The Woodward Academy, Year 4

Chapter 2: July

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

David was sitting under a tree, relaxing. He was sucking on a lime-flavored pixie stick, and watching Jailla play a game of chase with another bird. It was a very warm day, and he was simply relaxing, enjoying the sun. He would have another lesson with Lord Woodward in the evening, but his daytimes were his own. After the stress of his trip south, he was enjoying being able to take a couple weeks to just rest.

Suddenly, he felt a buzzing in his coat pocket. He reached in and withdrew his mirror.

"Hello?" he answered. Madame Abernathy's face appeared.

"David, it's Madame Abernathy. Are you on campus?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'm near Byron Hall."

"Good. I need your help."

David sat up straight. "What's wrong?"

"I have another sick pegasus on my hands. It's wing rot again. Do you think you can make up a poultice for him?"

David considered for a moment. "I'll have to go get my potions book. It's in safe-keeping at the bank. I'll do that now. I also might have something else that would help, but I'm not sure. I'll tell you about that later."

"Okay. Thank you. I'll be in my office all day, so..."

David nodded. "I'll be down as soon as I get my book, and the ingredients."

"Okay, that will be good. See you shortly."

David agreed, and fogged off. He called to Jailla as he stood up. Jailla chirped a good-bye to the other bird, and winged down to join David.

"What's the matter?" Jailla asked.

David explained as he walked over toward the rock-lift.

-----

It didn't take David long to retrieve his potions book, and Prof. Qwellyn was more than willing to provide the necessary herbs for the poultice. Once he had all that, he headed over to Savage Hall, to apply the poultice to the pegasus. He spent a few minutes with Madame Abernathy, said hello to Cupcake (he'd brought her a callum apple as a treat), and then he went to find Sam.

After looking in her office and in the lunch room, David headed back into faculty housing. He no longer bothered with the hidden entrance in the rock lift, but merely turned invisible and walked through one of the primary entrances. He checked Sam's apartment with no luck. He considered just calling her, but he wasn't in that big of a hurry.

Finally, he found her in a lounge area in faculty housing. She was talking with Dean Lengel. They both looked up as he entered the room.

"Hi, Emile," he said to the dean, who smiled at him. "Sam, I need to get into your workroom, if you don't mind."

"You know I don't mind. Why didn't you just go in?"

"The door's locked."

"And you're a demighost," Sam replied.

"I assumed there was a reason it was locked," David replied.

Sam rolled her eyes. She said to Emile, "I'll talk to you later." She got up and led David out of the room. As they walked down the hallway, she asked, "When are you going to realize that there is nothing I don't share with you?"

"Eh... probably never," he said with a grin. "I'm just used to asking first."

She shook her head ruefully at him, and then watched as he disappeared from view. She knew he was still there, but they were about to walk outside.

Once he'd returned to visibility, she asked, "So, what is it you need to work on?"

"Madame Abernathy has another peg with wing rot."

"I didn't think you needed my workroom to make up that poultice."

"I don't. I already applied that. But a few months back, I worked out a possible cure for wing rot. Since I didn't have anyone to try it on, I don't know if it works yet."

"David, how many of your potions are cures for things?" she asked seriously.

"I guess that depends on what you mean by cure," he replied. "This is the only one so far that's actually intended to cure an illness, as such..."

"But your blood-lust potion for the vampires..."

"Isn't really a cure. I mean, it doesn't take away their lust, it just subdues it for a while."

"And the blood-expander... that's kind of a cure for death," Sam said with a grin.

David chuckled. "Are you sure the guild won't have a problem with me having left some of that?"

"Absolutely sure? No. They can sometimes get very picky. But I agree with your interpretation of the rules. By leaving it there, you will save several lives. Not leaving it there would have resulted in deaths. I can't see any other way to interpret it."

"Who will make that decision?"

"The Council. And they'll make it when it comes time to decide about your membership."

"Which will be..."

"When you've created all ten potions."

"Oh. So it's not a timed thing."

"No."

Sam unlocked her workroom for him, and led him inside.

"Anything else you need?" she asked.

"A little luck," he replied with a grin. "Only one of my potions has worked on the first try so far."

Sam came over to him and slipped her arms around his neck. She slowly pressed her lips to his, and she kissed him, hard, for a solid minute.

When she broke away from him, she smiled and said, "For luck."

"Hmmm," he said with a smile.

"And if you get the potion right, there's more where that came from."

David chuckled. "Thanks, Sam."

She smiled at him, and left him to his work.

-----

"So, what is this?" Madame Abernathy asked.

"Well, if we're lucky, it's a cure for wing rot."

"And if we're unlucky?" she inquired.

"Then it's just foul-smelling soup."

David approached the male pegasus, called a winnie, carefully, and he watched David closely. Unlike Cupcake, this pegasus wasn't comfortable with most people. David stopped about five feet away.

"Hello. You know who I am?" he asked. He knew the winnie could easily understand him. It nodded its head once in reply. "Good. Then you know I'm here to try to help." Again, the winnie nodded. "In this bowl is something I need you to drink. You need to drink as much of it as you can. It is going to taste pretty nasty, but it will hopefully help you feel better. Do you understand?"

One last time, the winnie nodded. David approached and set the bowl in front of the pegasus, which was resting on the grass. It bent its head down and breathed in, smelling the odor of the potion. It snorted, but didn't shy away. Slowly, tentatively, it licked up the concoction, spilling only a little of it. Once it was done, David took the bowl away, and headed back to Madame Abernathy.

"Now what? Is it instantaneous?"

"No. But we should know by morning if it worked or not."

"Okay. Thank you for trying, even if it doesn't work."

David nodded. "I need to go up to the castle now. I think I'm already late for my lesson with Lord Woodward."

"Good luck," Madame Abernathy told him.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Good morning, David."

"Good morning. So, how is our friend?"

"The same, I'm afraid. It would appear that the potion didn't work."

"Damn," David said.

"I'm sorry," she told him.

"Not your fault," he said with a smirk. "I shouldn't have expected it to work on the first try."

"Can you... fix it? Try again?"

"Yes. I had three or four ideas on alternative ingredients to try. This is the first chance I've had to try this potion out, but I did give some thought to what to do if it didn't work. I didn't want Cupcake to get sick again," he admitted.

Madame Abernathy nodded. "How long will it take before you have another potion to try?"

"Four or five hours. I'll be back after lunch."

"Okay, good."

-----

David set the bowl down in front of the winnie. He took one sniff of it and shook his head negatively, snorting in disgust.

"Come on. You need to take it to get better."

The winnie just stared at him, and shook his head, his mane flopping from side to side.

"Look, I know it smells foul. But it's only a small bowl."

The winnie snorted again.

David stared at him, and then he said, "Don't make me get Cupcake..."

The pegasus shifted uncomfortably at that. Cupcake wasn't the leader of the herd, but ever since she'd gotten back from her trip with David, she'd been more assertive than the other pegs.

