A Witch's Song: Tales of Evermagic, Book 3 (excerpt)

Enter the Newt

CHAPTER 2

It wasn't hard. Getting used to being hated. I suppose the only real difference now was that people were more open about it, and now I was being shunned. The fear I once caused in others made them want to be my friend. They wanted to please me so I wouldn't do something awful to them. I had often been the seed of cruel gossip, or the idea behind a mean prank.

I once ruined a poor girl's reputation because she wouldn't give me a necklace I fancied. She had to leave the county because of it. My past life ashamed me. Now, I was getting what I deserved. But I wanted to help Mr. Saller, so I came up with a plan.

Nim walked through the woods, looking for ingredients she would need for Mr. Saller. Her book had a recipe for a potion that would help him if only made properly. And the best part was that it would look like a harmless coffee bean when all was done.

Mr. Saller liked his coffee, and just a pinch of her potion would put him right. What made it fun was that he would never even know. She frowned, though, hoping he was still allowed to drink it. She couldn't be sure what his doctor or wife would allow at this point.

She knelt among the foliage then to pick a handful of flowers. The people didn't know that the majority of her concoctions required no magic at all. Many of her potions were the simple science of herb mixing. This one, however, needed a spell to be made.

She tilted her head, pondering it all and enjoying the weather. The air was cool and felt delightful on her warm cheeks. The summer morning was proving perfect for her endeavor. She smiled at the plants and flowers, feeling that they were her only friends.

Above, squirrels and birds chatted and flew from tree to tree. Under them were some chipmunks fighting over a nut. Their argument didn't last long, but they made Nim laugh all the same.

She continued her search after they'd gone and sang as she walked. Her basket swung on her arm, and her bare feet found the ground soft. She was trying to build up calluses, for her body was much too soft for having lived a privileged life so long. Her fingers had already begun to harden though, a fact she now took much pride in.

Remembering how she got them, she made a mental note to cut firewood within the next few days. It was a task she'd grown to enjoy despite the pains she suffered when first learning how. Now, one of her many favorite things about living in a small cottage was how the fireplace smelled.

She continued her search for the plants, and in little time, she had all she needed and returned home to get to work. She nibbled on a biscuit as she read the instructions in her spell book, forcing herself to check each step. She'd learned to pace herself and allow herself time to read the instructions carefully. She'd botched more than one spell in skipping through it too quickly in her excitement.

Crumbs fell into the pages, tapping against them and rolling carefree into the cracks. She flicked them away, not worrying when bits got too far stuck in the seam. When she'd finished, she gathered all the ingredients. And then she knelt in the middle of her living room floor. There, she smashed the herbs in her favorite marble mortar with its matching pestle.

After they were thoroughly demolished, she added water already boiled. And then she stirred it all together, took five coffee beans, and then dropped them into the tea-like liquid. She peered down at it so her nose was practically touching the surface and sniffed.