Chapter 1

Inside his quiet study constructed of ruddy stone, Clovis clutched at his head. Opened tomes and ancient manuscripts lay scattered about on the desk in front of him, and in some cases, the rocky floor. The room held dozens of manuals and guidebooks for the casting of innumerable varieties of magic, yet none of them contained the elusive spell that he sought.

The harsh midday sun peeked in through the small window at the back of the room, its light providing just enough illumination for reading. Two candles sat on the desk in front of Clovis, both of them melted down to the stem with wicks charred and blackened thanks to the previous night's sleepless literary marathon that awarded him with nothing except red-rimmed eyes and a distinct sense of nausea.

"It's useless!" thought Clovis, "I shall be cursed with this bountiful womanliness forever at this rate!"

He opened his crimson robe and stared at his voluminous bust, closing the garment up almost as quickly as he had opened it. "I won't be able to suffer this for much longer. This blasted heat keeps getting worse every year! I've sought every magical scroll my lackeys could pilfer, and somehow there's not a single spell for altering one's sex! How can this be? There must be someone who knows of such a spell. But who?"

He pondered his options for a moment, but the only option seemed to reside with the Templars—not exactly a group he enjoyed the company of. Despite being willing to work with Templar Brahn in exchange for rare and exotic jewelry, he disliked the blond-haired human and especially his daughter. Not only that, but the thought of entrusting the secret to Brahn sent a shiver down his spine. He needed someone outside Brahn's circle, but also someone who knew of magic beyond his own capabilities. The Templar Order's overt xenophobia towards Keidran and the inability of most Keidran to use magic made finding this 'someone' a tall order.

However, one name came to his mind. Sitting upright in his wooden chair, Clovis cupped his hands around his muzzle and shouted, "Brutus! I require assistance!"

The door to the study opened, and a towering, burly forest wolf stepped into the doorway. His only clothing amounted to a loose-fitting pair of cloth trousers, leaving his chiseled arms and fluffy torso exposed.

"Ack!" Clovis screeched, "You imbecile! I told you to clothe yourself!"

"But it's hot enough to cook eggs on the anvil outside," Brutus replied in an innocent, sad tone of voice.

Clovis clenched his fist. "Well, I don't care! I can't risk allowing myself to be seduced by your bodacious masculinity!"

His eyes went wide, and he clamped his hands over his mouth in horror of his own words. Brutus stared back with a similar expression but with mercifully little understanding. "So, what did you want, Boss?"

Taking a quick breath to calm himself, Clovis replied, "I need you to talk to Roan. Tell him I need to find Templar Euchre as soon as possible. Tell Roan that I am willing to pay Euchre whatever he needs in order for me to meet with him."

Brutus nodded. "Sure thing, Boss. Oh—but before I do that, would you like me to clean up all the books?"

Clovis scanned the room and sighed angrily. "No, I'll handle them. Go find Roan, now!"

Brutus lumbered out of the room and closed the door behind him, leaving Clovis to his thoughts. The golden folf slumped forward in his chair and sighed. "This had better work—I can't allow myself to start having feelings for my men! If they find out, I'll be ruined! They'll sell me into slavery! Or worse!" His eyes narrowed in rage. "Damn you, Dragon! I swear on my life, after I get my manhood back, I'll be coming for you!"

Somewhere else in Mekkan, Lady Nora giggled draconically and went back to sleep.


- § -


Several days later…

Right hand clutching the poisoned dagger on his hip, Clovis crept through the forest. The alleged location for his meeting with Euchre required two hours' work of walking, and the folf prince's notoriety made solo travel riskier than it would have been for a normal person, even in Keidran territory. Yet, he chose not to bring along any companions, for fear of them overhearing him and Euchre and learning of the secret. His toxic weapon existed in the event an opportunistic assassin decided to target him, or if his meeting with Euchre took a negative turn.

Through a break in the underbrush ahead of him, he spotted a small clearing, defined by a round stone table flanked by two matching benches. The ivy-covered structures looked to be crumbling, but seemed stable enough to support a normal Keidran's weight. Looking in all directions, Clovis ventured into the open and stopped next to the stone table. The location of the sun overhead suggested the prescribed time for his meeting, but he saw no signs of anyone nearby.

Increasingly concerned, Clovis called out, "Euchre?"

At first, deathly silence greeted his ears. However, after a moment, a quiet rustle of clothing sounded from behind a massive oak tree. A tall, lanky white wolf stepped out, wearing a white Templar robe. A pair of round spectacles sat atop the bridge of his nose. He approached the table, stopping a meter short of Clovis. The miniscule distance between the two only served to amplify the folf's lack of stature compared to him.

Taking a seat and motioning for Clovis to do the same, Euchre folded his hands in front of him and asked, "What do you want from me? Your associates seemed to think it was quite important."

Clovis frowned, claiming his seat across from Euchre while making certain that his robe was fastened securely. "It is quite important. I seek the knowledge of a spell which is apparently forbidden in these parts."

Euchre's ears poinked. "Intriguing. What sort of spell are you hoping to find?"

An uncertain, fearful look crossed Clovis's face. In a quiet voice, he replied, "I need to learn a spell that can transform a woman into a man."

Euchre stifled a chuckle with his hand. "That is certainly a unique request. If you don't mind me asking, why would you need that spell?"

"It doesn't concern you," Clovis emphasized, trying to strike a balance of anger that would prevent Euchre from prying more deeply into his business and at the same time prevent him from walking away from the table. "I simply think that it would be a useful spell for my purposes—another arrow in my quiver, if you will."

