Then
The Innkeeper saw her as he was returning from the stable. She was impossible to miss, really. She was beautiful, tall and slim, with a cascade of black hair tumbling down her back. Her clothes were fine and well kept; not fit for traveling. She stood in the drive, gazing up at the old inn as if expecting something to happen.
"Can I help you, Mi'lady?"He called out as he approached.
Though she seemed oblivious to her surrounding, the greeting did not startle her. Instead, she turned to him and smiled warmly. "Yes, good sir." She replied in a clear, quite lovely voice. "Can you tell me if you've had any wizards pass through here recently?"
"Yeah, a couple." Said the Innkeeper. "Had one come through with a party just last week. Lookin' to hire? We got a job board inside..."
"I'm looking for one in particular, actually." The woman said. "A young woman? Short of stature, I'm told?" Seeing the blank expression on the man's face, she went on. "She was perhaps traveling with a tiny green woman?"
"Oh! Yes!" The man's face lit up. "I remember them! They were here last winter during that blizzard! The mage kept the walks clean! And her fairy! Well she wasn't a fairy. She was... uh... Well, she wasn't a pixie, I remember that."
"That sounds like them exactly!" The woman exclaimed, her grin widening. "Do you have any idea where they are now?"
"Uh, sort of." The Innkeeper rubbed the back of his neck. "When they left, they went that way down the road." He gestures to the south. "I remember because she was flying a foot or so over the snow."
"Ah." The woman seemed to deflate a little. "South. And... flying. Several months ago." She turned to gaze down the indicated road.
"Jal!" Came a shout from inside the inn. "What's takin' so long?"
"Just someone askin' directions." The Innkeeper, Jal apparently, turned and shouted back.
His wife stuck her head out the door and looked around. "What are you talkin' about, idiot? There's no one here."
"But..." Jal turned and leapt back in shock. The woman was, indeed gone, with no trace she'd ever been there at all, not even footprints in the dirt.
Now
The lump of metal on the counter wiggled for a moment, then it liquified, lengthening into a dark grey blade. Sarah arched her fingers, tightening the edge, and raising a semi-lewd sculpture of an angel near the tang before everything fell still. "Just needs a handle and it's ready to go." Said the mage.
The blacksmith glanced at her before picking up the blade. He turned it over in his hands, took a chunk out of his counter with the edge, and gave a low whistle. "That's fine work, girl. And adamantine too. Now why are you showing me this? You lookin' for a job?"
"No." replied Sarah. "I own a shop near by. And, while I can make weapons and armor, I'd rather focus on enchanting and refer any such requests to a reputable smith, and in return, perhaps that smith could send some enchanting referrals my way." She gestured to the dagger. "I would also be available for rush work, difficult materials, and fine details."
The smith thought for a moment, continuing to flip the dagger in his fingers. "I've always sent my magic work to that old elf on the edge of town." He lifted his eyes to Sarah with a half-grin. "But he's an arsehole. And the dagger?"
"It's your metal." Said Sarah. "It's just dagger-shaped now."
The smith smiled and stuck out his hand. "All right girl. Let's give this a try."
- - -
Sarah kept a slow, steady pace walking home, using the breathing exercises Narani had shown her. That had gone well. Perhaps the dagger did not 'seal the deal' as Terra had suggested, but it certainly hadn't hurt.
Things in general were going well. The shop was making money, and not just from Lara's dungeon. The business had been named 'Leather Bound', with one side of their shingle displaying a presumably magical book, and the other showing a green fey girl wearing suggestive leather clothing; a double entendre that was the talk of Moonday for several weeks.
Sarah had yet to actually take part in a Moonday gathering. Several people had imprisoned Terra, though Captain Tarnhoff seemed to have taken a particular liking toward her. Even Jix had spent an evening fastened to a ring by her magic shackles. But while Sarah was getting to know some of the others; even, dare she say it, making a few friends, she wasn't that comfortable. Not yet.
"Excuse me. Are you the wizard known as Sarah Wright?"
Panic flooded through Sarah for the briefest moment before she locked it down. She was safe. She could see guards from here. She took a steadying. breath and turned to see a tall, elegant woman with dark hair and a fine looking sort of gown. "I am." She replied.
The woman smiled. "And have you knowledge of a fey named Jixia Bramblehome?"
Anxiety wormed it's way through Sarah's thoughts. "Yes. She is a friend and companion. Who might you be?"
"I have a message from her mother." Came the simple reply.
