Page 15 of Magic and Medicine

‘Please, take a seat. Would you care for some tea? Our discussion may take some time.’

‘Discussion? What do we have to discuss? After all the times you’ve taken such pleasure in reminding me who rules this land, oh mighty Leshy, now you want to be civil?’ she asked, and I closed my eyes for a second, taking a calming breath. That’s why I avoided the Coven. Their current leader was an air witch as unstable as her element, but I needed the woman’s cooperation to train Sara and to help trace those experimenting on our people.

‘Sit down.’ I ordered, saturating my words with power, and the woman dropped on the chair with an annoyed huff. ‘Thank you. As much as I appreciate that the name the humans worshipped me by is still remembered, please call me Leszek. I need your help, and I will pay whatever price you think the service deserves, but remember to be mindful of what you ask.’

‘My… help?’ She said, her eyebrows climbing so high they left her looking comically naïve.

‘Yes, I found a seer in Gdansk. Untrained and unaware of her powers. I need her trained and protected from malicious magic. Can you do this for me?’ I made sure my voice was devoid of emotion, one leader making an agreement with another. Earlier, I thought about how much to disclose of what Adam learned about Sara whilst studying her family tree but decided against it. The less she knew about my interest in Sara, the better. Also, giving the Coven Mistress information that Sara’s bloodline came from a long line of mountain witches would give them the idea they could take my seer away from me. So I kept to myself the knowledge that her grandmother was a war orphan, the lost child their Coven had searched for over several years. She had been relocated to the north of Poland with her adoptive family, essentially cutting the magical child off not only from her land and Coven but also from her past. No wonder Sara didn’t know about her magic.

‘You found a seer? What, she fell from the world tree into your lap? Or maybe you captured and imprisoned one of my Coven?’

‘I found her in the hospital. Her name is Sara Wilska; she is a doctor, not one of your witches. She belongs to no one, and up until recently, she was unaware of what she is. You could even say she is one of mine, as her discovery was my achievement. Finders keepers, as the young like to say. Besides, I hired her and I need to have her trained. Preferably as soon as possible.’

‘Then train her yourself. Why should I waste my time with some ignorant, non-believer you want to fuck?’

‘We both know my power is of the forest, and if that were where her talents lay, I wouldn’t need your help. As for her talent, she resisted a vampire’s compulsion… and mine, so she’s strong enough to face down the gods. That should tell you something.’ I probably shouldn’t have revealed that part, but the sudden pallor on Veronica’s face made it all worthwhile. I saw her swallow; the knowledge she couldn’t match such power must have been galling to the strongest witch in Poland.

‘Fine! We will train her under one condition. If she decides to join the Tricity Coven, you won’t object. Tell me, what else can she do?’ She said, and I saw calculation and greed in her eager posture. A witch that could resist my magic would give them an advantage that would change the balance of power in the Tricity area. Still, I could agree to this and then make sure Sara chose me, especially after taking steps to befriend the stubborn doctor. The strange attraction between us could only help.

‘Of course, I won’t stop her. I believe in freedom of choice, but you must also respect her decision without trying to indoctrinate her. As for the rest, I don’t know what she can do. She resisted compulsion and has a gift for healing. I watched as she operated on a shifter with antiquated equipment and no help, yet she still saved him. I don’t think her medical skills are entirely learned knowledge.’

‘That sounds fair. We have a deal, Forest Lord. I will phone you when I have her teacher ready or train her myself. Is this all?’ Veronica stood up, but I gestured for her to wait.

‘One last thing. Someone, possibly a Warlock, is encroaching on my territory. There have also been several attempts to breach Gedania’s Gates, and people from the elder races were wounded. I found the seer thanks to someone using Czernobog’s dagger to stab Adam. Please verify none of your flock is experimenting with the Dark Arcana, and if there is, I want their head on a silver plate. If no one with you is involved with the Dark Arts, I would appreciate your Coven’s help to find out who it is. Contact Adam or Michal if you have any news.’ I said, noticing her hands grasp the chair rim harder.

