Genna, the enchantress, sat in the back room of her shop, working on a tricky piece of magic, when she heard a polite cough. Irritated, she eyed the drapes towards the front room.
"I'm closed for the day." She got up and made her way into the front room, finding it empty. She pulled on the door a couple of times, but it was locked, just as she had thought. As she sat down at her worktable again, the cough repeated. Genna's eyes began to glow as she slowly scanned the room. She put one hand on the ornate dagger on her belt. Burglars usually don't cough politely, but there's a first for everything. Then her eyes fell on the tree in front of her window. Trees also usually don't cough, but they usually don't have faces either.
Sorry to disturb you, but I can't find the wizard. The words were tinged with a tiny bit of panic.
"You stole his cat." Genna leaned out of her window to get a better look at the tree. "So you're the replacement for my charms?"
Through the veil of reality, Genna could see the spirit in the tree, giving it a golden glow. The spirit's crown extended far beyond the young tree's canopy, covering the whole street in translucent, shining branches.
Oh, sorry, I am Ból, and I didn't steal Píp; we were supposed to be back by dinner. A little more panic this time. But she's... a cat.
"You can tell him when he finds you he went to Dimkarat to look for the both of you." The glow in Genna's eyes deepened, and her gaze wandered up the tree.
He's coming here? That'll take weeks! A moderate amount of panic.
"I think they'll be there sooner."
Ból sighed. I hope so. I've got to go. Fickle catsitter.
"Catsitter? I thought you lost her?" Genna asked, but the tree was just a tree again.