My back straightened. “What if he changed his mind in an hour?”
Gus licked his lips as he shook his head. “That’s a risk that we can’t possibly prevent.”
My chest tightened as I took the goblet. “He drinks this...all of it. Then what?”
“Then he’ll likely carry on with his business until...” Gus cleared his throat. “It’s best if you close up shop for the night and spend some time with your cousins.”
“But the shop doesn’t close for another two hours,” I said, glancing at the clock. “You’ve always taught me that we never close early.”
“Sometimes rules are meant to be broken,” Gus said. “I have the feeling that you won’t be doing much good here tonight after you’ve served The Elixir. You’ve concentrated hard, and frankly, I don’t trust you to make a cup of coffee, let alone a potion. Magic & Mixology will close tonight.”
He was right. Already I couldn’t concentrate on anything except the bubbling potion in my hand. It felt weighty. Like the decision itself, the potion was a heavy one. “I’ll spend some time with Poppy and Zin, then.”
“You’ve done good,” Gus called as I took a few steps toward the bar. “The Elixir is a taxing potion on both the consumer and the Mixologist. It’s natural if you don’t get much sleep tonight.”
I savored Gus’s compliment for a moment; they came few and far between. However, his words also gave me pause. “Why would I not sleep tonight?”
Gus gave me a crooked smile, the slightest hint of pity in his gaze. “Maybe you won’t have trouble sleeping. Who knows.”
As I proceeded back outside to give the hooded figure his potion, the sinking feeling in my stomach grew stronger, and Gus’s warning returned. I suddenly understood.
How could I sleep after administering a potion that meant certain death to the recipient?
Chapter 4
“You’re completely aware what drinking this entails?” I asked again, clutching the potion near to my chest. “There is no going back once you drink this.”
“I understood the risks long before I came here,” he said, a raspy lilt to his words. “It’s time.”
The minutes were indeed ticking down. Another fifty minutes and the potion would cease to function. “There’s no way to come back after you drink this—”
“I told you, I knew the risks coming in here.”
Taking the final few steps toward the man in the hood, I wished I could convince him not to drink The Elixir. For both his sake and mine. “This is the first time I’ve made it; I can’t guarantee its quality.”
“I know who you are. The smoke is black, and the old man in the back helped you. Doesn’t matter if it’s the first or the last time you make it as long as it works. That’s all I care about.”
“I’ve never seen anyone drink it before. I don’t know what’s supposed to happen.”
“Well, like your old man said, you aren’t the judge nor are you the jury. Whatever happens after I drink this is my business.”
“Mine too,” I said in a hushed tone. “I have to live with whatever happens to you.”
“I am doing this as much for you as I am for myself.”
“What?” My mouth fell open. “I don’t know you, and I don’t want you to drink this! Why would you think that?”
“Give me the glass.”
I hesitated.
“Give it to him.” Gus stood in the doorway, his face creased in a contemplative stare. “You’ve given him your advice and provided him counsel. If he doesn’t want to listen to it, that’s his choice.”
“But—”
“Listen to him,” growled the stranger. “You must give me the potion. Those are the rules.”
My gaze flipped between Gus and the stranger, my heart gaining momentum with each beat. Extending a shaky hand, I set the potion on the bar, just far enough away so the hooded man had to lean forward.
From underneath his flowing robes, he snatched the goblet and brought it to his lips. There, he hesitated for one brief second. He looked into the mixture, the black smoke swirling up and distorting his features. Suddenly, he tipped his head back and poured the liquid straight down his throat. As he did so, I caught the briefest glimpse into his eyes. A murky gray.
He set the glass down, his eyes burning holes in my skin from under his hood. As quickly as the hood slid back, he pulled it forward once more.
“Are you okay?” I asked, expecting more of a reaction. Some gagging maybe, or a vile expression. Instead, the whole thing was relatively anti-climactic until the man’s lips curled into a smile brimming with disdain. I raised my shoulders. “Can I get you water or something?”