“Nobody can replace me as a best friend. You better not even try,” she grumbled.
“I would never! You know you’re my person. But a little extra companionship couldn’t hurt.”
“Is there a flirty vibe there? Do you think they’re handsome? Or pretty? Or cute or whatever? Do they give off good-looking vibes?”
I laughed. “I don’t know! Their handwriting is great, and their brain sure is sexy. If the outside matches the inside, I’m sure they're as hot as Hell’s Realm.”
“You should try to figure out who they are!” Kizzi insisted.
I let the thought sink in. What if I could meet my penpal in real life? It almost seemed too good to be true, but just for a moment, I let myself daydream about it.
And then I snapped myself back to reality and accepted that the thought was nonsense, and having a long distance penpal was a perfectly fine thing to do. I didn’t want to risk ruining one of the only good things I had going on in my life.
“Enough about me. What’s up with you?” I asked.
“Ugh, finally!” Kizzi exclaimed dramatically. “I’ve been waiting for you to ask!”
I rolled my eyes at her, gesturing with my hand for her to continue.
“Well, actually, things have been pretty tense around the apothecary.” She stopped herself, glancing guiltily in my direction. “Well, not nearly as bad as your situation, of course.”
I interrupted, “Kiz, it’s fine. Just because I’m going through something doesn’t mean that you aren’t allowed to have your own struggles too.” I reached over and patted her on the shoulder. “It’s not a competition. Now please, tell me all about it.”
She smiled tentatively, letting out a breath so deep it made her shoulders sink. “You’re right, you’re right. I know. I just don’t want to overstep.”
“We’re way past that and you know it.”
“You’re right, once again. Gods damn, when did you get so wise?”
We both chuckled at that one.
“So, you know how those sprites have been messing with me for a while? Well, of course you know, nevermind.” She tossed a glance at my blue tresses that had remained bright as I slowly worked through my tainted jar of thirst tonic. “Well, I’ve been trying to get on top of it, but they seem to be one step ahead ofme. Every time! This morning, the joint-pain-relieving tea leaves I spelled for Ani, you know the old coven leader, were replaced with thoserelaxationherbs, and mirthroot. You should’ve seen it!”
That was a mental image I wouldn’t be forgetting any time soon. I would pay so many silvers to witness that.
My jaw dropped open. “You’re kidding! Gods, I can’t believe I missed that!”
She nodded sagely. “It was hilarious, and it took all of my willpower to stay professional and stop myself from laughing. Hardest thing I’ve ever done. But seriously, it’s getting worse. I’m going to have to try something stronger.”
We discussed strategies for her situation as we finished our meal.
I often thought about how lucky I was to have crossed paths with Kizzi. We had been friends for years, since we were littles, and we had been joined at the hip for as long as I could remember. I truly would lose my sanity without her, and I was pretty sure she felt the same about me.
“Ew, don’t smile at me all nostalgic like that, it’s creepy,” Kizzi said as she tossed a chunk of bread at my face.
I laughed, shaking my head as I snapped back to the conversation.
CHAPTER 16
Redd
My mind was still reeling from the ridiculous ritual at Fiella’s shop.
I had been around plenty of rituals and witches in my life, but Kizzi’s style was something else entirely. At least it had worked–I had to give her credit for that.
I had wandered back to my cottage after the event, but when my stomach started growling and my throat started pulsing along with my heartbeat, I begrudgingly made my way back to town to find something to eat.
It had been entirely too many days since I had dosed myself with thirst tonic, and even with the increased animal blood I had been drinking, I was suffering.
