Isabella had arrived home quite late in the evening. There was a gentle rap on my bedroom door, but I ignored it and pretended to be asleep. It was just as well, as it was soon clear she had brought her annoying brother with her—I could hear the two of them in the apartment, whispering and giggling among themselves. I guessed it was in the nature of fae to be mischievous, but whatever they were up to, I couldn’t join them in their merrymaking. I was still mad at John for making me miss Henry. So I kept my door resolutely shut, even after the front door closed and I knew John had left at last.
Come morning, I felt tons better. I could never hold a bad mood for very long, and I also knew that in a little while I would be at the shop, and that Henry would be there working with me for the best part of the day.
I showered quickly and stared at Isabella’s door as I munched on my breakfast cereal. Time was passing, and as far as I could tell, she hadn’t showered yet. If she wasn’t careful, she’d be late on her first day. I slid back my chair, and with my bowl in hand, I knocked on her bedroom door.
“Isabella, are you up?”
Nothing. I knocked a little louder. “Isabella?”
“Go away.” Her voice sounded muffled, liked she’d pulled a comforter or pillow over her head. Maybe she had.
“I have cereal. Do you want some?”
Nothing.
Satisfied I had done my duty by her, I wandered over to the kitchen, downed the last dregs of my cereal, then put the bowl in the sink, and filled it with water. It was still a little early, but I wanted to see Henry so bad, and I had a feeling if Isabella ever got her lazy butt out of bed, she might want me to wait for her and make me late again. I went into the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and was pulling on my poncho by the front door when the door to her bedroom opened. Her tiny nightgown had just enough fabric to be decent, and her beautiful wings hung heavily behind her as she dragged herself over to the bathroom. She waved at me on her way. “You go ahead. I’m not much of a morning person.”
“I can see that.” I grinned and held on to the open front door, wondering if I really ought to wait.
“Really. Go on. I’ll be right behind you. See you at the shop. I know where it is.”
She closed the bathroom door behind her, and then I heard a deep groan, followed by the sound of running water from the shower. Satisfied she knew what she had to do, I headed off to work.
The weather was pretty much as it had been the day before. The wind was perhaps a little milder, but not much, yet I didn’t care. All I knew was I was a few minutes away from seeing Henry, and that was all that mattered to me.
I was delighted to see the lights were already on in the shop, which meant he’d opened early. I bit my lip, knowing that these days women, even witches, were supposed to be cool about their relationships with guys, but my heart trumped my head, and heck, I liked how he made me feel. It was all I could do to stop myself from running in the store, and I was glad I didn’t, because Henry wasn’t alone. There was a very petite young woman at his side, petting a tuxedo kitten. This itself was odd because the little things generally detested being petted. Her aura said witch, but her face told me something else. The likeness was too startling—that had to be Henry’s sister.
They both looked up as I approached. Henry smiled, though his smile was not as bright as I remembered it, and I wondered if he were mad at me after all. I checked my excitement and smiled at his sister.
“You must be Eleanor,” I said as I reached them. I offered my hand, and after putting the kitten down, she shook it warmly. “You look just like your brother. I’m Cat, how do you do?”
Eleanor grinned. Her eyes were set deep like Henry’s, both shy and mischievous at the same time. I liked her at once. “Slightly better-looking, I hope. Pleased to meet you. Hank’s told me all about you.”
It took a second for me to realize she meant Henry. I never really cared for the name Hank. Anyway, I was itching to know what he’d said about me but thought it best not to ask. My concern must have registered on my face because Eleanor took pity on me and smiled. “Don’t worry. It was all good stuff, I promise.” Then she looked over my shoulder, at the door. “I thought the new girl was starting today?”
“Oh, she’s right behind me. She’ll be here any second now.” At least I hoped she would.
“Late night?” Henry eyed me with something like amused suspicion, but there was more to it than that. A little disappointment, maybe?
“Her brother came back with her, and they were chatting for quite a bit. You remember that guy in the Laughing Dragon restaurant who kept looking at me? That’s her brother, John. They’re both fae.”
Henry raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Eleanor straightened her scarf and pulled her bag firmly over her shoulder. “Well, I’d better be off. I just wanted to come in and take a look at the place before meeting up with Dad for lunch. I’ve heard so much about it after all, but this is the first time I’ve actually had a look inside. Maybe when you’re all done, we could get together for dinner or something. What do you think?”
