Free Hapenny Magick by Jennifer Carson

and a little knothole. If she let her imagination go free, she could almost see the face of a weasel, the bumps being brow ridges and the knothole a cute, black nose.

    The twig twinged in Callum’s grasp. “Yes, that’s it,” he whispered. “Now use your wand.”
    Mae pulled her wand from her apron pocket and settled the tip on the twig. Two beady eyes stared out from the rough surface, blinking at the firelight.
    A furry paw swiped at the knothole nose. One end of the twig waved like a tail.
    Trina scampered up the wizard’s arm and hid in the brim of his hat, where Beau was watching with wary eyes and shivering whiskers.
    The front door jolted in its casing and then blew open. The weasel squirmed from Callum’s grip and scrambled up the bookshelves.
    Aletta swept in on the rain-laden wind. The raven followed, gliding to the top of Callum’s chair. The stormy entrance of her two friends made Mae forget about the weasel. Aletta’s usually neat hair was frizzy and sticking out from under her hat in every direction. The tail of her cap drooped sadly to the ground.
    â€œWhat we need,” Aletta announced, “is a weather wizard!” She seized her hat and flipped it onto a peg behind the door. “I don’t suppose Mae is one of those?”
    The wizard wrung her hair in the doorway and snapped her fingers at the mop in the corner. The mop sprang to life and sopped up the rain from the entryway, then went after the dripping woman.
    â€œNo, no!” Aletta said in a singsong voice. “Go away, you twig-brained mop!”
    Mae giggled as Aletta shooed the mop away and latched the front door. She was relieved Aletta had finally returned.
    Callum gestured to the weasel peering out at them from the bookshelves. “We were just doing a little test. Seems our Maewyn has many talents. Though Vedar Frodliker, or a weather wizard as you so plainly put it, doesn’t seem to be one of them. Kiptar Liftan, however, may be on the top of the list.”
    â€œThat’s a wizard that can bring something to life,” Mae said. She cringed at the thought of the toadstool creatures running around the forest. Had they found shelter from the storm? She hadn’t thought about that when she’d left them behind. “I read about some famous Kiptar Liftans in A Historie of Magickal People.” She patted the red book in her chair. “I didn’t read about any Hybilia Frodlikers in the book though, Callum.”
    Red splotches grew on Callum’s cheeks. “That’s because Hybilia Frodlikers rarely do anything noteworthy.”
    Aletta kissed the tip of his nose and ruffled his hair on her way to the hearth. “I wouldn’t give up yet, my pet.” The sopping hem of her dress left a wet trail behind her, like one a snail leaves on a rock.
    â€œWe were getting worried about you,” Callum grumbled. “Did you run into trouble?”
    â€œWell, Gelbane managed to corral the pigs back up in the barn, poor things. The chickens, however, are loose and roosting in the trees at the edge of the forest.” Aletta turned and frowned. The dark smudges under her sunken eyes told Mae she had not rested well during her foray into the Wedge.
    â€œDid you happen to hear if Mother Underknoll has been found yet?” Mae asked hopefully.
    The wizard held her hands out to the fire and shook her head. “I’m sorry, Mae. There’s been no news of her.”
    Aletta took a deep breath. “I did hear Ms. Gnarlroot is taking care of the newlyborn for Mr. Underknoll until Mother Underknoll can be found. Many in the Wedge are worried…”
    â€œAnd?” Mae asked.
    â€œAnd…” Aletta hesitated. “The Burrbridge brothers were sent to the market a few days ago, the day we first met you, I believe, and they never returned.”
    Mae bolted to her feet and stomped to the window. “Now Leif is missing? I have to find