The Alarming Scent of Cinnamon

XIV

"I'm telling you, she shapeshifted!" Hansel said, excitedly. "She turned into an owl!"

"You sure that was water you drank?" Gretel said cynically.

"Yes, I'm sure!" Hansel cried, exasperated.

"Why did you even follow her in the first place?" Gretel asked, setting up her sleeping bag on the cave floor.

"I - I don't know, she just looked-like she - like she was... out of place," Hansel said, sitting down and taking his bag off.

"Out of place, hm?" Baba Yaga said teasingly, exchanging a knowing glance with Gretel.

"Why do you two keep giving each other those weird glances?" Hansel said, frustrated as he shook out his sleeping bag.

"It's perfectly normal to think she's pretty," Gretel said, spreading a handful of ash across a pile of kindling.

"No!" Hansel cried. "It's not that!" He suddenly became very interested in smoothing out his sleeping bag.

"Sure it's not," Gretel said sarcastically. She muttered the incantation for fire under her breath and blew gently on the fire, making it grow bigger.

Hansel grunted angrily and wriggled into his sleeping bag.

"Did you get any takers?" Baba Yaga asked. "Any nobles?"

"Yeah, actually," Hansel said. "I got this one noble to pay me eight marks for the location of the dragon."

"Eight marks?" Gretel whined. "You need to learn how to barter,"

"I did!" Hansel said, shifting around. "He had a budget, nine marks maximum, and I couldn't afford to lose him." 

Gretel paused. "Was he... emerald?"

Hansel nodded, satisfied. "We should get back to Pa soon,"

Gretel smiled and wiggled into her sleeping bag. Baba Yaga the the fire while sitting on a pillow; since she was a Faerie, she didn't need as much sleep. Every couple hours, the fire would die down and she would reignite it, but most of that night she spent staring into the dancing fire.

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The next morning, Baba Yaga slept while Hansel gathered ingredients for breakfast and Gretel puzzled out a way to cook it.

Hansel stayed out of the dark woods, as it was far too easy to get lost. He had became quite adept at foraging in the five years he'd spent training with Baba Yaga, although perhaps training is an overstatement. Since Yaga was not a shapeshifter herself, she tended to have unrealistic expectations, whether she was pushing Hansel too hard or not challenging him enough.

Hansel paused, scanning the area for anything edible. A patch of elder flowers caught his eye, so he sighed and made his way over to them. He hated their taste, (too musky and floral) but Gretel loved them. Stowing the flowers in his basket, Hansel froze and searched the area again. 

Nothing.

Hansel kept walking until a patch of raspberries and blackberries . Salivating, Hansel walked towards them as if drawn by some invisible force. The raspberries were just ripe enough, some softer and sweeter, others firmer and more tart, gleaming like precious gems in the morning dew. He was careful to only eat a few as he collected them, but he ate a few more than he planned on.

As Hansel continued through the woods, careful not to lose his way, he was somehow able to see a bird's nest in a tree, hidden in a hole. He chuckled happily. How long has it been since we've had eggs for breakfast? he thought. Just then, he heard something move in the trees behind him; a fluttering of wings. He turned to see an olive green bird with bright red feathers on its head, a woodpecker. Hansel turned back to the nest, and something inside him clicked.

The mother, he realized.

Hansel glanced at the woodpecker again, watching as it skittered slightly closer to him. He took note of the way it moved, planning to shift into one sometime, then left.

On his way back to the cave, Hansel found a few edible mushrooms. He pocketed them, looking forward to seeing what Gretel would cook up today.

Back at the cave, Gretel had decided to make breakfast kebabs. She had pushed two Y-shaped sticks into the ground, then balanced three fire-hardened sticks in between them.

"I got some mushrooms, elder flowers, and a bunch of berries," Hansel announced as he walked in.

"Ooh!" Gretel said. "Elder flowers and berries?"

"Yep," Hansel said, handing her the basket and sitting down.

"We can cook the mushrooms with the elder flowers, have them on kebabs, and eat the berries last," Gretel said, pulling a stone bowl out of the cooking bag and heating it over the fire.

"Sounds good," Hansel picked bits of leaves and twigs out of his hair.

A little while later, Gretel woke Baba Yaga up and served breakfast. The mushrooms were hearty and filling, and the berries were sweet and warm. Gretel took the sweeter, slightly overripe ones first, but Hansel preferred the firmer ones.

The rest of the day was spent preparing for the nobleman with the emerald ring. Gretel gathered the components for both the shield spell and the fake blood spell, and Hansel washed the fancy dress Gretel wore and memorized the location of the cave.

The day seemed to drag on forever, but at last the sky grew dark and Hansel headed back to Afan. He put on his clogs and cloak on the very outskirts of the town and headed back to the Dying Hog.

"Still a horrible name," Hansel shook his head at the sign.

As he headed in, he noticed there was a different bartender, this one a bit taller and stockier.

"I'll take a water," Hansel said, making his voice deeper and slightly raspy.

"A water, huh?" the bartender said. "How about some beer, or maybe a toddy?"

Hansel sighed internally. "You got a problem with water, buddy?" he said, using his voice as a threat.

"Nope," the bartender said cooly. "Water's fine,"

Hansel scanned the tavern and noticed that the noble and his servant were already there. He looked past them, and saw that the shapeshifter he'd met before was in the corner. She looked directly at him, and Hansel hoped the cowl covered his blushing face.

Making his way through the tavern, Hansel sat down with the noble. His eyes flitted over to his ring, which he was sure would have gleamed if the light wasn't so dim.

"I found it," Hansel said.

"Really?" the noble said. "Im sure you'll tell me where."

"Maghia Pass," Hansel said. "The side nearest Afan, to the west."

"Well, then," the noble said, standing up. "We'd best be off."

"I heard another rumor," Hansel said. "This one might interest you."

"Oh, really?" the noble turned back towards the table.

"I've heard the dragon stole a beautiful maiden from a nearby town," Hansel said.

The noble's eyebrows lifted, ever so slightly.

"Really?" he said, more to himself than anyone else. "Interesting."