𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐄

Pt 13: Leaf Sheep and Cowboys

Kingston was able to exit the fairy ring as all of the magical beings, besides Griffith, dispersed from the room, talking amongst themselves, their ire satiated. He stepped forward cautiously, wobbling on the unfamiliar cloven hooves of a deer. Griffith watched with a slightly amused smile as the librarian stepped out of the ring.

"I have hooves," Kingston said weakly.

"Yes, you do," Griffith agreed. "And antlers, and a tail—"

"A faun?" Kingston demanded, anger welling at the fairy's choice of creature. He felt large, rounded ears at the sides of his head stick straight up in alarm, as well as a fluffy ruff around his neck puff out a bit. Discovering the acorn still clenched in his fingers, he dropped it to roll across the floor and into the wall. As he took a step forward, he stumbled, barely keeping his balance. "You — you can fix this, can't you?" he asked Griffith. The Atlantean grimaced.

"Well...no. Even if my magic was powerful enough, I'm a water sorcerer," he said. "Hydrokinesis is my specialty, not transfiguration."

"What about when you offered to turn me into a fish?" Kingston asked, panicked.

"It was a joke — I can't — do that," Griffith said with a sigh. He looked almost embarrassed, as if any self-respecting sorcerer could do shape-shifting spells.

"It's okay," Kingston reassured. He tried to take a few steps and found it wasn't too hard.

"If you really don't want to stay like this, I'm quite sure we can find a way —"

"I'm fine," the librarian interrupted. "We can do it after the Beacon's lit; we only have eleven days." He still had his own clothes, though his pants had new holes in them from his ankles. He rolled them up, since they were uncomfortable and didn't fit the new structure of his calves, then put his hand in his pocket, checking that Griffith's ring was still there.

"What are you looking for?" the Atlantean asked.

"Nothing," Kingston lied, immediately feeling awful. All the things he'd said about trust and here he was lying to him. But he didn't change his answer and say, I'm looking for your ring that I found on the floor and put on because I listened to a crazy key that I also stole from you, and I have to know everything, so I haven't given it back. He lowered his hand from his back pocket. "I guess we should probably keep going," he said instead. Griffith seemed unnerved.

"You don't seem very upset," he commented. Kingston looked down at his feet again. The Atlantean was right, of course; he wasn't too upset, and he himself wasn't sure why. He had kind of signed up for something like this when he brought Griffith to his apartment, he supposed.

"I'm just glad I wasn't turned into a hobgoblin or something," he sighed. Griffith smiled for a moment before sweeping out of the room. Kingston stumbled after him, nearly skidding down the stairs and skittering out of the way of Wilhelm before he was squished under his massive foot.

"It does suit you," Griffith admitted. Kingston huffed at him and crossed his arms. "Think of it this way: when we get to Norway, you'll be far warmer than if you were human," the Atlantean said brightly, setting his bag on the table and letting Wilhelm put a few small packages in it for him. The minotaur turned, blocking Kingston's view of Griffith as the pair spoke in hushed tones for a few moments. Kingston was unable to hear any of it, but it seemed serious since Griffith's face was clouded when Wilhelm moved away.

"What is it?" the librarian asked as Griffith put his bag around his shoulders and started toward the door. He paused, looking at the wall that masked the exit as if waiting for someone to walk through it. After a moment, he looked back at Kingston, his lips slightly parted as if he didn't want to tell him but was trying to keep his promise of answering everything truthfully. He then simply stepped through the wall without replying, Minerva scurrying after.