Helena waved her hand as she took another sip. “This flavor is just phenomenal.” She looked up, her red eyes flashing. “The earthiness of the mushrooms, the tanginess of the broth, the texture of the potatoes. It goes together beautifully.”
Mama smiled brightly, now fully won over by the vampire.
“To answer your question, I’m a talent manager.”
“A what?” I asked. I’d never heard of such a thing.
“Oh, I seek out talent among all the realms and recruit the finest artists, performers, bards, singers—if you’ve heard of them, I probably manage them.” She flashed a menacing smile.
Mama gasped. “Do you know Riven Shiu? I heard he hails from this very village.”
“Indeed. He’s a client at my agency. One of my associates just got him a huge contract to tour the human kingdoms.”
Wow. Riven was a famous bard, well-known for his riveting ballads about famous witches, wars, and adventurers.
I leaned over, resting my elbows on the counter as Helena ate another bite. “He got a contract in the human lands?”
Adelaide stepped up next to me. “They actually allowed that?”
Witches weren’t exactly welcome in the other realms. It wasn’t illegal for us to travel to them, but horror stories often floated over the border about witches who’d disappeared after leaving the Witchlands. Everyone was suspicious of our magic, worried we’d use it against them. Of course that didn’t stop some of the most powerful leaders from recruiting witches to do magic for them. But that was risky in and of itself. One wrong move and a witch could be burned at the stake or drowned. It was another reason I was so afraid we’d be found out and forced to leave the Witchlands. I’d often stay up late, tossing and turning, visions of all of us burning at the stake as the magistrates threw hellfire at us flashing through my mind.
“Oh, Witch Superior,” Mama said. “Can you introduce us?”
Helena gave her a sympathetic smile. “Well, he’s on tour for the next year. But if he makes a surprise visit, you’ll be the first to know.”
Mama squealed and clapped her hands. “Wait until I tell Auggie.”
“Auggie?” Helena asked with a questioning look.
“One of my other daughters. She’s such a big fan.”
“So that’s what you’re doing in Thistlegrove?” I asked. “Looking for talent?”
“You never know where it’s going to come from.” She winked as she finished her last bite. “This was delicious. I’ll be sure to stop by again. You should really get some stools so people can sit and enjoy the soup—and the conversation.”
That was exactly what I wanted to avoid. No getting close to anyone. No making friends. I just wanted to sell our soup and find a way to fix our cart so we could leave this place behind. Helena dropped a few gold coins on the counter and waved goodbye.
“We sure have met some interesting characters this morning.” Mama turned back to the cauldron and stirred it. Gold sparks jumped from her wand, infusing the soup with her magic that brought all the flavors together.
Far down the road, I spotted Draven, Elm, and that girl from the tavern walking, an orange-colored miniature dragon flying next to them. I remembered seeing that creature sleeping on the bar top when I’d visited Draven’s tavern. I couldn’t imagine him owning a pet. He wasn’t capable of loving anything but himself.
Adelaide stared longingly at Elm as someone else approached our stand, asking for a cup of soup.
I nudged Adelaide. “Have you talked to Elm recently? Any outings planned?”
“No,” Adelaide said. “He visited yesterday and invited me to dine at The Brewhouse, but I declined. I don’t think he’ll be inviting me out again.”
I chewed the inside of my cheek. “Why would you do that? I thought you liked him?”
She gave me an exasperated look. “You hate his best friend. Every time you’re in the same vicinity, you get into an argument... and somehow end up with him on top of you.”
I threw out my arms. “We’ve only been in the same vicinity thrice.”
Mama shushed us as she sold soup to yet another customer.
“And each time, you’ve ended up practically brawling,” Adelaide said. “It draws too much attention to us, and like you said, I barely know Elm, so I’m just going to distance myself.”
Guilt bubbled like our cauldron full of soup. I was the cause of this. Adelaide had been so happy the first few days we’d been here, and it was like someone had stolen her light. I stole her light. I was the thief, and I needed to return what I’d taken.
