Page 51 of Mochas and Minotaurs

But there was a catch. Actually, there were two catches.

That first catch was that it was less like granting a wish like a genie would but more like providing step-by-step solutions so the wish makers could do it themselves. There was work involved, often a lot of it.

“It wasn’t until I was ten that my father actually took one of my answers seriously. That counted as his first wish. He became very rich.”

“Let me guess,” I said. “That wasn’t enough for him?”

“No. He made another wish, and I gave him another solution. We didn’t know much about my talent yet at this point, so I told him how to be famous. It worked, but not the way he wanted. He became famous for losing his fortune overnight.” Bella’s voice got small. “He blamed it on me.”

“So subsequent wishes are like the monkey’s paw.” That must be the second catch.

“What’s that?” Bella asked.

“It’s a story about a monkey paw that grants wishes but with disastrous consequences as a punishment for daring to toy with fate.”

“Yes. That’s about right. But we didn’t know at that time. I tried to explain that I didn’t know how my magic worked. He tried again anyway, wishing to have his fortune back. He struck gold in a location I told him to dig in. But then he lost both his brothers and his best friend to a cave-in at the mine. I didn’t doit on purpose, really. I didn’t know!” She ended her statement on a desperate sob.

“I believe you. Magic is like that sometimes.”

“That’s when he realized only the first wish was good. The moment my mother suggested it, I knew it was true. I was only good for one wish per person. By then, my father couldn’t stand the sight of me. He auctioned me off to his friends, and an old wizard won. Mama was so angry. She wished to keep me safe from these men.

“I tried to warn her that she’d already used her wish. It happened when I was little. Papa had a mistress, and Mama was crying, and she wished Papa would just be loyal. I didn’t know at the time, but I’d granted her the solution, and she’d followed it. My father lost interest in his mistress, and we were happy.

“But when she found out who Papa promised me to, she made the wish anyway. I gave her the solution, and she made up a potion, and I drank it. It turned me into this compact, easy to hide from the men because the last place they’d look was her vanity.”

“So that’s why Arcane wants you. Every wizard there could have one wish.”

“Yes. But don’t you see? I can help you. You can wish for a way to get Marcus back. I can’t do it myself.”

Hope flared in my chest, but it was quickly dampened. “Then I won’t be any better than they are by using your talent for myself.”

“No. It’s not the same. Iwantto grant this wish. I want to thank you both for digging me out of that prison and introducing me to your friends. I like them. Especially Lily. She’s funny. Please let me help.”

I still hesitated; there were always negatives attached to wishes.

It was like she read my mind. “The first wish always comes true. And in exactly the way you want it.”

“Do I have to word it the right way?”

“No. It just knows what you want.”

“It sounds too good to be true.’”

“It’s not a wish likethat.You don’t even need to word it as a wish. But you do have to put in the effort and follow the solution for it to work.”

“So, it’s more like offering good advice than a wish.”

“Yes! Maybe that’s a better way to describe it. But Papa always called it a wish. So it stuck.”

I nodded. “Okay. I’ll take it. Tell me how to get Marcus back safely and get the dragon to leave him alone.”

Chapter 24

Marcus

I roamed the maze,feeling more monster than man. I didn’t know how long I’d been in here. It could have been days, or it could have been months. The concept of time had ceased to exist. The magic in the maze meant it was always day. Hell, I couldn’t even see the sky. The maze was covered by constant clouds. I wasn’t even sure that was the sky above me despite the evergreens that made up part of the maze.

Other walls were made of stone. And there were clear ceilings blocking the light in some portions. Some parts of the maze were dark and dank for a dungeon, while others had flowers and ornate statues, and fountains that reminded me more of a garden.

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