“And your mother,” said Aunt Odessa. “She misses you, too. Although she’d never tell you that. She likes to think you girls are happy here.”
“And we are,” said Bryony. “She has nothing to worry about.”
“I look forward to seeing you there. It will be such fun.” Aunt Odessa opened the store door and stepped into the street. As she did so, Agatha Graytooth, a red headed witch, dashed past her, her grey eyes puffy and tears streaking down her plump cheeks.
“You have to help me. Something terrible has happened,” said Agatha.
“Whatever’s the matter?” Bryony grabbed hold of Agatha’s arm.
“I’m cursed to be alone forever.”
Chapter 2
After Aunt Odessa left the Love Cauldron, Bryony settled Agatha onto the sofa and sat next to her. “Tell me what happened? Why do you think you’re cursed to be alone?”
Agatha took in a gulp of air. “Every time I kiss a man, they go off me.”
“Have you ever heard of breath mints?” asked Ivy from behind the counter.
Bryony shushed Ivy, her attention still on Agatha. “Ignore my sister, she’s in a bad mood today. Tell me what happens? You kiss someone and they stop liking you?”
“That’s exactly it,” said Agatha. “I go on dates with guys and they seem to like me. We go to dinner or to the movies, or just for a coffee. Everything is going well. But then we get to the kiss. And every single time, right after we kiss, they say they don’t want to see me anymore. Some have even run away.”
“How many times has this happened?” Ivy emerged from behind the counter and dusted herbs from her hands.
“Every time I date someone.”
“And how many dates have you been on recently?” asked Ivy.
“Six or seven,” said Agatha. “I’m still searching for my Mr. Right. I thought I’d found him, but it went wrong. The kiss, though, that’s the problem. After it happens that’s it, end of dates. Surely I can’t have a toxic kiss?”
“Is this a recent occurrence?” asked Bryony. “Or have you always had this issue?”
“No, it’s brand new,” said Agatha. “Only in the last month.”
“You’ve dated six different guys in the last month?” Ivy perched on a chair next to the sofa and crossed her arms over her chest. “You’ve been busy.”
Agatha hiccupped loudly and sniffed back tears. “I don’t usually date so much, but I’m not getting any younger and need to find someone to settle down with. It’s been my mission for this year, to find a husband. I’m the same age as you, Ivy, and neither of us are spring chickens.”
“I’m only twenty-six,” said Ivy coldly. “There’s plenty of time to go husband hunting.”
“Well, maybe you think you’ve got plenty of time, but in my family, the women start going grey at thirty. I need to get a move on and catch a man before my looks fade.”
“That’s a nice life ambition to have,” said Ivy with a shake of her head. “I’ll make some tea.” She left the room without a backward glance, Spike following her, hoping for some food, leaving a still hiccupping Agatha on the sofa next to Bryony.
“Can you help me?” asked Agatha. “I didn’t know where else to go. I know you specialize in love spells, but this is almost like an anti-love spell. I thought you might know how to reverse it.”
“You’re right, love spells are my speciality, but we branch out into all sorts of magic, even occasionally curses.” Bryony glanced at the still smoking spell on the counter. “Who do you think put a spell on you?”
“I’ve no idea,” said Agatha. “But I need your help. Surely there’s a way to reverse this?”
“The person who cast the spell is the best one to ask about that,” said Bryony. “To tinker with a spell I don’t know anything about is complicated and dangerous. I might make it worse and you could end up repelling everybody, not just the men you kiss.”
“Please, there must be something you can do.” Agatha grabbed hold of Bryony’s hand and squeezed. “I’ll pay you as much as you want. And you can have as many free magical brownies as you like.” Agatha’s family ran the bakery in Old Sarum, and their cakes were to die for. The magic ones, in particular, were a speciality. You could get cakes that made you fly, made you laugh or made you relaxed. Bryony had even tried one that changed the color of her hair for a day.
“It’s not so much a matter of payment,” said Bryony. “But without knowing the make-up of the spell, it will be difficult to reverse. Think carefully, who could have put this spell on you? And how did they get the spell into you in the first place? Have you had any strange brews lately or eaten something that tasted odd?”
