Page 48 of Okay, I Regret a Little
Chapter 33
Rei
T
he package with the potion ingredients finally arrived but actually mixing it was proving difficult. Dakarys and Rajack could have easily gotten cauldrons in here, but hiding them was too hard. Apparently, the witches had been heating their potions in the prison microwave in old noodle cups. We couldn’t do that with this one because it was so corrosive.
Dakarys and Rajack factored that in and snuck a cauldron in with the ingredients, but we couldn’t exactly bring it to the microwave without everyone figuring out we were up to something. Wren wasn’t the slightest bit fazed at this setback.
“I don’t need the microwave now that I’ve got my magic back. Heating potions in the microwave isn’t effective, anyway. It never mixed well, and there were always potions we couldn’t do because they required more heat. I’ll use the blind spot and my witch fire to brew the potion.”
“You can make fire? That’s hot,” I said.
“I think my sphinx magic can mess up the cameras.”
“I’ll be able to sense if anyone is nearby with my gargoyle powers.”
“What do I do?” I asked.
“Keep Faust occupied. He’s the only guard here capable of ruining this for us,” Rajack said. “I get that you care about him and want to call him when we are out, but if he catches us, none of us is getting out of here.”
I got it. I did, but I still felt horrible lying to him. I was torn. Three people I cared about and were my way out of here said not to tell him. Hauser, who knew me better than anyone in the world and I trusted about these things, warned me I’d never pull this off without Faust. He was probably right, but I couldn’t bring him down with me if we got caught and our plan was good. We could do this.
The blind spot in the mailroom wasn’t huge. I could distract Faust, but someone else could look at the CCTV footage.
“How are you going to brew the potion in that tiny spot without being seen?” I asked.
Wren just winked at me.
“I’m pocket-sized, and it’s not the most awkward place I’ve ever had to brew a potion. One time, in 1745, when I was just getting started, I got locked in this nasty warlock’s dank basement. He really shouldn’t have locked me somewhere with potion ingredients. I remember that kill like it was yesterday.”
Wren, Dakarys, and Rajack had been alive way longer than I had. I realized I didn’t know how old Faust was. Was he centuries-old like they were, or was he closer to my age? I couldn’t even fathom being that old. I lived in the moment, but getting arrested and having so many people wanting me dead had me considering my future.
I wanted to know more about Faust. I wanted him to come to us wherever we ended up. I just hoped he could forgive all my lies to keep him out of this.
