AUTHORS NOTE:

Archer1Eye: Thanks so much!

Drouppi: 3

Slyksylva: Thank you! More family time this chapter, but might be a while until we see Shard again.

TrimusicaDrag00n90: Thanks so much for the favourite!

Chapter 29

19th Day of Late Winter 768 n.c

I tried to help Mother with dinner but Illith put on such a grumpy face that I didn't push when Mother told me that it wasn't necessary. It did make me feel a little useless though, so I spent a little bit of time wandering around the farm looking for things to cast Mending upon. One axe handle, a set of leather reigns and one pair of shoes later I returned into the kitchen and sat down at the table.

I answered Mother's and the girl's questions about my tenday and the things I had learned. Illith mostly asked questions about Alladrial and Kara mostly wanted to know about what I could do with my magic. Between Illiith's questions, Kara was able to run through a list of around ten things that I had to tell her I couldn't do.

"Can you turn someone into an animal?"

"No."

"Can you make a lightning bolt?"

"No."

"Can you bring me a dragon?"

"No."

When Illith asked me a question about Alladrial's appearance for the third time I realised that I could do better than just vaguely describe him. I concentrated on his appearance, fixing it firmly in my mind and cast the Minor Illusion spell onto the kitchen table. Up sprung a three foot high Alladrial, standing there in a pose that I must have subconsciously noted him regularly taking. It looked real, as if the miniature Alladrial would at any moment open his mouth and start talking. I had to clear my throat to get them to look at me. I pointed out the miniature image of a stationary Alladrial standing on the surface and Kara actually dropped the bowl she was holding, it hit the floor and smashed into pieces.

"Oh! I'm sorry Mother, I'm sorry," She apologised.

Mother smiled at her, "Not to worry Kara, you got a big surprise. Go have a look, but carefully mind, look out for the shards of the bowl."

I kept my concentration of the illusion up and gestured to mother, "Bring me the shards Mother, I'll repair the bowl."

Mother picked up the shards into one hand and brought them over while Illith and Kara both ooh'd and aah'd over the illusionary Alladrial.

She put them down onto the table in front of me and looked at me in concern, "You're not tired?"

I took a mental stock of myself, a little bit confused and confidently said "No, I'm fine. I don't feel tired at all."

Seven more Mending spells later the bowl was back together good as new. The illusionary Alladrial vanished just as I finished the last one and I handed the bowl back to Mother, whose frown disappeared moments after I looked at her. I wondered what she was frowning at, was she worried or upset about something? I couldn't think what she was concerned about or what might have angered her.

I was distracted from my thoughts by Kara asking me to "Bring the elf back Shar! Bring the elf back!" Illith was nodding along with her and giving me please eyes.

"Now now girls, don't go bothering Sharein, magic isn't a toy and Sharein isn't a performing monkey," Mother admonished them.

They stopped their begging and contritely went back to preparing dinner.

"When Father and the boys get back," I told them, "I'll make another illusion to show them."

"So long as it won't tire you out too much," Mother said with a nod and a smile.

"You haven't heard any news from Missus Meadowbroek in the past tenday have you Mother?" I asked.

"No, not yet," Mother replied, "I dare say that you shall find out even before Missus Meadowbroek does Sharein."

I let out a little laugh, "I know, I'm just surprised it hasn't happened yet. I've been expecting her to knock on Malkarov's door all tenday."

"What hasn't happened yet Shar?" Kara asked and Illith shushed her quietly.

"Mari might have some happy news soon," Mother said to Kara.

"Missus Meadowbroek actually went into town yesterday," Mother told me, "which is how I knew about the gossip surrounding your trousers."

"Missus Rose?" I asked.

Mother nodded with a laugh, "Apparently she had the most to say on the topic, then Missus Redfox and Missus Trander. Although Missus Meadowbroek told me that Missus Imbier actually had a request."

"A request?" I asked, confused. Brahdi's Mother seemed the most… understanding of my new choice of clothes.

Mother let out a loud laugh, "She's hoping I'll lend her a pair to copy out and adjust for Brahdi."

An image of Brahdi sashaying around Easthaven wearing trousers like mine on her wide hips with a long line of drooling unmarried men behind her made me laugh aloud.

Mother and the girls all waited patiently for my laughter to slow so that I could explain what set me off, which made Mother laugh uproariously and the girls to laugh along (although I couldn't be sure that Illith at least knew what she was laughing at.

Mother started to instruct Illith on how to make dinner, telling her to take a taste at one point to see if it needed more salt.

"Wait until it thickens just enough to cover the back of the spoon," she instructed her at one point and I thought back to my potions lesson with Malkarov.

I realised that when I cooked, I followed the way Mother taught me; little signs to look for to see when the right time was to add the new ingredient, working by taste and by smell. Malkarov wanted me to follow a recipe to the letter with no deviation! It was completely different to everything I had ever known about cooking and I approached it in the same manner. It made me realise that I should have been treating potion making just as I'd treated all of the other things I'd been learning; with no prior knowledge.

I must have made some sort of noise unknowingly, as Mother looked over at me.

I explained to her, "I didn't do very well with my first attempt to brew a potion and I just realised that I was trying to do it in the same manner that I cook."

"At least until you've learned to recognise any of the signs yourself," Mother suggested, partially understanding the problem.

"The biggest difficulty I had was that I had to follow written instructions," I told her.

