Mercatus

He was, unfortunately, right. They hadn’t found anything at all to rid them of their unwanted guest. At least, not in the small area they were able to check before it got late. Abigail did her best to reassure her daughter that things would settle down but as the days went on, it only seemed to escalate and Sam’s mood had taken quite a dip.

It started not long after they’d returned home and Sam wanted to try out her new wand with some charms. Standing in the middle of the living room, she decided to try with her last used spell.

“Lustro,” she called out firmly, waving her new wand like before. Despite the success of her little spark shower in the Mercatus, this time the wand did nothing for a moment. Then, it startled to spark at the tip and the bulb in the overhead light popped with a sharp crackle and the sound of breaking glass. Hearing the noise, Abigail hurried in, looking around in shock at the shattered remains of the bulb overheard and her alarmed and confused looking daughter.

“Sam? What on earth happened?!” 

“I… I don’t know,” Sam sniffled as her mother checked to make sure she was unhurt before she vanished the glass with her own wand. “I tried doing a light charm and...and the bulb broke.” She could hear the fairy behind her, cackling gleefully. Rounding on him, Sam scowled. “Did you do this?! Did you mess with my spell?!”

“Sam? Who-?”

“The fairy! He’s right there, laughing at me!” Sam pointed to the armchair where the fairy was situated but Abigail could see nothing. Frowning softly at her daughter, she tucked a strand of Sam’s hair back behind her ear.

“Sam… I’m sure it was just… an accident.”

“Exactly,” the fairy chimed in, moving to hover over Abigail’s shoulder. “Just a bit of bad luck, probably.” His own response was slightly overlapped by Abigail, who still couldn’t hear him.

“Besides, we talked about this, hun. Please try not to upset them. We’ll figure something out, I promise. Try to be patient. Like I said, it was probably an accident. This wand is a bit stronger than your last one. You’ll just need to practice with it some more.”

Sam nodded morosely, clutching her new wand in both hands and shooting a subtle glare at the floating fairy.

“... yeah…maybe.” She finally relented with a soft sigh.

But practice didn’t seem to help. Every spell failed or fizzled and even Sam’s potions had startled to curdle and Abigail could sense her rising frustration. At the end of the week, she popped her head into her daughter’s room to find her laying face down in her pillow, the wand she’d been so excited about left haphazardly on the floor. Picking it up, she settled herself on the edge of the bed and called her daughter’s name softly.

“Sam… I know the last couple of weeks have been tough… are you doing okay?”

Sitting up, Sam wiped her puffy, damp cheeks.

“No, mom… that stupid fairy is ruining everything! I know it’s him! Why won’t you believe me?” Abigail sighed softly and gently brushed her knuckles over her daughter’s cheek.

“I believe you, sweetie. I’m sorry I haven’t been much help. Fae folk can be… temperamental, at best. I’ve been trying to keep the peace as much as I can, since he doesn’t seem to want to show himself to me, but I know this has been rough. Why don’t you take a day off from your studies? Go play at the oak tree.”

Sam grimaced, pulling her knees up against her chest.

“... I don’t think I want to,” she admitted softly. The forest didn’t feel the same anymore. The oak tree wasn’t too far in but… it was far enough. “I think I’ll just watch TV or something.”

“Okay… I’m going out for a bit; I need to do a few errands. I’ll leave some cash and you can order some pizza for lunch.” She gave her daughter a brief hug before leaving Sam alone with her thoughts.

Well, not alone… 

“Sammy, come on, do something! I’m so bored.” Groaning in irritation, Sam turned her head to glare at the blue-eyed fairy now sitting on her dresser.

“Then go. Away.” Sam hissed between clenched teeth, completely done with this irritating little trickster. He just scoffed at her, rolling his eyes before responding curtly.

“No.” 

“Argh!” Whirling around, Sam grabbed her Alchemy book from her nightstand and hurled it in his direction. He popped out of the way and reappeared with a cheeky grin, sticking his tongue out at her.

“Too slow, Sammy.” 

Chest heaving and tears welling up in her eyes, Sam pulled at her hair in frustration.

