“Honestly?”

John smiled ruefully at himself, his voice twisted by the look on his face. “I am too,” he sighed before continuing, “but what do you mean by ‘training room’?”

Emily’s answering smile was cheerful, her excitement unphased by his doubt. She snatched his hand, turning to pull him towards the counter again. “C’mon! I’ll show you.”

The gamer shambled after the small woman, too stunned to resist but not really taking full steps. His eyes looked over her head to focus on the door behind the counter. ’That backroom can’t be any bigger than this shop. What kind of ‘training room’ could possibly be back there?’ In his mind, the lycan pictured a wolf the size of Tala’s stumbling around a tiny office as it tried to get used to having four legs, knocking over bottles of brightly colored liquids and just destroying the room. He couldn’t help but snort to himself at the idea, gaining a curious look from the witch as they’d reached the door.

The simple dark wooden door seemed unassuming enough and the keyring Emily pulled from her pocket had five keys on it. In the dim light, they all looked identical to John, but she needed only a cursory glance before selecting the one she wanted. The lock snicked open and the herbalist paused, looking up at him with her hand on the curved handle.

“I don’t know what all you’ve experienced so far, but…” she tightened her grip, biting her bottom lip before continuing, “just remember I don’t want to hurt you. I just want to help.” She paused again.

“And study,” John finished for her, his flat voice making her wince slightly.

“Yeah. And study,” Emily repeated softly, turning the handle and opening the door to what should have been the small back room.

It was anything but small. The door opened onto a large field of moss and clover that was easily ten times larger than the store that supposedly contained it. The witch stepped confidently through and John leaned past the threshold, keeping his feet firmly planted in reality.

She looked back at him and smiled. “You’ve been inside a barrier, right? That’s what magical areas like this are called.” Emily offered the lycan an encouraging hand, “Come on. You’re perfectly safe here. Nobody can come in without the key and you can’t hurt anyone or anything in my shop.”

Warily taking her hand, John stepped through the doorway, and the herbal shop vanished as the door closed behind him. The young witch confidently kept hold of his hand as she pulled him around her training grounds.
“I usually use this space to learn and practice my spells, though I’m obviously more comfortable with herbalism,” she explained without any prompting, pointing out different areas as they walked the walled acreage. “Over there is the firing range.” She indicated a corner where some wood and straw mannequins in simple armor stood, some singed from fire. “Over here is the summoning circle.” Emily showed him the outline of an intricate circle etched into the dirt, full of symbols and intertwining designs. “I suggest you don’t walk around that area without me.” She moved to continue, but John pulled her back, still stunned, but working through the silence that had struck him by the barrier.

“W-who are you, exactly?” he questioned, releasing her hand to look at her.

Emily tilted her head quizzically, her voice muted in her confusion. “Emily? I’m a witch.” Her eyebrows furrowed. “You know all this already, though.”

He shook his head. “That’s not what I’m asking.” The look on her face made him frustrated, waving his hands around as he elaborated. “This place, those keys, your powers, the shop even! Who ARE you?!” he shouted at her, making her flinch.

“I-I…” her voice was shaking almost as much as she was, “I’m just a witch. My grandmother had the shop and bought the barriers from the Fateweavers for herself, I think to train me as a child,” Emily rushed to explain herself, speaking fast but softly, apologetically. “My mother couldn’t do magic and refused to allow Granny to train me. Said she wanted me to be normal.” Her nose wrinkled as if the last word were a swear. “Like her.” The herbalist went quiet and stared off into the picturesque blue sky.

John gathered questions for later in his mind. He wanted to know everything, but needed her to finish her story first for him to trust her. The anger and fear from before were fading again as she spoke.

“I didn’t want to be human. I never did,” Emily took a shaky breath and **** herself to look up at him, “so I trained. I learned what I could on my own. Herbs and potions. I got really good at healing.” A dark look made her emerald eyes seem almost black for a moment.

’Okay, there’s a story there, too.’

“And when my Granny died, she left me this shop and all her old spell books.” The shadow over her eyes cleared and Emily smiled. “I’m asking you to trust me. We can help each other. Please.”

The gamer looked her over, taking in the hope and fear, the slight tremble of her hands and sadness in her eyes, and decided it was time for his questions. “What are Fateweavers?”

The question brought her up short. “The, uh, Fateweavers are like magical contractors.” Emily’s brow furrowed in concentration as she made a ball shape with her hands. “They can build barriers like this but way more interesting. Like a different world…” Her hands fell to her side with a sigh. “I don’t really know all that much, but that’s their job, I guess. They made this space and the others that make up the back of my shop all kinda layered over each other.” A tinge of pink colored her pale cheeks. “It’s how I’m able to live here.” John opened his mouth to interrupt, but holding up a key, she answered his question before he could ask it. “One of the barriers is like a small apartment.”

“So,” John cleared his throat in a not-so-subtle change of subject, “you train here?”

“Yeah,” she sighed, “and now, so do you.”