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Blue had started experimenting with advanced spell books about a month ago. And from day one, Adam had a feeling that something would go wrong. But he wasn't able to argue with Blue, or even think about it, for even if she didn't have the same magical abilities as the rest of the inhabitants of 300 Fox Way, she had other ways of being quite dangerous. But she was good company, at least they comforted each other, without even saying it, by the fact that they were the only two people without magic in that house where the supernatural was the rule. Because that was the 300 Fox Way, a seemingly ordinary greenhouse, although in reality it was not, because although housewives arrived daily to buy flowers to decorate their living rooms and young gentlemen in search of flowers to send to their sweethearts, ladies also came in search of those orchids that perfumed your room according to your mood or the lilies that sang beautiful melodies when it was a sunny Sunday or the small terrariums that offered medicinal herbs according to the type of infusion you will need, chamomile for stomach ache or valerian for insomnia or yellow rue for headache. In the flower shop at 300 Fox Way you could find the most beautiful and the most magical flower, literally. In addition, if you were a little more daring, you could also request the divination service offered by the three sorceresses of the house, hoping they were on their good days and would attend to you. Adam had worked in that curious place for the last year and a half, having left the family home, which until now he had never really been able to think of it as a home, he had left his hometown to find himself in that pretty little town, not as big as a towering metropolis, but not as small as a godforsaken corner either. He had spent six months working three jobs to support a small room and his school fees, until Persephone, the owner of the bakery where he worked in the afternoons, told him she could offer him a much higher paying job at the green house just a few houses away, a business shared with two other curious women who, soon after, he learned were wizards, as was Persephone. The pay and schedules allowed him to quit two of his jobs and dedicate only his evenings to Persephone's bakery and the vivarium at 300 Fox Way, which meant a little more time to catch up on his much-damaged sleep cycle. Except, of course, on days like those: the May Day holiday. 300 Fox Way was a disaster. As Adam entered the flower shop with a large box loaded with freshly cut roses of various colors coming from the vivarium, he almost bumped into Maura who seemed quite stressed with a pretty orchid singing a bit off-key and then Persephone who was carrying a plate of cookies, the detour almost causing him to trip over several lily flower bouquets that were arranged on the floor next to the display cases, as there was no other place to put them. Beyond, Orla seemed to be making do with the many customers who really seemed to just want a smile from her instead of their requested floral arrangement, she glanced over at Adam who was about to set the box of roses down on one of the tables where the bouquets were set up and before she could say anything, she entrusted her stand to one of the other girls and slipped between the arrangements and the display cases to reach it. "Ah, ah, ah, ah, honey. Those are not mine, I already finished my bouquets" Adam stopped halfway to leave the box of roses and looked at Orla with a tired expression, his arms were already numb between boxes and bouquets, and it was only mid afternoon, Orla for her part just sniffed through the flowers and when she seemed to find a pretty orange rose, she tied it in her hair using the glass door of one of the vase display cases as a mirror. "Those are the roses for the bouquets Madame Fell ordered," Orla stopped dead in her tracks and turned to look at him with a half-panicked, half-exhausted expression. "Weren't the ones that came out half an hour ago Madame Fell's?" Adam blinked in confusion, shared Orla's panic, and before he could answer, Maura's voice sounded behind them. "Those were for Le Rose's café. Madame Fell's were in charge of Blue." "Where did Blue go?" "If you don't know, I don't know." "Blue!" "She's still in the greenhouse with that book on magic, Maura. And you'd better get those bouquets done, Madame Fell said she'd be here at five" Calla came down the stairs, she was carrying in her hands a pretty bonsai that looked like it had stars instead of flowers, when Maura saw it she sighed in surrender and pushed herself between Orla and Adam to hand Calla the orchid she was still holding and was still singing out of tune. "Fix this, they're coming to pick it up in half an hour! I'm going to get Blue," Maura slipped nimbly from the stairs to the kitchen door, the quickest way to the vivarium, and still her voice echoed from afar, "And you two get started on those roses!" Orla and Adam looked at each