rudely interrupted me. "No! You stay out of the Overworld and the Gray. You have no business there!"
She had moved over to stand near me now, seeming intent on communicating, finally.
"Why?" I asked, looking up at her face so I wouldn't give myself too much time to contemplate her awful shoes that had holes in the toes, perfect for exposing her blackened, long and jagged toenails. "If I wasn't meant to be there, don't you think I'd be cut off from it?"
"You should be, and that's the problem. As I said ... the veil has tears in it. We must repair it before it is too late." She walked back to her brew and began stirring again. "Get off the floor. Come over here and help me with this."
I shook my head. "No thanks. I'm cool over here, away from the rat shit soup."
"I'm not asking. Get over here or I'll cast a spell on you that amplifies your smelling capacity tenfold."
I shrugged. "What's that gonna do? I can already smell your crap from here without it."
"I believe your pixie has issues that would make this particular spell quite torturous for you."
I jumped up and ran over. "Holy shit, Maggie. You're threatening me with level-ten pixie fartage? That's just cruel."
She shrugged. "I do what I must. Here." She handed me her spoon. "Keep stirring, and don't stop, no matter what happens. We must keep it moving."
CHAPTER TEN
MAGGIE LEFT ME IN THE kitchen stirring the pot alone while she entered the attached room. I yelled so she'd hear me.
"How did you know Shayla was in my head?"
"She's not in your head!" responded Maggie from the other room. Her voice was muffled, making her sound like she was in a closet.
"Well, that's where I hear her," I yelled back. I continued speaking in a quieter voice, "Shayla? Are you there now?"
"She can't hear you in here," said Maggie, coming back into the kitchen carrying a wooden box in her hand. She laid it gently down on the table before taking the spoon from me and continuing the stirring.
I stood on my tiptoes and started to lean in so I could take a look into her pot, but she pinched my arm, causing me to flinch and fall backwards onto my heels.
"Ow! That hurt , you old bag!"
"Keep away from the vapor. I am fresh out of gecko testicles and without them you would perish."
I grimaced. "Fresh out? As in, you had some yesterday, but you don't today?"
"Yes."
I swallowed hard. "You have a seriously strange appetite, Maggie."
Maggie cackled but said nothing to dissuade me from thinking she actually ate lizard balls for breakfast. The bitterness of stomach acid burned my throat, and my salivary glands were working overtime. I swallowed three more times, trying to get a grip on myself.
"Open the box. Put the contents in, but only when I tell you to," she said, gesturing towards the thing she'd taken out of the other room.
I stepped over and picked it up, my hands trembling with fear and nausea. I cleared my throat before speaking. "What's in here?" I almost dropped it when I thought I felt something moving inside, scratching at the wood.
She glanced at me and lifted an eyebrow. "You really want to know?"
I shook my head fast. "No! No, don't tell me. I was only kidding. Keep your nasty secrets. What I don't know won't hurt me, right?" I smiled at her weakly, but all she did was shrug her shoulders. I rolled my eyes. What did I expect? Reassurances from a lunatic witch? Don't hold your breath, Jayne.
I stood next to Maggie, holding the box up near the edge of the pot, keeping my face way back. "So how do you know about Shayla talking to me?"
"I am hearing a lot of talk from the other realms. Too much chatter. The spirits are restless and others are waking."
"Others?"
"The Forsaken."
I gritted my teeth together, my jaw muscles bulging and loosening with the rhythm of my panic. Every minute spent with Maggie was another chink in the armor
She had moved over to stand near me now, seeming intent on communicating, finally.
"Why?" I asked, looking up at her face so I wouldn't give myself too much time to contemplate her awful shoes that had holes in the toes, perfect for exposing her blackened, long and jagged toenails. "If I wasn't meant to be there, don't you think I'd be cut off from it?"
"You should be, and that's the problem. As I said ... the veil has tears in it. We must repair it before it is too late." She walked back to her brew and began stirring again. "Get off the floor. Come over here and help me with this."
I shook my head. "No thanks. I'm cool over here, away from the rat shit soup."
"I'm not asking. Get over here or I'll cast a spell on you that amplifies your smelling capacity tenfold."
I shrugged. "What's that gonna do? I can already smell your crap from here without it."
"I believe your pixie has issues that would make this particular spell quite torturous for you."
I jumped up and ran over. "Holy shit, Maggie. You're threatening me with level-ten pixie fartage? That's just cruel."
She shrugged. "I do what I must. Here." She handed me her spoon. "Keep stirring, and don't stop, no matter what happens. We must keep it moving."
CHAPTER TEN
MAGGIE LEFT ME IN THE kitchen stirring the pot alone while she entered the attached room. I yelled so she'd hear me.
"How did you know Shayla was in my head?"
"She's not in your head!" responded Maggie from the other room. Her voice was muffled, making her sound like she was in a closet.
"Well, that's where I hear her," I yelled back. I continued speaking in a quieter voice, "Shayla? Are you there now?"
"She can't hear you in here," said Maggie, coming back into the kitchen carrying a wooden box in her hand. She laid it gently down on the table before taking the spoon from me and continuing the stirring.
I stood on my tiptoes and started to lean in so I could take a look into her pot, but she pinched my arm, causing me to flinch and fall backwards onto my heels.
"Ow! That hurt , you old bag!"
"Keep away from the vapor. I am fresh out of gecko testicles and without them you would perish."
I grimaced. "Fresh out? As in, you had some yesterday, but you don't today?"
"Yes."
I swallowed hard. "You have a seriously strange appetite, Maggie."
Maggie cackled but said nothing to dissuade me from thinking she actually ate lizard balls for breakfast. The bitterness of stomach acid burned my throat, and my salivary glands were working overtime. I swallowed three more times, trying to get a grip on myself.
"Open the box. Put the contents in, but only when I tell you to," she said, gesturing towards the thing she'd taken out of the other room.
I stepped over and picked it up, my hands trembling with fear and nausea. I cleared my throat before speaking. "What's in here?" I almost dropped it when I thought I felt something moving inside, scratching at the wood.
She glanced at me and lifted an eyebrow. "You really want to know?"
I shook my head fast. "No! No, don't tell me. I was only kidding. Keep your nasty secrets. What I don't know won't hurt me, right?" I smiled at her weakly, but all she did was shrug her shoulders. I rolled my eyes. What did I expect? Reassurances from a lunatic witch? Don't hold your breath, Jayne.
I stood next to Maggie, holding the box up near the edge of the pot, keeping my face way back. "So how do you know about Shayla talking to me?"
"I am hearing a lot of talk from the other realms. Too much chatter. The spirits are restless and others are waking."
"Others?"
"The Forsaken."
I gritted my teeth together, my jaw muscles bulging and loosening with the rhythm of my panic. Every minute spent with Maggie was another chink in the armor
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