Powder Witch & Company

Malva stumbled into the coop, still half asleep, basket balancing precariously against her hip. The door barely had a chance to shut before she was rushed by chickens demanding their breakfast. "Yeah, yeah," she yawned, brushing purple hair out of her eyes. "Give me just a minute." She dumped the kitchen scraps from her basket, and carefully stepped around the birds to their lay boxes.

She fished out ten eggs, gently setting them in the basket, then checked on the water dispenser and refilled it. Malva felt something bump against her leg. She turned and saw a jet black chicken, whose feathers were tipped with red brown spots. Malva smiled, then reached over and gently ruffled the bird's feathers. "Hey, Fiora. How are ya, cutie?"

Fiora squawked and bit Mal's sleeve, refusing to let go even when she tugged away.

"Ok," Malva said flatly. She scooped up the chicken, holding Fiora close to her chest, and giving her skritches. "I know, today's the day."

Fiora let go after a few minutes. Malva settled her in one arm, and grabbed the basket with the other.

"I need you to look after the girls while I'm gone, ok?" Malva carefully stepped around the still feasting chickens, and out the door.

Fiora let out a thready cawing.

Mal held her up enough to bump their heads together. "There's my little hawk slayer."

Malva brought the basket into the main house, letting Fiora have run of the kitchen floor while she candled eggs. She noticed a striped blue mug in the drying rack while she put the eggs in the fridge.

"So mom's definitely up. Maybe she's down by the river?" Malva said. "Come on Fi, let's go find Mom."

Fiora clucked and followed Mal out the door. They walked out between the garden beds that gently terraced the sloping plain in front of the house.

Just down the hill, they spotted Pepper ambling around the bean trellises, limping slightly on her left side. The early morning light glinted off her purple hair, and the gold trimmed blue necklace she always wore, while she checked on the growing bean pods.

"Hi, Mom!" Mal bounded over to the trellis, Fiora hot on her heels.

"Morning, dear." Pepper turned and smiled at Malva, then looked down at her feet. "Ah, you've already let the chickens out for the day?"

"Yep." Mal pulled her mother into a quick hug. "We've got another handful of eggs in the fridge."

"I'll have to see if Mrs. Evie needs any more for the Starlight, later." Pepper smiled. "For now, can you check the water pots? My leg's been acting up again and I'm having trouble crouching."

"Sure."

Malva shimmied between the trellises and carefully opened the lid of the terracotta pot buried in the center of the plot. The water inside was nearly half gone, but the soil around it was still acceptably damp. She closed the lid and eased away from the trellis, before moving on to the next plot.

Pepper slowly lowered herself onto the edge of a neighboring garden bed, filled with a mix of flowers. "So, have you got all of your things together?"

"Not yet," Malva said. "I still need to pack my toothbrush and a few other small things that I needed this morning."

"Alright, there's no rush," Pepper laughed. "Have you told the boys yet?"

Malva flinched, almost dropping the lid she'd been holding onto the stone wall surrounding the bed. "I did..."

"And?"

"I think they're upset with me..." Malva said, frowning. "The first thing they asked was when I'd be getting back, and I couldn't answer them. I plan to come back, at least a few times a year, I just don't know when."

"In that case, I'm almost shocked they haven't rushed the house yet," Pepper said, biting back laughter.

Mal joined in the laughter. "I wish I could bring them," she said, after catching her breath. "But with the kind of traffic that runs up that road, I can't bring Fi with me, let alone two dryads."

She finished checking on the water pots and joined Pepper sitting by the flowers. Like this Malva had almost shrunk down to the same level as her mother, and it was a simple thing to rest her head on Pepper's shoulder.

"I'm going to go out to the woods before I leave for town," Malva said. "Hopefully I can...I don't know. Reassure them? That I'll see them again."

Pepper wrapped her arm around Malva's shoulder. "Try not to be disappointed if you can't find them," she said. "The world changes slowly for dryads, it might take them a while to adjust."

"And what about you?" Mal gently bumped her head against Pepper's. "Are you sure you'll be ok on your own? I can hang around a little longer, til dad gets back at least."

Pepper laughed. "I'm hardly alone." She pulled Malva into a squeezing hug. "And I thought you were excited to be going back to town?"

"I am! It's just...a lot," Malva said. "I thought I'd just be setting up as an electrician, not taking over as witch."

"You'll be fine." Pepper brushed a lock of Malva's hair back behind her ear. "Just call me if you need me. And if it's not working out, or it's too much, you can stop anytime you want."

"Ok."

"Come on," Pepper gave her a firm pat on the back, "let's go eat. Maybe you'll feel more confident after some breakfast."

Breakfast came and went, and the sun was creeping high into the sky by the time Malva made it to the clearing she usually met her dryad friends in.

"Saffron!" Malva called out, but there was no response.

"Crocus?" Again no response. No sound at all beyond the wind rustled leaves.

"Boys, please," Malva said. She paced around the edge of the clearing, peering out between the trees. "I'm not leaving forever, I promise!"

