All for the Cauldron
"Who Needs You!"
By: Ichy and Dil
The Land Before Time: Journey Through the Mist
Hey guys. Sorry for being gone for so long. Work gets in the way.
xxx
What a weird twist. Being entrusted with a diplomatic mission was number 7 on Lydia's list of goals as princess. Number 1 is becoming Sorceress and Queen - a long term goal she will need to work day and night for. Roland may have inherited the role, but he works constantly beyond his limits, always making time for his family and friends. Lydia has a long road ahead of her if she is to be like him one day. To rule Enchancia and make him proud. For now, proving she can be a successful envoy of Enchancia would be the perfect first step.
The only, agitating hitch is Cedric having to go with her. Or, if you're in Cedric's shoes, he's being forced to go with her. the land of Lyndor - ruled by a beautiful, and benevolent - Marquess doesn't deserve warring sorcerers. They are already dealing with a pair of witches. Well, it's suspected it's a pair of witches. Despite the fact that they are a very compatible pair. Similar personalities and taste in pets, occupations, and they are both so proud they choke an armada of horses. For those who don't know better, they would resemble friends. Even if they won't admit it to themselves, others see it.
Encountering the first witch, Lucinda, put Cedric and Lydia in a bind. A trail of goop has them linked by the hand and they can't sever it. A cruel situation of "The ties that bind." As if things weren't bad enough, they had to save Miles and Bertrand, and people in Hamil from a cloud.
Witches are known for their tricks and craft. Harmless tricksters with a trick or two that can get out of hand. Unless there's no other alternative, they rarely become confrontational. Cedric and Lydia's presence has caused the witches to come out of the woodwork. They just need a little more time and they'll leave without incident.
"AAAHHHH!" Lucinda pulled at her hat's brim, snapping it off and onto a rack. "How much longer do we have to wait?"
"Patience, Lucinda..." Marla chimed, stirring a pot of stew. "The Cauldron should arrive by this time tomorrow." She tapped the pot twice with the ladle, bringing up chunks of meat stuck to the bottom. "In the meantime we can keep hexing to pass time."
"What about those sorcerers the Marquess hired?" Lucinda remarked irritably. Lydia and Cedric, their names were. "They keep messing everything up."
"They aren't going to be a problem as long as they stay in town." Marla reassured her daughter as she poured her some stew. "Only merchants travel through the forest. Everyone else keeps their distance for the time being." She joined Lucinda at the table, handing her a bowl of stew and a loaf of bread. "Those sorcerers wouldn't be dumb enough to go somewhere natives wouldn't go." Marla suddenly regretted her words. If those two were brave enough to break a cloud and plummet into a spongy earth, she wondered what else they might attempt.
xxx
Marquess Ursa had dinner prepared just as Lydia was released from the physician. Minor fatigue from intense excitement. What the doctor called excitement, Lydia saw her life flashing before her eyes. At the very least her appetite returned. Wormwood and Eezeyal sure didn't lose their appetites. They were on their second bowl of food. Lydia had UBOS in her room so he can eat without curious eyes staring at him.
"Are you sure you shouldn't be resting?" Ursa implored Lydia, able to see she was still shaken up.
"I'm fine, Lady Ursa, really." Lydia promised. She flexed a muscle, proving she was ripe and ready for another go.
"Besides, she's fallen from worse heights." Cedic snidely remarked. "She has the tenacity of a wild beast." Lydia growled at Cedric, hearing the insult in the compliment. She started to hate their link. Cedric had to sit right by her so the goop didn't touch the food.
"Speaking of beasts," Ursa tried to distract her concerns with work. It only worked a part of the way, "What beasts plague my Land?"
"Lyndor has witches in its midst." Cedric announced indifferently, putting a piece of tri-tip in his mouth.
"Witches?" Ursa gasped nervously. Miles and Bertrand were surprised by the news. A witch trapped them in a cloud. "More than one?"
"Princess Lydia and I met a child witch in town." Cedric roughly lifted Lydia's wrist, contemptuously displaying their shackle. "She's the one who attached me to this ball and chain."
"As if being stuck to you is any less a prison sentence!" She wrenched her wrist free.
"Early you said there is more than one." Miles interjected before an argument ensued. "Did you encounter her?"
"No, but it is likely." Cedric reassured him. "Witches as young as the one we encountered are never too far from a senior. In case they create a mess that can't be undone."
"It's still circumstantial whether or not there are two," Lydia stated, not wanting to create bigger tensions. Cedric bit his lip, perturbed Lydia voiced doubt in his theory. After you agreed with me…
Flashback
In the infirmary
"Two witches?" Lydia sat up in the manor's hospital bed.
"It is a high probability." Cedric stroked his chin. "The witchlet we met is too green to conjure a cloud of that size."
"I don't know much about witches. I guess what you say makes sense." Lydia itched her spinning head. Lucinda seemed skilled enough. It is entirely possible she has a partner. The timing between Lucinda and the cloud were almost perfect. No way Lucinda knew where to find Miles and Bertrand so fast. "If Lucinda does have a partner, that would have to mean she's older, right?" Cedric called Lucinda green. Apprentices are never far from masters.
"She would have to be." Cedric nodded, agreeing with Lydia. "A cloud like that isn't something the unskilled make out of hobbies." Cedric knew better than anyone the dangers of toying with unfamiliar magic is dangerous. Focus and steady hands are the minimum requirements. "Our troubles here have doubled."
"Good thing Dad sent us." Lydia smiled.