Slowly, the winnie lowered his head, and licked up the noxious liquid. He snorted when he was finished, overturning the bowl with his nose.

David retrieved the bowl, and walked back to Madame Abernathy.

"Now, again, we wait and see."

"See you in the morning?" she asked. David nodded, and then he headed off. He was taking Sam to dinner before his lesson with Lord Woodward.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"So, how is that pegasus you were treating?" Lord Woodward asked.

"Finally getting better," David said. "It took me four tries, though."

"Potion making. It's such a touchy art. You seem to truly excel at it, however. I've never known a potion maker to come up with solutions as quickly as you do."

David nodded to accept the compliment.

"So. How much more time do we have together this summer?" Lord Woodward asked.

"Well, unless you have an objection, I'd like to go visit Jacob on Saturday, which will take me out of town. Then I wanted to go visit the Garibaldis for a while..."

Lord Woodward nodded. "I see. So, until Friday evening. Perhaps it would be more useful, or at least more practical, if we were to schedule something during the school year? Say, a single night every week? Your summers seem to be rather active."

David grinned. "I'd be okay with a night a week during school," David replied. "That way I wouldn't forget what we were working on, either."

"Yes. It did seem that you needed a couple days of refresher training when you got back this year. Very well. There are some things we can cover for this week. Is there anything you have a desire to know about?"

David thought for a second, then said, "Not that deals with specific ghost magic, but I did have a question. You probably won't want to answer it, however."

"No way to know that until the question is asked," Lord Woodward pointed out.

"Yes, sir. Well, you see, a friend and I discovered a secret passageway, that led from behind one of the waterfalls, out to the cliff face below the mountain. I was wondering what it was for."

"Well, I would have thought that would be obvious, David. It's a secret entrance."

David shook his head in confusion. "That doesn't make much sense, though, My Lord. It only gets you above one level of the mountain. You've still got the terrace and the Academy Moat - what did you call that level, anyway?"

"We never named them as such. It was the castle moat, the inner moat, and the outer moat. The level you call the terrace, we referred to as the grasslands. We raised herd animals there, for food."

"Okay, I see. Anyway, my point is that the passageway gets you nowhere near the castle."

"That's because you've discovered only half of the passage. It was divided, for security reasons."

"Oh. Well, that makes sense. So, you go in through the cliff, and up to the waterfall, then you have to find the entrance to the second half?"

"Yes. Would you like to see it?"

"Sure! Are you sure it's a good idea to show me?"

"Someone living should know about it," Lord Woodward said seriously. "And you would be the only one. No record of the entrance was ever made. I'm surprised you stumbled upon it accidentally."

"We were walking along the inner side of the moat, and saw a darkness behind the waterfall," David explained.

Lord Woodward nodded. "I gather not many students go to the inner rim."

"Almost no one. There's no easy way to get there. You basically have to swim or ride an awk."

Lord Woodward nodded, and then he led David down the stairway, to the third floor. They walked around to enter the north wing of the castle, and immediately turned right into a room.

Lord Woodward stepped up to the wall. He told David, "I can no longer actually open the passage, because it is solid magic, and I am a ghost. The incantation is salayani tekonda."

David passed his hand over the spot, and uttered the charm, and slowly the stones in the wall squeezed themselves smaller and smaller, leaving a three-foot gap, which led to a very dark, forbidding space.

Pulling out his wand, David said, "Lux!" The bright ball of light led the way as they entered what turned out to be a stairway, leading downward. They followed the stairs down.

"Where does this come out?" David asked as they walked.

"The stairs end at the basement level of the castle. This is the... entrance, to the entrance."

David chuckled. When they got to the bottom of the stairs, there was a room to their right. David entered it automatically. In the center of the room was another pit, with a rock floating in it.

"Another rock lift?" David asked. Lord Woodward nodded. They both stepped onto the rock, and in a few seconds, it began to descend rapidly.

"How far down does this go?"

"To the outer moat level. What got called the Monster Moat."

"Was it ever necessary to actually use this entrance?" David asked.

"Once. The king needed to get a messenger through to us, and we were under siege by the weres."

"Why didn't the king just mirror you?"

"The weres had erected anti-divination fields. The mirrors are a form of divination."

"Ouch."

"Yes."

At the end of the rock-lift ride, they were standing in another cavern. It had only one exit, and so they walked down it. After a couple of turns, it seemed to dead-end.

"Now what?" David asked.

Lord Woodward just pointed to a tile in the floor.

David used a spell to levitate the stone tile up out of the floor, and slid it sideways. Beneath it, he saw water.

"What's this?" David asked.

"It leads to the moat," Lord Woodward explained. "This hole is at the end of an underwater tunnel, a hundred feet long, that leads to the bottom of the moat. The opening is only three feet across."

"So in order to find this, you have to be able to swim underwater, find the opening, swim down a hundred foot tunnel, and then lift off this heavy stone tile?" David asked.

"Yes. And that stone weighs more than any man could possibly lift, especially while floating in the water. You have to use a spell to do it. Which means you have to be able to perform a levitation spell silently."

"Wait, I thought silent spellcasting wasn't taught until about thirty years ago," David objected.

"Taught officially, you are correct. But there were those of us who learned how to do a few useful spells that way, from time to time."

"Oh."

"It was useful to us as an added security measure, you see. The only way to get in is to have that skill."

"Or use my merlung potion," David said.

"How would that help?"

"It allows you to talk underwater. You'd still have to know the levitation spell, though."

"Yes. And the entrance is covered by an illusion. You have to know exactly where it is to find it."

"How do you find it?" David asked.

"The easiest way for you to learn that is to swim from this end outward. I wouldn't recommend doing it now, however, as it is too dark for you to truly see anything. Do so during the daylight."

"You don't mind me coming back down here?" David asked, surprised.

"As I said, someone living should know the secret. Someone who can actually make use of it, even if, as in your case, you don't actually need it. You could always ghost your way past anyone guarding the entrance."

"Not if they've erected ghost barriers," David told him. He and Dean Lengel had, in fact, checked after their talk about Prof. Quayde, and David, too, was affected by ghost barriers, even while in Dugerra.

"Yes, that is true. So, it may, at some point, have a use. Someone else needed to know."

David nodded, and then they returned to the castle proper, to begin their lessons for the night.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Hello, Jacob," David said.

"David! Good to see you! I see you came the Haven route this time. How did you like the trip?"

"Frankly, I didn't. I don't really like Haven very much. It feels... cold. And I don't just mean temperature-wise. I only did it for the speed of the trip."

Jacob nodded. "You do get used to it after a while, but not if you travel back and forth between worlds as you do. So, what's on your mind today?"

David just shook his head. "Just stopped in to say hi, see how you were doing. I'm on summer break from school, so..."

"Yes. Congratulations on getting your travel endorsement. Madame Penelope told me."

"Why can't you call her Penny?" David asked.