Still there was nothing. No birds chirping, no sign of deer or squirrels, and nothing but the sound of the wind through the trees. Eventually Malva returned to the center of the clearing, to the elm that had fallen there nearly a decade ago. She walked up to her preferred perch, a smooth spot where most of the bark had worn off, when her foot hit something solid.

She looked down and saw a blue stone, barely bigger than a walnut, glinting in the thin sunlight. When she held it up, the stone was foggy, almost transparent but for the center. Placed in it's heart were two apple blossoms, one a delicate lilac, the other a bolder royal purple.

"Ok." Malva smiled, and pocketed the stone. She looked around the clearing one more time, but there was nothing. "I'll miss you too," she called, and left for home.

It was past noon when Malva finally loaded the last box into the back of her beat up work van. She closed the doors, double checking that they were locked, before heading up to the house one last time.

Pepper was in the kitchen when Malva walked in, making a cup of tea. "Hi dear," she looked up at Malva. "Did you get everything?"

"Yeah," Malva said, pulling her into a solid hug. "I'm just gonna grab my drink, and then I'll be on my way."

"Ok." Pepper gave her a squeeze before letting go. "Text me when you get there, please."

"Of course!"

The drive seemed endless. It was only about forty minutes, Malva knew, even taking the smaller secondary roads that made up most of the trip. Maybe it was having all of her belongings in the back, maybe it was knowing that she'd be going to an empty home. Turning onto McKnight road was almost a relief, despite all six lanes being crowded with early rush hour traffic, because it meant she was almost there.

The small parking lot in front of the shop was empty when she turned in, as was the public garden they'd planted to circle the lot. The shop had been a paint store when Pepper bought it, and since then it had doubled as a home, a garden center, and a winery. It felt dark when Malva walked up to the doors, even in the afternoon sun. It was hard to believe it had only been a month.

Inside wasn't any better. A fine layer of dust coated most surfaces, and with the lights off it felt dim and hollow. Malva unlocked the door and walked inside, pausing briefly to take down the cheerful looking sign declaring 'The Witch Is Out!' She shut the door behind her, blocking the sounds of the traffic, and locking it.

It was so quiet.

Malva ducked behind the register. They'd had a radio before, and usually it was stored in one of the drawers, but in the rush of trying to stabilize Pepper's leg enough to get to the hospital...'Luc handled the cleanup, there shouldn't be blood dried on the table. Hopefully.'

She found the radio shoved haphazardly between some loose papers, planograms for the spring nursery. It was a small thing, barely bigger than her phone, and, when she flicked the switch on it's side, was still set to the only station Malva and her mother agreed on. A guitar riff and heavy drums blast out of the speakers before the singer growled over them.

It was some pre-flood metal song, or maybe nu-metal, nearly a century old now. Malva didn't recognize it, but it was still a comforting sound compared to the silence. She set the radio on the counter, and pulled out her phone.

"Ok." Malva put her phone back in her pocket and looked around the shop floor. "I guess I'll start by airing the place out."

She spent a few hours dusting and sweeping, stopping briefly to change the sheets in the apartment that took over the back of the store. Malva bundled the sheets in with the various towels that had been left out from before, and dumped them into the washer by the kitchen.

It was past dinner by the time she finished cleaning up to her own satisfaction, and even later by the time pizza arrived.

"And everything's still working?" Pepper asked. Her voice was blown out by the cell phone's speaker.

"So far, yeah," Malva said. "Just needed a good sweeping. I'll check the breaker in the morning, but I doubt anything major's broken since I last looked at it."

"Alright. Good night, dear."

The hazy morning light just barely streamed through Malva's window when she woke. At first she couldn't tell why, a glance at the clock on her table showed that it was barely past 6, and then she heard the doorbell.

The shop space they'd taken over was fairly sizable, and it was next to impossible to hear something at the front door from the apartment and vice versa. Pepper had rigged up an alarm with the doorbell so she wouldn't miss urgent clients. Malva had reworked it to simply be the doorbell.

Malva hurried up to the storefront, still barefoot, to find a woman pounding on the glass door. The woman looked barely into her thirties, even with greying streaks in her brown hair, and she was frantic.

"Please, open up!" The woman called out, still knocking incessantly on the door.

"Just a moment!" Malva ran up to the door. "Step back please, the door opens towards you," she said, unlocking the deadbolt.

The woman yanked the door open, a manic tear stained look on her face. "Help me!" She grabbed Malva by the shoulders. "Please, help me!"

"Easy," Malva said. She gently took hold of the woman's arms and led her over to a chair. "Sit down, please, and take a breath."

The woman looked frustrated, suddenly, but complied. She sat down and took a deep breath, holding it briefly before exhaling.

Malva pulled another chair over to face her and sat down. "Tell me what happened, please, Ms -?"

"Tegan," she said, shakily. "My son and his friends went missing three weeks ago. You were closed, so I went to the police." Tegan choked out a bitter laugh. "Useless fucks. They gave up after a week, said they didn't find anything and that my son was probably dead." She shook her head. "When my friends and I searched, the next day, we found his bracelet and his friend's necklace. He's not dead, I know it."

