The Wizard Returns: Book Three of the Wizard Born Series (27 page)

“Why are you here, disturbing these busy people?”

“It’s okay, Mrs. Tully,” Fred said. “They’ve come for a love potion.”

Mrs. Tully narrowed her eyes at Feather. “And what will you be using for money?”

Feather held out her hand and showed her the coins. “The money I got for looking after Miss Marcie’s pigs and chickens when she went to visit her sister.”

Mrs. Tully regarded the nervous girl for a hard moment, then resumed her sweeping. “Then don’t take up too much of their time. They have better things to do than make potions for silly little girls.”

Fred and Melanie led them to the kitchen, where they found Evelyn making a cup of coffee. The camp stove was on the counter beside her and a pot of steaming water was still on it. She pulled the manual drip filter from atop her cup and smiled. “Well, hello again, young ladies.”

Fred introduced them and said, “Feather is here for a love potion.”

“And who’s the lucky fellow you plan to use it on?”

“It’s for Stev Ailesbury,” Flower said, the younger girl’s head bobbing up and down earnestly. “Feather needs to catch his eye before that Essa Bower gets her hooks in him.”

Feather’s face turned bright red, and Evelyn said, “And what’s this Stev Ailesbury like? Is he handsome?”

Feather hesitated for an embarrassed moment, then nodded, words apparently eluding her.

Flower answered for her, “He is quite handsome, he is. He is the blacksmith’s apprentice, and he’s broad in the shoulders and firm in the jaw. He’s eighteen already, and he can marry when he finishes his apprenticeship.”

“How old are you,” Fred asked.

“I am nearly sixteen,” Feather said, “and Flower is fourteen.”

“Well, he sounds like the perfect fellow for you.” Fred turned to Melanie. “Can you grab my box of supplies from the cellar? It’s the orange plastic bin near the stairs, on the floor.” Melanie left, and Fred said, teasing, “Feather, are you looking to snare Stev for your husband?”

Feather nodded again, and Fred squinted one eye. “Isn’t that a little young?” Sixteen?”

“Not here, Fred,” Evelyn said as she poured some artificial creamer in her coffee. “Mrs. Tully told me she was married when she was seventeen. Apparently it’s common.”

“But...what about school?”

“We have no school here,” Feather said. “It’s been closed for several years.”

“No school?” Evelyn said. “What do you do about learning? Can you read?”

“Our ma taught us. That’s what most people do here, unless you live in one of the big houses. They have tutors. But there’s a school in Paulsbury, I hear.”

“Is that far?”

“Almost a whole days’ ride, I’m told. We’ve never been.”

Evelyn frowned. “No school. That doesn’t seem right.”

“What doesn’t seem right?” Melanie said as she returned with the plastic bin.

Fred explained and took Melanie’s load from her, setting it on the floor. “Maybe you’ll get a school here soon.” Fred opened the lid to the box and pulled out a small green jar full of dried marigold flowers and showed it to Feather. “Now, as far as I know, there are three different ways we can do a love spell. The first, and the hardest, is to make an amulet that you would wear, but I’d need something from the boy like a hair or a fingernail clipping to make it. Do you have anything like that?”

Feather shook her head and Fred continued, “The second way is to make a potion that he would have to drink or eat, and that would be tricky on your part, unless you live with him.” She pulled out a plastic zip-top bag full of long thin leaves. “The third is called a
come hither
potion. The witches who trained me didn’t think much of it, but I believe they just weren’t powerful enough to make it work.”

“Are you a powerful witch?” Flower asked.

“Am I a powerful witch?” Fred felt insulted, briefly, but looking at those two girls, one still clutching her hard-earned money tightly in her fist, she realized how important this was to them.
They need proof
. She rummaged in the bottom of the box and pulled out a small tube of healing jelly and a straight pin. “Watch this.”

Fred raked the pin over the back of her left hand, leaving an inch-long scratch that immediately began bleeding. The sisters gasped, horrified. “Don’t worry,” Fred said and showed them the tube. “I’ve got this potion I made.”

Fred took the cap off and squeezed out a dab of the green goo on her fingertip, and said to Evelyn, “Could you blot off the blood with a paper towel, please?” Evelyn grabbed the roll from the counter, tore off a sheet and pressed it over the wound. When she pulled it away, Fred smeared the jelly over the scratch and everyone leaned closer to watch.