I realized she was asking me. “I would like that very much.”
“I can’t tonight,” Henry said, “but tomorrow, sure, if you’re free, Cat?”
I would have said yes to any day of the week to be honest, but I pondered for a second and then nodded. “Sure, I think so.” Happy dance.
“Well then, I’ll see you soon.”
“Yep, off you go.” Henry grinned. “Some of us have work to do.” He kissed his sister on the cheek and led her over to the front door.
I could see how much he loved her. They reminded me of Jimmy and me, and were maybe even closer than that. Perhaps they didn’t have eight other siblings to contend with. She left the shop, and he closed the door, causing the bell to ring. He looked up and down the street, perhaps expecting to see Isabella, who I hoped was hoofing it. Would she have stopped for coffee?
“Is it just you and Eleanor, then?” I asked when Henry returned.
“Nope. She’s the youngest, but we have an older brother, Freddy.”
I smiled at the thought of there being another Mr. Tilney at home. “Oh, is he cute?”
A shadow crossed Henry’s face. “My brother is quite the ladies’ man. I’d steer clear of him if I were you. He throws women out with the bathwater.”
“Duly noted,” I said. I didn’t really know how to steer clear of someone I’d never met, but Henry was making a point, so I let it slide.
Henry tinkered with some glasses, and I wondered what lesson he had in store for me today. I sincerely hoped we’d be moving on from potions work. And there was something else on my mind. Something I wanted to bring up before Isabella got in.
“About yesterday. Something happened, and I wanted to ask you about it.”
Henry stared intently at a small blue bottle. “You know, sometimes I wish Sylvia would use labels just like everyone else. Yes? What is it?”
“I think I mentioned we went on the tour bus. When we got to Times Square, I put my hand on The Necromancer’s Stone and passed out. That was why I was late. The ring didn’t save me.” I twisted it nervously on my finger. “There were so many voices…”
Henry put down the blue bottle and stared at me. “Are you nuts? You put your hand on the stone? Why would you go and do a daft thing like that?”
I shook my head. “I didn’t realize—I didn’t think.”
Henry’s expression softened. “I don’t suppose it was your fault. I guess you’d never heard about the stone either. Your parents kept you woefully in the dark. Look, there are lots of artifacts and objects that can channel your power. The one in Times Square is arguably the most powerful, and I’d urge you not to mess with it again. You’re not ready for it and might not be for years.”
“How could I ever be ready for that?” I asked. “It almost killed me.”
“In time, you will learn how to control the voices, but it takes a lot of magic and control, and we haven’t begun to scrape the surface of all that. I can see the first thing I’m going to have to teach you is how to recognize them when you come across them. Otherwise, you’ll be in serious trouble.”
At that moment, the bell dinged, and Isabella strolled in. I lowered my eyes, and I think Henry sensed I didn’t want to discuss this in front of her. “We can talk about this some more later,” was all he said.
Isabella looked nothing like the sorry heap I’d left at the apartment. Her hair shone brilliantly, and she removed her coat slowly and provocatively, stretching out her magnificent wings, which almost filled the shop. Her gaze fixed on Henry, demanding the admiration I guessed she always got when she turned on her full fae charms.
She held a beautifully manicured hand out to Henry, like a queen reaching out to her subject. She was fantastic, and I was jealous as Hades. “Hi, I’m Isabella, lovely to meet you. I’m so pleased to be here.”
Henry took her hand and shook it robustly. “Nice to meet you.” He looked up at the clock, just as the minute hand clicked forward onto 9:10 a.m.—she was late.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be late on my first day.” Isabella smiled coquettishly, clearly expecting to be forgiven.
Henry didn’t comment, but though his smile remained fixed, his silence spoke volumes. This tactic wrong-footed her a little, and she withdrew her hand cautiously and tucked her wings behind her back.
“I have a few things I need to attend to this morning, but Cat can show you where everything is, like the little girls’ room, can’t you, Cat?”
“Sure.”
“Do you have any questions before we get started?” Henry asked.
“Um, what happens if I accidentally set something on fire?”
Henry raised an amused eyebrow. “Does that happen a lot?”
Isabella shook her head.
