The tendons in his neck were tense and his eyes were hard as he took me in.
“Where were you?” he asked, as if he already suspected.
“I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a walk—not that I need to explain.” I headed toward the door upstairs, giving him a wide berth. The last thing I needed now was for him to reach out and tell me I was “off” somehow. I didn’t have time for it. I was late and not interested in the fight. I was feeling too good from the hill, and he was already ruining that.
He watched me as I walked around him, keeping my distance.
“Worried about something?” he asked.
“Not a thing,” I said, escaping upstairs.
The best thing about my black leather pants was how well they hid wetness. I’d barely escaped Hawk’s scrutiny as it was. If he’d seen my pants were soaked, it might’ve gone way worse. The bad thing about them was when they were wet, they were a bitch to peel off. It was like wrestling with a snake that was hugging my legs.
My knees were a shade of blue. How long had I spent on them? Or was it because they’d gotten so cold? Didn’t matter. I changed into a fresh pair of pants, and then stalled long enough that I’d miss breakfast and Zab, Musso, and Bibbi would be settling in for work. There was definitely safety in numbers.
The place was buzzing by the time I settled at my desk, clients already in for appointments. Luckily, it was going to be a busy day.
Hawk walked in from the back room, beelining it to my desk. He dropped a book on my desk. “Chapter five has the potion you need for Zurdoch. Shouldn’t take you more than a few minutes.”
I nodded and moved the book to the side. I’d deal with it later. It wasn’t as if I had nothing else to do.
He watched my movements, as if wondering why I hadn’t flipped it open immediately.
“I don’t have time right now,” I said.
If anything, he looked more suspicious after I’d spoken.
“I need to handle some things today. While I’m gone, I wouldn’t go for any more walks,” he warned me.
The look he gave me made it clear that we would be at war if I crossed him.
He didn’t wait for a reply, not that I was offering one up. I stared back silently. That was all that comment deserved. No one was telling me where I could go or when.
He headed over to where Oscar had walked in and was waiting for him. The two of them ducked into the back room, but not before I got one last warning glance.
Don’t do it, Hawk’s glare said.
I’ll do whatever I choose, I silently replied.
His eyes narrowed.
I leaned back and kicked my feet up on the desk. Let him try to stop me. Seriously, I should chase after him and ask where he was off to. See how well that went over. If he thought he was going to micromanage my every movement, he’d lived in Xest with the sycophants for way too long.
Bibbi grabbed a chair and dragged it over to my desk as they disappeared.
“What’s going on with you two now? I swear, you go from looking like you’re going to fuck to looking like someone is getting stabbed to death faster than anything I’ve ever seen. I can never figure out what caused the change, either.” She started staring at me in that knowing way she had. “You don’t look good at all. Are you coming down with something? Maybe we should get a healer to check on you?”
“I didn’t sleep well with everything going on.”
She leaned back and nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense.”
It did? Was that all I had to do? Tell her I slept badly? I wished I’d figured that out a little faster. Bibbi typically latched on to any irregularity like a bloodhound on the stink of a rotten rib eye.
“Want some tea?” she offered.
“Thanks. I’d love some.”
She smiled, getting up and heading into the back room just as Zab’s latest client was leaving. I made my way to his desk.
“Hey, Zab, if I wanted to get across Xest a little quicker, is there a way? You know, say I needed to get something at a shop across town and it was an especially windy day? Are there brooms or something?” The witch on a broom had to have come from somewhere. After everything I’d discovered, I refused to believe it was completely made up.
He put his papers aside. “Brooms haven’t been a thing in a long time. The weather being what it is, it’s tough to fly unless there’s no other option. Brooms are very outdated. It’s like taking a horse and buggy in Rest when you could hop into a coupe. Most people who are capable of flying make a token these days. Easiest way to get around if you’ve got the capabilities.”
“A token?” Oh yes. This was the ticket. Hawk didn’t want me to go for a walk? I wouldn’t, or not a long one, anyway.
Zab leaned back, stretching his arms and yawning. “Yeah, like the door Hawk uses? That’s technically a token. His is larger, but it has to be, since he uses it regularly to go so many places. Plus, he can bring several people with him. There’s easier and smaller versions, say if you only need it to take you to a few different places and you’re okay with having less flexibility.”
There was only one place I needed to go at the moment, and I didn’t need to bring anyone with me.
“That sounds really useful. How would I make one?”
“I’ve never made one myself, as I don’t go that many places, but I’m pretty sure there’s a book on the shelves over there that tells you step by step.” He got up from his seat. “I think I know right where it is.”
Bibbi walked back into the room, two cups of tea in her hands.
“No, sit. I’m not going to read it right now,” I said, trying to head him off.
“Read what? Need a book recommendation?” Bibbi asked. She was always reading something or other.
Zab opened his mouth.
I stepped in front of him. “Just some brushing up on magic skills that might be useful. Nothing very interesting.” The last thing I needed was for Zab to dump a blood trail for her to pick up on. “Anyone seen Mertie? I could really go for cocoa, too. I like a cocoa chaser,” I said, knowing that was the surest way to divert her attention, as she was still standing strong on her cocoa ban.
