“I … I will pay you for your service.” The boy’s voice came out so disjointed it was hard to make out the words. Poor boy. “I saved some coin. It’s not much, but … it’s all we have.”
“Coin,” I scoffed. “What use have I for coin?” I chuckled. “No, dear boy, coin is not all you have. In fact, you have something much more valuable to me on you at this very moment.”
The boy swallowed hard, and I watched him struggle with his fear. If he truly wanted to help his mother, he would pay the price. “I’ll … I’ll pay whatever you want,” he finally agreed, getting to his feet.
I couldn’t help the smile that crawled across my face. “Very good.” I stepped around him and he got his first good view of me: tall and imposing, wrapped in my maroon cloak, face hidden in darkness. At least this child hadn’t wet himself.
I reached out and placed one finger under his chin, lifting his face to meet my eyes, which surely glowed menacingly from the potion I’d ingested. “I’ll take just one little tooth.”
His eyes widened and he took a step back. “A … a tooth?”
I crossed my arms. “That’s the price.”
He seemed to be at war with himself, but he composed his face bravely and lifted his chin. “Do it.”
I was impressed. I took a step closer and he didn’t waver, but rather opened his mouth, an invitation. I reached inside and drummed a finger over one tooth, then another, savoring the moment as the boy’s hands trembled at his side. I decided on a molar. It was a baby tooth, ready to fall out on its own within a week’s time without my intervention. I reached back and pinched it firmly between my fingers. “This might hurt,” I said with a low chuckle, yanking the tooth out with practiced ease before I’d even finished the warning.
The boy yelped and leapt back, hands immediately going to his right cheek. I could see the skin push outward in his cheek as he explored the area of the missing tooth with his tongue. He had tears gathered in his eyes as he gulped air. That was all I needed, for him to start bawling.
“Don’t be so dramatic. It’ll grow back,” I scoffed, dropping a bottle at the boy’s feet. “You’ve earned your mother’s life. Be proud of that. One swallow in the morning and one in the evening, for six days. Do you understand?”
The boy nodded stiffly, and I withdrew into the fog with my prize.
I watched for a moment as the boy picked up the bottle carefully and stared around him in wonder. I rolled my eyes and snapped a twig underfoot that sent the boy skittering into the fog like a startled deer.
Smirking, I pushed my hood back and gathered my bag once more. The pod around my neck was still mostly full, as such small shows of magic required little energy.
I stared in the direction the boy had gone, listening to the sounds of his hurried footfalls through the bog. I hoped my little display would dissuade them from coming to see me often. I couldn’t have the townsfolk seeking me out for every little inconvenience, as much as I wanted their teeth.
I held up the boy’s tooth and watched residual blood collect at what remained of the root and drip to the mossy ground. I couldn’t hold back a delighted squeal that spilled from my lips. It was a fine-looking tooth, healthy and a crisp white. It looked utterly delectable.
I popped it into my mouth. My eyes closed in ecstasy as the enamel crunched beneath my own teeth. So damn tasty.
“A magnificent display, Mister Witch!” a girl’s voice rang out from behind me.
I whirled, then scowled at the red-haired girl, roughly seven years old, standing at the front stoop of my house. She waved eagerly at me. Therese. Lovely.
“You had him shaking in his boots!” she insisted. I walked over the pond, as if by magic, when in reality, several stones were hidden just beneath the surface by a spell that raised them and lowered them based on the water level.
“If only you would follow his example,” I said, frowning at Therese.
Therese grinned in return. I’d learned months ago that no amount of bravado would scare the girl off. And the little spy had clearly memorized the way across the pond from watching me and came and went as she pleased now, like unwanted vermin. It was my youthful appearance, I was sure. Being perpetually seventeen had its disadvantages.
“Therese, go home.” I sighed as I walked the few steps up to the porch. “I’ve told you—it’s dangerous to be here.”
Therese followed me inside. “It’s more dangerous to be unsupervised at home when Father works in the fields all day, don’t you think? A girl could die of boredom.”
“If only.” She stooped in the doorway to greet a black cat. That was the only reason I’d tolerated the girl’s presence. My familiar had taken a shine to her. When I’d first stepped into my shop and discovered her, Therese had been sitting in a rocking chair with my cat sitting contentedly in her lap. The traitorous feline had even been purring.
“Hello, Narcissa,” Therese cooed as she removed her wool shawl. “And how are you this morning?”
Narcissa blinked up at her lazily, tail twitching.
The sight of Narcissa reminded me of the orchids, and I quickly set down my bag to unpack them.
The large room at the front of the house was full of cupboards and counters, dried flowers hanging from the rafters. The bowls in the cupboards were meticulously labeled, as was each bottle, while various daggers and ceremonial cloths were displayed carefully beneath glass.
Mine was a well-respected potion shop for witches, with some rare ingredients found only here in England. The large tree stump in the middle of the room with runes burned into its base was a portal used by my kind to reach such destinations. If I wasn’t on hand to assist a customer myself, a golem, David, stepped into the role. David was currently sitting in a rocking chair, a thin, reedy man made of clay with a mouth and two holes for eyes, but no nose or other unnecessary details. Grass was growing thickly up his back currently, and a spider had taken up residence in his right eye socket. David was inanimate until a customer arrived, however, so he wouldn’t mind. A thin film of dust covered him at the moment, testament to how slow business had been lately. Not that I minded.