Tegan looked up at Malva, eyes wet and pleading. "Please find him, he's only twelve."

"I'll look," Malva said. "Where did you find the jewelry?"

"Not far from the plant nursery, off Irwin Lane," Teagan said.

"Mark's place? Near the cemetery?"

"You know it?"

"Mom and I have worked with him before," Malva said, nodding. "Would there have been anywhere the police couldn't search?"

"There shouldn't have been, the woods aren't that big." Teagan scowled. "But Andre told me there was a spot where they kept getting turned around, even when they marked the trees. And he's the only cop I even halfway trust not to lie to my face."

"Where was that?"

"Further into the woods, south east from the nursery, I think," Teagan said. "The paint should still be there, despite the rain we've been getting lately. It was bright pink, so you can't miss it."

"Alright." Malva stood up from her chair and crouched down by Teagan's. "I can start looking today, but, with your permission, I'd like to borrow your son's bracelet."

"Will that help you find him?" Teagan eyed her, wary and exhausted.

"Yes, it should," Malva said. She smiled warmly, but it didn't seem to comfort Teagan any.

Teagan looked away, her brow furrowed in thought. She pulled a leather cord, intricately braided around a handful of beads and charms, out of her pocket and looked at it silently. After a while Teagan sighed and held out the hand with the bracelet.

"Thank you," Malva said, keeping her tone gentle. She picked up the bracelet and tucked it into her pocket. "What's his name?"

"Aidan," Teagan said. "His friends are Reese and Lorenzo."

Malva nodded and stood up. "Will you be alright getting home? And how should I contact you later?"

"I'll be ok." Teagan shook her head. "And if you find anything just call up Wildwood. I'm there most days." She stood up from the chair, and seemed unsteady on her legs.

"Ok," Malva said. She glanced out the glass store front, it looked grey and dreary in the early morning light. "I need a few minutes to gather my things and then I'll start looking."

Teagan smiled. "Yeah, shoes would probably be helpful."

The overpass, the old greenhouses, and the graveyards. It was a familiar route Malva remembered taking many times alongside her mother. She pulled onto the long driveway that stretched off of Irwin road, and into a small parking lot that had been set to the right of the drive.

Malva hopped out of her van and walked down the rest of the driveway, into the sprawling nursery.

Mark, the owner, was arranging trays of small shrubs when he spotted her. "Mal!" He turned and smiled at her. "What brings you in today? How's your mother?"

"Mom's doing better, she's mostly healed up," Malva said with a soft smile. "But I'm here for a job. There's three missing kids."

"Ah." Mark's face fell. "And they told you the woods had gone weird."

"Mhm." Malva nodded. "Do you know when that started?"

"I first noticed it a little over a month ago," Mark said. "After that hurricane swept up the coast. Whatever it is wasn't acting aggressive, then. I would have told you sooner, but then Pepper was injured. I didn't want to bother you both with nothing while she recovered."

"I appreciate the concern," Malva said. "But this isn't nothing, anymore."

"Yes, of course." Mark sighed and turned toward the woods that lined the back of the property. "For their own sake, I hope those boys aren't there. But I can show you where the forest opens up."

"Have you been inside?" Malva kept in step behind him, as they walked through shaded garden beds filled with young plants.

"Only a few steps," Mark said. He led them to a small tree, warped by a storm to arch so far it's branches scraped the ground. It had a florescent pink 'X' painted on it. "I didn't want to go too far in case it turned out to be one of my relatives."

Malva walked around the tree, slowly circling to see it from as many angles as possible, before finding the opening in a gap between the branches. The doorway was small, and looked barely wide enough for her to squeeze through without disrupting it. Malva stepped back from the tree and turned to look at the surrounding woodland.

A few steps away, near the trunk of another tree, she found a fist sized rock and picked it up. Malva came back and sat at the base of the warped tree, flexing her fingers gently and drawing on some of her magic.

Malva's hand shifted in a burst of static, becoming clawed and scaled, with jagged, shimmering, rock-like armor running over the back of her fingers and hand. She set to carving the rock with her claws, a complicated knotwork of curves and twists.

"So why didn't you call me when the kids went missing?" Malva said as she carved. "Mom might be out for a while still, but I'm not."

"Fear, I suppose," Mark said. "After they disappeared, I was sure it was one of my family. Trying to bait me out, or place the blame for their harm onto me, perhaps. Then with all the people and the police about...I'm sorry." Mark hung his head and looked back towards the nursery. "I finally have something I'm proud of here, and I was scared to lose it. That's not an excuse, but it is the truth."

With the carving done, Malva shifted her hand back to a more human appearance, and pulled out a small jar of paint from her bag. The paint was mixed with a few drops of her own blood, and, once dried over the carving, would act as an anchor. Hopefully allowing her to find a way back out of wherever the doorway led.

"Are you still sure it's one of yours?" Malva gently waved the rock around, hoping to encourage the paint to dry faster.

