The fae slammed into the shop doors. He crashed to the ground, along with the potted plants that fell off the shelves and shattered.
Morton missed the edge of the counter and slid to the floor.
Orelia rushed to his side. “Oh, gods! Are you okay?” She looked him over for any sign of injury, but he only chuckled.
“Been a while since I’ve had to use that incantation,” he said, wincing as she helped him sit up.
The fae rose and stormed toward them.
Orelia put herself between the men and raised her hand. “Don’t come any closer!” The closest thing she could summon as a weapon was a broom, but she’d use it against the Myrker if he tried anything.
Polly jumped down from the rafters and stood at Orelia’s side, hissing at the fae, the tips of her ears shining red as she bared her long canines.
He regarded the lynx with nothing more than a sidelong glance, then let out a curt laugh. “Get out of my way, witch. And pet.”
Polly hissed louder and pinned her ears back. Orelia stood her ground. “You are not going to hurt my friend.”
“Fine. I’ll just hurtyou,” he seethed.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Morton said from the floor.
Orelia kept one eye on the fae as she helped the wizard off the ground.
“Thank you, my dear.” Morton straightened his robes, turning a sharp eye on the fae. “If you hurt her, you hurt yourself.”
A beat of tense silence passed.
“Explain,” the fae demanded.
“The two of you are bound. That means you cannot stray far from one another, but it also means that your lives are tethered. If she dies, you die, and vice versa.”
The Myrker scrubbed a hand down his face. “Ah, tredablo . . .that’s fucking great.”
She couldn’t be stuck with this monster of a man. Something had to be done to fix this. “Are you sure? I mean, how is that possible?” Orelia asked.
“Binding spells are fickle. It’s risky magic, as all person-to-person spells are. The cost of using it is that the lives become tethered. Normally, a wizard like myself could reverse it for you, but since you intended to use the spell on the earth, you now need a druidto reverse it. They are the most powerful when it comes to nature magic, and I know for a fact Devlin has countered a binding spell of this sort before. He’s been teaching young druids how to hone their power at the druidic temple in Dorsey for nearly two hundred years. Seek him out, and you will be free from one another.”
Orelia couldn’t remember where the city was on the map. “How far away is Dorsey?” she asked Morton.
“Far,” the fae answered, shaking his head. “Unbelievable . . .”
Morton didn’t take his eyes off the man whose palpable rage filled the shop. “You protect her, you understand me? And not just because your own life depends on it.”
The fae left the shop and slammed the door, knocking the only remaining pot off the shelf. Polly’s ears receded to blue as she scaled the closest bookshelf before curling into a ball, at ease once again.
“I’m so sorry. I had no idea this would happen. And your poor plants are a mess because of me.” Orelia’s eyes welled with tears. She had ruined his wares and forced him into using magic that was clearly too much for him to wield.
He waved her off. “They’re just plants. I can get them new pots.” Morton gripped her shoulder, forcing her watery eyes to meet his. “You watch yourself around him, Orelia. He will keep you safe because he has to but keep your wits about you. A Myrker’s gift of darkness is said to work its way into their heart over time and stain their soul. From his disposition, I’d say that’s mighty true.”
Orelia nodded, wondering how in the hells she was going to make it all the way to Dorsey bound to someone so coarse. “Will you let Teegan know where I’ve gone in case I don’t get a chance to tell hermyself? She’s working, and I doubt Beron will let me speak with her.”
Morton embraced her and patted Orelia on the back. “Of course. Be safe out there. I wish you the best of luck on your journey.”
She gave him a parting smile and looked up at the lynx. “Keep him safe, Polly.”
When she exited the shop, Orelia saw the fae approaching the bridge. She ran after him, ignoring the whispering townspeople wondering what all the ruckus was that had come from the apothecary.
When she made it to the other side of the bridge, she yelled for the fae to wait up.