“Good, but if it does, use the fire extinguishers on the walls.” He pointed to one a few feet from where we stood. “There are a lot of volatile substances in these jars. If you used the wrong spell, you might blow us all up.” Henry picked up the blue bottles and handed one to Isabella. “You’ll be mixing some love potion antidotes later today while I work on some other stuff with Cat here. I’ll show you a few to get you started, and if anyone comes into the shop, I’ll see to them up front.”
His gaze went up and down Isabella’s silk shirt and pencil skirt. “It can get a bit grungy back here mixing potions and messing with raw ingredients. I suggest you come in something a little more practical tomorrow. Do you have any jeans and a plain old T-shirt? If not, I’m sure one can be found for you. And use an apron when you’re mixing things in the back. Cat can find you one of those as well.”
“I’m sure I have something suitable, but if you have something you want me to wear now, I’d be happy to change.”
The bell at the front of the shop rang, signaling our first customer of the day. “Cat, see if you can find her a store shirt from the box. I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Sure.”
Henry skipped off, and after sharing a quick smile with Isabella, I led her to a cardboard box full of shirts like the one I was wearing myself and pulled out one in her size. Like mine, it had Casting Trouble emblazoned on the front in elegant silver lettering. “There’s a room you can change in out the back, and you’ll find an apron hanging on the back of the door.”
“Thanks.”
As Isabella went off to get changed, I smiled. It looked like Henry was impervious to Isabella’s many charms after all, and more than a little relieved, I allowed myself a tiny victory dance on the inside. Call me daft, if you like, but I couldn’t help myself.
Isabella returned a moment later, but not even a T-shirt and shoddy apron could diminish her beauty. She winked at me and nodded to the front of the store where Henry was still chatting to a customer. “Is he always so formal?”
I never thought of him that way but didn’t want to appear confrontational. “He’s very nice. You’ll get used to him.”
“Oh, like that is it?” Isabella’s knowing smile was irritating. “Well, I don’t know if you noticed, but my brother likes you lots. I do hope you’re not going to disappoint him and make goo-goo eyes at another dude.”
“Goo-goo eyes?” Henry couldn’t have picked a less timely moment to return. “Is that a term?”
Mortified, I could only hope Henry had missed the first part of the conversation. However much he’d heard, I certainly couldn’t look him in the eye now.
Indifferent to all of it, Henry picked up a package containing what I instantly recognized as licorice root and a potato peeler. Isabella looked confused, wondering where he was going with this. I had a pretty good idea, having seen Mom make antidotes for love potions hundreds of times for our magic school.
“Right, let’s get you started on these antidotes. I want you to slice the root as thinly as possible, like so.” Henry carefully cut five long shreds down the full shaft of the root and tied them with a small red string. “Then pop them into one of these blue bottles and pour ten drops of this licorice root extract over the top. Ten drops mind you, not a drop more or less, or our customers will lose all their hair. When you’re done, pop in a little cork like this, and then line them up, twelve in each box. You try.”
Isabella took the root from Henry, but her hand shook as she tried to peel it, resulting in tiny shards rather than the long strips Henry had made when he’d done it. She looked up anxiously.
“Keep practicing. You’ll get the hang of it. Do you have any questions?”
Isabella shook her head. “It’s fiddly, but I can do this. Don’t you worry.”
I admired her confidence as she knitted her brow and went at the roots with a vengeance. Her next cut produced a much longer shred.
Henry watched her for a few seconds; then, seemingly happy with her progress, he smiled in my direction. “You’d better come up front with me.”
“I thought you preferred us minions hidden in the back?”
“I do, but we don’t want to be disturbed for this.”
I thought there was less chance of that in the back, but intrigued, I followed him through the door that led to the shop. Henry made straight for the front door and locked it. Two kittens instantly appeared and set to watching the door.
“There. We won’t be long, but the last thing I need is customers waltzing in while we practice this magic. Sylvia wouldn’t mind us closing for a few minutes—she’s pretty good about that sort of thing.”
“Right, I see,” I said, wishing I did.
He not only closed the door but also pulled down a black shade so no one could see through the glass. He then turned off all the lights. There was enough light to see by, but it was significantly darker. “Just a precaution.”
I held my breath. At last, we were going to do some serious magic.