"No." Mark shook his head. "There's been nothing since. No big disappearances, no visitations, no threats. Tinnia's the only one with any sense of subtlety, an this is too quiet even for her."

"Alright." Malva stood up and handed the rock to Mark. "Here."

Mark gingerly took the rock. "You're trusting me with this?" He looked back and forth between it and her.

"Just keep it out of the rain," Malva said. "And I won't mention this," she gestured over to the nursery, "to their parents."

Mark nodded. "Thank you." He clutched the rock to his chest. "I'll call your mother if you aren't back by tomorrow."

Malva nodded, then turned and walked through the doorway. The grey spring morning she'd driven through vanished on the other side of the door, replaced by a summer forest at midday.

Malva looked around the small clearing. The gate was the same here as in the woods by the nursery, a thin tree that had arched over so far that its branches scraped the ground. Around it was a mix of trees, but all were young and barely half as thick around as Malva herself.

"Well," Malva pulled out the bracelet. "Let's see where you went."

She coursed magic through the bracelet, a small spell to guide her to the one who wore it last. It tugged, slightly, pulling towards something in front of her.

Malva walked up to the first tree in front of the gateway and held her hand against it. She let out a small burst of electricity, just enough to scorch the bark. Following the pull of the bracelet, she walked through the forest, stopping only to place more marks before the last could be obscured by the foliage.

The walk seemed eternal, the sun never shifted or faded even as the trees grew bigger and more dense, and wrong. Saffron and Crocus had a realm similar to this, Malva remembered, a piece of old growth forest they shared with their mother. But the trees there grew healthy and wild, and the sun moved.

The underbrush grew warm and stifling, even as a soft wind blew through. The leaves rustled gently in the breeze, the sound only broken by bird calls. There were crows somewhere off in the trees, but their voices seemed distorted. Chickadees or some other small bird sounded nearer, but they too sounded wrong. And everywhere there were hawks, or something trying very hard to sound like one, with a cry like a broken whistle.

Eventually, after what had to have been hours, the pull from the bracelet grew stronger. A distinct feeling, ahead and left, that was only countered by the sweltering heat making it difficult to focus on anything. Malva had long since stripped off her jacket, but the rising humidity dashed any hope for relief.

The bird calls had been growing louder with every step she took, and more frequent. Malva paused to mark another tree when the wind shifted oddly. Several branches just overhead jolted.

Malva looked up and saw a gaggle of birds, all different sizes and colors, who'd been mushed together with pieces of hawks. Their bodies bulged and flowed like some cancerous growth or wet clay, trying to hold the small birds bodies to the larger parts that had grafted, or possibly grown, onto them. When Malva looked closer she saw that wherever the growths hadn't reached was perilously thin and balding.

The largest of the flock, a crow in another life, lunged at her, and the rest followed after it.

Before the birds could get too close to her, Malva let out a burst of static. The flock was forced back a pace, and all but one lay prone.

The last, what may have been a robin at one point but now was a jumble of hawk limbs on a body too small for them, kicked off the ground and lunged for her head. Malva swiped at the bird, but missed.

The bundle of feathers and talons latched onto her hair, and tore at her head. It wouldn't let go even when Malva bashed it in the side. And at the same time, down by her legs, Malva could feel movement, and something warm and pulsing.

The trees rustled loudly, and the wind stilled for just a moment before the rest of the flock cried out and lunged for her. Malva tried to concentrate, building up a stronger surge of energy. She didn't want to shift her form here, in case the owner of this realm hadn't noticed her yet.

Two of the flock were suddenly wrapped up in roots and pinned to the ground, and the robin was skewered by a branch. The pulsing warmth by her leg had gotten faster, but Malva paid it no mind and let out a burst of lightning. It arced off her body, coursing through the flock and into the trees and ground surrounding them.

When it settled, the only things still standing were herself and two dryads with purple flowers. The duo ran up and pulled Malva into a squeezing hug.

"Found you!" Saffron had darker flowers and more weathered bark.

"Missed you!" Crocus had lighter flowers and pale splotches banding up his bark.

"Guys?" Malva hugged them back.

Saffron leaned back and started. "Bleeding?" He raised a hand up to the slowly closing scratch on the side of her head.

"I'll be ok in a minute," Malva said. "How did you get in here?"

Saffron huffed and put pressure on the cut.

"Your going away present." Crocus squeezed her again then let go.

"That gem?" Malva said. The pulsing by her leg.

She reached into her pocket, right where the warmth had been. The gem was still warm when she touched it, but the pulsing has since subsided.

Malva laughed. "Well it would have been nice if you'd given it to me yourselves."

"Wanted to," Saffron said.

"Making it was exhausting," Crocus whined.

"But not so much that you can't break into another spirit's realm?" Malva raised an eyebrow at them.

"This one's new," Crocus said with a shrug. "So it was easy."

Saffron leaned onto Malva, bumping the top of his head against her chin. "What are you doing here?"

"Three kids are missing," Malva said. "Whoever made this place probably has them. Or at least may have heard something."

