Page 36 of The Queen's Heart

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“You can add your own enchantment,” she told me, turning over the blank card attached.

“I don’t have any money,” I said. I turned to the guard who coughed behind me.

“My lady, I am authorised to arrange payment for your purchases,” he told me. I nodded my understanding. Maybe I would buy the bracelet.

“What else is there? This, Percy, here smell this!” she said, handing me a small carved wooden nose. The moment I took the odd novelty, I was struck with the smell of sulphur. I dropped it, coughing and trying not to gag.

“Why did you do that to me?” I asked as Heidi laughed loudly beside me.

“Why did you take it? Wasn’t it obvious?” she asked, controlling her laughter.

“No, it wasn’t obvious to me,” I told her, annoyed. “That was disgusting. Why would anyone want something enchanted to smell foul?”

“Because there’s always someone that will unthinkingly smell anything if simply asked,” she answered. “Like saying ‘don’t look now’, most people look.”

“Yeah, haha,” I joked with her.

“Mable is ready. Come on back,” the young man announced, lifting the countertop for us.

“Come with me, Percy. Mable will be pleased to see another of her kin,” Heidi commanded me. I turned to the guard behind me. I was a little anxious; he seemed to know and nodded reassuringly. I followed Heidi behind the counter and through the beaded doorway.

We walked into a small back room with tall, stacked, floor-to-ceiling shelves full of ingredients. An older woman with long grey braided hair greeted Heidi with a smile.

“Heidi, back so soon. What can I do for you?” she asked. “And who is yourfriend?” she added politely, but I could tell from her tone she was surprised that I wasn’t another noble or pureblood.

“This is Percy Flores, a half-witch,” Heidi introduced me.

“Flores?” Mable asked, looking me up and down. “My original coven,” she commented. “Are you sure you’re Flores?” she asked.

I saw a glass of dried daisies on a bench and hummed loudly, aiming my magic at the flowers. The daisies grew brighter, plumping out, bringing them back to their original state. It was quite difficult to bring a flower back from death. It couldn’t be done if they were rotted, but dried flowers were preserved.

“Impressive, girl, impressive. Flores, yes, are you Aqua too?” she asked me.

“No,” I answered.

“Are you sure?” she questioned.

“My mother was Flores,” I told her, “Pureblood.”

“Pureblood can be from more than one coven lineage,” she replied. “That there, that required water,” she told me, pointing to the daisies.

“My mother’s magic was specialised in aquatic plants,” I explained. Maybe my magic was more like my mother’s than I knew. She smiled brightly, almost knowingly, and turned back to Heidi.

“What enchantment are you after today?” she asked again.

“I’m looking for a glamour. I want to be blonde for a night,” she said, her arm moving to around my shoulders. “Maybe a shade or two lighter than Percy here. Do you think you can do it?” she asked.

“Certainly. How long do you need the glamour to last?”

“Only a night - a quarter day to be safe,” she answered.

“I can have it ready in the next half hour. Will you be able to collect it today, or would you like it delivered to the Academy?” she asked, taking notes.

“Best deliver it to the Academy. I don’t know if I will be able to return today.”

Mable turned to me, “And you, dear, what would you like?” she asked, looking at the bracelet in my hand.

“I, well, can you add a scent to the bracelet, a permanent scent?” I asked her.


Tags: J.K. Jeffrey Paranormal