiosity as the silent argument continued for a few more minutes, before Rebecca threw her hands up in exasperation. Nezwick said something to her, which she nodded to with great reluctance.

  "Looks like we have our winner," Arthur winked, as Nezwick waved his hand. The bubble popped and disappeared, as Rebecca trudged away from the table.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  "Is everything alright?" Henry asked Nezwick, staring after the mage-apprentice.

  "Yes, yes, everything's fine," the wizard replied with a sigh. "I... do have a small favor to ask of you both."

  Arthur began to protest, but Henry cut him off. "Of course, sir. It's the least we can do for your hosting us."

  "I'm... sending Rebecca with you to the mines." Nezwick sat down at the table in one of the chairs, wincing as if it caused him pain. "She's to fetch some redstone for me there that I've been meaning to send her for for some time, now. I figured with the forest and the mines as dangerous as they are now, she'd do well to have an escort of strapping young lads such as yourselves to accompany her."

  "Oh, wonderful." Arthur rolled his eyes. "I'm to babysit yet another child on this trip?"

  "Rebecca can take care of herself well enough," Nezwick remarked. "But with you two for company, it would greatly ease my old heart."

  Arthur grumbled to himself, taking another bite of sausage as Henry nodded his head.

  "We'd be honored to have her, sir. A mage would greatly even the odds for us, as well."

  "Then it's settled. She'll accompany you to the mines, and will return with you here on your journey back as well." Nezwick reached into his robes. "As promised, I will provide you with something for the spiders within the mines, along with something else as my token of thanks."

  Arthur stopped his bemoaning and perked up. "Oh? I won't turn down any arcane items."

  Nezwick reached out with one hand and placed a few vials of what looked like quicksilver on the table. "This is a masking scent for the spiders. Consume it before you enter the mines, and the spiders should ignore you unless you attack them."

  "Splendid." Arthur wrinkled his nose in disgust. "I've had something like this before. I'll take my chances with the spiders."

  Nezwick didn't even acknowledge him as he reached out with his other hand and placed a scroll on the table as well. "This is a clairvoyance spell. You may use it once, whereupon it will destroy itself, so use it wisely. Simply unfurl the scroll, and a light will guide you to what you desire most at the moment." He cocked his brow at Arthur. "I'd recommend only those of steeled resolve use it, as it will also guide you to any momentary impulse should you falter in your desire."

  Henry accepted the items with a deep bow. "Thank you, master wizard. We'll put them to good use."

  Arthur mirrored the gesture sarcastically. "Yeah, thanks. Can we take some food for the road?"

  As Arthur and Henry readied their mounts outside the cottage, Nezwick and Rebecca emerged from within, Rebecca wearing more rugged clothing consisting of a tunic and trousers, and a large backpack as well. She retained the same wide-brimmed hat atop her head, but her hair was now a neat braid that ran down her back.

  Henry held out his hand to her to help her climb atop his horse, but she ignored him entirely, walking past him.

  Arthur winced. "Oooooh. Tough luck, lord squire." He winked. "Allow me to show you."

  He clambered atop his mount and wheeled the horse about, cantering over to Rebecca. "Milady? Your noble steed awaits you." He offered a hand to her, his palm upright in a noble manner.

  Rebecca stared at him blankly. "No thanks. I brought my own." She walked past him as well, into an empty patch of grass.

  Henry suppressed a smile as Arthur turned beet red. "Duly noted."

  "Shut up," Arthur muttered.

  As Arthur and Henry watched, she whispered something and held her hands forth; a thick dark mist formed and surrounded her, completely obscuring her from view. Henry waved his hand about his face, trying to dispel the smoke, as Arthur coughed.

  "What gives?" he spluttered.

  "Give her a moment," Nezwick said, standing calmly in the smoke. "As I said, she can look after herself."

  A minute passed by as the thick smoke hung in the air, before dissipating as suddenly as it had appeared. When it cleared, a jet-black horse had materialized where Rebecca had stood, the young mage-apprentice saddled atop it and holding the horse's reins in her hands.

  "There, you see?" Nezwick smiled. "Nothing to worry about."

  "Yes, obviously," Arthur said, leering at Henry. "I knew that."

  Henry mounted his own horse, and the trio made ready to resume their journey.

  Nezwick held up a hand in farewell. "Safe travels, and may your quests prove fruitful. I shall eagerly await your return, Rebecca."

  A faint wind stirred up around them, steadily increasing in power and magnitude. The wizard's robe whipped about him as a great flurry of leaves, brush, and other forest growth swirled around him and the cottage, engulfing them entirely; when the wind died down but a few moments later, Arthur and Henry looked on in shock to see absolutely nothing standing where the wizard and cottage had been.

  "Amazing," Henry remarked breathlessly.

  "Hogwash," Arthur scoffed in disbelief.

  "It's just an illusion," Rebecca snorted. She pulled a book from her saddlebag and opened it up. "Are we moving on or what?"