He grit his teeth and pulled himself up onto the saddle, all the while cradling the vervain to his chest with his free hand. They would not be able to cut through the woods. The toad’s bulbous body made navigating between the trees too tedious, so Deglan urged his mount back across the low fens where his long, powerful hops could eat the miles away. After a while, he settled into the cascading rhythm of the ride and let the wind cool the sweat on his neck and around his ears. The sun was bright and the sky clear, for now, but Deglan took note of the grey clouds looming in the west. He had been lucky to find the vervain when he did, but his brow refused to relax. Retrieving the herb, while a happy step in the right direction, did not end his task. He still had a good deal of work ahead of him. The type of work he did not relish.

They left the fens behind within an hour and came to the lush, rolling, boulder- strewn fields that hugged the River Trough. Deglan came to one of the stone walls the humans built to denote the boundaries of their fields and keep their sheep contained. Had he been afoot, the wall would have been almost as tall as he was and a nuisance to climb. Bulge-Eye leapt effortlessly over, allowing toad and rider to continue on their way unimpeded. Many of the enclosed fields were vacant this far from the village proper, but Deglan saw a small flock of sheep in the distance and directly in his path. He swore softly to himself but did not halt Bulge-Eye. There was no time to go around.

They closed the distance swiftly and jumped the wall into the occupied field, scattering the sheep as the giant toad’s heavy body landed beside them with a soft thud. Within seconds the dog was upon them, placing itself firmly between flock and toad, barking fiercely. Bulge-Eye regarded the growling creature with as much interest as he did most things and sat back on his hind legs, waiting for Deglan to direct him. The herdsman followed swiftly, his long tunic flapping at his legs, staff firmly in hand. He skidded to a halt at the sight of Bulge-Eye. Deglan snorted quietly. Time was, humans never would have balked at the presence of a riding toad, but that was long ago. These later generations never did get used to seeing Bulge-Eye, who was twice the size of their sheep.

“Call that damn animal off, Laoire, before I have Bulge-Eye eat him!” Deglan yelled at the herdsman.

The man snapped out of his stupor and calmed the dog down with a few simple commands and it ran off to gather the fleeing sheep. “My apologies, Faery Doctor!” Laoire stammered. “I did not know it was you!”