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“She’s placed a glamor on the house,” Talon offered, noticing the wonder on my face. “It’s to detract any wanderers that may come across it. The portals to ward off anyone who’s bold enough to enter that has ill intentions.”
I roamed over to the crackling fireplace, holding my hands near the open flame, warming my wind-blown skin. “What happens to them? The ones that do.”
“Some say they’re torn into a thousand pieces and used for Minerva’s spells.”
The side door in the kitchen creaked open to reveal a petite, blonde-haired woman. “Oh, don’t lie to the poor girl, Talon,” she said as she entered, placing an empty jar on the wooden table. Her navy-blue dress flowed with each movement and swept across the stone floor as she glided over to us. Her pale skin looked almost see-through; it glowed under the moonlight—she was entrancing.
I shifted my weight between my feet.
“A witch cooks two lost children in her oven one time and suddenly we’re all bad.” She chuckled, holding out her hand. “I’m Minerva.”
Her touch was light and soft, like the rest of her appearance. “Elowyn.”
Minerva looked me up and down. “So, you’re the one they whisper about,” she stated. “You defied the king.”
I gulped, looking behind her at Talon for support. He’d made himself comfortable on a deep purple chaise lounge, his legs crossed at the ankles, seemingly asleep when his eyelid popped open, and he winked. So happy one of us took this seriously.
Forever an arrogant prick.
“I didn’t defy him. I won fairly.”
She smiled, flashing her sharpened teeth. “Yet you’re on the run.”
I nodded, trying to pull my hand away.
But her grip tightened. “Curious. That’s not what I hear.” She turned my palm over in hers, her eyes growing wide. “Oh, what a beautiful ring. It’s so unique. Please, child, where did you get this?”
Her grip loosened, and I could finally rip my hand back and tuck it under my arm. “From my mother. It was my father’s ring.”
Minerva’s smile stretched across her face. “Very curious.” She stared at me for a moment—her icy gray eyes bore into mine until she snapped out of it. “I say, how about some tea, hm? And you can explain what brings you two to my home.”
She whisked away on a breeze back to the kitchen where a kettle sounded—convenient timing for someone who didn’t know we’d be arriving.
“Talon, are you sure this is a good idea?” I whispered as he stood from the chaise. “She won’t poison us or anything, will she?”
“No.” He smirked. “Well, lest you offend her, that is.”
My stomach dropped, and I whipped my head toward Minerva—carefully watching her as she prepared the tea and noted everything she used. If she thought I’d defied the king, would she stupefy me and try to drag me back to him?
No, Talon wouldn’t let that happen. Unless, of course, she drugged him too.
Talon’s low, husky laugh brushed against my ear, breaking me free from my thoughts. “There’s nothing to worry about, firefly.” He squeezed my hand. “We’ll be on our way soon enough, okay?”
I nodded, allowed him to lead me into the kitchen, and sat down in a metal chair at the wooden table. Bushels of thyme, sage, and rosemary hung from the ceiling, filling the room with a savory aroma that blended nicely with the brewing tea.
Talon took a seat next to me, pulled a dagger out of his sleeve, and rolled it between his fingers. A bored habit of his I’d picked up on.
“So, Elowyn. What brings you all the way to my neck of the woods?” Minerva placed two small porcelain cups down and filled them with tea. “Sugar?”
I shook my head.
“We were hoping you could help us,” Talon said. “We need the nightingale elixir.”
“I see.” Minerva poured herself a cup and joined us at the table, dumping a spoonful of sugar into her tea. “That’s a specialty blend for respiratory ailments, you know. What do you need an elixir such as that for?” She took a sip and placed her cup back down.
“My mother,” I offered. “She’s sick, and her medicine’s run out. I crossed into Faerway because I remembered a story about the nightingale and thought if I could find it, it’d cure her.” I shrugged. “But obviously, that didn’t go as planned.”
Bringing the cup to my nose, I inhaled—containing an audible sigh of delight as my mouth watered. If the witch thought it safe enough to drink, it should be okay, right? I looked to Talon, who did the same, taking a sip as well to reassure me.