Jacob looked at him in surprise. "She has never asked me to."

David looked at Jacob in silence for a long moment. "Okay."

"So, how has your summer gone so far?" Jacob asked.

For a long time, David sat and told Jacob about all that had happened to him so far over the summer. He worried, at first, about boring Jacob with pointless details, but then realized that it would be impossible for him to bore Jacob more than he normally was, so he made sure to give detailed descriptions.

When he was finished, Jacob smiled. "Sounds like you're keeping busy. That's good. I'm glad you found time to stop in and visit me, however. I wanted to thank you for the books. You have no idea how immensely they have helped to pass the time. For once during my incarceration, I have always had something to do."

"How many of the stories have you read already?" David asked knowingly. He'd given Jacob the Eternal Compendium the previous summer. Penny had delivered it for him.

"Oh, at least a hundred. Perhaps more. I read slowly. There is little reason to hurry, after all."

David nodded in agreement. "With thousands of books per volume, you should have plenty to read for a while."

Jacob smiled. "Truthfully, you've provided me with nearly eternal entertainment. My memory is not so good that, after ten thousand books, I'm going to remember what happened in the first ones I read. Thus, when I do finish the set, I can merely start over."

David grinned and nodded.

After talking for a while more about various things, Jacob asked, "So, where are you going from here?"

"I thought I'd go check in on Mom and Dad."

"Are you sure you wish to have that confrontation again?"

"Oh, no, I'm not going to let them see me. I just want to make sure they're doing all right."

Jacob nodded in understanding. "Despite their reaction to your affliction, they are still your parents, after all."

"Yeah. If I thought that they'd accept me, I'd show myself, but I don't think they will."

"Probably not, from what you've told me."

"Anyway, I just wanted to stop in and chat, see how you were holding up."

"Holding up... what?" Jacob asked.

David chuckled. "It means how well you're doing. Holding yourself up under the strain of being stuck here. I didn't like my own imprisonment much, and it was nothing compared to yours."

"I am... 'holding up'... just fine, thank you. As I told you, friends come to visit every week or so... Though there are fewer of them than there used to be."

David nodded. "If there's anything you need, just let me know, okay?"

"I will do that, David. Thank you."

David shook hands with Jacob, and then he faded himself into Earth. Since the barrier was thin enough, he could do this here.

David walked out of the old house, and down the street. It was Saturday, so his parents would be off work. He wondered what they'd be doing, if they were even home.

When he arrived at his old house, David pushed himself through the wall. His parents were sitting in the living room, watching an old movie on TV. His mother was knitting.

When did she take that up? he wondered.

Staring at them was not terribly exciting, as they weren't even having a conversation, but merely doing their activities silently. He wandered back to his old bedroom. The door was shut and locked, but that didn't stop him, of course. Pushing through the door, he saw his old room. It was dusty, as if they had not been inside since he had left. There were, however, signs of some kind of ceremony. A candle sat on the night stand, and a crucifix lay on the bed. He had also noted one on the door before he'd entered.

They tried to cleanse my room of evil, David thought in bemusement. He shook his head sadly. He knew from this that there was no point in trying to contact his parents. They clearly still had no comprehension of what had gone on, and they just as clearly weren't willing to be educated.

Feeling a bit dejected, David left his old home. He determined that he would never come back here. There just wasn't any point.

Being this close to Bellamy, David had known that he would have to stop in and see Denise, or she would be very mad at him. He walked out of town to the travel gate, spending some time playing with the one hellhound, and then he passed through, back into Dugerra. A peg-driven carriage ride later, and he was standing outside the Hasterscant residence.

David knocked on the door, and waited. He was arriving unannounced, so he hoped he wasn't interrupting something.

Denise opened the door, and her eyes immediately brightened.

"David! Hey! Come on in!" she said. "You could have warned me, you know. You... are staying for a few days, right?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said, enjoying the mock glare she gave him.

"Good."

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"So, where did you guys go for your vacation?" David asked.

"We went to Gtharsis," Mr. Hasterscant told him. "We'd never been before, so it seemed like a good time to go."

David nodded. "Who all got to join you?"

"Nick came, but John wasn't able to get away," Denise told him. "All the rest of us, of course, went."

"What's Nick doing these days? I didn't see him at school this last year... or the year before, come to think of it."

"Nick's running a magical items shop in Erle," Denise told him. "He'd had enough of school, and he wanted to get married, so..."

David chuckled. They were having dinner, and it was about time for David to spring his surprise. He turned to Gwen.

"So, what're you doing this week?"

Gwen shrugged. "Nothing special. Why?"

"Well, as you're so interested in techno-gadgets, I thought I'd take you... and whoever else wanted to come... on a little trip to Earth. I thought I'd show you some science-y stuff that maybe you guys haven't looked at in other trips."

"Science-y stuff?" Denise asked.

"Museums, the aquarium, a planetarium... things that show how Earth works."

"You're right, we never go to that kind of thing," Gwen told him, excited. "I didn't even know there were such things."

"I didn't, either," Denise said. "That sounds very interesting."

"Can I go?" Ellie asked hopefully.

"I'll take whoever wants to go with us," David said.

Mr. Hasterscant said, "I, unfortunately, can't take the time off work. It does sound interesting. Honey, why don't you go with them?"

"You think we need a chaperone?" Gwen said with a grin. "He's not my type."

"You mean I'm not your gender," David quipped. The family laughed at that.

"I just think your mother deserves to have some fun, too."

"You mind?" Denise asked David.

"Nope. What about you, Anne?"

"You know how I feel about Earth," she said. Her tone wasn't unfriendly, but showed a clear disinterest. "I'll stay here with Dad."

"Your loss," David said agreeably.

"How long will you be gone?" Mr. Hasterscant asked.

"I figured three days, total. Two days actually there, and a day for traveling and such."

"Where in Earth are we going?" Gwen asked.

"Chicago. I should warn you... Chicago has a lot of people..."

"So did London," she said.

"Just letting you know," he replied.

"When will you leave?"

"Tomorrow. Early afternoon, so we make sure to get there with enough time."

"Sounds like a plan," Mr. Hasterscant agreed.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

David, Denise, Gwen and Ellie all packed up and headed out the following afternoon, right after lunch. They went through the nearest travel gate, which led them to St. Louis, and then took a taxi to the bus station.

"It would be really good if one of us had a driver's license," David said.

"For what?" Denise asked.

"We could rent a car and drive to Chicago. It would be more convenient."

"Oh, well. We'll manage."

As they were waiting around for the bus to start loading, Ellie asked, "Hey, I just thought of something. Where's your familiar?"

"Good question! What did you do with Jailla?" Gwen asked.

"Well, in order to get here, I traveled through Haven. Jailla can't go there. Plus, I knew we'd be going to Earth, and so I left him at the animal annex."

"He's going to be rather unhappy," Denise said.

