Chapter 11 #3
He pulls up in front of the building, following the directions I give him. I step out of the automobile, not bothering to wait for him. Thea happens to come out from the patient area as I step inside.
“Ada! So sorry to keep you waiting on the pain relief salve. I hope it hasn’t flared up again,” she frets.
I smile kindly in response, not wanting to let her know that it has. It’s my own fault, anyway. “It’s still feeling much better,” I say, mostly true.
“Oh good! It was such a crazy day here. I couldn’t break away until now. Just rub a small dollop around your ankle and foot anytime it feels tender. You shouldn’t need it for more than a few days. But do call me right away if the pain noticeably increases,” she instructs as she hands it over.
“Thanks, Thea. I will. Hope your evening is restful,” I tell her as I wave goodbye.
“Yours too!” she exclaims brightly as the door closes behind me.
Returning to the car, Norrell eyes the jar of salve in my hand. “Does your ankle bother you again?”
“Yes, but it’ll be fine,” I respond blankly.
“I am sorry for causing you to overuse it,” he says, self-reproach evident in his tone.
“Like I said, I’ll be fine. It was stupid of me to come here. I should have just stayed in bed,” I murmur more to myself than him. I rub my temples, where a headache is forming. It’s long past time to go home.
“It was not stupid. Losing your magick has already changed your routine so much. It is understandable that you would not let an injured ankle hold you back from even more,” he says.
I don’t bother with an answer. I’m over this.
And him. I’ll fly off the handle if he pulls anything else.
Closing my eyes and leaning back against the headrest, I will the rest of the car ride to be quick and quiet.
He doesn’t delay any longer and drives us back.
This day has been one giant disaster start to finish.
When I get home, I’m going straight to bed so nothing else can take me by surprise.
My body is stiff as a board getting out of bed.
I must have slept funny. At least my ankle feels better.
Thanks to Mother Earth Norrell will be out of the house this morning.
He and Niven will be busy interrogating the fae.
The thought of it being taken out of containment sends a chill down my spine.
But Niven won’t take any unnecessary risk.
In the cold, damp morning air, I try to touch the ward around my property with that pitiful mote of magick. It taunts me each day, but I still try. As ever, the ward is exasperatingly indistinct and out of reach.
After being forced to neglect the shop yesterday, there’s no question I need to show up and put in a full day.
It’s unfair to Sunny and the rest of my staff to keep calling out.
First, though, I need to stop by Walt and Acton’s cottage.
They live on the edge of town, near many of our town’s shifters who want easy access to the woods.
Their cottage is reminiscent of a log cabin, with an abundance of decoratively carved wood accents.
As I pull up, Acton is bent over the lock on the door to their back garden.
A tall wooden fence surrounds the entire garden.
The door stands even higher with a rounded top and a sunburst shape cut out of it.
“Good morning, Acton!” I greet him as I walk over. “Is the gate acting up?”
“Mother Earth has seen fit to reopen our garden permanently. This latch has not caught since the rising heat of the summer,” he croons in his soft voice. Walt built the fence some years back after young members of the wolfpack inadvertently trampled over a bed of exotic flowers.
“Well, if the humidity is causing an issue, I can… ask around in my coven if anyone would enchant it to open just for you and Walt. You wouldn’t have to deal with the latch anymore,” I suggest, commiserating with him.
I could normally perform such a spell myself.
But that’s out of the question right now.
“Yes, magick to contain nature’s bewitching beauty within. There’s something apropos in that,” he chirrups.
“Good, I know exactly who to call for this,” I assure him. I peck his green cheek. It’s as smooth and soft as a leaf, though his face looks more like skin than plant.
“Thank you, my gold-hearted girl. Walt is awaiting you inside,” he dismisses me affectionately and returns to fiddling with the gate.
Rapping my knuckles on the front door, I call inside as I open it just a crack. “Hello, Walt?”
Walt opens it fully and motions me in. “Good morning, Ada! I’m so glad you stopped by,” he tells me, punctuated by a kiss on the side of my head as he hugs me tightly.
“Thanks for letting me come over this early. I’m going to have such a long day at work, I wasn’t sure when we’d have the chance to get together otherwise,” I say apologetically.
“You are welcome here anytime. Can I offer you coffee? Tea? I made cherry almond scones if you want one,” he offers.
