Page 98 of By the Horns
I eye him with amusement. “He told me about the potions, aye, but I don’t know if I buy this. Every village has a wisewoman, and most of the time their concoctions are nothing but kitchen scrapings and lies.”
“That’s because those people are what we call ‘charlatans’ and I’m the real thing,” Naiah says confidently.
“How did you learn how to make potions? Who taught you?” I’m fascinated. “Does it run in your family?”
“Maybe it does. Maybe we’re mancers from ten generations back. Maybe a star fell from the heavens and granted me magic. Maybe I bargained with the fae in exchange for power. Who can say? Certainly not me.” She cocks her head and gives a casual shrug. “I would never admit to something so terribly illegal.”
Uh-huh. I know a liar when I hear one. “You admit your potions are just herbs and wishful thinking stuffed into a jar.”
“Tell yourself whatever story you need. The truth is that my potions always work. Always.”
I glance over at Raptor. He nods. “They work.”
Naiah just smiles, pleased at his reassurance.
I study her, wondering how she could possibly be the person we need. She’s youngish, about my age. Her dark hair is cut to her shoulders, letting her thick ringlets frame her face, and her clothing is the same sort of bland, functional dress and bodice I’d wear back at Honori Hold. If she has coin, she’s not showing it. But then again, perhaps that’s the point. When I look at her, I don’t thinkmancer. I don’t thinkcharlatan, either. “Are they magic? Truly? The potions?”
Naiah shrugs again. “As magic as any artifact.”
“How?”
“I have my secrets, and they’re remaining my secrets.” Her smile is confident. “You want a potion, that’s what’s for sale. Not information.”
“What kind of potion?” I ask.
She arches a brow. “What kind do you need? I can do most everything.”
I cast another uncertain look at Raptor. If I admit that I have magic, is she going to go to the authorities? Not unless she wants to destroy her business, I realize. I suppose if I buy a potion from her, we’re both endangered. He’s trusting me with the knowledge that he’s purchased from her, too. Licking my lips, I finally speak up. “Can you…get rid of an ability that someone has? An ability they don’t want? With a potion?”
“What kind of ability are we talking about? Like being able to put an ankle behind your ear?” Her expression is teasing but full of curiosity.
“More like…magic. Magic that you don’t want.” I chew on my lip. “Magic you want to get rid of.”
Naiah’s brows go up, and she glances at Raptor before answering me. “I guess the better question is, why?”
“So you don’t get burned at the stake in the plaza?”
She laughs. “Who’s going to know as long as you’re smart about it? If they ask you to prove that you have magic, just…don’t?”
She makes it sound so easy. Just ignore your magic. Just pretend like it’s not there. Easy for her to say. “It bothers me every time I go into the Everbelow. That isn’t ideal for someone trying to become an artificer.”
“Ah.” Naiah taps a finger on her lips. “I can definitely see how that would be a problem. Let me see what I can come up with. Give me a couple of days and check the usual spot. It won’t be cheap, so be prepared.”
With that, she gives us a smile and then opens the door, stepping back inside the tavern.
I look over at Raptor. “I can’t believe I might resort to magic to fight magic. It feels…wrong.”
He pulls me in against him, holding me close and rubbing my back. “I know. But when things are different, we need to think differently, too. I was having trouble concentrating on anything while in training as a fledgling, because all I could think about was sex. There’s a belief that a Taurian with a knot is in rut, so if you have a knot constantly…well, they’re not wrong. You do think of sex a lot. You’re not crazed and willing to fuck anything with a hole, but you’re definitely veryfocusedon sex. I had to think of a solution, and it was one of the sex workers who suggested a potion broker. I started asking around and ran into more than a few charlatans…and then I met Naiah.”
“I can only imagine how annoying the knot is,” I say, even though part of me wants to reach down and rub it proprietarily, even now. “How does anyone with one get anything done?”
“You’re expected to become a priest, actually. Lots of Taurian women go to the priests of Old Garesh when they don’t have a mate or don’t want to wait the five years for the next Conquest Moon. A priest-breeder can help Taurian women with that.”
That makes me want to hold on to him harder. “I’m glad you didn’t become a priest.”
He chuckles, his hand trailing over my back. “Aye, me too.”
“Can I kiss you right now?”
