Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
ZOE
It starts with gold. Seb has a ring that we confirm is solid gold.
We pry out the gemstone and melt down the face of the ring.
Aesthetics aside, gems have their own vibration, and I can’t have anything interfering with the magic.
After some debate, we decide on a star, and I engrave it into the face of the ring, a symbol of the creator.
“Now what?” Seb asks.
“Now, I create a potion using your blood and a collection of herbs designed to magnify the celestial powers inherent in it. The Order’s ring does the same thing but with poisonous herbs that kill the healing qualities and amplify the deadly ones.”
“They turn our own blood against us.” He scowls.
“I came up with this idea for a sister ring when I finally understood the magic of theirs. When I was in the Gold Room, it struck me how I could hear everything else in the room but that ring. It’s like a black hole of silence and darkness.”
“I remember you talking about that.”
“I finally understood it the last time I ascended. The destroyer can only destroy. My coven thinks of that axis of power as a god, an opposing force to the goddess. But gods can create and destroy. The destroyer can’t create anything, especially not life.
He can only take it away. Their ring is all about death and destruction.
But our ring will bring light. I will draw out the celestial magic in your blood that heals and provides you with long life.
I’m going to build this ring to be everything that theirs is not. ”
Seb leans over and kisses the side of my head. “My brilliant mate.”
I pull out my apothecary, the large wooden storage crate that opens like a tackle box and carries all the herbs, crystals, and other ingredients used in basic spells. I open it and start measuring herbs into the Dutch oven I have on the burner.
“Do all witches have one of those?” He eyes my apothecary with its many vials and drawers with a look of curiosity.
“Our parents gift it to us when we’re thirteen.”
“I thought you didn’t get your powers until later in life.”
“We don’t become powerful until we learn to ascend on our own, but we learn the mechanics of basic spells and potions before then. Using licorice root to soothe a sick stomach doesn’t take any power, and neither does mixing this potion. If you can follow a recipe, you can do it.”
“We both know my cooking skills are less than exemplary, so I’ll take your word for it.” He kisses me in such a familiar way, it feels like we’ve been together, moving around each other in this kitchen for decades instead of days.
“It’s time. I need your blood.” I hand him a ceremonial knife with a bone handle.
He extends his forearm over the pot and slices across the soft underside.
Blood splashes into the belly of my makeshift cauldron.
I lift a compress to stanch the flow, but by the time I bring it to his arm, he’s already healed.
“That’s quick.”
“We’re hard to kill without the poison of those rings.”
We exchange a quick kiss as I stir the pot, and then when the concoction starts to sparkle gold, I turn off the burner and drop in the ring. “It has to soak for three days.”
The sound of the doorbell at the front of the house has me looking over my shoulder. I hear Patrick’s footsteps and then the door opening. “That would be Connor and Fiona,” Seb says.
“Where is that fuckhead brother of mine?” a man’s voice booms.
Seb takes my hand and leads me toward the foyer, where a blond man the size of a mountain stands. My feet shuffle at the sight, although he’s not particularly threatening. But it’s hard not to experience fear when a man is big enough to pound you into the ground like a stake with his bare fist.
“Hi, I’m Fiona,” a small, auburn-haired woman beside him says, holding out her hand. I didn’t even see her there at first.
“Nice to meet you.”
“And this is my brother Connor,” Seb says, pointing to the Viking beside her. “He’s the Aries warrior of the Zodiac Brotherhood.”
I shake the man’s hand, aware of how mine gets lost in his bear-sized paw. Beside me, Seb stiffens, and I notice his scent grow stronger, sandalwood and citrus filling the foyer. Connor releases me.
“Morwyn was right, then. You’re mated. Congratulations.”
My cheeks grow warm. “How could you possibly know that?”
Fiona chuckles, the back of her hand held to her nose. “His mating scent is all over you. Even I can smell it, and I’m human. And Seb’s dragon was sending a strong warning to Connor that he didn’t like him touching you. Honestly, it reeks.”
“Smells good to me,” I mumble.
Connor and Fiona both erupt in raucous laughter like I’m the butt of a joke I don’t completely understand.
But Fiona places a hand gently on my shoulder and says, “It’s a dragon thing.
Our mate’s scent is attuned to us and us alone.
Believe me, now that you’re mated, Connor will smell like a wet dog to you. ”
I do catch an earthy and unpleasant musk in the air, now that I think about it, and I curl my nose.
Seb takes my hand. “Coffee? We have much to discuss.”
“Please,” Fiona says, and Seb calls to Patrick to bring it into the dining room.
“So, what is this all about?” Connor asks. “Your message sounded urgent.”
“It is.” Seb looks toward me as we sit across from the other couple at the table.
Patrick whizzes into the room, sliding a mug of coffee in front of each of us and leaving cream and sugar.
Seb dumps a little cream into his before lifting his chin.
“Zoe, tell them what you told Morwyn and me about the water.”
“The water in the vial?” I raise an eyebrow. I did not expect to be discussing this with others from the brotherhood this morning. I thread my fingers together nervously. “It’s more of a theory, really, based on general magical principles.”
Fiona nods. “Then tell us about your theory.”
“There are certain herbs and elixirs that witches use topically and certain ones we take internally. When Morwyn was here, he mentioned that he’s experimented with putting the water on a wound that was poisoned with Order magic, and it only made the wound worse.
