“So,” Kale said through a yawn. He squinted down at the parchment in his hand. “Explain to me again why you need to ‘spin iron from a fool’s tongue?’”

Colby came to an abrupt halt, leaving Kale to stumble around him. The boy sucked in a deep breath before kneeling down to pluck a branch from the ground. He waved the branch in the air as if pointing spelling out the answer.

“It’s to practice drawing out Khaos without having to pull out the cards,” Colby said. “In case I couldn’t reach them in an emergency.”

“And,” Kale said, “that’s why they’re called loopholes?”

“Yes!” Colby replied exasperatedly. He turned on his heel to poke his branch into Kale’s stomach lightly. “I told you this a thousand times.”

Kale rolled his eyes, swatting the branch away. Colby sighed dramatically and put the branch on the growing stack in his arms. His eyes lit up and he scurried through the thick brushwood. The towering grass devoured his legs while he plucked another earthly treasure from the ground. Kale kept his gaze on the bright yellow and blue jacket racing along the forest floor.

Starlight wove through gaps of the canopy, just barely lighting their path. The only sound accompanying their hike were the crickets awaiting dawn. It had been albeit torture for Kale to drag himself from bed at such an ungodly hour, but a promise was a promise. And with the pocket of time where the town was slumbering, the chances of being ambushed by curious glances or slips from Khaos were slim.

“Daddy,” Colby said, catching himself on a log as he slipped on overly dewed leaves for the umpteenth time that morning. Kale moved to help him up only for Colby to pull at his hand instead. “Listen.”

Kale paused. A soft trickling of water traveled to his ears like a hushed lullaby being whispered to a child. Through the hanging leaves, Colby pointed towards the stream cutting through the center of the forest. It glittered like silver amongst the shadows casted by the trees. Kale had to pinch himself, making sure that this he was still there, while Colby tugged him along. As they reached the stream, Colby dropped to his knees and placed his collection on the grass.

Kale shrugged the bag he had been carrying off his shoulders and joined Colby on the ground. The boy leapt towards the bag, digging through the backpack until he pulled out a trowel. He began digging it into the ground close to the stream. After several clunks against hard earth, Colby began to tear blades of grass out of the ground in clumps. He grunted, puffing his cheeks as he dug the trowel downwards.

“You’re doing it too hard,” Kale said, unpacking the other contents of the bag.

Colby huffed. “This would’ve been easier with the shovel.”

“You’re lucky I even gave you the trowel,” Kale replied.

He gently grasped the trowel from Colby’s hand. The trowel’s metal head sank into the earth as Kale scooped a chunk of dirt. Colby grumbled under his breath about Kale showing off and set to grab his collection of branches. Soon enough Kale dug a small hole between them. Colby set the branches crossing over the hole, then grasped the bottle of honey they brought.

“I still don’t see why you need honey for this,” Kale said.

The honey squirted from the bottle, drizzling over the branches. Colby furrowed his brows in concentration.

“I have to throw out gold to make me humble for the fool...or something,” Colby said.

“But it’s honey.”

“I’m improvising! Now stop distracting me.”

Kale snorted as Colby returned to work. The honey clung to the branches while Colby reached towards the stream. He cupped his hands together to gather water, the coolness stark against the heat in the air. He dumped the water over the branches when Kale handed him a small cup. Colby took it and continued pouring the water until it filled the hole.

Colby sat back on his knees and let out a breath. Holding his hands over the branches, he closed his eyes. Kale watched on in silence. The man began tugging grass blades from the ground, tearing them into tiny shreds when a light caught his eye. Kale gasped as the water in the hole glowed an eerie blue.

Ribbons of water crept up the walls of the hole. They looped around the branched cross and met at the center as one. The water began to morph into the frame of miniature man. The watery creature looked towards Kale, dipping its head towards him. Kale ogled the creature as it turned towards Colby. The creature’s makeshift mouth opened and Colby turned his hands upward. Another ribbon, darker and thicker than the water, wound out of the water creature’s mouth. It glinted dully in the starlight as it slithered through the air and into Colby’s hands.

Kale’s eyes widened at the puddle pooling in Colby’s palms thinned and curled as if the water was being poured into a glass. The dark puddle curled into a crescent shape and hardened. The water creature finally closed its mouth. It nodded at Kale once more before its body collapsed. As soon as the creature hit the branches, its body burst into droplets of water.

Kale blinked at the crescent in Colby’s hands. The darkness of the object lightened into a metallic glint like copper.

“Did it work?” Colby asked.

Kale’s jaw snapped shut, not realizing he had been gaping and cleared his throat. “See for yourself.”

Colby slowly opened one of his eyes and squealed. He held up the crescent shaped iron in the air and fell back on the grass.

“I did it! I did it!” He exclaimed. He popped back up with a serious look crossing his face. “Now I have to name it.”

“Uh,” Kale arched a brow. “Name it?”

“Yeah,” Colby shrugged. “Part of the loophole.”

Kale nodded and scooped up the honey and cup back into the bag. He dipped the trowel into the stream, watching the water carry the caked dirt off the shovel.

“What are you going to name it?” Kale asked.

Colby hummed, twirling the crescent. He held it up to the light and grinned. “Leslie.”

Kale dropped the trowel and swiveled towards Colby. “Leslie? Really?”

Colby pressed the iron to his chest defensively. “I like Leslie.”

Kale shook his head and rose to his feet. Swinging his backpack over his shoulder he gestured for Colby to stand as well. Kale moved to head back down the path they came on when Colby grabbed his wrist.

“Daddy, there’s more to do on the list.” Colby said.

Kale frowned. “You made your...loophole. That’s all you had to do.”

Colby jutted the iron crescent over the stream. A sheepish smile sneaked across his lips.

“I need to practice, don’t I?”