The next morning, we woke up to the enticing scent of cooking eggs and sausages. As I looked into the kitchen, I saw Irin in full swing, getting a proper breakfast together. “Morning, Irin.” Irin turned her head and gave me a smile. “Good morning, Milady. Breakfast should be done by the time you are done with your morning ablutions, and will be served in the dining room, as always.” I gave her my thanks as I left to check on the others.

  Breakfast was a cozy, if noisy, affair. Miva and Ivy got into an argument about whether the eggs or the sausages were tastier. The argument ended when Meleri suggested eating both at the same time. After that, they agreed that eggs and sausage were best together.

  As calm settled over the table, there was a knock on the door. Now, who could that be this early? Before I could get up to answer, Irin sped past. “I’ll handle it, Milady.” I could hear her open the door and some voices. A few moments later, Irin returned with a small bundle in her hands. “For you, Milady.”

  I took the bundle and opened it. It contained a bottle of iridescent liquid, and a note. I unfolded the note. It simply read, “Thanks for everything. - Myrrh” I looked at the bottle once more. There was only one thing that could be. I pinched my nose bridge in frustration. “Seriously, that girl got no sense of self-preservation.” I stashed the bottle away, and at the inquisitive look from Irin I took a deep breath. “Long story short, helped a duo of fools yesterday, and this is their way of saying thank you.”

  Irin’s vines rustled a bit. “It must have been quite the favor to receive an entire bottle of Torgol blood as thanks.” I remained quiet for a bit. “It’s… complicated, and it’s not my place to talk about it. I don’t feel like my actions warranted any reward, but it’s not like I can just return it. Here’s hoping this will be the last we hear of it.”

  I resumed my meal, and soon breakfast was back to how it was before the interruption. “So, I take it you’d like me to continue the story, or do you want to walk around the city?” There was silence as they looked at one another. Then they seemed to all reach a silent agreement. “Story time.” “Yeah, story!” “Story, Meowstress.” "Agreed, Mistress." “I wanna hear the story too!” “What they said, Mother.” There was a bark from Irenji. “Alright, then. Since you are all so eager, let’s move to the living room once we’re done eating.”

  Once breakfast was done, and Irin was taking care of the plates, the rest of us went into the living room and got ourselves comfortable. Just as I was about to begin, Irin arrived with something to drink for everyone. “Thanks, Irin, this will be useful. Now then, where was I in the story… oh right! So…”

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  A few years passed in relative silence after I gained my title. I was introduced to the Torgol’s over at Mellowmere. Their chieftain was an old Torgol named Wu. He, and the rest of the tribe, were surprised when they learned of my new role in the area. However, it didn’t take long before they got over the initial surprise and I learned how friendly they could be.

  It was an early autumn morning. I, Soot, and Midnight were all out harvesting mushrooms, so we’d have some for meals and potions through the winter. The early morning breeze held the chill of the coming winter, and the mist flitted through the rays of the rising sun. Birds were chirping in the trees, and now and then we could hear a grasshopper chirp.

  The three of us were trying to identify a strange gnarled and crooked mushroom that definitely wasn’t from earth, when Ivy shot into the clearing. “Lady Morgana, Lady Morgana, come quick!” Ivy grabbed the scruff of my cloak and began to drag me towards Nettledale. I couldn’t remember ever seeing Ivy so distressed before. I pulled out my broom from my pouch. “If we’re going to Nettledale, it’s faster by air. Hop on.”

  Ivy didn’t hesitate as she, Soot, and Midnight all got on, and soon we were speeding towards Nettledale as fast as the broom could go without tearing itself apart. “So, what’s going on, Ivy.” Ivy seemed exhausted, no doubt from speeding from Nettledale to my house, then from there into the forest to look for us. “We… attack…” She needed a moment to recover before she could relay the message. “Nettledale is under attack. Nettle and the giant spiders are keeping them at bay for now, but we could use some help.”

  Considering how vicious the spiders could be, that surprised me. I didn’t rate my chances against the matriarch or her eldest children that well, and if they were having trouble… Well, it didn’t matter. I wouldn’t leave them high and dry. With the broom at full speed, it didn’t take long before I could see the tree in the distance. As we got closer, I could see several strange wagons scattered around the edge of the clearing. I could also see movement, as about a dozen horse sized spiders were fighting the people from the wagons.

  It would seem Ivy’s initial fear of Nettledale being overrun was premature, but several of the spiders were heavily injured. I could also see a purple blur clashing with half a dozen people. Each of them was on the defensive, attempting to keep the blur away from their faces. On the ground next to them were other people, lying motionless with blood spilling from their helmets. It didn’t take a genius to guess how that happened.

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  As we approached, I noticed that a few of the intruders were sneaking around the edge of the skirmish. I was tempted to blast them with a fireball, but at this distance I couldn’t tell whether or not any pixies were near them. Well, if I couldn’t just outright kill them, then halting their movement would have to suffice. As I entered the air over the clearing, I pointed down at them and unleashed a restraining hex. Most of them froze in place, but two of them seemed unaffected as strange symbols flared to life across their strange wrappings.

