“I’m not a miracle worker. Gods know you’ve put me to the test.”
We descended to the first floor, and Lexi left me to see to Freya. It was early yet, but since I felt refreshed, I took the opportunity to step outside to meditate in Lexi’s garden and refill the magic stores in my orb. I closed the door behind me, then paused as I noted Narcissa slinking up the walk ahead of me.
“And where were you while my brain was nearly gummed straight out of my head?” I asked, hands on hips.
Narcissa sat back and cocked her head. “Oh, I would have liked to see that.”
“I’m sure you would have.”
Narcissa’s tail swished behind her. “But, if you must know, I was being a very resourceful familiar.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Go on.”
Rather than say more, she turned tail, and I followed her up the path and around the garden, before she stopped at an old tree. She leapt over to a thick branch that had fallen to the ground, resting in a bed of leaves.
I sighed. “You found a nest of squirrels? That’s more a cat thing than a familiar thing.”
Narcissa sounded exasperated, “No. This branch is perfect for you to construct a new broom.”
I blinked. “A new … broom?”
A deep sigh escaped Narcissa. “Must I think of everything? You need a new one, or you leave yourself vulnerable.” Her eyes darted to Lexi’s house. “And I think we’ve been vulnerable enough, don’t you? We need every advantage to see this through.”
The branch did appear thick and sturdy. I would need oil of bamboo and … well, blood of a virgin. I supposed I could have Narcissa use a portal to teleport back to the shop to retrieve some goblin bowels. I nodded. “Right, then.” I wasn’t confident that I could do this on such short notice and so unprepared, but Narcissa was correct. I needed any advantage I could get.
And so, I spent the day behind Lexi’s toolshed, singing to the branch as I whittled it down to the appropriate size and shape. When Lexi realized what I was doing, she tracked down some tough straw for the end. Once I had the base of the broom to my liking, I began to oil it with the potion, pouring my energy into it as I sang, bonding with the broom so that it would recognize me and my commands.
By the time I was through, I was exhausted. I’d had to meditate multiple times to refill my energy, but at least I had a broom again. I stared at the handle; oil had turned the wood reddish. I didn’t have time for anything fancy. No sparkling colors. I did take the time to give it a coat of invisibility beneath it however, just in case. Every advantage, after all. But it was an … ugly thing. A little lopsided, with rough grain work. But it was done.
I smiled lightly as I held it up and inspected it.
“It’s rather hideous,” Narcissa said.
I sighed, then nodded my agreement. It was also a little on the small side too, but I hadn’t had the time to plan it out more. I still felt a kinship with it and felt its pull toward me. It would be a good broom, nonetheless. I would like to think my parents might be proud of this, as shoddy as it was. This was the first I’d completed without their supervision.
After a good night’s sleep, I decided that a bit of normalcy would do me some good given the past few harried days. My body had clearly needed to rest, so after sleeping in until past noon, I made my way downstairs. I dumped out the pot of tea that Xander made as soon as he shambled from the kitchen and gave the kettle a good scrubbing before I remade one myself. Then I took a seat at the dining room table. Sunshine poured into the room. I closed my eyes, basking in the start of the day. I could almost imagine the trying days I’d endured were nothing but a dream. At least after yesterday, I felt at full strength again, with my pod restored and a broom back in hand.
“Good afternoon.”
My heart did a somersault in my chest as I looked up to find Auggie standing in the doorway of the dining room, looking anywhere but at me.
“Come join me,” I said, standing. “I made tea.”
He squinted at the tea tray. “Youmade it?”
I put a hand over my heart. “The zombie was nowhere near it.”
“Oh, good. Then I would love a cup.”
He took a seat beside me, and I poured the tea into a porcelain teacup, the scent of jasmine and blood orange rising with the steam. I watched him take a sip, his eyebrows lifting. “It’s very good,” he said.
“Why do you sound surprised?” I asked, snorting. “I run a potion shop, you know. I handle herbs all day long.”
He shifted. “That’s the thing. I know so little about you, and what little you have told me has been lies and half-truths.”
He was right, of course. I had attempted to deceive him from the start. But now that he knew the truth and we’d grown closer over the course of our journey, I wanted to rectify that. I wanted him to know me. Even if our time together would be short. Maybe that would give me some peace as well, understanding him enough to understand why he’d made the deal he had with Lucifer. I was still curious what he’d gained from it. He’d already been charming and handsome. But so had I, I supposed, and that hadn’t stopped me.
“Let’s start over then,” I said, sticking out my hand. “I’m Callum. I’m dashing, terribly good-looking, and run a humble potion shop. I’m currently escorting a stubborn, heroic fool with beautiful eyes to New York.”
