It did not quite suffice to say that Mimi was confused. Her mind spun through the tilted plane of disequilibrium as she tried to discover just what was going on. Happening. Happened. But the only true fact was that she was standing in a dark basement lit only by dying stub of candle wearing nothing but a filthy vegetable tarp staring down at someone who had completely replaced her friend.

Where was Blake when she needed him to be useful?

All right, Mimi, she thought. Do something. Anything.

But "anything" was a broad selection. She leaned back against the dank wall, trying desperately not to panic. She was a sorcerer's daughter. Strange things should not bewilder her. Yes. Calm down was what she needed to do, think normally, and find something useful to do.

This man, Jacob, or whoever he was, had been shot right through the shoulder. Weatherbold had kept medical books, some anyway. Had she not read any at some point? And wasn't there some rationality in basic care of a wound?

Cloths and hot water could be found easily. But when she tried the door she found it locked. No doubt Isaac had bolted it. But Blake had been able to push open the bolt. She jerked the doorknob again. Something was stopping it. Curse that Isaac.

With her teeth and hands she store out a decent-sized section of tarp. The cell held some water which she fetched along with the remainder of the candle. Wax nearly spilled onto her hands as she crept through the basement. For some reason she craved to be as silent as possible. Like unnecessary sound would bring everything in the cellar to life. Setting the candle on the step above her, she knelt down at the man's side and pressed the wet tarp against his shoulder.

The wound did not look bad at all. Oh, there was definite sign something had happened to it, but the bleeding had stopped and there was not much in the way of a bullet hole. Odd.

The man grimaced and groaned at the tarp's touch. Well, why shouldn't he? The tarp was scratchy and filthy. But she kept at it, gently scraping away the dried blood and wondering what she would do afterwards.

She wasn't even supposed to be here.

The shoulder was almost clean when the man's eyes flickered open. They were large and gray and extremely confused. Just how she felt. "What happened?" The voice was low, exhausted, and… Jacob's.

Her breath caught in her throat, and she let go of the piece of tarp.

He struggled to sit up, pushing himself up with his arms. He was tall. " Ouch! Mimi? How late is it?"

"Clearly within the two o'clock hour." Goodness. Was the obvious her only response? She wanted to slap herself.

"Yeah, it would be." He stared at her, the dazed bewilderment still on his face. "What are you wearing?"

"A tarp I found." Another dose of the obvious. "But… Jacob?" She couldn't find a proper question beyond his name.

He finally noticed himself, and the dazed bewilderment only increased. He stared in amazement at his hands and arms then felt his face and hair. Yet it was a quick process, ending only in the whispered "It worked."

"What worked?" she demanded. All the confusion finally poured into her voice and it felt wonderful. "Jacob? Is that who you are? What is going on? Who and what are you?"

"The herb. The shadow's breath, whatever it's called. When I saw it, I recognized it. I wasn't sure, but I thought that maybe…"

She wanted to scream. She was tired and confused and she just wanted to scream. "What are you talking about?"

Jacob, if that was who it was, gingerly touched his shoulder. "I remember that freak shooting me. It doesn't look too bad. Maybe when the spell broke—"

She closed her eyes and sighed deeply. "What spell? You were under a spell?"

"I didn't exactly make a point of mentioning it."

She opened her eyes. He was staring at his fingers like he had never seen them before. "It's how you understood me. That's how. No one could understand me but Blake because he was under the same spell. But then you understood me. Of course. Why didn't I think about it before? Why didn't you say something?"

"I didn't know I was supposed to."

Another scream burned in her throat. "I am under a spell! Right now! You didn't say anything! Like the fact you were also under a spell?"

His hands dropped into his lap. "Why? It wasn't like it was a huge problem in my life. I could talk. I had a job. People liked me. I was doing fine. There wasn't any seeable way to break it anytime soon."

"But you should have said something."

"Mimi, you're the one that had the problem. You were a goose. You had been kidnapped. Nowhere near home. And I was supposed to dwell on my own problems?"

She had no reply to that, not one she could voice. She pulled her knees into her chest, feeling more modest. Why was she in a tarp? "What happened? How long were you Dwarf Long-nose?"

"About five years."

"Just before you came here?"

He nodded. "And before that I was a squirrel."

"What? Like Blake? And before that?"

"Human."

The candle's flame flailed on its wick. "Were there any other candles in that cell thing?"

Mention of the cell seemed to confuse him. "Huh? I think there was another one."

"I'll go get it."

"You don't want me to get it?"

"No. I… I really need to think about this. I need to move. And you just got shot." She stood up. "Just… tell me what happened."

Jacob sighed. "Wow. That was a long time ago. Haven't really thought about it in forever. I was twelve at the time. Kids are dumb. This old hag came into town. Not Ralwood, some place else a few miles off. And, being a dumb kid, I insulted her, made fun of her. But then my mother made me carry her groceries home for her."

Mimi faltered over the floor of the cell until her fingers closed on something long and waxy. "Found it."

"You should have taken the other candle."

She tripped her way back and lit the fresh candle. It doubled the light in the cellar. "So she changed you into a squirrel for insulting her?"

"Yes. I personally think she overreacted. She lived in this strange house, full of squirrels and guinea pigs. Other victims of hers."

"That's the house you said you lived in. Where you learned to cook."

"Chores. We were her furry little slaves. Turned out I had talent in the kitchen, so that's where I wound up."

"And you never tried to escape?"

He shrugged. "A few times, I guess. Never worked, and I was too scared to try harder. And so I spent about seven years as a squirrel. The, one day, she cast another spell. Fed me that herb. I left after that. And then I saw the herb again and I thought it would maybe turn me back. And apparently it worked. And here I am." He tried to stand, but slipped. "Ow. I don't know this body. I wonder if they'll still want to kill me."

The door. "We need to leave while it's dark. I don't know where Blake is and the door's locked."

Jacob swore under his breath, but nodded. "We'll try again." With more success he climbed to his feet and up the stairs. He heaved his body against the door. "I think something is blocking it. Help me."

The fourth pounding blow against the door finally proved fruitful. The door blew open and sent something large and heavy skidding—a table. They both fell to the floor, panting.

"Finally," said Blake's voice. He hopped down from the very table that had blocked the door. "That guard pushed the table over. I couldn't move it. I know I shouldn't have left but…" His voice trailed off as he stared at Jacob. "Who are you?"

"It's Jacob," Mimi said as they stood up. "Really. Turns out we aren't the only two under a curse. Everyone is."

"I don't believe it! Lavender?"

"Some old woman. Turns out that stupid herb broke the spell."

"Oh." Blake took a moment to absorb everything.

"So are we going to leave here?" Jacob asked. "I definitely can't stay here. Nobody is going to recognize me."

"We should have left hours ago," Blake said.

"Let's get some stuff first," Mimi suggested. "It's the middle of the night. So we should have time."

"Money." Jacob pushed the table back in front of the door. "I'm not leaving my money this time."

"Yes, yes. We'll get everything we need. Go quick. We'll stay here."

"Hopefully I don't get caught. By the way, I don't understand a single thing that squirrel is saying." He vanished around the corner.

Mimi and Blake exchanged looks. "He doesn't understand me anymore?"

"It was the spell," she said softly. "He only understood us because of his spell."

Somewhere distantly, a clock chimed. One. Two. Three.

"Curse time," Blake muttered.

Her body shrunk, and feathers appeared. The tarp fell to the floor.

Soon after Jacob returned. The new Jacob. Or the old Jacob, whichever it was. A bag was thrown over his shoulder and he wore brown slacks and a dull green shirt. "Stole them from the laundry."

Mimi couldn't say a word to him.