Spells on Shelves

Chapter 11 || Drop by for Cards and Pie

I slouched in the chair behind the counter, my feet propped onto one of the many storage boxes, toying with the jade crystal dangling from my necklace.

A low rumble reminded me that I hadn't eaten anything aside from fruits for breakfast. I didn't feel hungry though.

Almost two weeks ago, Paxton had forced a "guard" on me. Undoubtedly, Kai reported my every breath back to him.

However...my faithful shadow was nowhere to be found. I hadn't seen any of the kids for three whole days now. A good thing really. Exactly what I wanted.

Magic tugged on me, signaling a presence approaching the shop.

For a moment, I wondered if I should at least pretend that I was working. Then again, it was probably just Kai and I wasn't looking forward to being babysat again.

'Cause that's all this was.

The door swung open.

A middle-aged lady clad in an assortment of colorful shawls swept into the room. "There you are."

I propped myself up so quickly I almost fell out of my chair. "I—what?"

She flung the end of her red-green shawl over her shoulder in a sort of dramatic gesture. "I require a ward. Isn't that supposed to be your area of expertise? Or has that changed with the name?"

"A ward for what?" I asked stupidly.

"For my house, of course," she said, squinting at me, her eyes magnified by an exceptionally large round pair of spectacles. "Are you sure you're a witch?"

A customer. I had a customer.

I snapped out of it. "Ah, yes. In that case, we need to make an appointment. I can schedule—"

She waved me off. "Don't you know who my nephew is?"

"Frankly, I don't."

"Typical. Do you live under a rock?"

"Ms..."

"Call me Marietta."

"Marietta. If you want me to set up a ward for you, I need more specifics, a layout of your house, and I need time to prepare—"

She cut me off. "We can discuss details on the way. I'm playing cards tonight."

"I'm still open for another hour."

"Please," she retorted. "As if you have customers."

I couldn't argue with that. And honestly, any distraction was better than waiting around. Even if it came in the form of a difficult customer.

So, I selected several warding scrolls, herbs, and a few crystals as anchor materials, and followed after her, closing up on the way out.

A glance up and down the street showed no signs of Kai.

Guilt tightened my chest at the thought of him failing his first assignment.

Then again, Paxton wouldn't let him rot in a rogue cage. Since, apparently, they were close.

***

An hour later, I found myself in a quaint kitchen adorned with vintage green tiles, my clothes covered in a layer of flour. Figures, my first real customer had to be a druid. They were always a bit eccentric.

The sweet aroma of freshly baked pie filled the air. Marietta peered into the oven. "Pie's almost ready."

Up until now, my tasks included cutting fruit—Marietta wasn't too keen on knives—pie baking, which resulted in me wearing half a package of spilled flour, and a thorough kitchen cleanup.