When they stepped through the Earl’s mirror this time, it was not into a damp basement, but a small wooded glen bursting with wildflowers. A brook gurgled unseen behind the trees, adding its quiet song to the serene scene.

  At the glen’s center stood a massive carriage, harnessed to four magnificent pegusus, creatures of purest white with feathery wings that gleamed like moonlight. Nearby, six others stood apart, far larger than the carriage team. The knights who had accompanied the Warden of Borders mounted these steeds while pixies flitted to open the carriage door. Selene entered first, then gestured for the Myth Seekers to join her.

  Raith should not have been surprised to find such a conveyance in the fae realm, yet he was. With a gentle lurch, the carriage lifted into the air once all were seated. Each hero gazed out a window with wide eyes, unable to tear their eyes from the shifting dreamscape rushing past below. Forests that became deserts in the blink of an eye, rivers flowing upward into jeweled skies, mountains melting into seas.

  Raith could not tell how fast they traveled, but it felt very soon that Selene announced their arrival. She instructed the pegasus to circle once around her domain. Below them spread a roughly spherical territory. A woodland ring surrounding a small palace nestled beside a tranquil lake. Raith noticed sharp borders where Selene’s domain intersected with neighboring realms, each boundary marked by abrupt shifts in terrain.

  “All that borders the Fae Realm,” Selene said softly, following his gaze, “also borders my domain.”

  Raith tried to make sense of such a claim but quickly abandoned the attempt as futile. The Fae Realm and Dreaming rarely bowed to reason.

  “It feels like it would be practical to use your lands as a crossroads. A way for travelers to pass easily between realms.”

  Selene’s eyes hardened.

  “My domain is no mere highway for the convenience of wandering vagrants."

  Raith flushed, embarrassed by his presumption.

  “Forgive me, Countess. I meant no offense.”

  Her expression softened. “None taken. I apologize for my sharpness. Your suggestion is one that has been debated at length in the High Court. Many would indeed see my borders turned into a thoroughfare.”

  The carriage descended, alighting gently before her palace. A brownie in a sharp butler’s uniform stood waiting, door already open, flanked by a small entourage of similarly dressed servants. They helped the travelers down and ushered them inside.

  The palace was unlike any Raith had seen. Plants thrived in impossible harmony with flowing water features. Paintings and sculptures seemed alive, shifting when stared at too long, evoking powerful emotions in spite of the capricious images. The sheer number of marvels kept him from losing himself in any one.

  Selene clapped twice, sharp and commanding. A butler appeared at once.

  “Yes, my lady?”

  “Show my guests to their rooms,” she said. To the adventurers, she added with an apologetic smile, “I have been absent too long and must attend to urgent matters. Please make yourselves comfortable. I will send for you as soon as I am able.”

  They were guided upstairs through a twisting maze of halls to guest quarters more luxurious than anything he had ever seen or imagined. Each room was graced with enchanted light, waterfalls framed by graceful vines, and comforts too numerous to catalog.

  The trio convened in Raith’s room before getting settled in.

  “I think next time we should meet in Thea’s room,” he suggested.

  She frowned. “Why?”

  “Just to mix it up. We always end up in mine.”

  “And what makes you think I want everyone in my room?” she countered.

  Raith grinned.

  “What makes you think I want everyone in mine?”

  Nyhm cut in before it could escalate.

  “It doesn’t matter whose room we’re in. Did everyone braid up?”

  Raith and Thea both nodded.

  “I’m close,” Nyhm admitted. “Closer than I ever thought I’d be this soon. The fourth braid usually takes years.”

  Raith agreed. “That [Quest] alone pushed me halfway there.”

  “Same,” Thea said. “At this rate, we’ll reach fourth braid in no time and closing in on paragon’s after less than a year adventuring.”

  The thought left them quiet a moment, until Raith raised a finger. The speed at which their lives were moving has his head reeling.

  “Let’s take out the chalice. Dahbi owes us a reward.”

  Thea smiled, spoke the words to access her secret compartment, and produced the chalice. She also laid out the other artifacts they had recovered. Raith considered pulling out his book, but stopped himself mostly as a practical matter. It was huge, and he really didn’t feel like wrestling with it right now. As he went through this internal debate, the chalice shimmered, and with a swirl of golden smoke Dahbi appeared, arms wide, grin broader than ever.

  “My big friends! You who rendered the Wondrous Dahbi, and all djinn, an unforgettable service. Thanks to you, my friend Sabik is home, safe among his people. And for this, I…”

  The door burst open. Five knights stormed in, swords drawn.

  Dahbi froze, eyes wide with terror. The Myth Seekers dared not move. A flat, cold voice rasped from within one helm.