Flashback End
Cedric isn't surprised a royal suddenly changed her tune to look good for another noble. Guess King Abraham got to her afterall. "But we are confident that there is a pair in Lyndor. Since Hamil is the target, it's safe to say they are hiding nearby." Cedric stopped a fork of cooked potatoes centimeters from his mouth. She agrees with me still?
"Not that I doubt you," Ursa spoke up, swirling a glass of wine, "But are you certain we're being attacked by witches?"
"The shrill cackling, the flying away..." Cedric listed off bordley. Eye witness testimonies. "And the attacks aren't attacks. They are hexes. Which are known for wearing off after a time."
"All are the M.O's of a witch." Lydia backed him up.
"Hexes? Are they special tricks?" Bertrand asked intrigued.
"Not too special." Lydia lightened the admiration. "Hexes are glorified illusionary parlor tricks that CAN become dangerous." Bertrand and Miles believed that on the spot. "Witches have a more natural connection to the land, so its said they can even alter landscapes."
"But why Lyndor?" Ursa wanted to know. "Have we wronged them?"
"If that were the case they would have unleashed a full attack." Miles surmised based on hypothesis. "These tricks - hexes - seem to be more of a ploy than anything else."
"But a ploy for what?" Lydia threw out there. She laughed in respect of the witches. "Guess I'm not the only tenacious one at this table."
"Tenacious or not, this whole ordeal is becoming terrifying." Ursa cupped her hands, twisting her wedding band anxiously. She glanced at Bertrand and Miles, guilt radiating her in her glossy eyes. "For you to be captured and then have to be plummeted toward death - inexcusable." She scooted her chair out and stood before her guests. "This all happened under my watch; under my rule. Because of my incompetence you were all put in danger. You all have my most sincerest and humble apologies." She bowed to her toes at the hip.
"Please, Lady Ursa, you don't have to apologize!" Lydia objected jumping from her seat, cheeks flushed cherry red. "In your letter you asked for our help and we offered it to you. The second magic was identified, the possibility of danger was on the table."
"Princess Lydia is right." Constable Miles calmly rose from his chair, folding one arm behind his back. "As envoys of Enchancia, it is our honor and duty to lend aid to our fellow countrymen and women." Lydia nodded firmly. Cedric lifted his glass in agreement. Ursa and Bertrand were both honored and happy Enchancia had such loyal compatriots.
"That being said," Cedric pushed from the table, "The princess and I have a lot of work to do."
"So late?" Ursa protested.
"He's right." Lydia rose with him. "We were winging it when we saved Miles and the others today. We need to be prepared for next time."
"Right now, what's imperative is locating their hideout." Miles stood with the two. "Allow me to accompany you, Princess."
"Cedric and I have this handled." She reassured him. "I need you to return to town and find any many clues as you can."
"The town? But witnesses-"
"Witnesses are only half reliable. Right now there's a pattern." Lydia didn't mean to interrupt so brashly, but the time called for outside the box thinking. "The witches are coming and going from Hamil Town. Their hexes are random but their visits aren't. There has to be a reason and its in that town." Hamil Town is where they've stayed the longest. There's something there that they want.
"Understood." Miles conceded the issue. "I head back right away."
"In that case, you two may make use of the library if you wish." Ursa offered. "It's down the hall to the left of here. There's a map room if you need it."
"Thank you."
xxx
Miles wasted no time in executing the orders given by Lydia. Guards assigned to defend Ursa's home joined him in his investigation, leaving for Hamil Town without further delay. Meanwhile, Cedric and Lydia finished their dinner and made their way to the library.
Witch, Human, Sorcerer - the sole reason one stays anywhere for a prolonged period is, either, they live there, or there's something or someone important that you can't leave without.
"What do you think the witches are after?" Lydia asked out of the blue, petting Eezeyal.
"That's a good question. I hope we can come up with an answer." He stared dismally at the link. "This is starting to drag me down." Wormwood groaned, tapping it with his talon.
"No kidding."
Incidentally, the library was a couple of doors from a restroom. Cedric and Lydia meandered past the door. A low gurgling rumbled Cedric's lower stomach. "Oh dear…" He stopped, clenching his legs together and holding his stomach.
"What's wrong?" Lydia asked. Wormwood and Eezeyal wondered about the hand on his stomach. "Food not agreeing with you?"
"I am afraid nature is calling!" Cedric rasped. "And it is calling fast!" Lydia, Wormwood, and Eezeyal sank in themselves. Despaired stares drifted to the gooey link. Cedric swung his chain linked arm desperately. "DOH! Will the humiliations never end?!" He started to dance in place. "How am I to conduct business in privacy when-"
"DO NOT FINISH!" Lydia's flat palm barricaded her fragile mind of that horrifying image. She dug in her blazer, drawing her wand. "This will give you and I much needed space." She went near Cedric, keeping their wrists close. "Stiff as a board, thick as daffy," She swirled her wand,"Stretch and flex, elong to taffy!" The green goop was coated and changed to candied pink, leaving Cedric unbelievably dumbfounded by their candied sentence.
Cedric sniffed the link, detecting the hint of sugar, food coloring, and stale berries. "Candy? Are you serious?" He disparaged. Lydia brought her candied fist up. Cedric flinched, expecting to be punched. Lydia wordlessly stepped back. The stretching taffy proved the method behind her madness. Cedric watched at a loss for words when she stopped 30 feet away. The jiggling taffy line resonated dunce for the less than creative sorcerer. "Well ex-cuse me." Cedric huffed.
