Witchy Sour(10)

“Same to you. Thank you for this incredible food.”

“It’s really nothing.” I passed him the cup of coffee. “Simple.”

“Island life. Nothing like it.”

“Are you considering moving here?” I asked with curiosity. “If you enjoy it so much, what’s holding you back?”

“Business,” he said again, and I let it drop.

After a moment of slightly awkward silence, I busied myself washing my hands. The sound of the bell above the door tinkling merrily drew my attention as I wiped my hands on a towel. “Hello,” I called to the new visitor. “May I help you?”

The new visitor didn’t answer. Gliding across the floor, the figure moved like a storm cloud. Dressed in all black robes with a hood pulled over his head, I couldn’t tell whether the figure was a woman or a man. He or she crossed to the far end of the bar and sat on a stool, bringing with him a layer of caution and a dose of foreboding.

I exchanged a “raised eyebrows” glance with Liam, then mouthed an “Excuse me,” before shuffling down to the end of the bar. “Hi there, I’m Lily. Can I get you something to eat or drink?”

The figure’s head was bowed so deeply I couldn’t catch a glimpse of his or her face. Lining the rim of the hood was a silky black ribbon about one inch thick, glinting under the sun.

An arm snaked out from under the billowing black robes. He or she removed a napkin from the stack on the bar and put the tip of their fingertip to the paper, beginning to write in huge, sweeping movements. To my horror—and astonishment—black ink began to flow from the place where the nail met skin. When the figure removed his or her hand and passed me the napkin, I glanced at the message.

I blinked at the writing there: ELIXIR.

The Elixir was a drink that I’d only learned about, but never prepared. It was a potion meant for someone in desperate need. A potion meant only for a person on the edge of death. Once a person drank this potion, there was no going back: It was meant to preserve the spirit after death for a short time. Almost like a ghost. I’d only read about it in books, and I had no desire to see it work in real life.

“I’ll...I’ll be right back,” I mumbled. “I don’t have the ingredients here.”

“Everything okay?” Liam asked. “The eggs are delicious.”

“I’m so happy,” I said distractedly. “I mean, I’m happy you like them. Sorry, I’ll be right back. Can I get you more coffee?”

Liam waved for me to go on, which was a good thing since I already had one foot in the storeroom.

“Gus,” I said to the old man hunched over the table. He didn’t look up. “Gus!”

“I’m busy,” he grumbled. “Doing your job, since you don’t seem to fancy doing it yourself.”

“Look at this.” I slapped the piece of paper down on the table.

Though Gus tried to hide his interest, curiosity won out and he glanced at the writing on the napkin. He did a double take then looked up at me with a grave expression. “Who asked for this?”

“A guest,” I said. “A visitor I’ve never seen before. He’s wearing a cloak. What do you make of it?”

“The Elixir,” he said slowly. “Is a touchy subject.”

“I’ve read about it.”

“You’ve read about it, but have you ever seen it in action?” he asked, a bitterness to his words. “Have you witnessed the effects of this potion?”

“No.”

“It’s a dangerous thing. Very dangerous,” Gus said. “Only those mortally ill may request this potion. Even then, it speeds up the dying process. I haven’t heard of a batch being made for at least ten years. There are strict regulations on those who may ask for it.”

“Regulations?”

“There’s a strict procedure you must follow by law.”

“Is it difficult?”

Gus shrugged. “It’s not time consuming, and it’s not hard. Difficult...that depends on what you mean.”

“Well, what do you mean?”

“The regulations state that you must give the requesting party a Truth Seeker potion first, followed up with a single question: Do you understand the consequences of drinking The Elixir?”

“Why?”

“Because of the nature of the potion, we require the user to fully understand the consequences before we may serve them.”

“If the requesting party says yes, what happens next?”

Gus sighed. “If he or she fully understands the consequences, then they’ll answer yes and you’ll move along to the next phase. If they say no, they’ll forget they ever asked the question, and their memory will be wiped of anything in conjunction with The Elixir.”