Page 4 of Potion of Deception (Potion of Deception #1)

DEAL

T ick. Tock.

The golden arrow pointed to nine o'clock in the evening.

Tick. Tock.

Again it sounded like it was in Violette's mind, loud and warning. Her eyes darted to the clock when the door lock click reached her ear. She didn't turn her head until she heard the low voice a few feet away.

“And how is your father?”

Dante. He kept his promise and came just in time.

Her gaze shifted to his face. The sound of his boots echoed throughout the room. His eyes brightened with a hue, the color of which she didn't have time to detect as it disappeared.

“He's fine,” she said calmly, trying to look indifferent. “What did you give me? Some of the ingredients in the scroll are coded.”

“I can't lay all my cards on the table. But I will give you the rest if we make a deal.”

“A deal with a stranger is not a good idea. And not smart indeed,” she stated incredulously.

“Unfortunately, you don't have much of a choice. Time is running from you faster than you can imagine.” He leaned towards the counter. “So, what do you say, Purple?”

She frowned. “I'm Violette.”

“Same color.”

“Violette, as a flower.” Her fingers pressed against the counter surface.

“Okay, Hibiscus.” Again his words were spoken with complete indifference, even disrespect. His eyes not leaving hers as he finally let out an important fatal question, “ Deal?”

His voice was velvet and sweet like a deceiving dream, every word an alluring invitation to something that promises to be a pure fairytale instead of the impending calamity it actually was; everything he could say she would believe without a second thought.

He talked not like a stranger but like a longtime friend.

But that was what was making it even more suspicious.

She looked away.

It's a bad idea, right?

The idea of sealing a deal with a stranger was indeed incredibly bad and even stupid but she felt this unexplainable feeling it might be for the best. She didn't know how it could be possible or if she even could trust him at all but… something was whispering to her that he was telling the truth.

It's definitely a bad idea, her inner voice kept warning her and she knew she should listen to it. But also all she was hearing was a ticking sound in her head. Louder each time.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Time was slipping away like sand through her fingers, and she simply didn't have a vessel to put it in for later.

The sound of the clock was ricocheting through her mind with every second, reminding her of this.

She doesn't have any options, no time to find one.

Maybe it's her only way to save her dear father. Even if it was an incredibly bad idea.

She raised her eyes to him.

“Deal,” came out from her mouth with surprising confidence.

“Great, I knew you'd make the right decision.”

She doubted it was the right one, but it was the one that could help her. She feared she wouldn't get another chance. She was ready to risk it all even if it did not go as she wanted and would regret this decision later. After all, sometimes to get something – you have to lose something first.

“So what is my part of the deal?” Her brows lifted.

“There will be a time and place to answer your questions. But it won’t be now,” Dante uttered calmly.

“Great, and you want me to trust you?”

A sigh. “I want to break a curse related to the thing on my face. Is that enough for you to trust?”

Right, the scarf on his face. Violette thought it might just be a fashion preference.

“Barely, but better than nothing.” She played it cool, even if she didn’t appear this way.

“Anyway,” his back straightened, “I don't believe words. I don't think you do either.”

“And what do you want? To sign a contract with blood?” She sneered but when her eyes met his, she realized he might consider it.

“I want to seal our deal with magic. I think it's not a problem for you, wizards ?”

Violette didn't like this idea but, she must admit – it was fair enough. He wanted to be sure she wouldn't leave him the moment she got the cure, and she could understand that.

“Fine,” she breathed, folding her hands together. “How exactly?”

“Ever heard about Grotte de La Foi?”

Her eyes shone brighter, brows raised in intrigue. “Cave of Faith and Disbelief?”

“Some called it this way.” He raised his gaze from the table to her face, the corners of his eyes lifted in an enigmatic manner. “Do you know why?”

“It connects to an old ballad about trust,” she commented skeptically. “Two allies who didn't trust each other made a deal in this cave. Every word said there becomes an unbreakable promise. Is that what you want?”

He tilted his head to the side like it was an obvious answer.

She didn't remember how this ballad ended, it was an old story she heard in history class but she couldn't recall what happens if you break a promise.

Well, she wasn't thinking about breaking it, so it wasn't relevant.

The worst could be if he asked for a vow sealed by blood – the worst type of magic as it could tie you to something you wouldn't like in the future.

Everyone knew it was better to not bind with any blood spells.

By that, there was nothing bad in making a promise in a magic cave. Though, if she was remembering right, something happened to this place or the magic inside it, and it was no longer there.

She voiced this thought aloud, “Didn’t something happen to the cave?”

“Oh, not every story tells you the truth, Little Witch.”

“That was not necessary,” a hint of reproach crept into her voice.

“It's not magic inside the cave that ties promises,” he voiced before abruptly changing the topic of the conversation. “Go home, tell your dad some story about you having to leave and meet me at midnight at the end of Sorcery Road, near Momentary Lane. We'll start our little adventure from there.”

“At midnight?” A wrinkle formed between her brows. “Are we traveling at night?”

“Is that problem for you? Scared of the dark?” His eyes flashed for a brittle moment, challenging her.

“I don't think traveling at night with a stranger is a good idea,” she insisted.

“Then, making a deal with a stranger is an even worse one, don't you think so?”

“Fine, so it’s midnight, Fairy Godmother,” she drawled bitterly.

The corner of his mouth turned up before he disappeared without a trace.

Violette stared at the closed door for some time after. Too many thoughts were flying around and wrapping her in. The suspense lodged inside her chest. What had she done?

A deep breath left Violette's lungs as she pushed off the wall and went into the kitchen.

The smell of flower tea enveloped her as she walked to the table where her father sat with a book.

His glasses fell to the tip of his nose as his eyes were following the words on the page before he noticed her.

“Dad,” she started hesitantly, plucking up the courage and hiding all her worries deep under the guise of calm.

She didn't want to lie, especially to her father, but she couldn't tell him she had put her trust in a stranger.

If he knew that it was all for him he wouldn't be happy; especially since it was an unwise decision to begin with.

“You know, there will be a potion fair in the south and Mr. Ahenum wants me to go there to gain some experience. There will be lessons, lectures, and exhibits. I think it is a great opportunity for me to grow as a potion maker.”

“Excellent!” her dad exclaimed, a sincere smile radiating on his face, which was so unusual these days.

Confusion clouded Violette’s features. “You think so?”

“Yes, of course! You’ll see new places, get to know new people and learn something. I think it's great, and you deserve some fun time for yourself,” he expressed vividly.

A warmth spilled through her chest.

“Oh, that's nice. I worried if you would be fine with that news. I don't want to leave you alone…” Her brows turned downward, eyes gleaming with remorse .

“Don't worry about me.” He waved. “I'll be fine and I feel much better now.”

It was true. Violette didn't remember the last time she saw him moving so easily around the house as this evening. The cure was working, and it made her feel a glimpse of relief. All of it was worth it.

“I'm happy you're feeling better,” she said with a meek smile on her face.

“Yes, so don't even think about me. I want you to go and have the best time,” he voiced and stood up to put his cup aside. “Want some tea?”

Violette nodded, her smile growing more confident as she finally started to recognize her father; he almost looked as he did before, and she couldn’t help but feel emboldened by it.

The last thing she had to do was write her boss, Mr. Ahenum, a letter with some made up story about why she will be away from work for some time; and get ready for the trip.

Her gaze dropped to the tea cup her father had placed in front of her – a few lilac petals were floating on the surface as the corners of her eyes fell down.