Eezeyal sniggered. Lydia definitely had a unique rub-it-in-your-face flare. "Care to take care of business? Or do you plan to make a mess in the hall?" Lydia rubbed salt in the wound. Cedric mumbled angrily under his breath. He yanked the bathroom door then slammed it shut. The taffy line pooled, but gradually smoothed the farther in he went. Two pictures on the opposite wall shook loose. Lydia, glowering at the bathroom door, nonchalantly cast a spell to her right. The pictures were caught by glittering dust and returned to their place. "I truly do hate that man." She moseyed to the door's side.
"Yew, me, and everyone else." Eezeyal stated. He stretched his wings, yawning exhausted. he tilted his neck to the side. Crack. Tilted it to the other side. Crack-Crack. He bent forward, back, side to side. Crack-crack-crack...crack! Lydia shivered. She hated it when he did that. Then he cracked his toes and she was ready to hurl. "That crackin' in mah spine means it's time tuh hit th' hay." He moaned. Your spine? Sounded more like twigs crunched in the forest. "You comin', Liddy?"
"I wish. But…" She pondered the threat the witches are to Lyndor. Cedric's determination to stop them encouraged her to consider a late night. "You and Ubos get some rest. I'll be up later." She kissed Eezeyal's beak.
"Alright. But don't be up too late." Eezeyal warned. He didn't need Lydia coming to bed with half her mind missing again. That being said, Eezeyal flew off to Lydia's room, yawning in anticipation of the sweet bliss sleep will bring him. "Today's too stressful on these old bones." First Cedric teleports them without word, now a manhunt for witches. He's really too old for this.
Lydia yawned herself. If she survived an hour or two of research, she was going to sleep like a rock. That is if she doesn't stay up all night and wake up drooling with paper stuck to her cheek. That's an embarrassing memory. "I envy those two." She sighed. Ubos and Eezeyal will get their full beauty sleep.
Goose bumps trailing her skin interrupted her train of thought. Instinctively she looked up. Wormwood was roosting in the bannisters. The sheen of his beady eyes pierced Lydia. That menacing smirk curdling the undigested food in her stomach. How long has he been there? She cursed herself for not checking. Wormwood was Cedric's glorified eyes and ears. Sometimes even his mouthpiece.
"Something wrong?" She snarled.
"Not at all." Lydia grimaced at the sly smirk stretching Wormwood's beak. He flew to her, hovering in front of her. "You and that bird of yours just seem to be in your own little world, is all. It's quite nauseating."
"You and Cedric have the same relationship." She countered strongly. "Don't mock what you practice."
"I do not mock." Wormwood forcefully perched on her wrist. She was surprised he'd so much as consider touching her. He abruptly leaned in, widening one beady eye. "I observe."
The jet black eye reflected Lydia. She stiffened like a board. Evil choked her. The wall touched her back, sending jolts through her nerves. Wormwood chuckled eerily at the squeak she uttered. She inadvertently swallowed a lump. "Was there something you wanted to ask me?" She mentally cursed her shaking voice. This bird is the embodiment of evil. Raven's were associated with bad omens.
"Just an inquiry for my curiosity." He continued to close the gap between them, shuffling up to the trembling elbow. Lydia wanted to scream at how clammy his talons felt. "No...late night reading before you go to bed?" The coo in his tone went ignored. Miraculously, Wormwood was less irritating than Cedric. Maybe a bit more scary.
"Cedric and I are going to be up most of the night researching our witch probe." She boasted with notable lack of enthusiasm. Cedric's shrinking charm brought half a library's worth of spell books and research books in his bag. "At the very least Eezeyal can get some sleep."
"Perhaps talking to that book you carry will coax him." Knots tied Lydia to a ribbon. She must have shown it. Wormwood was laughing at her. "A figure of speech, I assure you, Princess." He halfheartedly bowed. "Books do not speak."
"Yeah...r-right…" She coughed loudly, clearing her nerves rather than her hoarse throat. What was that? That wasn't a slip. She kept her eyes on the ground, refusing to meet Wormwood's stare. He was carving into her like a cheap Thanksgiving Turkey. He doesn't know about Ubos! He couldn't...
The restroom door opened. "Much better." Cedric sighed. Lydia snagged Wormwood by the neck and threw him across the hall. There was a loud thud. "Ready to work?"
"Yeah! Totally!" Lydia announced in a sweat.
"Ah, Wormy, there you are." Cedric spied the bird upside down on the floor. He did, however, miss the bird circling his head. "Come along, you lazy bird. There's work to be done." Cedric picked him up by the back of his neck, sauntering for the library.
Lydia lingered a moment, allowing Cedric to get out of earshot. "Wormwood…" She rumbled. "I'll have to keep an eye on him."
xxx
Eezeyal entered Lydia's quarters through an open window. Ubos stopped reading an almanac to greet him. "How was dinner?"
"Tense." Eezeyal flapped fervently, discarding molted feathers. "Cedric and Lydia think we have two witches in town."
"That is to be expected." Ubos floated to the bed, humming thoughtfully. "Witches are not against traveling in pairs. With how young our little Lucinda was, it is not out of the question she has a master close by."
"Do you think they'll be a problem?"
"Under normal circumstances: My confidence in the princess and Cedric's abilities is steadfast."
"How about now?"
Ubos sighed crestfallen. Lydia and Cedric's predicament raised many doubts within him. "Warring personalities - though similar - cause greater harm than good." Ubos forewarned Eezeyal, wishing to clear the air before hopes were raised too high. The owl understood perfectly. Lydia and Cedric prove to be a good team when the moment calls for it. But the wall of resentment they've lodged between them was a crutch. "Unless Cedric and Lydia understand they need to come together, that ties binding them will tighten."
xxx
The library was the size of Enchancia's banquet hall. A first and second floor of books and study areas. And an oval table as the center piece with a hollowed middle. A full scale diorama of Lyndor occupied the middle. A notice was placed that a model of Tangu would replace Lyndor in a couple of weeks.
