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“Of course, dear.” Liliane’s eyes twinkled as she watched the almost reverent way I stared through the glass. “We recently lost the previous owners, so their daughter Elaine has taken over. I believe you met her last night?”
My throat caught painfully at the realization that Elaine, like me, had lost her family. “Yes, we met her,” I said, hoping my voice didn’t betray the emotions clawing to escape.
I lifted my hands to my chest, seeking the comfort of the Amulet of Davorina, only to catch my usual quartz stone. Guiltily, I dropped my arms back to my sides, nearly cursing myself for seeking the talisman’s dark magick. As it was, I kept the necklace safely stowed at the bottom of my suitcase back at Aunt Liliane’s.
Tabitha sputtered, still caught on Liliane’s earlier conversation. “But how can you allow mystical creations to actually leave the town with mortals? We imbue some magick into our wares back home, but all the magick fades once it leaves city limits.”
“Typical Rebecca.” Liliane held open the door for us, smiling widely. “My sister has always maintained an overabundance of caution with the mortals. The wares we sell here to the masses contain only a minute amount of magick. No science could detect the spellwork we use. It’s simple but effective, with no need for tampering with. Come and see.”
The space smelled at once astringent and like an overgrown forest with bright lemon and wormwood that stung my nostrils. A variety of dark, herbaceous plants I hadn’t seen beyond my textbooks sat amongst the shelves stacked with amber jars.
Entranced, I spun in a circle, taking in everything with barely disguised glee.
Aunt Liliane smiled softly at my childlike wonder.“Jade, why don’t you find Elaine while I show Tabitha the newest concoction we created? She’s in the back storeroom. You can just mosey on in.”
Excitement filled me as I followed her orders. I inhaled the soothing scent of smoking incense and magick casting as I pushed through the crowd of customers, shutting the storeroom door behind me with a click.
Hunched over a pristine white lab table, Elaine’s water magick lured me closer like a siren call.Carefully, she measured herbs for the potion she worked on, her gloved hands efficient and calm.
She looked up at me with a quirk of her lips. “Hello again, Jade. I’m happy you came to visit me.” She lifted her hand to mine before thinking better of it with a rueful grin. “I heard Liliane through the door. Have you been enjoying your tour?”
“Yes,” I admitted, approaching the table to better study her casting. “Though it’s been so long, I doubt my sisters would remember Liliane or her house. I remember certain aspects of the town and the magick in the breeze. It’s unlike anywhere else I’ve been before.”?
Her thick brows lifted in surprise. “Few can sense it, but considering your new spirit affinity, you would be more sensitive to the echoes from witches past that still linger here.”
“I’ve been in tune with my earth magick far longer than the spirit powers.” I winced at my lapse in discipline from the masquerade. “As you already know.”
Her nose crinkled with a sheepish laugh. “Sorry about last night. We mean well but rarely realize the awkward situations we put other witches in during our friendly interrogations. It comes from a place of genuine curiosity rather than cruelty, I promise.”
I weighed the truth in her words but found no signs of deception. Her easygoing smile soothed any lingering cautiousness within me, and I smiled more naturally.
“An apology is unnecessary but accepted regardless.” Angling my head towards her collection of vials, I asked, “What spell are you working on now?”
“This formula is for overactive children,” she laughed, rolling her eyes playfully. “Very impressive, I know. It’s a nightmare to brew but so necessary when you live in a house with half a dozen children under the age of eleven.”?
Aunt Liliane’s earlier confession bounced through my thoughts, and I winced with sympathy. “Liliane mentioned you are running the shop because the previous owners are no longer here. Your parents?”
She nodded, unshed tears misting her eyes. Instead of mumbling an apology or hiding her sorrow, she seemed to embrace it bravely. “Last summer, they drowned during a boating accident. Ironic, I know,” she huffed a watery chuckle that hid deep pain. “A water witch and her husband taken to the Beyond by her own affinity. A sudden storm capsized their boat, and she spent every ounce of her magick to save my youngest sister, sending her towards the shore on a wave, unscathed.”
“That’s terrible, Elaine. I’m so sorry for your loss.” My lips trembled, and I focused my blurry gaze on the shelves of ingredients behind Elaine to center myself. “You said you have six siblings, too? I can’t imagine the weight of burden you must feel.”
“I would have surely gone mad with grief without my siblings. I had only just returned from studying abroad when the accident occurred. The distance between us felt vast, but the loss somehow brought us closer together.” She wiped at her eyes. “Though I wished the business responsibilities would fade into the background, I had to do whatever it took to keep our family afloat.” Her dark eyes lowered to the table before she looked at me with a soft gleam. “I’m sure you understand that feeling, too.”
Elaine’s assumption stabbed through my chest. Yes, I had done what was necessary for my sisters, ignoring Grandmother’s effusive concern when the girls begged to remain in our family home. I had ensured their needs were met without having them worry about any tedious paperwork or finances, in addition to my High Priestess-in-training responsibilities.
But in every way that mattered, I had failed them.
From Ember entering a demon pact and being whisked away to Hell, to watching Audra and Isla face off against a demon horde, with no combat training or ability to save them; I was a failure of a sister and witch. Now, none of them needed me, and I was floundering.
I leaned closer to analyze the herbs, clearing my throat. “Yes, I understand completely. Do you mind if I analyze your spell?”
“Be my guest.”She waved a hand towards the concoction, moving past the stilted moment with ease.
Relieved for the distraction, my earth affinity reached out, detecting the familiar aromas of herbs and spices with the addition of something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.“Blue chamomile, lavender, eucalyptus, cedar, and pink pepper kernels. But what is that awful, bitter smell?”
Elaine watched me, impressed.
Her lips quirked as she pulled out two small cannisters—one with a deep red, shimmering powder substance and the other an orange, spiked herb that resembled a cross between a fruit and a puffer fish. “Dried datura and aeron y ddraig.”?
