Page 54 of Extraordinary Quests for Amateur Witches

In his dreams, Kieran was on a beach.

He might have believed it was real if not for the fact that there was something too watered down about the way the sunlight felt on his skin.

The quiet rumble of the waves made it clear it was simply his brain trying to re-create something it was only half familiar with.

The only beach he’d ever been to was in Kitfield, Delilah’s hometown, right after they’d visited to celebrate the end of her Calling.

This one looked similar, with white sand that sat at the edge of a leafy forest, the trees verdant as if in mid-spring instead of the dead of winter.

Despite that, though, Kieran’s skin felt cold. He shivered even as the sun beat down on him from above. He felt feverish and dizzy, sweat making his hands and forehead clammy.

“Kieran,” someone called. “Over here!”

He did his best to shake off the nausea that was roiling in his guts.

He put a hand up to block out the sun, squinting to see who had called his name.

Slowly, a figure came into focus. She was tall and lithe, with white-blond hair and dark-brown eyes, like Kieran’s own.

She wore a loose sundress, and her smile was serene.

Instantly, the ill feeling that had come over him vanished.

“Adelaide!” he called, eyes brightening at the sight of his relative. “Is that you?”

Adelaide Pelumbra stepped closer and swept Kieran into a hug, just as she’d done his entire childhood.

For most of his formative years, Kieran had thought Adelaide was nothing but another employee of the family, splitting her time between cleaning duties and teaching some of the younger Pelumbras magic.

She’d remained eternally youthful due to a geas—a combined curse and blessing—that had rendered her unable to speak.

He’d only discovered that she was something like his great-aunt a couple generations removed when he’d been on Delilah’s Calling and they’d found a way to end her geas.

Since then, Adelaide had been using her newfound voice to upend the Pelumbras as much as she could—revenge for the years they’d kept her silent.

“Oh, I’ve missed you so much,” she said, squeezing him tighter before pulling back and resting her hands on his shoulders. She was tall, nearly looking Kieran in the eye. “Look at you, all grown up.”

Kieran couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m glad it looks that way, at least.”

Adelaide’s smile turned a bit more winsome. She gently patted Kieran’s arm and said, “Why don’t we sit down for a moment? We should chat.”

Kieran hesitated for a moment, his mind reminding him that this was a dream. Although he did still feel that coldness on his skin and the sweat on the back of his neck. If it was truly a dream, wouldn’t he feel fine?

“Right,” he said, cutting through his own thoughts. “Let’s sit.”

Kieran followed Adelaide to a blanket that had been spread out on the sand.

They sat side by side, staring out at the cerulean waves as they lapped at the shore, sea-foam pushing back and forth with the ebb and flow of the tide.

In another life, Kieran would have liked to stay here, just watching the water sparkle in the sun, not having to worry about anything.

As he considered that, though, a thought struck him.

“Adelaide,” Kieran asked, half joking, “am I dead?”

Kieran had been hoping she’d laugh that off as absurd, but instead, her lips pressed into a thin line. Immediately, that heavy, sick feeling in his stomach seemed stronger. He felt the color drain from his face as she rubbed her hands on her legs, exhaling.

“Not dead,” she finally said. “But…dying.”

Kieran jolted back. “What?”

“Here.” Adelaide held out a hand to him. “I can show you, if you like.”

Kieran’s eyebrows rose. My own untimely demise? This should be interesting.

Gently, he took her hand.

Almost instantly, all the things he’d been feeling—the sweat, the cold feeling on his skin, the churning of his stomach—increased tenfold.

The beach vanished, and the world around him turned into an impressionist blur.

He could feel hands on him, holding him up.

When he blinked, he saw Sebastian looking down at him as the world rushed past.

“Stay with me,” Sebastian said, his fingers brushing back blond curls that had stuck to Kieran’s sweat-soaked forehead. “I’ve got you, okay? I’m not going to let you go. Just focus…”

Kieran couldn’t. The strain on his body was simply too much. His muscles had all gone rigid, shaking as the poison coursed through them. He felt cold—so, so cold. When he tried to open his mouth, the only thing that came out was foamy spittle.

Instantly, the scene vanished, and Kieran was back on the beach with Adelaide.

He jumped to his feet, gasping for breath. Adelaide’s face pinched into a frown, her eyebrows bent upward in sympathy.

