The ride back to Gammy's was quiet. There was something changed between them and Penny wasn't even sure what. She parked the bug at the curb in front of the white farmhouse, but neither of them made a move to leave the car. The rain had come and gone, but there was still the question of who had destroyed the ward and why.

"Penny," Leander said, his voice thick.

"Yeah," she said, twisting in the seat to face him.

"I wish I'd had the courage to come back sooner." He placed a warm hand on hers and for a moment, Penny thought of leaning in, of crashing her lips against his. Her heart sputtered at the thought, but Leander stiffened, his eyes jutting towards a figure on the porch.

Gammy stood under the eave of the porch roof, one hand on her hip, and the other on a pitchfork.

"Something's wrong," Leander said.

They couldn't get out of the Volkswagen fast enough.

"Gammy?" Penny shouted as they dashed up to the house. "Gammy, what's the matter?"

"A man just came by not a half hour ago," she said, her voice shaking just enough that it made Penny want to punch something. "He wanted to buy my bees and I told him that in no uncertain terms would I ever sell him my bees." She drew in a quavering breath. "He almost didn't take no for an answer."

"Is he gone? Where did he go?" Penny asked.

"Towards town," she replied.

"What did he look like?" Leander asked, his voice much calmer than Penny felt.

"Tall," Gammy said. "With black hair slicked back, and a curly-ended mustache. And he was dressed sort of strange — a top hat and coattails for a July day in Ohio is very strange if you ask me. And he had white gloves that he never took off."

Penny looked at Leander. The prince's brow had darkened, his eyes marked with worry.

"Sounds to me," he said darkly, "like we have a magician on our hands."

SORRY FOR SUCH A SHORT CHAPTER! ANOTHER IS COMING SOON! THIS IS OFFICIALLY MY FAVORITE STORY OF MINE AND YOU ARE ALL MY FAVORITE READERS! THAT IS ALL! STAY AMAZING!