Henry came and joined me behind the counter. I knew he was just doing his job, and I was doing what Sylvia had employed me to do, yet I felt a tiny thrill knowing that I was going to have him all to myself, albeit in a very small way and only for a little while. I tried not to let my pleasure show on my face as he came close, though I felt suddenly warm and was very conscious of my breathing being shallow. I prayed to Gaia Henry wouldn’t notice any change in me.
We were in an oasis of boxes and jars. Their contents seemed to shift in the shadows, though nothing moved when I looked closely. I wasn’t afraid—this was the world I lived in, and there was little here I hadn’t glimpsed in my own village and sometimes in my own home.
Henry pulled out a purple box from under the counter, and when he removed the lid, it was full of a vibrant, gold-colored powder that shimmered in the darkness. It wasn’t anything I’d seen before.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Egyptian pixie dust. It’s very old, very rare and very powerful. It costs an absolute fortune, but Sylvia told me I could use some of it on you, but we mustn’t go mad.”
I peered closer into the box, wondering what was so special about it. “What does it do?”
Henry pulled out his hawthorn wand and hesitated over the box. “It has many uses. But before we do this, I need your consent.”
I wasn’t expecting him to ask that. “What for?”
“You want to know how to read minds. One of the things this does is stimulate the part of your brain that’s receptive to mind reading. We can then practice on each other, but it’s invasive, and I want to be quite sure you’re up for in before we begin.”
I caught my breath and put my hand down flat on the counter for some discreet support. Just moments ago I’d been thinking thoughts about him, thoughts no innocent young apprentice should probably be thinking. At the same time, this was one of the things I most wanted to learn. I didn’t know what to say.
“Err, yeah, sure, I’m up for it I guess.”
Henry cocked his head to one side. “The only thoughts a person can read are the focused ones. You have to think them in sentence thought. Otherwise, it’s like pea-soup in there—a big ugly mess. Oh, and I should probably mention, once we open the door, the change is permanent. You will always be able to do this, whether you like it or not. Do you still want to do it?”
I nodded. “If it’s gonna happen sooner or later anyway, might as well be sooner. Oh, should I take off this ring? Will it interfere with the magic?”
“No, not at all. You can leave it on. Very well.” He smiled and then waved his wand. A gray mist surrounded us.
“Do you give your consent for us to experiment with Egyptian pixie dust?” he asked again.
I giggled, imagining us in a church about to get married, me in my white wedding dress, and the minister waiting for my answer. Henry cocked his head sideways and frowned.
“Umm, yes, yes, I do.”
As soon as I gave my consent, the mist evaporated. I looked at him with wide eyes, a little bewildered.
“Sorry, but I take that sort of thing very seriously.”
I understood, though I was still grinning.
“When the powder is in the air, I want you to breathe it in deeply through your nose. Keep your eyes closed and don’t open them until I tell you to. Remember, you only have to do it the once; after that, you’ll never have to use the stuff again. Are you ready? Because you can still change your mind if you’re not sure.”
I nodded, both nervous and eager to get on with the lesson at the same time.
“Good, this will be quick. If you hesitate, the powder will be wasted.”
“I understand.”
“Good. Remember—eyes closed. On the count of three. One—two—three.” Henry drew a small S pattern with his wand over the box, and a tiny amount of the dust, maybe less than half a teaspoonful floated up into the air. It hovered like a small cloud in front of me, and though my heart was racing, I stepped right in, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath.
I felt a tickling in my nostrils and then a series of small explosions that reminded me of pop rocks going off in my head. The sensation wasn’t frightening, just weird.
“Don’t open your mouth or open your eyes yet. I’m going to massage your temples. Don’t worry, it won’t hurt. Are you ready?”
“Mmm-hmm,” I replied, afraid to move my head or open my mouth.
A moment later, I felt his hands on either side of my face. Ever so gently, he began rubbing my temples, making small circles with his thumb. He was so close to me I could smell his breath, which smelled pleasantly of mint. I was in danger of shaking, but I kept a hold of myself.
“Just think this. What’s your favorite flower?” His voice was unusual. It was definitely Henry’s, but clearer than normal, his diction more perfect.
Hmmm. A flower. I remembered the field of bluebells near to our house. We’d skip through them on our way home from school and put them in our hair. I liked bluebells.
“You’re thinking bluebells, right?”
“Yes.”
“Open your eyes.”