When I tested a drop of water on the ring, the ring moved away from the water.
The water in the vial is diametrically opposed magic to the magic of the ring. ”
“I don’t follow. If it’s power is in opposition to the ring’s, why couldn’t it cure Remus’s wounds?” Connor asks.
“Because I think the water has to work from the inside out.” How to explain this. “We have a vaccine for polio, right? But if you put that vaccine into a person who already has polio, it won’t cure the polio. A vaccine can only prevent infection.”
Fiona’s brow bunches. “You think the water can be used as a vaccine against Order magic?”
I blow out a breath. “I’m a young witch and I haven’t practiced magic much in the last year, but we wouldn’t call this a vaccine.
A vaccine is injecting someone with a small amount of something harmful so that their immune system knows how to react to it in a subsequent exposure.
This water isn’t anything harmful. In fact, it’s infused with pure celestial energy.
I’d call it an aegis potion. Usually, something like this…
we witches would drink it as a tea, and, over time, it would protect the drinker against certain curses.
It might even speed healing in someone who is injured by Order magic. ”
Fiona’s eyes go wide, and she turns to Connor. “Oh my God, Connor, that’s why—” She brings both her hands to her mouth.
“Why what?” Seb asks.
Connor shifts in his chair. “When we were fighting Roman, just before I killed him, Fiona was shot by one of his fucking cursed bolts. Went right through her shoulder. But it healed almost immediately.”
Fiona tucks her hair behind her ear. “It was wild because I felt it pass through me, but when I had a chance to look at the wound, it was gone. I thought maybe it hadn’t hit me after all.”
“So, have you been drinking the water on your land?” I can’t keep the hope from my voice.
“Not exactly,” she says. “I used to meet my sister there, though, and she’d often bring a meal to share with me from the convent next door. Sometimes there was tea or lemonade. If she was preparing those drinks using the same water, it means I drank a lot of it over time.”
Seb grabs my hand and squeezes. “Let’s start distributing vials of this stuff to the other dragons.”
Connor holds up a hand. “We haven’t tested this on dragons. Fiona is human. Just because it works for her doesn’t mean it will work for us. Plus, what do we tell them? How much should they drink? For how long?”
Seb looks at me, and I shrug. “He’s right. I’m a singer, not a doctor or a wise witch. I can only tell you that I would personally start with a few drops in my tea or coffee every morning and see how it goes. Maybe test it after a few weeks.”
“We can’t test it, though. It would be unconscionable to infect someone with the ring on purpose.”
Connor frowns. “I bet Remus will agree to be our guinea pig, though. Fiona and I will take some of the water to him on Cardinal Island and ask him to drink it. See if it accelerates his healing.”
“It’s a good idea,” Seb says.
“Thank you, Zoe, for helping us. We wouldn’t have known any of this without you,” Connor says.
I have to look away. I’m so used to screwing up, it’s almost painful to be called out for doing something good. My eyes sting as pride swells within me. How I would love to be right about this. Right about something.
“If you think that’s cool, you should hear what she’s working on now.”
I listen to Seb describe how I’m creating the ring, and my stomach drops, forms into a knot, and gets tighter and tighter and tighter.
You’ll never get this right without the help of gold dust, the spider says. You barely know what you’re doing. Flying by the seat of your pants. Making promises you’ll never be able to keep.
Shut up.
You’ll never complete it successfully on your own. You want to use it. Remember how good it felt? How confident you were? The goddess could tell you exactly how to complete the ring if you went back to the Gold Room.
No. I’m done. If I do it again, I might do permanent damage. I recognize the warning signs. Seb’s right, I can’t do it again without potentially losing myself.
If you don’t do it again, you’ll have to ask Hazel for help, and there’s absolutely no way she’ll agree to it. She’s a wise woman. The witches still have a policy of neutrality.
You don’t know that.
“Zoe? You okay?”
I shake my head, coming out of my conversation with my spider. I haven’t heard a word anyone has said since Seb started talking about the ring. “Sorry. Lost in my thoughts.”
“Connor asked how long the ring would take to complete.”
“About a week, I think. I’ve never done this before, obviously. But looking at the spells involved, that’s my best estimate.”
Connor nods slowly. “Well, all right. I’m looking forward to seeing this ring, little badass.” He takes a huge gulp of his coffee and then turns to Fiona. “You up for a visit to Cardinal Island?”
She nods. “I feel good.”
“Cool. Seb, I’ll let you know how Remus responds. And shoot me a note when the ring is done so I can see it in all its glory.”
I cross my arms over my stomach, and Fiona slaps her mate on his shoulder. “I’m sure Zoe will do her absolute best. It’s her first time doing anything like this. She doesn’t need any more pressure, Connor.”
“Ah, she looks like a fighter to me. Maybe she likes the pressure. When’s your birthday, Zoe?”
“February 29th. She’s a Pisces,” Seb answers for me.
Connor’s face falls. “Sorry. Fiona’s right. I’ll, uh… You got this.” He smiles and gives me a thumbs-up like I’m five.
After a few well-wishes, we see them to the door.
“I guess we’ll know soon enough if your theory about the water is accurate.”
“Yeah,” I say, trying to sound enthusiastic, but inside, I’m praying I don’t fuck this up.