Agatha shook her head. “Nothing comes to mind. And sure, I do eat a few strange things in the bakery, when we’re testing new recipes and spells, but no one else has experienced this. Only me. I don’t think it’s anything I’ve eaten or drunk.”
“Or they could have attached it from a distance, but that takes some serious spell power. We could be getting ahead of ourselves. Maybe it’s nothing so serious as a spell or curse,” said Bryony. “It could be you’ve got your own magic muddled. I do that sometimes, especially if I haven’t used my magic for a while. It’s as if my abilities go into overdrive and everything gets a bit too magically charged to be safe. I once exploded a toaster just by touching it.”
“I’m nowhere near as powerful as you or your scary sister.” Agatha glanced at the doorway Ivy had walked through. “And I use my magic daily in the bakery creating the cakes to sell in the store. I don’t think it’s that. I’m worried someone might have cursed me. I’m never going to find love. My plan to find a husband is ruined.”
“I’m sure it’s not that serious.” Bryony removed her hand from Agatha’s grip, her fingers cramping under her strong grasp. “Let’s start with a few tinctures and herbs for you to take. Try them for a week and see how you get on. This could simply be the side-effect of a spell you've used. And since it has only happened recently, there’s every chance it could wear off just as soon.”
“If you’re sure.” Agatha wiped tears from her cheeks. “I hate the thought of being alone. If I’m never able to kiss another man again, I’m not sure what I’ll do.”
“I’m single and it doesn’t bother me.”
“What do you do to occupy your time?” asked Agatha.
“I have the store, and my family, and Sweetie.” Bryony stood up. “And there’s always a good book to read.”
“I don’t want to be alone,” said Agatha. “Must be horrible.”
“It’s not so bad.” Bryony ignored the ache in her chest and bustled over to a shelf lined with herbs. She selected three different bottles, decanting them into small bags before tying the tops and handing them to Agatha. “Try not to be so gloomy. Think positive and hope the magic will disperse by itself. With a bit of luck and fairy dust, you will be free of all the symptoms before you know it.”
“I’ll only know that if I keep on kissing men, though,” said Agatha.
“Yes, that could be a bit tricky,” said Bryony. “Make sure you only kiss men you don’t like. You don’t want your dream man to be turned off by you.”
“Sound advice if ever I heard it.” Ivy entered the store, carrying a tray with three mugs of tea on and a plate of chocolate brownies. “I only ever get involved with men I can’t stand.”
“Such nonsense.” Bryony grabbed the tray from her sister’s hands and set it on the table, before offering a mug to Agatha.
“I can’t stop,” said Agatha as she stood up. “I need to get back to the bakery. But thanks for these herbs. I’ll try them out and see how I get on. I’ll be back if these don’t have any effect.”
“Any time.” Bryony opened the door for Agatha. “Let me know how you get on.”
“I take it she paid for those?” asked Ivy, as Bryony shut the door.
“It was only a few herbs,” said Bryony. “Honestly, I think she needs something she believes is a cure. I did
n’t sense any magic on Agatha. And with a curse, there’s usually some kind of nasty residual around a person. But there were no traces of that.”
“I didn’t sense anything either.” Ivy slumped into a seat, grabbed a brownie, and bit into it. “But that doesn’t mean she hasn’t got some magic on her. It could be concealed. And if she’s not wearing something that has a curse on it, like a ring or brooch, it’s much easier to hide.”
“Poor Agatha, she seems so distraught.” Bryony sat next to Ivy and took a sip of tea.
“She was being hysterical,” said Ivy. “Perhaps we both need that curse put on us. It would stop us getting into any trouble.”
“What kind of trouble are you referring to?” Bryony arched an eyebrow at her sister.
“That kind of trouble.” Ivy gestured to the door.
Gabriel Galbraith walked through the doorway of the store, his tall muscular physique making the room feel small. His blue eyes settled on Bryony and a warm smile crossed his face. Right behind him, hurried a short squat dark haired warlock, with a lovesick look in his eyes.
