Brewing Trouble

by Katherine Kim

  “At least it’s safe in an office here, Sarah.” And that was the real trouble Elaine had with everything Sarah did here in California. Elaine blamed magic and all spirits everywhere for the death of Sarah’s father, even though the accident was simply due to being distracted. There was nothing malicious directed at him, no spirits trying to hurt him or his family. There had been something going on nearby, and as best as anyone could figure, he noticed something and when his attention wandered, he didn’t see the perfectly natural deer leap in front of his car.

  “Mom…”

  “Sarah,” Elaine said. “Just think about it. This opportunity won’t last long.”

  “Goodnight, Mother. I have to go now.” Sarah wrapped up her chat with her mother and dropped her arm over her eyes.

  “And how’s your mom?” Sebastian asked from the kitchen. She listened to him puttering around for a minute and let the sheer domesticity of it comfort her. The sounds of chopping and the smell of onion and garlic reached her while they talked. The fridge door opened and closed.

  “She’s fine. She even actually sounded sorry to hear that Doc’s sick. Wants me to take an office manager job back in New York City. Almost paid me a compliment at the end, even. So that’s a phone call that happened.” Sarah sensed Sebastian bustle close to the sofa and then back to the kitchen but kept her eyes shut. It was too hard to worry about paying too much attention.

  “Almost?” There was a smile in Gabe’s voice. The sizzle of the onions hitting the pan punctuated his question.

  “Oh my god that smells amazing,” Sarah groaned, finally moving her arm to look over the counter to where Seb stood at the stove.

  “It’s just oil, onions, and salt right now,” Sebastian grinned over to her.

  “Like I said. Delicious,” Sarah grinned back. “Yeah, almost. She said I was intelligent and talented and then ended with insulting both tea and the people who buy it.”

  “Man, that woman. I don’t know why she thinks that being rude is going to convince you to do what she wants,” Sebastian shook his head and stirred in the ground beef.

  Sarah took a deep, slow breath in and savored the smells of cooking before blowing it out slowly. “I guess I can understand that she’s doing what she thinks is helpful. And I am coming to understand that she has no idea how to be encouraging without being domineering, but…” She shook her head. “I just don’t know what she thinks insulting you and everyone else here is going to accomplish. And she suggested that Doc was sick because she used magic.”

  “Seriously? She blamed magic for Doc getting sick?” Gabe turned to look at Sarah, frowning.

  “Yeah. Said that it was pretty clear that magic isn’t healthy. Like it was candy or something.” Sarah sighed again. “Mom doesn’t like me being out here, far away from her and her plans for my life. And she doesn’t like magic or spirits. I’m summing up and skipping over a bit, but that’s pretty much it. Oh, I checked the wards on the shop like Doc asked me to. It was weird, they felt like they’d been taking hits, but nothing major. Not like an actual attack or anything, just sort of dinged up if that makes sense?”

  “Like scratched from use sort of?” Gabe asked. Behind him the sizzling hushed when Sebastian poured the can of tomatoes into the pan. He gave it a quick stir then turned back to the counter.

  “What would do that? I don’t really know much about witch-based magic,” Seb asked.

  “Not sure, honestly. I mean, it took a couple of dings when that Hunter came in to talk to you. She wasn’t armed, particularly, but she probably had protective charms on of some kind, and definitely had hostile intentions. And sometimes when a handyman or a construction guy comes in, they’ve got tools on them that the wards ping against. But this was like an entire job site crew came in, with their toolboxes,” Sarah said. She frowned and shook her head to clear it. “It doesn’t make a lot of sense, though. We checked the wards and cleaned them up after you got kidnapped. So, whatever happened, it’s happened in the last three weeks, but I just can’t think of anything.”

  Gabe frowned and Sebastian growled quietly before turning back to the stove.

  “What if…” Gabe spoke slowly, still working out the thought in his head. “What if Doc isn’t sick because she does magic, but because she’s being attacked by it? Would that ding the wards?”

  Sarah and Sebastian both turned to stare at him and he swiveled his head to look at them both in turn, his eyes growing huge. “I mean, I don’t know. It just seemed— I thought maybe— I mean—”

  “Did you see something or was that just a guess?” Sebastian asked.

