"Ahem."
I sprang apart from her, turning to the sound of the voice. An older nonmagical woman was glaring at us from the other side of the stacks. Mora swallowed, her face bright red and she scooted away from me, picking up her physics book and hiding behind it. I mimicked her, gathering her vampire book and pretending to read.
"Oh my God, that was embarrassing," she whispered. "I've never gotten caught making out in the library before."
I couldn't share in her embarrassment, not when I had her taste on my lips. "I feel it was worth it."
She grinned. "Yeah, it was. A good reward for all the hard work I've done today."
"I'd be happy to help you study some more," I said. "Perhaps somewhere more private where I can kiss you more often, rewarding you after every solved problem."
She made a face. "Then I wouldn't get any work done. We'd just be making out the whole time."
"I'd make sure we used our time wisely." I slid my hand across hers, savoring the feel of her soft skin.
"I'll consider it," she said. "But I think maybe you should go. I don't want Madame Snootface throwing me out of the library. Or my mother finding out I was making out with a boy." She batted her lashes at me. "Even if he is a really good kisser."
"Am I?" I asked, closing my eyes and leaning into her hand. "I haven't had much practice."
Her lips brushed against mine once more. "An excellent kisser. Who's going to get me in so much trouble."
"You don't sound too upset over that…"
She grinned. "Maybe I'm not that upset about it."
And like that, we were kissing again. She knotted her fingers in my hair and opened her mouth against mine. I sank back down into my chair, pulling her closer with a hand sliding down her back. The thrill of getting caught meant I savored every second of her kiss, the sound of her breath, and the new feeling of completeness.
"Miss Carrigan."
We broke apart at the sound of the older nonmagical, who had her hands on her hips.
"I will thank you to keep your hands to yourself in my library," she said, raising herself straighter. "And your mother called. She needs you to pick up milk on the way home. Which should be now."
"Yes, ma'am," Mora said, her face growing bright red as she gathered her things.
"I told her you were here making out with a boy," the woman said. "She's very upset with you."
"Hopefully not this boy," Mora muttered under her breath.
The librarian turned and left in a huff, and I began to laugh at Mora's embarrassment. I couldn't help it; she was even cuter with pink cheeks and an averted gaze.
"Stop it," she said, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. "You're going to get me in so much trouble."
"I thought you didn't mind trouble," I said.
"Maybe not," she said then grinned. "Wanna see if we can get into more trouble at the grocery store?"
"I have no idea what that is, but I'd love to."
Twelve
"Oh…my…"
More food than I'd ever seen in my entire life was laid out before me. Brightly colored orbs of various sizes—reds, blues, purples. Greens. Yellows. I could scarcely believe such things existed. Glancing around at the nonmagicals around me, I touched one of the red fruits and inhaled. It smelled fresh, like a cool blast of wind.
"Okay, okay, don't eat the food," Mora said, plucking it out of my hand and putting it down. "You really don't have this in your world?"
I shook my head. "Meat and cheese is about my entire diet. Some milk for dinner on occasion."
"Wow," Mora said, threading her hand through mine. She let me drink in this new wonderland she'd dubbed a grocery store, answering my questions as they came up and gently redirecting me when she thought I'd become a little too enamored. If I brought home just one fruit or vegetable to Alexandra, I'd be Guildmaster in a week.
We came to a wall of white, the placard above reading "Dairy" and Mora opened the glass door to pluck one of the containers from a wall of them.
"So this is how you get milk," I said. "It's incredible how far things have come."
"What, do you have to milk a cow or something?"
I nodded. "Yes. Although the Charmers do fairly well with convincing them to stand still during."
"So you know how to milk a cow?"
"Not me, specifically. The Charmers do that," I said. "I suppose it's about the same for me. I go to their house with an empty container and they give me a fresh one."
"Hm," she said.
"You know…" I said, recalling my promise to Alexandra to find a solution to our food problem. "Where is the bread?"
"The sliced bread or the bakery?" she asked.
I shrugged, at a loss for words. "Whichever would look similar to what we eat in New Salem."
She handed me the cold container and led me to the other end of the building, where a fresh, delectable smell assaulted my nose. There, we found loaves of bread in all shapes and sizes. I picked up one that looked close to what the Enchanters made.
"I don't suppose you have any money for that," she said with a chuckle.
"I don't need much," I said. "Just a little crumb."
"What do you need it for?"
"I'd like to give it to our Enchanters," I said. "But without telling my mother where I've been and what I've done, I can't simply bring food into the village."
"So what will a crumb do?" she asked.
"I may have…lied to Alexandra about using a potion to recreate original magical properties," I said, blushing at the thought of lying to my Guildmaster. "But if I brought back a crumb—"
"And told her it was made from a potion, she wouldn't bat an eye." Mora nodded slowly. She glanced around then plucked a small piece off the loaf and thrust it in my pocket. "There. That should be enough to get you going."
I smiled. "Thank you."
We walked to the front of the store, and Mora handed a man some green paper, which he replaced with several metal coins. As we walked out of the store, she explained the concept of money and dollars, when I asked her.
