As I left the booth, I saw Torgol and Leaf Folk guards stash away several items from the booth with extreme care. It was likely enchanted, or cursed. Well, they could figure that out on their own. If I butted in on their business, it would just make them annoyed, after all. If they asked for help, sure, but if not, it was better to leave them to it.

  As I left the square, Soot and Ivy took off on their own again. I continued to wander the stalls, but I was having a hard time relaxing. How in the world did a human get into the city? First, the lake was miles upon miles from civilization. Second, it was deep inside fae territory. Most humans would stay as far away from the deep wilds as they could because of that alone.

  I was missing something. I wasn’t sure what, but something. Well, I could ask Cure for more information after they questioned the human. I stopped by a nearby stall and picked up a nice, cold beverage. It helped to soothe my nerves a bit. As I walked off again, I spotted a crowd surrounding a stall. With my curiosity piqued, I approached and saw Meleri standing in front of one of those sledgehammer games.

  Ah, I could guess the gist of the situation from that alone. Well, what mattered was she, and everyone watching, was having fun. I could hear Irenji give her an encouraging bark followed by a slam and the ringing of a bell as I walked away.

  A few minutes later, I could hear Winter through the magic mark I placed on her wing. “Mother, I think I need some help.” I focused on the marker. Winter was near Miva and Midnight. “I’ll be right there. Just give me a moment.” I jogged over, curious about what was going on. Much to my surprise I found Miva, Midnight and Winter surrounded by a crowd of worried Torgols. Winter was roosted on top of a streetlamp, while Miva and Midnight were sitting leaned up against it.

  As I pushed through the crowd to get a better look at the situation, I realized the issue. “Damn it. Alright, which booth sold catnip?” One of the Leaf Folk raised a hand. “A bundle of Catnip was the second price of my rope pulling game. I figured the cat would like it, but I didn’t expect the girl to shapeshift her face into a cat’s and take a sniff at it, too. They’ve been like that since.”

  Just great. I leaned down and examined the two. They were fine, but completely out of it. I removed the catnip bundle and stashed it in my pouch. “I’ll take it from here. You can all go on with your night.” I picked the two up and headed back towards the apartment. Oh, Miva was going to get a stern talking to when she regained her faculties. Midnight was off the hook for this one, as I doubt she’d be the one to suggest something so stupid.

  Then again… “Winter, did you see it all go down?” Winter flew down from the lamp and landed on my hat. “I did.” I could feel her shift around up there. “Miva got the bundle after playing the game. Then, when Midnight took an interest, Miva shoved the bundle into her nose, with predictable results. She then got curious why Midnight reacted like that and, well, the rest is as the Leaf Folk explained.” Damn it Miva. She should have called for me rather than sniff herbs unknown to her.

  Well, at least there would be no lasting harm. But Miva should have known better. I even gave her a Lens of Appraisal for her birthday last year. She could have used that. Well, what was done, was done. As I carried the two back inside, I found Irin dusting some books. “Irin, could I trouble you to look after these two? Miva’s grounded for the rest of the evening.” Irin’s leaves rustled a bit. “What did they do?”

  I took a deep breath. “Catnip high, on both of them.” Irin noticed Miva’s cat-like features. “Ah, I’ll look after her, and make sure she stays put. Same with Midnight, I take it?” I shook my head. “Midnight didn’t have a choice in the matter, according to Winter, so she’s free to leave should she want to. Though I doubt she’ll be in a state to do so before the fair ends.” Irin’s many wines reached out and gently picked both Miva and Midnight from my arms. “I’ll tuck them in and make sure they remain out of trouble until you return, Milady.”

  I gave Irin a grateful smile. “Thanks, Irin, I appreciate it.” I reached down and gave Midnight a loving scratch behind the ears, earning me a weak and dizzy purr. As I left the house, I saw Cure heading in my direction. “Did you find out what was going on?” Cure shook her head. “No, prisoner is telling nonsense. Would appreciate help.” Help eh, alright then. It wasn’t like I could enjoy the fair with this on my mind, anyway. “Sure thing, Cure, lead the way.”

  As we walked, I decided it was best to get more information about the situation. “So, what have you learned so far?” I glanced over at Cure as I asked. She seemed relatively uncomfortable about the question. “Better to hear from the prisoner.” That was a weird answer, but alright. Cure remained quiet as we continued on, which was unusual, given she was usually rather chatty.

  She led me through town and into the guard station, a building made from a darker stone than the rest of the residents and shops. I couldn’t recall ever setting foot inside here before. The inside was what I’d expect from the guards’ headquarters, though the basement also housed holding cells and interrogation chambers. Prudent, though given the usual nature of Torgols and Leaf Folk, I doubted they were used much.

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  As we approached the interrogation room where they were holding the human, the number of guards increased. It would seem they were taking no chances. I paused outside the room. “Just give me a moment to cast a spell to detect lies before we enter.” Cure nodded, but remained quiet.