"Not as unhappy as he'd have been making the trip. I mean, he'd have had to remain a statue for most of the time, even after I figured a way to get him to your house."

"You couldn't have carried him with you, even as a statue?" Ellie asked.

"No. Nothing material can enter Haven. When I go into Haven, my 'solid' self goes... somewhere else."

"What about your clothes? They're just normal clothes, aren't they?"

David grinned. "I've never figured that one out."

-----

As they were riding on the bus, David realized he should cover his tracks a little bit. "I guess I need to let you know, I only reserved two rooms. I, uh... didn't expect quite so much interest. I'll try to get a third room when we get there, but it might not be possible. I'm not sure how we'll work that situation," David said, looking at Denise.

"Gwen and Ellie can take one room. We'll take the other," Denise said. "Does it have two beds?"

"Yes."

"Then there's not really a problem. We're both adults, and I trust you to behave appropriately."

David nodded, then turned his head, lest his smirk betray the ruse.

-----

When they stepped off the bus in Chicago, even David was a bit uncomfortable. The city was immense, and people were everywhere. His time in Dugerra had actually instilled in him a desire for open space, and he felt somewhat claustrophobic.

"So, now what?" Denise asked, being jostled by people on the sidewalk.

David stepped to the curb and held up his hand. A cab soon pulled to a stop in front of him. David held open the door for the girls to get in the back, then he climbed in the front.

"The Fairmont, please," he said, after the driver had put their bags in the trunk.

"You got it," the driver said, then pulled off.

It didn't take them long to arrive at their hotel. The cabbie put their luggage on the cart, which was then handled by a bellhop, who whisked them off to the receiving lobby. Several minutes later, they were on the fifteenth floor, being led to their rooms, which were not all that close to each other, but in the same hallway, at least.

"You guys get settled in, and when you're ready, come on down to our room," Denise told her daughters. She and David walked back to their room. David swiped the keycard in the door, and let her in.

"This is a very nice place," Denise said, taking in the accommodations. "We don't usually stay in places this plush."

"I know," David said, hanging up his coat. "I wanted to treat you guys to a nice experience."

"What would you have done if Roy had wanted to come along?" she asked with a smile.

David grinned. "This hotel's not full, even on this floor. I can get you your own room, if you like..."

Denise put her arms around David's neck. "Why the hell would I want that?" she asked quietly. "I don't even want my own bed." She kissed him passionately for some time, but they had to stop when there was a knock at the door. Denise blushed as David went to answer it. The girls came in at that point.

"These are some damn nice rooms!" Gwen enthused.

"So, what do we do now?" Ellie asked, plopping down on one of the beds.

David shrugged. "I figured tonight we'd just settle in. Swim in the pool downstairs, eat at the restaurant, just generally relax. I didn't plan for anything until tomorrow."

"Sounds good to me."

"I didn't bring a bathing suit," Gwen objected.

"I'm sure we can get you one," David told her. "This is Chicago."

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"This is a funny looking taxi," Ellie said when they emerged from the hotel the following morning. They'd already eaten breakfast in the hotel's restaurant, and were now ready to begin their day.

"It's not a taxi. It's a limousine," David told her. "I thought you guys might be more comfortable with this. Besides, I'm splurging." The chauffeur opened the door, and the ladies got in.

Before David slid in next to Denise, he told the driver, "The Field Museum, please."

"Yes, sir," the driver acknowledged pleasantly.

"Where are we going?" Ellie asked, unsure she'd heard correctly.

"It's called the Chicago Field Museum. It's a natural history museum."

"Which means what, exactly?" Denise asked.

"It shows the scientific history of the planet, its animals, the history of the climate, that kind of thing."

Gwen said, "Could be interesting."

"I think you'll like it," David told her. He glanced at Ellie, and, after making sure Denise wasn't watching, he gave her a meaningful look. She caught it and nodded. David then looked away quickly, so Gwen wouldn't see them.

David turned to look at the buildings going by.

"Have you ever been to Chicago before?" Denise asked him.

"Once, about five years ago. I was here for a debate competition. We lost."

"Sorry about that," Denise said.

David shrugged.

-----

The group lunched at a nice restaurant near the Art Institute, which they had just finished touring. The girls were talking avidly about all the artwork. David kept quiet; he'd planned this part of the trip specifically because he knew they would like it. He had been bored to tears.

"So," Ellie said, getting his attention, "what are we doing next?"

"We're going to the planetarium," he told her. Seeing the question forming on Denise's lips, he continued, "It's a place where you learn about space. The planets, the stars, and all that other stuff up in the sky. In a somewhat more... clinical... fashion than we do in Astrology."

"This is definitely a 'science-y' trip," Denise said with a chuckle.

"I warned you," David said.

"Yes, you did. The Field Museum was fascinating, though, and the Art Institute was wonderful. I've got no regrets so far."

"That's good. We should probably get going. The planetarium could take a few hours, and it closes at four."

-----

"Geez, I'm about worn out. I've not been on the move this much in a long time," Denise said.

"Try three classes and a study group every day," Gwen said, teasing her mother.

Denise chuckled. After they'd spent a few hours at the planetarium, they had visited the nearby aquarium. This had been especially interesting for Ellie, who loved watching the sea otters play. Now, they were dining again, back at their hotel. They'd dismissed their limo for the day.

"I've only planned one more activity for today, and you can do it sitting down," David said.

"Oh? What is it?"

"A movie at the IMAX theater."

"What's an IMAX theater? Is it related to my iPad?"

David nearly snorted up his soda. After a few coughs, he said, "Uh, no. You'll just have to experience IMAX to understand it."

"Shouldn't we have kept the limousine, then?" Ellie asked.

"No, it's close. We can walk. We should probably leave soon, though."

"Might as well go now, then," Denise said.

They all got up and left the restaurant, heading outside, toward Lake Michigan. The walk didn't take them very long, and soon they were entering the IMAX theater.

"Where's the screen?" Denise asked. "All I see is a wall."

"That wall is the screen," David told her with a chuckle. The screen was some sixty feet tall, and forty feet wide.

"Oh, my," Denise said.

They all took their seats and waited. It didn't take long before the movie started. This was a feature film, rather than a documentary, and so they all settled in to simply enjoy the story.

-----

After the movie, they all headed back to the hotel, talking animatedly about what they had seen.

"You're sure, everything we saw was fake?" Denise asked.

David nodded. "It's all fiction. Just a story. An illusion, if you like."

"That would be one elaborate illusion," Gwen said.

"But possible, I think," David told her. "It would take some work, but I think it could be done."

"A new career for you?" Denise asked with a grin.

David would have blushed if he could. "Nah. I'm not into storytelling, really. I'm not sure what I'm going to do, exactly."

"Plenty of time to figure it out," Denise told him.

Once they reached the fifteenth floor, they separated, saying good night to each other. David and Denise went into their room, and Denise immediately flopped down on the bed.

David took off his coat, and then kicked off his shoes. He went over and gently removed Denise's shoes, and then massaged her feet.