‘And you are telling me this, why?’

‘Because I am not apportioning blame and prefer to warn a potential ally before your Coven is attacked. I also want to know where you stand in all this. Whilst not asking for support, even though it would be appreciated, I strongly suspect that if you don’t join forces with me, there won’t be a Coven left to lead when this is ended.’ The warning was probably too dire, but I needed to clarify the situation.

‘Better the devil you know,’ she said with a smile. ‘We won’t stand by you, but we won’t stand against you. We may not see eye to eye, but I appreciate your keeping things in order here. As a gesture of goodwill, I will tell you this. About three months ago, we sensed the presence of a Warlock. It didn’t last long, but those more aligned with the spirits claim he is still here, maybe in Gedania, as he is masking his magic. It is possible, but he would have to use Dark Arcana to hide from us, and we both know such magic requires a blood sacrifice. Maybe she can find him for you after we train your seer.’ As she finished her statement, I felt my phone vibrate.

I’d ignored it when it vibrated during the meeting, seeing Sara’s name flash on my watch’s screen. Explaining everything to her would likely involve being insulted, but once we sorted this mess out, I would take her to the best restaurant. However, I now had to focus on the issue at hand.

Adam sauntered into the room with a cocksure swagger and the stench of too much aftershave.

‘Leszek, we have to go. You wouldn’t want to miss another delightful party. Oh, hello, Veronica. Are you joining us?’ Adam sounded as provocative as always, his fingers trailing over the arm of Veronica’s chair, lightly brushing against her arm.

‘No, I’m leaving, and it is Mistress Veronica to you, you damn blood-sucking Lothario.’ She said, marching to the door before I could ask for more information. Besides, as Adam said, it was time to go. I looked at him, groaning slightly at his choice of clothing.

‘Tone it down. We are supposed to blend in, not attract attention.’ I taunted him, but he only threw me a mischievous grin.

‘Look who’s talking, or maybe you plan to visit Sara after the debauchery in the Anchor? Messy hair, open shirt. Oozing Alpha charm? I thought you disliked showing off.’

‘Keep your ridiculous speculation to yourself and your dick in your pants. This is about information gathering, not pleasure. I want to know whether Nadolny is collaborating with whoever is attacking us and what the sirens are doing in the Anchor. A word of warning: as much as I value your talent, one more word about Sara, and I’ll rip out your fangs.’ Adam looked at me momentarily, his eyes flashing briefly with concern before the jester’s mask returned.

‘I’ll do my best to ferret out every little tidbit; just don’t blame me if they ask for a bite or two. You know how they struggle to resist the charms of a handsome vampire.’

‘Whatever, as long as you don’t hurt or kill them, their charitable blood donations are none of my concern.’ I said, taking my coat off the armchair and pointing toward the door. ‘Shall we? As you said, we can’t keep the King of the Tricity Underworld waitingtoolong.’

Chapter ten

After the incident with the battered girl, the rest of my shift dragged worse than a department meeting discussing hospital policies. I checked my phone several times, but the newest bane of my existence conveniently ignored my text. I even tried to call, but there was no answer.

The moment the evening shift arrived for the handover felt like Liberation Day, and the door was still swinging long after I left. With barely enough time to change, I chose an outfit that wouldn’t stand out but not make me look like I was there touting for business or be an easy mark for the drug dealers.

The pair of leatherette trousers and a silk tank top gave me a relaxed but sexy look whilst also allowing me to move well if I needed to fight or run if things got complicated. I smiled at my reflection, liking how the black lace bra peaked out from under the blouse, making my cleavage noticeable enough to distract any man’s gaze from my face. To finish the ensemble, I added a short cardigan to ward off the chill night air and a pair of simple pumps to make it less likely to turn my ankle in an emergency. Opening the jewellery box, I put on all my heavy rings, transforming my hand into a knuckle duster and wrapped my hair in a tight, sleek bun.

The woman that looked back at me from the mirror looked dangerous in a dark, sultry way, and I felt adrenaline cursing through my arteries, readying me for the challenge.

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