Cedric and Lydia might not survive to see it. It was already well past midnight and they weren't a single step closer to solving the witch mystery. Why were they there? No clue. What lured the witches? It couldn't be just to pull tricks. Is there an item they're searching for? Lyndor has many interesting things, but nothing too significant for a witch. As far as they know. Is it revenge? Records do not show any misgivings with any one pertaining to magic. Do they live there? Possibly. Could be for ancestral reasons. Cedric and Lydia must have combed through ten books in the last few hours searching for any sort of lead, coming up empty every time. What were they missing? Were the answers complicated, or so simple you'd miss them by a mile?
"Ugh. This is mind racking." Lydia pressed on her sore head. She was gonna die of an aneurysm if answers weren't found soon. "We can't even dispel a child's link, how are we supposed to catch them?"
"Giving up already?" Cedric crooned from behind a book. Secretly, the bags under his eyes told him he was ready to drop.
"I don't give up! I...go into a funk and come back later." She slumped, pouting with folded arms. If she gave up, Cedric would hang that over her head for...ever! "I'm in that funk right now, and it's because of that pint sized witch."
"Calm yourself and drink this." Cedric handed her a cup of hot tea. She took a quick sip, already feeling her muscles relax. "here's a fun fact: Witches are nothing if not confident in their craft." Cedric pointed a quill at her, reprimanding her for her inside box thinking. "Confidence breeds slips, and those slips will bring us to them."
"Okay…" Lydia's never heard Cedric sound so authoritative. "How do we set this in motion?"
"That...I know not." Cedric massaged his stiff neck. "To be honest, it's been years since I last encountered a witch." Cedric itched his temple pensively. "I wouldn't know where to begin."
"Enemy?"
Cedric coughed dryly. A pink tint shaded his cheeks. "Ex-girlfriend...actually." Lydia's stunned expression made his blush darken. "WHAT?! I dated! I'll have you know, Skeptica that I was quite the ladies man back in the day!"
Skeptica? A clever play on her name. Lydia threw her hands up, shuffling out of range of his fury. "Calm down! I wasn't-"
Cedric slapped the table, leaning so close Lydia felt the daggers in his glare cleave her. "Do not judge me because you're single and lonely!"
Lydia felt an imaginative palm just slap her cheek. Her face lit up like a thermometer. Wormwood winced, groaning at the impending doom. "EX-CUSE ME!" Steam whistled out her ears. Cedric regretfully pondered he might have crossed a line. "I've SOOO had boyfriends in the past! As for lonely," Her finger jabbed into his chest like a knife in a rump roast, "You're the bitter hermit always held up in his tower!"
Cedric squeezed the finger, and gripped her collar roughly. She had to put a hand on the table so she wouldn't fall into him. "And you're the dragon tempered, hind-quarters kissing, brown noser wearing a 23/7 mask!" The heat of his stare might have peeled her skin.
"23?"
"The last hour is while you're waking up in the morning!"
"How can I wear a mask while sleeping?"
"I've found you to be a very creative child!" Cre-creative?! Lydia was confused if he was complimenting her or insulting her. Sounded like both. Cedric interrupted her scrambling thoughts by poking her forehead. "There's the mask right now! Being a flustered little girl!"
"I'm the one wearing the mask?" The irony was enough to choke her. "I don't pretend to like people that I want to send flying to the moon!"
"I'm pleased to meet you, Madam Leona. Thank you for coming, Princess Hildegard. I'm so happy to see you again, King Abraham." Cedric performed the worst Lydia impression, it made steam hiss from her scalp. "Stick feathers to your forehead and bejewel your cheeks and you have a regular Mardi Gras mask."
"At least I can drop mine! You were born with this hideous thing!" She stretched and snapped his cheek.
"Better this than being a schoolgirl!"
"UGH! I knew we should have left you home!" She practically pulled her hair right out of her scalp. "You're nothing but an unwanted house guest!"
Cedric let out a hearty scoff. "I'm unwanted?!" He tossed the chair aside, squaring off challengingly. "I don't recall you stopping the massive cloud! You wouldn't even know HOW to stop that cloud if it wasn't for ME!"
"You wouldn't have been able to STOP the cloud if I wasn't there!"
"Do not confuse the situation, Wannabe! I don't need you!"
"I don't need you either, Dim-Wic!"
"I need you like a hole in the head!" He twisted a finger in his skull.
"And I need you like a bug in the bed!" She smashed a spider crawling on the table.
"You constantly snap at," Cedric caught a high fly fist for his face,"The hand that's beat you!" He swatted it away.
The two pressed their foreheads together, "Who needs you? Not me...!" They both decreed.
"I need you like a pain in my gut!" Lydia hugged her stomach, pretending to be hurt.
"Oh, yeah? And I need you like a kick in the butt!" Cedric whirled around and thrust his butt at her. "You truly disgrace," He shoved her into a chair, circling behind her,"The race that bred you!"
"Who needs you? Not me...!" The two stubbornly agreed. Cedric gave her a nice spin. Lydia came to a halt, holding her spinning head.
"Who needs you?" She kept a hand to the table, stomping to her feet. "You scrawny, stick leg hermit! You're ugly as SIN!" She threw a book, missing him by a hair but hitting Wormwood. "Just a scraggly bag of skin!" She sucked in her gut, mocking his ribcage.