"Oh, god that feels good," she told him, her eyes closed.

"I'm sorry if this isn't your kind of trip. Tomorrow may be better," he told her.

She shook her head, but didn't open her eyes. "You didn't plan this trip for me. And besides, I have enjoyed it. It's all very interesting. I took Earth Studies, but they don't really show you the... real 'meat' of Earth culture, you know?"

"Yeah. I remember helping Olissa study for her Earth Studies exams. It seemed very... I don't know, clinical to me. It didn't seem like it'd help that much with living here." As he continued to massage her feet, and then moved up to her calves, he asked, "Did you ever consider living in Earth?"

"Who, me? No. The vacations we take are enough exposure to this. There's just so much chaos here. So many people, so much rushing around. I couldn't take it."

"Any of your kids consider it? John or Nick?"

"Not that I know of. They never mentioned it to me, if they did."

"Probably afraid you'd excommunicate them," David said with a chuckle.

Denise giggled. "I'm not that bad, am I?"

"No, you're not," he said seriously. After a pause, he asked, "Would you have a problem with it?"

"Only because I wouldn't get to see them very often," Denise replied. "As long as my children are happy, I don't give a damn what they do. Well..." she said, obviously wanting to qualify that.

"Right," David said, letting her know he knew what she meant. His hands slipped up under her skirt, to massage her thighs.

"How are you feeling now?" David asked.

"Mmm," she replied. "Horny."

"Oh, good," David replied with a grin, as his hands slid further up her thighs.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Good morning, David," Ellie said quietly. He was sitting down in the lobby, but it was still fairly early, so she felt the need to be hushed.

"Hey, Ellie. Up already?"

"Yeah. Hard to sleep. All of this is so interesting and exciting."

"I'm glad you're enjoying it," he told her.

Looking around to make sure none of her family had followed her down, she asked, "This trip wasn't really for Gwen, was it?"

David smiled. "No, not really. I was hoping you'd want to come. I wanted you to see what you're getting yourself into, if you decide to move to Earth."

Ellie nodded. "Like Mom said, Earth Studies doesn't cover everything."

"No. It can't. And it'll never give you the... feel of living here."

"Does everyone in Earth live in a big city like this?"

"No. But most people live in a city of some kind. Most aren't as big as Chicago. Some are even bigger than Chicago. But the close-in buildings, the heavy traffic... the crowding, as you'd see it, are all typical of an Earth city."

"Aren't there smaller places?"

"Oh, sure. There are small cities, and towns, and even people who live out in the country. But the smaller the place you live in, the harder it can be to find a job. Don't forget, too, that if you move here, you'll probably need to go to college, so you can have a good job. That means four more years of school, even after you finish Woodward."

Ellie nodded. "Trying to talk me out of it?"

"No. You'll make up your own mind. I just want you to understand the choice you're trying to make."

"Well, I can always come back to Dugerra..."

"True, so long as you can pass your exams for citizenship, you'll always have that option. I still think you need to tell your parents you're thinking about it, though. They might be able to help you make the choice."

"Are you nuts? They'd kill me!"

"No they wouldn't. Come on, your parents aren't that bad."

"Uh-huh. What's the deal with you and Mom, anyway?"

"Huh?"

"David, I'm not blind. Maybe Gwen can ignore it, or doesn't want to see it, or whatever, but you and Mom are really close."

For once, David was glad he couldn't blush.

"That is a question better asked of your mother," David said. "Where women are concerned, I mostly follow their lead."

"And where has she led you?" Ellie asked.

"Again, ask her."

"You realize you're answering me by not answering me, don't you?" Ellie asked.

David bit his lip. "I refuse to lie to you, Ellie, and that's all I can or will say about it."

Ellie nodded, and let the matter drop, much to David's relief.

-----

When Denise and Gwen got up, the family ate their breakfast. Once that was completed, they headed outside, where their limo was once again waiting for them. They climbed in, and the driver moved off.

"What is Willis Tower?" Gwen asked.

"It used to be the tallest building in the world," David explained. "Now, it's not even the tallest one in America."

"And what are we going to do in this building?" Denise asked.

"Go up to the observation deck. The building itself is just an office building."

When they reached the building and got out of the limo, Denise stared up at the imposing edifice. "Just, uh... how high up is the observation deck?" she asked.

"1,353 feet," David said nonchalantly. "Come on."

"One thousand... wait a minute!" Denise cried. "That's higher than pegs fly!"

"Most of the time, yeah. Cupcake went higher than that a few times. Come on, I've always wanted to see The Ledge."

"What's that?" Ellie asked.

"You'll see," David said with a mischievous grin.

The elevator ride was swift, and the crowd today wasn't too horrible. As they got off the elevator, they could see through the windows, the skyline of the city, all of which was now below them.

They stepped over to one of the observation windows, and marveled at the city.

"Are we really over a thousand feet up?" Denise asked.

"Yep. Impressive, ain't it?"

"Very."

"So, what's The Ledge?" Ellie asked again.

"That is The Ledge," David said, pointing. Several feet away, a clear glass box extended out from the side of the building. David walked over to it, with the others following tentatively. Unhesitatingly, David stepped out into the box, able now to look straight down through the glass floor to the street, thirteen hundred feet below.

"Are you nuts?" Denise asked him.

"This is what it's here for!" David said with a grin. "Come on!"

"Not in this lifetime. Not even in the after-lifetime!" Denise insisted.

"I'll try," Ellie said. "If you'll hold my hand."

"Okay," David said, and took her hand. She stepped very gingerly out onto the glass. One look downward, however, and she was clutching at David, her eyes squeezed tightly shut.

"Okay, not doing that again. Could you escort me back to solid ground now?" Ellie asked, her eyes still closed.

David chuckled, and then led her back inside. He, however, went back out onto The Ledge. He looked around carefully, and no one was really paying attention to him. He pulled out his wand, inscribed a vertical circle in the air, and quietly uttered a spell. He did this a few more times, and then, his pictures taken, he stepped back inside.

"You're insane," Denise assured him.

"Denise, what's it going to do, kill me? Besides, it's perfectly safe. It was engineered to do just what I did."

"You're still insane," she insisted.

David grinned. "Okay, come on. That's really all there is to do here. I just wanted you guys to see the view."

"Okay, I've seen it. I'm perfectly happy to see the buildings from the ground floor, thanks," Denise told him.

David chuckled as he led them back to the elevator.

"Where are we going next?" Gwen asked as they rode down to the ground floor.

"The Museum of Science and Industry."

"Another museum?" Denise asked.

"This one's more like a science playground. All of the exhibits are hands-on. You get to do things, and fiddle with stuff."

"That sounds more interesting," Ellie said.

David smiled at her.

-----

"What's this?" Ellie asked. They were standing before a large blue sphere.

"It's Earth," David told her.

"What do you mean?" Denise asked. "I mean, I'm familiar with globes, but what's all this white stuff?"