  “For what purpose have you brought this efreeti into our mistress’s home?”

  The room held its breath. But Dahbi was never at a loss for words.

  “I am but a humble merchant. Behold, my chalice. Through it, I appear only to peddle my humble wares to those who possess it.”

  The knights hesitated while the room held their breath, then sheathed their blades in unison. Without a word, they turned sharply and departed.

  Raith puffed his cheeks and let out a puff of air.

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  “Well…that was unpleasant.”

  Dahbi recovered first, smoothing his fine robes.

  “My friends, I see you have brought me from the depths of Tarn to the Fae Realm itself! You are quite the adventurous mortals. How wonderful! But let us return to business. Have you decided what you will claim from the wondrous Dahbi?”

  Raith looked at the other two, but Nyhm gestured in reply.

  “Why don’t you go first?”

  He nodded. This shouldn’t take too long, since he already knew exactly what he wanted.

  "I need a mirror."

  The efreeti frowned, and for the first time did not recover immediately.

  "Dahbi has already sold you mirrors. Do you truly think so little of my wares that..."

  “No, not like those. There's a mirror in the Earl’s castle that connects to the gossamer paths. I would like such an item, if you possess one or can procure it.”

  The smile returned and Dahbi tapped his chin thoughtfully.

  “Yes…I believe I have such a treasure. Wait here.”

  With a puff of smoke, he vanished.

  “Do you know what you’ll ask for?” Raith asked his companions.

  Nyhm nodded but looked uneasy. Thea answered at once.

  “I want my arm back.”

  Raith had feared she would say that. Regenerating a limb severed by a cursed blade was likely the work of gods or their most powerful clerics.

  Before he could speak, Dahbi reappeared with an enormous mirror. Tall and wide enough for two horses and their riders to pass through abreast. Its frame was carved from dark, deep grained wood and entire artifact glowed with an inner light.

  “Behold, the Gate of Paranthia,” Dahbi declared. “Forged by a powerful Summer Mage for their war with the Winter Court. Lost for millenea after she fell…until it came to me.”

  Thea whispered, “It’s beautiful.”

  “How does it work?” Raith asked.

  “It may connect to any gossamer path in any realm,” Dahbi said proudly. A map of the mortal realm appeared on faint light on the surface of the mirror. “Simply select your destination, and it will find the nearest gleaming to that location. If this Earl’s mirror is the item I believe it to be, it holds a mere few dozen paths. This one holds hundreds.”

  Raith’s mind whirled. This was exactly what he needed, now he just needed to sort out how to put everything together. His satchel would not stretch wide enough to accommodate the massive artifact, but fortunately Thea’s pouch was more powerfully enchanted and could. They managed to store the massive mirror, though not without effort.

  “Marvelous, marvelous!” Dahbi clapped. “Now, who is next?”

  Thea stepped forward and raised her stump.

  “I want my arm back.”

  Dahbi’s smile faltered. “Ah…I have a ring that had you worn when the wound was fresh, it might have regrown. But I see the blade that severed it was cursed. Such healing is beyond my humble wares.” He paused, then brightened. “But fear not! I have many wondrous prosthetics for you to choose from.” With a snap of his fingers and a puff of smoke, he vanished again.

  While they waited, Raith turned to Nyhm.

  “What about you?”

  Nyhm shifted uncomfortably. “It’s embarrassing. And selfish. I should ask for something to help in combat, but what I really want is something to help with my herbalism. I’ve been experimenting with fae potions, but gathering ingredients is difficult. If Dahbi has something that could help…”

  Raith clasped his brother’s shoulder.

  “Don't choose for anyone but yourself. Whatever you gain, we will all benefit from it in time. Don’t second-guess it.”

  Nyhm gave a small nod. “Thank you.”

  Dahbi reappeared, this time with a long display table laden with more than a dozen prosthetic arms of every imaginable design. Thea immediately set aside the majority before her. Raith could see why. They were aggressive metal things, more suited to a knight in armor or some fiercer sort of warrior than her style of combat.

  One looked like some sort of mechanical gnomish contraption with a number of detachable hand-tools and weapons, which Raith thought was pretty cool, but he could also see why it didn’t quite suit Thea’s aesthetic. She lingered briefly over a red crystalline arm that looked as if it had been crafted from a single ruby and glowed from deep within. It was quite beautiful to behold, but again she set it with the others, as it was not quite what she wanted.

  When she was done sorting, two remained before her, both crafted of wood. One appeared as a graceful weave of much smaller lines, almost like wicker, yet rather than fragile, it looked strong and alive somehow. The dark brown wood seemed to thrive within the gentle patterns of its weaving. The other was quite plain compared to the others. A piece of wood so pale it was almost white. Subtle blonde grains were barely visible on the surface. Were it not for those grains, it was so flawlessly carved it could have been mistaken for a real arm.

