An impossibly bright light flashed outside, the light seeping in through all the seams around the door and flooding through the window, blinding Eddin and Vania. Before they could even blink or try to shield their eyes, the light was gone, and the darkness that followed swallowed everything. Even the fire in the hearth appeared to be a barely smoldering wick in the aftermath of the flash.

A crash boomed against the darkness, the sound shaking the cottage, sending down more dirt from the roots lining the ceiling raining onto their heads. Vania winced, putting her hands over her ears. Eddin grabbed his ears and leaned forward, tipping out of his chair to land in the dirt on his knees, forehead grinding into the ground. His body shook as he pressed his hands tighter over his ears, grimacing.

"Eddin!" Vania shouted, but the ringing aftermath in her ears prevented her from hearing her own voice. She knelt beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. Leaning in close, she tried to pry one six-fingered hand from the side of his head. "Eddin. Are you all right?"

He groaned as he slowly lifted his head, shaking hands gradually leaving his large ears. He reached in and, wincing, removed the plugs from his ears. Blood dripped from the green wax.

"Oh, gods," Vania whispered. Seeing the blood trickling from his ear, she grabbed him and pulled him close to her. "Eddin. Oh, no. Eddin. Please be okay."

One of his hands gripped her arm. "Need. A healer. Soon." His fingers squeezed. His voice was quiet and strained. "Or. I'll be deaf."

She stood, pulling him to his feet with her, still clutching his head to her chest. "Let's go. I can come back here later for whatever she's doing. Hopefully, Tarva didn't bolt, so we can get back to the city quickly."

The door banged open, Ab'bashura cackling as she stepped inside. Her hair stood on end, frayed and frazzled. The edges of her robe smoldered. Her eyes were once again a mix of silver and black. "That arrogant pest! She just tried to kill me!" She cackled again as she shook her head, gnarled hands smoothing down her hair. "Ever a fool, though. She overestimates herself. She may have more power at her disposal, but she knows next to nothing of using it." She looked at Vania and Eddin. "Ah, of course. Her little temper tantrum did have its ill effects." Her eyes locked on Eddin, standing stooped beside Vania. She nodded once. "Yes, I can fix that." She made a shooing motion. "Sit back down."

"We need to go. He needs a healer. Whatever you can do to help me, I'll return for later."

"Fool girl child. I will heal him. Sit down."

"You can't help me, but you can heal him?" Vania demanded. "Why should I believe you?"

"No time, girl child. Sit down and keep him comfortable."

Vania slowly guided Eddin to the chairs and sat down, eyeing the crone uncertainly.

Ab'bashura approached, eyes focused completely on Eddin. She reached out her hands, crooked fingers splayed wide, and grasped his face, hands sliding over his ears. "Ssshhh... ssshhhhhh..." she murmured as he grimaced. "Just relax, child. It'll be over in a moment."

"If you hurt him, I swear I'll kill you," Vania muttered.

"Shush, girl child," Ab'bashura replied, eyes locked on Eddin. "I'll not take him away from you."

Eddin grimaced, eyes closing tightly as he bit his lip. Prant ran around the room, chittering angrily and shrieking. The ferret ran up the chair and perched on Vania's shoulder, peering down at Eddin and stomping his feet, chittering and whining. Eddin slowly relaxed, a long sigh escaping his lips. Prant calmed, watching Eddin with intense black eyes.

Ab'bashura released Eddin and straightened.

"What did you—"

"Shush, girl child," the crone said sharply. "No sounds yet." The crone snapped her fingers soundlessly and suddenly even the thunder outside and the crackling of the fire in the hearth disappeared. Ab'bashura crossed the room, rummaging among the jars and flasks on a shelf for something. Somehow, the clay and glass containers made no sounds, even when one tipped from the shelf and fell, shattering, to the dirt floor.

Vania clutched Eddin tighter as the crone turned and approached them, gnarled hands clutching something.

Ab'bashura opened her crooked fingers to reveal shimmering earplugs. She placed them in Eddin's ears, then produced a strip of cloth from her robe, which she wrapped around his head, the cloth over his ears holding the plugs in place. She cupped his cheek in her hand, forcing his gaze up to hers. She raised her free hand and moved her fingers in a series of signals. After he nodded, she released him and stepped back. The sound of her fingers snapping awakened the sounds of the room once more.