other wordlessly and then looked at Calla waiting for her to say something, she for her part, with her impassive gesture only raised an eyebrow and lightly lifted what she held in her arms, telling them without a word, that Madame Fell's arrangements were their problem because she already had her own. Adam sighed and Orla ran a hand through her abundant brown hair, before taking the box of roses from Adam and setting it down on her table. They looked at each other again, this time the gesture more resigned. "I'll get the silk ribbons," Orla slid over to one of the shelves, Adam nodded and opened the shelf of vases to reach the ceramic cups they needed. "Oh, no... No red ribbons! Adam, was there any silk left in the storeroom?" Orla didn't wait for an answer and peeked into the kitchen to ask one of the girls who were there to go to the storeroom to look for red ribbons. "She won't find any, they were finished yesterday and you didn't go to buy any more, Orla," Persephone's voice echoed from one of the rooms that served as a workshop, still carrying her plate of cookies. "I was busy! Forget it, I'll go buy some at the tailor shop." "Not a chance. If we want those ribbons to arrive before Madame Fell and not get casually entangled in the watch store, you're the last person who can go, Orla," Calla spoke leaving her two magical plants on a nearby table, Orla turned to see her with a certain offended and threatening air, but the hardness of Calla's gaze was unbeatable and with no other choice, Orla sighed in surrender and resigned herself to reach for the scissors to start removing part of the stems from the roses. Adam knew what Calla had meant by the watchmaker's workshop, Orla was spending more time there lately and the reason was the young watchmaker's apprentice, and although that news was not new to any member of the Fox Way 300, it still intrigued them. "Adam, leave that there and you go. Five packs of red ribbons. And three of blue ribbons, they'll be ordering arrangements with that color later," Calla spoke as she took the china cups from Adam's hands and handed him his mailman's bag. Adam nodded, the idea of getting out for some air was relieving, though as soon as he imagined the current state of the streets in the midst of the May Day festival, it brought back some of the previous overwhelm. He was crossing the intricate path of floral arrangements careful not to step on any when Persephone caught up with him along the same path with much more agility than he and handed him a couple of wrapped cookies and a small smile. "If you see a raven, feed it. And buy some small baskets, we'll need them for the Marquise's bouquets," as Adam walked out, putting the cookies in his bag, he wondered what Persephone was referring to, it wasn't as if crows were docile enough birds to let themselves be fed, and he didn't know if they liked cookies, nor did he remember the Marquise going to the florist to place an order for flowers in the last few days. He supposed Persephone had seen it in her cards and that was enough to believe her, over time he had learned not to question the words of the women of 300 Fox Way, much less Persephone's. As Adam expected, the streets of the city were crowded to the brim, tall rows of people on one side and the other, surrounding the streets where the elegant groups of soldiers and the king's army passed by, the tall waving flags covered a large part of the sky. It was a fine day for the festival, from high above greeted the sun bright and intense as leagues of fire and Adam had to put on the trusty worn cap he carried in his bag to cover himself from the almost blinding rays so he could make out how much further he had to go to the tailor's shop. If it were a different day, he thought, it would be very easy to cross the main square to the other end to where the tailor shop was, but the impenetrable barrier of people and the army parading at that moment made it impossible. With a sigh, he resigned himself to keep walking sometimes among the crowded people and sometimes almost stuck to the wall to avoid them, trying to find some stretch where it would be easy for him to slip from one end of the street to the other. He was so close to a place he spotted with far fewer people, he could pass through it and then slip easily into the tailor's shop, it seemed easy, until he realized that what was there was a high platform blocking his passage. He closed his eyes, a tired sigh left his lips halfway through a curse and he turned around in place, surrendered, to go back the way he had come and try to sneak somewhere else, but it was even more terrible when he realized that the way he had come was now much more crowded and he would hardly pass a needle through there. He was exhausted, great, it was going to take longer than it would have taken Orla if she had stayed chatting with the clockmaker's boy. Giving up, he leaned against a wall, the sun was still at its full intensity and in search of a place that would give him a little more