Page 44 of The Witches Catalogue of Wanderlust Essentials (Natural Magic #2)

Chapter 25

The Best Nest

T he Mudpuddle Bookshop after closing hours was a different world. With the “Closed” sign flipped, curtains drawn, and overhead lights dimmed, the space transformed from a bustling hub to a sanctuary. Arthur had built a fire in the massive foyer fireplace, its golden glow casting long shadows across the laden shelves. The scent of Earl Grey tea mingled with woodsmoke and old books.

Maida arranged the final pillow in what she dubbed “the nest,” an array of plump cushions, soft blankets, and comfortable seating arranged in a half circle before the fireplace. She had been arranging and rearranging it restlessly since Will and Zani had come home.

“What do you think, Zani?” Maida gestured to the nest. “Is this okay? Or would you rather sit in the cafe?”

“This looks perfect,” Zani said. She closed her eyes, enjoying the homey sounds of soft music, a crackling fire, and rain pattering against the windowpanes. It was incredibly kind of Maida and Arthur to prepare this impromptu late night tea party for her and Will. The lights had gone out with the storm, but the candles on the mantle were just fine with Zani. She’d grown used to gentler lighting in the seventeenth century. But she hadn’t grown used to the drafts and the dampness. It was wonderful to be back, warm and safe with her friends.

“They’ve only been gone three days, Maida.” Arthur said, placing a tray of steaming teacups on the low table. “You’re acting like it’s been years.”

“Technically, it has been years, you know that,” Maida replied, tucking a wild curl of silvery platinum hair behind her ear. “Plus, Zani was stranded for three months. Three months, Arthur.”

“Three months in Versailles, in 1689,” Arthur said, shaking his head slightly. “I’m still trying to wrap my mind around it. What was it like?”

The bell above the shop door jingled as Will shouldered it open, arms laden with overstuffed bags of cheese and picnic supplies from the Squeaky Wheel.

“Minerva loaded me up. She said the midnight special came with a free bottle of one-hundred year old port.” Will reached into the bag and pulled out a bottle of red wine with a fancy label. He set the bags and the bottle beside the tea. “Of course, some of us might not be used to such a recent vintage anymore.” He met Zani’s eye with a teasing glance.

There was a moment of stillness as the four friends regarded one another, the weight of their suddenly disparate timelines hanging between them like an overloaded clothesline.

Then Maida broke the spell, rushing forward to envelop Zani in a fierce hug. “Three days here, but it felt like three years,” she whispered. “I was so worried about you.”

“I wanted to call you every single day I was there,” Zani replied, her voice thick with unexpected emotion. Over Maida’s shoulder, Arthur discreetly passed her a handkerchief.

Will stood awkwardly, staring into the fire until Arthur clasped his shoulder. “Good to have you back, Porter.”

“Good to be back,” Will said, eyes never leaving Zani. There was something new in his gaze, Zani noted. A protectiveness, perhaps, or something deeper. It warmed her from within, even without the port.

She wasn’t the only one who noticed. Observing them, Arthur arched a curious eyebrow.

“You both look exhausted,” Maida said, finally releasing Zani. “Come, sit. We’ve got all the provisions and a cozy fire, and I imagine you two both have quite a tale to tell.”

They settled into the nest of cushions, the warmth of the flames washing over them. Zani accepted her teacup gratefully, wrapping her fingers around it as if she’d forgotten what her favorite tea tasted like. She knew they were all waiting for her to speak, but she wasn’t sure where to start.

“So,” Arthur began after a few more moments of comfortable silence. “Versailles?”

Will and Zani exchanged a look.

“It wasn’t just Versailles on this trip,” Will said. “We made another stop too, at Burnside’s request.”

He looked from Maida to Zani. She could guess what he was thinking. He was wondering just how they would tell Maida about meeting her mother. Larkspur had passed away not long after Maida was born, and Maida had been raised with little information about her controversial parent.

