Page 14 of Sweetwater and the Witch

“Time to fire up the cauldron, oh great witch,” Sybil said.

Ravenna shot her a stern look and then pulled a little energy out of the intense atmosphere. Flames leaped under the kettle and licked up the sides. It didn’t take long before the first kernels of popcorn pinged inside. At the sound, the dust bunnies went wild.

Sybil chuckled. “See? Your talent for fire is good for something, after all.”

“Right. Making large quantities of popcorn. Maybe I should get a job in a movie theater.”

The initial pings changed to a rapid-fire series of small explosions. It wasn’t long before the popped kernels pushed aside the lid and overflowed the kettle. Ravenna cut the power. The dust bunnies rushed toward the popcorn.

“That will keep them busy for a while,” Sybil said. “Our turn.”

Ravenna followed her back to the sled. They climbed into the front seat and sat down. Sybil opened the large bag of chips. Ravenna took out the bottle of Old World Zin. According to the label, the grapes were grown from vines that had been brought through the Curtain by somewine-making First Gen colonist. She filled two glasses and handed one to Sybil, who offered her some chips.

They lounged against the back of the seat, stacked their sneaker-clad feet on the dashboard, drank the wine, and munched while they watched the dust bunnies consume the popcorn.

The kettle was emptied just as Ravenna poured the second glasses of wine.

“Looks like everyone is ready for act two,” Sybil said.

“Here we go.” Ravenna rezzed her talent again.

A dazzling display of paranormal fireworks burst above the stage. The dust bunnies were euphoric. Ravenna smiled and whipped up another brilliant display.

“Great audience,” she said.

Sybil gave her a knowing look. “You like doing this, don’t you?”

“Using your talent always gives you a rush, you know that.”

“Especially down here in the hot atmosphere.” Sybil drank some wine and watched the fireworks flash and flare. “Harriet and her pals do know how to party, don’t they?”

“Life is uncomplicated for a dust bunny,” Ravenna said. “We humans could probably learn a few things from them.”

“Has it occurred to you that the fact that we are down here in the Underworld entertaining a bunch of little critters with popcorn and fireworks suggests our aboveground social lives may be somewhat lacking?”

“Yes,” Ravenna said. “That has occurred to me.”

Chapter Six

The witch walked through the botanical garden, savoring the energy of the exotic plants. Each specimen had been selected for its therapeutic properties. Medieval apothecaries had used such plant collections—called physic gardens—to supply the ingredients needed to brew medicines and remedies.

According to the legends, apothecaries were not the only ones who took a special interest in plants and herbs. Poisoners relied on them, too.

The witch stopped at a plot of herbs and collected some before moving on to the flowers that would be needed for the finished product.

Back in the lab the witch opened the herbal and studied the formula one last time. Getting access to the fully equipped facility with its state-of-the-art instruments and equipment had been a simple matter. Illusion Town College had been delighted to host a visiting chemist from the distinguished University of Resonance.

An expertise in chemistry made an excellent cover. No onequestioned the credentials, which, technically speaking, were real. The witch had the degrees to prove it. But unlike most people in the field, the witch did not possess any paranormal talent for the work. The witch worked magic instead. On a world that used resonating amber and quartz to power everything from light bulbs to computers, it was easy to pass for normal. Most people could not tell the difference between witchcraft and paranormal talent.

Satisfied that all the required ingredients had been assembled, the witch began preparations. Modern technology combined with the paranormal-enhanced plants of Harmony guaranteed significantly more powerful results than the original version of the poison.

The interesting thing about medicinal herbs and plants was that, like so many other things in life, they had a dark side as well as a light side. That was nature for you. Anything strong enough to create a healing remedy was strong enough to create a poison.

Better magic through chemistry.

Chapter Seven

“I appreciate this.” Gabriel Jones swallowed some of his Hot Amber beer and lowered the bottle. “So does Arcane and the Guild Council.”

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