"And who needs you?" Cedric snidely weaved side to side as he strutted to her."Your hair's your finest feature!" He swatted at her bangs."You're thick-skinned, and a bore!" He mockingly lifted his robe,waltzing behind her,"Draggin' your dress skirt 'round the floor!"
"Oh, I need you like a rock on my toes!" She whipped around and stamped his toe.
Cedric winced. "And I need you like a sock on my nose!" He flicked her nose. The thumped edged her from his toe. "I'm shocked and appalled by your behavior!" He propped the foot on a chair, massaging it.
"Don't try bein' nice," She howled, rubbing her nose,"Cause that won't save you!"
"I'm better off without you I can see...!" They cursed the link binding them together."So who needs you? Not me!"
"I need you like a cold in July!" Cedric shivered, rubbing his arms.
"And I need you like a punch in the eye!" Lydia cupped her eye.
"Of all the dumb broads," Lydia's jaw dropped,"Not one precedes you!"
"Who needs you?" Lydia drew her wand. Cedric froze."Not me...!" Cedric ducked, evading a fire stream. A couple hairs smoked.
"I need you, like I need a disease!" Lydia snobbishly puffed smoke off her wand's tip.
"And I need you," Cedric angrily drew his wand, "LIKE THE SUN NEEDS TO FREEZE!" He encased her feet in ice. Lydia futilely pulled at her feet. "For quickness of mind," A simple sweep of his wand conjured Lydia a Dunce cap, "A snail outspeeds you!"
"Who needs you?" Lydia tapped the ice. It vanished in a blink. "Not me…!" Cedric smirked.
"Who needs you? You long nosed, crazy loner!" She threw the cap down, stepping on it. Cedric self consciously touched his nose. "You whimper and squawk, and are hunchback when you walk!" She sniggered. Cedric twisted, touching the hunch of his back.
"And who needs you?" Cedric disappeared in green smoke then reappeared behind her. "Ya flat-foot, five-foot quitter!" He tapped her feet and pat her head. He clamped her skull, turning her to face his grinning face, "You're a bitter ticking bomb, 'cause you're as ugly as your MOM!" He shove her head down.
She grasped his wrist."Oh, I need you," She swept a hand over her mouth, "Like a croc needs more teeth!" She grinned animally, revealing crocodile teeth.
Cedric cringed. "If I lift a rock I'd find you underneath!" Lydia licked her lips hungrily and chomped. Cedric snatched his hand in the nick of time. "I'm deeply upset by your demeanor!" He scolded, caressing his palm.
"I know that I'm mean," She puffed on a palm. The false teeth evaporated, "But you're the meaner!"
"The least cohesive pair to ever beee...!" Cedric and Lydia swept their arms, strolling past one another.
"The word is: incompatibility!" Cedric put his foot down. He lowered his shaking head.
"Not only that," Lydia scoot herself onto the library table, "We'll never get along, you see?!"
Cedric planted a hand on the table, leaning his glare close. Lydia crossed her arms and legs, matching the glare. "So who needs you? Except the one's that bred you? Who needs you?"
"Not me!" Lydia jumped off the table.
"Not me!" Cedric pointed a thumb at himself.
"Not me!" Lydia swung her hand to the side.
"Not me!" Cedric put his hands to his hips.
"NOT," They smashed foreheads, "MEEE..." The two backed away slowly, and finally turned their backs on each other.
Cedric and Lydia lost sight of the significance of argument. The two released defeated breaths, slumping back to back to the marble floor. It just wasn't going to work. It CAN'T work. Simple as that. Cedric and Lydia - warring personalities with conflicting agendas threatening the daily life of the other. There's also not mentioning that they simply hate each other worse than an Ogre hates bathing. The safety and security of a nation can't even bring them together.
A candle light lit in Cedric's eyes. The mission he and Lydia were tasked with weighed on his shoulders. He may dislike Roland to a high degree, however...it...brewed a sensation. A sense of feeling honored Roland trusted him with helping the Marquess. A chance to prove he is, indeed, the greatest sorcerer in Enchancia. Lydia felt the same way. With all the grief she and Roland hand been receiving because of her choice to study both magic and royal life, it cast a roy of hope for her future to succeed in solving this mystery. It would jot a gold mark on her resume. And would make Roland extremely proud of her. But neither one would receive their desired recognition is they continued on a bickering children. Lyndor would suffer worse than when that little witch arrived.
"We were entrusted with a task of utmost importance." Cedric broke the silence. "Magic is abusing normal lifestyles and creating fear future generations will uphold." He twisted a ways, emitting determination that seeped into Lydia. "We've got to put a stop to the little witch and her accomplice. Whomever he or she may be."
"Agreed." Lydia stretched out on the floor, folding her hands behind her head. Cedric gave her a curious look. "I do this when stumped. It's very therapeutic." Cedric shrugged and decided to join her. Oddly, in spite of feeling a little foolish, he started to relax. As if the ceiling above cleared the air. "Here's what we know so far: there are two witches in town."
"A younger and older." Cedric added as a fact. "That cloud was the product of a powdery substance. Very sophisticated, very difficult to make. Something a witchling would find challenging to make and use successfully."
"Okay." Lydia found logic in his claim. "Then that would require lots of prep time, right? Noisy, flashy prep time."
"What grand potion isn't nosy or flashy?" Cedric playfully countered. "Baileywick always complains when I'm brewing bomb-bomb pebbles for Fourth of July."
"Huh? You make bomb-bomb pebbles, too?"
"They're one of my favorites besides static cling patches." He was sent into a laughing fit. "You should have seen Princess Amber's hair when she accidentally put one on." Lydia held her stomach and mouth, trying not to laugh at her sister's expense.