“Why?! Why are you doing this to me?! What did I do to you?!” She sobbed, dropping her face into her hands. The fairy’s grin faded slowly and he looked almost regretful as his ears drooped slightly. Floating over to the bed, he sighed.

“Ugh, don’t cry. Humans are already so ugly….”

“Shut up! You’re such a jerk! Nobody wants you here!”

“You’re right. Nobody does,” he snapped back, folding his arms over his chest and scowling out the window.

“What?” Sam looked up, cocking her head a little in confusion as she wiped at her reddened eyes.

“... let’s go to the tree. You like it there, don’t you?” He was avoiding the question, that much was clear.

“Didn’t you hear me tell mom? I don’t want to go out there.”

“Why not?” He whined, dragging it out like an obnoxious child. 

“I just…don’t want to go back there, right now.”

“That’s stupid, you’re out there all the time!” Sam frowned at his answer.

“How do you know that?” He didn’t answer, predictably. He just disappeared in his usual fashion. “Butthead.…” She grumbled, climbing out of bed, and speaking to the empty air. “I still think this is all your fault! You’re not some kind of house fairy or brownie… you’re just… bad luck! That’s what you are! A jerk who causes bad things to happen!! Well, I’m not going to let you win!” 

Snatching up her charms book, she stormed down the stairs, into the backyard and around to her mother’s greenhouse. Sam had dropped a clay flower pot yesterday and she was going to fix it. Setting it down on the grass, she took several steps back and raised her wand, her eyes squeezing shut in concentration.

“Refectio!” Sam cried out. Her wand thrummed in her hand with a comfortable, familiar warmth of magic. But when she opened her eyes, the pot was where she’d left it, still broken in several pieces. Face twisting into a scowl, she raised her wand once more.

“Refectio! Come on!” She’d done this spell dozens of times before! Why wasn’t it working?

“Maybe you should enunciate more.” Sam dropped her head back with a groan. 

“Maybe you should stop whatever weird fairy stuff you’re doing because it’s not funny,” she snapped at him before attempting the spell again. Sweat beaded across her forehead as she strained, the tip of her wand flickering with green light at the tip. Slowly, the pot floated a couple inches into the air and pieced itself together. 

“Ha! See! I -” whirling around to face the fairy and gloat, her victory was interrupted by the sound clay breaking. Spinning back to face it, the pot was back in pieces… specifically, in even more pieces than it had been than when it had originally broken.

“Oooh, so close.” The fairy grinned beside her, ignoring her glare. However, Sam was determined. This was just… bad luck, right? Most likely caused by a certain someone’s close proximity. Sam wasn’t about to give up. She’d break through whatever jinx he’d obviously placed on her if it was the last thing she did.

But after two hours and no progress, she trudged dejectedly back inside the house to order that pizza. It wasn’t until after it had arrived and she’d eaten nearly half of it did Sam realize… her mother still wasn’t home.

“Where is she?” She asked herself as she grabbed the house phone and dialed her mother’s cell phone. It rang and rang but Abigail never picked up. That wasn’t normal. Her mom always picked up when she called. Hanging up the phone, she frowned thoughtfully. Where had she gone? She didn’t say, did she? Errands, was all she had said. Sam couldn’t help but wonder… and with a frustrated huff, she reluctantly called out.

“Hey…bad luck fairy…did you see which way mom went earlier?”

“That isn’t my name,” came the response. Turning to him, Sam put her hands on her hips and scowled back at him. It’d be funny how insulted he looked if she weren’t so worried about her mom.

“You’ve never told me your name, so unless you feel like sharing, you’re just gonna have to go by whatever I call you. And you should be happy it’s not ‘buttface’.. Now answer me, did you see where mom went? Towards town?” She had a few places she liked to stop by when she went into town so maybe Sam could call around. The fairy examined his claws, picking some dirt out from under them.

“Maybe...what’s in it for me if I tell you?”

“...what do you want?” Sam asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

“For us to go to the oak tree.” That’s it? That was all he wanted?

