Page 23 of Chosen Spirits (The Bartender Mage #4)

It almost had , actually, a fact that he'd been acutely aware of since meeting Mina's mom in the forest. The mental image of either or both of his boyfriends being apathetic husks left a sour taste in his mouth.

If something like that had happened to someone he loved, wouldn't he try his damndest to finish the potion?

Wouldn't their original selves want to be restored, if possible?

Instead of voicing his own opinion, Leif looked around, checking that there weren't any nearby walkers before stating, "Mina, it sounds to me like you have some concerns. Do you want to talk about them? It's not wrong to feel conflicted."

"I'm nervous. Maybe a little scared."

Leif nodded, making sure he was keeping his face and tone without judgment. "There is a lot to feel nervous over. Are you comfortable sharing which parts?"

Mina shrugged her shoulders broadly, blowing out air, but didn't answer.

Leif turned towards the path, and she stepped up beside him, continuing their walk. He figured maybe a bit of energy burning would help. Maybe, too, it would seem like she were talking to the road, or herself, instead of a relative stranger, even if they'd spent a couple of weeks video-chatting.

"Are you possibly worried about the potion-making?

I know I may not seem like much myself, but I am certified, and there are three other experienced mages looking over the progress every step of the way, including two other elves.

Once the herbs finish growing, I'll take them and mix them into a single drink.

All you'll have to do is drink it, no special ritual involved. "

"No, it's not the magic I'm worried about. It didn't even cross my mind that you won't be able to do what you say you'll do. Even mom believes it."

Leif nodded, waiting for her to continue since it sounded like she had more to say. After a moment, she did.

"The part that scares me is the idea that if I drink the potion and get my old feelings back… I won't be the same. I won't be this me, anymore."

Leif stopped himself from immediately responding. Instead, he simply said, "I see. It sounds like not being who you are now, isn't something that you want."

"I've heard my mom talk about it a lot since the injury, always promising that she was doing everything she could to fix me. She got more excited a couple years back, which is when I think she found you. Sorry if that sounds stalkerish."

Leif laughed. "It's definitely something , that's for sure. But I can understand where she's coming from, and it's not like she stole my toenail clippings and made an effigy of me, or anything, at least not that I know of."

"You're an alright guy, Leif. And she got even happier when your magic manifested, which she told me all about. Again, sorry. But now that the time's almost here, after four years…"

Cold feet? Leif said nothing, and Mina took a deep breath, adjusting her hat.

"I didn't use to be so outgoing. Before the incident, I was a shy bookworm.

I loved painting, and photography. And I remember all that!

I remember taking an easel out to the lake and painting sunrises.

But that doesn't feel like me, anymore." Mina hopped forward on the path, doing a spin and flourishing her arms. " This is me. "

"Hmm. I wish I could set you at ease, but I'm sorry. What you're suggesting is a real possibility, and how we grow up holds a lot of unconscious sway over who we become. What if you just didn't drink the potion? I'm totally not going to force you or anything."

"My mom's been trying so hard for years to make this happen, though. Following threads and hints from divinations, waiting for you."

"It sounds like your mom loves you dearly."

"She does."

Mina and Leif continued down the path in silence, and then Mina nodded, turning towards him.

"Alright. Let's head back? And thank you for meeting with me. I hope we'll see more of each other. I'm staying with my mom at a lake house just a couple of hours away while I check the state out."

"Oh, sure! So, super obviously changing the subject, how's life now that you're graduated? I'm about to graduate at the end of the year myself, and I'm kind of nervous, you know?"

"You speak the truth! Going to college was easy.

Well, I mean, it was hard, with the studying and whatnot, but it was straightforward.

By comparison, the world itself is so big and beautiful and amazing and scary and more .

But that more is worth it, so I'm happy to see what's out there.

But what do I know! I'm just an aspiring actress with a fresh liberal arts degree. "

Leif and Mina finished the trek back to their starting point, chatting aimlessly about favorite movies, good boot brands that didn't bite the heels, and different kinds of make-up—Leif didn't do much more than the occasional nail polish or holiday-themed eye-shadow, but she still gave him some good tips.

At Mina's insistence, she decided to wait around while Leif called back his boyfriends.

When the two of them became visible in the distance, Leif noticed Rahul throw up his hands in exasperation as Tucker bolted away, charging them.

With his collar jingling and his tail wagging, Tucker hopped up, putting his paws on Leif's thighs.

"Leif! Hi! This was a nice park day. You smell happy, so that's great, I was worried."

"This one must be Tucker, then," Mina said, squatting on the ground. She held a hand out, which Tucker started sniffing, then licked at. "Leif told me that you were friendly."

"I like being friendly, yes. I also like that Leif thinks that about me!" With his tail wagging hard enough it was giving him balance problems, Tucker jumped back up on Leif, butting him with his snout until Leif began obliging him with scratches behind the ears.

"I agree, our cub's pretty clever sometimes," Rahul said, huffing a little as he finished jogging over. "Anyways, I'm Rahul, it's nice to meet you, Ms. Landon."

"Mina is fine." She touched a charm bracelet around her wrist, then waved a hand above her head to create a rain of sparks. "Or Mina the Mag- nif- icent, if you want to be formal."

"Stage magic?" Rahul asked, getting a gleam in his eye. Leif wondered if he was going to get to watch a sparkle-off.

"My mom taught me magic while I was growing up," she said, putting her hands in her pockets. "I lost a lot of headway after my injury, but I'm finally bouncing back, and I'm focusing on theater-based illusions."

"I have a few new friends that I think you'd get along with, if you're ever in northern Minnesota.

Or if you're still in the area a couple of weeks from now, since they're coming down to spend a long weekend in Minneapolis and catch a few sights and shows.

I warn you, they're bottom-of-the-barrel, absolutely shameless actors. "

"Sounds like my kind of people. Introduce us, please! I don't have many local friends yet."

While Rahul began exchanging contact info, Leif knelt down, resting a hand on Tucker's back. His beagle boyfriend started sniffing, looked at Mina, then back at him.Tucker gave him a lick.

Before they went their separate ways, Mina insisted on getting pictures.

Propping her cellphone up on a bench, she used its automated features to take a number of group shots.

She had them do different poses, including a few with her and Rahul both generating special effects, and others that included Tucker in his human and weredog forms.

As Tucker shifted back into his beagle form and headed to their vehicle with Rahul, Leif seized the opportunity for one last hug goodbye.

"You're not how I imagined mom's promised spiritmancer would turn out," she said, then laughed. "I especially didn't imagine you'd have two ginormous boyfriends!"

Leif laughed along with her. "I hope it's a good thing?"

"Yes, it makes you seem more trustworthy," she said with a regal nod, then hesitated. "Thank you again for meeting with me today. I feel better about all of this."

"Hopefully there's nothing but brighter days in the future, yeah?" Leif then lowered his voice, making sure he wasn't in earshot of Tucker. "Don't feel like you have to drink the potion. But I think there's going to be a limited window of opportunity, so… decision time."

"Ugh, don't remind me." She looked at him. "Two weeks, huh?"

"About that, I think. You'll be the first to know, even before we tell your mother. "

She looked over his shoulder, took a breath, then looked back at him. With a wink and a tip of her hat, she spun her coat out wide, disgorging a blinding haze of smoke and light. When Leif could see again, she was gone.

Well, sort of. The distraction had given her a head-start, but she was still in throwing distance, and easily seen in the wide open area. She cackled as she ran away.

Leif shook his head, hoping that things would turn out alright for her as he started jogging to catch up with his boyfriends.