I did as he told me.
“I’m thinking daisy.” Only Henry’s lips didn’t move. I could hear him as loud as if he were speaking, but it had all been in my head. He still cupped my head in his hands, but he was no longer massaging me. His gaze was fixed on mine, and he was smiling. I suddenly realized my eyes had been glued to his lips, and embarrassed, I pulled away, in case he read more in my head than I wanted him to.
“Wow, that’s incredible.”
Henry turned and carefully put the lid on the powder and restored it to its place behind the counter. “Telepathy is a fairly rare gift,” he explained in his usual voice. “It’s not uncommon in necromancers, though some don’t learn how to do it until they’re much older. The powder just helps things along. It wouldn’t work at all if you didn’t have the gift to begin with.”
“But you have it, and Sylvia does. How rare can it be?”
“Trust me, it’s rare. That’s why she was so interested in you. And me when she first met me. I joked the other day that she collects us like dolls.”
“So now I’ll be able to read minds?”
“Yes, but not so fast. We must respect the privacy of everyone else. After all, you wouldn’t like some stranger poking about in your head, would you?”
I picked up a jar and pretended to be interested in its contents, though I couldn’t have been less so. I just couldn’t risk looking at him. “I suppose. So why show me? What’s the point if we can’t use it?”
“The most important thing about the gift is that it not only allows you to read minds, but it also helps you block people from reading yours. We’ll work on that some other time. But eventually, you won’t need a ring to block the voices in your head, no matter where they come from. You’ll have more control, and trust me, you’ll be a lot happier with your gift than you are now.”
“I’ll believe that when I see it.”
He smiled. “Well, for the rest of the day, I want you to help Isabella and resist the urge to read my mind. I’ll sense it at once if you do. And don’t try it on Isabella. She’s fae, and it doesn’t work on them. You’d be wasting your time.”
Pity, I thought.
Henry grinned, and I wondered if he’d just read my thoughts.
“Hey, can I tell when someone is reading my mind? Like, are you doing it right now? How can I know for sure?”
“You can kinda feel it when they do. But they can’t read anything in there other than what you tell them, like a regular conversation. The problem, as you’ve already discovered for yourself, comes when they all start talking at once.”
That was a relief, at least.
“Are you two up to no good?” Henry and I turned to see Isabella watching us. She was grinning and motioning over to the locked front door, where the blind was still down. “Do you want me to leave you alone?”
Henry strolled out from behind the counter and pulled up the blind. The kittens left their post and retreated into the shadows. “No, we’re done for now. How are you getting on with those roots?”
“Better, but I’d like you to come and have a look at what I’ve done before I do any more, just in case I’m making a complete hash of it.”
“Sure.”
As Henry unlocked the door, a werewolf waltzed in. I’d have known what she was, even if she’d hidden her aura, because it had been a full moon last night, and her coat hadn’t quite retracted. I suspected that was why she was here in the shop.
Henry indicated with a subtle nod that we should go through to the back again. As we retreated, I looked back over my shoulder. Hairy as she was, the lady werewolf was a hottie, and I wondered if Henry would flirt with her.
“Is Sylvia not here? Damn it. I suppose you’ll have to do. I demand you provide me with wolfsbane repellant spray. I am sick to death of being followed everywhere by horny werewolves.” Her voice was so deep it made my spine vibrate. But I laughed inwardly and left him to it.
While Henry took care of her, I joined Isabella in the back. She had made pretty good progress on the antidote, and her small bottles were all stacked and ready for inspection. I picked one up and sniffed it.
“These look perfect to me,” I said, after checking a few more bottles.
Isabella smiled, and picking up the potato peeler, she began slicing up the next root. When she was done, I took over tying the shards with the red string, adding the ten drops of extract to each bottle. I had made this stuff so often I could do it in my sleep, and that was a good thing because I had a lot on my mind right now. And though I should have been thinking about the lesson and all Henry had told me about the dos and don’ts of telepathy, in all truth I wasn’t thinking about that stuff at all. All I could think about were his hands on my head as he’d caressed me, and those gentle lips and eyes, which just a few minutes ago were so close to mine. I knew now I was falling for him, and there was no magic on earth that could stop it. And that was fine by me. I was ready to fall under his spell and prayed to Gaia he would reciprocate. I wanted him to so badly.