"Well, it was certainly nice meeting you Angela," Colleen smiled, her daughter Maya happily thrusting a plate of sugar cookies into her arms. She waved goodbye to the Inn owners. She had already met the bartender and his daughter, the tailors, and the good doctor and midwife. All that was left of this portion of the island was this Wizard everyone directed her to when she asked about the Harvest King.

"I hope this Wizard likes cookies."

"I told you not to speak to me!" Hissed Grendel, whipping her head from side to side to make sure no one heard her.

"Grendel, I get the feeling people around here think I'm weird, where's the harm in talking to you?"

"Because you're here under a ruse. What if these people found out that every plant you touch dies, Miss Farmer?"

"That's not true!"

"Might as well be..." Grendel remembers when Angela was young and tried to raise her own potted flowers. Though it had nothing to do with her unique abilities, she could never keep one alive longer than two weeks. Every time a plant was either under watered or over watered, or maybe she would forget to place it in a spot where plenty of sunlight spilled forward. Why she decided she would disguise herself as a farmer was beyond Grendel's comprehension.

"Here we are. Did you notice that giant telescope poking through the back windows?" she asked while she pounded against the door. "He may know some astral magic."

"Maybe. That could be helpful in your endeavors."

When no one answered, Angela pounded harder, and then harder still. Nothing.

"I guess no one's home." She turned to leave, heading up the hill towards the church.

"Have you ever been in a church, Angela?" Asked Grendel quietly.

"Nope, but I can't wait!" Grendel, on the other hand, could. She had no idea what to expect when a necromancer stepped into such a holy sanctuary. Angela was far from an demented demon worshipper, but her powers may complicate things.

She stopped in her tracks when they reached the foot of the immaculate building. In awe she gazed at the fine white masonry, the way the sun's position made the church appear as if it were glowing, and the stunning stained glass windows. "It's incredible."

"Yes, it truly is." The priest Perry couldn't help but notice the newcomer admiring the town's pride and joy, and immediately stepped out through the large wooden doors to greet her. "Are you the new farmer everyone is talking about?"

"Yes, I am. My name's Angela, and this is Grendel." She motioned toward the small black cat. "Oh, here you go." If she was going to eat anything, it had to have lemon as its main ingredient. She pushed the cookies into the priest's arms.

"Thank you very much. These look delicious." He smiled. Angela blushed; it felt nice to have genuine human interactions. It had been too long.

"I have a question, if you don't mind. What do you know about the Harvest King?"

"Why, he is our great creator. Without the bountiful gifts we receive from him and the Goddess we would not be alive today."

"Then why hasn't he risen?"

"Risen? What are you talking about?"

"You know," she made a motion with her hands, starting towards the ground until they reached her shoulders. "Risen."

He looked at her, skeptical. "The Harvest King is always watching over us from the heavens. He is always by our sides."

"What? No he isn't," she looked from her left to her right. "I don't see him at all."

"I mean in spirit. There isn't a human being worthy enough to actually witness the Harvest King in all his glory, none that I know of. Not even the Harvest Papal has had a vision."

"Oh, I see." She glanced down at Grendel who shot a quick look her way. "Well, thank you anyway. Take care."

"What's up with that priest? Saying that the Harvest King cannot appear to anyone." Curled up on her bed quilt, Angela faced Grendel who folded herself into a ball of black fur.

"What he said was that no human being could see the bodily form of the Harvest King."

"But I'm human."

"I guess you are technically, but you lack a certain handicap most humans have. You've been touched by other worldly beings."

"I don't know..."

"Don't be like that Angela," Grendel had crawled up to face Angela, who had flopped over on her back. "You know you're different."

"Yeah yeah," she rose to her feet and headed for the window, staring out. "Do you feel something Grendel?"

"Something? What's wrong?"

"There's someone out there!" Angela raced for the door and threw it open. The form began running away down the hill, and Angela gave chase until she was able to tackle the intruder.

"Who are you?" She shouted, use to people vandalizing her living quarters, where ever she may stay. And after many years of dealing with that simple fact, Angela was getting fed up.

"Get off of me!" The voice of a female rose from the ground.

"No! Why were you lurking around my house?"

The heaved and sighed under Angela until she finally caught her breath. "You're here to resurrect the Harvest King, aren't you?"

Angela was taken aback, and let up some of her weight on the struggling girl. "What of it?"

"I'm here to help!"

She was skeptical. "Oh yeah? How do you know why I moved here?"

"Because I performed a ritual to glimpse briefly into the future, to see if this island's plight would ever lift, and you showed up."

Somehow, Angela believed her. She carefully rose off the girl. "Who are you?"

She brushed the dust off her black clothing before she spoke. "I'm Vivi, most around here just refer to me as the Witch." She winked her orange eyes. "But I prefer the Witch Princess!"

"You're a witch?"

"Why yes I am. Do you mind if we continue this conversation inside? It's a little nippy out here."

She poured tea for Vivi, and lemonade for herself. Grendel was intensely interrogating the witch. "What is the current status for Castanet?"

"Not good," she shook her head, taking a swig of her tea. "I have a brilliant idea for bringing forth the Harvest King, but the Wizard doesn't think so."

"The Wizard?" Angela asked, intrigued. "I think he could be quite helpful."

"Why?" Vivi sounded offended. "He's nothing but a stargazer! I don't even think he can use any spells!"

"How do you know?"

"Well, he's never once gave a love potion to any of the girls on the island, despite their constant requests. All he does is look through his telescope or into his crystal ball, pretending he could see into the future. He's infuriating."

Maybe this guy wasn't all that. But the necromancer in Angela could not ignore the fact that her teachings told of the amazing power of astral magic, and how helpful it can be in bringing back the dead. "The three of us could be a powerful force."

"No, the two of us could be a powerful force. Listen, you're new in town, so take it from me. The Wizard is a fraud, a wannabe."

To this Angela had no response. She took a long drag on her icy lemonade. "Boy it's getting late."

Suddenly Vivi felt very awkward. "You're right, I should head back."

"Wait," Angela stopped her as she headed for the door. "Why were you sneaking around? You could have just knocked."

"I wanted to make sure you hadn't become chummy with that Wizard, and that he was in here with you."

At this hour? Why I never! "You really don't like this guy do you?"

"No!"

"Why not?"

"I'll tell you about that. Someday."