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But the fae just rolled his eyes. “Really, you two,” he said with a bit of a huff. Instead of arguing with us, he poured his own mug from the same Thermos and drank. “See? It’s safe. I understand if you’re not comfortable drinking it, but I fear I’d become a right mess if I’m forced to finish this off myself.”
It smelled all right, as far as I could tell, and it didn’t really make sense for him to poison us in such an obvious way, especially when all the medics in the palace were apparently fans of my work. Thus, I took my own sip.
It warmed my mouth and tingled pleasantly down my throat. I expected it to burn just a little, as most alcohol did, but instead it coated my stomach like a strong balm.
“Oh, that’sgood,” I remarked, quickly drinking more. Although I wasn’t at full strength, as a shifter, I’d have to ingest awholelot before I even grew tipsy. “You said that’s from home?”
Aodin nodded eagerly. “We do take pride in our brews on the isles. We have the sweetest fruits there you just can’t get on the mainland.”
I nodded and tried to sip politely at the mug. Darla, however, fully drained hers and held it out for another. When I raised my eyebrow, she just shrugged. “It’s been a stressful couple of days.”
…she had a point.
“Speaking of the Verdana Isles,” I said, a thought now in my head. “Have you ever heard of, say, a ridiculously powerful fae in your lands who… might’ve cast a dark magic curse on a baby?”
Aodin sat up straight, his features devoid of humor. “That’s a far cry from brewing craft,” he said. “No, I’ve never heard of such a thing, but to be honest, I’m not involved in our small magical community.”
“Ah, that’s all right, then.”
“Is this what you were searching for? Before your friend fell ill, that is.”
Part of me wanted to lie, as it’d become such a force of habit for me, but instead I nodded.
“Well, I don’t exactly have my staff with me, but if you want the help, I’m amenable to searching until this rum robs me of my ability to read.”
“Sounds like a strategy,” I said. “Not a healthy one, but a strategy nonetheless.”
“Who do you think will get drunker faster?” Darla asked, heading over to her shelf with her newly filled mug. “You or me, Aodin?”
He raised his own cup along with his eyebrow. “Why don’t we find out?”
As it turned out, they both became drunk around the same time. I watched with plenty of amusement as they went from working hard to find any books with helpful factoids, to swaying a bit, lost in conversation, then doing a jig together while they shout-sang a shanty at the top of their lungs.
Perhaps it should have bothered me but it didn’t. I liked seeing them enjoying themselves. It was such a change from thedour and depression that’d become a familiar cloak—one I used to protect myself from a world which felt so stacked against me. But it was safe to say I’d been to Hell and back, and it made me realize I was no longer so interested in denying myself everything.
I paused as my roving eyes spotted something interesting in the old, fragile tome I was paging through. It was a catalogue of powerful, ancient artifacts, and the events they’d influenced in the past millennia. I hadn’t really expected it to be useful until I landed on the relic I’d journeyed back to my coven to get.
A little piece of home where I never expected it. More than a bit curious, I eagerly read the passage beside the lovingly rendered sketch.
It was all interesting stuff, but I knew most of it, until I came to a passage at the bottom of the page.
This relic, like most from its era, was restricted thanks to its phoenix blood core. Its creators feared it falling to the wrong hands, so they embedded a prohibition most powerful within.
Only those of the Five Blessed Bloodlines were able to tap into it. Otherwise, its power would remain inert, locked in limbo until accessed by a descendant.
“Five Blessed Bloodlines?” I repeated. What could this possibly be? I should’ve heard of that if it was a vital part of magical history, but it didn’t even ring a bell.
“Aodin, Darla!” I called, excitement lancing through me. If what the passage said was true, maybe it could help me find my mother.
“Wazzat?” Darla said, nearly falling out of her jig.
“Oh, did the song end?” Aodin blurted out. “Time for another drink, then.”
“Never mind,” I said, letting them go back to their fun. I was well enough to get up and find books on my own.
After my victory with Mad Dog, as well as the spiced rum flowing through my veins, I did feel rather unstoppable, which was probably arrogant of me but whatever, I was going to enjoy my win.
I threw myself into hyperfocus, not coming back up until Aodin stumbled over to me, all smiles, and red cheeks.
