"Eat together and do not eat separately, for the blessing is associated with the company.”

  — Hadith, Sunan Ibn Majah

  **Unnatural silence hung in the glade** as Caleb and Juniper sat together, staring at the mass of vines that had covered the creature. Night had fully fallen. If you didn’t look too closely, you might miss the blood staining Caleb’s staff.

  "Mischling," Juniper said, her voice barely more than a breath.

  It took Caleb a moment to realize she’d spoken. His first reply came out as a dry croak. He cleared his throat and tried again.

  "What?"

  "What’s a Mischling?"

  Juniper’s eyes shifted from the silent pile to his face. Her usual spark was gone. She looked small, distant.

  “That thing is—was—a Mischling.” She shuddered. “We shouldn’t stay here. It’s starting to smell.”

  Caleb let out a short, incredulous laugh.

  “‘Starting’ to smell?”

  Juniper stood and climbed into her basket with a weary huff.

  “Okay, fine. It’s starting to smell more.”

  With an imperious wave of her tiny hand, Juniper pointed the way forward.

  "This way, oh mighty steed. I require waffles!"

  Caleb glanced back over his shoulder.

  "I'm not even going to ask if I've gone crazy. Did you just say you _require_ waffles?"

  "Of course! What else would you eat after your first-ever victory?"

  Her cheeky grin had returned, as if they hadn’t just been fighting for their lives.

  Caleb, for his part, hadn't forgotten.

  "Okay—I'm very confused. How do you even know what a Mischling is? You're, like, two hours old. And how, by Gaia’s leafy brow, do you know what waffles are?!"

  He stopped walking and spun in a circle, trying to face her as she rode in the basket strapped to his back. With a consternated sigh, he slipped the basket off and turned to confront her directly.

  Juniper, for her part, looked up at him with serene calm, as if he’d just asked her favorite color.

  "Well, oh big and clumpy-footed one, I just know."

  Her smile betrayed nothing.

  "That way."

  She pointed behind him.

  Caleb turned and stared.

  Ahead, from the direction Juniper had pointed, a soft golden glow filtered through the trees.

  "What in the wor—"

  He trailed off as Juniper grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the light. He clumped after her, then snorted and began placing his feet more carefully.

  Juniper giggled as she ran ahead, calling back over her shoulder, and mouthed, "Clumpy foots".

  They both stopped at the edge of the clearing.

  Before them, juxtaposed against the dark forest, was a small diner.

  Caleb took in the warm glow spilling from wide, square windows. A broken neon sign flickered above the door:

  *House of Waf L*

  There weren’t any missing letters. That was just the name.

  Juniper didn’t hesitate. With a gleeful shout, she darted straight for the door.

  Caleb hung back, still unsure.

  “Hold on there, little miss.”

  At Juniper’s indignant squeak, he held up a hand.

  “How in all the hells is there a diner out here? We’re miles from any town. This is a forest.”

  He gestured around for emphasis.

  Juniper just looked up at him and laughed.

  “And You’re talking to a tree.”

  Then she spun and dashed toward the entrance.

  “That’s not _at all_ what I meant, and you know it!” Caleb called after her.

  With a resigned sigh, he followed—at a far more reasonable pace.

  Just inside the door, he found Juniper staring at a dusty old clockwork oracle. Flaking letters painted across the top read Orrin the Magnificent in garish gold. The figure inside—barely visible through age-darkened glass—stared listlessly out at the little sprite.

  Juniper's mouth hung open. Her small hand drifted upward, almost of its own accord, to touch the glass.

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  “What is this?” she breathed, eyes locked on the figure. “Why is he trapped in there?”

  Before Caleb could answer, the oracle stuttered into motion. Gears groaned and clanked somewhere within, and though the noises were worrisome, the figure’s movements were surprisingly fluid.

  A voice crackled from a hidden speaker, wispy at first but growing clearer with each syllable.

  “He… Hello. Hello world. Error—hello world. Hello… Waffles.”

  Juniper lit up and turned to Caleb with a huge grin. “Waffles!”

  From across the diner, a grandmotherly voice called out, "Oh, is that thing making noise? We haven't heard a peep out of him in, what—years?"

  Caleb and Juniper both turned to see a portly woman, grey hair piled high in a messy bun, wave them in with a smile. "Come in, come in! Sit anywhere—we're not very busy these days."

  They soon found themselves seated in a worn booth, Caleb with a cup of coffee; Juniper chose water.

  The woman introduced herself as Esther and was all smiles as she called their orders back to a tall, dark, hooded figure at the grill. The figure, though silent, had a deeply ominous air. But Esther laughed at Caleb's questioning look and said, "Our cook today is W. He doesn't say much, but you'll never have a better waffle!" Juniper bounced in her seat in anticipation.

  Caleb breathed in the rich aroma of his coffee as Juniper's wide eyes took in the diner from top to bottom. He couldn't help but smile at her exuberance, but his thoughts were interrupted as the largest cat he had ever seen jumped up onto the table.

  Rich golden eyes seemed to bore into his soul, and a stub of a tail twitched as if to say, _Who are you? And you must now surrender your bacon._

  The waffles arrived with aplomb and were set upon by the pair as if they were tasting the apples of the Aesir.

