Page 39 of Shroom for Improvement

I said nothing.

“Right?!”

“Uh, I think so,” I hastened to say.

Sonny’s hand left my arm to iron the wrinkles from his forehead, and I immediately missed its presence. It was something more than just the warmth, but I couldn’t say what. It felt like a chasm in my gut had opened. Probably all the worry of potentially killing a bunch of people who gave me the heebies.

“So,” he continued. “You have to perform this ritual, but you have no idea what that ritual is, and you were...” His dark gaze caught mine, and that chasm opened wider. “You were hoping I—as a fungi and fae-magic expert—could tell you what that ritual might be?”

I couldn’t find any words to confirm, so I simply nodded.

“Meanwhile, I have been working on a decade-long project that ultimately requires you to tell me all about your glamour rituals—about which you know nothing.”

“Yep,” I said.

“You need my help, and I need your help, for basically the same thing. And neither one of us can help the other.”

“That about sums it up.”

“Dang,” he said.

“What’s worse is that I need to find out what this ritual is post-haste. It needs to be performed at sunrise on the summer solstice, or the house...” I held out my arms to demonstrate all the things I could not find the words for.

“The summer solstice? When is that this year, the twenty-first of June? That’s like two months away.” Sonny placed his hands on his knees. His breathing became a little quicker, deeper, like he was trying to wrangle it. Was he having a panic attack?

I felt like I should comfort him, as he did me. Squeeze his arm or, I didn’t know, pat his head? I was useless at this sort of thing.

“I’ve spent decades, centuries even, attempting to uncover the secrets of shroom magic and nothing, and now we’ve got eight, nine weeks to figure this shit out or this beautiful house will die and it’s... interesting occupants might die, or at the very least will be misplaced.”

I should. I should just bring my hand down gently between his shoulder blades and rub his back. Or rest it there.

“We?” I said, instead.

He sat up straight, homed his black eyes in on mine. “I’ll have to call work. Get Mash to take over my seminars and lectures after the Spring Fest hols. Maybe I could do some virtually. Does this house get decent Wi-Fi? I’ll call Goldie, see if he can water my houseplants. Actually, no... Holly.” He noddedto himself. His eyes tracked around the room like he was looking for other obstacles to resolve.

“You’re gonna help me?” I asked, my voice a lot quieter than I’d intended. I needed his help. There was no way I could figure this out on my own. Would Sonny be able to figure it out? He’d already been trying for a decade and hadn’t come close yet.

And how tightly linked were our goals? It felt like there was a reason we were somehow brought together.

Sonny grabbed both of my hands, one in each of his. Heat licked up my arm, my breath stuttered. “We’re gonna help each other.” Then, just as quickly, he let go. Hadn’t he noticed my heart bursting through my windpipe?

I swallowed hard, then nodded. Couldn’t quite get my “thank you” past my lips.

“So, I’ll help you find out what this secret magic is so you can save the house, and in return, you will let me write about it in my paper.” Sonny held out his hand for me to shake.

I stared at it. He... he wanted to write about the magic? Share it with the world?

Two thoughts whirred inside my head. The first, an inexplicable urge to hoard the secret, to make him promise he’d tell no one. To take it to our graves. And the second thought was the realisation that when... if we found out what the ritual was, he wouldn’t be able to tell anyone anything.

Memories from a few nights ago flooded my brain.

I can’t tell you what happened. What the ritual involved. Even if I wanted to, I physically would not be able to get the words out. It’s protected. By ancient shroom law.

“Plus, I’ll return all your stolen possessions,” he added, obviously mistaking my hesitance for something else. Trust issues, which okay, fair point.

I might let Sonny the magpie fae help me this one time, but I’d definitely be hiding anything valuable from him. Therewas a loose floorboard near the dresser, and there was always the option of burying stuff under a tree somewhere.

I took his hand in mine and shook it, swallowing down the painful lump swelling in my gullet.

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