Chapter 4
Kicking his horse forward, he left Gisela with Masakage.
Gisela watched him leave with a frown. “Where’s he off to?”
“Goddess and the Moon.”
“Pardon?”
He jerked his chin toward the small cottage that lay before them. From this distance, it looked like a small thatched home with a well-kempt yard. “The shop ahead. X will need supplies for our crossing. I’m sure we’re here to pick them up.”
“In such a hurry?”
He shrugged. “I don’t question my brother. I’m just along for the irritation.”
But she was curious. Kicking her own mount forward, she rushed to the small cottage where strange, twisted statues lay in a rock garden off to the right side. She wasn’t sure if those statues were supposed to be enemies or friends.
Or even what the statues represented.
Ignoring them, she dismounted, then went to the old iron door that she carefully pushed open.
This definitely wasn’t a home. The walls were lined with hand-carved shelves. Beautiful shelves that were filled with all manner of bottles.
But not just any glass bottles…
Potions. Made of different sizes and shapes. All sealed with various colors of wax and topped with a totem of some sort.
Gisela had never seen anything like this. But the strangest of all was the fact that most of the potions were swirling with vibrant colors. As if an invisible hand was inside making the liquid twist in beautiful patterns.
Very strange.
Xaydin turned toward her. “Care to wait outside?”
“Rather not.” This was too incredible a place to not explore it. “What are all these?”
“My hard work.”
Gisela gasped as a deep, sultry voice sounded from behind her.
Turning, she found what had to be the most beautiful woman she’d ever beheld.
Tall and slender, she had jet-black hair that matched her soulless eyes.
Eyes that were painted with red and black to match her lips.
Two parallel lines were drawn between her eyes, and above them was a delicate sliver of a moon.
Dressed in an ebony velvet gown, she had a blood-red hooded cape that had alchemy sigils embroidered along its edges—it was very similar to the black one Masakage wore.
Silently, she stepped around Gisela. “Let her stay. Unlike your brother, there’s nothing in here that could cause her harm. Or that she could use against me.” She smiled at Gisela. “Regular creatures are always welcome. Witches, warlocks, magicians and such…not so much.”
That made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. “Who are you?”
“Her name’s Candara. She’s Sagarian and half elf.”
“And all witch,” Candara said as she headed for the huge cauldron in the hearth.
A fairy elf witch. That explained a lot. No wonder she was so…frightening and beautiful. There was no telling how much power a creature like her would hold.
Candara looked at her as if she heard her thoughts. “Quite a bit, but nothing compared to your companion outside. My half-brother has more demon in him than any of us wish.”
“Half-brother?”
“Masakage who apparently is pouting with me.”
“I pout with no one.” Masakage appeared in the shop, next to Candara. “I was only taking a moment before entering, as I had no idea what mood you’d be in or how tolerant of my presence.”
Candara scoffed. “Are you still haunting alleys?”
“It’s a living. No worse than yours.”
She shook her head. “Such a waste of your noble talents.”
He plucked a purple swirling bottle from the shelf beside him. “And this isn’t a waste of yours?”
“It pays my bills. Some days, very handsomely. Better than being an alley rat.”
“Enough.” Xaydin sighed. “I realize you two have your issues, but I need more potions before your fireballs start launching and you destroy half the shop.”
Gisela’s eyes widened as she realized something. “You’re all three related.”
Candara inclined her head. “Indeed. Our mother was a Leanan sidhe.”
“And part oni,” Masakage added.
Which meant Xaydin was part sidhe and oni, too.
Gisela cursed at her luck. Oni, troll and sidhe made for a lethal mixture. No wonder no one could stand against him. She was lucky she was still alive.
Unable to believe her cursed luck, she looked down, then her gaze was drawn to the fragrant red…something in Candara’s cauldron. “What’s that? A love potion?”
Candara laughed. “It’s lunch. Would you care for some?” Snapping her fingers, a bowl appeared in her hand filled with the cauldron’s contents. She held it toward Gisela.
It smelled wonderful, but she wasn’t dumb enough to even try to eat something from a witch’s cauldron. “No, thank you.”
“Suit yourself.” She sipped from the bowl as she turned toward Xaydin. “Pick your potion, brat. The trackers and warnings are behind you.”
“Easier said than done.” Xaydin skimmed the bottles she’d mentioned while Masakage ladled a bowl of red stew for himself.
Candara moved to sit on an old wooden stool to wait. “You may pick a potion as well, princess. But be warned. My work calls out to you for two reasons. Either you need it or it needs you. Choose wisely.”