“You ported to a second stop?” Maida paused mid sip of tea. She held her cup a few inches from her mouth and blew on it. “Where to? Or should I say when to?”

“We went to Baltimore, of all places, in the 1970s. Just for a couple of hours. But it was eventful.” Zani took a sip of tea. “I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself, though. Maybe we should start at the beginning?”

“So you already know I suspected Zani was in Versailles because of Flora Lathrop’s butterfly charm,” Will explained, his fingers fidgeting with the fringe of the pillow he was leaning on. “It was so specific, so... unusual. But it took me a moment to connect it with Zani’s charm.”

“And all this time we thought the logo was based on a family heirloom,” Maida mused.

“And so it was,” Will continued. “The charm Zani gave to Flora Lathrop in 1689 became that heirloom.”

Arthur leaned forward. “You’re saying the shop’s logo only exists because Zani gave a charm to someone in the past?”

“Time isn’t necessarily linear,” Zani said softly, repeating one of the many morsels from Burnside’s lecture. He’d given her a lot to think about. “Sometimes it’s a loop. Or maybe a spiral? The charm existed in our time. I took it to the past, gave it to Flora, it became the logo, and eventually someone, somewhere, created the same charm again in our time.”

“Because of the logo?” Maida asked.

“Who knows?” Zani shrugged.

“Sometimes a butterfly is just a butterfly…” Zani reached for the charm at her throat out of habit. But of course it was no longer there. “Until it isn’t.” She traced the shape on the menu and reached for her friend’s hand. “You would have loved Flora, Maida. She was so kind and graceful. She reminded me of you a bit.” Zani lifted Will’s glass of port and tilted her head to ask permission for a sip. His immediate nod said go ahead .

Maida’s raised brows seemed to say, “You two are sharing drinks now?”

Arthur waved a hand, urging them to go on with the story. “Continue?”

“I can’t tell you how relieved I was to find her.” Will took a sip of the port. “And it was all thanks to that tiny charm. Burnside said that items like that—things with sentiment and personal meaning attached, form a temporal link like a ley line.” He swallowed.

“This is where it gets interesting,” Zani interjected, glancing at Will. “Go on, tell them.”

Will’s expression shifted, vulnerability flickering across his features. “I didn’t think the charm had any personal meaning for me, but…” Will gazed up at the shadows dancing on the ceiling. “I might have miscalculated that. The Lathrops took one look at me and...” He swallowed again. “Papa said I had the Lathrop look. Said I was family. I think that’s part of why I was able to get to where I needed to go so easily.”

Maida’s eyes widened. “Family?”

“He looked just like me,” Will said quietly. “Or I looked just like him. I can’t explain it. He knew I wasn’t from their time, but he insisted he knew me. He claimed me as one of them.”

“We Lathrops carry powerful magic in our bloodline,” Maida said thoughtfully. “Old magic. He must have sensed it in you, too.”

“I suppose. I was surprised that he didn’t seem at all bothered by my Fae magic. We may have learned a bit more about that in the 1970s.” Will bowed his head and studied his hands for a moment before looking back up at Maida and Arthur. The pair were staring at him with rapt attention, and Zani could tell it was making him uncomfortable. She took over, setting her teacup down carefully.

“We’ll get back to that. But first, I have some exciting information to share. I’ve figured out the bloodstone’s origin.”

Everyone leaned forward, eager to hear more.

“Will hasn’t even heard this yet.” Zani scooted closer to the fire and crossed her legs. “We’ve barely had a moment to unpack everything, have we, Will?”

“No, we haven’t,” Will agreed, brushing a strand of hair off her shoulder. His hand remained there, a warm, supportive presence as she launched into the tale.

“While I was stranded in Versailles, I encountered Cosimo again,” Zani said. Abruptly, Will pulled his hand away. Losing his warmth gave her a chill. When she looked his way, he didn’t meet her eye. He just stared into the fire, lost in thought.

“The vampire Cosimo?” Arthur clarified. “The same one who helped you steal the bloodstone at the beginning of all this?”