“I’m not hungry, thanks. Coffee would be great,” I accept with a warm smile.
“Just coffee for breakfast? Are you feeling okay?” The concern in his voice is unmistakable.
“I haven’t been in the mood to eat recently,” I answer with a shrug. It dawns on me that I haven’t eaten since the omelet yesterday morning.
“You’re not just hear for a social call. You want to talk about me running for one of the town council seats, don’t you?” he postulates as he pours coffee into the empty mug in front of me.
I grin brightly at him. “You know me too well. As soon as the safety council wraps up, we need those seats filled quickly so we can get back to town business. I’ll help plan your campaign, though you are the breath of fresh air that everyone needs a big whiff of right now.
It won’t take much convincing,” I cajole. Every word of it is true.
He looks thoughtful. “I hadn’t considered it until you brought it up at our lunch with Cara the other week. Do you really think I’d be suited to that? I’m human, after all. The townsfolk may not accept that on the town council.”
I look at him like he’s sprouted vines more magnificently than Acton.
“Why not? Are there not humans here? We shouldn’t let those warlocks’ nonsense infect our thinking.
Besides, you already worked for the town and transformed our parks here.
Now Kiernan Lykander has taken over, and you helped instill that similar vision in him.
You’ve already left a strong legacy. And you have so much more wisdom and insight to offer.
I promise you will always have plenty of time to spend on your connection to nature.
And all the connecting you do with Acton in nature,” I encourage with a cheeky wink.
“Oh shush.” He laughs playfully. “What do you expect when two outdoorsmen find love?”
“Well, I stand by what I say. You’ve lived here for half a century. I know you have opinions on how things should be run,” I press.
“I suppose you’re right. I’ll put my hat in the ring,” he concedes with a shy smile.
“Oh Walt, I’m tickled pink! We’ll get to spend even more time together!” I clap my hands in glee.
“That’s what I’m looking forward to the most,” he adds, holding out his coffee mug for a toast. I pick mine up and we clink mugs, taking a long fortifying sip afterward.
“Did you see Acton outside?” Walt gestures his mug in that direction.
“I will say that deliriously delightful dryad has been awfully obsessed with transforming the back garden. He’s even looking into water features.
Fish will be a step too far, Ada! I have to draw the line somewhere.
I’ll just insist we go kayaking if he wants to be close to aquatic life. ”
“He was looking at the fence when I got here. I didn’t have a chance to peek at the back garden.” I pause, grimacing. “I’m not sure about the fish either.”
“It’s not much to look at right now. Most of it’s torn up to make room for his new design.
We replanted anything native in the woods if we thought it might thrive.
The rest we gave away to the neighbors. He has some grand design in his green noggin.
I’m just letting him run wild with it.” He smiles fondly and shakes his head.
“Moon and stars, you’re going to have an entire eco-system back there. I can’t wait! Send him over to my house next.”
We finish our coffee and make plans to go over his campaign later this week. I know Clancy and everyone on town council will be on board. Hopefully the other two vacancies will be easy to fill.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Walt’s expression turns troubled.
He exhales raggedly as he folds his arms over his chest. “I worry with those two warlocks still out there. That they’ll cause trouble for us if they aren’t caught by election day.
Even with Weatherby in custody, they’ve been smart enough to evade capture. ”
I bite my lip, unable to hide my own concern that they’ve cloaked themselves powerfully enough to hide from our law enforcement. “They’ll slip up soon enough. They can’t keep this up forever.”
“Desperate and evil is a volatile combination,” he observes, frowning.
As I get ready to leave, he puts a warm hand on my shoulder. He steps in front of me, his eyes studying me.
“You look depleted, Ada. Thinner than usual too. Believe me, I know you don’t need another old man hounding you, but you look like you’re running yourself into the ground. How are you feeling? Are you getting enough sleep?”
I sigh pitifully. “Sleep has not come easy recently. I just notice myself feeling low. Low energy, low spirits, you name it. I don’t know how to describe it. There’s been this nagging emptiness in me since my magick was taken.”
“Is it that blue devil? I saw him the other day, but I tried to avoid him. Figured if I didn’t have anything good to say, why say anything at all. But if I need to talk to him…” he starts.