Always Be Appreciative of Opposable Thumbs

Chapter Forty: Cartography and Invisibility

 Hugo's eyes kept wandering back to the door while Jyoji and Sera argued about whether or not it would be ethical to use a butterfly net on a Fairy if it was in the name of rescuing her. They didn't call upon him to add his opinion, which was just as well; he really wasn't paying any attention. All he could think of was why Willow hadn't returned yet. It had been nearly twenty minutes since she left. Was she feeling unwell? Had she passed out? Had Teodric somehow caught wind of her enchanted state and sent Fawkes out to capture her?

Panic seized his chest at that last thought, and he had to catch his breath as he pictured Willow being stuffed into a cage, surrounded by imprisoned creatures and people. All alone. With no friends. No one who could understand her as a goose. No one she could have thumb wars with as a human.

It was more than he could bear.

He jumped to his feet and threw open the door. "Whoa, Cabbage Boy, where you going?" asked Sera.

"I'm worried about Willow. She's been gone for a while."

Without waiting for a response, he tore down the stairs. There was hardly anyone there besides two of the inn's employees. One was busy sweeping the floors while the other napped at the reception desk.

"Excuse me, have you seen a young lady with light-brown hair up in a ponytail?" Hugo asked the man who was sweeping.

"I think she left," he said, nodding to the front door. "About fifteen minutes ago. Didn't say where she was going."

"Thank you," Hugo said.

Bursting through the door, he scanned the front yard. She wasn't there. No one was there, in fact. Night had fallen, and it seemed most folks had gone to bed. Thick clouds muted any light that came from the moon and stars, but it didn't stop Hugo from searching the surrounding area, checking the underbrush and every darkened corner he could find.

"Cabbage Boy, what are you doing?"

Hugo pulled his head out of the bush he was inspecting and found Sera and Jyoji standing in the doorway of the inn. "I can't find Willow. I'm worried something happened to her," he said as he returned to the bush.

"Could she have possibly reverted back to her goose form?" asked Sera.

"I don't know. Since we're not sure when she turned human, it's a possibility."

"If these feathers are any indication, I'm willing to bet that's probably what happened," Jyoji said.

Nearly tumbling out of the bush, Hugo made his way over to where Jyoji was standing. There was a handful of white feathers scattered along the road. Hugo bent down on one knee and scooped them up, bringing them close to his face.

"They're not hers."

Sera placed her hands on her hips. "Seriously? How can you even know that?"

"Willow has specks of brown on almost all of her feathers. Occasionally one is white, but to have these many feathers in one spot and not a fleck of brown? They're not hers."

"So there's some other enchanted goose girl wandering around here?"

Other goose girls.

Hugo's heart skipped a beat, and he closed his fist over the feathers in his hand. "They took her."

"Who took her?" asked Jyoji.

The panic began to claw at Hugo's chest again as he stood up and turned to face Sera and Jyoji. "Her sisters."

Jyoji furrowed his brow. "Willow has sisters?"

"Yes. No." Hugo shook his head, trying to focus his thoughts. "The woman Willow lived with had twelve daughters. One thing led to another and they were turned into geese."