The boys shared a look, then looked back at her. "We can help!" they said together, matching grins on their faces.

Malva hesitated. Both were skilled with magic and learned in traditions unknown to her. But Saffron had a short temper where strangers were involved, and Crocus could be a cruel prankster when the mood seized him. Despite that, they were her friends.

"Ok," Malva said.

She pulled the bracelet out of her other pocket. The pull from it had changed direction, shifting more to her left. "Alright." Malva put the bracelet away and scorched one of the trees. "This way."

The walk continued much as it had before, endless midday sun and sweltering heat. The humidity was at a point that it felt like it should be raining, but wasn't.

Saffron and Crocus seemed to be enjoying themselves. Malva guessed that the extra light on their flowering branches felt nice after the cooler autumn weather of their mothers' realm.

The trees around them grew bigger as they walked, stretching high overhead and wide to the point that Malva couldn't see more than a few feet ahead. The breeze had picked up, alleviating some of the heat, and almost covering the sound of branches shaking.

It was hard to pick out over the sound of leaves, but Malva could faintly hear the sound of voices, and short cut off bird cries that seemed similar to a gull's to her ears but more shrill. Whatever it was, or perhaps they were, was heavy. The branches creaked and groaned under their weight when they moved, and they were coming closer.

Something surged forward, confirming that there were at least two. It leapt from branch to branch, overtaking Malva and the dryads, before apparently misjudging a jump.

A branch overhead snapped loudly and came crashing down, along with another hawk hybrid. Instead of another bird, this one had melded with a human. A teenager, by the looks of it, with reddish hair who was lean and starved in the face and arms, but had bulging, almost cancerous, growths along their back that flowed into their wings.

The teen hopped up onto their, no his, feet. He hunched forward and his wings fluffed up in an attempt at a threat display, but the panicked look on his face didn't carry it.

Behind them, Malva heard another branch creak and two more jumped down. One landed as heavily, and loudly, as the teenager in front of her. The other landed softly on their feet amid the sound of wings.

Malva looked over her shoulder, only turning slightly to keep the teen ahead of her in sight. Saffron and Crocus had already whirled around to face the other two hawks, but made no move to charge at them.

Both hawks were melded with humans, another teenage boy with black hair and a younger boy with dirty blond hair. They had a similar pattern of leanness in some places and bulging growths in others. However, they had developed more hawk traits than their friend.

All three had wings and feathers running down their backs, but that was where the redhead's changes had stopped. The black haired boy had developed a tail of red feathers, and had a few trailing down his arms as well. The blond was the most hawk like of the three, being almost entirely covered in small feathers except for his face, hands, and feet.

Malva could feel a tug from the bracelet against her leg. She discreetly laid a hand over the pocket it had been stored in. There was no doubt about it, the bracelet was pulling towards the youngest boy.

Malva sighed, and backed up a step, stepping between the dryads. "These are the kids I was looking for," she said quietly. "Restrain them, but be gentle."

"Alright," Crocus huffed. Saffron simply nodded.

The redhead, the biggest of the three, lunged at them. The other two boys joined in a second later.

Malva let out a burst of electricity, strong enough to cause the boys' muscles to seize, but hopefully weak enough to avoid lasting damage. The hawk children yelped in pain, then collapsed to the ground.

The dryads on either side of her also flinched, but for another reason. Both had long since figured out a way to simply absorb her electricity, though Saffron had admitted he wasn't fond of the jitteryness he always felt afterwards. Crocus shivered and twitched for a moment before settling. Saffron groaned, his branches shuddered randomly and likely would for a while.

Crocus looked over the black haired boy, who laid limply on the ground. The teenager was still visibly breathing, but didn't stir when the dryad turned him over.

"They ate the spirit's food?" Crocus said. "Why?"

"It's been almost a month," Malva said. She checked the other two boys. The redhead was also unconscious but alive, the blond was awake and shivering. "They may not have had a choice in the matter."

Saffron stepped around all three boys, carefully poking at their wings and feathers. "Don't know how to reverse this..." He trailed off in thought.

"Neither do I," Malva said, shaking her head. "But Mom might. Or your mom." She looked over the boys again, considering their weight, the distance to the door, and the threads of magic that tied them to this realm.

"We should probably banish the spirit before we go," she said. "So it doesn't try to grab these kids again later. Or anyone else."

"No!" The youngest of the boys, the one the bracelet pulled towards, Aidan perhaps, shouted. He looked panicked, eyes flicking off towards some unseen point ahead of them. He struggled to push himself up off the ground, only getting up onto his elbows.

"Don't hurt mom!" He flinched when he spoke, and the word sounded off, like it was forced. Aidan opened his mouth to say something else, but closed it again after a bit. He scowled, frustrated.

"Easy kid." Malva crouched down by him. "I don't want to hurt your mom."

"But you'll make her go away?" Aidan sounded almost hopeful, but his eyes teared up.

"Only if I have to," Malva said. She was sure she'd have to. "Has she been feeling ok?"

"No..." Aidan seemed hesitant to speak. "She's...sick," he forced out.