"Clouds."

They all looked at him.

"It's a real-time display. Well, almost real-time display. It's showing you where there are clouds on the planet, right now."

Keeping her voice low, Denise asked, "And this isn't magic?"

David chuckled. "No. This is technology. Up there in space," he said, pointing upward to add effect, "are a bunch of machines we call satellites. They go around and around the planet, and they send back pictures of what Earth looks like right now. It's primarily used for weather forecasting, but it has other uses, too. Lately, it gets used for things like this, which are educational, or entertainment."

"So, where are we, exactly?" Gwen asked.

"Chicago is very close to where Erle is located in Dugerra," David said. "So, there are the Great Lakes, what you call the Five Lakes. The one that sticks down is Lake Michigan, and there at the southern tip of it is Chicago."

"How does this thing work?" Ellie asked.

David smirked, and said, "Techno-wizardry."

They all chuckled at that, and stared at the spinning ball for a while.

Finally, Denise asked, "What in the world is that popping noise?"

"I think that's probably one of the other displays I wanted to see." They walked around, and into a large area. The popping noise was much louder here.

"Have a seat," David told them. They sat down on benches that reclined, so they were looking upward at a huge Tesla coil. It was sparking, putting on a massive lightning display.

"My god, isn't it dangerous for them to have that in here?" Denise asked.

"No. It's perfectly safe. Well, unless it fell on us, it's safe. They use it to demonstrate lightning, but it doesn't carry nearly that kind of power. There's less power there than in valk vayti."

"Really? I guess it just seems more impressive somehow this way."

"Probably because you don't know where it comes from," David told her.

"Could be."

"I hear a whooshing noise."

"Don't worry, that's just a tornado," David said nonchalantly.

"What?" Gwen asked, a bit stricken.

David chuckled as he got up. He led them up to the next floor, which was a balcony, and then around, so they could see the spinning vortex. Someone had set it to a nice, strong spin.

"Watch this," David said, and activated a laser light, shining it through the vortex. They could see the winds within as the light penetrated.

"It's not a real tornado, of course. I don't think even a master wizard could control one of those. This is... a dust devil, at best."

"Pretty, though," Ellie said.

"Yeah."

For a while, none of them talked. They just played with the laser controls, and watched the show in front of them.

-----

After eating lunch at the museum, and seeing more exhibits, they departed, and headed for Navy Pier. Once they arrived, they dismissed their limo driver for the day, and walked along the pier.

"Weren't we here last night?" Denise asked.

"Yeah, the IMAX theater's in there," David said as they walked past the building. "There's a lot more to see here. We'll start with the garden."

-----

While they were playing mini-golf, which David had chosen to do while Denise got up the nerve to go on the Ferris wheel, he noticed that Ellie had managed to maneuver her mother away from him and Gwen by falling behind slightly.

"Should we wait for them?" Gwen asked.

David frowned, then said, "At the next hole."

"Okay."

David and Gwen completed that hole, and then they waited, chatting with each other, until Ellie and Denise caught up.

"Sorry about that," Denise said. "Got caught up chatting and forgot what we were doing."

David smirked, and said, "No problem, but it's your turn. Just remember, if you lose, you have to go on the Ferris wheel."

"I'm already five strokes behind," Denise said, feigning irritation.

"Well, it's not my fault you suck at golf," David told her with a grin. "You shouldn't have made the bet."

"Uh-huh."

-----

"We've reached the end of the pier. Now what?" Gwen asked.

David checked his watch - something he'd had to buy specifically for the trip.

"It's five-thirty. We should walk down to the ship now."

"Ship?"

"We're taking a dinner cruise. The ship boards at six."

"David, just how much is this trip costing you?" Denise asked, a little alarmed.

David shrugged and made a sound of ignorance. "Didn't stop to figure that out. Besides, reservations're already made. Can't back out now." He grinned at her.

"Uh-huh."

-----

Their meal on the Spirit of Chicago was excellent. Afterwards, they went out onto one of the observation decks, and enjoyed the view of the water, and the city skyline. They relaxed in chairs, sipping their sodas and chatting.

Suddenly, a loud boom echoed across the water, and they were bathed in a red glow. They all jumped slightly, and looked up.

"Ah, I see the fireworks display has started," David said.

"It's beautiful. It's almost better than our magical ones," Denise said.

"And what you're seeing is chemistry, not an enchantment."

They sat in rapt silence as the display continued for many minutes. Finally, however, the display ended, and darkness once again descended. With that, they could feel the ship turning back toward the dock.

"So," David said quietly, "How did you like the trip?"

"It was great," Gwen told him, her voice a bit subdued from the fireworks display. It had somehow been more impressive to her, knowing there hadn't been any magic involved.

"I loved it!" Ellie enthused.

"Definitely worth the travel," Denise told him. Something in her eyes told him something more.

-----

Denise called out David's name in ecstasy, and she collapsed on top of him. He wrapped his arms around her, and then rolled to the side, still holding her tightly. He stroked her back, waiting for her to regain her senses, which took a while.

"I'm gonna hate it when you get a long-term girlfriend," Denise said.

"Why's that?" David asked with a grin.

"Because no one's been able to make me feel this good in a very long time!" she gushed. "You're going to be a very good husband to someone, someday, David."

"Thanks. I don't think that's gonna happen for a while, though."

"Don't rush it," Denise said seriously, now rubbing his chest with her hand. "There's no need, especially in your case."

David nodded, and kissed her. They remained that way for quite some time, but finally, they had to pull apart.

"So," Denise said after a moment of silence, "I had a little chat with Ellie this afternoon."

"I thought you might have to," David said.

"What do you mean?"

"I talked to her this morning, and I don't think my answer to her question was at all satisfying, so..."

Denise nodded in understanding. "She's apparently more perceptive than I thought. She asked what was going on between us."

"Which is what she asked me."

"What did you tell her?" Denise asked.

"To ask you."

"Why didn't you just tell her nothing was going on?"

"Because that's a lie, and I won't lie to Ellie. What did you tell her?"

"I told her that we had a close relationship, but that nothing you and I were doing would be objectionable to her father."

"And she accepted that?"

"Mostly. I think. Dating you makes things a bit complicated, since you're such good friends with my daughters."

David nodded. "Perhaps if you just told them what was going on."

"Are you crazy?" Denise asked. "They would never understand that."

David shook his head sadly. "You live in a house of secrets."

After a while, she asked, "You're the one that told Gwen to tell us about being a lesbian, aren't you?"

"Yep."

"How long did you know?"

"I knew she liked girls a few months after we met. She thought, at that point, that she was bisexual. It wasn't until February of our second year that she realized she was completely homosexual."

"How did that happen?" Denise asked with interest.

"You remember I had said we tried dating once?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, after that date, Gwen gave me the highest compliment possible. She said that if she couldn't enjoy sex with me, then there was no chance she was ever going to enjoy sex with a man."

