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The cauldron sizzled and popped, a faint light emanating from the liquid inside. It smelled of dirt and rotten fruit and strong herbs. Dream stirred it and whispered a string of words that would sound like nonsense to most. The long wooden spoon cut easily through the liquid and when he lifted it, nothing clung to the surface. He set the spoon aside and picked up the metal tongs. Carefully, he grabbed one of the long, glass cylinders with the tongs and dipped it into the cauldron, filling it to the top. He turned to the table and the brewing stand. There was a flask full of something dark and still held above the low flame and Dream tipped the contents of the glass cylinder into it. Immediately it began to bubble, hissing as the color changed to green and the light grew brighter. The air smelled like fresh grass, the undercurrent of rot barely noticeable.
Turning, Dream avoided the cat that was trying to wind her way between his feet and moved to a shelf. It was lined with jars of all shapes and sizes, with books stuck in between and loose stacks of papers held down by some of the jars. He grabbed one, almost kicking the cat as he turned back to the table, and sprinkled a small pinch of the power into the flask. It pulsated for a moment and when it stopped, the green had darkened slightly. Dream grabbed the piece of flat metal, discolored with burn marks, and slid it over the flame.
“There,” he said, rifling through some of the mess on the table until he found what he was looking for. The cork had a small chip taken out of it and what looked like bite marks on it. Dream looked down at the cat. “Seriously? You—You have things to play with.”
The cat meowed and butted her head against his legs. Dream rolled his eyes as he plucked the flask off the brewing stand and corked the opening. The glass was already cool to the touch. He wrapped it in a scrap of fabric before tucking it into one of his pouches. Bending down, he scratched the cat behind the ears.
“Alright.”
The cat followed him to the door, watching as he put his cloak on and tugged the hood up. Outside, the sun had just risen over the line of sparse trees on the edge of the wide meadow. His home was set tucked in a clump of trees on the other side. He glanced around. The meadow was empty of everything except the sound of bird song. Dream placed his hand on the stone doorframe and muttered a quick spell. The hidden runes glowed for a second.
“I’ll be back before night,” he told the cat and then shut the door.
Dream had learned his lesson about lingering too long in the forest that surrounded Techno’s cabin. It wasn’t a mistake he intended to make again. Just in case.
Two days, Dream had said.
He had two days before they would come and Techno had no reason to doubt that was true. The whisperings of a witch in the area had building up for awhile now, beaten into a fervor by the happenings of small, strange things and the head of the local church. The suspicion had caused fear to spread and for everything to be picked apart and blamed on witchcraft. Techno had doubted those claims, if only because when people shouted ‘witch’, it rarely was true. But he had been wrong. There was a witch.
By the barking of the dogs, the witch was coming up his pathway.
Techno set his sword down next to the whetstone. His armor was in pieces on the floor around the table. The bottle of oil was still open and he paused to put the cork back then got to his feet. The shutters on the window were open and he could see Dream hesitating at the bottom of the porch, looking over his shoulder as if he was worried he had been followed. Techno gave a quiet huff and stepped to the door.
“Hullo, Dream,” he said as he pulled it open. A brief look of surprised crossed Dream’s face and Techno grinned. A dog slipped out the door and barked a few times. “I didn’t think I was gonna see you again so soon.”
One hand on the railing, Dream shrugged and pulled himself up the stairs. The dog danced around his legs and Dream gave it a quick pet on the head before his hands disappeared back under his cloak.
“Yeah, well, I had a reason.”
Dream’s eyes flicked towards the open door, shifting his weight back and forth on his feet. The air had the distinct scent of someone who was nervous and Techno’s grin softened. He nudged the door open further with his foot and gestured.
“Alright, c’mon in, man.”
Following Dream and the dog inside, Techno shut the door, amused as the other started towards the kitchen with only a brief glance towards the pile of armor and the sword stretched across Techno’s work table. The dog went right back to its spot by the fire. Techno kept following Dream until he stopped in the middle of the kitchen. He almost bumped into him.
“Lemme just…” Techno slipped around him and opened one of the cabinets. “D’you want some tea?”
A quiet cough made Techno pause and look at Dream.
“No. I shouldn’t stay for long this time,” said Dream with a sheepish, tight grin. He tugged at his cloak. “I have something for you.”
One of Techno’s eyebrows jumped up before he could school his face into something neutral. He hadn’t expected Dream to come back after his warning. That was all the help he thought he would receive and had sent out a message to his only friend in hopes that aid would arrive before the two days were up. The edge of the kitchen counter dug into his back as he leaned against it, crossing his arms.
“Ah. I see. Addin’ to that favor of yours, eh?”
A flush of red crossed Dream’s face. He reached into the large pouch that hung at his side and pulled what looked liked a bundle of dirty fabric from inside.
“Well, to be fair, you did kinda save me the other day so.”
Techno narrowed his eyes slightly. Owing a witch a favor seemed like a bad idea. Anyone would tell him to turn whatever Dream had to offer down but Dream had been friendly to him since the start and that was something Techno didn’t take lightly.
“True, true, I did save you,” he said as he watched Dream pull back the fabric.
In Dream’s hand was a vial of something. It was green and glowing slightly. Techno was hesitant to touch it but Dream nodded, extending his hand further.
“What exactly is this, Dream?”
Finally, Techno took the vial. The liquid inside was impossible to see through. Dream reached for one of the chairs and pulled it out, plopping down in the seat, faced away from the table.