“....why don’t you go on your own?” Folding her arms over her chest, she narrowed her eyes at him. He refused to meet her gaze, still focused on his claws.

“That’s for me to know,” was the cryptic response. But it was enough for Sam to puzzle something out. He never seemed to be far from her and she’d, at first, thought it was because he just liked messing with her...but what if it was something else?

“...Bad Luck…can you not leave? Is that why you’re still around?”

“I thought you wanted to know where your mom went? If you want me to answer more questions, you’ll have to give me something else in exchange.”

“Ugh, fine. We...we’ll go to the tree. Tomorrow. Right now, I need to know where mom went.”

“Well, if you hadn’t been moping, you would have seen her head into the forest.”

“The forest? Why would she-?” The Mercatus. She must have gone to the Witch Market! “I can’t believe she went without me! She didn’t even ask if I wanted to go….” And why wasn’t she home yet? Did she get lost, somehow? 

“Did you want to go?” The fairy asked, folding his arms behind his head. “You’d have to go into the forest to get to the gate.” And Sam doubted she could open it to begin with, not with how bad it had been lately. 

“... No, I guess not. She...she’ll be back soon.” She would be, right? But as the day wore on and the sun began to set, Abigail didn’t return home. Sam stared out the window, the evening rain making it hard to see past where the light from the window ended. No shimmer of wand light to show her mother on her way home. As the clock struck midnight, she headed into the kitchen and began rooting around the cupboards, cabinets and drawers, searching.

“Ugh, where are they?”

“Where are what?” Bad Luck chirped, popping up behind her. 

“The candles,” she answered, voice slightly muffled from where she had stuck her head into one of the bottom cabinets. “I can’t even cast a freaking light charm and we don’t have any flashlights, so I’m going to need a candle.”

“....it’s raining,” the fairy deadpanned back at her.

“Umbrella, duh. Aha! Found them!” She jumped up, holding the candle over her head in victory. “Let’s go, Luck.”

“Wh-what? Go?” For the first time since he had shown up, the fairy looked a little startled.

“Yes, go! You’re coming with me. Magical creatures can enter the Mercatus so I need you to open the portal.” 

“You...you...how...how arrogant,” he sputtered, looking downright offended, doing that thing where he placed a hand over his chest to show how shocked he was at her utter gall. “You think you can just demand I go with you? Open the door? Do I look like some kind of escort or butler to you! Some kind of...some kind of gnome?!” Sam blinked at him and set the candle down, brow furrowing in confusion.

“Do...are gnomes like butlers?” That didn’t sound right, from what she’d read. They were earth spirits, diggers and miners. Luck blinked back at her, jaw flapping for a moment before he scowled.

“W-well...no, not really but… but you can’t just presume-”

“Didn’t you want to go into the forest, today? To go outside? All you’ve done all day is complain about how bored you are. So let’s. Go.” The two stared at each other for several long moments before the fairy finally heaved a deep, defeated sigh.

“Fine...but not because you told me to. I am choosing to go to the Mercatus, the proper name, mind you, and I will allow you to accompany me.” Rolling her eyes, Sam headed for the door, grabbing her satchel and umbrella. Her wand was tucked into the holster, more out of habit, than anything else. It’s not like she could use it right now, anyway. Still, she felt somewhat better just having it, at least.

“Yeah, sure, whatever.” Tugging the old hat down over her curls, she lit the candle and stepped out into the night. The candle didn’t do much to light the way, but the canid-fae gave off a faint blue glow.

“Hey, Luck?”

“Not my name.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Can you turn back into a wisp? Or, whatever that little ball of fire thing you were? You were a lot brighter like that and the candle isn’t really doing much out here.” He rounded on her, positively bristling.

“Are you ordering me around again?!”

“What? No! Ugh, you’re so freaking sensitive! It’s a request? Like, please can you turn into a little blue fireball so I don’t nearly break my ankle again?” There’s a beat of silence, only the sound of rainfall between them, before he sighed and his form shifted and twisted, condensing down into the small orb of light she’d first encountered. “....Thank you.” She mumbled and followed the little flame to the edge of the woods, where her steps faltered.

