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I looked up to see her looking at me, smiling that knowing smile.

∞∞∞

I had just returned from exercising Anam in the early afternoon when I heard an unfamiliar voice drifting from the front of the steading. I rounded the corner of the cottage to see a young woman bundled up in a heavy traveling cloak, holding the reins of a small mare.

Eilith gestured toward me as I approached. “Halja will take your horse to the stable. Halja, this is Catriona. Catriona, this is Halja, my apprentice.”

“Hi, Catriona.” I smiled and stepped forward to take the reins. When my eyes met hers, she stepped back with a sharp inhale. I quickly dropped my gaze, snatching the reins from where she’d left them dangling. I knew my large, black irises were a shock––it wasn’t an uncommon reaction––but it still stung every time.

Her eyes were a clear, crystalline blue, brilliant against her pale skin, framed by the long, dark curls escaping her cloak. Her beauty intensified the shame of my own appearance and her response to it. I led the horses away to the stable.

When I returned to the house, the two women were seated at the table. Steam trailed lazily from mugs of tea in front of them, and Eilith had amassed a collection of tinctures, salves, and bags of dried herbs for Catriona. I hung my cloak and hat, then poured the last of the tea into a mug for myself.

“We were just getting everything Cat needs in order,” Eilith explained. “She distributes medicines to a few households for me in the winter when I don’t travel to the village myself. Most of this is for her grandfather’s joint pain, but there’s a little of everything in there.”

I sat at the table and looked through the collection. I recognized most things, simple tinctures and tonics I had already learned to make, but some were new to me. I glanced at Catriona, but she did not meet my eye.

“Eilith, I have a couple more requests this time,” Catriona began hesitantly, before briefly looking my way. I immediately felt that this was not my place to be, and was about to rise and excuse myself, but Eilith noticed her look.

“You can speak freely in front of her,” she said. “She’s learning this trade and needs to see how the real work of helping folks is done. She’s harmless, I promise.” Eilith winked at me, and Catriona smiled shyly down at her mug. I felt the tension in the room loosen. “Go ahead,” Eilith encouraged.

Our guest glanced quickly at me again, this time meeting my eye before looking down, speaking to the table. “I need more contraceptive herbs, if you have them. I’ve run out. And… I’ve heard you can make love potions?”

“The contraceptives are simple,” Eilith said as she pulled out a large clay pot and began spooning dried herbs into a small bag. “You remember the dose?”

“Yes, of course.” Catriona flushed and kept her gaze down.

“The love potion, on the other hand… Tell me more about who it is intended for,” Eilith requested.

“Um, Samuel MacEaelar. He just bought the old Gutraidh steading.”

“I’m familiar. Do you know each other well?”

“A bit,” Catriona answered. “We danced all night at Yule. He invited me to come see the additions he’d made to the house.There are rumors he’ll be looking for a wife soon, once the steading is in order.”

Eilith smiled, “And he’s a good man? Was he kind to you?”

Catriona’s blush deepened. “He’s very kind. He speaks and acts like a gentleman. He bought all my drinks at Yule, and he thanked me after every dance, and… he made me a little cedar crown.” She touched her hair, remembering. “He was almost too nice.”

“Well then, it sounds to me like you won’t be needing a love potion at all, Cat. I’m sure he’s already wrapped around your finger. But if you’re feeling nervous and want to be sure, I can give you one.” Eilith pulled open a drawer near the bottom of the floor-to-ceiling cabinets, removed a small, dark bottle, and handed it to Catriona. “When you’re with him, get him to drink half. You drink the other half.”

“Thanks, Eilith. I know it’s a little silly but–”

“It’s not silly,” Eilith interjected, suddenly serious. “Falling in love is the most beautiful and powerful thing we humans do. It is the most intense magic there is. But choosing a partner is also the most important decision we make. So you be sure he’s the right one, Cat. Make sure he deserves you, earns you. You’re the prize. Remember that.”

“Thank you, Eilith. How much do I owe you for this?”

“You just take that one, dear, in exchange for a small favor. Bring these to the postmaster please?” She produced a small stack of folded and sealed letters, which she handed to Catriona. I saw the one I’d written to my mother among them.

Eilith packed away the rest of the haul, murmuring to herself as she totaled the cost.

“So, you’re fae-touched?” Catriona asked me abruptly.

“That’s what they say.” My palms began to sweat under her direct attention.

“Does it feel different? Can you, you know, do things with it?”

“I don’t think so,” I answered. “I mean, I don’t know how it feels to not be. I’ve always been this way. But it feels different in that people treat me differently, sometimes.”