Gage died late that night. Anya cried quietly while no one could hear her. In the morning, she asked Sam to dig a grave. Kallie cried loudly, and Damani ran out the door and into the woods. She let him go.

Once the grave was dug, Sam and Anya moved Gage's body into it, wrapped in a sheet. Sam filled the grave in, and Anya stood with her arm around Kallie while he dumped earth onto what used to be their brother. Damani sat at the edge of the woods, watching silently.

When the grave was full, Kallie went to Damani and the pair disappeared into the woods. When they were gone, she turned to Sam.

"I'm so grateful for everything that you've done," she said, meaning it. She pulled a small leather sachet out of her apron's front pocket. "Here," she said, holding it out to him.

Sam shook his head. "No. Consider my help a gift, or perhaps a penance."

"Did you know Gage?" she voiced her suspicion.

"Just in passing. Gage got himself mixed up in things that were too big for him. You would be best to not know more than that."

Anya shook her head. "I think that there is much I don't know."

He nodded grimly. "I don't know where your path will lead, but I just feel that you'll be fine. You seem both brave and resourceful."

He shook his head as if confused about his own words, and said, "I really must go, Anya."

She would not press him more. "Thank you, Sam."

"Best of luck," he said, doffed his cap and headed towards his wagon. Sabin swooped down and landed on her shoulder. She watched as Sam drove away, and wondered why he had changed his story about knowing her brother.

Anya wondered what she should do next.

* * * * *

Their lives resumed their normal pace. It was easy to pretend that Gage had not returned home to die. He had been there so seldom that his absence felt normal. The only difference was that he never would come home. Anya had a twinge of grief every time she thought of it, which felt far too often.

Anya worked on her project for Marjorie, and the twins helped as they always did. If the twin's voices were a bit quieter, and if Anya's burden felt a little heavier, she barely noticed. She kept busy and rarely allowed herself to worry about the vague ramblings Gage had made at the end of his life.

She did worry about the debt. She did not know how she would keep ahead of it without Gage's help. She had contributed, but she had largely taken care of their little brother and sister and kept the cottage while he decreased the amount they owed. She could not imagine how she would keep ahead alone. Gage's inexplicable words meant nothing.

She knew she would have to set up a meeting with their creditor. She would have to explain and beg for mercy. If he would not allow her more time, perhaps they would be forced to sell their home. Even worse, perhaps she would be thrown into debtor's prison. What would happen to the twins if they were thrown out on the street or she was locked up?

Anya sent a message to the lord who had lent their father money, asking for a meeting. While she waited for his response, she diligently made potions. She completed the potions for Marjorie easily enough. She had them ready for when, or if Marjorie returned for them. She had no contact with the village and had no idea of Marjorie had managed to turn her romance around on her own.

With help from Damani and Kallie, Anya stocked up on dried herbs and supplies. It was the best time of year for certain herbs, and she wanted to be sure her supplies would last her throughout the colder months.

Anya had always enjoyed inventing new potions and she threw herself headlong into the task. Her latest masterpiece was a potion that would theoretically allow the drinker to grow wings and fly. While she had tested the potion and determined it was safe and the effects were temporary, she had not yet had the courage to try it out, but she would in the future. If it worked well, perhaps she could start selling such potions.

Surely there were nobles willing to put aside their distaste of witches and a fair sum of money for a chance to fly.

* * * * *

Anya was working the soil in the small herb garden in front of the cottage. There were a few herbs which did not regularly grow in the woods and required more tending. She was absorbed in her task, when a voice interrupted her.

"Anya! Are they ready?"

Marjorie stood behind her, as regal as a queen. She appeared to want nothing more than the whole messy business to be over with.

"Of course," Anya agreed. Was it only slightly more than a week since she had talked with Marjory last? It felt like a lifetime. "I've got it in my shed for you."

Marjory followed Anya, although she did not really want the other woman in her workspace. Marjory seemed as reluctant to enter a witch's lair again as Anya was to allow her, so Marjory waited a distance away from the door.

Anya came out with a large bottle in her hand, and handed it to Marjory. She snatched it and shoved it inside a purse that hung on her side. It barely fit inside. Marjory handed her the crowns that Anya had requested.

"When you use it, be sure not to give it to him more often than every eight hours or so. Be sure to give no more than a tablespoon per dose. If you use too much, it can sometimes produce feelings of extreme jealousy, aggression and violence."

"Very well," agreed Marjory. Anya was not sure whether to hope Marjory had not been listening or that she was pleased with the side effects. She repeated her cautions.

"Yes, of course," agreed Marjory. "I may need more."

"Just let me know a couple of days ahead," Anya heard herself agree. She heard Sabin caw from in the trees, and she sighed.

"I shall." Marjory strode off without another word. Anya shoved the money into her apron.

Anya hoped that everything did not end badly. She would likely need what little good reputation she had in the future.

Sabin circled and landed on Anya's shoulder, and she absently scratched the bird. "Shall I get you something to eat, my darling?" she crooned. It would not hurt to take a short break.

* * * * *

Anya fed Sabin, and forced herself to sit down and have a bite to eat. Her appetite had been down since Gage had died.

Anya leaned onto the table and rubbed her forehead. She felt like crying, and felt guilty because it was not just grief. Certainly she would miss Gage and she wished that she could have saved him, but she could feel all the pressures of the world pressing sharply in on her. She was worried about what would happen to the twins if she did not somehow manage to provide for them.

She almost wished that the messenger would come from their creditor, but at the same time she would love for him never to arrive. She pushed herself up. Idly worrying would not do anything to help. There were herbs to dry and ingredients to prepare. Anya had more important things to do than waste her time worrying.

