Harken threw Margareet’s body over the back of his unicorn Moon, the weight of her body making his saddle slip a bit. Harken had taken care to wrap her up tight in linens and twine but it made it no easier to carry her. He tied her on, and fixed his leathers, checking his bridle and the old grey geldings shoes. “You gonna be good there Moon?” He asked, they had a long ride ahead. Moon just swished his tail and kept eating the oats in his feedbag.

Harken gave a stretch as he looked back at the inn. It would be hours before Margareet’s sister woke to find they were gone. Then someone would find the blood. By then she would have no chance to catch up, he would already be far enough away. Then he thought about it.

He reached into his saddle bag shifting Margareet’s trussed up body out of the way. He shifted aside a few things till he found what he was looking for.

He pulled the wrapped bundle out, carefully uncovering the mid sized wand he had taken from one of Salkie’s minions. It hummed in his hand and in a flash the little familiar within appeared. A small creature covered in feathers it flittered on to the edge of the wand.

Harken bobbed his head to the creature, and in turn it bowed to him.

“Good elemental, may ask if your contract is open?” He had not yet appraised the wand with a guild hall yet, so he had no idea. But he had seen the mage who he had wrested it from use it and believed it to me a simple matter.

The sparrow nodded in answer.

Its lack of speech meant it was only a lesser elemental spirit, but he was sure it would be enough.

“May I borrow your powers then?”

It nodded and leaned in tapping its little beak against the wand. Four times it tapped, four bands of red light appeared. After that he wondered if perhaps a mage could barter more of a contract or this item would simply be unusable.

Either way it was more than enough.

Harken slowly climbed the side of the building to the third floor window where he had been.

He cracked the window open and held the wand out. “Generate Ardent element,” he whispered. The first band near the tip of the wand burned black suddenly, tiny red sparks dancing in trianglular shapes. The words suddenly came into his mind, the Contract of the familiars gift entering him through the wand, “Sparrow Spark.”

A shower of glowing red-black sparks of electricity jumped from the tip of the wand. The magical light struck fast, setting the walls and ceiling, setting the room aflame.

The blood still pooled on the floor ignited too, fueling the inferno. As the magical sparks subsided and the room was alight in natural flames the room lit up orange and red, he began climbing down again.

At the next window he began to bang, screaming at the top of his lungs.

“FIRE, FIRE! WAKE UP. THE INN’S ON FIRE!”

By the time he was on the ground lights were on through the whole of the inn. The sounds of people running about ringing through the night.

He walked over and got up into the saddle, he looked down at the poor beast and pet his neck. “Next village there’s a shiny apple in it if you hold up. Maybe I’ll get some gold by then and I can get a friend for you to carry my things.”

“Gods I hope so,” Moon griped, giving a little huff as he swished his tail about.

Harken nodded and clicked his tongue and put heels to ribs and off they rode together. He knew this had cut their time down. But, he couldn’t leave behind evidence of the ritual. He needed to go home, to the Dark Forest. He slipped a brightly glowing gem in his pocket, and urged Moon forward, increasing speed.

Eighteen days, it was all he had.