shade and less bustle, he slipped down what looked like an alley between two tall buildings. There was no one in that place, just silence drowned out by the whisper of shouting and the music of the parade, it almost felt as if that was a different world. Adam glanced to the side and then up, a curious craft flew by in the distance with the king's flag, a raven and a golden crown on a blue and blood red background staining the clean blue sky. As he sat slumped on a small concrete step, he remembered what Persephone had told him and also remembered that he had two cookies in his bag. The memory made him a little hungry and he remembered that he hadn't had a good lunch, everyone at 300 Fox Way had had a busy day and lunch had been something of a rush, before they got back to their duties as soon as possible, and although once upon a time Adam wouldn't have been affected by something like those constant bad eating habits, in the last year he had put on weight slightly and had started to eat better, they had noticed, telling him with a small smile that his skin looked more radiant and he had acquired a nice healthy color in his cheeks. He had been the last to notice, and he remembered it the times he allowed himself to be indulgent with himself and had a snack in the middle of the afternoon or in between work, no longer without the constant thought that even though he was hungry, that sandwich or fruit could be saved for later or for the next day. As he pulled out the two cookies he kept in his bag and took one to take a small bite, he thought it was amazing how much he had been able to change his life and how good he felt. As if he was healing little by little those wounds he didn't even know he had. Still sunk in his thoughts, a bang echoed over his head, above him, where that big plane with the king's flag had been before, there were quick flashes of small planes that Adam had seen from time to time, which were of only one or two crew members, with quick roars in the air. He watched them for a couple more seconds until they were lost and the last of them passed through the patch of sky Adam could see between the buildings, he lowered his gaze and thought that people might probably have moved so he could see the planes overhead so there was a chance to get across the street and get to his destination. He stood up abruptly and stuffed what was left of the cookie into his mouth, intending to leave the way he had come, until he noticed that there was something, or someone, blocking his path.A raven. A beautiful black raven watched him from the ground, its black eyes gleaming, its head cocked to one side and its beak slightly open. Adam stood static, thinking that it was the first time he had ever seen such a big raven, not like the common crows that used to caw from the high towers of the city. They looked at each other for a couple more seconds and trying not to think too much about it, Adam took a couple of steps forward, expecting the bird to move or take flight, but it didn't, it just kept looking at him until it was almost less than a step away from him. Then he looked again, it wasn't Adam the raven was looking at, but his left hand, which was still holding one of the cookies Persephone had given him. Then he remembered what Persephone had said: if you see a raven, feed it. And now he had found a crow, one that seemed genuinely interested in what was left of his snack. Well, Adam took a breath and decided not to think, again, by now it was no longer at all strange to him that the words of Persephone or any of the women of 300 Fox Way sometimes became so literal, however, he had very rarely questioned whether or not he should do what they said because they were almost always right, if not always, but if obeying them now meant feeding a wild animal with a big beak and large scavenging claws, Adam was definitely questioning his decisions. Besides, did crows eat cookies? Adam sighed and without taking his eyes off the raven, reached down with his left hand with the still wrapped cookie, he didn't even have time to place it on the ground when the raven quickly closed the distance and took the snack from Adam's hand. It was so quick and easy that Adam was left processing the fact for a couple of seconds until he noticed that his hand was empty and the raven was watching him still with those glowing dark eyes and the cookie clutched in his beak. The situation was almost hilarious, Adam had expected the raven to leave as soon as he got what he wanted, but it was still standing in front of him as if waiting for something else. Adam let out a chuckle and leaned in a little closer squatting down. "Sorry, that's all I have," he held out his empty hand to him proving his point, the raven said nothing and moved a little closer as if Adam's hand held something rather interesting still empty. Driven by curiosity and the overwhelming beauty of that creature, Adam reached out his hand a bit more and stroked the black feathers on the neck, which made the raven shake