Crystal Cove (Friday Harbor #4)(56)

Justine felt a chill of uneasiness mingled with sympathy. “Did you tell the Roshi about it?”

Jason nodded. “He didn’t think the lack of a soul was anything to worry about. He advised me to accept it. Emptiness is a key concept in Buddhist philosophy. Part of the path to enlightenment.” Jason’s voice turned wry. “Unfortunately I turned out to be a lousy Buddhist.”

“I’d make a worse Buddhist than you. I hate questions with no clear answers.” Justine raised her head to look at him. “So you never came to accept it? Not having a soul?”

“Would you?” he asked wryly.

She hesitated and shook her head. No. She would probably be exactly like him … trying to fill the soul-shaped void inside.

* * *

The morning after was wretched, of course.

Justine awakened early by force of habit, and managed to dress and sneak out before Jason had opened his eyes. She was sore, and clumsy from exhaustion, and nearly sick with worry. Swearing and stumbling, she went to her cottage and took the hottest shower she could stand.

An inspection in the mirror revealed that her eyes were dark-circled and bloodshot. A faint whisker burn was emblazoned on her throat. Groaning, she pulled her hair back in a high, tight ponytail and covered her face with tinted moisturizer.

After downing a cup of coffee along with a couple of ibuprofens, she picked up her phone and dialed Sage. There were few people she would have called at this hour, but Sage was a habitually early riser.

“Good morning,” Sage said in her usual sprightly tone. “How are you, Justine?”

“Okay. How about you?”

“Splendid. We spent yesterday picking elderberries. The next time you visit, we’ll have pancakes with elderberry syrup.”

“Sounds nice.” Justine rubbed her forehead wearily. “Sorry to bother you so early, but…”

“Oh, no bother at all.”

“… I have a question I was hoping you could help me with. Yesterday I brewed a potion that didn’t work, and I need to figure out why.”

“Tell me all about it.” Alchemy was Sage’s specialty—she loved nothing more than brewing and mixing magical formularies. In the past, she had taught classes on oils, powders, elixirs, salves, and washes. She was knowledgeable about which ingredients might be substituted, or which ones could be added to augment a potion’s power.

“It was a discouragement potion,” Justine said. “I decided to give it to Jason yesterday.”

“What a good idea.”

“I thought so, too. But it didn’t work.”

“Are you sure? You should allow sufficient time for it to take effect.”

“I’m pretty sure,” Justine said, squirming a little as she recalled the sexual gymnastics of the previous night.

“Are you confident in the quality of the ingredients you used? Did you ritually cleanse the workspace first?”

“Yes.” Justine described exactly what process she had used, and listed the elements of the formula. “Is it because I gave it to Jason in a shot of vodka? Would alcohol ruin it?”

“No,” Sage said thoughtfully, “that shouldn’t have made any difference.”

“Maybe it’s because I’m not a maiden…?”

Blank silence.

“It called for maiden’s tears,” Justine said, “but I didn’t think it would make that much of a difference if I wasn’t, you know … innocent, so I—”

“Justine: Are you saying you put literal tears into the potion? You made yourself cry?”

“Well … yes. I’ve seen weirder ingredients in potions. I didn’t think much about it.”

Sage’s tone was gently acerbic. “Maiden’s tears is a plant, dear.”

“A plant?”

“A weed also known as bladder campion. It’s listed in the book on herbology I gave to you. You promised you would read all of it.”

“I skimmed parts,” Justine admitted. “It’s hard to stay awake when I’m reading about plants.”

“If you intend to practice magic even at the most basic level, Justine, you must study and prepare thoroughly. No skimming. No dabbling. The potion didn’t result in adverse effects for Jason, I hope?”

Justine was too tired to put it delicately. “Other than making him as randy as a three-balled tomcat, you mean?”

“Oh, dear.” A disconcerted pause. “Are you going to brew another batch?”

“No, Jason’s leaving tomorrow morning.”

“Praise Hecate” came Sage’s immediate response.

“Yes. I should never have broken the geas, Sage. I had no idea I would be opening a Pandora’s box.”

“It wasn’t your fault. After some soul-searching, I’ve come to regret the decision we made on your behalf so long ago. It was a mistake—done with the best of intentions—but still a mistake.” Ruefully Sage added, “The Circle of Crystal Cove is a talented coven, but I wouldn’t say that the study of magical ethics has ever been our strong suit.”

“You’ve always said magic is fine as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone. You told me that’s why so many spells end with ‘An harm ye none.’”