"So instead of bartering, you have this paper?" I said with a nod. "Fascinating."
"Well, I'd better get home," Mora said. "Mom'll know if I dawdle too long, and I don't want her to get pissed at me. Or see you here and…"
"I understand," I replied. In one movement, I captured her lips for a brief kiss. "Thank you for showing me a grocery store."
As I turned to walk away, she called my name. "Am I gonna see you tomorrow? At the library?"
I dropped my gaze to her, taking in the sight of her holding that jug of milk, the way her shirt molded against her body, the tan color of her legs. She was something I wanted to keep to myself for as long as I could.
"Wouldn't miss it."
The cold New Salem air sliced my skin and I quickly un-charmed my clothes back to the wool cloak and leather boots. I walked the long distance into the village so I could come up with an adequate way to use this small piece of bread in my pocket.
I'd decided to give it to Mary the Enchanter, not because I wanted her to proposition me again, but if she was already infatuated, she might not ask many questions.
"Oh, Master Gavon," Mary said, standing as I walked inside. "Are you here for—"
"Bread," I said quickly. "Just bread."
Her shoulders sagged, and she turned to the barrel at the back of the room. "We still haven't heard from the Guildmaster," she said with a frown. "Our stores are running low."
I chewed the inside of my cheek. "I've been experimenting with something." In my pocket, I magically pulverized the small, fresh piece of bread into crumbles. The flecks landed in the palm of my hand, and I pulled it out to show her. "I'm not sure this will work. But I've been trying certain…" I cleared my throat. Should I should call it a potion? Alexandra may be forward-thinking, but others in the village weren't. "Trying certain charms to bring back the original properties of our magical food. I think I might've cracked it. Try this and see what
you can make of it."
She plucked one crumb from the pile and her hands glowed as she made the bread from dirt. Even from looking at the newly formed loaf, I could tell a difference. The color was more vibrant than the other freshly-made loaves right next to it.
She magically sliced a piece off and took a hesitant bite. "This is…oh my." She closed her eyes and moaned. Perhaps that was how I'd looked when I'd first eaten that burger. "Master Gavon, I can't thank you enough. I think you've saved us all."
"I will continue experimenting," I said, piling the rest of the crumbs on the table for her. "Please use these, and let me know how it turns out. If you don't mind, I'd like to take this bread to the Guildmaster."
She nodded emphatically then hesitantly asked, "Will you tell her which Enchanter did it?"
"Of course," I said with a nod. "And thank you."
I stood in front of Alexandra's door, gathering my thoughts and schooling my features before I knocked. It was simple to lie to Mary, but with Alexandra, it was more difficult. I closed my eyes and reminded myself that, if she had a mind to, she could compel me to tell her everything about the tear, the world, Mora. I couldn't give her any inkling that I was lying to her about anything.
I raised my fist and rapped on the door.
"Enter."
I pushed it and walked inside, nodding respectfully. She sat at her desk, an open book before her and a pair of spectacles perched on her nose. I'd never seen her wear them before, but she was growing older.
"Is there something you need?" she asked.
"I think I've made progress on the…task we discussed this morning," I said, walking forward with the bread in my hands. Alexandra's eyebrow lifted when I placed it on her desk.
"This is…"
"I had Mary the Enchanter work on it," I added quickly. "But I think it might help with some…of the issues we've been seeing."
She summoned a knife and sliced into the bread. She took a hesitant bite and chewed thoughtfully as I waited for my instructions. The back of my neck warmed with my rising nerves. Would she ask me to procure the potion I'd used? Perhaps I'd made a bad decision in bringing this to her. I could have secretly introduced it—
"Well done," she said, breaking into my internal firestorm. "I think it would be wise to keep this discovery amongst ourselves for now. How much did you tell the Enchanter?"
"Not the truth," I said. "I don't think she cared enough to ask for specifics."
"As well she shouldn't. This is far superior to anything she's created in the past." Alexandra chuckled as she gave herself another slice. "And how much of this…special starter did you give to her?"
"A handful," I said. "Enough to be getting on with. It may take me some time to make more—"
"I don't want it to spread in the village that you're brewing potions, so that's the last we'll talk of it," she said, cutting me off with a wave of her hand. "I assume the Enchanter will want to take credit for the improvement in her wares."
I smiled. Mary seemed eager to impress. "Yes, I believe you're right."
"But please continue making…whatever you're making. Our cheese and grain could also use some infusion." She tutted. "It's possible this is just delaying the inevitable and you've only made our final poison more palatable."
"If so, then a better way to go."
That earned me a rare smile. "Please see to cleaning my room tomorrow. I don't like Cyrus in my things. I will have him in the kitchen."
"Cyrus will be doing chores?" I asked, surprised. "Shouldn't he be getting ready for his match?"
"I might've been too hasty in allowing his match to go forward," she said. "It appears he isn't as ready as I thought."
I tried to hide my smirk as I nodded and turned to leave, but she called my name.
"That Mary would make an excellent partner in childbearing," she said. "She comes from a long line—perhaps descended from Riley himself."
I nodded; half the village claimed that heritage. "I'll consider it."