and flap slightly as if it was pleased. "How beautiful you are," this time his fingers slid up to the head and stroked causing the raven to close its eyes, "I've never seen such a big raven before, do you belong to anyone around here? You're very well cared for." "There you are, sweetheart..." Adam was startled when he heard the voice behind him. "I was looking everywhere for you." Adam turned quickly on his heels, in front of him, just a few steps away was a man, apparently young, with his arms crossed, half of his face and his figure itself was obscured by the shadows cast by the building and the other half, illuminated by the sun's rays, showed that he was wearing a splendid coat like the night with silver interwoven designs that shone in the sunlight, he wore his hair very short, it was barely the hint of black, he looked dangerous and elegant with his face of pale skin, sharp and marked features and with taut gesturing lips in a straight line, he looked at Adam with care and disguised curiosity, but it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as he thought about how he had been able to get so close without him hearing him. The man let out a small hiss resembling a low whistle and behind Adam, the crow flapped to perch on the other man's shoulder, who slid his hand under his coat to stroke the breast of the bird, which was still holding the cookie Adam had given it. "The crow is his" Adam thought, feeling it made sense that such a beautiful bird belonged to someone who gave that same impossible air. Adam was still looking at the raven when he noticed that the man was still looking at him. "You shouldn't be gentle with these critters, they won't leave you alone later," the man took a step closer to him and despite wanting to stay away from such a noisy and hostile presence, Adam didn't move. "Looked hungry." "Don't let her fool you," The man moved a little closer and Adam noticed that his eyes were a cold, deep blue like ice, and that he wore an obsidian pendant around his neck that matched the delicate earring in his right ear. "Her kind have no scruples." Adam kept his gaze on him, things were getting a little strange and he remembered he still had something to do. He gave the man one last look with the intention of turning and leaving, but he hadn't even moved when he felt a hand gently grasp his arm, next to him he heard a low whisper brush against his ear. "If you go out that way, there will be a henchman of the king's wizard waiting for you. If I were you I wouldn't leave," Adam frowned and looked at the man's hand, on his index finger was a black metal ring with intricate carvings and a ruby in the middle. "I have nothing of interest to the king's wizard." "You don't, but I do. And now you've been seen with me," this time the man's hand slipped from Adam's arm to his back. "There's someone following me, don't look back and just walk." He sounded so close to him, so tense, that he actually believed him, he didn't even know if it was just a now unfounded fear but he really felt as if something was watching him behind his back, without saying a word but still keeping his gaze on the other's icy eyes, he agreed to walk beside him in the opposite direction to where he had planned, although as soon as he walked a little further, he wondered where he was taking him, for a few meters away from them there was only a high wall closing the alley and there was no side exit. Adam was about to say something when a dense dark mist came out from between the corners of the building next to him and between the spaces formed by the rocks on the path, these were like black roots that crawled with the intention of reaching him, he almost stopped but the hand on his back made him continue. "Run" Adam turned to the face of the stranger, with a clear gesture of confusion and reproach as if he was looking at a madman, but instead the man looked very serious. Run? He thought as he quickened his pace, where the hell was he going to run to if only a few meters away they were going to hit the wall? And yes, even though his logic told him to stop, he found himself running and only two steps away from the crash, he closed his eyes and felt a grip on his back and a rush that propelled him suddenly into the air, away from the ground, away from the wall and away from breaking his nose in the stupidest way. Adam's breathing was failing him and with it his whole body. He was floating. He was floating several feet above the roofs of the tallest buildings.There was one thing no one knew: Adam was terrified of heights. "What the... hell?" He looked with eyes tinged with horror at the man who was floating beside him, his coat draped like a silver cape around his shoulders, while his hands held Adam by the wrists. "Put me down!" "You're crazy, I can't throw you down from this height!" Adam suddenly felt panic turn to anger. "Crazy? Me? Who was the crazy person who dragged me down here? I don't even know who you are! No, forget it. Put me down right now!" "I