Eddin slowly sat up. He placed a hand on Vania's shoulder, meeting her bewildered gaze, and squeezed gently. Prant ran from Vania along Eddin's arm and once more reclaimed his perch on Eddin's shoulder.

Still looking at Eddin, Vania whispered, "What did you do?"

"Healed him, girl child. As I said I would." Ab'bashura turned and grabbed a broom, sweeping up the glass shards from the floor. The glass pieces clinked and clanked against each other as they piled up at the broom's insistence. "He shouldn't remove the ear plugs until tomorrow. The cloth is there merely to remind him not to take the plugs from his ears. Until then, he'll hear nothing. It's best to let his sensitive ears rest after such a sound. But, once the plugs come out tomorrow, he'll hear as well as he ever did."

Vania looked at Eddin again; he was looking alternately at her and Ab'bashura, lips a thin line as he concentrated. She turned to the crone. "Thank you. What do we owe you?"

"Nothing." Ab'bashura waved a hand at them. "I can take no payment for my services. It is part of the curse of my exile—help all who come in need, without payment or compensation."

Vania frowned. "Curse?"

"Yes, girl child. You think I'd want to spend my days on this miserable plane, helping all the bumbling mortal folk who stumble to my door? I? When I used to be so much more?" Ab'bashura spat and turned, returning the broom to its corner. "Ask nothing more of it." The crone returned to the enforcers and held out a silver lightning bolt pendant to Vania. "Here, girl child. This charm can aid you, but it can only be used once, so choose wisely when you will activate it."

"What does it do?" Vania asked, staring at the reflected flames on the silver surface.

"Blocks the pest. Completely. But only temporarily. It holes that pesky little lesser up in your mind, trapping her like a djinni in a bottle. She will be unable to control you or even hear or see anything you hear or see. She will be cut off from your thoughts, as well. Just be warned. After it's been used once, it cannot be used again. And, as I said, she's learning from experience, so this spell, even if the charm is renewed, will not work on her again. It is a piece of last resort. A spell of desperation." The crone looked deep into Vania's violet eyes. "Since she becomes trapped and helpless in your mind during its use, it is the only way to truly be rid of her—if you die while she's thus trapped, she will be unable to flee your body and be forced to die with you."

"There's... no other way to be rid of her?" Vania asked, looking at the charm in her hand.

"As I said before, maybe another lesser will help you; you can seek their help by going through their priests at the temples. They could potentially remove her, depending on their own control of their stolen powers. Someone from another plane would assure success, but they're harder to find—when they come to the Mortal Plane, they try to blend in and be unnoticed. After all, if a mortal were to kill them, they'd be fuel for that mortal becoming a lesser..."

"What?" Vania asked, stuffing the lightning bolt into her pocket.

"Never you mind, girl child," Ab'bashura said, waving a hand at her. "I've said too much already, and you should be getting him somewhere to rest." Ab'bashura grabbed Eddin's elbow and pulled.

Eddin stood, looking from Vania to the crone and back.

Vania took Eddin's arm and guided him to the door. "Well, goodbye, then. Thanks for your help."

"Try not to attract any more trouble, descendant of the dragon child."

The rain was steadily coming down, flashes of lightning with its following thunder playing across the sky. Prant squeaked and raced down from Eddin's shoulder back to his cloak pocket as they stepped outside. Tarva looked at them approach from under a wet fetlock and shook her soaked, limp mane at them.

"I know, I know," Vania said. "Once you get Eddin home, you can dry out in the barn."

Eddin reached out and caressed the horse's face, then leaned in and rested his forehead against Tarva's.

Tarva nickered and rubbed her nose against the side of his head, lips pulling at the bandage.

Eddin gently put his hand up to stop her, shaking his head. He turned to Vania and knelt, cupping his hands to help her step up into the saddle.

Vania looked at him uncertainly. "Shouldn't you mount first? So I can help you, if you need it?" She pointed at him, then at Tarva.

He shook his head, then pointedly looked at his waiting hands.

She sighed and placed one hand on his shoulder, the other hand resting on Tarva's flank, then stepped one muddy boot into his hands.

After she was settled, he reached up and climbed into the saddle behind her. His arms came round her and took the reins from her cold fingers. She leaned back, into his warmth. With a flick of the reins, Tarva began trotting toward the city.

"Take us to Buccareth House, Tarva," Vania said. "Eddin needs to get home."

 Tarva snorted and flicked her ears.