The bleeding stopped immediately, and within seconds it began to turn pink and the skin grew together before their eyes. Two minutes later, there was no trace of the wound. “So, what do you think?” Fred asked. “Am I powerful enough?”

Both girls nodded eagerly, and Feather said, “Will you please make my potion now?”

Fred pulled out the mortar and pestle and a plastic bowl. “Another reason why I think this is the best potion for you is that it’s a little more subtle than the others. You don’t want the effects to be too obvious, or he might get suspicious and try to get a counter-potion, or someone might try to get one for him.”

“Please don’t sell him one,” Feather said.

“Don’t worry. I’m on your side.” She pulled out the last two jars of ingredients and said, “Plus, Melanie and I are going to give you another little advantage. We’re going to put some makeup on you.”

“Makeup?” Evelyn frowned. “Do you think that’s appropriate?”

“Not a lot, Mrs. Wallace, just some eyeliner and a touch of mascara...maybe some lipstick. That’s all.” She turned to Feather. “But it won’t do any good unless the boy can see it. Can you go by his shop today?”

Flower didn’t wait for her older sister to answer. “Feather goes by his shop every day.”

Feather blushed a deep red again.

“Good,” Fred said, trying not to laugh. “Melanie, this is the kind of stuff I made for Rita and Cassandra after they kidnapped me. They had me doing it all day long, sometimes. I could make it in my sleep.” She measured out the first ingredient, ground it in the mortar, and dumped it in the bowl. Then she repeated the process for the rest of the spell, stirred the gray powder with a plastic spoon and said, “And now for the last step. I have to give it some magic mojo.”

She closed her eyes and sent her will out to the bowl she held in her hand, thin luminescent filaments of her magical self, flowing from her body into the powder. She maintained the connection until she was satisfied that it was strong enough, and relaxed with a sigh. “That should do it.”

“The powder glowed when you did that,” Melanie said. “That was cool.”

“How do I use it?” Feather asked Fred.

“You sprinkle a little on your clothes and hair and try to get close to him. Can you do that?”

Feather pursed her lips and then gave her head a little shake. “I don’t know. He doesn’t pay much attention to me when he’s working.”

“Then you need to give him a reason to.”

“What if you were to ask him to make something for you?” Melanie said. “Something simple that an apprentice would make?”

Feather shook her head again. “Then I would have to pay him, and this is all the money I have.”

“Hmm....” Fred looked away for a moment, then turned back to Feather. “What if you asked him to make something for me...for this house? There’s bound to be something we could use here.” Fred stepped to the open doorway and looked into the main room, where she saw Mrs. Tully pushing the wet mop back and forth across the floor. “Mrs. Tully?” The woman paused and looked up, and Fred asked, “Is there something this house needs from a blacksmith that would only cost a five piece? Some little...I don’t know...latch or something?”

Mrs. Tully’s face turned thoughtful, then she said, “A pair of coat hooks, I believe. One for the privy and one for the back door.” She nodded. “That’s worth a five piece.”

Fred turned back to Feather. “So, that should work. You can take the money you owe me and place an order with the apprentice for the hooks. Right before you go, sprinkle some of the powder on your shoulders and your hair.”

“All of it?”

“That depends. Are you going to need it again?”

“She wants Stev to dance with her at the Founders’ Festival,” Flower said.

Feather shot her sister an angry look and growled, “I’m never telling you
anything
again!”

“Then don’t use but half of it today,” Fred said. “We’ll put a little makeup on you before you go so you won’t need all of it.” She reached into the bin and pulled out an empty zip-top bag. “So, when is this festival?”

“This Friday. It’s a big holiday and everybody goes. They block off the square in town and fix it up nice and have food and music and dancing.” Feather’s face was bright as she spoke.

“That sounds fun. Maybe we could go.”

“If we’re still here,” Melanie said. “But at the rate we’re going through those books, we might be.”

Fred dumped the powder into the little bag and zipped it closed. “Now it’s time for the makeup.”

“I have an old tube of eyeliner and lipstick in my purse,” Melanie said. “Let’s use that.”

“Go into the bedroom,” Evelyn said. “There’s a mirror in there and the light is good.”