"Maybe I can help her," Malva said. Maybe I can break her hold on you. "Can you show me where she lives?"

Aidan glanced over at the other boys then back at Malva. "Are they dead?" His voice sounded more solid when he spoke.

"No." Malva shook her head. "Just sleeping for now."

"Ok." Aidan pushed himself up into a crouch. "Take them with us?"

Malva shot a look at Saffron and Crocus. The dryads shared a look. Without a word, they each grabbed hold of one of the teenagers.

Malva held her arms out to Aidan. "Care for a lift?"

Aidan nodded and grabbed onto her outstretched arms. Malva gently hoisted him up so he could rest his head against her shoulder. Aidan slumped, fatigue catching up to him.

He pointed off between the trees, the same direction he'd been looking at so nervously before. "Her nest is that way," Aidan said.

As they walked, the trees started to thin. Only slightly at first, almost unnoticeable except for the intense sunlight. And the humidity was suffocating, it felt to Malva like walking through soup even with the steadily growing breeze.

The path wound every which way, Aidan calling out turns and twists as they went. He hadn't moved from where he'd settled in Malva's arms, not even to look at the path he was directing them down. And when Malva glanced back at him, his eyes were closed.

Aidan pressed his head into Malva's shoulder. "Thank you," he said in a sleepy voice. "Can we go home after this?"

"You know she's not your mom?" Malva kept her voice even.

"Hm," Aidan hummed softly. "She wants to be. Won't let us call her anything else." He scowled. "It's hard to think of her as anything else."

"You're all going home as soon as I can get you out," Malva said. She hugged him. "You've been very brave so far. I just need you to hold on a little longer."

"It's not so bad," Aidan said. "No classes, I get to fly around, and my best friends are here." A sleepy smile crept across his face, before he frowned. "But Ren and Reese don't like the wings, and they don't like the food mom gives us either. I'm ok with it, for the most part, but they said it makes them feel weird and sick."

"Unfortunately it's making all three of you sick," Malva said. "But hopefully you should feel better once we're out of here."

Out in the distance, between the thinning trees, Malva could see the edge of a clearing, and a towering maple tree. Aidan directed them on a meandering path to the clearing, through a pair of bent trees that had wound together to form an archway.

The maple stood tall in the center of the clearing, it's branches splayed out so far that it almost shaded the whole meadow that had grown around it. And there, high in the branches but not so high that it was hidden, was a nest.

Malva stopped by the archway. From the distance she stood, the nest seemed almost tiny, but it was nearly as big across as the branches that held it near the trunk of the tree.

There was something in the nest, a massive bundle of feathers and wings that almost spilled out on either side. It made a raspy noise, then shifted. Its body moved impossibly for something truly physical.

'So the spirit is home,' Malva thought.

The spirit's body settled after a moment, into the shape of a massive hawk with red tail feathers. The hawk screeched at her and fluffed out its feathers. But it seemed reluctant to move, possibly brooding over another captive.

The wind gusted suddenly, until Aidan made an odd sound. The same bird call Malva had heard before he and his friends had jumped her. The hawk's feathers settled, but it kept its keen eyes on Malva.

Malva shot a look at Saffron and Crocus then gestured to a spot a few feet back from the arch. The dryads nodded without a word. The three of them retreated behind a few thicker trees, just out of view of the hawk, who had watched their every step.

Saffron and Crocus set down the boys they'd been carrying, who were still unconscious. Malva gently set Aidan down in front of them.

"I'm going to need you to look after your friends for a bit, ok?" Malva fished the bracelet out of her pocket and tied it around Aidan's wrist.

"Ok," Aidan said. He ran his fingers over the beading and smiled, probably the first real smile Malva had seen from him.

Malva looked over at Crocus. "And you should probably stay with them," she said.

Crocus flinched. "Why?"

"If things go quickly, I want you here to grab the kids and take them to the door," Malva said.

"And Saffron is better at unraveling spells." He sounded bitter, but she could see Crocus wilting.

"No." Malva pulled the dryad close and hugged him tight. "It's because you know more ways to bend realms than any of us. If anyone can get these kids out and escape, it'll be you."

Crocus squeezed her back. "Ok," he said eventually. "But you know I'd come back for you, right?"

"You always have," Malva said. She tapped him on the shoulder before stepping out of the hug. "We'll be back soon."

Malva tapped Saffron on the shoulder and walked back to the archway. The dryad quietly followed her out into the meadow.

They neared the base of the maple, the hawk overhead rasped at them but didn't attack.

"Still better at spells than Crocus," Saffron said, with a note of stubborn pride.

"You are both very talented in different ways," Malva said. "And so am I."

Malva jumped, feeding some of her own magic into it, until she looked like a bolt of lightning coming down into the nest. She didn't need to look to know her form had shifted, all demonic scales and craggy armor scutes, or that the banded horns curling out of her skull had taken the place of her hair.

The crash of thunder sent the hawk surging to its feet. A cloud of static arced off of Malva's body, but didn't seem to affect the hawk or even touch it. The hawk squawked loudly and hopped onto the far edge of the nest, spreading its wings.