“No—no, you have to send me back!” Kieran cried. “Adelaide, please, I can’t die! Not after all this! Not when finally, finally, I feel like I’m not completely useless. A-and now that…”

He trailed off, but the words in his head were clear enough. Now that I have Sebastian.

Because as much as he’d tried not to admit it, he had fallen for him.

From the first moment he’d laid eyes on him, something had been different.

Every conversation they had felt natural, no need to push things along with the kind of stilted conversation starters he’d gotten so used to with Ash.

Being with him felt exciting but comfortable; every day he got to wake up and see Sebastian’s face was another he looked forward to.

When they were together, Kieran felt that he could be someone special—not because he was with Sebastian but because Sebastian could see it more than he could.

And he achingly, desperately didn’t want to lose that.

“Please,” he repeated. Adelaide bit her lip as he added, “For the first time in my life, I don’t hate being Kieran Pelumbra.

I want to keep living. I want to fix my mistake with Ash, and I want to tell Sebastian how I really feel.

I want to move out of that shitty apartment in Gellingham and make something of myself.

Just please, please, give me a chance. I can’t lose this life when it’s finally the one I want. ”

Adelaide came to stand beside him. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. She exhaled, patting his back.

“It’s not going to be easy,” she told him. “You’re not in great shape.”

“I don’t care,” Kieran insisted. “Whatever it takes, I’ll do it. I’m not afraid—not anymore.”

Adelaide’s gaze softened. She nodded, seeming to mull over his words.

Then she said, “I’m proud of you, Kieran. Truly. Remember that.”

Darkness consumed him once again.

When the darkness finally faded, Kieran felt as if he’d only been gone for seconds. Upon opening his eyes, though, he saw that that wasn’t the case.

He was back on the ship. It was dark out, but someone had turned one of the lamps on in his bedroom.

Kieran found himself lying in his bed as if he’d just woken up from a normal night’s sleep, Seaweed snuggled up beside him.

The aching pain in all his muscles, though, was proof it had been anything but.

Even lifting his head hurt, as if he’d been turned into one giant bruise that went all the way from skin to bone.

Sitting to his left, flicking through a book, was Sebastian.

Kieran shot up without thinking about it.

Seaweed squeaked in protest. Instantly, pain hit him from every direction, and he winced and cursed as his body screamed at him for moving too fast. At the same time, Sebastian’s face jerked up from his book, and he closed it.

Kieran couldn’t help but notice it was the one with the shirtless vampire on the cover that Briar had lent him.

If he hadn’t been in the most physical agony of his life, he might be embarrassed by all the pages he’d dog-eared.

“Kieran?” Sebastian sputtered. He put the book down and hopped to his feet.

His hands hovered over Kieran, as if unsure what he could possibly do to lessen the pain.

Gently, he put a hand on Kieran’s back and said, “Lie down, okay? The poison should be gone, but it’s still going to hurt for a couple days. ”

Slowly, Kieran leaned back against Sebastian’s hand, letting him lower him to the pile of waiting pillows. He grimaced, but the warmth of Sebastian’s touch helped a bit.

“I’ll get you some painkillers,” Sebastian said, straightening. “Those should at least numb some of the—”

“Wait.” Kieran held out a hand. “Hold on. Tell me what happened.”

Sebastian paused for a moment. Then he said, “After the painkillers. I’ll be right back.”

Kieran opened his mouth to argue, but Sebastian was already in Kieran’s bathroom rummaging through the cabinet.

He returned a few seconds later with a cup of water and a few small tablets, which Kieran tossed back and swallowed with a grimace.

His mouth felt dry, and the water was a welcome relief to his scratchy throat.

He drained the entire glass before lying back with a groan.

“Okay,” he managed after a moment. “Start from when I passed out.”

Sebastian waited a beat, assessing Kieran’s condition. When Kieran didn’t immediately start vomiting blood or something, Sebastian sighed and nodded.

“Hélène’s crossbow bolts were dipped in a powerful paralytic poison,” he explained.

“It would have stopped your heart if they hadn’t been carrying the antidote—typical assassin procedure, just in case someone wrestles your weapon from you.

But it took me and Seaweed too long to subdue them, and by the time I gave it to you, you were already paralyzed and struggling to breathe.

I wasn’t sure if you were going to pull through. ”

Kieran managed a weak chuckle. “You and me both.”