Page 23 of With the Potion in the Courtyard

We reached the birdbath, its water a mirror reflecting the stars above. A flutter of birds skittered away at our approach, all except for one brave little fellow. It was a griffin, no bigger than a robin, with scrappy feathers and an eagerness in its eyes that made me chuckle.

"Look at him," I pointed. "He's not bothered by us at all."

Jessie smiled, watching the griffin splash about. "Brave little thing, isn't he?"

Robbie nodded. "Bet he'd scare off a dragon if it came down to it."

While we were engrossed in the antics of our tiny, feathered friend, Jessie glanced at her watch, a subtle look of concern on her face.

"What’s up?" I asked.

"I was just thinking…"

Lifting a brow, I tried to keep my smile from showing, and failed. "About what?"

"About the idea of traveling to other realms." Jessie looked thoughtful.

"Do you know a lot about it?"

Robbie stood a little taller. "Anything helpful?"

"I don’t personally know a lot about traveling to other realms. It’s not something I’ve researched in detail, but I think I know someonewho might be able to help us figure things out. Only, it might be better if I talked to him alone."

"Hey, if it helps, I don’t mind being left out," I told her.

She gave a firm nod. "Okay. I'll try to be back in a jiffy. We’ll see if Mr. Vanderflit has some answers about traveling to other realms," she said hopefully.

"Be careful," I said after her as she walked away.

"Other realms..." Robbie leaned against the stone rim of the birdbath. "Think there's one made entirely of candy?"

"Or one where everything's on fire?" I said, though the thought made me shiver.

"Or maybe a realm where everyone has to sing instead of talk," Robbie added with a laugh.

"Ew, I wouldn't want to live there. My singing could raise the dead." I grinned, but my mind wandered to Jessie and what she might discover. Could we really travel to places like the ones we imagined?

"You think Jessie will find out something good?" Robbie shot me a questioningglance.

I shrugged, trying not to let my nervousness show. "With magic, who knows? But I hope so."

We fell into a comfortable silence, watching the griffin preen its wet feathers. It shook itself, droplets flying in every direction, creating tiny rainbows in the moonlight.

"Nature's very own magic show." A sense of peace washed over me.

"Absolutely," Robbie said, his voice low and relaxed.

We had no idea how soon that peace would be shattered, how quickly our world would twist into something straight out of a coloring book. But for now, we stood together, lost in the simple pleasure of a bird's bath time, waiting for Jessie and the knowledge she would bring back from Mr. Vanderflit.

Robbie reached over and took my hand.

I squeezed his back. "I hope we get to study magical animals. That’s a subject I could really get lost in."

He smiled. "I actually picked up a book from the library about enchantments. I’ve been practicing all kinds of spells in my room. Even self-defense ones, minor ones, but still, it’s been pretty fun."

"What an overachiever!" I returned his smile. "I should probably spend more time studying. Tonight, I think, I’ll do a bit. With all the trouble we’ve found since coming here, it wouldn’t hurt to have more enchantments in our back pockets."

"Want to see a few?" he asked, looking excited. "We can’t actually use them in here, but I can show you how they’re done."