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“We heard little Allie was getting married, and we had to see for ourselves,” Tabitha added. “No way she was settling down.”

Hugo stood and joined them on the other side of the table. He stretched out his hand and said, “Hugo Dodds. A pleasure to meet you.”

Zoe batted her eyes at Hugo as she took his hand. “Charmed.” She turned to Alice. “He’s cute.”

Alice gave Zoe a slight push. “He’s mine.”

“Lucky girl,” Zoe said.

Circe turned to Hugo. “The stories we have to tell you about Alice . . .”

“Oh, she’s told me. She’s told me how the four of you would tear it up on the weekends,” Hugo said.

“Hopefully, she didn’t tell you everything. We have to keep a little mystique about our shenanigans,” Circe said.

“We’ll have to catch up sometime. You shouldn’t be a stranger,” Tabitha said.

“I think we’re going to be free more often now. We definitely need to catch up,” Alice said.

“We’ll talk more, but there are some water nymphs we want to go talk to,” Circe said. “They have a private grotto.” She turned and waved to someone off in the distance.

“You three go have fun,” Alice said.

“Later, Allie,” Tabatha said as they wandered off.

Alice turned to Hugo.

“Your friends seem fun,” Hugo said.

“You don’t know the half of it,” Alice said.

The Oaken King approached them. “Hugo, Alice, please join me in my private room. I have a special gift for you.”

Alice and Hugo shrugged their shoulders and followed him. Max tried to follow, but Hugo commanded her to stay. She sat and waited as the two of them followed the Oaken King down a hallway.

He guided them through the palace toward a private chamber. Potion vials and other assorted objects not too dissimilar to Alice’s workbench decorated a table. In the center of the table was a small black cauldron. The Oaken King moved around the table and stood facing the two of them.

“You two have drank from the spell?” the Oaken King asked.

“We did,” Hugo answered.

“And it worked?” the Oaken King asked.

“It did once, but not the second time,” Alice replied.

“I created the spell many years ago,” the Oaken King said. “I thought it would do the world some good. Clearly, I was wrong.”

“You made the spell?” Hugo asked.

“I did. I’m thankful you brought it back to me,” the Oaken King said.

Alice’s jaw dropped, and she shook her head in disbelief. “Do you know how much pain and suffering this has caused? Not only to us, but countless people throughout the ages.”

“I’m aware,” the Oaken King said.

“Why didn’t you retrieve it and stop the suffering?” Alice asked.

“I wanted to see if love was real. If two people loved each other so much and they drank from the spell not for power or greed or lust, but because they were so in love with each other . . . Then they could transcend death itself,” the Oaken King responded.