can't! You better help me, okay? I can't walk for the both of us!" Adam frowned and looked down, he noticed that the other was moving as if he was taking steps in the air, which made them move forward. Without much thought he followed suit and noticed that, strangely enough, he felt as if his feet were settling on something firm even though beneath him he could see nothing but emptiness before the obvious fall. "Acceptable, I suppose," Adam frowned at the scornful tone in the other man's voice. "Where to?" "What?" "Where are you going?" Adam blinked in confusion at first until he remembered why he was there, skipping over crows and men hoisting him above the city. "I'm just... just going to the tailor shop in the central square," the man pondered for a second and nodded before executing a turn that seemingly headed for the square.As his feet kept moving, Adam recapitulated what was going on and trying not to think too much that he was so many feet above the ground, he came to only one conclusion: he had run into a wizard. A pretty powerful one, it seemed, because while he lived with wizardry on a daily basis, it wasn't as if from one day to the next Maura or any of the women of 300 Fox Way casually proposed to him to go walking on the air above the rooftops of the city, after having their afternoon snack. Hell, a wizard of such stature. He should have known from the moment he looked at him, no one but a wizard could own such a beautiful raven as a pet, nor would he dress in such an extravagant way or appear out of nowhere without making a sound. A wizard, moreover, was being pursued by the real wizard. Only to Adam could this kind of thing happen, he only hoped to tell Blue everything, although she probably wouldn't believe him or would force him to go to the same place to look for this guy."It's fine here," Adam whispered as he spotted the third floor balcony of the tailor's shop, he tried to walk faster and his hands tried to slip from the wizard's grip. "Don't move like that or I'll let go, you idiot." "Dare to do it and I'll hand you over to whoever the hell it was that was chasing you," next to him he heard a laugh and out of the corner of his eye he could see the man's mocking and ironic gesture, he really felt like doing what he had said, but another time, he still had to take red silk ribbons to the florist's shop. The wizard slipped his grip and released his right hand, Adam took a step until he rested his boot on the edge of the balcony and after the man released his other hand, he held onto one of the wooden posts, taking care not to look down as he leapt full length into safe space. His heart was still pounding and only at that moment did he feel himself breathing normally again, though he still felt the tug of vertigo in his stomach. He was sure that this event would haunt him in nightmares for the rest of his life. Leaning his back against the wall, he turned and as he tried to get his heart back to normal, he found the wizard, watching him from above, casually leaning against one of the balcony posts as his coat flapped in the wind. The fucker was smiling half-mockingly and ironically, arms crossed and head cocked to one side, at his shoulder had returned the raven, the culprit of the whole mess, who had surely already gobbled its cookie because its beak was empty. "What?" Adam asked only a little aggressively. "If you expect me to thank you, I won't." "I didn't expect that either." "Then why are you still here?" Adam snorted and looked at him with a mocking half-smile. "Are you hiding from those things that were following you?" "Don't be an idiot," the wizard suddenly straightened up aggressively, like an annoyed cat. "Those things could never get to me, they're just damn annoying. The king's sorcerer has so little creativity." "Why is he looking for you?" "Because he's a jerk," Adam snorted amusedly and noticed there was a slight smirk on the wizard's lips, who upon noticing Adam's stare pulled himself together and looked away. "Well, I hope I don't see you again, you're definitely not good at flying." "As if I asked for it..." "And one last piece of advice, don't ever feed ravens again if you don't want the bastards after you, okay?" saying that, he dropped his weight back towards the main square, becoming a blur of black and silver followed by the raven, and when Adam approached the edge of the balcony, he found nothing but empty air and further down the people still watching the parade as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Adam must have spent a minute or maybe an eternity staring at the same spot below among the people, and then at the place in front of him as if that mystical, unnatural figure was going to suddenly materialize and tell him that all that had indeed happened. He quietly broke away from the balcony and as he walked towards the stairs leading to the second floor, he noticed that his hands were still shaking and his racing heart was definitely no better.
Shit.
Damn, those things only happened to him.