readsfreenovel Episode Two Hundred and Twenty-Five: What the Wand?
Episode Two Hundred and Twenty-Five: What the Wand?
Bacon. The smell drifted through the air and made me finally move. I didn’t know what time it was as I crawled up out of bed, still fully dressed. Though two, small indents in the pillows made it clear that at some point I’d had company.My eyes felt crusty and I took a quick shower before changing clothes and stepping out onto the balcony.
Chirping rose from the steps and I headed that way, trying to get my bearings. Over the railing, I spotted the wands, and everything rushed back through my head.
That guy had been a past Shopkeeper, and I had done something. I’d sent him home. Even though part of me wanted to smack him, since he had to be the reason I couldn’t leave the shop, it felt like I’d done the right thing.
I continued down the steps and into the kitchen.
The Cat sat on the stove and leaned over, staring at the bacon in the oven.
Indigo stirred eggs with a spatula, but had gotten some on the Cat and on the counter. The carton of eggs was missing several more than usual.
“Morning…” I said as I entered the kitchen. “Do you need any help?”
Indigo twisted about and dropped the spatula before launching herself at me.
I caught her in my arms.
“Cracking eggs is hard! Missed you!” She snuggled into my chest with a soft chirp.
“I just needed to rest. I’m fine now.” At least I hoped I was. “I can finish the eggs, if you want.”
She nodded and crawled up to my shoulder.
I patted her head and found the Cat on the island, like a normal morning.
“I am glad you have rested,” said the Cat. “The timer is set for the bacon.”
I chuckled. “Don’t worry, I got this.”
The eggs didn’t take long to finish up, and the timer went off shortly afterward. I plated eggs for each of us, then just piled the bacon on a plate in the center of the island.
I needed caffeine, but I didn’t want to take the time to go get a coffee going. The counter rippled as I sat down and my boba tea from yesterday popped up, still cold and with ice cubes.
“Thanks, Betty,” I said with a grin, before snagging a couple slices of bacon. I added a few to the Cat’s plate as well, while Indigo grabbed her own.
“So, tell me about that guy,” I said carefully, as I started eating.
The Cat nodded slowly and tucked his paws under himself. “He was one of the first humanoid Shopkeepers, before we had many established rules. Then, five days in, he just walked out the door. It was almost a disaster.”
A shiver ran through the shop, and fear echoed up from the floorboards. The lights dimmed a little, and the shadows darkened around the room.
Indigo crouched down with her wings over her head, looking frantically around.
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“Don’t worry, I’d never leave you hanging,” I whispered, as I touched the island.
Betty calmed down, and the kitchen brightened up.
If I could give Betty a hug, I would. “So, he’s the reason I can’t leave the shop?”
“Yes. Originally, I trusted beings with just signing the contract, but after him… things changed.” The Cat took several bites of his eggs before switching to the bacon. That vanished off his plate much faster.
“So, before him there weren’t as many restrictions?” I asked for clarification, then took a big bite of bacon.
“No, I trusted the Shopkeeper to do their job, as did the shop.” The Cat said nothing else, but he did clear his plate.
Silence hung a little awkwardly in the air.
Part of me wanted to be upset with him, but then again, I’d freaked out with the first customers we’d had in the shop. Then again, I hadn’t known about magic. If he knew about magic, then walked away after five days… I pushed those thoughts away. Letting them linger wasn’t healthy. I couldn’t change the past, only focus on the future.
“Today we need to deal with those wands,” I added, thinking of them sitting on the counter.
The Cat nodded. “I need to imbue them with more magic, and then a few will be sold.”
Indigo chirped twice and snagged another slice of bacon. I grabbed some more and added some more to the Cat’s plate. The rest would need to go into storage for things like grilled cheese and sandwiches.
“Should be a good day then,” I said. I sipped on the boba and found it a little sweet this morning, but finished it anyway. Some caffeine would be good, and maybe another look at the wand with crystals in it.
My fingers itched to pick it up. I beat both the Cat and Indigo to the front counter. I started grinding beans first, though I glanced multiple times at the wands.
Indigo dove to the counter when she spotted them, but she stopped herself from touching them and instead stared intently.
“Strange magic… uneven,” she said, tilting her head to one side. “Needs work. But, no idea how to fix it…”
“You and me both,” I said, as I pulled the shots of espresso and steamed some milk. Then came the maple syrup. The comforting smell filled the area, mixing with the espresso and sweet milk, making me smile.
I almost overfilled the Cat’s tea cup as he jumped up on the counter and bumped my arm.
“Sorry,” he whispered as he twisted out of my way, before heading to the wands.
I quickly dumped the leftovers in my cup, not caring if it looked pretty. Getting a chance to check out the wands before the Cat fixed them stood high on my list of priorities.
The Cat paused, then glanced at me like he’d heard my thoughts. He sat down and waited for me. He finally asked, “Magic first, or coffee?”
“Up to you, but I don’t want your coffee to get cold.” The statement slipped out before I felt a nudge from under one of my feet. “Sorry, Betty, automatic reactions die hard. I know you’d never let coffee get cold, unless someone deserved it.”
“Coffee first,” said the Cat, as he padded closer to the teacup.
I sipped on my mug as Indigo crawled around the counter, staring at the wands from all sides, but not touching them.
“Do you want one?” I asked.
Indigo shook her head. “Some dragons use them in a humanoid form, but I’ll create my own at that point.”
“When do you get a humanoid form?” I asked, setting my cup down. “Just wondering; I haven’t read as much of the dragon parenting books as I should.”
“They’re boring,” said Indigo. She walked closer to me and crawled up my shoulder. “I like you how you are…”
I needed to get to that book sooner rather than later. If I knew anything about kids when they made statements like that, it meant you were letting things slide that they knew others wouldn’t. Even if it changed nothing, knowing what I should do remained important.
“You didn’t answer Sable's question,” said the Cat, staring at Indigo over his teacup, which was almost empty.
Indigo let out a huff before mumbling something under her breath.
“Hmm?” I asked.
“It’s really hard magic, like being a cat, but I gotta understand the form I want to be.” She wouldn’t glance at me.
“Well, let’s get this over with,” said the Cat. The teacup vanished as he stepped closer to the wands.
“What are you doing with your magic?” I asked, setting my cup on the counter. I sat on the stool, trying to access the magic inside me to get a better grasp of it.
“Like Indigo said, evening the magic of the wands out, and smoothing out inconsistencies.” His head tilted, and he glanced at me quickly. “You might be able to do this…”