“Yes and no,” Zani confirmed, still willing Will to look her way. “This was Cosimo of 1689, around a hundred years after he became a vampire. He didn’t recognize me. But he sensed the stone’s residue on me,” Zani said.

“I’ll bet he did.” Will snorted snarkily. “What other stories did he tell you?”

“He told me his story.” Zani bristled. “About how he came to possess the stone in the first place.” She didn’t like the way Will was acting. The moment she mentioned anything about Cosimo, it was like he lost all faith in her. She narrowed her eyes at him. “I don’t have to tell you if you’re not interested.”

“Are you kidding? We’re all interested!” Maida tossed a pillow at Will. “Don’t mind him. He’s just pouting that he’s not the center of attention anymore. You can’t leave the story off there!”

“I’m sorry. I just can’t pretend to like that guy. But do go on,” Will grumbled. He reached for another log and busied himself with adding it to the fireplace.

“Settle in, then,” Zani continued, her voice taking on a storyteller’s cadence. “Our story begins in a desert oasis.”

The fire crackled away as Zani spoke, weaving the tale of young Cosimo, an Ordinary mage studying potions and scrying in Egypt in the 1560s. How fascinated this ambitious young man was by the strange and ancient land. Wanting to make the most of his time abroad, he traveled to the Red Sea. The area’s abundant coral reefs and timeless natural magic held a special enchantment for him.

“It was at the Red Sea that he encountered them,” Zani said, waving a hand for emphasis.

“Who?” Maida asked, nearly breathless with the tale.

“The Merfolk!” Zani revealed.

“Merfolk exposed themselves to an Ordinary mage?” Arthur repeated, skepticism evident in his tone. Zani couldn’t blame him for doubting the tale. Merfolk were notoriously shy. Even amongst other magical folk. Interactions between non-magical folk and the Mer were almost unheard beyond the usual tales of shipwrecks.

“Specifically, it was an injured Mer prince ,” Zani continued, ignoring Arthur’s doubt. “The prince had been attacked—Cosimo believed it was by rebel Sirens who opposed the Mer royal family’s policies of isolation. The prince must have been quite desperate, because he was carrying something of immense value that his attackers wanted.”

“What was it?” Maida asked.

“One of the twelve sacred Celestial Sapphires,” Zani breathed. She waited a moment to let that sink in. “The prince begged Cosimo to safeguard it temporarily. Just until he could return with his royal guard. And Cosimo agreed. He couldn’t look away from the stone. He was hypnotized by its beauty and its mesmerizing luminescence.”

She knew she was telling the story far more dramatically than Cosimo himself had, but she could not resist the urge to embellish.

“Let me guess.” Will spoke in a monotone, breaking the spell with his snark. “The Mer prince never returned.”

She took a deep breath, trying not to let his attitude throw her. This story was not just a good one, it was important to her.

“Cosimo waited three days,” Zani continued. “Then a week. Eventually, he had to return to his tutors in Alexandria, and later to France. He had ambitions to join Catherine de Medici’s court as a seer.”

“Ambitions, you say?” Will snarked again.

“Seriously, Will?” Zani shot him an angry look and Maida tossed another pillow.

She went on to describe how Cosimo discovered the stone’s true power—how it granted him the ability to glimpse future events with remarkable clarity. And how it also seemed to attract favorable circumstances and abundance.

“Catherine was quite impressed with his scrying gifts,” Zani continued. “She elevated him to her inner circle, and consulted him on matters of state. But his visions troubled her.”

“Let me guess,” Arthur, always the logical one, interjected. “He foresaw something she didn’t like?”

“You’re correct,” Zani confirmed. “He foresaw her downfall. In excruciating detail. And she wasn’t about to accept that. Catherine wasn’t satisfied with merely knowing the future. She wanted to control it.”

Zani’s voice dropped lower as she described the night of the full eclipse, when the stars aligned in a once-a-millennium configuration, perfect for dark magic. She acted out the scene of Catherine coercing Cosimo into performing a forbidden ritual from his Egyptian spell book.

