I didn’t see Henry Tilney again until I got to New York, and I had to say, it wasn’t a moment too soon. This was a good thing, because since the day I’d fainted, my nights had been tormented by dark thoughts of the dead rising in various states of decay from their graves.
I hadn’t dared take off the ring, not since he’d suggested I put it back on. I was a little curious. There were plenty buried in New York, sometimes in places you wouldn’t expect, but I had no desire to faint again, especially now I was so far from family. Or to hear these dreadful, spooky voices, all clamoring for my attention.
Not that life was bad for me now, not at all. I hadn’t really known what to expect from this internship. This first week, we’d gone from one meeting to another until it all became quite a blur. Sylvia had shaken a lot of hands and introduced me to a lot of magical people, none of whom I could recall, though it opened my eyes to the variety of races that lived side by side in the sprawling city. I’d never even seen a goblin in our quaint little village. Or an ogre, or a troll, or any of the dozens of different species that seemed ubiquitous here. It was marvelous. Although I wasn’t learning much new magic, I was certainly seeing it. Almost everyone back home had some magic, but I was amazed at how the magic community blended in so seamlessly with the nonmagical people, or numpies as we liked to call them. They could be standing side by side, but the numpy New Yorkers were so busy with their hectic lives that a wizard war could be running under their very noses, and they’d never see a thing. We were invisible to them, like a blind spot they could never see into. Their oblivion was both amazing and baffling, yet oddly, as the days wore on, I realized this worked both ways. We were as indifferent to them as they were ignorant of us, yet somehow, we existed in blissful harmony. It really was something to behold.
Sylvia had the most amazing apartment. It was in a prime location in Greenwich village, close to all the best cafes, bars, and restaurants. The magical community was most intense here, taking full advantage of the artistic traditions of the area. No one looked twice at druids decked out in ceremonial robes, and even fae could sometimes flaunt their wings in public without fear of shocking any onlookers, and often did.
Sylvia’s big thing was networking, and to that end I’d been to so many swanky restaurants and shaken so many hands it was amazing my wand arm hadn’t fallen off. I’d met all manner of people sitting in shadowy booths. Sylvia didn’t care—green hands, pink claws, or purple tentacles, it didn’t matter a jot. She would wave to them all, and they would gleefully wave back, happy to see her.
It wasn’t all work either, or at least, it didn’t always feel like it. Since this was my first time in the Magical Apple, Sylvia had wasted no time showing me the sights. Getting around was easy with the New York Magic Cabs Service, Taking You For A Ride Since 1929. For a dollar and ninety-nine cents, the goblin-green-colored taxis would take you anywhere you needed to be in less than five minutes, guaranteed. Not a problem for cabs that were as comfortable sharing subway and train lines as the streets. The first time a cabbie had shot underground, I’d almost wet myself when we barely dodged an oncoming subway car, yet the driver had taken it all in his stride, and Sylvia hadn’t even looked up from her cell phone. I had so much to learn, and I was loving it. In a few days, we had toured the entire city, taking in Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, Chinatown, and the Empire State Building. She’d steered clear of The New York Public Library, probably because it was known to be haunted, and she felt I should avoid the dead at all costs, at least for now, even though I was wearing my ring.
Everywhere Sylvia went, she knew people. In each location, little packages were always being exchanged, words were whispered, tips were given and taken. It became clear to me very quickly I was under the tutelage of a master. And yes, I loved every second of it.
This afternoon, we were at her boutique in Greenwich Village—Casting Trouble. I was standing at a table in the back, dressed in a black T-shirt with the shop name on the front in bold silver letters and the rest of my clothes protected by a new black apron. Sylvia had me measuring liquified toad tongues into small vials. The stench was appalling, but apparently the brew was quite efficacious for the treatment of arthritis and gout. I took her word for it. There were lots of such fascinating things in the jars and containers all over the place. Tiny eyeballs in round pots, oozy black pills that looked like licorice, reams of lamb’s wool, and so many things adorned the walls and shelves. And there were kittens everywhere, not cats, but kittens. According to Sylvia, they were there to guard her stock. I had no idea how these little balls of fluff could act as a deterrent, but I took her word for it. Most of the time, they just slept and purred. They were quite docile, all things considered.
