Trapped

apprentice//
    //Privacy assured// Olympia answered. //Will steer animals and gods away//
    I laid my right hand on Oberon’s back. //This animal is my friend// I explained. //Please let him do as he wishes//
    //Dog is Druidfriend// she agreed. //Piece of self coming / To talk to apprentice//
    A small white marble—actually made of smooth, cloudy marble—appeared between my toes. I picked it up and presented it to Granuaile so that she would be able to speak to Olympia. She smiled as she closed her fist around it and introduced herself. Her expression was always beatific when she spoke with elementals. I wondered if my face still held that same sense of peace and joy after two thousand years.
    Introductions complete and satisfied that my magical tracks would be covered, I let Oberon take us for a walk around the cave’s neighborhood. I went barefoot and asked the earth to ease the way for us, including Oberon, while we were in the area. The thick undergrowth—including thornbushes—moved aside to let us pass and then closed behind us so that we could move freely, while anyone else would have to fight their way through, as we had the first time. Oberon was establishing a patrol route for the area that couldn’t be readily seen from the cave entrance, showing me that the easiest way for someone to approach us without much warning would be upstream to the west. There was a flat stretch where the stream slowed and widened, creating some pools deep enough to swim in. It was a popular watering hole for deer, judging by the tracks. Oberon would no doubt hunt here.
    Speaking aloud so Granuaile could hear my side of the conversation, I told Oberon, » We’re going to hike into town to grab supplies to make some snares, so that we can hopefully add some variety to our diet. We’ll be staying the night and coming back in the morning. «
    › Well, can’t I stay here and hunt? ‹
    » No, we need you to come along so that we’ll look cool. Without you, we’ll look like stupid foreigners. «
    › Oh, yeah, I forgot. Irish wolfhounds are the ultimate accessory for humans. ‹
    » You’ll have plenty of time to hunt when we return. Like, three months. «
    Oberon’s tail wagged. › Great lakes of gravy! That sounds like a long time! Is it? ‹
    » It’s longer than I’ve ever given you before. «
    › Wow! Wait. What’s the catch? ‹
    » The catch is, if you don’t catch anything you have to eat jerky. It’s either fresh tender meat or dried, tough, and salted. «
    › A stark choice! And yet a challenge worthy of the noble wolfhound. ‹
    » Careful with that ego. You could knock somebody over. Let’s go. «
    We stopped back at the cave to pick up our packs, now empty and ready to be refilled with additional supplies. Making our way down was much easier with Olympia smoothing the way for us. By the time the trail led us to town, we had no trouble looking like we’d been hiking all day. I placed a call to my attorney, Hal Hauk, and had him wire some money to us from the States. We found a restaurant with dog-friendly patio seating and shoved down some gyros and spanakopita. Oberon approved.
    › I like this country. I can eat in the open with you guys, and the meat is good. What’s that white stuff you’re putting on it? It’s not horseradish, is it? ‹
    Tzatziki sauce. It’s a cucumber–yogurt concoction .
    › Can I try a little? ‹
    Sure . I slathered a bit on a piece of gyro meat and fed it to him. He ate it noisily, his tongue flapping around as he tried to taste his food instead of inhaling it.
    › Eh. It’s not terrible or anything, but it cools down the temperature and mutes the flavors of the meat. I’ll take mine plain. ‹
    We relaxed and spoke of Granuaile’s upcoming binding as the sun set. There was a decent sporting goods store in the small town catering to the many tourists who wished to hike Olympus, and we planned on visiting it shortly before closing time. We extended our supper into something of a feast, reasoning that we wouldn’t have the opportunity to eat like this again for quite some time.
    Half an hour before closing time and a bit besotted with a fine bottle of pinot noir, we walked the two blocks to the sporting goods store. Oberon spotted a park nearby full of people walking their dogs, so I cast camouflage on him, gave him my best wishes, and told him to listen for my call.
    The store had aisles of cooking pots and meals in silvery pouches, along with plenty of shoes