“If—If something goes wrong, when they come for you, take that. It’s a potion and it’ll stop you from dying for a few hours s-so only take it if you’re desperate and sure,” said Dream. The tone of his voice was more serious than Techno had ever heard.
The vial suddenly felt very heavy in Techno’s hand.
“That’s some serious magic, Dream.” It was the sort of magic that only a powerful or determined witch could pull off. The sort of witch that those in power would certainly want to put a stop to. Techno set the vial down gently, making sure that it didn’t roll. “How do you know it’ll work?”
It wasn’t the question Techno really wanted to asked. He had half a dozen questions that he would rather have the answer to but Techno knew if he asked ‘why are you doing this’, he wouldn’t get a straight answer. In the chair, Dream shifted. His foot tapped against the floor.
“I tested it.” Dream snorted, raising a hand to wave away the protest that he must have realized was coming. “On myself, Techno. I—I didn’t, like, almost kill someone if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Techno had been worried about exactly that. He stared at Dream for a moment.
“Heh? You almost killed yourself?”
A smile flashed across Dream’s face.
“It works. I know what I’m doing,” he said.
Glancing at the vial, Techno wondered if he trusted Dream enough to put his faith in the potion. The counter edge was making his back ache and he straightened. Techno rubbed a hand over his chin; his beard needed a good trim.
“I gotta ask, man, why’s this favor so important to you?”
The kitchen went silent. Even the tapping of Dream’s foot against the floor had ceased. Techno watched him but Dream’s eyes were on the frayed edge of his cloak and a thread that had come loose. He picked at it, pulling it out and then letting it fall to the floor.
“I mean, I’m the witch.” Dream looked up at him. His foot began tapping again. “They’re going to figure it out. They think it’s you because you—you live in this stupid creepy forest. So, when they do, you’re on my side.”
Techno had known Dream was a witch – the witch – since he had danced around the subject while drinking his tea. It had been confirmed by the light charm he had that night when Techno saved him from being eaten by one of the Shadows. But saying it out loud could endanger him. It made it real. Techno hooked a leg of the chair with his socked foot and sat down.
“And you’re thinkin’ that if you’ve got a werepig on your side, you’re gonna come out on top,” said Techno, slowly. It didn’t quite fit because—
The chair Dream was sitting in squeaked as he leaned back, the front legs lifting off the ground.
“I didn’t know that part, actually. I thought you were just weird or whatever.”
Techno laughed. The explanation was ridiculous and he believed it. He stretched his legs out and crossed his ankles, still chuckling to himself.
“Alright, alright. You’ve got me there but I dunno, man. It seems awfully risky. Why not just leave?” he asked. It was one of the other questions that had been dancing around in his head. Techno had considered leaving himself, but he was tired and had built a nice home here and he wasn’t a witch. Part of him was hoping he could explain it all away. “It just doesn’t seem worth it.”
The chair dropped back to the ground. Something serious had settled on Dream’s face and he slapped his palm down on the table.
“I—I lived somewhere else, once, but they—they hunted me down. I had to run. So I came here and I was here first, before the dumb town and the church, okay? It’s not—It’s not fair that I have to run again.”
The reasoning was so close to his own that Techno felt his chest tighten. Without thinking, he leaned forward and put his hand over Dream’s, patting it gently. Dream frowned but left his hand where it was.
“Y’know, it’s probably a really dumb idea, Dream, but I get it. I get it,” he said.
Dream pulled his hand away.
“Yeah, so, just... Be careful and don’t get yourself killed.”
Standing, Dream tucked the leather pouch back under his cloak and tugged the hood over his head. His eyes fell on the potion vial and he nodded to himself. Techno got to his feet as well and let Dream lead the way back to the door.
“Don’t worry, man, I’ll be fine.”
The sword and the armor had finally caught Dream’s attention and he gave another short nod, the corner of his mouth curling up into a crooked grin. The grin was gone as quickly as it came and Dream tilted his head as he looked at Techno.
“Keep that potion on you, okay? I don’t want to have almost died for nothing,” he said.
Techno reached out, past Dream, and opened the door. The sun filled the clearing that Techno’s cabin sat in but the forest surrounding it was still dark. It wouldn’t be until much later that the creatures who lived inside got brave and came out in force. Anyone who stuck to the path would be safe enough to travel through it on their own.
“I said I’ll be fine, Dream. Quit yer worryin’.”
Ducking under Techno’s arm, Dream stepped onto the porch.
“I won’t. I’ll be keeping an eye out.”
Another laugh escaped Techno and he felt bad because Dream’s tone had been deliberately serious, almost intentionally ominous. Beneath the hood, Dream rolled his eyes with a huff. Techno hovered at the doorway. His boots were set neatly to the side, on the faded blue rug. The offer to walk Dream to the edge of the forest was on the tip of his tongue but he was already down the porch stairs and hurrying towards the path.
“See you, man,” called Techno after him.
At the head of the trail, Dream paused and lifted a hand. Techno stood on the porch, the wool of his socks sticking to the rough wood of the porch, and watched until Dream was out of sight and then watched a little longer. When one of the dogs came up and nosed at his knee, he headed inside. Closing the door, Techno went straight to the kitchen. He took his handkerchief and wrapped the vial up carefully before returning the handkerchief back to breast pocket of his shirt and decided to make a cup of tea.