Two Peas in a Potion Read online

  “Wait, so why is everyone so scared of him? I mean, he’s a good guy, right?”

  “But he does this on his own,” Ellie said. “He’s an elf. He’s not supposed to be going around doing the work that essentially belongs to shifters.”

  “So what if he does?” I asked. “If he likes what he does, and ultimately he does good work, isn’t that better than having him sitting behind a desk doing work he absolutely hates all day?”

  Ellie’s brow furrowed. “I mean, when you put it that way, I guess so. But the point is, it’s not natural.”

  I struggled not to laugh. I couldn’t believe that the reason everyone seemed to be avoiding Kyran was because he didn’t take the same sort of job that he was supposed to.

  “Who made up these rules about who has to take what job, anyway?” I asked. “It seems rather arcane and arbitrary.”

  “It’s just how it’s always been,” Ellie said with a shrug. “Paranormal communities have worked this way for thousands of years.

  “That doesn’t mean things have to stay that way.”

  “Well, you’re still new here, you’ll get used to how we do things eventually,” Ellie said confidently.

  “Maybe,” I said, unconvinced. “But I don’t think you’ll ever get me to believe that all paranormals of one species should all fit into the same mold, and I think you should all cut Kyran a little bit of slack, especially since he’s doing good things.”

  “You just like him because he looks good without a shirt on,” Ellie said to me with a wink. I tried to stop the blush from crawling up my face, but failed miserably. Ellie laughed as we reached the house, evidently pleased with herself for managing to embarrass me.

  I couldn’t believe that was the only thing everyone had against Kyran; that he went against the paranormal world’s norms when it came to a person’s role in society. I shook my head and followed after her into the house.

  Chapter 8

  The next morning, Amy decided we were going to visit Lita at the coven headquarters. After all, a couple of days earlier we had discovered that I was, in all likelihood, originally from a coven whose celestial influence was a water planet or moon.

  “We need to tell her,” Amy said. “It might influence how I should be teaching you spells, after all.”

  Lita Sahera, the head of the coven of Jupiter, worked out of coven headquarters, a whitewashed brick building the size of a large house with a green dome on top.

  The last time I had been here, Chief Enforcer King had knocked on the door and it was Amy herself who had answered. She worked for Lita at times, when she wasn’t doing her advanced studies at the coven Academy. This time, however, Amy simply opened the door herself and let us in.

  Another young witch scrambled over to the door, but when she saw it was Amy, she stopped.

  “Oh, it’s just you,” she said.

  “Yes, I’m bringing Tina here over to see Lita,” Amy replied loftily.

  “Well, I’m not sure the head of the coven has the time to see you at the moment,” the other girl said haughtily.

  “Seeing as Tina is in my care, and I was specifically told by Lita to take charge of her education, I think Lita will make time to see me,” Amy said. Wow. There was obviously no love lost between these two. I looked from one to the other, as the two of them shot daggers at each other. Well, maybe lightning bolts was more appropriate, given as they both belonged to the coven of thunder.

  “Come on Tina,” Amy ordered, making her way down the hall. The other woman scrambled after us, making her way into Lita’s office about a second before us.

  “I’m so sorry, she just burst in here,” the girl said, and Lita stood up from the lounge chair she was reading at, smiling as soon as she noticed Amy and me.

  “Not to worry, Estelle. Amy and Tina are completely welcome. Please, come in.”

  Amy shot Estelle a triumphant look as the two of us slipped past her and into the room. I gave Estelle a friendly smile – after all, it sounded like she was just following protocol – but got a glare in return. Apparently, Estelle wasn’t a huge fan of mine already.

  She strode past us and out of the room as Lita motioned for Amy and me to have a seat. Lita was absolutely the picture-perfect image of the bustling, friendly Italian mom. I half expected her to bring out a plate of lasagna and encourage us to eat up, complaining that we were too thin.

