Page 83 of Pints & Potions

“Are you talking about Isis?”

He shook his head. “Anu.”

“Anu?” The only Anu she’d heard of was an Irish goddess, and Piper knew next to nothing about her.

“Yes.”

Great, a new deity to contend with!

“What else did Anu say?”

Aeden dug into his jacket pocket and withdrew a twig with small black berries. “She said you would know what to do with this.”

“Did she mention what these were?” Piper tried to keep the panic out of her voice. If the berries were what she thought, they were deadly. “You didn’t eat any, did you?”

The boy shook his head as his eyes grew wider and more fearful.

“Okay, sweetie.” She rose to her feet and guided him to the bathroom. “Wash your hands thoroughly, all right? These are supremely toxic.”

Aeden did as she bid and held up his palms for her inspection. With an attempt at an approving smile, she ushered him toward Cian’s sickroom. “Come on. We have to tell GiGi what we’re dealing with here.”

Five minutes later, they were discussing alternative methods of healing. While they all knew what these hybrid witchbane-moonseeds were, none of them had ever encountered them.

“We know standard moonseeds are toxic,” GiGi said. “Some Désorcelers Society botanist had felt the need to create a hybrid using these little suckers.”

“Potentially fatal wasn’t enough? They had to make them uber deadly?” Piper asked incredulously.

“Something like that.” GiGi shared a worried glance with Spring. “What do you know about them, child?”

“Not much. I have a cure for moonseed poisoning, but not this.”

Helplessness multiplying, Piper wanted to scream. “What if we combine the cures? Like whatever you’d normally use to counteract witchbane and moonseed, then blend them together?”

Spring shook her head. “It doesn’t work that way. You could shock his system and finish him off.”

“Aeden said a goddess gave him the twig, and that I’d know what to do.” Piper touched Cian’s pale, cold cheek. “I don’t. I’ve no idea how to fix him.”

Aeden surprised her when he tugged her sleeve. “You’rethe Mighty Thorne,” he repeated from earlier. “You have to prick his heart.”

A sick sort of hope caused her pulse to gallop. “I have to prick his heart! Itisa literal translation!” She cradled his adorable little face and kissed his nose. “You brilliant, brilliant angel.”

His mouth curled into a hesitant smile, and he shuffled back to the corner.

Piper belatedly wondered if he was more comfortable in the shadows, away from everyone’s reach, like Alastair. Once Cian was out of the woods, she intended to broach the subject with his family.

“Aeden has a direct connect to Anu.” She gave them a brief rundown of what she knew about the Irish goddess. “I think this means we’ll need a syringe with a needle long enough to reach the heart muscle. Apparently, I’ll need to administer the cure, whatever that might be.”

“I think you should peruse the O’Malley’s grimoire since it responds to you. Take Bridget and see if she can translate whatever you don’t understand.” GiGi then addressed Spring. “With your photographic memory, I imagine you can recall the antidote for witchbane poisoning.”

“I’ll pop home and check my notes just in case. Can you confer with Uncle Alastair and see if he’s familiar with any of this?”

“Consider it done.” GiGi hugged her before she teleported off.

“I’ll search my medical books and see if there is anything on moonseed poisoning,” Rebecca said. “It shouldn’t take long. I’ll have your father and my assistants help.” She brushed her fingers over Piper’s brow like she had when Piper was a small child. The gesture always provided comfort in the past, but today Piper was too worried to be swayed by her mother’s assurances.

“Who will stay with Cian?” She wasn’t comfortable leaving him with no one to stand watch.

Bridget touched her arm. “You stay, Piper. I’ll bring our book to you.”

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