3. Unexpected Company #3
Her eyes met Zephyr’s for an instant. He was unrepentant.
“Whatever! Thanks for the bar!” The shifter boy snatched the snack from the stranger’s hand and bolted out of the shop before anyone could stop him. He and his friends whooped victoriously as they sped off on their bikes.
Minerva’s breath caught in her throat when she turned her attention back to the shop’s interior. Gone was the kind-eyed old man with cookie crumbs in his beard.
Zephyr’s blue eyes blazed with a righteous fury that reminded her of the man who’d left her behind all those years ago. He’d been passionate about her but ultimately more passionate about fighting battles for the Society.
“What the Hecate do you think you’re doing here?” Zephyr growled at the stranger. He had lowered his wand, but it was still conspicuously present, held tight in his hand.
Considering this, the stranger was remarkably unperturbed. He replied calmly.
“I don’t see what the fuss is about. It’s just a candy bar.
One hundred percent organic. Loaded with vitamins and minerals.
It’s healthy! It’s not like I stole a sale from the shop.
We all know that shifter kid was only here to stir up trouble.
He might even have tried to rob you. I did you a favor.
I defused the situation. You can thank me now by showing me down to the Archives to retrieve my book. ”
“Nocturnaturals products are banned in Primrose Court and all magical territories!” Zephyr spat out, unable to back down. “That bar you just gave to those boys is illegal.”
“Illegal to sell, but not to possess.” The stranger shrugged coolly, also refusing to back down. “I sold nothing to that kid.”
“As if that makes any difference? Do you have any idea what this stuff does to our kind?” Zephyr sputtered. “Have you even read the studies?”
“Those studies are biased. You can’t believe everything you read. Here, why don’t you try one? Might do you a world of good.” When the stranger produced a second bar and shook it at Zephyr, Zephyr responded by raising his wand arm, chanting a curse.
But Minerva was faster. She froze the pair in place with a cool flick of her compact wand.
What an unfortunate turn of events. She didn’t need Zephyr’s protection. What she needed was some peace. A little comfort. Perhaps she’d been foolish to think it possible. Zephyr’s causes would always come first.
“That’s enough. From both of you,” Minerva said.
She walked over to the mage first.
“You’re not from around here and you are clearly unfamiliar with the Mudpuddle. I do not allow Nocturnatural products for sale, consumption, or trade in my store. I am well within my rights to kick you out and ban you from returning, but…I believe in second chances.”
Next, she stood before Zephyr and stared meaningfully into his unblinking eyes. “It’s never too late to focus on what really matters.”
She used her wand to summon his stack of flyers from behind the counter, neatly rolling them up and stuffing them into his coat pocket.
“I shouldn’t have to remind you that this is a bookshop, Zippy.
A refuge. I know you mean well, but I’d prefer to keep politics out of the Mudpuddle.
Please be sure to be rid of these flyers when you come back. ”
There was a tear in Zephyr’s eye, but it was impossible to tell whether it was for her or for his lost cause.
Minerva turned back to the stranger now, wishing she’d gotten a name to put to the face.
She noticed the unusual iridescent fabric of his cloak, which resembled fish scales.
It changed color with the light, appearing green from one direction and black from the other.
So flashy. It reeked of new magic and smelled as synthetic as the bars in his pocket.
She addressed him again.
“I’m sorry I didn’t catch your name, but you’re welcome to check back in with me tomorrow about the grimoire. I can help you contact someone at the Society if necessary. They’re quite committed to keeping families together with their grimoires. Even when those families’ bloodlines are compromised.”
Minerva had mixed feelings about this policy.
There was no point in waiting for a reaction from either man because they were both still completely frozen in place.
“Anyway, I always find a brisk walk is helpful to clear my mind when I get fired up. So I will bid you both adieu for now and send you both on your way. I intend to finish my tea in peace.”
Minerva flicked her wand again, and the heavy front door opened wide.
Then a powerful, purpose-built wind lifted Zephyr and the stranger, swept them both out the door and carried them down the path.
It deposited them both in the street, half a block away.
They ought to thank her. She’d had the good grace to drop them upright on their feet, and not flat on their bottoms.
She stood in the doorway only for long enough to reanimate them before locking the shop and flipping the sign on the door to “Closed.”
And in almost no time at all, she was back in her window seat, sipping hot tea alone.