  Once the spell was cast, we entered the room. A Torgol, two Leaf Folk and the prisoner were all seated around a small square stone table. I got a curious glance from the human, while the guards didn’t seem surprised at all. As I approached, the Torgol vacated their seat to let me sit down.

  I gave the Torgol a grateful nod, before turning my attention to the prisoner. “Hello again.” I didn’t get a response. No surprise there. “So, the Torgols have asked me to listen to your claims and verify them. It would be in your best interest if you talked right now.” She remained silent for another few moments, before taking a deep breath. “Fine, if that’s what it takes.”

  She took a deep breath. “The name is Amira. I was an explorer, traveling the wilderness, mapping it, then selling the maps for profit.” As she spoke, she was surrounded by a pristine, golden aura. No lies so far. She gave me a curious glance, before she continued. “As I was traveling up the Serrior River, for ease of travel, I happened upon a severely injured Torgol. I didn’t know it was a Torgol. I just thought her some kind of Fae creature. However, as I mentioned, she was injured, and from the looks of things she had gone over the waterfall I found her under.”

  She paused and took a sip of water from the wooden cup next to her. “I pitched camp and cared for the Torgol, Myrrh, and slowly nursed her back to health over the following week. Over that time, Myrrh and I started talking, and got to know each other. Turns out we both shared a bunch of things in common. We both love to explore. We enjoy fishing and like camping. One thing led to another and by the time the week was up, neither of us were keen on separating.”

  The aura turned from golden to pink, showing that there were some details left unspoken. However, given the context, I decided not to pry. What two lovebirds decided to do in private was none of my business. “I see, go on.” Amira gave me a curious glance, as if she expected me to either ask for more details or claim she was lying. When I remained silent, she took a deep breath before continuing.

  “As Myrrh recovered, we wanted to stay together, but by now, I knew that Myrrh wouldn’t survive human society. Likewise, we knew I wouldn’t be welcome here. However, if I got caught here, it would be less devastating for us than if Myrrh were caught in human territory. Besides, in difference from Myrrh, I don’t have any relatives.”

  I leaned forward onto the table. “And so you concocted a ruse using a shapeshifting spell.” Amira nodded. “Yeah, I… I know what I did was wrong, but please don’t punish Myrrh for this. It was my idea.” As she finished speaking, the door opened again and a Torgol with lime green skin entered. As she saw Amira, she rushed over and hugged her. “Myrrh… can’t… breathe…”

  Myrrh released Amira and stepped back a bit, her skin growing a few shades darker as she blushed. “Sorry Amira, was worried when you didn’t arrive as agreed. Then learned you were caught.” As Myrrh was talking, I silently cast a spell to detect active magic. Myrrh was under no spells that I could detect. So that meant Amira’s tale added up, so far.

  I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and saw Cure nodding towards the door. It was pretty obvious what she wanted, so I followed her outside. “Myrrh is under no spell, and aside from a few details being withheld about what they were doing together that week, Amira told the truth. At least as far as my magic could detect.” Cure opened her mouth for a moment, then closed it again, as she shook her head.

  “Myrrh still broke the law. Will need to be punished. And the Human… Amira has to be dealt with.” She looked uncomfortable thinking about it, and I could understand why. “Well, I might have a solution in that regard.” Cure looked at me with a curious expression. “The crime is that Myrrh brought a human to the city. The punishment for that is obviously severe. But what if there were no humans in the city?”

  Cure looked alarmed for a moment, before she thought about my question some more. “That could work, but Myrrh can’t be left off without punishment.” True, wouldn’t want to encourage stuff like this. “How about a few months of community service and a ban from leaving the city until it’s done?” Cure thought about it for a moment. “Good enough, if they accept. Thanks, Friend Morgana.” I gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Don’t mention it."

  We entered the interrogation room again. Myrrh and Amira were sitting side by side, holding hands, as they watched us enter again. I sat down opposite of them. “I have confirmed the truth of your story with magic, and also confirmed that Myrrh is under no enchantments. Now, that aside, Humans cannot remain in Mellowmere. It’s against the laws of the city, and we can’t make any exceptions.”

  Myrrh stiffened. “But Friend Morgana I-” I held up a hand, silencing her. “Amira, what would you do to protect Myrrh?” Amira looked me straight in the eyes. “Anything.” There wasn’t even a flicker in the aura from my detection spell as she spoke. “I see. Well, you cannot remain in the city as a human, Amira. The laws are clear in that regard, and neither Cure nor I will budge on that part.” I could see Amira deflate a bit.

  I looked at the two of them with a calm, impassive expression. “That does not mean you cannot stay, however.” The two looked confused. “Amira, if you wish to remain with Myrrh here in Mellowmere, you have only one option. Becoming a Torgol, I can facilitate that, but know this. The transformation will be slow, and painful beyond anything you can imagine. It would also be permanent. You can no longer use shapeshifting magics of any kind once that transformation takes hold.” I expected Amira to hesitate. However, I barely finished speaking before she asked. “What must I do?”