"See that you do. It would be a shame to see our line end with you."
Thirteen
Alexandra made no mention of my discovery at breakfast the next morning, nor did she invite me to her sparring session with Cyrus. But his mood was decidedly sour, and I probably wouldn't have wanted to be in the ring with him anyway.
I ran through the rest of my chores as quickly as possible then transported to my tear, diving through to the other side. Pellets of wetness hit me in the face, and for a brief, terrifying moment, I worried the tear had moved, and I was in the middle of the vast ocean. But that fear soon passed as I took in the world around me. The sky was now a drab gray—more akin to what I was used to in New Salem. And the water falling from the sky was presumably the rain I'd read so much about.
I stood, my face tilted upward to fully experience this newest sensation. I wanted to know how it worked—obviously not magic, but it certainly felt like water was appearing out of thin air. A warm breeze blew the water harder against my cheeks, and a loud rumbling echoed from somewhere far away.
My clothes now thoroughly soaked, I used magic to find Mora—she was back in the library. With a smile, I repeated my actions from the day before, waltzing into the room where she was hunched over her physics book.
She raised her head as a look of surprise dawned on her face, followed by that adorable bite of her lip. "Did you get caught in the thunderstorm?"
"I…suppose," I said, wiping the wetness from my cheeks.
"Look at you," Mora said, putting down her pen then coming over to stand next to me. "You're soaked. Why didn't you summon yourself an umbrella or something?"
"I guess I just wanted to feel it," I said, closing my eyes as she brushed her hand over my forehead. "I've never seen rain before."
"Just wait until it snows three feet in April," she said, wiping my cheeks. "At least dry yourself off before the librarian throws you out for getting everything wet."
I concentrated, and the water evaporated from my clothes. "I don't want to get on her bad side again."
"She's been giving me the evil eye all morning," she said with a smirk. "Luckily, Mom just thought I was here with Renny, and she gave me another lecture on why I shouldn't date deadbeat guys."
Perhaps one day, I'd understand every word out of her mouth. But for now, I just wanted to kiss that mouth. So I did.
"We have to be careful," she said, pushing me away. "If I get kicked out of the library, the only place I'll be able to go is home…and you won't be able to go there."
"No, I suppose not," I said. "Are you working on physics again?"
She nodded. "My teacher was really impressed with the work I did yesterday. Asked me if I'd cheated, too."
"You did most of them yourself," I said, annoyed someone would treat her thusly. "I merely provided guidance."
She kissed my cheek. "Want to provide some more?"
It became something of a routine over the next few weeks. I would do my chores early, transport to the library, and Mora and I would spend the afternoon on her homework. These hours were some of the most peaceful in my memory, punctuated by brief moments of passion as we stole kisses when the librarian wasn't looking. Mora was only allowed out of her house on what she termed the "weekdays," so in between, there were days when I couldn't see her. I would stay in New Salem, devouring whatever book she'd suggested I read to catch up on everything I'd missed in the past three hundred years.
No one in New Salem had said anything to me about Mary's bread, although there had certainly been more conversation about this wonderful Enchanter and her delicious new food. Even Cyrus had begun to pay more attention to her, and bragged to me and everyone who'd listen about how he was trying to bed the poor girl now that she was more desirable. I declined to inform him that she'd propositioned me, or that she'd become rather insistent about it every time I went to see her. Especially as Alexandra still hadn't set a date for his induction match, and any mention of it or anything negative sent him into
a ferocious tirade. So I let him talk about how Mary found him so handsome, and his thinly veiled comments about how I'd never be so desired.
While Mary seemed like a nice girl, my mind and my heart were seated across from me at a library table, leaning over a book and chewing on her lip as she wrestled with another equation.
"What are you looking at?" Mora asked.
"Nothing," I said, smiling. "Just thinking. How are you doing?"
"Almost finished," she said, showing me what she'd done so far. "You know, my mom's really happy with the progress I've made so far. And with school starting back next month, she might let me off restriction."
"What does that mean?"
"Means we can do more than sit here," she said, putting her pen down. "Like go to Rome again. Or maybe even just on a real date."
"A real…date?"
"Yeah, you know… go see a movie. Or just sit out under the stars." She took my hand. "Make out a little bit without an audience."
"Do you think you'd be allowed out at night?" I asked, my heart thumping with anticipation of being alone—truly alone—with Mora.
"I could just sneak out—"
"Mora," I said with a shake of my head. "Why would you intentionally put yourself back where you started?"
"Well, I can't very well tell her who I'm going out with," she said. "And she always asks. So I'm lying either way."
"But…" I'd more than proven my intentions. She had to believe I didn't mean them any harm after I'd helped her daughter learn physics.
"Gav." She cradled my face, and some of my angst disappeared with the soft way she said my name. "You don't understand. My mom, she's doesn't listen. All she wants is to be Clanmaster. Anything that'll put that in jeopardy…including me…gets squashed. If I told her about you, she'd go to my great-uncle. Then I'd never be able to see you again."
I wished I could find a lie in her words, but I knew all too well the pressures of having a mother who couldn't be trusted.
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