Page 33 of Familiar of the Witch

‘Voltaire. He knows more than he’s telling us, Ellie, oath or no.’

‘And what about your tail?’ I asked archly. ‘If he catches you following him, I’ve no doubt he’ll chop it off as punishment.’

‘I won’t be enchanted a second time,’ he groused. ‘He won’t see me coming.’

‘It’s a bad idea,’ I statedfirmly.

He grinned impishly at me. ‘I disagree. And unless you really do consider me your slave, I have the free will to determine where I go and what I do.’

My mouth dropped open. ‘Of course I don’t consider you a slave!’

‘Good. Off I go, then. I’ll be in touch.’ His red skin flashed as he scurried away. Try as I might, after a second I could no longer spot him. Vampyrs can phase, darting in one shadow and darting out of another. I had no idea how Frogmatch thought he could possibly find and then keep up with Voltaire.

Sighing, I turned back to the car. ‘The Spice Shoppe, please,’ I instructed Oscar as I slid onto the seat. I’d get all the ingredients that I could; if I needed more, I’d get one of the acolytes to run out for them.

I turned to Bastion. ‘Can you reach out to Krieg? We need an appointment to get his blood for the mate potion.’

He frowned. ‘Won’t it be sufficient if he drops off a vial?’

I shook my head. ‘This is a promise I’ve made. I’m not running the risk that it goes wrong because Krieg doesn’t give me enough blood, or something like that. It needs to be gifted willingly, too. I don’t want someone else drawing it in case Krieg begrudges it. After we’ve been to the shop, we’ll swing by and get the blood. I can knock upthe potion, deliver it, and then focus all my energy on this necromancer who keeps pissing me off.’ And killing people.

Bastion pulled out his phone and started dialling while I opened my laptop and logged in remotely to the Coven’s network. I fired off a couple of emails, pleased with how well things were running in the face of so much adversity.

By the time we arrived at The Spice Shoppe, Bastion had secured us an appointment with Krieg. Outside were two men – wizards, I guessed by the way the second one was casually juggling three cans with the IR. A Common realmer would see the man juggling but in reality his hands were still.

Bastion gave the two men the side eye and they bowed respectfully before scuttling back and giving him wide berth. It was weird to see his deadly reputation in action, especially when I knew what a sweetie he was.

I bustled around the shop. It was my happy place; the instant I walked in I was assaulted by an array of scents that took me back to long potion-brewing sessions with Mum. She had always been far more into her runes than her potions, but she’d made sure to encourage my love for them.

We’d come to The Spice Shoppe for as long as I could remember, back when it was owned by Old Man Jones. He’d died when I was young, so I couldn’t remember his full name, but I remembered his smile and his blue twinkling eyes. He’d encouraged my love of potions too, sneaking extra ingredients into my shopping bag.

I wondered if there’d been a Young Jones or a Mrs Jones to mourn him. I’d been sad when he died, though I’d brushed off his death quickly in the way that children do. He’d seemed soold,though with hindsight I realised he was probably only in his sixties. He’d seemed ancient to young me, and now I felt ancient in turn.

I pulled myself out of memory lane and focused on the matter at hand as I zoomed around the store gathering the ingredients I needed. I indulged myself in a few that I didn’t need but I couldn’t quite resist as well. As usual, when I approached the till my shopping basket was overly full.

Henry, the shop assistant, had the triangle of the Other realm on his forehead. Angry red spots were dotted across his cheeks, but despite them he was a handsome lad. I could see why Ria was so taken with him.

‘Hello, Coven Mother,’ he greeted me respectfully. He looked around. Ascertaining that we were alone – barBastion – he continued, ‘Have you heard from Ria? I’m getting really worried.’

‘They’re just having an extended holiday,’ I reassured him. ‘Taking an unplugged break.’

‘Ria would never go this long without talking to me.’ He frowned. ‘I’m her soulmate. We’re going to get married.’

Goddess save me from young love. I smiled. ‘I’m sure she’ll be back before we know it,’ I said confidently. ‘She’ll be glad to know she’s missed.’ Like Henry, Ria was tempestuous. In her youth she’d been wildly erratic at times, and she had darkened my office door frequently, for one infraction or another. But as she’d hit her teen years, she had found her stride. She had thankfully matured into the lovely young woman that Henry was currently obsessed with.

‘It’s like my right arm is missing,’ he complained morosely. ‘I’m incomplete without her.’

I pressed my lips together and fixed him with a stare. ‘Henry, nobody needs anybody to complete them. You are a person in your own right. Your love interest doesn’t complete you, theycomplementyou.’

‘I do like being told my hair is nice,’ Henry conceded.

‘Complement, not compliment.’

‘What?’

I shook my head. ‘Never mind. Justring these through,’ I sighed.

Bastion laughed quietly in my ear. ‘You tried.’

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