Page 20 of The Witch & the Grizzly

Incredible.

This was what she’d been missing her entire life, something her previous lifestyle had never been able to satisfy. The escape into alcohol, into bodies, merged like a black hole in her mind. How could that possibly compare to something like this?

Maybe she should start writing poetry. She thought she now knew what those poets meant when they wrote those words of love.

Chapter Six – Eva

After the picnic, Eva expected to meet Nathan again pretty soon, still exultant from the feelings that had arisen, except time was not on their side.

First of all, Nathan was called into the fae realm again to establish another connection. Then Eva needed to concoct a complicated potion that took her about eight tries to get perfect, meaning she was locked in the tower for almost two days straight. Neither the professors nor Morgryn wanted her to leave the tower, so they also needed an excuse as to why she was missing her lessons. At least she was allowed back into her dorm room to sleep.

Then, of course, there was yet another mission or two, or three, for Nathan. From what Eva understood, navigating the Unseelie Court and its capricious members was a complex task – but each person they collected led them to their own connections, slowly spreading the word that Morgryn had been freed and wanted to return things to normal, which inevitably meant that sooner or later, the people they didn’t want to find out about this, would.

Morgryn certainly seemed to think so. “It’s expected that despite my current allies’ efforts to remain discreet, there will be traitors in their circles, and we should assume that a movement is in effect to try and denounce my words, though they’ll have a hard time, considering not that many supported my absence. But there’s not much to be done if they ambush you in the night and hold you for ransom.”

“And your fellow Unseelie would rather see you imprisoned than killed?” Eva asked. “That’s almost charitable of them.”

Morgryn displayed a twisted smile at Eva’s words. She examined her latest potion, a Potion of Flaying, moderately concerned about it. It seemed Morgryn had started her with easy recipes and then required more questionable ones.

“They didn’t do it out of love for me. They saw I was the only one who’d be able and willing to put things right again. The others just tend to follow. There aren’t many who wish to lead.”

She glanced at the purple fae, still not completely at ease in his presence. She also didn’t much like the fact that the fae’s missions ensured that Nathan remained firmly out of reach.

She really, really wanted to follow things up with him. Only that didn’t seem like it would be happening anytime soon. Stupid fae realm, and its stupid Unseelie Court.

As she mixed a potion once more in Morgryn’s study, she got to witness a meeting between Morgryn and some recently recruited Unseelie fae known as Renath, who seemed to be an expert in the intrigues of the court.

“The cat’s out of the bag now,” Renath, a dark-skinned, white-haired waif of a creature, informed Morgryn. Renath had one of those reedy, thin voices that grated on Eva’s nerves. “Aelund has already gone to inspect your prison when he heard nothing from the Guardian he’d left there. They know you’ve escaped. They also know what you’d try to do if you escaped. So, right now, Aelund is consolidating the people he trusts and ousting those whom he feels are more likely to align with you.”

“Give me a rundown,” Morgryn ordered, and Eva stepped back from her hissing potion, waving her hand against the acrid smoke it produced.

“Uh…” Renath said, slightly bothered by the fumes. “Your master potioneer, I presume?”

“She’s made some perfect concoctions,” Morgryn purred. “She was behind the Flay Potion.”

“Oh…” He now examined Eva with more interest. “Perhaps I’ll borrow her some time.”

“A rundown of the alliances, if you please,” Morgryn demanded. “How much support do you think Aelund can muster?”

At this, Renath made a sour face. “Honestly, it’s not looking good for him. Most of the old guard are anxious to see the damage being done to the realm, aside from a few bootlickers who prefer just to curry favor with whoever is wearing the Unseelie crown. Some of the youth who supported him last time have turned against him, but the rest are still going through a rebellious phase because of the riches they’re accumulating from the deals.”

Morgryn sighed. “I almost admire their gumption. Six hundred years ago, we’d have welcomed them with open arms.”

“Times change,” Renath said wryly. “The world is not the same as it was then. It’s more sensitive to the magic we use these days. Already, the entire Maradian Swamp has merged into the human world. It killed most of the fae who were living there.”

Eva listened with interest as they continued to lament about different places that were being affected by the wayward magic to the point where she mismeasured the amount of magic she put into the tincture she was making. It hissed ominously before turning a deep black, which was not supposed to happen.

“Crap,” she cursed.

The ancient fae beings looked at her. Morgryn examined the failed potion. “Hmm… this does not look like a Potion of Screaming Nightmares,” he said, scooping some of the mixture into a vial. “However, this doesn’t appear to be a complete failure either. You’ve made something new, clever girl.” He sniffed it. His eyes widened, and he sealed the vial with a cork. “Be careful with this one. Try not to smash it,” he said, handing it to her.

“Do you want me to clear out the cauldron?”

“Hmm… let’s collect the rest of it. There’s enough for four vials here.”

Obediently, she filled four vials with the potion before asking, “So what exactly did I create?”

“I believe you created something highly infectious and corrosive,” he replied. “Maybe even viral. Either way, it may be quite a powerful weapon. I recommend not drinking it but potentially splashing it over someone or something you’re not particularly fond of.”

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