  “It’s lovely to see the both of you,” Lita said, her dark curls bobbing up and down as she moved over to her desk. “To what can I attribute this wonderful visit?”

  “We think we may have an indication as to Tina’s coven of origin, and I thought we should let you know,” Amy said, her hands crossed in front of her. Totally a Hermione move.

  Lita’s face lit up. “Really? Wonderful. Please, tell me everything.”

  Amy turned to me, and I recalled the entire experience, when I had seen Mr. Meowgi injured, and a spell I didn’t recognize burst out of me. I had been standing in a water fountain at the time, and the spell I’d used had shot water at the attacker, cursed water that had apparently maimed his face permanently.

  As the story continued, Lita looked more and more serious, and when I finally finished, she exhaled loudly, leaning back in her chair.

  “Wow. I knew a powerful spell had been cast, since Chief Enforcer King told me about it, but I didn’t know that it was you who had performed it, Tina. I believe, from what you’ve told me, that Amy’s suspicions are true, as they usually are. You’re almost certainly a witch from a coven guided by water. Now we simply need to discover which one. I’ve already put some feelers out to the heads of other covens out there as we try to determine your origins, and being able to narrow it down to a single element will certainly help.”

  “Amy told me there were tons of water-guided covens,” I said.

  “Well, yes, that is true. But it still narrows our search down from thousands of covens to the low hundreds.”

  My heart sunk at the raw numbers. “So there’s still basically no chance of finding my coven based on this.”

  Lita shook her head. “It’s unlikely, but it’s a start, and it’s much more information than we had before. Amy, if you don’t mind, I would like you to test out Tina’s powers in the water, if possible. Do you have access to a large amount of water near your home?”

  Even Amy and her stoic look couldn’t hide the grin that popped up. After all, I had totally planned on lounging in the new addition to our backyard that afternoon after magic lessons with Amy.

  “We most certainly do,” Amy replied. “That won’t be a problem.”

  “Good. Thank you for taking this on, Amy.”

  “It’s not a problem, I’m just glad Tina isn’t a total idiot.”

  I stifled a giggle as Lita gave Amy a stern look. “Even witches who aren’t as talented as yourself deserve an education.”

  “I know, but I find it so much more difficult to teach the ones who don’t understand,” Amy complained. “Luckily, Tina isn’t that sort of witch at all. I taught her the illuminating spell, and her second attempt would have been almost passable at the academy, which is quite a feat for a spell from a different coven.”

  “That is impressive,” Lita said, her eyebrows rising as she turned towards me. A blush crawled up my face; I wasn’t used to being spoken about as though I was particularly skilled at anything. I had never been bad in school or anything like that, but I certainly wasn’t good, either. A B average was my mainstay, and much like everything else in life, I was completely average. I liked it that way. This praise made me feel kind of uncomfortable.

  “I think so, too,” Amy agreed with a nod. “I will continue her training. Let us know if you need anything else from us.”

  “Well, one thing I would like to know, Tina, while I have you here, is how you’re finding everything. Are people being friendly to you? Are you being welcomed into town? How are you finding magic?”

  The caring look on Lita’s face told me she actually cared abou
t the answers.

  “It’s been really nice, for the most part. Amy, Sara, and Ellie are all amazing, and I’m not just saying that because Amy is sitting next to me. It’s been really nice of all of them to teach me their particular skills, and I really do appreciate that they’ve accepted me into their home.”

  “That’s excellent to hear and I would have expected no less. What about the others in town?”

  “Um, that’s been a little bit more complex,” I admitted. “After all, a decent number of the citizens here thought I was a murderer until a couple of days ago. That said, there have been more friendly faces than not.”

  “Good, I’m happy to hear it. Jackson Lupo came to see me about the incident with his shifter who got a little bit overly enthusiastic while you were on the broom.”

