witchcraft and sorcery

[witchwatcher]

For a brief moment, in a certain part of fairyland there is a tear that leads to the cold sky above a snow-covered hilly forest somewhere in the mortal world.

Comments

[imeanforever]

"I've never been there. The middle of it?"

[witchwatcher]

"Dead center, yep I can 'port there. Anything we ought to do before going?"

"Not that I can think of," Copycat says. "But remember: Nicknames at all times in Fairyland. I'm Copycat, you're Scatter, she's Promise."

[imeanforever]

"And don't eat anything you didn't bring or that might have been tampered with."

[witchwatcher]

"Right. Off we go, then. Brace for transport in three. Two. One."

And they're in fairyland, about a hundred feet above the geographic center of the valley continent.

[imeanforever]

Promise flaps. "I can turn Copycat invisible but I don't know Scatter well enough. I'll go down and find a place without any other fairies to bother us?"

[witchwatcher]

Copycat says, "Sure."

Scatter shrugs. "Copycat's paying me, whatever she says unless it's an obviously terrible idea."

[imeanforever]

"Assume every fairy besides me probably wants to enslave you and keep you as a pet," Promise advises, and she flies down.

Eventually she comes back up and says, "This way."

[witchwatcher]

The Witches follow. The smaller version of their flying-things are all three smaller, more maneuverable, and faster.

Scatter asks, "Is all of fairyland this pretty?"

[imeanforever]

"I'm not sure enough of your aesthetics to say. I guess." Promise lands in a splodge of uncultivated hedgerow.

[witchwatcher]

The two Witches follow. Copycat seems to be staring off into the distance in various directions.

"I have to agree with Scatter - this place is weird."

[imeanforever]

"Weird how?"

[witchwatcher]

"It's afternoon here, but night a couple dozen miles that way. Winter over there. And it seems to be flat as far as I can see. Not a planet."

[imeanforever]

"Oh. Yeah, I don't know all the daytime habits of the Valley Continent but that's not weird for Fairyland, and it's definitely not a planet."

[witchwatcher]

"Huh. Well, what now? Invisible us and then go for your tree? We're both fairly good at fighting, if it comes to that."

[imeanforever]

"My tree isn't anywhere near here and you do not want to get into a fight with my old master. I'll live in something that isn't my tree for the time being until he's probably not watching it anymore and then I would like a ride there to get a cutting of it. I'll transmute things for you in the meanwhile."

[witchwatcher]

"Works for me." She shows Promise a heavy-looking sack from inside her flying thing, and picks something out of it and tosses it to her. "Iron spheres, for once we find you a place. Since you need to be familiar with them."

[imeanforever]

Promise catches the sphere. "I spotted a river that way with nobody set up next to it. In a few minutes I'll be able to turn Scatter invisible."

[witchwatcher]

Scatter asks, "Any kinds of fairies I should particularly watch out for?"

[imeanforever]

"I don't know what kinds are common around here. The danger isn't so much any individuals' kind of magic or anything, it's sorcerers, who can be anyone, and fairies who feed you or get your names, which could also be anyone."

[witchwatcher]

"Is there a way to resist sorcery? I know Witches are naturally resistant to other Witches' magic."

[imeanforever]

"Not... as such? The reason I have to wait before I can turn you invisible is that sorcerers have to know their target. But a lot of them are faster than me at learning targets."

[witchwatcher]

"And anyone can learn sorcery, but you can only do it in fairyland," Copycat repeats, "I kind of want to learn it. More magic is always better."

Scatter nods. "Me too. Though it sounds like it'd take a while, and we've only got leave until Monday. And finding a teacher would be dangerous if Promise doesn't want to do it."

[imeanforever]

"I could, I guess. I'm not in the best... state... right now but I'll get better. It takes a long time to learn, though."

[witchwatcher]

"I can be patient. I want to still have some sort of magic when I get old. I'm already 23. My mana will start going down soon."

[imeanforever]

"Okay."