A glance at my smartwatch showed the time being three-twenty-seven. Assuming these people observed standard time changes, I had shy of three hours to prepare for a date to discuss dealing with monsters.
It took me twenty minutes to complete the inventory. This was when Walnut walked in.
Walnut’s head topped out at my shoulders. A long nose with a wart on one side separated his wide-set golden eyes. He carried his mouth in a disapproving pinch accentuating the waddles under his tiny chin. You might call it resting bitch face, but I don’t think he ever rested.
Sliding his fingers into the tiny pockets of his vest, he rocked back on his heels. His voice was nasally and high-pitched, bordering on grating. “I heard you had an interesting day.”
I closed, dropped the file folder into the drawer under the counter, and turned to look at the shorter man. I think he is a gnome, though I’ve never asked him or Tewthek what race they were. Shoving my hands into my lab coat pockets, I said, “Interesting is not what I would call it, and more like rainy with a greater than average chance of pigs flying.”
He squinted up at me. “Pigs don’t fly, son. Their wings would be the size of a great pine.”
Did I mention they don’t understand sarcasm? “Right. Tewthek went to Grandmother’s. Paige and I are going to discuss what to do next. I’m going to finish mixing the recipe the vampire gave me. Did I mention I want to run away? No? I want to run away. Screaming. At the top of my lungs.”
Walnut’s eyes widened, and he jerked his hands from his pockets and clutched at my coat. “Please, don’t. We need you. With your doodahs and whatchamacallits, you make some fine remedies. Our customers are happy with their care. Your instructions are clear and easy to follow. In fact, that group of kobolds at the edge of the overflow have started to exclusively request you make their cures.”
This was a head-scratcher. I didn’t know what a kobold was. “Are those the jobs you have waiting for me in the mornings?”
The ends of Walnut’s mouth flick toward the ceiling, and he jabbed a finger at me. “Right, you are. See? Smarter than an old owl.”
I paced a few steps. My voice cracked, so I cleared my throat and spoke again. “I’m not going anywhere. At least not right now. Tewthek has convinced me that I’m safer here. The vampires want whatever I’m making, which keeps me safe. However, that doesn’t mean they won’t threaten other people. If they find my parents, that’s a different matter.”
Walnut held up a hand. “That makes a world of sense. I have hired a wardist to come in and secure this place, and they’ll also take care of your apartment.”
Again with the new words. “A wardist?”
“A magic wielder that will etch runes into the windows and doorways.” He pointed to an electric guitar leaning against a wall. “That will make a noise or something. Charleston is supposed to be out tomorrow to start the process. So keep an eye out.” He spun and headed toward the back door. He paused midway in his travels. “I am sorry that something like this happened. It is freighting, but rest assured, we will protect you to the best of our abilities.” He continued on his way.
A small amount of weight fell off my shoulders, and some of my stress eased.
I plucked the recipe Arissa had given me from the counter. The ingredients were still staged here. I wracked my brain for anything that this might make. After consulting various reference items about drug interactions and what effects different plants had on the body, I was still stumped.
Tewthek thought he had caught enough of what Arissa had said that he could look up other incantations. However, he hadn’t come back from Grandmother’s.
I ran through the recipe again and finished the second part of the mixture. When I folded the leftover goop onto the fragrant mixture of herbs and antibiotics, a wisp of blue smoke swam from the middle and lingered close to the bowl. I knew better than to sniff directly over the mixture, so I slid to the side and wafted the scent toward me. Freshly baked bread tickled my olfactory, making my mouth water. There was no flash, no explosion. Sparkles formed at the bottom of the concoction and emanated toward the ceiling. When it settled, a smooth thick pudding with the sheen of gold remained. There wasn’t much, perhaps half a cup or even less.
I reached for the thick gloves Tewthek and Walnut insisted were made from dragon hide and slid my hands into them. Next, I fumbled with a silver spoon and scooped out a minuscule portion. Keeping litmus paper nearby was always handy as a pharmacist, so I plucked a strand from the cylinder I kept in my pocket. When I put the corner of the paper, there was resistance. Adding a bit more force broke the surface of the pudding-like substance and slid further in. Yanking it back, I held it close enough to watch it change. Nothing. It wasn’t an acid or a base. The pink tint remained only now; it was damp.
A pop reverberated in the pharmacy, and my hand jerked. Next, a metallic sound, and I dropped the spoon. Looking at the distraction, the silver spoon was now golden. Pinching the handle between finger and thumb, I shook the remaining goop back into the bowl and gaped at the now golden spoon. My brain kicked into overdrive, and I stared at the litmus paper. It was also gold.
I refocused on the bowl I had mixed in, but it was still stone.
My head was hurting.
Shorts 