CHAPTER 22 FIN’S FINDINGS
Fin nodded as he read through the notes pertaining to Witch’s Brew. The room he found himself in with Mr. Kraft, Lady Elena, and Mage Sebastian had, at one point, been the keep’s solar, but had been transformed into a researcher’s paradise with shelves of various herbs and tinctures. Three tables had been set up: one for note-taking, one for running tests, and another for holding particular findings.
Upon reading through the notes that Mr. Kraft had handed to Fin, the duke learned their contents to be both interesting and disappointing as far as it came to learning more about the devil.
“Those who take Witch’s Brew can see imps and pixies from the Forest of the Afterlife and magic. You indicated that they can even take on some of the abilities of witches nearby—though typically when that happens, they are prone to death. Do the witches they borrow abilities from experience any drawbacks during this time?” Fin queried while addressing Mr. Kraft.
“As far as we can tell, no.”
The duke let out an aggravated breath. “You’ve confirmed that there is nothing like Witch’s Brew naturally occurring in this realm?”
“Not in Zinfera, Daxaria, or Troivack.” Lady Elena stepped forward. “However, the blue spots? They are a type of mold that is equally unique. Whether the mushrooms are a regular specimen of our world, and the mold changes it into a magical drug? I’m not sure. We have tried transferring the mold to a handful of fungal varieties but to no avail. The mold, when introduced to other plants of our world, seems to be absorbed … but we have not moved on to testing what said infused vegetables do with this mold.”
Setting down the notes in his hand, Fin peered around the room. “I have a unique constitution; I’ll try it.”
“Your Grace, we cannot condone that!” Mage Sebastian burst out while moving to block something from Fin’s view.
The duke raised an eyebrow and moved around him. “If this thing manages to harm me, it can tell us a lot. Though I only will consume a small amount.”
Everyone but Fin wore matching looks of disgust and concern.
The house witch soon found out the reason why when he laid eyes on what looked like an old tomato that had the occasional furry spot along with the telltale bright blue sprinklings he’d seen on Witch’s Brew.
“Ah. Are those furry spots … part of the mold on Witch’s Brew? It doesn’t look as bright blue.”
“No … That is just … regular mold,” Lady Elena explained with a wince.
Fin swallowed with difficulty.
Every inch of culinary expertise that lived in his being wanted to retch.
He swallowed. “Please … have some moonshine on hand.”
Mr. Kraft swept over to the door hurriedly to make the request of a steward.
Gingerly, Fin picked the vegetable up, then closed his eyes to regain some of his resolve.
Everyone else looked away as he bit into the vegetable.
Setting the tomato back down in a hurry, Fin turned around.
He had already turned pale with green tinging his forehead.
As everyone waited in tense silence, they couldn’t bring themselves to move. They weren’t sure what would happen.
Then Fin’s knees buckled, and his eyes filled with white magical light.
Half falling, Fin gripped his chest where his mother’s symbol had brutally burned his skin, and he seized the edge of the nearest table, making all the instruments and bottles rattle.
“Godsdamnit! What do we do?!” Mage Sebastian shouted, his uncertainty and panic freezing him in place.
Mr. Kraft stared around Fin, distracted by the magic that no one else could see whirling about the house witch.
Fin could not see or hear the people around him as his vision was flooded with nothing but an empty white space, then blackness, then … he found himself standing and staring at none other … than Tamlin Ashowan. His son.
Terror filled the house witch.
He had only ever projected his spirit when one of his loved ones had felt intense terror.
Tam was standing in his father’s study, book in hand, his own eyes filled with white light as he stared at his father’s pale-faced projection. Behind him, the doors to the balcony were shut as the snow fell in thick flakes outside. The fire crackled merrily behind Fin, who looked around in awe.
“D-Da … ?! What the … What is happening?!” The book fell from Tam’s hands as he took an unsteady step closer to his father.
“I … I had a bite of a moldy tomato that—”
“You of all people are dying of food poisoning?!” Tam exclaimed frantically.
“I might not be dying! You know your grandmother’s curse should stop that. We’re trying to learn more about Witch’s Brew and—”
“You did this voluntarily?!” Tam breathed, his magic-filled eyes wide.