Fred started to walk through the doorway to the main room, but stopped when she saw the wet floor. “Uh oh.”

Evelyn shook her head. “Mrs. Tully won’t like it if you track through that.”

Fred cupped her hand to her mouth and called, “Jamie!”

A few seconds later, he opened the door to the first bedroom and poked his head out, a large spell book in one hand. “What now?”

“Can you dry the floor for us?”

“No problem.” He held out his other hand, narrowed his eyes, and his fingers glowed. The shine on the floor quickly began to fade, and within seconds it was completely dry. “There you go.”

“Thank you, you sweet boy. Now I owe you some kisses.”

“I’ll take those for payment.” He winked at her and stepped back into the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

“He’s such a handy guy,” Melanie said as they walked with the girls across the floor to the other bedroom.

“Yes, he is,” Fred said. “I think I’ll keep him.”

Chapter 20

Once the two young girls had gotten their makeovers, Fred, Melanie, and Evelyn walked them to the front door to say goodbye. Mrs. Tully hurried from the kitchen and caught Fred by the arm. “May I have a word with you?”

Fred turned to Melanie and the girls and said, “Go on out. I’ll be there in a minute.”

Mrs. Tully waited until the others were outside and the door was closed before saying, “You charged her a five piece for the spell?” Fred nodded and the woman frowned.

“Is that too much, Mrs. Tully?” Mrs. Tully shook her head and Fred asked, “Too little? I was going to give it to her for free, until we thought of getting her to order the coat hooks from the blacksmith.”

“You mustn’t give your potions away, Miss Callahan. They will have no respect for you, otherwise.”

“You really think so?”

“Yes, and we will be up to our chins in heartsick girls if you give your services for free. We might be anyway.”

“Huh?”

She didn’t answer right away. She held Fred with a steady gaze instead. “If I were you, I would go ahead and make plenty more of that love spell, I would. There will be others knocking at that door.”

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it. We’ll deal with it.”

Mrs. Tully’s mouth became tight, and she looked away, as if she were speaking to the front windows. “I’m afraid this is all my fault.”

“What’s all your fault?”

She didn’t get to answer, because Melanie opened the front door and said, “They need to leave, Fred. Don’t you want to say goodbye to them before they go?”

“I’ll be right there.” Mrs. Tully hurried to the kitchen before Fred could ask her again what she meant, so Fred shrugged and stepped outside.

Evelyn and Melanie waited on the stoop, and the two sisters stood on the lawn, beaming as if they’d just found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

“I was just telling these girls how nice they look,” Evelyn said. Feather wore eyeliner and mascara, and both of them wore lipstick, a subtle red, at Evelyn’s suggestion.

Fred squeezed her hands together at her chest and smiled broadly. “You look so lovely! Stev won’t be able to resist, Feather. And Flower, try not to show up your sister, okay? Because you look beautiful, too.” Both girls blushed and smiled back, and Fred said, “Now, you know what to do, right? Just a pinch of powder on your clothes, just before you see him.”

“Yes, Miss Fred,” Feather said, her eyes shining. “I shall go see him straight away.”

“Now, I gave you a very low price on your spell because you’re my first customers, but you have to come back and tell us how it goes. That’s part of the deal.”

“I shall bring you the coat hooks as soon as he makes them.” She started to turn away, but hesitated. “Has anyone told you that you look just like Shira Coy from across the river?”

“Except that you have green eyes,” Flower said. “And you are prettier.”

Fred shook her head and thanked them, and then she, Melanie, and Evelyn waved goodbye and went back inside, where they found Jamie picking up another spell book from a stack by the door.

“It’s about time you got done with them,” he said. “You need to grab a book and help.”

“I will,” Fred said. “I’m ready.” Fred looked past Jamie and saw Mrs. Tully standing in the kitchen doorway, hands twisting together. “Mrs. Tully, can we talk to you for a minute?”

She joined them, her face tight. Fred cleared her throat and said, “Earlier you said something about this being all your fault. What did you mean by that? Did you mean that’s it’s your fault that those girls knew I was here?”

Mrs. Tully hesitated before nodding.

“Did you say something at the market this morning?” Jamie asked.

“Yes,” she answered quietly.

Jamie spread his hands. “
Why?
That’s the last thing we need.”