For the first time since Malva had walked into this realm, the sky darkened. Clouds blotted out the sky, the wind gusted hard, and she could feel the edge of a storm approaching. Off in the distance, the sound of thunder and rain heralded cooler weather.

The hawk surged at Malva, jumping over the bundle of fur and feathers that lay in the center of its nest. Malva slid out of the way of its beak and caught the hawk by its throat with one hand and by its wings with the other.

Malva gently bundled the thrashing hawk against her side, which was difficult since it was nearly as big as her. "Easy girl," she said in a strained voice. "I'm not gonna hurt you, unless you bite me."

A bolt of lightning flashed nearby and the resulting clap of thunder woke the thing the hawk had been brooding over, a deer if the legs were any indication. It was half fledged, with a pair of scraggly wings grafted onto its withers, and clearly disoriented, but that didn't stop the deer from scrambling to its feet and running.

The nest was wide and built with shallow walls that would be just high enough for Malva to sit comfortably on them. The deer leapt over the wall with ease, either not knowing or not caring about the drop ahead of it, and plummeted. It flapped its wings on the way down, but the downy coating and half grown flight feathers gave no lift.

The hawk screeched and struggled, desperate to break free. Malva crouched down to pin it against the nest and just barely held onto it.

Malva flinched at the sound of bones cracking and branches breaking, but her grip held. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw an odd flash of color, and the magic surrounding the nest shifted under her.

The branches, and the body, hit the ground with a thud. Malva could hear a faint sobbing coming from below, and so could the hawk. For a moment, the hawk's struggling stopped, and then it screeched louder than ever.

Malva felt a familiar static tingle before the lightning struck. The force of it didn't bother her, she'd gone out in storms before for just this purpose, but the sound and the flash always got her.

Malva dropped the hawk and clapped her hands over her ears. Her eyes shut tight and she felt another bolt hit her.

A wing swept out and knocked Malva over, but the hawk seemed more interested in escape. Its screeching calls grew more distant by the second.

Malva opened her eyes and tried to blink away the spots. The blinding echos blurred together with the rats' nest of magic threaded through the nest. She scrambled to her feet in time to watch the hawk dive at Crocus.

It dropped onto the dryad's head. Crocus brought an arm up in time to keep the talons away from his face, but they tore through his bark down into his sapwood. He screamed, and swiped at the hawk with his other arm. The hawk evaded his blind swinging with ease, but retreated suddenly when Aidan ran past him.

"Stop!" Aidan yelled. He stopped in front of Crocus, arms and wings spread wide to try and cover the dryad's larger body.

The hawk hesitated, then landed. It slowly approached Aidan, creeping along the ground one step at a time. Crocus, who'd recovered his bearings, loomed ominously over the kid. His bleeding arm twitched.

"Wait, please." Aidan set a hand against Crocus' abdomen, pushing gently. "I can calm her down."

Crocus said nothing, but stood up a little straighter and nodded.

Aidan gently cupped the hawk's head, pulling it against his chest. The hawk let out a screechy chirp, and tried to keep its eyes on Crocus, but didn't fight the hold.

"Mama, stop it." Aidan cuddled the hawk, hiding his face in its neck. "We're ok. They didn't hurt us." He curled his wings around himself, blocking the hawk's view of all but the sky above and the forest canopy.

Aidan glanced up at Malva, eyes pleading. He started whispering calm words to the bird in his arms, and gently running his fingers through its feathers. The hawk settled and fell silent, and the storm clouds overhead slowly retreated.

Malva nodded and turned back to the center of the nest. She eyed the shimmering web of ties warily.

Saffron started working below, sifting through the threads of magic that held the realm together. Malva focused on finding the threads binding other entities, trapping the hawk’s abducted children in the sun drenched forest.

Malva gathered together a handful of threads that felt out of step with the rest running through the nest. A gentle tug on the bundle had no reaction, unless Aidan's sudden humming counted, so she severed them.

For a moment the forest came alive with the sounds of wings and hooves. Aidan yelped, and Malva could hear a faint groaning from further away.

The hawk screeched, and the sky went dark. Lightning flashed, and the rumbling thunder that followed almost drowned out Aidan's voice.

"H-hey! Mom, stop it!" Aidan sounded frantic. "We're ok! We're ok, please stop."

Saffron hissed below. "Can't find it," he grumbled.

"Keep looking," Malva said. She tugged on another thread, this one seemed thinner than the rest but had a strong pulse to it.

The forest rippled around them for a moment, and the pulse of the thread stuttered. Below, Malva could hear the hawk screeching frantically, then Aidan's sudden cry of pain and Crocus' rumbling.

"Saffron?" Malva called.

"Load bearing, and fragile," the dryad said. He sounded nervous. "Don't know how to keep it from unraveling."

"Hm...go help Crocus with the kids."

Saffron hesitated. "Can't hold it for long," he said.

"Won't have to, " Malva said. "But I've got more to spare. Just say when, ok?"