“Catherine demanded a blood ritual that night. But for Cosimo, sacrificing another human being was a step too far. He refused to do it. Instead, to assuage Catherine, he combined his own blood with the Celestial Sapphire. And that’s when everything changed,” she explained, pausing for drama.

“The vision stone was dramatically altered by his human blood. It amplified his human ambitions and distilled down his desire for power. Its hunger for more blood grew. It drained him dry, nearly killing him. When he awakened, he was transformed. His humanity was drained. The ritual turned him into a vampire.”

“And the stone?” Maida asked.

“Corrupted,” Zani replied sadly. “No longer a channel for abundance, but for scarcity. No longer bringing connection, but predation. It still granted power and wealth to its users, but that fortune always turned sour, leaving destruction in its wake.”

“So the bloodstone,” Arthur noted, “was literally born of blood magic.”

“Cosimo was devastated,” Zani shared. “He had just enough humanity left to feel remorse. First, he tried to destroy it, then he tried to hide it. But he was never successful. It kept coming back. Finally, he threw it back into the ocean. You can imagine how happy he was to learn from me, a time traveler from the future, that it would still cause chaos hundreds of years later.”

“He knew how toxic that stone was, and yet he still enlisted you to steal it back for him,” Will noted, a hint of bitterness in his voice. “Don’t you find that strange?”

Zani met his gaze. “Yes. But I think I understand the reason, Will. Burnside shared it in his lecture, didn’t he? The once-in-a millennium eclipse. It hasn’t been quite a thousand years since the last one, but it’s coming. Just next week. The ley lines will become partially untethered at totality.”

Will stared back at her, meeting her eyes with equal intensity and concern. Zani knew he was thinking what she was thinking. The words from Nostradamus’s prophecy haunted her.

“What was corrupted cannot be pure unless the porter and vagabond endure.”

At just this moment, Gemini the cat came tearing around the corner, a catnip mouse in her mouth. She startled them all so thoroughly that they all broke out in giggles and Maida spilled her port. They took a moment to mop up the mess. Will picked up with the next chapter of their tale.

“So, after Versailles, we popped forward to Baltimore in 1978,” Will said. “We had some truly excellent sandwiches there. And then we stopped by Johns Hopkins University.”

“Burnside Porter’s famous lecture?” Arthur whistled. “It’s not really my thing, but I have to admit, I’m jealous. I would have loved to have been there.”

Will made a shocked face. “Really, Arthur? I never took you for a fan of temporal mobility. It was all I could do to get you to port to Los Angeles with me.”

Arthur lowered his glasses and gave Will a withering glance. “I had no problem porting with you, Porter. What I took issue with was your leaving me stranded.”

Will smiled roguishly and shrugged. “You need to get over that, Hart. I left you a flight voucher!”

“It turned out that the people we found in the audience were just as interesting as the lecture itself.” Zani interrupted their banter. She looked over at Maida and then nodded at Will to carry on.

Will took up the narrative. “Your parents were there, Maida. Both of them. Your father Buffalo, and your mother...”

“Larkspur Lathrop?” Maida whispered, eyes wide. She reached out to grasp one of Zani’s hands.

“She was beautiful,” Zani said gently. “You really have her eyes. And her hair.”

Maida blinked rapidly, looking down. She twisted the tassel on the corner of her pillow.

“She recognized something in me, too,” Will continued. “She said her banished Uncle Quentin and I were dead ringers. And that he was written right out of the famous Lathrop family for preferring Fae to his own kind.” He looked to Zani for confirmation.

“I think that’s very close to her exact words.” Zani nodded.

“Quentin Lathrop?” Maida repeated. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard that name.”

“There’s more,” Zani said. “Will thinks he saw the bloodstone amulet. Your mother was wearing it, Maida. We think she ‘borrowed’ it from the family archives to use in a Halloween costume, of all things.”

“What?” Maida’s head snapped up.

Arthur let out a low whistle.