  Esther laughed gloriously and chided them to slow down. "You know, the waffle won’t get away from you if you breathe between bites." Her smile did almost as much as the food to calm their minds.

  "You two seem to have been through a tough time of it. I know it can be hard out there, but in here, you are safe."

  Caleb looked up with a mouth full of waffles and nearly choked. Behind Esther, W's long fingers were delicately peeling a strip of bacon from a package, raising it slowly to his mouth. Even though his back was turned, Caleb could see the tension in his shoulders melt as W swallowed.

  At his look, Esther smiled her grandmotherly smile and patted his shoulder.

  "I can see that you have questions. I may be just an old woman serving coffee, but ask away." She pulled up a chair to join them. "Not all questions need answers. Sometimes, just asking is enough."

  Caleb found himself sharing a small piece of waffle with the cat, who had—apparently—chosen him. When he reached to scratch behind its ears, his fingers brushed something strange. There was a hard ridge along the spine, and he jerked back in alarm as a sharp poke caught his finger.

  Two small horns protruded just behind the ragged ears.

  A drop of blood welled up where he’d been pricked. The cat’s ears twitched, as if to say, _That’s what you get for touching without asking._

  Esther shooed the cat away with another warm laugh. "That little thief will eat anything you take your eyes off of for more than a second!" Then added, with a wink, "You have been warned."

  Caleb couldn't help but smile in return. Her warm presence was unwinding that spot in his gut he’d forgotten he was holding.

  "I have to ask," he continued, encouraged by her smile, "What is this place? There's nothing but forest for miles around."

  Esther's eyes crinkled at the corners and she whispered, "That's one of those unanswerable questions." She shrugged and continued, "We're just here when you need us."

  Caleb's face must have shown his perplexity, because when he opened his mouth to question her non-answer, she forestalled him with a raised hand.

  "You are in a new world now. There are a lot of things you won't understand." She filled his coffee mug, even though he didn’t remember drinking. "Not everything in this world is against you, even when it feels like the end is around every corner."

  Behind her, W tapped his spatula on the grill top.

  "Would you like some bacon?" She beamed over at Juniper. "Or some more waffles?"

  Juniper brightened and slid her empty plate toward Esther's waiting hand. Moments later, they both found themselves facing yet another plate of steaming, golden goodness.

  Between bites, Caleb managed to ask a question that had been itching to get out.

  "I guess I understand that the gods are back." He paused to sip his coffee and order his thoughts. "But what I don't understand is what my relationship is to them."

  Esther smiled, and he continued. "Earlier, I tuned—or was it turned to?"

  He trailed off, and Juniper jumped in. "Attuned to! You attuned to Gaia."

  Caleb nodded his thanks. "Yes, I attuned to her, just before I passed out." He shrugged. "When I woke up again, she was gone, and Juniper and I had to fight a goblin thing."

  "Mischling!" Juniper offered brightly. "I think it was a scout. Or at least it was alone."

  Esther nodded and indicated for him to go on.

  "What was that? And how does a tiny sprite know so much?" He shook his head at his distracted thoughts. "What is 'attunement' and what does it mean for me?"

  Esther nodded and sat quietly for a moment before leaning forward in her chair.

  "Attunement is very serious business, young man. You should have asked what it was before you offered your allegiance to a god."

  "Goddess!" Juniper interrupted with a bright smile.

  "Goddess," Esther corrected, smiling at the sprite. "You could do much worse than Gaia, but you should still know the full ramifications of a thing before you agree to it."

  She looked meaningfully at Caleb before she went on.

  "Attunement means that part of your essence—or achievement—will go to the god or goddess," she winked at Juniper, "in exchange for some kind of gift from the deity in question."

  Her soft eyes and smile took some of the sting from her words, but her meaning was still clear: Caleb had acted without thinking, on instinct perhaps. This choice could have landed him in a significant amount of trouble.

  Esther seemed able to read his thoughts, because she spoke before his mind could spiral too far.

  "Really, Gaia is a good choice. You seem to have a deep affinity for her. The fact that she approached you already is a good indicator of that." She turned to Juniper. "How do you fit in, little one?"

  Juniper spoke around a mouthful of waffle.

  "I'm going to help Caleb!" Then, in a stage whisper, "He needs a lot of help."

  Caleb laughed, but sobered quickly. He reached for a piece of bacon and chewed quietly. Juniper seemed to take his momentary silence for license and turned back to Esther.

  "Goddess told me that I need to teach Caleb." She placed her pebble on the table and waved her hand once to turn it to sand, and again to return it to a pebble. Her little face was serious, and she looked back at Caleb before speaking.

  "I don't know what I need to do until I need to do it." She turned back to Esther, eyes wide. "I don't know how I know things, but I just do."

  Esther's voice was soft and reassuring.

  "You draw directly from the magic of the earth, little one." Her smile was warm. "From her knowledge as well. Although, you seem to have a talent for making waffles vanish. Where on earth did you put all of that?"

  Just then, the huge orange cat landed on the table in front of Caleb. Quick as a flash, he grabbed the last piece of bacon and vanished before anyone could react.