Denise grinned. "I'll second that!"

"I think what you mean is you want seconds of that," David said with an evil grin.

"That, too!" she agreed, as David's hard cock slid back inside of her.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"David! Come on in! It's nice to see you again," Zyla said brightly. She gave him a hug as she pulled him inside, and then closed the door. "And hello... um..."

"Jailla," David said.

"Jailla, sorry. I couldn't remember. Well, come on into the kitchen. Joe's at work, of course... did you tell him you were coming? He didn't say anything to me..."

"He knows," David said with a grin. Garibaldi had said he wouldn't warn Zyla.

"That sneak," Zyla said. "So, how are you?"

"Can't complain. Where's Grace?"

"Taking a nap. She's not feeling well."

"Oh? What's the matter?"

"She has wilburwarts."

"What in the world is that?"

"Come on, I'll show you."

Zyla led David into the living room, where Grace was sleeping in her playpen. David could see on her face a multitude of bumps that looked for all the world like tiny pig snouts.

"How dangerous is this?" David asked. "I don't remember talk of it in MagEc."

"It's one of those children's diseases. Adults usually can't catch it. The only real danger is some scarring... but there's also the risk of dehydration and malnutrition. She doesn't want to eat or drink anything, and it's hard to force her to do it when she feels so ill."

David nodded. "Is there a cure or a treatment?"

"Not according to Healer Cutner."

David frowned. "Would you mind if I called and talked to her?"

"No, go ahead. I don't know what good it'll do."

David nodded, and then pulled out his mirror.

-----

When Garibaldi came home, he didn't see David at first. David had taken over Garibaldi's workshop, which Joe, being about as unhandy as a guy could get, had never made much use of. When Garibaldi came in, David had already set up a fire pit and a cauldron, along with several vials and flasks.

"What in the world are you doing, trying to blow up my house?"

"Hush. I'm working," David said, concentrating very hard on getting exactly the right number of drops of limberseed into his potion.

Garibaldi hadn't seen this side of David before, the side that was completely serious and utterly focused. He'd had a hint of it the previous year, when David had taken Prof. Arpilla into "custody", but this was the first time he'd gotten the full effect of David's concentration. Respecting the work of a master, Garibaldi went and sat with Zyla in the kitchen.

"What's he doing in there?" he asked her quietly.

"Trying to find a cure for Grace, what else?" she said with a soft smile.

Garibaldi shook his head. "You told him it really wasn't that serious?"

"I told him. He said he didn't like his god-daughter being in discomfort."

"He's a good guy."

"Yes. I really was kind of mad at him in the beginning, with you having to take all those overnight trips, but I am very glad we know him, now."

Garibaldi nodded. "What's for dinner?"

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Hey, Nancy," Garibaldi said.

"Good morning, Officer Garibaldi. Who's your friend?"

"This is David Stroud. He's going to tag along with me today."

David said hello to the clerk, giving her a friendly smile. He'd not wanted to take himself away from his work on the cure for Grace, but Zyla had insisted, saying she needed his help to keep Garibaldi busy up to the time for the party.

He'd been working on the wilburwarts cure for nearly a week now. It was one of his longest stretches trying to come up with a potion. He'd come up with four failures so far, including one which had turned Grace a strange shade of yellow for a few hours. Nothing so far, however, had worked.

David knew he had time, since the disease, they said, usually lasted at least a month. But he didn't like little Grace suffering with it. Still, he thought maybe the break would do him good.

"Where's Reed?" David asked when they got to Garibaldi's desk.

"Transferred."

"Geez, you don't keep partners long, do you?"

Garibaldi grinned. "I'm hard to work with, I guess."

"So, who's your new partner?"

"I am," a voice said from behind him. David turned, to see Viviana Columbo, the Rimohr he'd met before starting at Woodward Academy.

"Hey, Officer Columbo," David said warmly.

"Please, call me Vivian."

"Vivian? Not Viviana?"

"I... Americanized it," she said in explanation.

David nodded with a smile. "So, at least Joe has a partner who knows what's going on in Earth, in case he has to go there again."

"That's a change that they're trying to make throughout the department," Garibaldi told David. "Vivian is our local Earth expert. They're going to try to have one experienced officer in each station."

"I heard that your trip with Giuseppe was quite entertaining for you," she said to David.

"Giu... oh, you mean Joe? Yeah, well, it had its moments. None quite as funny as his GPS remark, though," David told her with a grin. She giggled softly.

"So what's on our plate today?" Garibaldi asked gruffly, trying to get out of uncomfortable territory.

"Nothing so far," Vivian told him. "Which means, I guess, that we do paperwork.""Joy. Paperwork, on my birthday."

"Is it your birthday? How old are you now?"

"He's ancient," David told her. "Almost a dinosaur."

Vivian giggled again, as Garibaldi glowered at David. "I'm not ancient! I'm only 29!"

"29! My god, have you started turning into oil yet?" David asked theatrically. Vivian burst out laughing at that, and Garibaldi just looked at David confused.

"Huh?"

-----

"Officer Garibaldi? A report just came in about some kind of vandalism." Nancy handed him the parchment with the info on it.

"Well, let's go," Garibaldi said to Vivian. Turning to David, he said, "And David, remember..."

"...to stay the hell out of your way. Yeah, I remember the speech from last year."

Garibaldi smirked, and then led the way out of the precinct house. They rode in an official Rimohr carriage, painted black, with the hawk emblem glistening on the side. The event was in a small village some distance away from Bolmont, and so it took them almost an hour to get there. The Rimohrs were by no means an emergency-response force.

David was the last to climb out of the carriage, and he hung back as Garibaldi and Columbo went to interview the man standing in the yard. David walked around, just observing things. He saw a gruff old man in the house next door, glaring out through the window, and he saw a little girl, playing in the yard. He went over to her.

"Hi there," he said. "What's your name?"

"Salitha," she told him.

"Well, that's a pretty name."

"Thank you," she said shyly. "Are you a Rimohr?"

"Who, me? No. I'm a friend of one of the Rimohrs, and I'm following him around today."

"How come?"

David looked around conspiratorially, and then whispered, "It's his birthday, and I have to make sure he doesn't go home early, and spoil the surprise."

Salitha giggled, and smiled.

Suddenly, her smile faded. "Daddy's gonna be in trouble, isn't he?"

"Could be," David allowed.

"He didn't do it, you know."

"Well, I don't know that. Did you see who did it?"

"No," she admitted, "but I've been with Daddy all morning."

David nodded.

"She's right," A voice said from behind David. He saw Salitha's eyes light up.

"Mommy!"

"Hello, Darling," Salitha's mother said. Unfortunately for Salitha, her mother was clearly a ghost. David rose from his kneeling position.

"Hello, ma'am," David said.

"Hello. My name is Tabitha."

"David. You said your daughter was right. Did you see who destroyed the fence?"

"Yes, and it was not my husband."

