“This isn’t funny!” the terrified orc shouted.
I tried to smother my laughter, but it persisted.
Tandor sat frozen, every muscle solidified to stone, with my cauldron sludge familiar slithering up the toe of his boot.
I bent to scoop them up with my hand, retrieving the jar from my bag. I kept the lid loose at their insistence, so they could come and go as they pleased. They resisted, clinging to my hand instead of sliding easily into the jar. I sighed. Giving up, I let my familiar curl up on my lap instead.
“It’s just Hex!”
Tandor watched me with his jaw hanging open, the expression on his face somewhere between shock and horror. “Hex… is that what I think it is? Has that been in your bag this whole time?”
I nodded. “Of course. In my bag, in my pocket for a while, sometimes they leave their jar. I don’t make a habit of telling them what to do—they don’t appreciate it.”
“Um… Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why is ithere?”
“Oh, right. They insisted.”
“Okay… the slime insisted on coming with you. And now it’s… alive.”
I nodded, glad he was understanding so easily. “Exactly.”
“Okay…” He pulled the reins, bringing the horse and carriage to a slow stop on the side of the path. He let the reins fall slack and scrubbed his hands over his face. “Okay. This is completely normal.”
I smiled in agreement. “It is! It’s better if you don’t question it. Thanks for understanding.”
He peeked at me between his fingers. “I don’t understand at all, if I’m being honest with you.”
The smile dropped from my cheeks. “Oh.”
“I just need a moment to process.”
“Sure.”
Hex gurgled gently, tiny bubbles rising to their surface and popping. I bent down to whisper to them, “it’s okay. We can trust him.”
Hex slumped, becoming more viscous. Slowly, tentatively, they slipped from my lap and crawled onto Tandor’s knee. He watched, frozen in fear.
“Kizzi,” he whispered urgently.
“Yeah?”
“It’s on my leg.”
“It is, yes.”
“Can you tell it to get off?”
“They just want to be your friend,” I insisted.
“Friend. Friend… this magical, moving slime wants to be my friend.”
“They do, yes.”
“And how do you know that?”
