“It’s my specialty,” Jerome said from beside me, bringing me out of my spiral. “I hope you like mutton stew.”
Rosemary, thyme, and other savory scents filled the air, making my mouth water. “That sounds delicious,” I said as everyone else sat down at the round table that was midway between the great room and the kitchen, and I was thankful to no longer be able to see the orange and red flames lighting the stove.
Wine goblets and glasses of water already sat in each space. Cillian pulled out my chair for me, and I sat down, shooting Karina a smile as she dropped into the chair next to me.
Once everyone was settled, I noticed two empty spaces.
“We always hope our boys will come home one day,” Karina said, smiling sadly in a way that broke my heart. My face twisted in confusion, and Karina must’ve noticed because she said, “I know Wolfethinks Lor is dead, but he could’ve just been gravely injured, and maybe the brotherhood nursed him back to health.”
“Yes, because the Butcher is known for being a healer,” Cillian said, and Jerome shot him a look and gave a slight shake of his head.
Karina’s eyes filled with tears as the pot lifted from the stove and plopped onto a circle mat in the middle of the table. “Well, I’ll never lose hope,” she said. “For either of my boys.”
CHAPTER 24
Niamh
Ifinished my last bite of stew, and the bowl lifted and flew to an empty basin, the other dirty dishes following.
“What kind of magic does this cottage have?” I asked as everyone sat back, bellies full of good food and wine.
“Not magic.” Nevan raised a finger. “Science.”
“Oh, here we go.” Cillian rolled his eyes, leaning back in his chair.
“Be nice to your brother. He’s brilliant, you know.” Karina swatted Cillian, and it brought a smile to my face. I loved the bickering, the clear love this family possessed for one another. It reminded me so much of my relationship with my parents, with Princess Ashami, who had always felt more like a sister than anything else. She used to tease me that my hair was so red she was afraid it might burn her, and I’d tease her that her hair was so blond it was blinding like the sun.
“Fine.” Nevan raised his hands. “A little of science and magic. Both are equally important to alchemy.”
Cillian leaned over. “Don’t get him started on the properties of his potions. He will never stop talking.”
Nevan leaned forward, steepling his hands together. “For this potion, I just used properties from both the suboneous plant and the terretrious metals. I was able to extract fibers from those plants that are known for their ability to lift objects into the air, then I was able to use drops from a pond that I discovered activates the plant fibers to actually respond to commands. The metal components helped bind it all together. It was simple, really.”
“So you commanded the potion to make the dishes go into the basin.”
Nevan nodded. “Coated each dish in the potion and gave the command, and now all the dishes know when someone is done eating, they’re to lift and go to the basin. It’s small scale, but I hope I can use potions like this to do bigger, better things for Fairwitch Isle.”
“Probably poisoned us in the process,” Cillian muttered, though Nevan didn’t seem bothered by the comment in the least.
We had amazing alchemists in Bergenay, but I’d never had time to go to their labs and pick their brains over all the inventions they were creating every day. Despite Cillian rolling his eyes, it was really interesting to get a glimpse behind the process of making a new potion.
“Don’t listen to him.” Nevan pointed at Cillian. “He’s just jealous that I’m the smart one of the family.”
“Excuse you.” Jerome clapped his son on the back. “Where do you think you got it from?” He looked at me. “I attended the University of Magic and Science back in the day, was an alchemist myself.”
“Really? But how did you do that with”—I waved my hand over my head—“Fairwitch Isle? I thought you couldn’t just come and go?”
Jerome pushed his spectacles up his nose. “Oh, I didn’t grow up here. I was traveling through this area when I got ambushed by some brotherhood members. I managed to get away and ran right into Fairwitch.”
My mouth dropped open. I couldn’t imagine how terrifying that must’ve been to be chased by the brotherhood. “Fairwitch just let you in?”
He nodded.
Karina laid her hand over his. “And he bowled right over me.”
“Oh, you liked it.” Jerome waggled his eyebrows.
Cillian made a gagging noise while Nevan just leaned back in his chair and smirked.
