Crime and Punishment

Part 3

"Dammit!"

You toss your spoon down in frustration, running your fingers through your hair as it clangs loudly onto the scratched counter. The pot in front of you is boiling, black smoke rising steadily out of it. You've been working on this potion for two days and it's still not close to finished!

"Mistress." Your ghost hesitates where she hovers nervously, gazing at you.

"What?" You sigh, trying not to snap at her. You're irritated but it's not her fault.

"Perhaps you should get some rest. You're weary, and that makes your task more difficult." Claudette says carefully from your side. Her hands are clasped in front of her, tendrils of hair framing her face.

She's never seen you so focused on a potion before. She knows it's for tracking another's magic, and it's one you've made many times before. It just appears that this particular witches magic is very... strong. More so than what you expected.

"I don't have time for rest," you grumble, your hands pressing hard against the counter as you lean into it. "I need to get this potion to work."

Ingredients litter your countertop, and the kitchen looks a mess. Little glass vials and bunches of herbs, abandoned utensils and an empty box of your favorite snack. You haven't had a decent meal since you started the potion, so you're a little temperamental and thoroughly put out.

Not to mention worried.

For someone to curse a witch and a vampire to do their bidding means they're manipulative and smart, and not afraid to hurt others to get what they want. You can't imagine what someone would want with a goblet so old it should be dust by now.

You've had Claudette scouring your books on Aradia, and none of them mention a healing goblet. In fact, there's no mention of a goblet at all!

You're ripping your hair out at this point.

Not to mention you're upset with Charles, who's always been an ally up until this point. You went looking for him days ago only to find his office vacant and his staff saying he took vacation for the next three weeks.

Basically, he skipped town.

You'd trashed his office, but whatever information he had on the goblet was gone!

You're starting to wonder if you should warn your coven, let them know what's going on. You have an awful sense of doom, and it's lurking above your head at all times, darkening your mood. It's as if a heavy weight has lodged itself in your chest, pinching and twisting the more you try to think of a solution to a problem you don't fully understand yet.

You don't know what to do.

Why should this even be a big deal? It's just a stupid cup! The mother of witches probably just sipped some water out of it one time, if in fact it's even hers. So, therefore, you shouldn't even be worrying!

"Mistress, I believe it's time for an alternate course of action." Claudette says as gently as she can, ignoring your cross, pinched look. "The potion isn't strong enough to find this user of magic. They are powerful, insidious. We must seek alternative measures."

"What do you have in mind?" you sigh as you rub your eyes, relenting. The ghost is right, this is a waste of your day, and your energies are better spent elsewhere. you're too tired to keep focusing on this when it's not working.

"Well, have you investigated Charles other than visiting his office?" Claudette asks.

"I have Lana working on that." You say, speaking of one of your witches; she's a cop, she has the ability to look into places you can't, and you were pleased to get her into your coven; you've a knack for recruiting outcasts just like your mother did. "She said if she found anything, she would let me know."