buzzed through, moving so fast he was nearly a blur.
"See you later! I hope!" he yelled, disappearing in the distance.
I shook my head, shutting the door behind him. So much for loyalty.
Maggie came back out, her eyes focused on her pot. "Decided to stay, eh?"
"Yep. Go ahead with your rat turd brew. I have questions that need answers, and I don't trust anyone else with my secrets right now."
"Truth!" she screeched, making me jump. She played lie detector every time I was with her, but she still always surprised me with her intensity over the whole thing.
"So, I've been hearing this voice in my head. How do you know about it, and who is she? Is it me?"
Maggie looked up at me, one eyeball cloudy and the other black. "What do you think? Does she sound like you?"
"No. She sounds like someone I've never met. I hope she's someone I've never met, otherwise I might have to check myself into the clinic."
"Ha! Those quacks can't help you."
I didn't doubt her on this fact. She'd had to bail them out before with antidotes, and the Dark Fae healers seemed to be a lot more advanced than the Light Fae ones when it came to treating pixelation problems; but even that had taken thousands and thousands of years to figure out.
"So who is she? And why is she in my brain now? And how did you know she was there?"
Maggie shook her head, adding a pinch of something from a nearby jar to her brew that caused a small explosion to come out of the top of her pot and envelope her in smoke. She choked out her answer, waving the offensive-smelling blackness out of her face. "Tears in the veil. All kinds of unmentionables are getting through. Many more are trying."
She wheezed out a few more coughs, and I'm pretty sure brought up part of a lung with the last one. I tried to tamp down the nausea that threatened to make itself known in the form of the tiny bit of dinner I'd eaten before abandoning my meal.
"Unmentionables?" I asked, trying to get Maggie back on track. She had picked up a big spoon and was stirring the stuff in her pot around. The stink that was wafting over to me made me reach over and crack the door open.
"Shut that door!" she yelled at me.
I slammed it closed. "Geez, chill, Granny. It friggin' stinks like burned rat shit in here."
"I need that odor here or the spell won't work, ignorant girl. Now go over there and sit down before you blow up my tree."
My eyes widened at the idea of inadvertently making a nuclear bomb just by cracking a door open. Maggie worked with some seriously dangerous shit, apparently.
I probably should have high-tailed it out of there like Tim had, but instead I followed her instructions, gingerly stepping over to sit on the lumpy chair in the corner. At least I was as far away from her as I could get and still be inside the tree.
"Whatcha makin'?" I asked, not sure I even wanted to know but somehow sickly curious about how an escaped stink could alter a spell and turn it into something explosive.
"Demon bait."
I nodded my head slowly, letting that little nugget of awfulness roll around a little bit before responding.
"Uh-huh. Yeah. So you're baiting a demon toooo .... ?" I lifted my eyebrows at her, hoping for an answer that wouldn't make me nauseous with fear.
"To capture it, of course. Stop asking me stupid questions. I don't have time for your nonsense today."
I frowned, deciding to change tactics. "So, the council asked me to come here and ask you how the demons are getting into our realm and what we can do to stop it. And also how they know about some sort of legend that says my baby will make it possible for the demons to come all the time."
She slammed her spoon down on the wooden table and fixed me with a one-eyed glare. "The council, eh? The council would like to know?!"
I gritted my teeth and pulled my lips back in a fake smile, not sure if I should laugh or be scared at her instant fury. "Uh, yeah?"
She
"See you later! I hope!" he yelled, disappearing in the distance.
I shook my head, shutting the door behind him. So much for loyalty.
Maggie came back out, her eyes focused on her pot. "Decided to stay, eh?"
"Yep. Go ahead with your rat turd brew. I have questions that need answers, and I don't trust anyone else with my secrets right now."
"Truth!" she screeched, making me jump. She played lie detector every time I was with her, but she still always surprised me with her intensity over the whole thing.
"So, I've been hearing this voice in my head. How do you know about it, and who is she? Is it me?"
Maggie looked up at me, one eyeball cloudy and the other black. "What do you think? Does she sound like you?"
"No. She sounds like someone I've never met. I hope she's someone I've never met, otherwise I might have to check myself into the clinic."
"Ha! Those quacks can't help you."
I didn't doubt her on this fact. She'd had to bail them out before with antidotes, and the Dark Fae healers seemed to be a lot more advanced than the Light Fae ones when it came to treating pixelation problems; but even that had taken thousands and thousands of years to figure out.
"So who is she? And why is she in my brain now? And how did you know she was there?"
Maggie shook her head, adding a pinch of something from a nearby jar to her brew that caused a small explosion to come out of the top of her pot and envelope her in smoke. She choked out her answer, waving the offensive-smelling blackness out of her face. "Tears in the veil. All kinds of unmentionables are getting through. Many more are trying."
She wheezed out a few more coughs, and I'm pretty sure brought up part of a lung with the last one. I tried to tamp down the nausea that threatened to make itself known in the form of the tiny bit of dinner I'd eaten before abandoning my meal.
"Unmentionables?" I asked, trying to get Maggie back on track. She had picked up a big spoon and was stirring the stuff in her pot around. The stink that was wafting over to me made me reach over and crack the door open.
"Shut that door!" she yelled at me.
I slammed it closed. "Geez, chill, Granny. It friggin' stinks like burned rat shit in here."
"I need that odor here or the spell won't work, ignorant girl. Now go over there and sit down before you blow up my tree."
My eyes widened at the idea of inadvertently making a nuclear bomb just by cracking a door open. Maggie worked with some seriously dangerous shit, apparently.
I probably should have high-tailed it out of there like Tim had, but instead I followed her instructions, gingerly stepping over to sit on the lumpy chair in the corner. At least I was as far away from her as I could get and still be inside the tree.
"Whatcha makin'?" I asked, not sure I even wanted to know but somehow sickly curious about how an escaped stink could alter a spell and turn it into something explosive.
"Demon bait."
I nodded my head slowly, letting that little nugget of awfulness roll around a little bit before responding.
"Uh-huh. Yeah. So you're baiting a demon toooo .... ?" I lifted my eyebrows at her, hoping for an answer that wouldn't make me nauseous with fear.
"To capture it, of course. Stop asking me stupid questions. I don't have time for your nonsense today."
I frowned, deciding to change tactics. "So, the council asked me to come here and ask you how the demons are getting into our realm and what we can do to stop it. And also how they know about some sort of legend that says my baby will make it possible for the demons to come all the time."
She slammed her spoon down on the wooden table and fixed me with a one-eyed glare. "The council, eh? The council would like to know?!"
I gritted my teeth and pulled my lips back in a fake smile, not sure if I should laugh or be scared at her instant fury. "Uh, yeah?"
She
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