Page 41 of When Ashes Fall

“It won’t be because of my potions; one day, the curse will break.”

He tilted his head to the side as he studied me. “What makes you say that?”

“Knox is determined to make it happen and won’t settle for anything less.”

“I hope you’re right about Sir Dickhead.”

I laughed. “He wouldn’t like hearing you say that.”

“No, he wouldn’t; that’s why we’ll keep it between us.”

“Yes, we will.”

“I saw the look on his face when you called him the worst part of a dick. Are you trying to get your head ripped off?”

“I don’t trust him not to lose his temper with me and do something he’d regret, but he won’t kill me.”

Zephyr raised an eyebrow as Gizzi issued an irritated squeak.

“So, you think he’d hit you instead of killing you?” Zephyr inquired.

I stopped sprinkling the hairs from the earth moss into the cauldron as I pondered Zephyr’s question. Yes, I believed Seth would never hurt me, and I didn’t know what to expect from Knox’s far more volatile personality, but Zephyr’s question made me realize I didn’t believe he’d ever hit me.

Knox was a total asshole, but I couldn’t see him unleashing his anger at me in such a way.

“Because you know, if he did hit you, he’d probably kill you,” Zephyr said. “That man is strong.”

“He’s right,” Gizzi agreed.

I sprinkled more hairs into the cauldron. “He wouldn’t hit me. He’d probably try locking me away again, or find some other way to punish me, but he wouldn’t hit me.”

“You know I think the alpha is a prick, but I agree with you,” Zephyr said. “He’d gladly kill every one of your kind, though.”

“Are they my kind?” I lifted my head to look at him. “I didn’t go through my Needing like them, and I’m not bound to any god; so am I one of them?”

I hadn’t told him about my newfound powers; I trusted Zephyr and believed he was a true friend, but I wasn’t willing to share that secret with anyone who could speak. For now, that truth would stay between Gizzi and me, but I’d like to hear what he’d say about this. The sprites were playful imps, but they were also wise creatures of nature.

“Very true,” Zephyr said. “Plus, the rest of the casters are all cunts, but you’re not.”

“Thanks,” I laughed.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Briar

While I continued to work, Zephyr launched into a spiel about the newest sprite he’d set his sights on. I’d come to learn far too much about Zephyr’s escapades since befriending him, so I mostly tuned him out.

I swirled some lavender oil in with the hairs, placed the vile down, recorked it, and lifted a handful of chopped mushrooms. Once I’d tossed them into the cauldron, I carried it over to the fire and set it on the spit to let it simmer to a boil. I made sure the fire wasn’t burning too hotly, but would continue while I was gone, before wiping my hands on my apron.

“I’m going to go to the library and see what I can find to read while the potion brews,” I said.

Zephyr bounced off the counter and flitted around the room. “I promised Bertie I’d help with some cleaning in town, but told her I was coming to check on you first.”

While I enjoyed Zephyr’s company, I was glad he wasn’t following me to the library. He couldn’t see the books I planned to search for… whatever they were.

Before he flew out of the room, Zephyr came to a stop to stare at something on the wall. “Oh wow, that’s an ugly spider.”

I followed his gaze to the eight-legged creature above the door. Its body was no bigger than an acorn, but its too-long, hairy legs protruded from its black torso; they were awkwardly too big for its body. A single red stripe ran down its back, and like its legs, its fangs were too big for its body and protruded awkwardly from its front.