She handed me the tea. “I prefer just tea,” she said, walking to her table.
Helen’s gears churned so loud it seemed the very walls of the building shook with her machinery. If she didn’t stop, she’d have everyone downstairs and on top of me, asking what I was poking around for, what book was I trying to find, and that was the last thing I needed. According to Zab, the book was here in the office, and it wasn’t that easy to get during the day with everyone in and out and watching everything.
I knelt by another section, and Helen grew louder still.
“Are you trying to call everyone in here?” I whispered.
I didn’t know why I bothered to ask. She was clearly trying to get me caught. For all her churning and grinding sounding like plain old machinery, I could’ve sworn I knew exactly what she was saying right now, and she was siding with Hawk and Bibbi and everyone else who liked to butt into my business.
“Stop,” I ordered her. “I know what I’m doing.”
There was one last spurt of movement and then dead silence. That was it. Not another hum, whistle, or churn.
“Just for the record, I don’t care if you give me the silent treatment. This is my choice.”
Candle in hand, I skimmed a few more books, looking for one that might have the instructions for tokens, and found a title that had to be it. The Wandering Witch.
I shoved it under my sweater in case Helen decided to raise the alarm on my way back to my room.
I flipped open the book. Chapter two was labeled “Tokens.”
For the witch with many gifts, or looking for a larger vessel, flip forward to the next chapter, Advanced Tokens; otherwise, continue on.
For short travel between one place and another, and more clandestine trips, a small, indiscriminate object that is easy to travel with works best. A coin, clip, or
any such frivolity will suffice for the witch or warlock looking to travel light.
Inconspicuous and one place—that was exactly what I needed.
I looked for something small no one would notice. My eyes shot to the necklace Rabbit had given me. If anyone would want to help, it was her. But what if it was ruined somehow? No. It was too precious.
A hair clip? Nah. Too flimsy. A scarf? Awkward. I had a pile of coins on my table, one with an odd dent, like it had gotten partially melted by something. Perfect.
I went back to the book, looking at the spell. Seemed easy enough. I held the coin in my closed hand and then wrapped my other around it, as instructed, before reading the spell.
“Bring me somewhere I need to go. Bring me now while no one knows. Take me back here when I am done. Reverse the path, one for one. Be true and sure, swift and pure. Do this for me now and in yonder year.”
A small burst of light flashed in the room, and I felt a burst of heat in my hand.
If it worked, all I needed to do was concentrate on the place as I held the coin.
I was about to try but stopped. The only person that I’d ever seen use a token, or any entrance into this place other than the regular doors, was Hawk, and there was no way that was a coincidence. No. Using this in the building might shoot off a warning flare. The back alley was a much safer place.
I sat down on the bed and grabbed my boots. Dusty jumped onto my lap.
“Not now. I’ll pet you when I get back,” I said, nudging him off my lap.
He jumped back on.
I picked him up and put him on the floor this time.
“Go find Mertie or Bibbi,” I said. “I’ve got things I need to do.”
16
A couple, probably close to my age, walked out of the Sweet Shop in the early-morning hours. They couldn’t stop staring at each other and smiling. He broke a piece of chocolate pastry in half and then gave her the larger piece. She took a bite and looked at him as if he were her entire universe.
He reached over and gently wiped a piece of smudged chocolate from her lower lip right before he leaned down and kissed the rest of it away. She leaned into him, as if her body was a magnet for his. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. They stood there, in the middle of the road, kissing, oblivious to the cold or other people or pretty much anything beyond them.
“Why are you staring at them? Are you becoming a weirdo voyeur or some crap?” Mertie asked, holding out a cocoa to me.
“They love each other. You can’t fake that kind of adoration.” I couldn’t stop looking at them, wondering how it must be to feel that adored and cherished.
Mertie looked at the couple with me before mimicking a vomiting noise. “Thank Satan you can’t fake that or more people would be doing it.” She thrust out my cocoa to me. “Can we go now, because I can’t be seen liking this kind of crap.”
The couple began walking away anyway. I turned to head back to the broker building with her.
“Don’t you think you might want that yourself one day?” I asked.
“If I end up with someone, I would never stoop to that kind of behavior. Screw me in an alleyway, but please don’t act like a milksop in front of the world. Total turnoff.” She stopped right before she got to the door. “Before I forget, did you do that spell for Zurdoch? Hawk said it would be fast.”
“I meant to but I got sidetracked. I’ll do it soon.” Guilt made me want to squirm under her scrutiny.
Mertie hummed.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“None of my business,” she said, walking in the office.
Hawk stopped beside my desk about an hour prior to closing. I kept my head bent, reading over the many things I suddenly had to do. Many, many things that left no time for him.
“Where’s the potion?” he asked, not moving from his spot in spite of my clear I’m so busy attitude.
I sighed loudly, glancing up as I kept my pencil hovering over my paperwork.
“Upstairs. I’m going to give it to Mertie as soon as she comes in.” She was over in Rest right now and would be there until late tonight if I was lucky. I might not see her until tomorrow, even.
