With the assistance of the wizard’s magic, a cheery, warm fire had been lit and the ground around it had been dried out. Woodfolk were all master bushcraftsmen and could have lit the fire quite easily even in the damp conditions, but they couldn’t have dried out the ground. Besides which, they were all keen to see a bit more magic. As an added precaution, Stormaway placed some sort of enchantment on the wood smoke so that it could not be seen against the late afternoon sky. All around the clearing, various items of clothing and bedding were hanging on every available twig or branch to dry out.
Stormaway, by nature solitary, found himself the centre of a constant ring of admirers. However, not being one to miss an opportunity, he sat back and made use of the attention so that consequently,
