Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
Downstairs, Narcissa was nursing a bowl of milk at the table, while Therese eagerly eyed a bowl of termites set before her. Her tongue snapped out with ease, finding a target, and she swallowed greedily.
I took a seat beside Freya, who had her arms crossed. Well, her top two arms; the other two were still hidden beneath her cloak. She ignored the steaming cup of tea in front of her.
The kitchen had some similarities to my shop. Bouquets of dried herbs hung from the rafters, while a cauldron simmered in the fireplace. A mouthwatering aroma filled the room, promising succulent meat, with notes of carrots and onions.
“I have a lamb stew cooking,” Lexi said, noting the hunger in my gaze as I stared at the cauldron. “It should be ready in about an hour.”
“Not soon enough,” Narcissa said, her voice once again filling my head in chorus to her mewing.
“I don’t know,” Therese said. “I think bugs are growing on me.”
I groaned. “And they’re talking again.” I lolled my head toward Lexi as she sat down across from me. “I thought you were my friend.”
“No need to be so dramatic,” Narcissa sniffed, nose lifting into the air snobbishly. “It’s not my fault you don’t want to hear criticism, let alone engage in riveting conversation. I’m afraid it’s beyond most of you humanoid creatures.”
“I think you hurt her feelings, Mr. Witch,” Therese interpreted.
I sighed. “Sorry, Narcissa. I was just getting used to the quiet. It’s been a long day and a constant stream of consciousness from you is the last thing I need right now.”
“That wasn’t much better, sir,” Therese said.
Across the table, Lexi watched me. I knew she was waiting for me to speak about the situation I found myself in, but I was having trouble figuring out where to start.
A steaming cup of tea sat before me; no doubt prepared by Xander. I was going to pass. Even with a healer on hand, I would rather not cough up my intestinal lining just now, in case he’d ignored his mistress’s wishes.
“You’re cooking, yourself? You don’t have a cook to do that? Perhaps an undead one?”
Lexi smiled. “I enjoy cooking. I could bring someone else on, but it’s only me. Xander’s tastes are rather … simple.”
“And Xander won’t, say, eat my brains in the middle of the night if he becomes peckish?”
Lexi laughed, an infectious noise that had me grinning.
She slammed her hand on the counter as if she had to expel the joy from her system somehow before she finally wiped a tear from her eye.
“Oh, my. I forgot how funny you are. No, no. Xander is very well-behaved. I extracted all of his teeth so he couldn’t infect you if he tried.
If he scratches you accidentally, I can heal it for you, but you won’t suddenly find yourself craving brains. ”
“Oh, good,” I said, sharing an uneasy look with Freya. “You hear that? The zombie can only gum us. She extracted the best part. Probably threw those teeth away too.”
“You wouldn’t have wanted them. They were rotten through. If you can believe it, Xander wasn’t in the best of shape when I came across him.”
I exaggerated shock. “You don’t say.”
“Why does your feline have wings?” Freya asked all of a sudden.
I glanced at Narcissa, who sent a look of disapproval at Freya. As if to accentuate her new wings, Narcissa stretched them casually. “Don’t be jealous of my wings when you have an extra set of arms. You know more than anyone here how useful extra limbs can be.”
Lexi’s eyebrows shot up and she appraised Freya anew.
Freya, in response, sighed and pushed her cloak back to reveal the appendages in question, then crossed both sets of arms before her.
“There’s a lot going on here,” Lexi said, eyes darting around the room before landing on Therese. “Narcissa began gathering ingredients for a spell to allow her to talk almost immediately. But I was surprised the toad wanted to drink it as well. Why does it speak so eloquently?”
“She’s a frog,” I corrected her. “And she was a little girl only two days ago. It’s a long story. But if you happen to have some moonbeams, piranha teeth, or a hangman’s toe, I would be forever grateful.”
Lexi’s eyes narrowed. “You are going to fix that girl, Callum.”
“I know. It was an honest mistake.”
“He’s promised to set things right, Miss Witch,” Therese said, coming to my defense. “It was my own fault for nearly getting caught by a demon.”
“And you’re introducing little girls to demons.” Lexi looked heavenward before shaking her head and turning her attention to Freya. “And you are cursed. It doesn’t take an expert to see that some of your body was assembled from the dead. I assume that’s how a necromancer was able to control you?”
Freya straightened in her seat. “That is correct. The witch Ambrosia controlled me for over a decade. Hitting the boy in the head with the hilt of my sword was only the latest of many offenses she forced me to carry out.”
“And before that?”