  “No, I mean, it wasn’t a vision, just an idea. Is it wrong?” Gabe answered quietly. “I could try to see something if you want me to, but answering specific questions is still really hard.”

  Sarah jumped up off the sofa, her exhaustion pushed to the background.

  “If you do see something, great. Otherwise, I’m going to grab Gran’s journals. I’ve got a lot of reading to do.”

  9

  Sarah smiled at the nurse over by the station who sent her a smile in return, then tipped her head sympathetically. Sarah knew that the nurses here were used to visitors looking a bit rough— nobody liked their loved ones to be here, after all— but staying up till almost dawn pouring through Gran’s journals after dinner with Sebastian and Gabe had left her looking pretty wrecked.

  “I was cramming all night. That on top of the stress was maybe not the brightest idea I’ve had in a while.” Sarah shrugged and the nurse chuckled.

  “I totally understand that. Life in general doesn’t slow down or stop simply because we have something going on. Just don’t drive yourself into the ground, hon,” the nurse said. “There’s coffee in the waiting room down that way. One of those one-cup machines, so it’s actually pretty decent. Milk and fixings are in the fridge next to it.” She waved her hand down the hallway. “Feel free to grab what you need, that’s what it’s there for.”

  Sarah smiled her thanks and headed to Doc’s room first, though the coffee sounded tempting. Dr. Collins was just outside the door, pausing in the hallway to double check something on the tablet. She smiled when she looked up and saw Sarah.

  “Hi there,” she said. “How’re you doing today?”

  “Tired and stressed out, but not too bad. How are you?” Sarah knew that the doctor couldn’t actually tell her how Doc was doing, so didn’t bother to ask. Besides, if Doc was awake she could ask the woman directly.

  “About the same,” Dr. Colins answered with a smile. “I hope you don’t mind me saying so, but it’s so good to see Doc getting all these visits. Keeping up her spirits can be so important. You have a very soothing way with you when you visit.”

  “Oh. Um, thanks.” Sarah wasn’t sure how to react to that. She’d never been called soothing before. Dr. Collins grinned.

  “I know a few nurses who could learn from your bedside manner. A few doctors, too, for that matter.” Dr. Collins laughed and shook her head.

  “Well, I’ve put enough bandaids on scraped knees over at the Village. I guess it carries over,” Sarah said. It was pretty flattering to be considered in the same thought as medical professionals.

  “A natural caregiver. It shows. Maybe you should consider medical school!” Dr. Collins laughed. “It was good to see you again, though I hope we solve this soon.”

  Dr. Collins shook Sarah’s hand and smiled as she headed back to the nurses’ station. It was a relief to know that Dr. Collins wasn’t one of those hostile, snarling doctors that she always heard horror stories about. She seemed like a kind, dedicated professional and if Kai was being honest, she was determined to get to the bottom of Doc’s mystery illness. Of course, if Gabe was right at it was magical in origin, Dr. Collins would be disappointed.

  Inside, she saw Doc in the bed, sleeping, and took a moment to really look at her. Doc had lost weight, that much was instantly obvious. Her skin sagged slightly and her wrists looked almost fragile, with the bones cl
ear beneath the thin skin which had a slightly yellow tinge. She still had dark circles under her eyes even though Sarah knew that Doc had been sleeping more than not since being admitted. For the first time since Sarah met her, Doc looked… old.

  Sarah took a deep breath and put her bag on a chair to dig through it. She pulled out some brightly colored disks formed out of children’s modeling clay she mixed a few other things into. Each one had a slightly different squiggle on it and a hole through which was threaded a loop of ribbon. Sarah muttered her spell as she hung them on the corners of Doc’s bed, then one each in the middle of the rails. Then she pulled a battery-operated candle out and put it on the rolling table that had Doc’s water bottle on it, followed by a small but cheerful looking potted tree, and a string with a few knots and wooden beads on it. When she turned to lift Doc’s wrist and slip the protective bracelet on, she found her mentor watching her.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up. How’re you feeling?” Sarah asked before returning to her task. She tied the string and smiled at the newly children’s-arts-and-crafts project feel of Doc’s space before sitting gently on the side of the bed.