“We needed to know more. They think there is a witch opening portals here in Troivack.”
“So … you are only here because of a portal?” Tam’s shoulders relaxed.
Fin faltered. “That … That might be what this is …”
“Might be?” Tam drew himself straight once more.
Fin held up his hand to settle his son down.
A portal for the soul … That did make sense. Especially given that his time with his son was unlike when he’d seen Annika before he’d temporarily died … or when Kat had been terrified the year before. During both of those occurrences in the past, he couldn’t speak or be heard, and he hadn’t been able to remain there for as long.
“Everything will be alright, Tam … This is a good thing. I think this answers a few questions. Though I don’t know how long these effects will last.”
Tam clumsily leaned on the desk. “Great. Not only does every single one of my family members abandon me to run two noble houses on my own, now I am partially blind!”
“I didn’t know Likon had stowed away on the ship until we were halfway to Troivack.”
Tam sighed and wearily reached up to rub the back of his neck. “As annoying as this is, I understand … I do. We’re all worried about Kat. How is she, by the way?”
Fin hesitated and considered how much he should tell his son given his unknown length of time in this state of limbo. Then again, he wouldn’t have a chance to tell him anything until they’d all returned home. Informing him as he was as opposed to a letter might be the better option.
“She’s … well. However …”
Tam waited expectantly as he once again regained control of his emotions.
“She’s married.”
The brief spell of calm Tam experienced vanished. “What?! To whom?!”
Fin let out a sigh. “His Highness Prince Eric.”
Tam’s jaw dropped. “Da, that is not funny! You can’t be serious! What did Mum say? Oh Gods, what about Likon?!”
Unfortunately, as Fin opened his mouth to offer his son more of an explanation, he felt a familiar tug in his being, and his study back in Daxaria began to fade from view, however, he could hear his son say one final thing before the office was gone from his sight.
“Now you disappear?!”
As Fin’s vision gradually cleared of white magic, he found himself on the floor of the solar in Lady Elena’s keep.
“How can we tell the king he died voluntarily?!” Mage Sebastian shouted frantically from somewhere above the house witch.
“His Majesty is familiar with the Ashowan family; he will understand that—”
“No need to carve my tombstone yet,” Fin announced wearily from the floor.
His entire being felt as though it had been run over by a carriage, and all he wanted was to fall into a dreamless sleep.
“Good Gods! What happened to you?!” Mr. Kraft blustered while offering a hand to Fin and helping him to his feet.
The movement made the room momentarily spin before the duke.
Placing his hand on the table nearest him, Fin gratefully accepted the goblet of moonshine he had asked to be delivered beforehand from Mage Sebastian.
“Are you certain you should be drinking that? Technically you did just consume a component of a drug,” Lady Elena asked while wringing her hands.
She looked terribly pale.
Fin took a large gulp of the burning liquor before responding. “As I said, I have a unique constitution.”
Despite his confident response, Fin had to admit he was feeling significantly more unsteady on his feet than he would’ve liked.
“I appeared in the study of my home. I spoke with my son in Daxaria.”
The room fell into stunned silence.
“I think,” Fin continued slowly, “I think the mold has the ability to portal away a person’s soul.”
“Then where is it the people who take Witch’s Brew are being transported to?” Mr. Kraft insisted, his mind racing through the implications of Fin’s discovery.
“You said they see creatures from the Forest of the Afterlife. Is it possible … their souls are wandering between the realms?” Fin continued while noticing his legs were starting to tremble less.
Mr. Kraft nodded thoughtfully. “I’ve never heard of such a thing done before, but … given that there is the involvement of the devil and ancient beasts, that could be the case.”
“Why were you transported to your home and not the Forest of the Afterlife?” Lady Elena wondered wisely.
Fin wasn’t able to form any sound reasoning for that question, so he furrowed his brows and lowered his gaze as he tried to piece it together.
Just then, a repetitive pawing at the door interrupted the small group. Fin gave a wry half grin.
