Page 129 of Night of the Witch
“It’s a highly complicated spell. It’s meant to bond, yes, but if it fails, a witch would lose all connection to magic entirely. One or both of you could die.”
“Liesel can—” I start, but she interrupts me.
“I don’t know that spell.”
“But you do,” I say, turning to Cornelia. “Fritzi told me you were making the potion already.”
“Yes, but it’s not complete. And I cannot get it now. Rochus and Philomena will stop us.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, concentrating on everything that Fritzi had told me about the bonding potion. “A beer base,” I say. “My sister can give us that.”
“I could bring the last ingredients needed,” Cornelia says doubtfully. “But this plan seems unwise. I am not a potion-maker; Philomena is, but she would never aid us.”
“A last resort,” I promise her, a new idea forming in my mind. “But when it comes to Dieter, we need every weapon we can get. If all else fails…”
Reluctantly, Cornelia nods. If this potion fails, it may kill me or kill Fritzi’s magic, but everyone in the room knows there are worse things than death when it comes to Dieter.
Every second counts. Liesel and I rush from her room down to the forest floor, and I lead her to Hilde’s cottage. Cornelia heads in a different direction to ensure the troops are ready and to procure the needed ingredients.
“That was a long bath,” Hilde says, swinging open the door. “I heard the horns—what’s going on?”
Liesel and I charge inside. “I need your beer,” I say.
“Yes, let’s get drunk when the alarms are sounding,” Hilde says, staring at me flatly.
“It’s for a potion,” Liesel says. Hilde visibly melts in front of Liesel; the girl looks angelic, even when awoken from sleep in the middle of an emergency.
“What do you need?” Hilde asks.
I go over to her fireplace, looking at the murky liquid bubbling in the cauldron over the low heat.
Another knock on the door. Hilde opens it, and Cornelia steps inside. “Priestess!” Hilde says, shocked.
“I’ve brought the rest.” Cornelia holds out a small basket, and Hilde looks inside.
“This is poison!” she gasps.
I take the basket from Cornelia and start adding in herbs, among them belladonna and henbane.
“Otto, what is this? No one can drink this now!”
Cornelia touches Hilde’s elbow. “It will not be poison when it’s finished.” A dark look crosses her face. “Although I confess to not fully understanding your intent with this, Otto.”
The door opens a third time, and Hilde whirls around. “What now?”
“Just me.” Brigitta steps inside. Her eyes linger on Hilde, but she quickly turns to the priestess. “We’re ready.”
“The potion is not,” Cornelia says. “This must be done with care.” She casts a dubious look at the cauldron, and I can tell she’s on the brink of telling me not to even bother trying this.
Damn it all. Every second counts, and while this potion may be key…
Brigitta moves closer to Hilde, quickly explaining the situation.
“This is too rushed,” Cornelia adds, doubt lingering in her voice. “It’s too dangerous. We need to go—now—and—”
“Liesel, help me bottle this,” I say.
Liesel reaches for the ladle as Hilde hands me an empty bottle.
