Chapter 20 #2
Luckily, Esmeralda sits in the chair next to me, so I turn to her as the rest of the group carry on.
“Having you here means so much to me. You have always been so supportive and caring. Staying in touch with Norrell, researching cures, sending the journal, and now being here, it’s more than I could have ever asked for.
Thank you,” I acknowledge our deep appreciation of her.
“All of it was my pleasure. Mother Earth, I’m so glad to see everything turn out as it should.” Her beaming smile could light up the room.
“Niven, this would not have been possible without you. Thank you for all you have done for Ada,” Norrell tells him with a hearty clap to the back, their admiration for each other clear.
“I think I made out the best here. A valuable consultant. New and revived friendships. Another big case investigated and closed, earning me some much-needed time off. All compelling reasons to come back and visit. This place has been good to me,” he says with a huff of laughter.
“A home away from home,” Walt chimes in with his newly youthful voice. “You couldn’t pick a better place.”
“The collective heart of our community embraces all those who visit,” Acton agrees.
“Hear, hear! To Monstera Bluff! Niven’s home away from home!” Clancy exclaims, initiating another toast, setting off another round of clinking glasses.
“This town is a credit to Whispered Folk,” Elgar adds as we take a drink.
“We hope to have you back again soon, Elgar. You’re family now,” Walt replies.
“I will return soon and bring our parents. They were not happy he was forced to leave here to take over leadership all those years ago. But the situation in the clan was fraught for so long. It was rotting from the inside out. Our parents always wanted to meet Ada and visit this place,” Elgar divulges.
“They are grateful to finally have that chance.”
“Hopefully it’ll be the first time of many,” Walt encourages.
Esmeralda turns to me again. “What are you going to do now that you’re feeling better?”
I deliberate for a moment. “Well, I still need to show Walt the ropes of town council. Our first meeting of the year is next week. He’s the young up-and-comer on the council now,” I joke, reaching out and squeezing his hand.
He belly laughs, still sounding the same as ever.
“As for the shop, I’ve leaned on my team a lot the past few months.
It’s shown me that Sunny is a natural leader in addition to being responsible and smart.
Same with the rest of the staff. I’m considering stepping back to focus on my specialty again.
I’ve been reminded of so many memories of my time at Sparklight Academy, I miss working in transmutation and alchemy every day.
The challenge of it. There have been a lot of special projects I’ve had to turn down because of time constraints. It’ll be good to reprioritize”
“Ben will be happy to hear it. I’m sure Guardian Construction will make good use of your magick,” Clancy remarks.
“I’ve always felt bad turning down some of his requests, especially for his more aesthetic and creative projects,” I respond.
“So hopefully I’ll free up time for him and others who need it.
” I pause and smile at Norrell, never getting enough of the profound love in his eyes when he looks at me.
“Most of all, though, I look forward to spending time with Norrell and building our life together.”
“I am the luckiest male in the world,” he declares as he leans in for a quick kiss.
“He knows it too,” Esmeralda teases.
“To Norrell! The luckiest male in the world!” a witch across the table calls out. A round of cheers and clinking glasses follow.
Clancy stares at Walt, rubbing a hand over his chin. “Walt, I can’t get over seeing you as a young male. It makes an aging centaur feel positively ancient,” he snickers.
“I may have to come out of retirement. Growing young again has presented some unique but good problems to have,” Walt jokes.
“Who knows, I may get to hand the reins of the town over to you someday.” Clancy smirks at his pun. “I should have long ago learned my lesson to expect the unexpected.”
“To Walt! Proof that seventy is the new twenty!” Clink.
We go well into the evening toasting each other and everything we can think of. The tension I’ve felt since Samhain lifts with each one. I’m floating in happiness—and a bit of a buzz—by the time we head home.
The next morning, Norrell and I drop off Elgar at the portal outside of town.
Niven and his team are there as well. They will accompany him back to the path that leads to the clan’s settlement.
A team of his hunters will escort him the rest of the way.
After seeing the relics in action, they aren’t taking any chance of letting them fall into the wrong hands.
The yetis will return the relics to the cave immediately and leave them there, hopefully forever.
Norrell’s emotional goodbye to his brother shows me just how much he appreciates him. They embrace, clapping each other hard on the back, taking their time before pulling away.
