Chapter Four
A Muffin Bites the Dust
“Oh god.” I cringed. “He’s still alive?”
“Yep! He sure is.” Thane knelt at eye level with the table in the clinic and smiled as the insect scuttled across the top. “Herbert’s species can live for several years.”
Herbert the Terror, as I liked to call him, was a beetle-lookingthingcovered in red and yellow specks and with a midnight-blue body. He also happened to be Thane’s beloved pet.
Outside of work as Briar’s apprentice, Thane collected insects. He loved the creepy-crawly critters and thought they were beautiful. He also studied them for medicinal purposes, and the horrifying Herbert excreted a toxin that could be used in many medicines.
What made Herbert even more… um, special? Apparently, much to Thane’s awe, he was aflesh-eatingbeetle. But only if he “was hungry enough.” Needless to say, my new mission in life was ensuring Herbert never went hungry for long.
Carefully, I shifted the basket of muffins from my arm and placed it on the table. “Do you want to feed him a crumb? Or ten?”
“May I?” Thane eagerly opened the lid and withdrew a banana nut muffin. He pinched off the corner and knelt back down to sprinkle the crumbs in front of the beetle.
Herbert stopped his scuttling, and I barely repressed a shudder as his little antennas shot upward and wiggled.
“Aww. He’s happy.” Thane smiled up at me. He was only a year younger than me but had graduated from the medical institute at the top of his class, earning the highly coveted spot as Briar’s apprentice. He seemed so boyish, though, with his shaggy blond hair and small frame. “Thank you, Evan.”
“If sacrificing one of Maddox’s muffins will prevent Herbert from eating me, I’m happy to be of service.”
Thane snorted. “Herbert wouldn’t eat you. You’re his family.”
“Did he, uh, tell you that?”
Another snort with an accompanying nose wrinkle. He fed more crumbs to the beetle and rested his chin on his hands as he watched him eat. “Word around the castle is you’re gonna open a second café in Exalos. Is it true?”
Not surprising word had spread in the two days since my meeting with Walter. Hardly anything happened on the castle grounds without someone catching wind of it. “It is. I met with the lord mayor this morning to accept the proposal.”
I had thought hard on my decision for another day before accepting. It was why I’d come to the clinic. I’d wanted to tell Briar and Maddox about the meeting. Miles had reassured me he had everything under control at the café and practically shoved me out the door. Fairly sure he was in cahoots with my men about me not taking enough time off work.
After saying goodbye to Lake—and kissing him a bazillion times—I had packed snacks into a wicker basket and set off for the castle grounds.
“Good,” Thane said. With his index finger, he lightly petted Herbert’s back. “I love your food and always feel happier after eating something you made. People in Exalos will feel the same. You have a true gift. Herbert agrees.”
“Well, if Herbert agrees, that must mean it’s true.”
Thane placed his hand palm-up on the table, and Herbert crawled into it, fluttering his tiny wings. Once the little terror was back in his jar and placed on the windowsill so he could “enjoy the pretty day,” Thane grabbed a cookie from the basket and went over to the crafting station to continue working.
“More protection stones?” I asked.
“Yep.” Thane’s shaggy hair bounced as he nodded. A small blue stone sat in front of him, and as he held his hand over it, a white glow came off his palm. “These aren’t as strong as yours. Briar said they’ll break after one use. The stone will protect the wearer from a deadly attack only once before the magic fades. But I guess in battle, once is still enough to stand between you and death.”
Battle. Death. A reminder of our current situation. I hoped more than anything peace could be found before it came to that.
Four students from the magi academy and medical institute had come to train under Briar for the next week, so he was currently in the back room teaching them about powerful elixirs, herbology, and the different types of healing magic.
It was almost lunchtime, and I knew Briar hadn’t eaten more than a slice of toast with blueberry jam since breakfast. Just one slice before he’d rushed out the door to meet the students. Craving the sense of comfort cooking brought me, I prepared lunch for the seven of us, throwing together a potato hash with beef. I chopped potatoes, seasoned them, and tossed them into a skillet before slicing skirt steak.
The kitchen was kind of small, but I didn’t mind it. When I’d first come to Bremloc, I’d cooked many meals in that kitchen. It was cozy. A home away from home.
“That’s incredible!” a guy exclaimed from the back room. Little claps followed.
I glanced at the closed door. The room housed rare and oftentimes deadly supplies, such as hemlock, wolfsbane,powerful, probably cursed artifacts, and a million other things my accident-prone butt had no business being around. There was a crafting station in there, as well, where they made the stronger elixirs and those of a higher complexity that required total concentration. Also, privacy in case the spell backfired horribly.
When the food was nearly finished, there was a click, and the door opened.
