Epilogue
Some sort of inspiration possessed me after that, and for the next three months, I created dozens of potions, filling an entire book with other theories to test. I’d never felt more confident in my craft—like I was a new man, discovering something about myself so extraordinary that I wanted desperately to make up for lost time.
Knowing I had the ability to do this made me feel so much closer to my parents, to my gifts, and to my shop.
I felt reinvigorated, like I had purpose. Lovely purpose.
And through it all, I had my friends at my side.
Well, not completely by my side. Freya had been at Kingsbury, helping to repair the damage done there, with the aid of the Council of Witches, whom she’d convinced were somewhat responsible for the mess that had been made by not keeping the balance of power in better control.
Lexi had helped where she could as well, but many souls had been lost that day, and the humans had another reason to hate witchkind.
As we helped them to rebuild, however, we also gave them a reason to trust as well.
I’d even lent them David, and they put the golem’s strong body to work on some of the more strenuous tasks.
“Oh, Mr. Witch!”
I glanced up from my cauldron bubbling an obscene purple.
The air in my shop was thick with the smell of licorice, which wasn’t right.
It should have smelled like herring. I certainly preferred the current scent, but my calculations hadn’t been this far off in a while.
A smell was just a smell. It was the effects of the potion that mattered most.
Therese was walking over to me slowly, carefully balancing a human skull turned upside down so that the cranium was full of steaming amber liquid.
She looked rather strange walking with the remains of a man in her hands, a strand of her red-orange hair falling into the liquid.
That wouldn’t have been a problem if she’d remained a frog-creature.
I rather missed that form. But I supposed her father had been glad when she’d shown up on his doorstep following our adventure.
And she wasn’t a nuisance to me all the time.
Although for some reason, Auggie had insisted I needed a serving girl for my tea.
He said it was so I could focus on helping customers, but I knew it was because he liked having Therese around the shop.
“What’s this?” I asked her, leaning forward to give it a sniff. The licorice was too overpowering for me to get a handle on the scent emanating from the skull. I brought my face closer to Therese’s conspiratorially. “It isn’t that healthy tea again, is it?”
Therese giggled in response, shaking her head. “No, Mr. Witch. It’s chamomile and lavender. Auggie says he doesn’t want you hyper at the dinner table again.”
“Hyper at the dinner table,” I echoed in a mumble.
Sure, I got excitable after working on potions, but there was no reason to practically sedate me.
Nevertheless, I accepted the skull and tipped a small portion into my mouth.
It was sweetened with honey and sugar. Very lovely.
At least Auggie’s alchemy wasn’t yet as potent as I could have created.
I smacked my lips as I handed the skull back to her, carefully yanking free one of the skull’s teeth and popping it into my mouth like a mint.
“You’re not spoiling your dinner, I hope,” a voice commented from the other side of the room.
I looked up, startled, to find Auggie watching me, an amused lopsided grin on his face. My eyes drifted to the dimple he showed off and my heart gave a flutter in response. “Wouldn’t dream of it,” I told him. “Unless you cooked.”
“I did not cook. I can manage tea, but that’s the extent, I’m afraid.”
“You barely manage that,” I muttered.
Therese laughed.
“What was that?” Auggie asked, frowning. I lamented the loss of that dimple.
“Nothing, dear. Who cooked, then? Not … not Freya, I hope?”
Now Auggie chuckled. “No, no. I’m not letting her near the kitchen again, not after she beheaded that chicken in there. I’m still finding blood in cracks. Lexi’s here today. She insisted on taking over.”
“Oh, Lexi,” I said, relieved. “That’s fine then.”
“Glad you approve, your highness.”
I ignored him, turning back to the potion. It suddenly smelled foul, as if it had turned rancid. My lips curled as I sniffed delicately, realizing that it hadn’t gone bad, so much as it smelled of herring.
Herring. That was good.
I pulled the cauldron from its place over the fire and secured it to a hook. Then, I poured a cup carefully before walking into the back of the shop.
The kitchen smelled of roasted pheasant and sizzling vegetables. It was heavenly. My mouth began to salivate as I turned my attention to a pot on the stovetop.
“Don’t even think it,” Lexi told me, narrowing her eyes. “You’ll have a taste at the same time as everyone else.”
Xander, who stirred a pot on her other side, moaned in agreement.
One of his eyes hung limply out of its socket, settling casually upon his cheek.
I didn’t think it would be proper to point this out, so I ignored the offending organ.
So long as nothing dropped from him into what he was stirring, it would be fine.
Although his fingernails did look a bit loose and fragile.
“Have you come to offer your services?” Freya asked from where she stood, adding flour to some dough she was rolling out with her other two hands. She grunted as she leaned into her work, before offering me a smile. “That doesn’t seem like you at all.”
“Because it isn’t.” I smiled back sweetly. “I was bringing something to … ah.” I caught sight of my intended target, perched on the back counter, watching the goings-on of the kitchen with interest.
I strode over and leaned against the counter casually, laying the cup before Narcissa with a flourish.
