Edge of the Cauldron

Let the Adventure Begin

"Carver you are going to regret tangling with me!" The gnome yelled at me from the other end of the ally.

"You know that your threats are not worth much Trace. You are not even two and a half feet tall. You are not very scary to a witch with my blood line." He walked away in a huff and I turned to my clinic door to go inside. I moved to my shelves and started to reorganize them until I felt a man behind me. "Dyson, you could never sneak up on me, so why try now after 300 years?"

I heard a deep chuckle from near my door. "You were always more astute than a wolf." I turned around and smiled at him.

"So what brings you to my humble clinic? Need something to help you sleep, or is it your wolf that is having a bit of a problem? You know I am not a vet." He growled playfully at me.

"I am here for a friend. She is new to this world and is in need of some help."

"Is this the unaligned succubus that I have heard so much about? I have heard rumors that you have been canoodling." That earned a glare. "Come on Dyson, you used to be fun." I leaned against the table and he stepped closer.

"It is about her. She is having a hard time finding a long term solution to her feeding problem."

"So you want me to whip something up?"

"If you can." I smirked at him.

"Aw, you think there is something I can't do." That made him roll his eyes. I gathered a few things and tossed them in my bag. "This needs to be brewed in the presence of the succubus. Where is she?"

"The Dal." I grabbed my bag and followed him out the door. In the ally I stopped him a moment.

"You do know I do not work for free, you going to get her to pay me?"

"She and I will work something out. I will owe you one."

I walked into the bar and smiled at Trick. "Abigail Carver, it has been a long time since you have set foot in my humble pub." I placed my bag on the bar and hugged him over it.

"Trick, you are far from a humble bar keep." Two girls at the other end of the bar perked up and moved towards us. "You must be the succubus I have heard so much about." The one on the left held out her hand.

"I am Bo. You must be an old friend?" I smiled and shook her hand.

"Abbi Carver, I am a Witch." The girl next to her grew an awed look.

"Holy shit, you have to be shitting me. You are actually a witch?" I laughed.

"Black pointy hat and all. Dyson told me that you are having a hard time with feeding without chemical control." Bo nodded. "Well I am here to help you with that. With a little bit of a magic, a potion that helps you control your base instincts." I waved my hand and a smaller cauldron appeared on the bar top. "Now I can't promise that this will smell or taste good."

I pulled out a few herbs, and crushed them into the pot. "I need some water to make it stew." The girl I assumed was the claimed human Kenzi reached over the bar and used the spray nozzle to put some water in the pot. When there was enough water I held out my hand and it started to boil. "Now it just needs to stew for an hour. Then Bo can drink it. Again it will not taste good but it will do the trick."

I stood up and moved to the end of the bar. I pulled on the door to the fridge that sat below the bar, and pulled out a beer bottle. Trick watched me do this and just chuckled. "What? You never move things, the last time I was here was in the twenties and they were in the same space."

I popped off the top and sat next to Dyson at the end of the bar farthest from the pot. He and I both smiled at each other. We knew how bad the smell would get. When the potion started to get to the point of it almost being ready, it let out a plume of sickly green smoke and it caused Bo and Kenzi to start coughing. That made us laugh.

"Oh, Bobo, do you really have to drink that? If it tastes as bad as it smells you will surely die."

"Look, I told you it would taste and smell bad. But trust me it will work." I waved my hand and the boiling stopped. "You need to take at least three sips of the sludge, and you should be golden." She grimaced and looked down at the pot. "Trick, you can keep the pot, store the rest of the batch for her later needs. I am gonna head home then. Peace out." Dyson grabbed my arm as I made my way to the door. "What now? I helped you out with Bo. I do have a life Dyson."

"I am going to pay you back now. You are being watched by someone who wants you dead."

"It comes with the territory. Being a witch isn't exactly the safest life." I tried to pull away when he held on with wolf strength. "Okay, ow."

"Sorry, you are in real danger. You managed to piss off Jax Thomason." That made me almost want to puke.

"I only did that job because he threatened my family." I whispered to him. Jax was a dark fae, and I, being a light fae, would be in deep shit for helping him.

"I am not going to turn you in. I am going to pay you back by protecting you. You are coming home with me, and I am going to make sure you stay safe."

"I can take care of myself Dyson."

"You sure can, but I am not going to let this one slide. You are too important." That made my heart skip a beat. I turned so I was fully facing him again.

"Importanthuh? Fine, you can be all macho for me." He gave me a small glare and let go ofmy arm. Hale waved at me and I sent a peace sign back. We walked out the doortogether and to his apartment.