"Ok."

Malva watched Saffron skirt around where Crocus fought with the hawk. He led Aidan back to where the other children lay, and scooped up the unconscious pair in either arm.

Crocus edged back towards them, all the while trapping the hawk in an aggressive maze of roots and branches.

"Ready!" Saffron called out.

Malva snapped the thread and tied the ends to her wrists. The hawk's screeching cut off at the same time she felt a sharp drain. Malva stumbled to her feet and walked to the edge of the nest.

The hawk had collapsed to the ground, wings spasming. Its body slowly turned translucent and faded.

Malva jumped down, and landed hard on the ground. She hurried over to where Saffron and Crocus stood, waiting for her still. Crocus had picked Aidan up at some point.

"Time to go," Malva said, not daring to stop her shaky walk. "I hope my trail's still intact."

The trail was easy to follow, but long and winding. Malva stumbled along in a half run, for once being outpaced by her dryad friends. Around them the realm shuddered and listed, and the threads on Malva's wrists grew taut.

Crocus, who'd been leading the way, stopped. So suddenly, that Saffron almost ran into him.

"Crocus?" Malva said. The draining sensation was getting worse, even her tongue felt tired.

"I should be able to..." Crocus braced Aidan against his shoulder, then crouched down and plucked a thread from the forest floor. The same thread that was wrapped around Malva's wrist.

"Wait!" Malva said.

She'd watched him warp the space of pocket realms like this before, and been drug along for the ride a few times as well, but this was a new experience. That thread, already frayed to its limit, would have snapped under the shock but for the Malva's own energy.

Malva dropped to the ground wherever Crocus had brought them. She was definitely back in her more human shape, by the looks of her arms and bloody wrists. Not that it was easy to look at anything. She felt nauseous and faint, and her vision blackened around the edges.

Or maybe that was the realm starting to collapse. Crocus helped Malva to her feet, and Saffron braced her on her other side. She finally worked up the energy to see where they were.

Around them was a swirling morass of greens and browns, but there in the center of it was the gateway Malva had walked through what felt like days ago.

The trio stumbled towards that gate. But with every passing second, the forest grew more chaotic and unstable, reminiscent of TV static.

"Miss?" Aidan looked around frantically, and clung to Crocus's shoulders like a vice.

"We're almost there," Malva said. Sweat dripped down her brow, as she tried to hold the realm together for just a little bit longer. She could feel her legs shaking under her, they felt more like rubber than flesh, threatening to collapse at any moment.

The last dozen steps felt like eternity and like nothing. Malva stumbled through the gate, checking that the others had made it through as well, and cut the threads from her bleeding wrists.

Malva felt a sense of relief that the drain was gone, almost light headed, and turned to walk back to the nursery. Her knees had other ideas, and she collapsed to the ground.

It was dusk when she next opened her eyes. And Pepper was there.

"Hey," Pepper brushed a lock of Malva's hair out of her face. "How are you feeling?"

"Mom? What are you doing here?" Malva tried to sit up, straining her tired arms. Pepper helped her upright, and braced Malva with an arm around her shoulder.

She was still in the woods behind the nursery, the brightly painted house that had been repurposed into a shop peeked out between the trees. There were red lights flashing from somewhere beyond the nursery. And she could see Mark walking towards them.

"Mark called me after you stumbled out of the woods," Pepper said. She pulled Malva into a tight hug.

"And you drove all the way here?" Malva asked, incredulously. "How long was I out?"

"Not very long," Mark said. He stepped around a tree, so that it blocked him from view from the front of the nursery. "It's been about half an hour. I called Pepper and the paramedics as soon as I spotted you. She teleported over to that anchor you left, before the ambulance arrived."

"Mom!" Malva turned and checked over Pepper, who seemed amused but not in pain. "Come on, Mr. Harris said no big spells till you'd finished healing, remember?"

"Marshmallow, relax." Pepper grabbed hold of Malva's arms and held them still. "Nothing's reopened, I'm not in any more pain than I was this morning, and at worst I'm a bit tired." Pepper ran her thumb over the scabbed over wound on Malva's wrist. "But you were bleeding."

"I heal a lot faster than you do, Mom," Malva said, but she didn't pull away.

"So?"

Malva slumped, then sighed. "Ok, ok," she said. "So where's Saffron or Crocus? Or the kids?"

Pepper ruffled Malva's hair. "The boys left when they heard sirens," she said. "Seems there are still some things that scare them. And the kids are up the hill with EMS."

"Will they be ok?" Malva asked. "I've never encountered something like this before."

"I checked them over when I got here," Pepper said. "It's a pretty mangled transformation, but all of it should fade in time. Malnutrition is the bigger problem, spirit food doesn't usually do humans any good."

Malva hummed. "They were only in for a couple weeks, so that shouldn't be a long term problem, right?"

"Maybe not," Pepper said. "But remember to mention it when you speak to your client." She pulled Malva into another hug. "But for now, let's go home. I know you haven't had much time, but let me see what you've done with the shop?"

Malva hugged back. "Ok."