  Magical resistance, huh? Annoying. The two looked around, searching for the source of the hex, no doubt. I blasted them with another hex, then another, but both times it failed, well, since magic was off the table… “Get ready to jump off the broom.” As soon the message was delivered, I sent the broom into a dive and aimed for the nearest of the two. Just before impact, Soot took off with Ivy on his back while Midnight jumped off the broom.

  The moment they did so, I returned the broom to my pouch and rammed into the intruder like a living projectile. The impact sprawled the intruder onto the ground, and a hit to the back of the head ensured they were out cold at best. I didn’t feel distressed at the idea I might have killed the intruder. Decades of hunting must have inured me to the shock of taking a life.

  I got to my feet and eyed the remaining intruder, who heard the impact and was eyeing me warily. The intruder, who was covered in a thick cloak despite the autumn not being that cold, gestured at me and mumbled something under her breath. A Spellcaster, eh? Before they could finish, I flicked my hand in their direction and hit them with a mana disruption hex. The effect was far more spectacular than I expected.

  The symbols on their wrapped arms and legs flared up, and released their stored energy as several multicolored bolts that surged into the ground. It would seem my hex also dispelled whatever protective wards they offered. Good to know. The intruder’s spell was also dismantled before it could even take shape. Judging by the surprised expression, this was either a newbie, or they never faced someone capable of disrupting their spells before.

  Either way, I wasn’t about to let this opportunity go to waste. Before they could recover, I hit them with the restraining hex I tried before, and this time their movements froze up like the rest of them. “Mistress, duck!” I did, and something swished over my head. I turned around.

  It would seem the one I hit before recovered faster than expected. The wrappings, maybe? Well, it didn’t matter, as they came at me again, brandishing a rather nasty looking club with a confident grin. That was a mistake on their end. They swung the club at me again. Their second mistake. I grabbed the club mid-swing, and it stopped dead. I yanked it towards me, and as the intruder got within striking range, I gave them a backhand.

  This time I could see the wrappings flare to life, and instead of collapsing like a sack of potatoes with a crushed nose, they staggered back, lightly dazed. I could see why the spiders were having issues now. The intruder shook their head trying to clear up the aftershock of the impact. Before they could recover, I blasted them with the same mana disrupting hex I used on the other one.

  The effect was immediate as the glowing symbols dissipated into energy that was siphoned into the ground. The intruder looked confused for the split second it took me to close the gap and backhand them again. This time, they collapsed with a nasty bruise on their cheek and a bleeding nose. Just in case, I blasted them with a restraining hex as well. No more attacks from behind.

  I looked up. “Thanks for the warning, Soot. You get to decide tonight’s dinner.” There was a pleased caw from above. “Ivy, inform the pixies that mana disrupting effects will disable their protective gear. I guess they have no such thing wherever they hale from. It should make dealing with them way easier.” I could see Ivy’s viridian light blast off from atop Soot as he approached.

  Midnight also made her presence known as she pressed up against my leg. “Well then, Meowstress this part of the flank has been secured, so what now?” What now indeed. I could attack from their flank, but I was not experienced in large-scale battles. One-on-one confrontations with wild life, sure. Or even the rare wolf attack. But the tactics used by people and wolves were quite different when fighting, be it as individuals or as a group.

  However, I couldn’t just do nothing. I pulled out my broom again. “Well then, let’s be air support. I’d rather not impede everyone else down on the ground because of a lack of experience. Besides, air superiority is useful.” As I rose into the air, I could see the pixies and spiders begin to get the upper hand thanks to the mana disruption. Seriously, how could anyone make enchanted gear with no protections against disruption effects? One anti-magic zone, or one disruption, and the gear would be back to being mundane.

  Well, it didn’t matter. It was a boon to us, and one I intended to take full advantage of. I began to blast the back lines with mana disruption hexes, and it didn’t take long before the effects of our combined efforts began to show. Their battle line wavered, then broke, and before long they were making a beeline back to their wagons, which rose from the ground as the steeds bound to them began to pull them away, until only one abandoned wagon remained.

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  “I am sorry to interrupt your tale, Milady, but lunch is being served in the dining room in about a minute.” There was a collective groan of disappointment from the others. “Oh, deal with it. Meals are important, and it’s not like the tale is going anywhere. Say Irin, heard anything from Eira?” There was a bit of rustling. “Can’t say I have. Then again, if I am not mistaken, if she left her coven at dawn she should still be a few hours off unless she is flying far faster than what’s safe.”

  Hmm, true. It was quite a trip from the mountains to here. “Fair enough, alright everyone a quick pause for lunch, then I’ll resume. And no rushing your meals, I surely won’t be rushing mine.” As I watched them all hurry towards the dining room, I couldn’t help but crack a smile at Irin’s impeccable timing.