  “About the same, honestly. Exhausted. Weak.” Doc shrugged. Her voice was as thin as her wrists and sounded like antique paper felt. Soft and brittle. “I wish they’d hurry up and figure out what I caught. I’m past tired of this now.”

  Sarah hesitated for a moment then decided that if anyone would have an idea on it, Doc would.

  “Gabe had a thought. Amusingly enough, it was sparked by something my mom said, but Gabe wondered if maybe you’re being affected by some sort of magical attack or something. We started going through Gran’s journals last night after he asked about it, but haven’t found anything so far.”

  Doc frowned in thought for a long moment then nodded slowly. “Well, it would make some sense, I suppose. The spell would be fairly complicated. It would need some hard to get components to direct and shape it. Like personal objects, that sort of thing.”

  “So someone, what? Made a voodoo doll or something?” Sarah asked.

  “Well, that would be one way to do it, sure.” Doc frowned again. “Hair or clothing or that sort of thing like those dolls use would be ideal components for a personal hex. But it would still take some time to set up. Not to mention, I think that the only people I’ve irritated lately were you guys. I didn’t deal with any of the Hunters or anything. I doubt it’s a hex.”

  “Well, is there a way to stop it? Assuming that’s what’s going on?” Sarah asked.

  “You’d have to find the curse’s anchor object. Whether that’s a doll or just a bowl of components or whatever it is,” Doc shrugged again. “Then you destroy it. Rip up the paper or burn the bowl of components. Break the spell somehow.”

  “How would we find it?” Sarah slumped over. There had to be a way to trace a spell back to its origin. Otherwise it was too awful to think about.

  “I’d suggest trying to think about who would cast such a thing. I honestly can’t think of anyone I could have upset badly enough to do something like that, though. I’m sure it’s just some virus the doctors here haven’t figured out yet,” Doc said and reached to pat Sarah’s hand. “The only thing I can think of that would support the idea is that I can’t really access my own magic right now, but that’s not surprising considering how much energy I’m spending on everything else.”

  They sat there quietly for a few minutes, letting the weight of the discussion slide away a little.

  “So, how’s the shop?” Doc asked.

  “Oh man. It’s still busy. You wouldn’t even believe. Oh, I had some questions about the back room.” Sarah launched into a long, rambling account of the past week from Ellie’s Dryad Flu to Meg’s chatter about her spell casting adventures.

  “Well, she’s got the intention part right at least,” Doc smiled. “She’s enthusiastic and sweet. I’m glad I hired her. Especially now that I’m off the team for a while.”

  “She’s doing pretty well, I think,” Sarah agreed. “Oh! I met her fabled Coven Leader yesterday. She came in to the shop.”

  “Oh? Is she a fraud or just a hippie?” Doc laughed quietly.

  “The latter, I think, but she made me and Kai nervous.” Sarah said. “There was nothing specific, really. I mean she definitely didn’t set off the wards or anything. She was polite and friendly. Clearly into bright colors, if her outfit was anything to go by. I didn’t sense any magic about her, particularly, but then nobody was casting anything, so…”

  “Hmm. Well, I guess that as long as Meg seems happy…” Doc said.

  “Yeah. Oh, she said she might know you, though. Angela Davila? Does the name ring a bell?” Sarah asked. Doc cocked her head on the pillow.

  “No… I don’t think so? Davila, though. That’s not a very common name. I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere at least.” Doc stared off into her memories.

  Sarah pulled out her phone and tapped at the screen.

  “Here, this is her. Amazing what a quick internet search can come up with.” Sarah held her phone out and showed Doc the Facebook image of Angela, wearing jeans with colorful patches similar to her jacket and a turquoise t-shirt, and the same lavender boots. Doc squinted at the photo, taken at some sort of event where she was surrounded by women ranging from Meg’s age to maybe thirty. Angela, for all her colorful clothes, managed to look like the only adult in the room.

  “She does look very vaguely familiar. I wonder where I know her from?” Doc lapsed into a thoughtful silence. “Oh wow. I do remember her now, but we were never friends exactly. She was in a couple of my classes back in college. I think we had a study group together. I didn’t know her well at all, but I remember her being kind of mousy and sullen.”

