Mica's words echo in my head.Isobella will walk if the situation deteriorates further.
I school my expression, pulling out the list Sebastian gave me. I doubt very much that she'll bring up Mica's defection plans in a shop where any Emberwood witch could overhear.
Laurel could have spies anywhere, especially if things are as tense as Mica suggested.
"Blessed be, Orion."
"Blessed be, Isobella. This is Poppy and Asher."
Isobella smiles, and it transforms her whole face from quietly pretty to genuinely warm. "Namaste. It's wonderful to meet you both. How can I help you?"
I approach the counter and hand over the list. "We need some supplies."
She scans the page, her eyebrows rising slightly at some of the items. "Are you working on a protection spell?"
"I'm not actually sure what they're working on. Today I'm simply a messenger."
She smiles and looks over the list once more. “We have some of these, but I'll have to order the rest. Give me a moment and I'll gather what we have."
"Perfect. Thanks."
She disappears through the beaded curtain into the back room, leaving us in the main shop.
Asher immediately gravitates toward a large jar labeled DO NOT TOUCH in bold letters.
Orion intercepts him smoothly, redirecting him toward a display of crystal formations that are significantly less likely to cause a magical disaster.
The woman in the back finishes looking around and leaves us as the only customers. While Asher questions Orion about almost everything he sees, I entertain myself by browsing around on my own.
It's weird being back here.
I'm still integrating the Poppy who grew up here as an Emberwood Elite, and the Poppy who knew nothing of her life and saved up to go to Bingo with the eccentric old woman who lived in her apartment building.
Damn, it’s crazy how much I miss Birdie and some of our other Wichita neighbors. Not for the first time, I wonder what they’re up to.
I’ve thought about calling them a hundred times, but haven’t figured out what I would tell them. I don’t lie to my friends, and yet, there’s no way I could tell them the truth.
And so, the silence continues.
Isobella returns a moment later with a basket of carefully wrapped ingredients, and I circle back around to the counter. As she begins tallying them up, I think about the people we saw outside.
"Isobella? May I ask you something?"
"Call me Izzy, and sure." She glances up from the herbs.
"You working here means you see a cross-section of the Emberwood public, right?"
She pulls out a binder with a pricing sheet and slides her finger down a column until she settles on a price. "Yep, we get all kinds in here. Not just practitioners, but lots of local folks who burn incense or smudge or like to dabble with tarot."
"Have you noticed anyone with glowing sigils on their foreheads?"
Izzy sets down the bundle of dried sage and meets my gaze. "That started about three days ago. So far, I've only seen themon nocana, but I don't know what it is. It's been mentioned to Laurel and the elders, but they've got a lot going on right now."
Yeah, like covering their own asses while a demon lord stalks our town.
"Has anyone recognized the sigil or made any guess as to what it might be?"
She shakes her head. "Not as far as I know, but then again, I'm pretty low on the coven food chain."