  “Tell me about these two,” she said.

  Dahbi smiled and gestured broadly.

  “Aha! You have a keen and discerning eye, my big friend. While these are certainly not the most powerful of my wares, I can see why you chose them. This,” he pointed to the vine-looking gauntlet, “once belonged to a legendary [Druid] matriarch. It possesses an enormous reservoir of life energy that will of massively enhancing druidic healing abilities.”

  Thea nodded consideringly. That was incredibly appealing, and Raith imagined the reservoir of life energy would be a huge benefit if she learned a few healing spells. Dahbi now gestured towards the other arm.

  “I must warn you that this is among the least powerful of the items you see before you. Created by an elven [High Mage] who lost his arm to necrotic venom during a great battle. Its touch is capable of purifying any substance, granting its owner total immunity to poison and rot.”

  Thea frowned while considering the options.

  “I don’t know any healing magic, and don’t plan on learning any. That’s not my build’s strength, nor the role I play in this party.” Her frown deepened and brow furrowed. She pointed to the flawlessly carved pale wood. “I’ll take that one.”

  She claimed her prize while Nyhm put forth his request. Dahbi smiled broadly at the elfling.

  “I have just the thing you seek, my big friend!”

  He turned to the display behind him and procured a fist-sized leather pouch. Quite plain, with cross-stitching and a slightly worn but solid look to it. Raith frowned. The item didn’t look like something worth the prize offered as their reward., but Nyhm seemed undeterred.

  “What does it do?”

  “Aha, it is so good that you asked, my big friend. Once each week, the owner of this pouch may fill it with any ingredient they might choose.”

  Dahbi paused dramatically to let those words sink in. They considered the implications and possibilities.

  “Any ingredient? What if I wanted platinum?”

  Dahbi smiled. “Any ingredient.”

  “What if I wanted starlight captured on a moonless night?”

  His smile remained undiminished.

  “Any ingredient you might need will appear in this pouch once each week.”

  Thea gave out a slow whistle and Raith silently echoed the sentiment.

  That is an amazing pouch.

  “I’ll take it,” Nyhm said quickly, then blushed, embarrassed at his uncharacteristic acquisitiveness. Raith smiled, glad for his brother’s prize and excited to see what he might find use for in the future.

  While they had been speaking, Thea fitted the new arm. Raith hadn’t seen what she’d done, but now it merged seamlessly into her stump, and she wriggled the fingers experimentally, twisting her wrist back and forth. Raith was amazed at how lifelike it seemed. Aside from the light grains and slightly paler color compared to her normally tan skin, he would not have known it was a prosthetic if he hadn’t been looking closely.

  She looked up at him with a somewhat guarded expression.

  “It works perfectly,” she said. “But I can’t really feel anything the same way I could. I know when I’m touching something, and I can tell how hard I’m touching it, but…it isn’t the same thing as feeling at all. Does that make sense?”

  Raith sort of understood the distinction.

  “I can see how that might be disconcerting. It looks fantastic, though.”

  She plucked the seed from her pouch, and in a blink it transformed into a flower much larger and with colors far more vibrant than what he had typically seen her produce.

  “Oh! What happened there?” Raith said.

  The corner of her lip turned upward.

  “It's a far better channel than I was expecting and I put too much aether into the spell. Before, I struggled to put barely enough for the spell to work at all. In a way, it’s created the opposite problem I had after losing my arm. I’m going to have to be very careful with how I use this thing in my magic.”

  She grabbed the silver rowan seed still secured just above the prosthetic, fastened by the leather band Selene had crafted.

  “How about your root gauntlet? Will that still work?”

  With a thought, the roots sprang from the silver rowan seed, wrapping around her entire arm and forming a massive fist, much larger than how it had worked before her injury. She flexed the hand of the massive gauntlet, eyebrows raised.

  “I’m going to have to do some training with this. It’s definitely going to be different, but in a good way. Not like starting all over again.”

  Raith was so deeply glad for his friend. She already seemed more relaxed than he had seen her in quite some time.

  The door opened to reveal a young female brownie standing there.

  “The Countess will see you in the sitting room,” she said.

  Raith gave a surprised glance at Dahbi, who was standing proudly, clearly pleased with himself for the gifts he had bestowed upon the Myth Seekers. Raith gave a longing glance to the other artifacts they had yet to identify, but that would clearly have to wait. He dismissed Dahbi and followed the brownie back downstairs, where the Countess awaited their audience.