Freya hesitated, sneaking a glance my way. “Prior to that, I worked for the Council of Witches.”
“You did?” I asked, surprised. I, too, sat up a little straighter in my seat.
The last time the Council had visited my shop, I’d been fined for petty offenses.
Apparently dragon’s breath could reanimate some ancient evil found in the scales of nagas, or some such nonsense.
Perhaps Freya could help get those significant fines reduced.
“Why didn’t you say so? You should return to them immediately. ”
She shook her head slowly. “It’s not pertinent. I’ve been gone a long time, so returning can wait a little longer. They clearly haven’t missed me.”
“What did you do for the council?”
Freya stiffened. “Mostly, I transported members of the council around.”
“Like a glorified coach,” Narcissa commented.
Freya’s eyes narrowed at the feline. “I also used my rune magic to strengthen wards. If a witch’s territory expanded, I moved the runes. That sort of thing.”
So, not a member of the Council herself, but rather a lackey. No wonder she’d been in Ambrosia’s possession for so long without any intervention. That didn’t speak well for the Council, however. Even a low-level employee should have been protected.
“What are runes used for in a witch’s territory?” Lexi asked.
“Oh, mostly to mark their territory. The runes are tied to the ruling witch. So, for example, Ambrosia could use her powers throughout her entire territory with their amplification, whereas she would only normally be able to control the dead within about a half kilometer of her location.”
“Which is why you’re safe this far away from her,” I surmised.
“Correct. And don’t think the Council isn’t going to know exactly what transpired in Ambrosia’s domain these past twelve years. That horrid witch can expect a sharp rebuke, perhaps losing a good portion of her territory.”
“I could burn her to a crisp,” Narcissa offered.
I frowned at her. “You know we can’t kill her. At least not before the Council gets involved to take care of any lingering spirit. Besides, knocking her out with a rock did the trick.”
“Yes, well, fire is new to me, and I imagine frying her would take a good long while, otherwise I would have tried. Can you imagine all of the horrible screeching she would make?” Narcissa shuddered.
“And anyway, you weren’t in any position to hold her down for me while she cooked, were you?
Nearly depleted all of your stored energy, like an amateur. Good thing I tagged along.”
I ducked my head. “Yes, you were right on that point. You’ve been very useful.”
Narcissa began to lick a paw. “It’s my duty as your familiar. Perhaps you’ll take me on more of your excursions in the future. This has all been great fun.”
Narcissa had an odd definition of the word fun.
“And who exactly is the human in the bed upstairs?” Lexi asked, turning back to me.
I smiled tightly. “Lucifer charged me with making sure he reaches an address in New York.”
Lexi considered. “He seems like a good guy. Doesn’t strike me as the sort you’re usually charged with.”
“Agreed.” I sighed, running a hand down my face. “And now, apparently someone has a bounty on him, challenging Lucifer’s claim. It’s going to make this all the more difficult. I don’t suppose you know of a reliable ship’s crew who could take us to America?”
“Someone is challenging Lucifer?” Lexi blinked. “That’s rather extraordinary. I hope you know what you’re doing.” She took her own mug in her hands. “Plenty of people in Bristol would be willing to do me a favor, I’m sure. I’ll see what I can do.”
“That would be amazing, Lexi. I appreciate it.”
“It’s thrilling that we’ll get to travel to America,” Therese piped up. “I’ve always wanted to go. I bet they have much better things to eat than France.”
Lexi cocked her head. “France? What’s wrong with what they …” Her eyes slid down Therese’s frog body, lingering on her legs. “Yes, er, snails are rather slimy creatures, aren’t they? Who wants to eat them when you can have … pancakes in America?”
Therese perked up, throat bobbing excitedly. “Pancakes? Oh, how I love pancakes.”
“With the freshest maple syrup you’ve ever tasted,” Lexi agreed.
Narcissa took a step closer to Lexi excitedly. “Does that taste better than mice?”
Lexi’s smile was brittle as she nodded. “Oh, yes. Much better than mice.”
Narcissa sat back on her haunches, satisfied. “Oh, good. Is maple syrup much like blood?”
“It’s the blood of trees,” I snapped at Narcissa, who turned, offering me a view of her backside.
Lexi blinked as Narcissa’s tail swished aggressively. “You never told me why Narcissa has wings.”
I groaned. “Because she’s a cat and she wanted them.”
“I deserve them,” Narcissa added, yawning and showing off her teeth.
“And you indulged her?” Freya frowned.
“For now.” I shook my head. “Gods know why.” I turned back to Lexi. “But what have you been up to? You haven’t visited my shop in months.”