Vellum and Green Vitriol
Copyright © 2007, S. Y. Affolee
The Second Conjuration
Seal XVI
"Ah!"
A black fur ball leaped out of my suitcase which I had just opened and bounced onto my bed. The cat glared at me as if it were my fault that it was now in this state. I scrutinized my luggage but found no signs of forced entry. Then I looked back at Thor who had decided, in his inscrutable way to curl up and lick down his fur into a more presentable order.
"How in the bloody hell did you get in here? I swore I left this closed when I was back in Rhys' flat."
Thor did not answer. Perhaps he did not feel like he had to explain anything. After all, he was a magic pamphlet. Perhaps magic pamphlets contained spells for getting into places one had no business getting into. I certainly knew no such spells. Although if I did, it would have saved me a lot of time and trouble in the past, probably in the present, and mostly likely in the future as well.
"I know you understand me, you miserable excuse of a book. You're not supposed to be here. I don't think this bed and breakfast allows animals. Why, if Tabitha and Edgar found out--they'd probably be apoplectic!"
The feline paused in his grooming to give me a quizzical stare. Thoughts of milk flooded my mind.
"You can't possibly be hungry at this time of night. You can't expect me to get you something to eat. I want to take a bath and then go to sleep."
The floorboards just outside my door creaked.
"Mrrorw?"
"Shh! Be quiet and I'll get you some milk." I stepped toward the bed and made a decision. I hauled the feline off the bed. Thor did not reach out and scratch me--he just flicked an ear in curiosity. Then I opened a wardrobe and put him inside. "Stay, all right? I'll be right back." I shut the wardrobe and opened my room door.
Out in the hallway was Tabitha in a peach nightgown and her hair down. She was holding a tray with a mug in it. I sniffed the air. Hot chocolate with possibly something else in it?
"Er, hello Miss Talbot." She shifted on her feet, obviously uncomfortable for some reason. "I thought you had already gone to bed."
"Not quite," I replied. "I was feeling a little thirsty. Would you mind if I just hopped downstairs to get a glass of milk?"
"Oh, not at all. The kitchen is downstairs and down the hallway. It's hard to miss. You'll find some glasses in the cupboards."
"Thank you." I quickly closed my door and made my way to the stairs before I could witness Tabitha seduce Rhys. Or the other way around. I didn't particularly care as long as I didn't see or hear anything. "You're an uptight coward," I told myself as I groped about in the darkness downstairs, searching for the light switch to the kitchen. My fingers finally found the switch and light illuminated a rather ordinary room with a long island table in the center with copper pots hanging on hooks above. A brick oven was built into a recess in the corner. I rummaged a bit in the cupboards, finding a wide mug that almost looked like a soup bowl. The milk, I found in the ice chest.
While I was pouring the milk into the mug, I noticed a book sitting out on the table. It was open to a very unusual recipe.
As I put the milk bottle back into place, I heard the scrape of something--the back door in the kitchen. The knob turned, revealing two dark figures who were strangely giggling.
"Miss Talbot! What a surprise to find you here. I thought Tabitha was around. You could have called her for help." It was Edgar and the woman he had been flirting with at Barney's. They looked a bit out of breath as if they had been running. Although I had a fairly good suspicion that running had not actually been involved.
"I don't mind," I replied. "Besides, Tabitha was busy. I was about to go back up to my room anyway. Good night."
I escaped the kitchen in consternation. These humans were like rabbits! And Rhys, who should know better, was probably encouraging it. At the stair landing, I passed Tabitha who had a smug smile on her face and an empty tray in her hand.
Back in my room, I opened my wardrobe. Thor trotted out as if nothing had happened at all. I set the mug on the floor and left it for the cat to drink. Then someone knocked on my door. I wanted to bang my head on something. Couldn't I get any peace?
"Does this smell odd to you?" Rhys asked when I opened the door a crack.
"Yes. Tabitha probably put an aphrodisiac into it. When she comes to collect the cup, you'll be putty in her hands."
"You don't have to sound so irritable," he replied. I noticed that he had already changed into his sleeping clothes--his robe tied tightly to his waist. "Anyways how would you know? You recognize the aphrodisiac? I thought it smelled like cinnamon or vanilla at first, but I'm not so sure."
"I don't deal in love spells. But I did notice an herbal in the kitchen. It had a spell for invoking a couple dozen love gods and goddesses. And the ingredients included chocolate, honey, walnut oil, ginseng, and, um, arugula."
"Arugula?" He peered down at the hot chocolate in deep suspicion. "Maybe it's not an aphrodisiac. Maybe it's poison."
"An aphrodisiac is probably not going to hurt you," I said. "You're a book, remember?"
"A book in a human body." He looked at me; his gray eyes had a green sheen. "Why don't you try this if you're so confident it won't have any effect?"
"You're the one who ordered it."
He shook his head. "Tabitha said that she just wanted to offer me a nightcap before bed."
"If you don't want to drink it, why don't you just pour it down the sink and pretend that you did?"
"Maybe I will." He looked over my shoulder. His eyes widened. "Is that Thor?"
I gave an exasperated sigh. "Your cat decided to hitch a ride in my suitcase. I have no idea how he got in there. It was closed when I visited your residence."
"Well, Thor does manage to go wherever he wishes. I've had him for a while, but I still have no idea what he is capable of."
"As far as I can tell, he only bothers to demand food."
"Yes, that sounds like Thor." He stepped back. "Thank you for your advice. Good night, Ana."
"I don't know about that," I said as I shut the door. The cat had finished his meal and had decided to make my pillow his bed.
|