Narcissa stared down at it suspiciously.
Ever since Lexi had healed her, Narcissa had been less curious than usual.
Where she would always opt for adventure before, she would rather lie in the sun and nap.
It wasn’t unusual behavior for a cat by any means.
It was just unusual for this particular cat.
“That’s for you,” I told her, as if she hadn’t already guessed.
Narcissa’s tail flicked behind her as she let out a small mew. I reached out and scratched her behind the ears, and she pushed her small head into my hand in appreciation.
“Go on, now,” I told her. “It won’t bite you.”
Narcissa seemed to sigh, then lowered her head and lapped at the potion I’d created for her.
I watched her drink. It was still a marvel that she was here, that Lexi had gotten to her in time.
When I’d held her tiny body in Kingsbury, I’d thought for sure she’d been gone, that there was no chance to save her.
Luckily for me, and for Narcissa, the Ice Queen’s icicle projectile hadn’t pierced any vital organs on its way through her, or she would have died outright.
No, the icicle had held her blood at bay long enough.
As soon as Therese had handed her to Lexi upon appearing to her out of the portal, Lexi had flown into action, healing the wound as she’d slowly withdrawn the projectile.
It had taken a few days for Narcissa to fully recover from the magic, but she had recovered. With less enthusiasm for danger.
It was probably for the best, really. I didn’t plan on going on any daring adventures after what we’d just been through, after all.
At least not any time soon. I had a potion shop to run.
And with Auggie creating and selling his own alchemical concoctions to the human customers who were now welcome at the shop, I had my hands full.
When Narcissa had finished the potion, she licked her lips, her pink tongue darting out in case she’d missed any.
“Well?” I asked, crossing my arms as I watched her. “How was it?”
“It was adequate, I suppose.” Narcissa’s voice came to me through her meows. I smiled as Freya looked up.
“Was that our little kitty cat?” the witch asked.
“It was,” I said, grinning at Narcissa. The healing work that Lexi had done on Narcissa had left my familiar without her voice again.
And without her fire and wings. Healing spells often negated other magics, so it was no surprise.
Yet … I’d come to miss the mouthy feline bossing me around and criticizing me.
It just wasn’t the same without her words chasing me.
I leaned toward Narcissa. “What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?”
Narcissa scowled. “You really are an embarrassing creature.” But her tail swished behind her in approval, betraying her words. “How long will it last this time?”
My grin widened. “This time? Oh, forever.”
“For …” Narcissa’s eyes widened. “Forever forever?”
Even Lexi paused in her work to look back at this proclamation.
I nodded. “Yep. I finally figured it out. Took some time, but this should keep you in communication with us for as long as those nine lives last you.”
Narcissa stared back at me, speechless. When she recovered, she cleared her throat. “Yes, well, I suppose I only have eight of those lives left now. Thanks to your antics.”
I laughed. “I suppose that’s true. Insult me as much as you wish.”
“Don’t think I won’t,” Narcissa said, beginning to lick at her paw.
“There are many improvements that could take place around here. The first of which should be firing that girl. Whoever heard of a girl with the grace of an elephant serving tea? She would be much better suited with those slender amphibian legs again.”
“For once, we’re in agreement. But I’m afraid Auggie won’t have it.”
Narcissa blinked. “That brings me to another recommended improvement.”
“Oh, hush,” I told her, patting her head. “You like Auggie.”
“He’s more tolerable than you, I suppose.”
I chuckled, leaving the kitchen to return to the shop. Sunshine poured into the space; David in his rocking chair, silent and still, the little spider still perched in his eye socket. He’d refused to have it cleaned, bless his little mud heart.
I started as something snaked around my waist, but then Auggie’s chin settled on my shoulder, and I relaxed. Warmth radiated from him as he squeezed my middle.
“You don’t mind that it’s not as quiet around here as it used to be?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Having more people around allows me to focus on creating new potions, so I suppose it’s an acceptable sacrifice.”
“Mmmm. A sacrifice, is it?” Auggie released me and spun me around to face him. In the golden rays of the afternoon sun streaming into the room, he looked as if he was glowing.
“How did I ever get so lucky?” I asked, leaning forward and rubbing my nose against his.
“Well, you had to descend into Hell, for one thing,” he reminded me.
“Oh, yeah. That’s true. I earned this.”
Auggie scoffed. Then he leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine.
It was a feeling I would never get enough of.
I tingled from head to toe with pleasure whenever he was near.
As I pulled him closer, I knew that this was what I was meant for.
I would come up with a thousand potions to keep Auggie at my side for as long as possible, despite Lucifer’s prediction.
So long as that was what Auggie wanted too.
I pulled back and smiled at him. I hoped he did want to inhabit this little potion shop with me forever. But I would respect him if he didn’t. And one day, when his saint powers manifested, we would tackle whatever came of that together, as well.
“What are you thinking?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow. “You’re grinning like a fool.”
“Am I?” I asked. “I suppose it’s because I’m so happy.”