Those words confused her. “What?”
Before Candara could respond, Xaydin picked up a gray swirling mist held in a large teardrop-shaped bottle. “Angel’s Envy? How did you get this?”
Candara shrugged. “Envy exists everywhere. Even the divine.”
“I understand, but how did you come by this?”
She swallowed her bite of food. “I don’t ask you about your skills. Why would you ask me about mine?”
“Point taken.”
But Gisela definitely wanted to ask, especially as she saw the one marked Unicorn Blood. “How many potions are here?”
“No idea. I make them when I know they’re needed.” She took another sip of her stew, then jerked her chin toward the shelf behind Gisela. “You might want to browse in that area. I have a feeling you’ll find what you need there.”
Masakage moved to sit beside his sister on another stool.
Gisela glanced over the bottles until she saw the vibrant red, heart-shaped bottle marked with a single word. Love. “I didn’t think you could make someone fall in love with you.”
Candara laughed. “Creatures do it every day. They fall in and out of love at whim. Therefore, love potions are easy to enact. However, that is not what you think. It’s made from the tears of a lost love to strengthen a heart so that it can withstand heartache.”
“Then why does it say Love?”
“Look at the label.”
It now read Tears of Love Lost.
How? She could have sworn the other words weren’t there when she’d first picked it up. And now that she looked closer, she realized there were all kinds of tears on the shelf. “Tears of a Writer?”
She nodded. “A very special and powerful concoction. Creates all manner of chaos.”
“How so?” Gisela asked.
“Creativity and pain. Potent mixture. Also, very unpredictable. Not something I recommend for a novice user or anyone who’s unable to magically defend themselves, as it is a very creative potion.”
That was terrifying so she went to the next yellow bottle. “Tears of Enemies?”
“Also very potent, but not nearly as much as the Blood of Enemies. Those come with all manner of warnings.”
Gisela had no response to that. Only one question. “How do you get all these ingredients?”
An insidious smile curved her lips. “I have my ways.”
Xaydin took a purple swirling bottle. “I’ll take this one.”
Candara glanced at it. “You might also want Dead Speak.”
“I would ask why, but I know better. Thank you.” He moved to another potion shelf.
Gisela started to tell her that there were too many to choose from when one small square bottle caught her eye. Unlike the others, it didn’t swirl. It was a static crimson. Picking it up, she frowned. “Dragon Fire?” It looked nothing like the larger bottle of Dragon Blood she’d seen.
Candara inclined her head. “That is a very special potion. When you throw it, it will consume its target and leave nothing behind save ashes.”
This could easily come in handy. “How much?”
“Nothing for someone who travels with my brothers, but be warned…using magic will cost you, and that’s a price I can’t name, as the magic will take what it wants from you.” She jerked her chin at the potion Gisela held. “What I do know about that one is that it will take its fire from your soul.”
That sent a shiver over Gisela. “Meaning?”
“I don’t know exactly. Again, I don’t pick the price. The potion does. Just a warning before you use it, as they never take the same thing. The cost varies per user and per use. Just remember that the price is never what you think.”
Xaydin shook his head. “She’s terribly vague and terrifying. It’s her most annoying quality.”
“You mean endearing, big brother. Any annoying or scary traits I might have were inherited from you.”
Gisela envied them their playfulness and camaraderie. She’d never been that comfortable with any of her siblings.
Masakage held his hand out and a bottle from the shelf to her left flew toward him. “I’ll take this one.”
Candara arched a brow. “I’m flattered. I thought you disdained my magic.”
“I disdain you selling it so cheaply. But I’m well aware of exactly how powerful you and your potions are. Respect.”
She ruffled his hair, then smiled at Gisela. “Any time your younger brother compliments you it is the highest form of praise.”
“I’ll take your word for that.”
Masakage tucked his unnamed potion into the bag at his side. “Are you sure we can’t pay you?”
She shook her head. “I make plenty. The love potions alone are worth their weight in gold. I’d never be so crass as to profit off the blood of my family…mother notwithstanding.”
“Have you seen her lately?”
She scoffed at Masakage’s question. “Not in years. We still don’t speak.” She turned toward Xaydin. “And I wish we spoke more often.”
“Talking is a useless endeavor.”
She shook her head at Xaydin. “How would you know? You so rarely do it.”
He grunted at her, then headed for the door.
Gisela hid her smile. She cradled her potion to her chest. “Thank you. I appreciate the gift.”