Ivy groaned and stuffed more brownie into her mouth. “This should be interesting.”
“I wasn’t expecting you today.” Bryony jumped up from her seat, her tea discarded and attention fixed on Gabriel.
“I was in the area and wanted to make sure everything was okay with the store.” Gabriel’s voice was warm and deep as you would expect from an archangel. Well, a fallen archangel.
“That’s so sweet of you,” said Bryony. “We’ve just finished with a customer.” She dragged her gaze from Gabriel to the warlock standing behind him. “May I help you?”
“Yes, well, I hope so,” he stuttered. “I was here last week asking about a tincture for a cold.”
“I remember you,” said Bryony. “And how is your cold?”
The warlock beamed at her. “You remember me? How lovely. My cold is fine now, but I have a headache.” He rubbed his stubby fingers across his forehead. “Can you help me with that?”
“My sister will be happy to make you a treatment for your headache,” said Bryony, turning towards Ivy.
“No, it must be you!” said the warlock. “I mean, you’re so good at what you do. You cured me right away the last time I was here. It has to be you.”
“That’s kind of you to say,” said Bryony gently. “But of the two witches in here, my sister is by far the most powerful. If you really want your headache to go away, she’s the witch for you.”
“It’s not that bad.” The warlock pushed his way around Gabriel and reached towards Bryony’s hand. “But I really want you.”
“You really want Bryony?” Gabriel’s warm expression hardened and he looked down at the warlock.
“I meant to say that I wanted her to treat me,” said the warlock, staring up at Gabriel with wide eyes. “Unless, I mean, you wanted me to want you.” He turned his puppy dog expression to Bryony.
Ivy gave a loud sigh and dropped her half-eaten brownie on the tray. “Let me deal with this idiot.” She stood up from her seat and stalked towards the warlock, dark power and rage shimmering from her, casting a pale purple glow around the store. “You don’t have a headache, do you?”
The warlock gulped and took a step back. “I do.”
“What you have is a pathetic case of being love struck by my sister,” said Ivy. “As are half the men in Old Sarum.”
“I’m not love struck,” said the warlock. He glanced at Bryony. “Unless you want me to be.”
“If you want to date her, you need to get to the back of a very long line,” said Ivy. “And prepare to be disappointed, because she doesn’t date anybody. My sister is an independent woman who is happy where she is, with me, running this business. She doesn’t want you drooling over her and getting under her feet by pretending you need a magical cure for some fake illness. Do you understand me?”
The warlock stared into Ivy’s dark eyes, working up the courage to speak. “She might love me.”
“Bryony does not love you, and she never will.” Ivy grabbed hold of the warlock’s arm and swivelled him towards the door. “Now, unless you want to see just how powerful a witch I am, I suggest you leave. I need to discharge my magic soon and am looking for a willing subject. I was thinking of doing a spell that stopped a person talking. Would you like to try that?” She raised her thin fingers and pointed one of them at the warlock.
“No, I’m going. I don’t need any of your magic. My headache is quite better.” He yanked the door open but then looked over his shoulder. “Bryony, if you do have a change of heart, I will be waiting for you.”
Ivy flung a spell at the door, causing the warlock to fly out of it and the door slam shut. “I hate time wasters.”
“You’re not planning on doing that to me, are you?” A small smile played across Gabriel’s lips.
“Not right now,” said Ivy. “For some strange reason, my sister likes having you around. Must have something to do with your bulging muscles.” She returned to her seat, grabbed her brownie and took another bite.
“Ivy, you know that’s not true.” A blush crossed Bryony’s cheeks.
“You mean you don’t like me being around?” asked Gabriel.
“I do, of course. It’s just that, it’s not your muscles. I mean, your muscles are lovely. Not that I’ve been looking at you. Well, I have, but not like that.” Bryony’s hand went to her mouth in a vague attempt to stop the words spilling out.
Ivy barked out a laugh. “Sit down the two of you, you’re making our lovely store look untidy.”
After a few seconds of hesitation, Gabriel and Bryony sat down, Gabriel awkwardly perching on a too small chair.
“Tea?” asked Bryony.