“You made it?” He sounded so skeptical that he might as well have called me a liar outright.
It was a touch insulting, even if it were true. And insulted was the way I’d have to play this out, or he’d never buy my bullshit.
I leaned back in my chair, making a show of putting my pencil down.
“Yes, I did.” I dared him to call me a liar.
He didn’t flinch. He gave me a short nod, which somehow still seemed accusatory, and walked away.
He’d be checking in later with Mertie. There was no doubt about it. As much as I wanted to help Zurdoch, I knew where it was going to lead. I should’ve told Hawk I wasn’t sure I wanted to do anything to the hill, except how could I backtrack now? There was no way without coming up with some other lie. It was easier to embrace the current one. Giving Zurdoch the spell didn’t do anything but give us information, which didn’t have to be acted upon. And I really did want to help Zurdoch.
I waited until Hawk walked out of the office and Zab walked into the back.
Musso glanced up from his desk, watching me. He shook his head but didn’t say a word as I stalked Zab.
“Zab, do you have a cauldron I can borrow?”
He laughed softly. “I knew you were full of it. You’re still a really bad liar. You do know that, right?”
“Is that a yes or a no?” I didn’t bother refuting that my abilities had improved, at least slightly. I occasionally managed to pull a lie or two off.
“You know it’s a yes. I’ve got that rusty old one here if you need it. Just go grab it out of my room.”
“Do you know how awesome you are?” I sagged against the counter. Things were looking up. I’d make the spell, give it to Mertie, and then figure things out tomorrow or the next day.
“Do you know who’s going to coerce Mertie into getting cocoa all next week?” he said, brewing himself a cup of tea.
“Twice a day. You deserve it,” I said, before shooting up to his room.
The cauldron was thrown in a corner, right where he said it would be. I shot over to my room and waved a hand at the wood stove, needing it fast and hot so I could knock out this potion. It started, but it was mediocre at best. To anyone else, it might’ve seemed normal, but no one else knew how much energy I’d just put into that wave and thought. A week ago, a mere flick of my fingers and the room would be boiling like the infernos of hell in minutes.
I was getting weaker. The hill was taking some of my magic back. But why did it feel so good? Because this was what they wanted. I was giving the magic back. I was saving Xest. I was doing the right thing, and if there were consequences, I’d deal with them.
The potion was fairly simple, and after a couple of trips around the building, I was able to gather up everything I needed. The only tricky ingredient was virgin tears, but Bertha had a vial stashed in her upstairs kitchen.
I dumped it all in the cauldron, wincing slightly as some of the shavings from a thousand-year-old corpse dropped on my stove. It could’ve been worse. I might’ve spilled the urine from a demonic goat.
I stirred it, chanting and trying to be patient as it took its time coming to a boil.
“What are you doing?”
I jumped at the sound of Bibbi’s voice. “Come in and shut the door,” I said.
“You missed dinner again,” she said. “Are you okay?”
“Just had to get this done.”
I didn’t add that it was also convenient to miss that meal. And breakfast. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see anyone. I didn’t want to hear questions. It seemed as if everyone was looking at me oddly lately. Even if they didn’t say anything, they said it silently with their eyes. It was as if no one had anything else to do with their time but watch me and try to figure out what was wrong with me.
Tr
uth was that there was nothing wrong. It was them, and if they were more open-minded, maybe I’d tell them what I was doing.
She crossed the room and looked in the cauldron at the potion just beginning to simmer. “Is that the potion you said you made already?”
Her face wrinkled up like a pug’s. I wasn’t sure if it was my potion or the rusty cauldron. Both were questionable looking, but at least with the pot, it was clear what was wrong. The potion, on the other hand…
“It is. What do you think?” I asked. Although this type of potion would be beyond the skills and abilities of most Whimsy witches, I’d learned to never underestimate this particular witch.
She leaned closer, giving it a long sniff. “I’m not sure what it’s supposed to smell like, but my senses tell me this isn’t it.” She waved a finger over the brew. “I think you need to give it another go.”
I couldn’t. I was wiped out just from chanting over this one, not that I’d tell her.
I didn’t know where Hawk was, but he’d surely be back and question Mertie sometime tonight, because that was just who he was. If Mertie didn’t have the potion, I knew how things would go. It would start with a lot of questions and end with him harassing me about the hill. And logical or not, I was going back to the hill. Nothing that felt that right could be the wrong thing to do. He wasn’t stopping me, and I wouldn’t fight about it.
“I don’t have time. This will have to do,” I said, grabbing the ladle and pouring the potion into a glass flask.
“I’ve never been good at potions anyway, so maybe I’m wrong.” She shrugged, but the way she was staring at the potion made her feelings obvious.
“Was Hawk downstairs?”
“No,” she said.
“Was Mertie?”
“She’s in the back room.”
“Good.” I grabbed my flask and ran downstairs, leaving Bibbi in my room.
I caught Mertie right before she was about to walk out the back door.
“Here, give this to Zurdoch. It’s his payment.” I held out the flask, glad it was corked so she couldn’t catch a whiff of the off smell.
Witch of All Witches: Tales of Xest #4 Page 10