"I love H2 grease lotion." Lydia announced giddily. "You mix water with some type of herbs and people are sent slipping away."
"A prankster, are we?" Cedric trilled playfully. Lydia pinched her thumb and index finger close. "I can appreciate that."
"As a witch, if you're trying to work," Lydia flipped onto her stomach, propped on her elbows and hands, "It would be pretty bothersome to have neighbors complaining. Hinders your work, and could possibly sabotage your experiment." She fluttered her feet, keeping her process flowing.
"Anyway, back to the matter at hand." Cedric and Lydia heaved to stop laughing. "The witches clearly needed time to make that powder. Which means you would need a secluded area to peacefully work." Cedric flipped on his stomach, propped on folded arms. "An area with no neighbors within ear shot, but would still need to be wary in case prying eyes lure curious passers by."
"That would then demand I do not work in the open..." Lydia trailed off, scanning the ground in sync with her train, "Instead in a place obscured from the general population. Well hidden."
"Or else we would have been found days ago." Cedric jumped to one knee. "TO THE MAPS!" He dragged Lydia by the hand, leading her into the almanac study. Cedric beamed spotting a map depicting all of Lyndor. "Look!" He placed a finger on the towns the witches visited, then trailed it to Hamil.
Lydia smiled. Hope filled her. "You maniacal genius, I could kiss you!"
"Later when this theory has been proven. Let us wake the Marquess."
"I sure hope she's a morning person." Lydia apprehensively saw the time was a quarter past two. "We owe her espresso after this."
"And crumpets. Crumpets are the key to a woman's heart."
"I hate crumpets."
"You don't have a heart."
"So ironic."
"There you two are!" Constable Miles interjected on their banter.
"Constable Miles, are you just getting back?" Lydia gasped.
"Yes…Princess." He suppressed a yawn, stretching his tired body. "And I bring news." Cedric handed the tired man hot tea. Miles graciously accepted it. "It's more of a common thread than news. I'm skeptical it means much."
"We'll tell you what we found if you tell us." Lydia offered jokingly.
Miles chuckled at the terms. Lydia was becoming more bold in her position. "Searching the town, as per your orders, I asked the locals about the town, taking an interest in its history."
"You'll have to share that with me after this."
"I will. But I'll divulge the most interesting part now." Lydia and Cedric were on their toes. "The forest is a popular spot for gathering, and a trade route. Recently, since our witch friends arrived, visits to that forest have all but stopped." Cedric and Lydia just paused. A unanimous epiphany striking them like lightning. Then they smiled at one another, knowing their plan was going to begin without a hitch.
"Did I...say something?" Miles half smiled. When those two got along, it made him anxious if the pigs would fly by again.
"YOU'RE A GENIUS!" Cedric and Lydia grabbed him by the arms and took him away.
xXx
Marla woke up in the middle of the night, bothered by her room getting so stuffy. She was careful not to bump anything making her way to the window. Lucinda was sleeping right next door. She was a remarkably light sleeper.
Pushing the window open, a gust of fresh air dried her sweat in seconds. It felt great on her. The sound of the thick trees rustling was soothing. She could fall asleep at the window. She tucked hair behind her ear, looking up at the sky. All the moon had to do was be replaced by the sun and it'll be a matter of passing time.
"Just a few more hours and we can leave." She mumbled to herself. "I need that cauldron. I can't leave with it."
xXx
Miles, Lydia, and Cedric took a few hours to get some sleep before waking up the entire manor. They ended up collapsing in the hallway on couches. They woke up just as dawn was starting to break. A perfect time, as Bertrand began waking up the staff and Marquess to begin their busy schedules.
Lydia pardon her intrusion as Ursa was getting dressed. She requested breakfast be held in the council room, and that the guard attend. She, Cedric, and Miles had a breakthrough in the case, and were confident in the hiding place of the witches.
"Hiding?!" Ursa gasped.
"In the forest." Lydia directed everyone's attention to the map Cedric and Miles laid out on the table. "Vanerous Den has steep hills as well as pitfalls. Those pitfalls are canyons with caves perfect for hiding. Malen Cove has wharfs and abandoned housings condemned by the town. And Hamil Town has a forest that's losing visitors with all the rumors."
"The witches have been limiting their route to places void of too much traffic." Miles concluded confidently. "Precisely why they avoided the main city."
"Let's say they are hiding," The Captain stepped forth, glowering at Lydia, "How do we plan to find them?"
"Miles informed me there's a spot in the forest where strange lights and voices are heard."
"Here." He tapped where the road ends as a cut off, as well as the end of the city limit. "Most of the reports are directed here. Meaning the witches will have to be there."
"Then lets go on a full raid and chase them out!" The captain hooted, encouraging his men. "We'll run those witches back to whatever gingerbread house they came from."
"I am afraid it won't be so simple." Cedric indifferently killed the mood. "Attacking blindly is not only unnecessary, but unwise."
"Not only that," Lydia was hesitant about the plan, "Cedric and I should be enough to handle them."
"No offense to the two of you, Princess," The captain guffawed haughtily, "But the forest is too dangerous for a girl and skinny sorcerer." The guard chuckled, ruffling not only Ursa but her esteemed guests. "And seeing as you two were outwit by a kid witch-"
"Alae Somer!" (Wings of Hermes) Lydia blurted. The Captain's shoes grew wings. His laughing stopped when he was flipped upside down, carried a few feet in the air.