Everything was orderly back here, and though nothing was labeled, Sylvia knew exactly what everything was and how everything worked.
“So once you’re familiar with our inventory and how we sell it, Henry will show you how to make it. He should be here shortly.” Sylvia nudged my hand gently just before I spilled the nasty brown ooze on the table instead of into the vial. “Careful, dear. Honor the poor toad’s sacrifice. Don’t let any go to waste.”
“Sorry.” I held my hand steady, not wanting to disappoint her. “Um. What time is Henry getting here?” The truth was, I’d been looking forward to his arrival, but I didn’t want anyone to know quite how much.
My attempt to sound casual was an epic fail because a knowing smile teased the corner of her lips. “Not long. And no, I’m not reading your thoughts, dear. I won’t do that again unless you want me to. It’s just not polite.”
“Thank you. You were going to show me how to do that at some point?”
“First things first. We’ll get to that one day.” Sylvia dragged an enormous mortar and pestle across the table and began pulverizing something that looked like fingernails. “And it’s a good thing too. Matt wants me home as soon as possible, poor dear.”
I bet he does!
I hadn’t spoken a word, but Sylvia still laughed. “Now, now. I don’t need to get inside your head to know what you’re thinking.”
I thought about the small apartment over the shop Sylvia kept a block or so away. There were two bedrooms, to be sure, but I wasn’t sure Mom would like the sound of me being all alone with a man I hardly knew. Come to think of it, I wasn’t that keen on the idea myself. “Where does he stay when he’s here?”
“Oh, his family have their own place up on the East Side. He generally stays with them when he’s in town. They have an abbey on Northanger and Fifth, very swanky. Just a subway ride away.”
“An abbey? In Manhattan?”
“Yes, it’s a wonderful place. The family fell in love with the building in England and brought it over stone by stone. I’m sure he’ll show it to you at some point if you ask.”
I couldn’t even begin to imagine what it must be like. Most of the places I’d seen in the city were so tiny you couldn’t swing a kitten in them, so the thought of an entire abbey was mind-boggling. “Well, I definitely can’t wait to see that.”
“Now don’t you worry. In any case, I have another intern coming to join me next week. Isabella Thorpe. She’ll be staying with you in the apartment.”
“Oh? I didn’t know you had more than one.”
“Well, you know, I like to do favors. Your brother asked me to take her on, actually.”
Surprised, I pushed the cork into the bottle and added this last one inside a box of twenty I’d already filled. “My brother?”
Sylvia picked up the unlabeled box and walked off to store it on a shelf. “Shoo, Shoo!” The kitten who had been draped across the shelf idly stretched on its front paws, then wandered off to another part of the shelf, and immediately fell back to sleep. “Yes. She’s the sister of one of his college friends, and apparently, she’s the same age as you. I don’t normally train two interns at once, but between you and me, I think it was your mom’s idea. She didn’t like the thought of you being up here all alone, and well, I can’t say I blame her.”
I smiled to myself. That sounded like Mom. I wondered what Isabella was like and whether we’d get along. I made a mental note to call Jimmy to ask him about her when I had a spare five minutes. Was she was pretty? The thought brought Henry to mind.
“How did you and Henry get together?”
Sylvia popped several bunches of dried herbs toward me, along with a box of what looked like purple glass test tubes. “Add a sprig of this black cohosh, two drops of primrose oil, and add a couple of leaves of this sage. Crush the sage first.” Sylvia pointed to each bunch in turn. “His dad thought about investing in my little venture here, but in the end, I don’t think it was grand enough for him. After his dad lost interest, Henry just kind of stuck around. He’s a unique young man.”
“He is?”
“I think so.” Sylvia watched closely as I crushed some sage into the other herbs. She inspected my work and nodded her approval. “Very good. Now spoon all that into the glass tubes and cork ‘em.”