Mother thought for a moment, "Perhaps you could ask to read the instruction prior to making it? That way you could imagine and plan through what you're doing?"

"That's a good idea," I said, "I'll ask Malkarov on the 'morrow."

Mother looked through the window at the sky after they put the dinner over the fire, "Would you mind calling Father and the boys in Sharien?"

"Of course Mother," I said as I stood up and went outside in search of my father and brothers.

They were off in one of the paddocks repairing a fence. Rather than call out to them, I decided to just walk out to let them know. Dinner was going to take a while to cook, so they had time. They didn't notice as I approached and a spark of cheekiness took me over.

I cast Minor Illusion on the other side of them, as far towards the forest as I could make it.

"Father, boys!" Came the shout, "Dinner is on and will be ready in a bit!"

All of them spun around to look towards the forest. I giggled a little. Father raised his hand above his eyes to shield them as he searched for me. Jocam took a few steps. I giggled a bit more, but stayed where I was; about twenty feet away.

I cast Minor Illusion again to whisper right behind Jocam's ear, "I'm right behind you."

He spun, screamed, jumped and backpedaled all at once. That did it for me; I let out a huge guffaw and slapped my hand against my thigh. Jocam flushed red in embarrassment and anger briefly but quickly laughed along with me. I soon had everyone laughing at the trick I had played on them, but only Jocam knew the full extent.

Once we had all recovered, Father thanked me for letting them know about dinner and they all got back to what they were doing. I stayed to watch them for a short while before heading back inside.

Father and the boys followed me inside shortly after, having already washed up and kicked the mud from their boots.

"That smells delicious Mother!" Jocam praised as he walked in, it definitely did; The smell of creamy, cheesy, bacon and flowering cabbage dispelled the outside chill. It was a delicious winter dish.

"Thank Illian and Kara, Jocam, they did all of the hard work," Mother told him and my sisters basked in the praise when Jocam thanked them even more loudly than he did Mother.

Dinner was, in fact, delicious. Afterwards, while we all sat around the table, I answered questions and told my family more about what I had learned. Kara reminded me of my promise to re-perform the illusionary Alladrial. Father and the boys were all impressed by the miniature elf, which prompted more questions. By the time bed-time arrived I was in fact quite a bit tired. Perhaps mostly from all of the talking.

I fell asleep quickly but woke up at some point during the night. I wasn't immediately sure what woke me, but I could hear the cows bawling outside. It was the wrong time of the year to be weaning calves. That was strange, whatever woke me up must have woken them. Then I heard footsteps outside my room. I pulled the covers back and crept out, opening the door as quietly as I could. Father was in the hallway in his nightclothes, Jocam next to him blinking out the sleep from his eyes.

"What is it?" I whispered.

"Not sure," Father said, "it sounds like there's something out there. It could be anything."

We walked into the kitchen and he bent down to light a taper in the coals of the fire.

"Wait," I said quietly, "I can make light."

Father nodded and reached instead for a small but thick branch, ready to be added to the fire. He handed it to me and I cast Light on it. The kitchen lit up with my strange black light.

I handed the stick to Father and we all made our way to the door. Jocam and Father picked up the boar spears from beside the door and Father opened the door. We headed out into the darkness, the light from my stick quickly creating a dome of light that made everything twenty feet in front of us appear as clear as if it were midday. We heard a noise off near the cows, but as soon as we looked that way it stopped. We proceeded forward until we could just make out the shadows of the cows at the edge of my light, they were in the corner of the paddock squished together in distress, pushing up against the wooden fence trying to get through.

"There's one missing," Father whispered.

I bent down slowly and picked up one of the rocks that lined the vegetable garden we were standing next to.

I cast Light onto the rock and handed it to Jocam, "Here, throw this."

Jocam brought back his hand and threw. The black light sailed up into the air to land with thump into the middle of the paddock. Immediately it lit up seven or eight little shaped, that scurried back away from the magical rock. They were small, brown scaled creatures standing only about three feet tall. They resembled lizards, if lizards stood on two feet and wore loincloths. Two long, thin horns grew out from their heads, which appeared to have other spikes growing from the back of them. They were not uniformly brown, like some snakes or lizards they appeared to have a pattern of lighter brown on them. Each pattern appeared slightly different however. They had blood on their muzzles and appeared to have backed away from the large shape of one of our cows. Each of the creatures held a dagger or knife in it's hand.

"Kobolds," Father whispered, "unless they are very hungry, we should be able to scare them away. Be loud and threatening."

Father started screaming, yelling for them to "Go Away!" and "Run! Bugger off!"

Jocam and I joined in and when Father started shaking his spear above his head Jocam did likewise.

The kobolds huddled together, one or two looked about to turn away and run but others grabbed hold of them. I couldn't hear if they were talking, or if they were what they were indeed saying. After a moment though, they seemed to get a sense of confidence and they became resolute. They brandished their knives and hissed back at us, starting to take steps closer and closer. They moved around the body of the cow but joined ranks to form a long line that advanced menacingly.

"Be ready Jocam," Father whispered, "Sharein, when I yell out run to the house and bar the doors."

'No!' I thought, I couldn't do that. I couldn't leave them to the mercies of those little devils that would kill one of our cows and eat it raw!

But… what could I do? If only Malkarov had shown me that Elemental Bolt spell!