Page 23 of The Witch's Spell
“And when it doesn’t work, what will you do?”
One of her shoulders lifts in a tired shrug. “I don’t know.”
The weight of that statement settles over us softly, not so unlike how the snow blankets the ground. Aurora meets my gaze. Her eyes are sogreen. They remind me of the height of summer.
“Why did Cathal say the fog... smells like you?” she asks. Her tone is tentative, like she’s afraid of what my answer might be.
“Perhaps the source of the snow and the fog are one and the same,” I offer. “I was caught in the belly of that storm, so its scent may still cling to me.”
Aurora makes a thoughtful sound, eyes searching mine.
I don’t think she believes me. But I don’t know what else to tell her. Until I have a chance to study the fog on my own,without all these humans and shifters lingering around, I won’t know its origin.
Alden and Faolan return. The shifter glares some more. I stare right back. I wonder if he’s going to give it up eventually or if it’ll be like this until I leave.
Until I leave . . .
I don’t know when that will be, but if I’m here much longer, I may need to restock on my pain potions. The cold makes my knees and hips ache more than usual, and my trek through that storm did a number on me, though I’m trying not to let it show.
“Does your village have an apothecary?” I ask Aurora.
She nods but doesn’t smile. “Yes. Niamh. But she’s the one who left for the city, and...” With one hand, she gestures toward the woods, where the fog lurks in the distance. “And now she can’t return.”
My stomach pinches.
If the apothecary is gone and I’m stuck in this village, how will I obtain my potions for the pain? I suppose I can go without—they’re not necessary to live—but the thought of not having anything to take the edge off...
I look down at my knees and can already imagine the pain.
If I’d known I would get stuck in the human realm like this, I would’ve brought more potions. Or not left home to begin with. But it’s too late to think about that now. I’m here, and I need to deal with the consequences.
“But,” Aurora continues, drawing my focus back to her, “maybe I could try to help.” When she meets my eyes, her gaze is a bit shy, and I can’t tell if her cheeks are turning pinkagain or if her skin is just flushed from the cold winter air. “I’m not as talented as Niamh, of course, but I do have some knowledge. Is there something you need?”
“You know the magical arts?” I ask, pushing up off my elbows and turning my body to more fully face her. I prop one foot on the stair and lean my back against the banister opposite Aurora.
“Well, I knowsome.”
Yes, I can tell now that her cheeks are growing pink again, and not from the cold. The delicate color blossoming upon her face makes a sudden and surprising yearning rise up inside me, a desire to trace my fingers over her cheeks, to feel the heat in her skin—
“I’m an earth witch.”
That halts my musings in their tracks. And good thing too. I’ve not yet worked out exactly what the situation is here, but it seems very much like the three men—Alden, Rowan, and Faolan—all have individual relationships with Aurora, likely romantic and sexual ones. I don’t believe it would do any good getting involved inthat.
Assuming Aurora would even be interested in the first place.
“A witch,” I echo. “Of course.”
The green hair, the many glass jars and vials lining the shelves in her tiny kitchen, the fact that she seems able to understand the cat’s meows. I should’ve realized it sooner. Granted, there aren’t any witches where I’m from, and I’ve only met a few during the course of my travels through the human realm, so I’m not well versed in how to tell them apart fromregular humans.
“Yes, well...” Aurora shrugs again. “Like I said, I could try to help. What is it you need?”
She tips her head, green eyes focused on me, and I realize how very much she reminds me of home—of the green fields, the forests rich with verdant growth, the flowers that unfurl from their beds of moss to touch the golden light.
And at the same moment, I realize that I find her... beautiful. Startlingly so.
She’s still looking at me, waiting for an answer.
I give a shake of my head. “It’s nothing. Just wanted to stock up on a few things. But it can wait.”
