Witchy Sour(68)

“It doesn’t need to be ingested.” He moved to the mini cauldron and sat down next to it. Wafting a hand over the steaming curl of smoke on the top, he inhaled deeply. “The danger is airborne. This potion is not yet ready, but I’ve brewed a trial run, and I’m confident it will work.”

“How could you do that if you don’t have Dust of the Devil?”

“I used a substitute ingredient that is not nearly as potent, but far easier to obtain. That batch was my practice run, and it worked. In fact, if you’ve been paying attention, you’ll notice that a certain friend of yours has been suffering from bouts of nausea.”

“Poppy? That’s her withdrawal from the vitamins.”

“Hmm. Vampires have highly increased senses, particularly hearing and smell. Therefore, your cousin would be impacted by even a pale imitation of the real thing…” he trailed off, glancing lovingly at the potion.

A chill ran down my spine. I had no antidote in the bungalow for an attack like this one. The simmering, purple color of the potion told me he hadn’t yet added Hog’s Vein, but a pinch of the final ingredient would give off a poisonous scent so strong Poppy wouldn’t be the only one looking for help.

I frowned as he sniffed the mixture eagerly. “What’s the point of it all?”

His eyes were still focused on the curling steam. “The point? I started out by pledging my life to The Faction. I swore to help them, dedicated my life’s work to the cause.” He stood up, eyes sharply pointed in my direction. “Even after I’d given them my soul, they let me down.”

“I’m sure you’re hurt, but there has to be a different way.”

He glanced forlornly back at the bubbling potion. “This should get their attention.”

“There are other ways to get their attention! We can come up with something together. I will help you if it means protecting the islanders. You have my word.”

“I’ll ask for your opinion if I want it,” he snarled. “The only reason you’re still alive is that Hog’s Vein is hard to come by. So is Dust of the Devil, but you managed to secure plenty of that, so my needs shouldn’t be an issue.”

“I’m not helping you poison people. You heard my offer.”

“You will help.”

“Or what, you’ll kill me?”

He slid a sideways glance in my direction before crossing his arms. “You don’t believe I would?”

Something hitched in his voice, and I couldn’t tell if it was excitement or fear. That something took a second to sink in, but when it did, I knew with certainty that the man had killed before. “You murdered the Black Ribbon wizard.”

“Turin Jalop,” he said. “Good wizard, from what I hear. I didn’t have much personal experience with him until it was too late. As I said before, he was the fourth member of The Core. Ironically, out of five of us, two were double agents. While he’d infiltrated The Faction, I’d come from The Faction and infiltrated The Core. Fair is fair, I suppose.”

“Why would you kill him? Don’t you want the strongest wizards working with you? They can’t be helpful if they’re dead.”

“But they’re even less helpful if they’re traitors,” he snarled. “Turin was a long-time member of The Faction. Imagine my surprise when I found him sending messages back and forth with your mentor.”

“Gus and Turin worked together before The Core?”

“Apparently their Black Ribbon bond was stronger than Turin’s loyalty to The Faction, though I’m not convinced he was ever loyal.”

I sat back in stunned silence, gathering my thoughts.

“You don’t believe Gus was in on anything?” Thomas sneered. “You think your old man just puttered around the shop all day?”

“I’m not surprised,” I said, realizing that was the truth. “Gus is many things, but a coward is not one of them. If he was working with Turin or against The Faction, it was because he believed in the cause. My loyalties are with him.”

“I was afraid you’d say that,” Thomas said slowly. “Which is why Gus is currently out of commission. I figured your death might not be enough of a bargaining chip. Unfortunately, I need you to work with me, so I created a backup plan. His name is Gus, and if you don’t find me that Hog’s Vein before tomorrow, then his death will be on your hands.”

“I’ll need to talk to a few people,” I said, clearing my throat. There was no good way out of the situation, and my only option was to go along with the plan and stall as long as possible. “I didn’t find Dust of the Devil on my own.”