Chapter 6 #2
“The Children don’t have an official stance against them, but Fiona’s husband—Maxx’s eyes and ears—does,” Violet replied tersely.
“The only time she is ever free of him is when he’s at the sanctuary, assisting Maxx with rewriting scripture, and that’s normally in the early morning hours.
She’ll come into the village square during that time to take care of errands and such, and that’s when she spares a moment to see me.
She’ll then meet up with him at the sanctuary, and they head home together. ”
The pain and exasperation were evident in the way Violet described her little sister’s life.
Unfortunately, it sounded no different from the lives of many other women in the village who were part of fanatical religious families.
They were raised to be mild and obedient little servants to their husbands.
It made my blood boil, and judging by Violet’s reaction, I wasn’t alone in that regard.
“Let me think about this for a moment,” I said.
“We need to figure out a way to get the tea to your sister that doesn’t involve her and me ever meeting face to face, because that would be too obvious.
Magda is also out of the question, because they have their eyes on her as well.
You also can’t be seen going over to her place, because that would raise suspicions with the husband, and vice versa: she can’t come over to your home on her own. ”
I sat there with my head in my hands, mulling over the various ways in which we could get caught or tip off the husband. There really was only one viable option.
“The only way we can do this is if I give you a double dose of the tea to keep in your store, and the next time your sister comes by to visit, make sure you have a spare glass available and use it to offer her a drink. That way, if she has her children with her, they won’t see a medicine bottle and will have nothing to say to their father.
With a stronger dose, it usually takes a day, maybe two, to take effect, so it should give you enough time to distance yourself from the situation.
There are a couple of things to know, though.
With a stronger dose, it will be more painful for Fiona.
I will leave pain medicine with you to give to her—should she want to risk having it in her possession.
She will want to take a few drops six times a day for the first few days to manage her pain.
There is also the issue of the shelf life of the tea.
Because I have to steep it, once I give it to you, it must be used within two days.
Waiting any longer than that will affect its efficacy. ”
Violet looked at me warily, her voice wavering a touch. “What does ‘efficacy’ mean? What will happen if she doesn’t drink it within two days?”
“If Fiona doesn’t drink it within two days, then it won’t work,” I replied.
“Can’t you put something in it to make it last longer? Maybe put it in some food or something?”
“Violet, if that were possible, I would be doing it that way already.”
“I’m sorry, Aurelia. I didn’t mean to …”
“It’s all right. I get it. It’s not exactly helpful information, given your situation, and I wish I had other means to assist you, but this is what is currently available to us.
You can leave here tonight with it if you think you’ll see her tomorrow or the day after.
Alternatively, you can come back and grab it once you’ve discussed it with Fiona and come up with a date that both of you can agree on.
I will warn you, though, and make sure you pass this information on to Fiona as well: the sooner it’s done, the easier it will be on her body.
If she is certain that this is what she wants, then I don’t recommend waiting much longer. ”
Forrest stood up from his chair and turned to Violet.
“I can make the trip into the village to drop it off at your store, if that is more helpful to you. Truth be told, I haven’t seen much of the village, and it would allow me to do so and also help you both out with this situation.
” He looked between Violet and me expectantly, as if our answer would make or break something for him.
I spoke first. “Forrest, it means a lot to me that you want to help, but I think for this particular situation, it might not be for the best. This is a small village, and the people don’t know who you are, so you’re going to stand out right away.
I would prefer not to draw more attention to Violet than is needed. I appreciate the offer, though.”
Forrest nodded, resigned, and sat back down.
“I think I’ll take it with me tonight,” Violet said. “We should limit our interactions as much as we can. I’ll figure out a way to get word to my sister to come see me at the store so I can give it to her.”
I nodded, then got up and went into the kitchen to make the tea using the incantation Magda had given me.
Several minutes later I came back into the living room and handed Violet the bottles of steeped tea and pain medication.
Violet reached into her pocket to retrieve payment and placed the silvers in my hand.
She pulled me close. “Thank you, Aurelia,” she whispered, her voice quavering.
“You have no idea how much good you bring to this nasty, awful realm. Don’t listen to those stupid fucks at the sanctuary.
You’re not a blasphemous witch. You’re goddess-sent.
” She gave me a small kiss on the cheek, grabbed the small glass bottles from me, and headed toward the door.
Forrest got up, grabbed her cloak, and helped her get it on.
“Violet, would you like Nocturna and Astra to walk you back into the village?” I asked. “I’ve had some other women who’ve come to visit me take advantage of this when leaving, so they aren’t confronted on the way home, if you know what I mean.”
Violet suddenly had the widest grin on her face. “Aurelia, I would fucking love that! I hope I do run into someone, just so I can see them shit their pants when they see those two beautiful beasts.”
Mothers Above, Violet was great.
I quickly called out for the girls, and within moments, they were there. “Nocturna, Astra, can you please walk Violet back to the village? Make sure she gets home safely. Feel free to attack anyone who looks at her the wrong way or says anything untoward.” I winked at the two mountain cats.
The girls chirped in approval and sat on either side of Violet. After a few more minutes of saying our goodbyes, the girls were on their way to the village, with Violet following proudly.
“That woman scares me a little,” Forrest admitted.
I laughed and pushed him back inside. “Same, Forrest. Same.”