"Hey! Put me down! What are you doing?!" He fought with his shoes. They bounced him vigorously so he couldn't reach. The guards were stunned by the flapping. Cedric, Ursa, Miles, and Bertrand were trying not to laugh. Eezeyal and Wormwood were on the floor, rolling over laughing. Lydia bordley lowered a finger. The wings dissipated and he was dropped on his head. "Why you…!" He pulled up by the table, frothing at the mouth.
"No offense to you, Captain," Lydia smirked, "The kid witch will do that to all of you and drop you in a lake somewhere." The Captain grit his teeth, ashamed he was outwit by a princess. "Besides, noise will only alert them. We need to be discreet. Miles, can I count on you to watch our back."
"Always, Princess." He saluted.
"I want to come!" Ursa declared adamantly. "Lyndor is my responsibility! I want these witches to know I will not stand by any longer!"
"Then I must insist you stay close to your Captain and Miles." Lydia decreed.
"You want me to come?!" The Captain was taken aback.
"Of course. Lady Ursa needs her top man on the job." She gave him a thumbs up.
"Uh...right."
xXx
Sunlight broke through the forest trees, touching Lucinda's round cheeks. She shielded the sun with a hand, loving the feel of the fresh air and warm light on her. The way the light reflected off the ripe fruit in her basket made them seem all the more delicious. Mushrooms and herbs on the ground were just begging to be picked. Maybe if she hurried, she can pick enough to make a type of stew for lunch.
Floating on her broom, Lucinda picked a few more apples and oranges, tossing them in her basket. She drifted to the ground, kneeling to gather what more she needed. If she's right, Marla should be packing up their things to move soon. Once the cauldron reaches them, it'll just be a matter of getting out of Dodge and putting all this silliness behind them.
"Man I wish that cauldron would get here." She grumbled impatiently, pulling special grass out of the ground. "I can't wait to go back home and use it. Plus, I'm starting to miss my room."
"You'll have to wait a while longer." A girl's voice snapped.
"Anguis erat herba!" (Snake Grass) A man howled. The grass stretched and constricted Lucinda's ankles, torso, and arms, toppling her like a cut tree. She hit the ground with a thud. Her wand rolled at the feet of a small group.
"WHAT THE…?!" She shrieked. Lydia and Cedric glowered disdainfully at the little witch. Ursa, The Captain, and Miles were a little disappointed by Lucinda. "How...how did you-"
"You caught us off guard, Kid!" Cedric lifted her by the back collar, glaring daggers straight in her trembling soul. "But do not assume you're smarter than us!"
"This is who's been causing all this trouble?" The Captain blinked blankly, unsure how to take this. "I'm...I'm a little embarrassed a kid was doing this."
"She's so cute!" Ursa cooed, cupping her cheeks.
"SHE'S NOT CUTE! SHE'S EVIL!" Lydia roared. She wanted to strangle Lucinda with the gooey, candy rope. "Your partner! Where is she?"
"As if I'm going to tell you!" Lucinda spat. A vein in Lydia's head tensed. She picked something up off the ground and dangled it in front of Lucinda. She screamed shrilly at the worm wriggling inches from her nose. Miles and Cedric were grossed out by her willingness to touch that.
"You can ask my sister, Sofia. I'm not above putting this in your dress!" Lucinda wiggling violently, trying in vain to get away. "Where...is...your...PARTNER?!"
xXx
Maral hummed thoughtfully, glancing at her black cat pocket watch. "Lucinda should have been back by now."
There was an opened notice beside her stating what she was waiting for would arrive as early as nine in the morning instead of late in the afternoon. It suited her fine. Waiting for it was just becoming a chore. It was 20 minutes till. Marla was hoping Lucinda would be done gathering supplies before then so they can pack up the rest of their things and be on the road.
"I wonder what's taking her so long." Marla itched her head. She got up from her chair and decided to head outside. Maybe Lucinda was walking up right now. If not, she was going to go look for her. It was dangerous for Lucinda to be out by herself for too long. She has a bad happen of creating accidental hexes.
But when Marla opened the door, she was stunned to see Lucinda brought friends with her. Unhappy friends. Two sorcerers, a noble, and two soldiers. "Hi mom." Lucinda waved her tied hand shamefully.
"What the heck do you all think you're doing?!" Marla roared. "Put her down now!"
"We should be asking you that!" Ursa roared back, approaching Marla with a hateful scowl. "I am Marquess Ursa of Lyndor! To whom am I speaking."
"Marla! The wicked witch of no particular direction!" She answered sardonically. "And that there is my daughter, Lucinda! I would gladly like her back now!"
"You'll get her back when you've answered for your crimes!"
"And what crimes would that be?"
"You and your young friend here have been stirring up trouble and terrorizing the citizens of my land!"
"Of course we were!" Marla admitted with no shame. "We're WITCHES! Our kind have generations worth of trouble making behind us! We're not privileged like sorcerers!" A stab at Lydia and Cedric. "That aside, no one was hurt!"
"You could have hurt someone with that cloud prank of yours!" Miles snapped.
"No we couldn't have!" Lucinda cried out. "The cloud is like a balloon! It would have lost air and gently lowered you after an hour!"
"But those two decided to pop the thing and drop you on spongy grass!"
"Because we TOTALLY knew that cloud was a balloon." Lydia snapped back heatedly.
"Guess you're not much of a sorceress if you can't tell the difference." Marla sniggered.
"What'd you say to me, you hag?!"
"Now, now, Princess, calm down!" Miles and the captain grabbed hold of her."
"Excuse me!" The commotion stopped when a man pulling a cart showed up. A tarp covered a large object, protecting it from the elements. "I'm looking for a Marla and Lucinda."