“Well?” Came the ringing voice from the orb as it floated over to buzz around her shoulder. “What’s wrong, Sammy? Scared?” Inhaling sharply, Sam shot a glare at the spirit, tucking the blown out candle into her bag and gripping the strap tightly in her now free hand, the other tightening around her umbrella handle.

“Of course not. Let’s go.”

Despite the light of her companion, she found herself tripping and stumbling the entire trip to the gate, grumbling irritably each time and scowling in the wisp’s direction. Even now he was messing with her. Sure, it’s dark, but Luck had been nothing but a pain and a nuisance, so he must obviously be the reason behind it. At least, that was what it was to her mind. Still, she didn’t mention it, too loudly, for fear he’d simply abandon her out here in the dark forest… again.

Finally, the stone arch came into view and Sam breathed a sigh of relief as Luck took his humanoid form once more. Floating up, he tapped the stone at the top, speaking clearly over the rain.

“Aperio Semita.” With a burst of light, the gate was open, and Sam and her partner stepped through. It was night here, too, the market still crowded but considerably less so than it had been during Sam’s last visit.

“Okay,” she breathed. “We made it. Perfect. Now, we just wait right here.” Sam took a few steps to the side of the gate and shook the rain from her umbrella before closing it, to see Luck staring at her in bafflement.

“....are you serious? We came to the Mercatus to look for your mother, didn’t we? You’re really going to just sit there?”

“Well...yeah. Mom said it’s really easy to get lost and… I don’t know what she came to get, so… how am I supposed to find her? At least this way, she’ll see me as soon as she gets here.” Groaning, Luck dragged his hand over his face.

“Humans… you are exhausting. Just ask the map where she is.”

“The...the map? It’ll tell me where my mom is?” He shrugged in answer.

“There’s always a chance it will. It’s not far and it’s very easy magic to activate. I bet even you could do it, despite all that fizzing out.” He grinned sharply at her furious glare. “And I suppose… if you ask very nicely… I might be persuaded to continue assisting you.” Rolling her eyes, Sam tucked her umbrella into her satchel.

“Fine… I suppose it’s worth a shot. But let’s make it quick. I don’t want to miss her if she comes this way.”

As she walked, Sam couldn’t help but notice how...different the Witch Market seemed at night. Gone was the warmth of the day and bustling crowds. Now, far shadier looking creatures walked the cobblestone paths, eyeing Sam as she passed. Gripping her the strap of her bag more tightly, Sam broke into a light jog. The sooner she got to the map and found her mom, the better. 

“Well, hurry up,” Bad Luck nagged, tugging a lock of her hair.

“You’re awfully anxious. At least you’re invisible,” Sam reminded him, batting his hand away so she could focus on the map.

“Spell… did mom even use a spell? She just...what was it...she asked where the wands were right?” Tapping her chin thoughtfully, Sam let out a sigh and stepped up to the board. “Um… map? Uh, can...you tell me where my mom is?” 

“Ugh, Sam, really! Tell it what you want to find. Be firm with it.” Luck snapped, putting his hands on his hips. Sam sent him a glare in response, but couldn’t ignore that he might be right. The map hadn’t reacted to her request, at all.

“My mom, please.” Being firm didn’t mean being rude, after all, and Abigail had always stressed the importance of manners when dealing with magical creatures and artifacts. A lesson that Sam took very seriously, with the exception of her current companion. 

Finally, it came to life. But as it scrolled and scrolled and scrolled, Sam felt her stomach drop to her feet. It went on and on for several minutes, moving so fast the lines of ink blurred. It eventually came to a stop and even Luck seemed stunned into silence. One spot on the map glowed, pulsing with soft green light.

“... Luck? How...far away is that, do you think?”

“...very,” was his answer, his ears folding back against his black hair. “We need to leave.”

“What? Why? There’s no way she could have gone that far on her own in just a few hours. What if something happened to her?!”

“And what are you going to do about it if something did?” He practically growled. “Your magic has done nothing but fail for the last week! The deeper you go into the Mercatus, the more dangerous it gets. We are leaving. Now.”