  “I can’t even imagine you in college,” Sarah grinned. “Were you the dorm mom? Always there with a bandaid and a cup of tea?” She laughed at the thought.

  “Oh please,” Doc waved a dismissive hand at Sarah which only made her giggle again. “I wasn’t born an herbalist. I went to school with every intention of getting a degree in mechanical engineering, actually. And I spent the first year or two partying every weekend just like any kid suddenly out from under their parents.”

  “Ugh. I wouldn’t know.” Sarah rolled her eyes, remembering her own college experience. ‘Fun’ hadn’t been in the curriculum, thanks to her mother.

  “Oh honey, you’re here now. That’s what matters.” Doc reached out and patted Sarah’s hand. It was cold and thin, and for the first time Doc felt frail to her.

  “Mom hasn’t let go all that easily. She wants me to go back to corporate New York,” Sarah said with a small laugh. “I’m not going.”

  “You’re strong enough to resist her many charms, I know.” Doc laughed and Sarah gave in to a giggle, as well.

  “Oh yes, she’s very charming. Always been the very image of maternal sweetness,” Sarah said. “Thank God I got out from under her thumb. God, I hated working in an office. She started talking about wasting my talents and my degree. Like I ever wanted to go to school for business in the first place!” She flopped back in her chair and scrunched her face in disgust. At her past self, at her mother, at the whole subject of business, she wasn’t sure, but she certainly meant it.

  “Well, what did you want to study instead?” Doc’s voice was sounding wispier now. The energy it took to interact with Sarah was starting to exhaust her.

  “I don’t know,” Sarah said. “I never had a chance to think about it until now, and now it’s too late, so…”

  “It’s never too late to learn something new, if you want to,” Doc said.

  “True,” Sarah grinned. “Like how to treat Dryad Flu. Besides, I like working at the Apothecary. It’s fun to mix up the tea blends, and I get to meet people. And you don’t get mad when my boyfriend drops by to hang out a bit.”

  “As long as he’s not underfoot or in the way,” Doc rolled her eyes. “That first month or two you were here… That boy. I swea
r he was more puppy than spirit.” Sarah had to laugh at the statement. Doc wasn’t far wrong, the way Seb had followed Sarah around at first, worried about the stress of being cut off from her mother, the warlock’s attack, and delving into her newly discovered magic. And begging her to get off early from work so he could take her out to dinner. And lunch. And sometimes just spend the whole day together.

  “Listen, Sarah. There’s something I want to talk to you about, before you go.” Doc squeezed Sarah’s hand and the serious look in her eyes drained the humor from her memories.

  “What is it?”

  “I’ve talked to Jennifer. I wanted to update a few things, just in case. If this goes on much longer…” Doc trailed off.

  “Nope. Not a chance. Doctor Collins is super on top of this. We’re going to figure this out,” Sarah said. She looked Doc right in the eye and dared her to argue.

  “I have every faith in you, and in the boys, and a fair amount of faith in the doctors and nurses here. Oh, the nurses have been absolute gems, make sure we do something nice for them, will you?” Doc smiled. “But don’t think I’m getting distracted. If something does happen to me, I’m leaving the shop to you.”

  “What? No! You can’t! I mean I can’t. Doc—” Another squeeze of her hand cut her off.

  “You have a more than solid handle on the way the shop runs. You’re strong and capable, and I can’t imagine anyone else running the place— all aspects of it— should I not be able to. Just like you have been doing,” Doc paused to breathe, her energy flagging. Sarah’s heart squeezed at the suggestion of Doc not walking out of this hospital room on her own.

  “I’m fighting this, whatever it is,” Doc continued. “But I have to be realistic. None of us are immortal. Not even the longest-lived of us.” Doc gave Sarah a pointed look at that statement. “So I’m trying to be practical about all this, and I wanted you to know. So it wouldn’t be sprung on you out of nowhere. You’re like my own daughter in a lot of ways. I know we only met in person half a year ago, but Rosie did talk about you all the time. I feel like I’ve known you for years, and when we did meet face to face, it felt like a formality. If you don’t want to keep the shop, that’s up to you. But I can’t imagine it in more capable hands. That’s all I have to say about it.”