“Right on time. He always has to make an entrance before giving all the answers … I swear that’s where Kat learned it …” the duke muttered half to himself while crossing the room. He proceeded to open the door to find Kraken sitting and waiting regally while the two guards stared down at the feline at a complete loss as to what they should do about his presence.
The fluffy familiar sauntered into the room, leaving Fin to close the door behind him.
“This is a most interesting keep, witch. Are you aware there is a labyrinth of tunnels that range farther than I can smell underneath us?” Kraken meowed.
Fin froze and looked at Lady Elena with wide eyes.
The noblewoman, taken aback by his reaction, unconsciously shuffled backward.
“Lady Elena, would all the extra security around your keep have something to do with a large amount of hidden passageways underneath us?” the duke asked lightly.
The noblewoman looked like she was about to throw herself onto her knees and beg for her life when Mr. Kraft stepped forward.
“Lady Elena has been instrumental in keeping the witches that remain here in Troivack safe. They have been forced underground to avoid being slaughtered in the streets.”
“I was only asking out of curiosity for the time being. Now, Kraken … before I hear more about these tunnels … we’ve learned something interesting.” Fin breezily glossed over the matter of the tunnels, knowing that it was a far graver matter than he was letting on but wanted to tackle one dilemma at a time.
After relaying to his familiar the details of what the group had started to deduce in light of Finlay’s experience with the moldy tomato, Kraken gave a laughing chirp.
“Goodness … I thought you knew more about Witch’s Brew than that! I asked you if you needed me to tell you more about it, and you said you and your mate had run all the necessary tests!”
“Wait … you knew it was transporting people’s souls?!” Fin exclaimed in alarm while rounding to face his cat directly.
Mr. Kraft, Mage Sebastian, and Lady Elena watched, perplexed as they were unable to hear Kraken’s side of the conversation.
“Yes. The imps and pixies have been trying to lure the broken souls that consume Witch’s Brew to the Forest of the Afterlife for years now. The only reason there weren’t more taken in exchange for the beasts in Daxaria was because I showed them the true might of the empurror!” Kraken meowed imperially.
Fin’s jaw dropped.
His mind was still sluggish from the effects of the mold, but as he pinched the bridge of his nose and pieced through the information, he stared down at his familiar eagerly.
“What do you mean in exchange for the beasts?”
Kraken blinked up at him. “Witch, have you gone senile? You should know better than anyone that creatures crossing the boundaries of the realms must pay the price. A soul or more from our realm could bring over the ancient ones. Though most are not clever enough to do so without direction. A single soul could most likely bring a pixie or two.”
Fin wanted to sit down as the realization settled heavily on him.
“Kraken … what did I say … about telling me everything you learn … ?”
“There was nothing to tell you. No one in Daxaria was in harm’s way … though if I am to successfully take over Troivack, I will need to take the beastly brutes in paw.”
“W-What is he saying?” Lady Elena leaned forward, dropping her voice to a whisper.
“He says that the Witch’s Brew is a means of exchanging human souls to the Forest of the Afterlife in order for the ancient beasts to come here.”
Lady Elena covered her mouth, horrified. Mage Sebastian stood straight. And Mr. Kraft looked grim.
“Kraken, why was my soul transported to our home in Daxaria when I consumed the mold?”
“You ate such a thing?” Kraken’s note of disgust was not lost on Fin. The feline huffed before continuing. “I do not completely understand how it works. I only know that is what is being used as a ticket of sorts.”
Fin turned to face the trio of Troivackians that awaited to hear what else was said.
“Kraken doesn’t know why I wasn’t transported to the Forest of the Afterlife, but … this is already more information than I thought we could obtain. Is there anything else you’d like to share with me?” The house witch addressed Kraken again.
The familiar didn’t respond straight away and instead tilted his head as he stared up at Fin pensively.
“Would you like me to go to the Forest of the Afterlife to learn more about the mushrooms? It’s been a while since I put the fear of my claws in some of those ethereal fools.”
Silence followed.
Fin knew at that point in his life, he shouldn’t be surprised to learn that his cat was capable of crossing realms … and yet … Amazingly, he was… .