A pensive look appeared on Euchre's face. He stared intently at his guest, his eyes narrowing in the process. "You would not have gone through so much effort to meet with me if this was not crucially important to you."

"So what?" Clovis huffed, crossing his arms. "None of that matters. Do you know this spell or not?"

Euchre let the question hang in the air for a suspenseful five seconds, taunting his guest with an insulting silence. Finally, though, he simply replied, "No."

Clovis's hopes deflated like a punctured balloon.

"I do, however, know of someone who might," said Euchre.

"Who?" Clovis all but demanded.

"There was a mage named Barnabas who used to be part of the Templar Order. I learned under him when I was younger. We used to call him Barney—he hated that. He had a ravenous interest in magic that I've never seen since then." Euchre shifted in his seat, then lowered the inflection of his voice and added, "Unfortunately, he was excommunicated from the Templar Order for dabbling in the dark arts. Last I heard of him, he had gone into exile in the Far North, near Castle Heywood. I don't know if he's still alive, but knowing him, he probably found a way to extend his lifespan with magic."

Clovis nodded in approval. "Excellent. I'll need to visit him, then."

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to pour cold water on that idea," Euchre cautioned. "Barney hated Keidran, and if he's still alive, I doubt he's changed at all."

Clovis looked confused. "But you're a Keidran. How did…?"

In the blink of an eye, the aged white wolf in front of him disappeared, replaced by a much younger human man with long, silver hair.

The folf stared at him in amazement. "Oh! That's how I could talk to him! I could magically disguise my appearance."

Euchre scrunched his lip. "Sorry, but I suspect he would see through that disguise with next to no effort."

"Then how is it different for you? You're a Keidran, are you not?"

"Perfect Transformation," Euchre replied, a smug grin on his face.

Clovis slammed his hand on the table and muttered, "Oh, for the love of… Is there anything you can do to make this 'Barney' willing to talk to me?"

"Hmm…" said Euchre, looking upwards and stroking his chin with his hand. After a moment, a faint glint appeared in his eye. He returned his attention to Clovis. "Yes, there is something I could do. However, I will need collateral."

"Name your price and I'll pay it," said Clovis. "I am the Prince of Greed, after all."

The human gave his head three subtle shakes. "I'm not interested in money. If I'm going to take you to Barnabas, I need to know what you and Brahn are scheming. I'm well aware that you've told your wolves to follow his lead."

Clovis jumped in his seat and bit his lip, unready for the sudden escalation. "No! I will never do that!"

Euchre shrugged. "Well then, I suppose this spell you seek will remain out of your reach. What a shame."

The folf bared his teeth and clenched his fists. "I'm playing right into his hands! But if getting an audience with this 'Barney' person is my only hope, I have no choice!" Doing everything in his power to present a collected demeanor, he sat up and replied to Euchre. "Fine. I will tell you what Brahn's goal is—after I transform back into a ma…I mean, after I learn this forbidden transformation spell from Barnabas."

"Before," Euchre corrected.

"I assure you I am not that limp-fisted of a negotiator," replied Clovis. "I don't trust you to keep your word."

The human crossed his arms. "Touché. Here is my alternate proposal: if you tell me now what Brahn is trying to accomplish, I will travel with you to meet with Barnabas with no other conditions. If you insist on waiting until you've learned this amusingly useless sex change spell and then refuse to tell me about Brahn's plan, I will put an unspeakable curse on your treasury."

Clovis stoically mulled over his options. He fully intended to fleece the "old" Templar and leave him empty-handed after regaining his stolen masculinity, but Euchre's threat concerned him. "Can he even do that? If he can't, then he's bluffing, and it means that I should agree to his terms. But if he can… I'd better hope Brahn doesn't find out that I leaked his plans. Or worse…"

Glaring daggers at Euchre, he pointed his finger at him and snapped, "If I agree to this and you add more terms to the deal later, I will see to it that traveling through these parts will not be safe for you in the future, if you know what I mean."

Euchre seemed taken aback. With a nervous smile, he replied, "What? Do I look like the kind of person not to honor my word? Haha, yes, I promise that I will not alter the deal—after I add one more condition right now."

"Gah!" Clovis exclaimed, "What is it now?"

"If we are unable to find Barnabas or this spell you seek does not exist, you are still obligated to tell me about Brahn's scheme."

"Fine," the folf grumbled. "However, your safety will be in danger if I find out you made all this up or if we travel to the far north and find nothing."

"I can accept that," Euchre replied.

"Very good," said Clovis, warily. "Now that we have a deal, the next step is to begin the journey. Unless you have a better idea, I intend to travel with my horse-drawn carriage. It has enough room for both of us and whatever cargo we need to bring."

"May I bring a guest?" asked Euchre. "I am but an old wolf, and…" He quickly realized that he had not reverted from his more youthful human form and abruptly ended that thought with a quiet "damn it."

Clovis smirked. "No, you may not. It will be the two of us and my right hand wolf, Brutus. Don't worry, he won't hurt you—unless I tell him to."

"Oh please, you don't need to keep threatening me. If that's how this is going to be, I might as well walk away now."

"No, no, no—there's no need for that!" Clovis declared, trying and failing to maintain an unaffected expression.

Euchre chuckled to himself. "There's no way I'd go along with this fool if he wasn't so desperate for this ridiculous spell. I have some doubts about this journey, though. I'd best start thinking of a way to weasel out if things start to go south."