Sarah's hand moved to the wand tucked in her belt though she didn't draw it. "Her mother is dead." The threat was implied but obvious. She was still afraid but now she was angry too.
The woman stopped smiling and raised her hands in placation. "No, she is not. Please. I would very much like to speak with Jix."
Sarah didn't like this; not at all. This could be a trick. This woman could be dangerous. However, the mage was also painfully aware that she was a poor judge of such things, the line between real and perceived danger being so blurry for her. Ultimately, whether or not Jix spoke to this woman was not her decision to make. "Very well. Come with me. I'll take you to her."
- - -
"I should have gone with her." Jix said as she nervously circled the shop floor again. "What's taking so long?"
"You're such a mother hen, Jix." Grinned Terra fro behind the counter. "It hasn't been that long, and she wanted to do it herself. She's a big girl who can shoot magic and summon monsters. She's fine."
Jix snorted and took another lap. In truth, she was quite proud of her companion for facing the outside world alone, but the fey had also felt how difficult it had been for Sarah in the past. She couldn't help but worry.
"So," Terra went on in a somewhat obvious attempt to change the subject. "That collar thing she made... She's doing some thing magic with it. What's it going to do?"
"She won't tell me." Huffed Jix. "She says I can be surprised like everybody else."
"Me too." Terra rolled her eyes. "It better be good after all this build up."
At that moment, the door to the shop opened and Sarah appeared, looking serious. She scanned the room, her eyes coming to rest on the hovering Jix.
"There you are! What took so long?" Jix darted toward the mage, flying two dizzying circles around her. "How did it go? Did he talk nice to you?"
"It went well." Replied Sarah. "I don't know if the dagger sold it, " she nodded to Terra, "but it helped, I'm sure. Jix, there's someone here to see you."
The dark haired woman had followed Sarah in and swung the door shut behind her. She looked around the room. When her eyes fell on Jix, her shoulders sagged; in relief judging by the expression on her face. "Jix." She sighed. "It's so good to see you. Quite a merry chase you've led me on."
Jix drifted over to hover near Sarah. "Uh, do I know you lady?"
The woman blinked. "You don't recognize..." she blinked again. "Oh, Eldest! Of course you don't! I only take this shape in the human world!" She extended her arm and snapped her fingers.
Sarah tensed, dropping her hand to her wand. Jix, taking her cue, had her sword in hand in a flash. But the woman did nothing more than vanish, dismissing the spell holding her shape. In her place, at roughly her center mass, a tiny green woman tumbled gracelessly though the air until she caught herself with her dragonfly like wings and brought herself to a smooth hover.
Silence reigned for a moment as the other fey and her human friends looked on in shock. Then Jix let out a shriek and darted toward the other atomie, colliding with her before her discarded sword hit the ground. They tumbled through the air in an awkward embrace.
"Nal!" Jix squealed. "You're alive! How are you still alive?!" She released the hug, instead latching on to an arm and dragged the other atomie toward the mage. "Sarah! This is Aunt Nalcara! She's alive! Terra! This..."
"Calm down, Jix." Sarah couldn't help but grin at the burst of enthusiasm. "You're going to dislocate her arm."
"Quite all right." Said Nalcara. "The feeling is mutual." She retrieved her arm, smoothing her jostled dress and running her fingers through her simmering, shoulder length green hair.
"But how are you still alive?" Cried Jix. "Home was... gone! I couldn't even go there!"
"I was... away when the attack came." Nalcara sighed. "Visiting a colleague. When I returned, I teleported into a field of ash. The taint of the place nearly killed me, but my magic protected me long enough to escape. I should have been there. To protect my home. My friends. But by all accounts, I would have made little difference."
"Who's accounts?" Asked Sarah, though she now realized she knew. "When we returned, we saw no sign of survivors."
"There were some." Replied Nalcara. "That's why I'm here, Jix. Your mother asked me to find you."
"Wh-what? N-no!" Stammered Jix. "Ma's alive?! But she would never... She would fight... She was s-so good with her s-sword! She wouldn't flee! None of the would flee!"
"I'm sorry to say that most of your family died, bravely fighting the invaders." Said Nalcara. "But you father bid your mother to take the little ones to the palace, with Uni and Brax as escort. When all was lost, the Queen opened a portal to First World and ordered everyone through. Althea was furious and ashamed at being forced to leave, but she could not disobey the queen. I knew of the palace's portal, so I knew where to look, and found her."