“What’s this one for?”
“It helps fertility. I’ve had a lot of interns here. We go through some basics, like we’re doing now, but eventually we start homing in on the intern’s specific talents.”
“What was Henry’s?”
“Henry’s gifts are more spiritual in nature. He’ll soon be ordained as a magical cleric.”
I stopped what I was doing, totally taken aback. “That’s the last thing I would have thought.”
“You don’t like the idea?”
“No, it’s not that.” I continued what I was doing. “I dunno. It’s just not what I imagined him doing, that’s all.”
Sylvia laughed. “Not glamorous enough for you young ones, I suppose. Anyway, you can ask him all about it yourself when he gets here. Finish this all off and I’ll treat you both to lunch.”
Just at that time, the shop bell signaled the arrival of a new customer up front. For all her size, Sylvia moved like a ballet dancer, as if she were walking on her tiptoes, to see to them, and I continued with my task. Her news had surprised me. I couldn’t help thinking of old Father Collins back home, the village priest. He wasn’t the most exciting person I knew, and his magic was old-fashioned, so maybe that’s why I took such a grim view of the profession, but who knew? Perhaps the younger ones did more exciting stuff.
I was just thinking about Isabella and what she’d be like when the bell rang again. This time, Henry appeared. A huge grin spread across his face when he saw me. Did that mean he was pleased to see me? I wished Sylvia had taught me how to read minds. He seemed different this time, taller somehow, and he wore a black leather jacket over a shirt and sweater. I thought he appeared far too sophisticated and sexy for a cleric. His mischievous baby blues fixed on me at once.
“So how goes the new recruit? New York seems to suit you. You look very, um, perky.” His grin widened when he said this, and I wondered if he were thinking something else entirely. Was he teasing me?
“Hello,” I said. “I like it. I like it a lot. Everyone has been very friendly.”
“I bet they have, and why wouldn’t they be? There’s a lot for them to like.”
My cheeks burned, and instead of answering him, I focused on pounding those herbs into dust.
“So you’re not missing home at all?” He sat on the edge of the table and watched me work. “You might want to go a little easy on that sage. What did it ever do to you?”
I hadn’t realized I’d been so aggressive and eased off with the pestle. “Thanks. And no, not really. It’s only been a week. Jimmy’s coming to visit me soon when he gets some time off his studies.”
“He’ll enjoy himself. You must make sure you show him all the fun spots. I’ve heard you’ve seen quite a bit of the town already.”
“Some of it.”
Sylvia bustled into the back, and I was glad not to be on my own with him anymore. For some reason, he made me feel really uncomfortable, and my cheeks burned whenever that twinkle came into his eyes.
“How are you doing with those herbs?” Sylvia pulled the half-full box of tubes toward her and examined the contents. “Never mind, you can finish these later. I’m starved. What say we all go over to the Laughing Dragon, my treat. I’m in the mood for some good Japanese food, and they have the best sushi in the village, and that’s quite an achievement.”
Henry nodded and slid off the end of the table. I tidied up my work, wandered over to the sink, and washed my hands in Sylvia’s very pungent lavender soap. I rinsed as much as I could and then returned my black apron to a peg beside the sink.
“All ready then?” Sylvia held the door open for us both.
I followed her into the store, passing the displays of herbs, candies, and gifts, and slipped by Henry, who held the front door open for me. Sylvia joined us, and after locking the door using a sparkly wave of her hand, the three of us headed over to her favorite restaurant.
The Laughing Dragon was a few blocks away, and close enough to walk to. While we sauntered, Sylvia and Henry chatted about this and that, everything and nothing, and I found myself more than a little content with my new life in the Magical Apple. Since arriving in New York, the truth was I hadn’t a moment to spare for my dead ancestors, or the alleged power inside me, or even what the future had in store for me. My life was everything pleasant, and as we walked along the busy sidewalk, I ignored the brisk chill in the air and how the season would soon be turning to something much colder and far less agreeable.