  I hated to admit it, but my heart skipped a beat at the thought of the leader of the shifter pack. With his long, blonde hair and casual confidence, I liked Jackson as soon as I’d met him. Still, I was a grown woman, and I shouldn’t be acting like this just at the mention of him.

  “Yes, Jormund came to see me and apologized in person,” I nodded. “I accepted his apology.”

  “I’m glad to hear he came to see you in person,” Lita said. “I had some strong words with Jackson, and he promised me that sort of thing will not happen again.”

  Amy coughed slightly, and Lita turned to her.

  “Tina is also friends with Kyrandir, I believe,” Amy said, and I shot a glare her way. Way to tattle on your friends. Then again, there was no reason why I shouldn’t interact with Kyran, especially after what Ellie had told me. The only reason he was an outcast was because of what he chose to do for a living, and that was no reason to hate someone.

  Lita pressed her lips together. “I won’t tell Tina not to interact with someone she finds friendly in town,” she said, replying to me. “However, I would caution you against spending too much time with that elf, simply because with you already being new, you don’t want to be alienated as well.”

  My heart sank. Even Lita was telling me not to spend time with Kyran, as it would ruin my own reputation here in town.

  “Now, have you given any thought as to what you would like to do as a job, when your magic skills are up to scratch?” Lita asked, quickly changing subjects.

  I shook my head. “Not really. I think maybe something in healing would suit me. I was thinking of going into nursing when I was in the human world. I also considered maybe doing something with animal healing, but that doesn’t seem to be a thing here.”

  “No, the regular Healers take care of that, when it’s needed,” Lita said.

  “But Heather – Sara’s mom – didn’t seem to know much about animals when she had to take care of Mr. Meowgi.”

  “No, they’re not trained in it.”

  “Would that be a possible option? Leaning to treat only animals, and healing them?”

  Lita thought carefully. “I’m not certain. It sounds like it could be a good idea, if you managed to get the training for it.”

  I smiled. Even though it wasn’t definitely a green light, I was pretty sure I had just figured out what I was going to do as a job here in Western Woods. I was going to be the first ever magical vet.

  Chapter 9

  As we left the coven headquarters, Estelle scowled at us on the way out.

  “What does she have against you?” I asked. “I was half expecting her to try and stab you.”

  “Estelle is the daughter of Ariadne, the woman who almost wouldn’t sell you a wand the other day,” Amy explained. “She’s extremely ambitious, and thinks she’s the smartest witch in the coven. She’s not, of course, but that doesn’t stop her from trying to one-up me at any opportunity.”

  I hid a smile. So this was what happened when two goodie-two-shoes tried to one-up each other at every opportunity.

  “Did you mean it, what you said about learning to be a healer for animals?” Amy asked.

  I nodded. “I hadn’t really thought about it too much before, but yeah, if that’s an avenue that’s open, I think I would like to do it.”

  “Despite the fact that it’s new, and that no one does it right now, I think that’s actually a very good idea. After all, when all the owls in town got sick, there was no one to go to specifically. It took a couple of days before the Healers were able to come up with a potion to make them better. For a while, we didn’t even know if it would be possible. I think having a healer dedicated to animals is important, especially given how many witches there are around here with familiars. I would love it if there was someone who could specifically care for Kevin.”

  I was touched; I honestly didn’t expect Amy to be on my side. After all, this place seemed to be pretty strict when it came to what jobs were available for witches.

  “It’s probably a ways away yet, still. After all, I know how to do one spell, and even though I’ve learned the happiness potion, I’m only just learning the names of most of the herbs that we use here, and I really know nothing about healing anybody, let alone animals.”

  “Sure, but I think having a goal will help you. After all, now you’re not just learning magic for the sake of it. You’re learning magic to help you heal animals in the future.”

  I smiled at Amy as we made our way back home.

  “I’m going to head off; I wanted to stop by the library and check on a few things before coming back home, and then I’m working at headquarters this afternoon,” Amy said. “Do you think you can find your way back?”

