Page 5 of Sett and his King
I brought them to a boil and then added obsidian dust and salt.
The heat over the pot charged into magic and the liquid turned luminescent. I finished off with a few leaves of mugwort and three butterfly pea flowers. I stirred three times clockwise and nine counter-clockwise then grabbed the athame, pressing the tip of its blade against my index finger, and squeezed until three drops of my blood spilled into the potion, turning it into the wonderful sapphire potion I couldn't live without.
"I wish you'd tell me why you keep making the Apokryphon Elixir."
I ignored her, like I always did when it came to the potion. No one could know why I needed to ward my mind off, especially her.
I'd tried to hide the fact I'd been making it but eventually I’d been caught red handed. But just because I’d gotten caught didn't mean I would ever tell her why I needed it. If she found out, she'd march right out of this house and die trying to avenge her grandson.
And I couldn't have that.
I distributed the elixir into little glass vials and ate my dinner before I grabbed one vial, downed it and walked out of the front door.
Java Jinx, the cafe/magic shop was right around the corner and under my hands it turned to Moon Jinx once again. My very own cocktail bar.
I'd only started a month or so ago, but word was already starting to spread about the new magical cocktail bar. It might not be much, I might not own this place, it might just be a pop-up bar I’d gotten through deception but it was my own. And no one could take that away from me.
A young gay couple, one in a suit and the other in casual clothes walked through the glass door and I put on my best, genuine smile as they approached the bar.
"Welcome to Moon Jinx, where all your dreams come true in one drink."
At two in the morning, and after Moon Jinx had closed for the night, I made my way to King's College and the Maughan Library as instructed by the note Horus had given me.
Two other guys were there. I recognized them from Horus's house although I'd never been on a job with them. "You're late," one of them said.
I ignored him. "Are we doing this or what? Who has the next step?"
The third guy raised his hand. Horus disseminated information like it was his most valuable property. There were always three or more people on every mission, each with their own set of skills and one piece of the puzzle that they were unable to share. He might control us but even so he didn’t want to risk any of his jobs getting hijacked. Horus might be cruel but he was also smart. A dangerous combination by all accounts.
"Lead the way," I told him.
He walked to the front door of the gothic library and twisted his hand in front of the lock. There was a click and as he grabbed the handle to open the door, I took a deep breath.
Magic crackled around me as time froze.
"Let's go," said the second guy seeing me, and he marched forward.
They ran through reception and I followed them at my own pace down a long corridor, through the famous dodecagonal reading room before I had to stop.
I clapped my hands to get my accomplices’ attention and they both pressed themselves against the wall while I ducked under a doorway before I allowed myself another breath.
Time flowed back around us, not that it made much of a difference. This place was as abandoned at this time as anything.
I gave myself a beat or two to steady myself and find my bearings and inhaled deeply again before I pushed through and went up the stairs. We reached a display room when my throat tightened and I warned the other guys again.
I heard one of them sigh. I ignored him and tried to fill my lungs.
I hated this part. This part of me that was so intrinsically linked with my power that made me both an asset and a liability. But maybe that was also what was protecting me. Who knew what more Horus would ask of me if my power was limitless. It made the hairs on my arms raise at the very thought.
"Ready?" one of the two asked and I snapped a no before I closed my eyes.
Deep breath in, deep breath out.
Deep breath in, deep breath out.
Rinse, repeat.
My heartbeat was wild and my lungs struggled regardless of how much oxygen I filled them with.
