Page 15 of Shared By the Werebears
“Exactly.” She nodded.
“But what about the Diner? What about my regulars?” I asked. I hated to leave all the bachelors of Hidden Hollow high and dry in breakfast, lunch, and dinner departments. Some of them really just can’t cook.”
“They can come to The Red Lion,” Goody A said firmly. “Put a sign on the door and I’ll let the staff know that we’ll be having extra people in the dining room for a day or two—however long it takes you.”
“All right.” I nodded. “But I’ll need to pack. I have to see if I still have that tent I used to own…”
“No need for any of that,” Goody A said. “I have an instant tent that comes with everything you need. Food, water, clothes—you name it, the tent has it.” She winked. “And it’s big enough for three.”
Finn went red again at her words and Ronan glared but neither said anything, which I considered a good sign.
“All right—we’ll do it,” I said.
“You don’t really have to come with us, if you don’t want to,” Finn said.
“Finn’s right—this is our curse to break,” Ronan growled.
“Which Goldie is now involved in,” Goody A said sternly. “She’s part of the solution—I’ll need her to help me brew the curse-breaking potion. So she also needs to be involved in gathering the magical ingredient—the bitter berries—the potion hinges on.”
I thought Ronan was going to protest again, but in the end he only nodded. Finn looked relieved.
“I’m glad you’re coming with us,” he murmured, giving me a shy smile. “I’ve never met anyone like you before.”
“I have,” Ronan growled, but he didn’t say anything else and I decided not to push it.
“Very good—we have a consensus.” Goodie A called for one of her brownies again. “Go get my everything tent,” she told her. “It’s on the shelf in my office. It looks like a miniature tent and fits in the palm of your hand.”
“Yes, Goodie A.”
The brownie hurried away and came back a moment later holding a perfect miniature tent in one hand. I looked at it in awe when she handed it to me. It was the kind of tent that has a round dome and plenty of room inside and it was small enough to fit into my pocket.
“This has everything we need in it?” I asked.
Goody A nodded.
“Everything. When you’re ready to camp for the night, just set it down on the ground—mind you have enough room for it to expand—and chant this cantrip.”
She handed me a slip of paper and I opened it and saw that it had a few lines of script. I started to read them but Goody Albright stopped me.
No, no! Don’t say the words until you’re ready to expand the tent!And in the morning, say the counter-cantrip to miniaturize it again. All right?”
“All right.” I nodded and slipped the tiny tent into the pocket of my jacket. I looked at the two Weres. “Let’s go, boys. Time’s wasting.”
“Good luck!” Goody A gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “You’re going to be fine—just be careful once you get into the Blighted Forest,” she murmured.
As the three of us left the Red Lion Inn, I hoped she was right. I didn’t want to have a run-in with a demi-goddess. Also, I was still starving sexually. I wondered if I could get Ronan to relax enough to help me out a little. I could already tell that Finn wouldn’t mind but as hungry as I was, I didn’t want to risk draining him. I really needed them both.
I just hoped that they would be willing to help me out a little bit…or maybe a lot.
9
FINN
The woods around Hidden Hollow can be treacherous at night—especially if you don’t have magical vision. Ronan and I were fine—even out of our Fur Forms, we had enhanced Were eyesight. But it was clear that Goldie didn’t have the same powers we did. After she stumbled and tripped a few times, I put my arm through hers to lead her through the dark woods.
A faint snapping sound drifted through the air. Ahead of us, Ronan came instantly alert. His hand shot out to bar our progress, and he slid forward, crouched, eyes darting. Goldie tensed against my arm, her breath catching. Clearly, she could sense the mood shift, even if she couldn’t see through the blackness like we could.
“What is it?” she breathed in my ear.