  “Of course,” I nodded. “Not a problem.”

  Amy waved and headed off, and just as she did I realized we were only about a block away from Hexpresso Bean, and that Ellie’s shift would be ending in about an hour. That would give me just enough time to enjoy a coffee, and maybe another delectable pastry, before I could join her in picking up Chestnut from doggie daycare and heading home.

  The fairy manning the counter today was named Aurora; I had met her my first visit here and she had always been very friendly.

  “Tina, how nice to see you,” Aurora said with a smile, her golden wings fluttering behind her with excitement. “How are you settling into town? I hear we have you to thank for the fact that a murderer has been taken off our streets.”

  I flashed Aurora a smile. “Well, I wouldn’t go that far. I definitely messed it up pretty badly, but luckily Sara and Amy got me out of hot water.”

  “Well, either way, whatever you want today is on the house. It’s good to be able to walk home at night again without worrying about being attacked.”

  “Thank you so much,” I said, warmth rising in my heart. It was so nice of Aurora to do this for me. “Can I get a coffee and one of Ellie’s amazing cinnamon buns?” I asked.

  “Of course! And let me tell you, the cinnamon buns today are absolutely amazing. She’s outdone herself,” Aurora added with a wink.

  “That’s great to hear,” I laughed. “Hey, could you tell Ellie that I’m here, and that I’ll wait until her shift is over for her to come out?”

  “You’ve got it,” Aurora said. “Grab a seat anywhere, and I’ll bring it out. You know the drill by now.”

  Thanking Aurora once again, I found a free spot in a tiny, two-person booth at the back of the café. It was private, and kept me hidden away from the rest of the patrons of the coffee shop, which was just how I liked it. I didn’t like being the center of attention here, which was kind of natural when I was the only new paranormal this town had seen in goodness knew how long.

  A couple of minutes later, Aurora came back with my coffee and cinnamon bun, and I found a copy of the local newspaper, The Magic Word, at a spare table nearby. Flipping through the articles, I ate my cinnamon bun but quickly found my mind wandering instead to the murder of Lorondir.

  Jordan Black seemed like an obvious suspect, but how on earth were we going to find him? After all, it was possible he had already left town, anyway. I mean, if I was going to commit a murder of my former lawyer in his tow
n on the other side of the world from where I lived, I would definitely skip town as soon as possible.

  I wondered if Kyran would know how to find him. After all, if he was the type to hunt down criminals in the human world, maybe he would know a little bit about hunting down criminals in the paranormal world as well.

  That was when I realized I didn’t even know how to get in touch with Kyran if I wanted to. He just kind of showed up sometimes.

  The cinnamon bun was definitely one of Ellie’s best, and as I devoured it, I let my mind wander just a little bit more.

  “I can’t believe someone killed him,” I suddenly heard a voice behind me say, and I was jolted back to reality. The voice was female, and low, very Demi Moore-like.

  “Can’t you?” a male voice replied. “I told you not get involved with him. He was bad news.”

  “He was one of the best criminal lawyers in the world, and that was what I needed. I mean, I’m looking at serious time here. I needed somebody who could get me off the hook.”

  “Just like he got that shifter off the hook? No, the old elf was losing it. No wonder he was retiring.”

  My eyes widened as I realized the conversation behind me concerned Lorondir. Obviously, whoever was at the table behind me didn’t realize there was anyone in this booth.

  “Well, he might have been retiring, but he was going to see my case through to the end. And it wasn’t because of anything he did that he was retiring, he was taking care of that loser son of his.”

  “Farawir?”

  “That’s right.”

  “What about him?”

  A cold, hard laugh escaped the woman’s lips. “You don’t have your ear to the underground as well as you used to, Victor. Farawir’s gotten himself into a spot of trouble, and daddy has had to come over and rescue him from it.”

  “Gambling? Again? I thought he kicked that habit a hundred years back.”