* * * * *

If there was one thing that Anya was good at, it was keeping busy. She spent the next few days stocking up on everything imaginable, and trying to dream up strategies for getting more customers. She put a few more touches on her winged potion, and tried to decide what to call it. She needed a wonderful name that would convince the shallow nobles that they simply needed to try it.

While Anya worked, she wracked her brain for other potions which might be lucrative. Potions that could make a person invisible—or rather, nearly invisible—were difficult to make, but were well worth the effort if she could find someone who wished to have one. The small healing potions and salves—which had failed on her brother—still could work very well with minor healings.

Half of Anya's problem was that she was a poor business woman. She could not help but feel pity for the people who came to her door and not charge them more than they could afford. What she needed was a noble patron who could afford to pay well and had a need for such things.

If one even existed. It was an impossible problem.

Perhaps she could go to the capital and sell her potions to shop keepers. She had never been to the capital and she did not know what it was like, but with more people surely the possibility of finding someone who would buy her potions increased.

Anya wished that she had more time. Perhaps she could create a potion to make herself able to work faster.

It probably was not worth the time it would take to make it, if it was even possible to make such a thing. Anya felt that it was possible, and she usually had a good feeling for what the limits of her magic were. She also usually had a good feeling for what would be more effort than it was worth.

She looked critically at the winged potion she had made. She knew it needed to be tested. She had originally created it just for herself, so that she could fly with Sabin. Sabin's magic was even blended into the potion. It would probably work perfectly fine as he had a great deal of magic inside him. It was probably why they understood each other so well.

Anya resolved that she would try the potion after supper.

* * * * *

Anya was making supper when Kallie and Damani burst in through the door. "Someone's coming!" they shouted in chorus.

"Who?" Anya asked.

"I think it's that gentry cove that does the accounting for his lordship," Damani announced.

"I think it's Mister Harold too."

Anya's heart plummeted. It was time to deal with the accounting. She had expected a note to be delivered, not the accountant himself. Was his lordship going to foreclose upon them immediately? Anya rinsed her hands, and went outside to meet whatever was to come.

* * * * *

The accountant dismounted from his horse. "Miss Davies?" the man said in a questioning tone, although he had dealt with her many times in the past. He always seemed nervous around her, probably because she was such a terrifying witch.

"Hello Mister Harold," she said.

"I've just come regarding the note that you sent my Lord Reaumur."

"Yes, of course."

The accountant cleared his throat. "I have just brought some papers for you to sign, and we'll finish this whole messy business."

Anya's heart plummeted. They would lose the cottage. What would they do? She knew she had to beg, although the accountant would have no power to grant her boon. It was why she had wished to speak to Lord Reaumur herself.

"Please, I just need more time."

"More time?" he asked, sounding a bit confused.

"I know that I won't be able to pay the money back as quickly as I could when Gage was alive, but—"

The accountant interrupted her, "Mister Davies is dead?" It was a mark of his confusion that he dared to interrupt her; normally he listened in rapt silence when she spoke. He was afraid of her.

"You did not know?" She thought that she had mentioned it in her message, but she had been so distraught that perhaps she had neglected to tell them.

"How could I?"

"Did Lord Reaumur get my message?"

"Message? I don't believe that he received a message from you, Miss Davies."

Anya smiled wryly. She should have had Sabin deliver it rather than depend on an unreliable human to do so. "Then why are you here, Mister Harold?"

"I just need your signature. Mister Davies—I'm sorry for your loss," the accountant added quickly.

Anya nodded.

"But as I was saying, Mister Davies paid the debt in full with interest when last we met. I just need a couple of signatures and everything is done."

Anya's mind flew back to his feverish ramblings. He had said something about it being paid. How had Gage managed to get his hands on that much money? Somehow, she thought that she did not want to know. She read the papers and signed quickly. She knew she should be happy to be free from the debt, but things were not adding up.

"How did he look when you last saw him?" she wondered.

"Hale and hearty. It was only a few months ago. I just can't believe... What happened?" he asked.

Anya felt a sudden urge for secrecy. Whatever Gage had done, she did not want it returning to affect the twins. "It was an accident. A friend of his brought his body home."

"Well, I am sorry, Miss Davies."

"Would you like to stay for supper?" she asked politely.

Anya watched as his eyes darted to the cottage behind her. "No thanks, Miss Davies. I've a long way to travel before nightfall."

"Farewell," the accountant said and he mounted his horse.

"Safe travels," she agreed. He was always polite, even if he was a bit jumpy around her.

She went back into the house.

"What happened?" asked the twins in unison.

"It seems that Gage paid off the debt before he died," she said slowly.

"Hurray!" said Damani. "Now we've nothing to worry about."

"You don't seem very happy about it," Kallie commented.

Anya shook her head. "I guess I just wish that Gage was here to enjoy it with us. And it's hard to believe, really." She did not bother to mention her suspicions and fears to the two. Hopefully they would come to naught.

Damani laughed. "I don't think it's hard to believe at all! Gage always took good care of us since dad died."

"I miss him, though," Kallie said.

"Of course we do. I've been thinking that we must be grateful, and I must be the man of the house now," Damani said with great dignity.

Anya thought he was adorable, but she did not laugh because she knew it would dent his pride.

Kallie looked concerned. "I'm not sure I want to be in any house where you're the man of it."

The twins started bickering, and Anya stopped listening. She wished she felt relieved. Perhaps relief would come in time.

She did not think it would come easily. Gage had obviously known some of what he was talking about in his last hours. He had remembered the debt being paid. It was not so easy to dismiss the rest of his words as feverish babble. He had told her to take the twins and run.

Where could she run to? They had no friends, there was nowhere to go and be welcomed. The twins needed stability.

Anya decided that they would stay. If whoever Gage had worried about came, she would send the twins to hide in the forest and deal with what came when it came.

She felt better for having decided a course of action, but only slightly.

* * * * *