Page 90 of Pints & Potions

Bridget then read the Gaelic spell as Rebecca assisted Piper in positioning the first syringe above Cian’s chest. Her mom shifted to hold him in place with the full weight of her body.

As Piper repeated the words, she slammed the needle into Cian’s heart muscle and tried not to panic as his body bucked underneath Rebecca.

“Mom?”

“Hold the barrel and pull back on the plunger. Do it now, Piper!”

Bridget continued with the spell, and Piper obediently repeated it word for word, trying to make sure the inflection and pronunciation didn’t vary. All the while, she drew out thick black goo from Cian’s heart.

“Again!” Rebecca said urgently. “Swap the barrel for a new one. Leave the tip and hub in place.”

Piper worked quickly and it took four and a half more times to remove the bulk of the poison. “How is there so much of it?” she cried as she filled yet another tube.

“It multiplies in the bloodstream. It’s the nature of a magical poison,” Rebecca explained. “But look, it’s diluted and not as black. There was blood in that last barrel. Do another.”

Her mother had the right of it, and the black sludge only filled a third of the final barrel. A cloudy yellow fluid followed the poisonous gook, and Piper shot a look at her mom. “Is this normal?”

With a short, humorless bark of laughter, Rebecca asked, “What about any ofthisis normal, sweetheart?”

“Right. So, do I keep drawing out the yellow stuff, too? Is that the original poison?”

“Yeah,” Aeden said from his corner. “Draw unto blood, Anu says.”

“Thank the Goddess for our little conduit there,” Rebecca muttered.

After a lifetime of worry and sweat, the blood flowed freely through the syringe, and Piper felt confident she could remove the needle. “How do I close the hole when I’m done?” Silently, she hoped her mother would take over so she wouldn’t shame herself if her shaking legs gave out.

Sensing her need, Rebecca released Cian and came to stand beside Piper. “I’ve got a sure-fire spell for that one. Quickly remove the tip, and I’ll be ready.”

They worked like they’d been colleagues forever, and their transition went smoothly with Rebecca stepping into place to voice the enchantment that would weave Cian’s wound together.

As Rebecca performed her magic, Piper locked onto Cian’s gray face. With each second that passed, his skin returned to a normal hue, and the blue tinge left his lips.

They closed the circle after Rebecca declared the procedure a success.

“It’s going to be wait-and-see from here on out,” she informed them as she pulled her gloves off by the edges in one practiced move that trapped any contamination inside.

Piper followed suit.

“I’ll take this back to my lab and have my best team deconstruct and reverse engineer it,” Rebecca said. “When GiGi and Spring return, have them administer their antidote as a backup, then call me. I want to make sure we are all working together and everyone has the cure should it happen again.”

She muttered a few choice words about “dirty rotten Désorcelers and their underhanded tricks” as she gathered her instrument tray.

“Is there anything I need to watch for, Mom?”

Rebecca looked at Cian and a slow smile spread across her face. “I don’t believe you’ll need to,” she said. “Welcome back, Mr. O’Malley. You had a lot of people worried.”

Piper had hoped to be gone before he woke, but unfortunately, she’d never had great timing. She backed up so Bridget and Aeden could crowd beside him.

Although clouded with pain, his irises still reflected a bright emerald green and his gaze sought Piper. When he held out a hand to her, she gave him an impersonal smile and stayed where she was.

He stubbornly remained in the same position and wouldn’t look away. His will was as unfaltering and determined as she’d ever witnessed, and he didn’t move until she finally placed her palm in his.

A tingle ran up her arm as he entwined his fingers with hers. She wondered if this was the first line of the prophecy fulfilled. Did it mean his minuscule amount of magic was multiplying?

“Thank you, Piper me love.” His voice was gravelly. With disuse or gratitude, she couldn’t be sure.

“Of course. We all wanted you well, Cian.”

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