“Thank you, Brother, for allowing me to step away and resume my life here. I will never forget it.” Norrell’s voice is unusually hoarse. “Come back soon. You will always have a place to stay.”
“Mother and Father will not let me stay away for long.” Elgar huffs a laugh. “Anything you want me to bring next time?”
“Just my books. Nothing else holds any importance.”
We say goodbye to Niven and his team. They’ve all grown fond of Monstera Bluff, but Niven especially. “You’ll see me again before you know it,” he assures us with a warm smile right before he steps through the portal.
“You look great!” Sunny rushes over to me when I step into the shop for the first time since I was cured. “That magick must have been the fountain of youth! You’re so fresh-faced and rejuvenated. How are you feeling?”
“So much better. Thank you for taking charge during all of this. I owe you a raise at the very least.”
“I was happy to. I’m just so glad to see you looking like yourself again. Even better in fact!” she gushes.
“If you want to see a fountain of youth, you’ll be quite surprised the next time you see Walt.” I huff a laugh. “That will knock your socks off.”
“He’s a snack!” she exclaims, drawing out the vowels. “No wonder Acton snapped him up.”
“I don’t need to hear that. They’re my uncles!” I grumble jokingly, covering my ears with my hands.
“Let a female appreciate!” she justifies with a playful wink.
“Alright, well, I had also forgotten how handsome he was, not that I ever saw him this young. I wasn’t born yet,” I concede.
After a few minutes catching up, she finally asks, “You said in your message you wanted to talk to me about something?”
“Now that my magick is restored, I thought we could revamp the rest of your apprenticeship. You know everything necessary to create the potions and enchantments we sell. We can leave the bulk of that to the rest of the team. So, I thought I might work with you more on my personal specialties of alchemy and transmutation. With your artistic skill, your magick will surely have creative and beautiful results when transforming one substance into another. I also thought you might like to learn even more about running a shop. I’ll still oversee much of it, but I hope this might gain you some practical experience to make your transition into your own business even easier,” I explain.
“I’m down. Let’s start today,” she agrees readily. “My booth will debut at the farmers market in the spring. I have a lot to learn until then.”
That evening, Norrell and I meet up with Walt and Acton so I can share some hard-earned wisdom from my time on the town council. The warlock years were the worst, but it’s never easy. Since I twisted his arm, I want to prepare him.
“Sometimes, they just want someone to listen to their problems. There may not be anything you can do but lend an ear,” I advise.
“I had plenty of practice for years at the parks department. Townsfolk have a lot of opinions.” He shakes his head.
“This is a solid piece of advice, so take note. Do not accuse Viran of falling asleep at the meetings. His eyes may be closed but his ears are wide open. He will call you out if he hears something he disagrees with. Clancy finds it unsettling. I think it’s hilarious especially when it catches the constituents off guard. ”
“I could have sworn he was asleep half the time. I swear I’ve even seen him twitch like he was having a dream,” Walt insists with a chuckle.
“He doesn’t miss a beat. I’m not sure how he does it.”
While I lift the curtain on the town council’s secrets, I hear snippets of Norrell and Acton’s conversation about his rainforest garden project, finally nearing completion. When Acton asks if Norrell has any free time to help the following week, Norrell looks like something has clicked into place.
“How has your landscaping business been going?” Norrell wonders.
“It has wilted as my days are more sweetly spent with Walt in his golden years. Now that we have been gifted another sixty years together or more, mayhap it is time to reconsider the business,” Acton ponders.
“If you consider expanding, I would offer myself as a landscaper. I would enjoy spending the days outdoors and working with my hands,” he offers.
Acton tilts his head thoughtfully. “That would spread rays of sunshine over the grayest of days.”
Walt’s head immediately swivels to their side of the table. “Well, if you’re going to hire Norrell, then you should hire me too. It’ll be a family business.”
“Bluebell, there is no pressure to decide,” Acton urges. “A new calling may be awaiting you elsewhere.”
“Spending my days with my family sounds like a fine idea. I may once again have the body of a twenty-five-year-old, but my mind is still seventy-three.”
I look between the three of them in disbelief. “Did you form another family business that fast? You three crack me up!”