“You have your own canteen so I bought two extras for the boys.” She pointed two the bladders with wooden caps. “The merchant was already packed up to leave but was eager to make a sale. And last but not least, I brought an extra hat for someone who needs to keep their face hidden.” Siouxsie proceeded to reach behind her back and produce a wide brimmed pointed witch’s hat. She held it out for the prince to take, but he seemed reluctant.

  “Don’t you have something smaller I could use to cover my face?” he asked.

  “Not at the moment.” She held the hat a little closer but the prince still didn’t relieve her of it.

  “Take the hat.” Robert spoke.

  “If he’s not going to take it, I will.” Morell said.

  “You don’t need to cover your face.” Said Robert.

  “Don’t be rude, take the hat.” Said Hoxley.

  “I’m not being rude, I just don’t want to wear a hat that big.”

  “Witches hats come in two sizes.” Siouxsie explained. “Those for small children who are not ten summers old and those everyone else wears. The small one would not fit your head, so you should wear this one. It is the perfect size for you.”

  “Are there really no other options?” he asked. This was when Robert took a step forward, took the hat from Siouxsie and pressed it against the prince’s chest. His tone was lower and more deliberate as he spoke:

  “My sister has brought you canteens, provisions, a pack, and a means to conceal yourself in a time when you are being pursued. Witch hospitality is always abundant and dangerous to refuse. You would be wise to take what you have been offered if you want to continue to stay out of harms path.”

  Hoxley watched the expression on Prince Damron’s face change. Obviously, no one had ever spoken to him in such a manner before. His reluctance softened as he was likely like Hoxley and Morell in not knowing if the ‘harms path’ Robert mentioned was from the men with swords that pursued or from the witch himself.

  “It’s a fine hat worthy of resting where a crown should!” Siouxsie smiled effervescently. “There’s even a band of ribbon that runs through the base so you can adjust it if you need to!” The prince looked at everyone’s faces and realized this wasn’t going to be a situation made better by not being accommodating. He took the hat, gave his best effort at a smile and thanked her for the hat. He looked to see if anyone from the passing crowd was watching before swapping his hood for the witch hat.

  “Ah, a fine fit!” Siouxsie remarked. “There! Now that he’s settled and everyone has what they need, we can start for Stoney Mount! If we have time, we can roll large rocks into the geyser pockets and watch the pressure launch them into the air!”

  “You launch rocks into the air?” Morell asked. “Isn’t that dangerous? What if one comes down and hits you?”

  “I don’t know.” The girl thought it over for the first time. “I suppose you’d be as flat as the brim of my hat!”

  “And you do it anyway?” said the ginger boy.

  “Yes! A bunch of us get together, push boulder over the hole, then we get on our brooms and scatter when it blows sky high! It’s great fun! Robert had one last year that smashed a whole tree from top to bottom! We had enough toothpicks for the whole village!”

  “And you want us to do this while we’re passing through the area?”

  “If we have time.” She smiled.

  “What about the rest of us who don’t have brooms?” he asked, to which the girl thought it over before looking glum and pursing her lips.

  “Then perhaps you might not want to participate.”

  “This is taking up too much time.” Said Hoxley. “I think it’s best if we put as much distance between us and Spellvale. Once we’re away from here. I’d love to hear everything you know about this storm you witnessed, Robert.”

  “I’ll tell you what I know, which is very little.”

  “Where will your people go?” Hoxley asked.

  “To the south.” Siouxsie answered. “There are caves there with a natural spring. It’ll be perfect for them to stay away from the storm. It’s a good place but it’s still troubling that we have to depart from our homeland.”

  “It wouldn’t be the first time.” Robert grumbled.

  “Everyone, gather your things.” said Hoxley. “We’re on the move again.” The boys shouldered their goods as the witches mounted their brooms to hover. “Let’s go.” The party threaded their way past the crowd of witches, the prince being super careful to keep the brim of his hat nice and low. While cresting the first hill, Siouxsie noticed Morell was picking through his supplies. While she was hovering faster than he was walking, she circled back to float alongside him.

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  “Is there something wrong?” She asked him.

  “No, nothing at all. I’m very grateful for everything. It’s just that I was just hoping there might be some mushrooms. Mushrooms are my absolute favorites.”

  “We didn’t have any but I personally love mushrooms. Do you like chantrelles?” She asked

  “I love chantrelless because of the…”

  “Because of the peppery taste?” she finished for him

  “Exactly!”

  Onward the five traveled into the west toward the Stoney Mounts, the faun girl with freckles taking the lead. Like the others that followed, she could not shake the uneasiness that came when she glanced back at the portentous gloom in the sky that grew ever larger.

  The party made good time as they travelled. Hoxley set the pace and decided when they’d stop to rest based on the terrain and time. The prince followed close behind. Behind him, Morell brought up the rear with his huge pack. On longer inclines she offered to carry the bulky bag balanced atop her saddlebags. It was nothing for her to carry the burden approaching taller crests and it saved him from being so fatigued. By the roundness of his waist, it was telltale that he hadn’t been very physically active outside of his fungal studies. Siouxsie and Robert hovered silently just overhead on their brooms, thoughtfully positioning themselves to offer their wide brimmed shadows as shade for the rest. Later, as the sun began to lower in the sky, Siouxsie swooped in low to float next to Hoxley.

  “What’s on the horizon?” Hoxley asked.

  “We’re on the outer edge of the Stoney hills. Once we’re over the next crest, the terrain changes.”

  “That’s good to know. The rock slants on hills can be slippery. What’s your brother up to? He hasn’t said a word all day, even during the rest breaks.”

  “Oh, he’s just being him. You know he’s never been chatty. He likes to be a lookout. He’s the one who spotted the green storm so far off from Spellvale and warned everyone.”

  “And you evacuated the whole village.” Hoxley thought aloud. “What do you think caused the storm?”

  “After hearing what it did to the other two scouts, we believe it to be magical in nature.”

  “But the witches are the only ones who craft with magic.”

  “It could be witch related, but there are no other witch populations outside of Spellvale.”

  “Then who?” Asked Hoxley

  “Impossible to say without knowing more.” Siouxsie scratched her chin. “It was the kind of magic we witches wouldn’t normally use. We master elements of nature to improve lives, not dole out destruction. Magic can be dangerous if misused, but no one, not even the scholars or elders recognized the strange forces at work in that storm. That’s why everyone is evacuating and heading for the caves. No one wanted to leave, but this is the safest option for everyone. We sent scouts out to warn other villages like Sweetwater, but there hasn’t been enough time for them to reach their destinations and return with news.”

  “I suppose we’ll find out eventually.” Said Hoxley “I hope none of those storms are between us and the western kingdom.”

  “That’s my hope as well.” Siouxsie nodded.

  “Is it much further?” The prince asked from behind.

  “Much further to what?” Hoxley asked.

  “To our next rest stop. My feet are tired.” He added. Hoxley kept walking but turned about to walk backward and face him as she spoke.

  “We won’t be stopping until dusk. Siouxsie says we’re on the borders of the Stoneylands. We should be able to find a spot nestled between some boulders and sleep there.”

  “Why settle down between boulders?” he asked

  “Do you remember the reason we slept on the hill last night?”

  “Because it was a place that couldn’t easily be surrounded?”

  “That’s correct, you’re quickly learning.” Robert whistled from above and Hoxley watched as Siouxsie rose on her broom to hover next to him. He said something to her and pointed toward northeast before turning about and rocketing back the way they’d come. Siouxsie spiraled down alongside Hoxley again.