"Who was it?"

"John Amabo, the man who lives in that house."

"But it's his wall," David objected. "He's the one that called the Rimohrs, I think."

"My husband and he do not get along. They have argued over this wall for many years. I watched him hex the wall so that it would crumble. I think he hopes to blame it on my husband, and get him in serious trouble."

David nodded.

"Of course, me telling you this does no good at all."

"Not directly, but I can still let the Rimohrs know about it. I have a question, though."

"Why am I here?" she asked knowingly.

"Yeah. I thought it was customary for the deceased to not inhabit their former homes."

"It is... but I simply can't bear to be away from Dagan and Salitha."

David nodded sympathetically.

At that point, David heard his name called. He said good-bye to Salitha and Tabitha, and walked back over to the carriage, where the Rimohrs were waiting, talking.

"What do you think?" Garibaldi asked Vivian.

"I don't think we have much choice but to take him in."

"He didn't do it," David said quietly.

"A hunch?" Vivian asked.

David shook his head. "Two completely unreliable witnesses. One a six-year-old girl, and the other, a ghost, both related to the accused."

"Not the sort of thing we can take to the magistrate," Garibaldi said.

David nodded. "I know. But I figured you should know that the guy who filed the complaint is actually the one who damaged the wall. According to the man's deceased wife, there has been a long-running feud over this wall."

Garibaldi nodded. "Shit. Now we'll be here all day."

"Better than paperwork, ain't it?" David asked with a grin.

Garibaldi glared at him, but smirked. "Yeah, actually, it's still better than paperwork."

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"I'm about out of ideas, so I hope this works," David said.

"It's not that important if it doesn't," Zyla insisted. "She'll be okay."

David frowned at Zyla, and then he took Grace from her, rocking the child gently in his arms. Grace was quiet, but made small noises of discomfort that hurt David to hear. He picked up the pipette from the table, and stuck it in the flask, drawing out the right amount of the potion. He carefully slipped it into the corner of Grace's mouth, far enough back that she wouldn't spit it back up, and released the potion.

Grace swallowed, and David watched her closely as he set the pipette down. Suddenly, Grace hiccupped twice, and then let out a noise that sounded suspiciously like a squealing piglet. With that, her wilburwarts popped off her face, dropping to the floor before they exploded in little pops, and vanished.

Once all the warts were gone, Grace giggled and cooed. David gave her a hug, and then gave her back to her mother.

"They're all gone!" Zyla said in astonishment. "You did it!"

"Well, let's give it a day, to make sure, but it looks like it worked, yes."

Grace began to cry, but Zyla recognized it as a hunger cry, so she took the baby into the kitchen to get some food.

David followed her, and sat down at the table. He pulled out a roll of parchment from his coat, and copied from his notes, onto the parchment. Zyla sat down, Grace at her breast.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Copying this potion into my masters list."

Zyla shook her head. "I don't understand."

David looked up at her, but kept his gaze intensely on her face. "In order to become a potions master, I have to invent ten completely new potions. So, for the last year, I've been working on making my masters list, the list of potions I've invented. Once I have ten, I can let Sam know, and then... well, however the completion of my apprenticeship happens. She hasn't really explained that to me yet."

Zyla nodded, but was distracted by another issue. "Does it bother you to see me breastfeeding Grace?"

David squirmed. "The act doesn't bother me. I just don't want to accidentally see something I shouldn't."

"It's not that big a deal, David."

David shrugged. "I just don't think I should be looking at another man's wife's body." Without his permission, David added for his own conscience, remembering that he had spent his Chicago vacation sleeping with Denise every night.

Zyla smiled softly at him. To make him more comfortable, she asked, "So, how many potions have you created so far?"

David smirked. "You know, I lost track, over the summer." David unrolled his scroll and counted them down from the top. "Nine... and ten. Hey, I've got ten!"

"Well, congratulations," Zyla said to him.

David almost didn't hear her. He was looking over his list of potions, and noticing some things about them. He jolted when he realized she'd said something. "Huh? Oh, thanks."

"And Grace thanks you, too. She hasn't taken this much milk in a couple weeks."

"I'm glad she's feeling better," David said.

Zyla could clearly see that he was distracted, so she didn't bother with further conversation, but put her attention toward her suckling child.

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"Do you have to go? Seems like you spent your entire time here working," Zyla objected.

"I need to get back to school. I found something in my potions that I need to explore further."

"A good thing, or a bad thing?" Garibaldi asked.

"A... thing," David said. "Good or bad doesn't necessarily figure into it. But it's something I need to spend a little time studying. Also, I'll be taking another trip soon, so I don't have all the time in the world to work on it, so..."

"Well, we've enjoyed having you here. Haven't we, Joe?"

"Yeah, sure," Garibaldi said, his usual mock-grumpiness at David's presence evident.

David took Grace from Zyla, to give her a good-bye hug. The infant burbled at him, and gripped his finger. He handed the baby back to Zyla, who then gave David a hug, and a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you for helping Grace, even if it meant we didn't get to talk as much as I'd like."

David nodded. "Is there anything she needs?"

"No, we're fine, David. Thank you."

He nodded again, and turned to Garibaldi. "Okay, I'll get out of your hair now, Joe. Take it easy. Say, whatever happened with that guy and the broken wall?"

"The complainant withdrew his complaint when the guy he was accusing offered to take a truth potion."

David snorted. "Yeah, that would definitely not help his accusation."

Garibaldi said, "Will you be selling that wilburwarts curing potion?"

"I can't, until I get my full guild membership."

"Not that it'll probably mean anything to me, but what was giving you such fits with it? I personally have no idea how you come up with a new potion, but you seemed like you were very frustrated with it."

David nodded. "Turns out I had all the ingredients but one. Once I added that, it all worked."

"What was the ingredient?" Zyla asked.

"A web from a Garthwhite Spider. Thankfully, they're common around here."

Garibaldi nodded appreciatively. "Thanks for the effort. I know we told you not to bother, but... no parent wants a sick baby."

David shook Garibaldi's hand.

"Keep in touch," Garibaldi said.

"Come and visit," Zyla implored him. "It's not that far away."

"We'll see," David told her. "If nothing else, I'll drop by next summer."

"You better do more than drop by," Zyla warned him.

"Yes, ma'am," David said. Zyla blushed, and grinned.

"Have a good year, David," Garibaldi said.

"Thanks. See you guys later."

With that, David picked up his bag and headed out of the house. Jailla flew down onto his shoulder as they walked.

"Are you planning to walk back to school?" Jailla asked sarcastically.

"Keep that up, and I'll go through Haven, and you can fly back on your own."

"Something the matter?" Jailla asked, a bit nonplussed.

"No. Sorry. Just got potions stuff on my mind. We'll take a carriage back, obviously, but it's not that far a walk to the normal boarding station."

Jailla bobbed his head in agreement, and they walked the rest of the way in silence, while David pondered his potions.

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