“That would be nice,” said Gabriel. “Unless it's chamomile. That always makes me drowsy, and I'm on duty.”
“No, we only have that in the evening.” Bryony passed around the tea and remaining brownies.
“Gabriel, what do you want, other than to admire my sister?” asked Ivy.
“I had a bit of business with a witch over on Hever Street,” said Gabriel.
“The good old Charm Police in action again,” said Ivy.
“You do great work,” said Bryony to Gabriel. “The way you keep magic under control in Old Sarum is amazing. Ivy doesn’t mean to be disrespectful.”
“I’m sure she does,” said Gabriel with a pleasant smile.
“He’s right, I do,” said Ivy.
“So what’s been going on in Hever Street?” Bryony gave her sister a warning glare.
“A case of some illegal trading of dangerous charms,” said Gabriel. “Has anybody been in the store recently trying to sell any charms or merchandise?”
“I’ve not dealt with anyone trying to sell unlicensed magic,” said Bryony. “How about you, Ivy?”
Ivy shrugged. “I don’t recall any dodgy deals going down.”
“Some people never learn,” said Gabriel with a shake of his head. “There are always some magic users flouting the laws.”
In Old Sarum, you need a licence to sell certain types of charms. Anyone who sets themselves up in the business of charm distribution must undertake an annual audit and check of their charms and abilities by the Charm Police, Old Sarum's magical protection force.
“We sell dangerous charms here,” said Ivy. “Are you going to arrest us?”
“Your charms are licensed,” said Gabriel.
“Most of them are licensed,” muttered Ivy.
Gabriel shook his head again, his attention on Bryony. “So, how has your day been?”
As hard as she tried, the butterflies in Bryony’s stomach led a merry dance every time Gabriel looked at her. “We’ve been working on a reversal charm spell for a woman who turns blue every time she has a naughty thought. And we’ve just had someone come in who thinks she is cursed to be alone forever.”
“That must be terrible,” said Gabriel.
“Yes, it must,” said Bryony with a wistful s
igh.
“I suspect it’s more to do with her kissing technique than a curse,” said Ivy. “Or she’s playing the needy card with her dates too soon and it scares them off. You heard what she said about husband hunting. It’s pathetic.”
“Getting married and having a family of your own is a great ambition to have,” said Bryony.
“It’s certainly on the top of my wish list.” Gabriel twisted the mug he held. “I can’t wait to have children.”
“I didn’t realize you were seeing anyone,” said Ivy.
“Ivy, don’t be rude,” said Bryony.
Gabriel’s warm expression turned frosty as he glared at Ivy. “I’m waiting for that special someone.”
“Don’t wait too long,” said Ivy. “You’re not getting any younger.”
Gabriel snorted a laugh. “The last time I checked, my lifespan was long enough.”
“Even archangels die eventually,” said Ivy.
“We may do, but only from exceptionally strong curses or at the hands of a demon with a blade of Ithicar.” He glanced around the store. “I don’t suppose you sell those in here?”
“I was thinking of ordering some in,” said Ivy. “One could come in handy if we get too many failed angels hanging around the store and being annoying.”
“That’s enough,” said Bryony. “Ivy, stop teasing Gabriel.”
Ivy unfolded herself from the seat. “I need to check on the toads. Have fun you two.” She sashayed out of the store into the back room where they kept the familiars they hand reared to sell to other witches and warlocks.
“Sorry about Ivy,” said Bryony. “It takes her a while to warm to some people.”
“Well, I’ve been here for a year,” said Gabriel. “I’m hoping she’ll defrost soon. In fact, the only person I’ve ever seen her be nice to is you. Oh, and that crazed dog she keeps.”
“She’s protective of me, that’s all,” said Bryony. “As my big sister, she thinks she’s entitled to oversee my love life. Well, every area of my life in truth.”
“You have a love life?” asked Gabriel with a smile.
“Oh, no, I didn’t mean I was interested in you. I didn’t mean you were my love life.” A blush spread from Bryony’s neck up to her hairline in a matter of seconds. “It’s just that my sister thinks every man is in love with me.”
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