Chapter 3 #2
I approach the counter and hand over the list. "We need some supplies."
She scans the page, her eyebrows rising slightly at some of the items. "Are you working on a protection spell?"
"I'm not actually sure what they're working on. Today I'm simply a messenger."
She smiles and looks over the list once more. “We have some of these, but I'll have to order the rest. Give me a moment and I'll gather what we have."
"Perfect. Thanks."
She disappears through the beaded curtain into the back room, leaving us in the main shop.
Asher immediately gravitates toward a large jar labeled DO NOT TOUCH in bold letters.
Orion intercepts him smoothly, redirecting him toward a display of crystal formations that are significantly less likely to cause a magical disaster.
The woman in the back finishes looking around and leaves us as the only customers. While Asher questions Orion about almost everything he sees, I entertain myself by browsing around on my own.
It's weird being back here.
I'm still integrating the Poppy who grew up here as an Emberwood Elite, and the Poppy who knew nothing of her life and saved up to go to Bingo with the eccentric old woman who lived in her apartment building.
Damn, it’s crazy how much I miss Birdie and some of our other Wichita neighbors. Not for the first time, I wonder what they’re up to.
I’ve thought about calling them a hundred times, but haven’t figured out what I would tell them. I don’t lie to my friends, and yet, there’s no way I could tell them the truth.
And so, the silence continues.
Isobella returns a moment later with a basket of carefully wrapped ingredients, and I circle back around to the counter. As she begins tallying them up, I think about the people we saw outside.
"Isobella? May I ask you something?"
"Call me Izzy, and sure." She glances up from the herbs.
"You working here means you see a cross-section of the Emberwood public, right?"
She pulls out a binder with a pricing sheet and slides her finger down a column until she settles on a price. "Yep, we get all kinds in here. Not just practitioners, but lots of local folks who burn incense or smudge or like to dabble with tarot."
"Have you noticed anyone with glowing sigils on their foreheads?"
Izzy sets down the bundle of dried sage and meets my gaze. "That started about three days ago. So far, I've only seen them on nocana, but I don't know what it is. It's been mentioned to Laurel and the elders, but they've got a lot going on right now."
Yeah, like covering their own asses while a demon lord stalks our town.
"Has anyone recognized the sigil or made any guess as to what it might be?"
She shakes her head. "Not as far as I know, but then again, I'm pretty low on the coven food chain."
"Have you ever gotten the impression that the people know they're marked?"
"Doesn't seem like it." As she finishes with each ingredient, she places them into the bag and checks them off my list. "I asked Mrs. Chen if she was feeling all right, and she looked at me like I was being weird."
Asher and Orion join us at the counter.
With the order assembled, she circles three items on the list and opens a brown leather ledger. "I'll source these out, and if you give me your phone number, I can let you know how much they'll be before I order them."
"Order them regardless of the cost." Hearing those words coming out of my mouth is mind bendy. I pick up a pen and jot my number on the page next to my name in the ledger. "You can let me know how long it'll take or when to pick them up, though."
She sets the ledger aside and totals the bill for the items we are able to take home today. "That'll be sixty-seven fifty."
I hand over cash, watching as she carefully packs everything into a canvas bag. When she gives me change, our hands brush. A rush of magical energy tingles in my fingers and across my skin.
Her magical signature is lovely. Subtle and gentle.
Izzy looks up and meets my gaze with a smile. "Be careful, Poppy. There's a lot going on in Emberwood right now, and a lot of it seems to be focused around you. Namaste."
I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say to that, so I accept the bag and dip my chin. "Namaste. It was nice meeting you, Izzy."
Outside, the orange glow of the afternoon sun has morphed into the mauve of early evening. There are more people on the street now, heading home from work or maybe out for dinner with friends.
I count three more sigils in the span of a block. "Wow, this is bad.”
Orion follows my gaze and frowns. “Agreed.”
Asher frowns, looking around. “But what flavor of bad? Are we talking apocalypse bad or Emberwood Thursday night bad?"
“I’d say we're quickly trending toward apocalypse bad," Orion says.
"We need to figure out what that sigil means." I pull out my phone and pretend I'm taking a selfie, but instead I snap a few pictures of the guy walking across the street toward us. "Does the coven have anyone who studies sigils? Or maybe someone from the Arcana Academy?"
Orion has something to say, but hesitates.
"What? Who are you thinking?"
"Well, the best person I know for sigils around here is Wylder, but the two of you seem to be having some sort of silent fight, so I'm not sure that's helpful."
"We're not having a fight… are we?" Sure, Wylder's been avoiding me since finding out about the blood contract I made with Tharuzel, but that's different from fighting. For us to be in a fight, I'd have to know what he's thinking and why he's mad.
Which I don't. Not really.
Then again, I didn't really know what he was thinking when he kissed me, either. He said we were going to talk about it, but then everything got complicated and there's been no talking at all.
And sadly, no kissing either.
I sigh and glance around. There aren't any sigil-marked citizens around at the moment, but we saw at least half a dozen in the past hour. That's more than enough to push me past awkward or hurt feelings.
Getting my thumbs moving, I type a quick text.
Poppy: Need to talk. Magical issue. I'm in town and something's happening. Can you come over?
I hit send before I second-guess it. "He wouldn't avoid me at the cost of witch business, would he?"
Orion shakes his head. "He tutored you when he hated you and blamed you for his mother's death."
"Gee, thanks. That makes me feel much better."
He rolls his eyes. "My point is that he can bury his feelings for the sake of duty."
"Put that on a Hallmark card." Asher peers over my shoulder, watching for a reply.
I agree with Orion. Wylder might avoid me, but he won't ignore a magical threat to Emberwood.
At least, I hope he won't.
My phone stays silent as we walk back to Asher's truck. I stare at the screen, willing it to light up.
Nothing.
"Give him time," Orion says quietly.
But time feels like something we're running out of.