Page 3 of Potions & Prejudice
I knew I shouldn’t have let Auggie go to the market, but she wouldn’t stop pouting and eventually wore me down.
I chewed the inside of my cheek. Mama continued to chatter away to the man while Auggie stared at him adoringly. My gut churned. I didn’t like strangers sniffing around our camp. Maybe I could get rid of him quickly. I turned to look at some of our potions. I could give him a sudden, harmless rash if I combined a few of them, and?—
“Elspeth!” Mama waved. “Get an extra plate out for lunch. We have a guest joining us!”
Two
ELSPETH
We sat around the fire, more clouds rolling in and covering the sun, the air still chilly. Orange, brown, and yellow leaves scattered across the ground, showing signs of the transition from summer to fall. Soon, winter would be upon us. I rubbed my hands together and blew into them.
A small cast-iron pot sat on a grate over the fire with a simple veggie stew bubbling in it. Adelaide had made it. She was our cook—and a very good one.
Everyone ate, except me and Auggie: Auggie because she was peppering the werewolf with questions. Me because my stomach was churning with anxiety.
“Where did you get this fine vest?” Auggie placed her hand on Elm’s arm, and I didn’t miss the way she squeezed his bicep.
Elm shifted on the ground, darting glances at Adelaide. He couldn’t keep his eyes off my older sister. Auggie remained oblivious, as usual.
Prue held a book in one hand, ladling soup into her mouth with the other, paying no attention to any of us.
“Auggie, let the poor man eat,” Mama said, batting her long lashes at him.
And she wondered where Auggie got it from. Mama was just as bad as my younger, far too impressionable, sister.
“It’s okay. Really.” Elm set down his bowl of soup and scooted over, putting distance between him and Auggie. He gestured to his clothes. “I had this made by my tailor.”
I stiffened as he confirmed what I already knew: that he had money. That he was important. Auggie reached out and ran a finger over the brown vest he wore, thick and probably lined with wool. Maroon trim lined the vest, matching his maroon undershirt with its long sleeves. His black pants showed no signs of wear or dirt, and they were tucked into fine leather boots. He shouldn’t be here. Didn’t everyone understand how dangerous this could be for us? The wealthiest were all connected, and everyone who lived here answered to Witch Superior, whether they were witches or not. She was the coven leader of the Witchlands and the one person who could force me and my sisters to leave if she discovered our secret. Or worse, she could burn us at the stake, a fate meant for criminals. And it wasn’t just any fire Witch Superior used—but her deadly hellfire, which I was told differed from regular fire in that it kept witches from passing out from the smoke, keeping them alive as they burned and suffered horrible deaths.
My throat went dry at the thought. “What are you doing here?” I asked abruptly, everyone’s wide eyes turning on me. “I don’t see many werewolves in the Witchlands,” I clarified quickly.
“Half werewolf, actually,” Elm said. “Half witch. I live here permanently.”
“Elspeth, are you not going to eat?” Mama asked, raising a painted eyebrow. She’d lost hers when a spell had gone wrong, the potion exploding in her face and taking her eyebrows—permanently.
“I’m not very hungry,” I said, stirring my soup.
“Oh great, so we’ll have to deal with her being even grumpier.” Auggie flipped her hair over her shoulder.
I forced a smile and took a small sip of my soup, the food tasting like ash in my mouth. I needed to get rid of Elm as fast as possible. We couldn’t risk him finding out my sisters and I didn’t have magic.
“So, Elm,” Auggie said, laying a hand on his knee. “What brings you to this part of the Witchlands?”
He scratched the back of his neck. “Visiting a good friend, actually.Are you all from these parts? I haven’t heard of the Moonflowers, but then again, there’s always new families popping up around here.”
“No,” I said curtly before Auggie could answer and spill all our secrets.
Mama shot me a look that said “be nice.”
Auggie waved her hand in my direction. “Ignore her. She gets grumpy when she doesn’t eat.” She cocked her head. “Actually, she’s grumpy all the time.”
I clamped my mouth shut as Adelaide’s eyes crinkled in concern. Prue, as usual, paid no attention to any of us, so enraptured by her book despite the fact that she’d read it at least five times by now.
“Adelaide,” Elm said.
My eldest sister straightened, tucking a stray piece of blonde hair behind her ear as she met Elm’s gaze.
“I noticed your wand earlier.” He cleared his throat. “The engravings are beautiful. Who made that for you?”