"YAY! IT CAME EARLY!" Marla and Lucinda ran to the cart. The others blinked confusedly. When Marla pulled the tarp off, a sheen, grey cauldron gleamed in the revealing light. "Oh yes! It's looks just as good as it does in the catalog!"
"Say what?!" Cedric, Lydia, and Ursa gaped.
"We've been going from town to town for days trying to get here for this!" Marla explained, caressing the cauldron dreamily.
"In our home town we would have had to wait three more weeks before it showed it." Lucinda explained the madness of moving. "So we gave an address to our great-great Uncles old cottage and got it early."
"They came all the way here to shorten the wait time?" Miles thought about it for a second. "Hm. It makes sense."
"WAIT A MINUTE!" Lydia clamped a hand on Lucinda's head, turning her to face the fiery music. "You mean to tell me you trapped me with this Palace Wand Waver...FOR A CAULDRON?!" Lydia's head erupted."
"Noo…" Marla stole her daughter back, cutting the grass with a finger swipe. "For a magical cauldron! Guaranteed to never rust, charr, and comes with nonstick oil spread!"
"Ooh." Cedric drooled over the impressive cookware. "Does it come with the heat proof ladle and a stainless glass lid?"
"And the handle is made of chai wood. It never becomes brittle, doesn't heat, and is strong enough to support of full cauldron."
"AH! I'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET AHOLD OF THAT FOR MONTHS!"
"I scooped the last one. Sorry. They'll have more by December."
"REALLY?! YAY!"
"CAN YOU CATALOG SHOPPER SQUEAL LATER?! YOU!" She thrust the link in Lucinda's face. "UNLINK US BEFORE I STRANGLE SOMEONE!" Lucinda bobbed her head fretfully. She tapped the goop and Lydia and Cedric were free of each other like that. What a relief that was. "Thank you! Ugh! I can't believe this! All this for a piece of cookery!" She stormed off.
"Young people don't appreciate good cauldrons." Marla scoffed.
"They certainly don't." Cedric groaned.
xXx
After that whole fiasco, Maral and Lucinda gave a half baked apology for the trouble they caused. They're witches. What can they say? Hexes and tricks and being wicked is a family trait. With a rope tied to their cauldrons and brooms they flew off into the sky, returning to wherever their home was. Ursa would be lying if she didn't secretly hope they didn't come back.
Lydia, Cedric, and Miles were thanked for their help, and were apologized to up, down, and sideways for all the trouble they had to endure. The trio assured her it was no trouble at all. Lydia enjoyed it actually. She couldn't' wait to tell Roland and the others about their trip.
The coachman snapped the reins, the pegasi got in a good running start, and off they were back to Enchancia. Ursa waved them in a fond farewell, hoping to see them again. Miles, Lydia, and Cedric were so worn out they didn't wave for long. They slowly started to fall asleep, unable to wait to get back home to their beds. Eezeyal slept in the bag with Ubos, finding it warm and cozy.
Unfortunately, Lydia's sleep was cut short. Large talons gripping her shoulder startled her awake. Even more shocking was those talons belonging to Wormwood. Lydia and Eezeyal were about to demand an explanation. A menacing smile stretched the raven's beak ear to ear. It unnerved them.
"No light reading during the trip home?" He crooned. Ubos and Eezeyal heard the bird's snide tone.
"Umm...no?" She was unsure how to answer that.
"Oh, what a shame. Does Ubos not find it stuffy sitting in that bag all day?" Lydia, Eezeyal, and even Ubos's hearts just stopped. A pit the size of a baseball plummeted into Lydia's lower stomach. Her hand protectively rested onto her satchel, preventing Ubos from emerging or Wormwood from sticking his beak where it doesn't belong. "Have I said something wrong?" Wormwood played off, clearly not bothering to hide his beaming pride.
"Where did you hear that name?" Lydia growled under her breath.
"What name?"
"Yew know wut name, Ebon-eezer!" Eezeyal barked. His feather ruffled, a couple fell to the carriage. "How do ya know the name Ubos?"
"The Princess said it...while talking to her bag in Hamil." He smugly added the last part. He ate up Lydia and Eezeyal's anxiety. "Quite the lucky Sorceress, Princess. A talking book as a teacher? A gift from the fairies, no doubt."
"So what if he is?!" Eezeyal chose to speak for Lydia. Constable Miles and Cedric would blow it off as animal chit-chat. He will apologize to Ubos left and right when they return to Enchancia. But there was no point in trying to recover from Wormwood's accusations. "Whatcha gonna do about it? Yew can't talk to Cedric!"
"True that, Feather Duster." Wormwood sardonically sighed. "While Cedric does not have Thornberry Objects, he does however possess a keen sense of my mannerisms." That victorious grin returned to his beak. It did not take long for Lydia and Eezeyal to see where he was going with this. "Every time you train, any time you think you're alone, I want you to check the shadows. Because that's where I'll be - with Cedric - ready to help him acquire a new means of taking Enchancia from Roland."
"Don't be stewpid, Wormwood! Ubos would never work for ya!" Eezeyal reassured him. "And even if he did, I doubt Cedric could conquer Enchancia with a book."
"A book with speech capabilities possesses immense knowledge and power." Wormwood spread his wings. "Power that will soon be ours." Without another word Wormwood flew back to Cedric's shoulder.
Lydia placed a hand where he stood, feeling those talons place the curse of his threat on her. "It would seem there are two I need to worry about." Lydia declared.
"Good thing yew got back up." Eezeyal snuggled to her cheek.
"Yeah…" Lydia cupped his head, "Good thing."
Till next time.