“That’s not all, though. Guess who else was there?” Zani went on, answering her own question before there was a chance for anyone to guess. “Amrita Berman! She sat down right next to Will.”

“The Director was there?” Arthur’s brows rose. “She was with Maida’s parents?”

“No,” Will corrected. “Amrita and Larkspur were … clearly not getting along. There was tension.”

A silence fell over the group as they processed all the revelations.

“So let me get this straight,” Arthur finally said, lawyer-brain engaged. “Cosimo originally got the Celestial Sapphire from a Mer prince. Blood magic corrupted the stone into the bloodstone. Cosimo became a vampire in the process and has regretted it for centuries. Apparently, a Fae-loving wizard ancestor connects Will to the Lathrops, making him and Maida distant cousins. And Director Berman has been playing the long game, because she’s definitely known the two of you for a lot longer than you’ve known her?”

“That about sums it up,” Zani agreed. “But I think it’s a better story when I tell it. But there’s one more piece, Arthur,” Zani added. “I think I know the reason Cosimo helped me steal the stone. He wants to perform another ritual. He believes he can reverse the original spell, destroy the bloodstone, and possibly end his vampiric curse.”

“And do you think that’s such a bad thing, considering all the strife that stone has caused?” Arthur asked.

“I don’t know,” Zani admitted. “Cosimo is obviously obsessed with ending his curse. He’s been suffering for centuries. But… I have a bad feeling about it. Canceling curses is never that simple. And I don’t think another sacrifice is going to make things better.”

“Destroying the bloodstone could have unforeseen consequences,” Will agreed begrudgingly, “Especially during an eclipse like this one when the ley lines are naturally untethered. It might take out more than just that stone. If you ask me, the vampire is being selfish and reckless.”

“He’s been suffering for centuries, though,” Maida said more empathetically.

“We need to call the Director,” Arthur interjected.

“If she’s not already on her way here now. I wouldn’t put anything past Amrita,” Maida agreed. “What was she like in college?”

“Pretty much the same as she is now,” Will answered. “Sharp as can be.”

The fire had burned lower, casting the room in a softer glow. Outside, the clouds had grown thicker and the night had deepened, wrapping the porch in darkness.

“I’ll contact her tomorrow,” Zani decided. “First thing.”

Arthur began collecting the empty teacups. “It’s late. You two should rest. Take the spare room, Will. Time travel can’t be easy on the system.”

As they all prepared to head upstairs, Zani saw Maida catch Will’s arm. “When this is all over,” she said quietly, “let’s track down our family records. There’s got to be something more about Quentin. About your heritage.”

Will’s expression softened. “I’d appreciate that, Maida.”

“You know I have always thought of you like a brother.” Maida grinned. “How wonderful is it to learn I wasn’t that far off.”

“Distant cousins,” Will corrected, but he was smiling too, his eyes skrinkling up.

“Goodnight, Zani,” Maida called over her shoulder. “Please don’t go anywhere else without letting me know?”

“I’ve got far too much work to catch up on to go anywhere for the next few days.” Zani groaned, thinking of the work she’d need to make up.

Out in the hall, Will waited for her with a blanket. When she emerged from the foyer, he bundled her up and gave her a hug.

“I don’t know about you, but I think I’m going to sleep like a log tonight.” Will yawned. Tenderly, he kissed the top of her head.

Zani was tempted to tip her head back and catch his lips, but she wasn’t sure where they stood. His jealousy of Cosimo felt a lot more like distrust of her. She linked her arm through his.

“I know you don’t trust Cosimo,” she said as they walked up the stairs. “And I understand why.”

“Do you?” Will’s voice was carefully neutral. “You two seemed quite friendly. In both centuries.”

Zani stopped, turning to face him. “He could have killed me in Versailles, but he didn’t. He opened up to me instead. And if it weren’t for his help in Romania, I might not have made it out of that vampire’s den alive. So, yes, we formed a connection of sorts. But that doesn’t mean I trust him completely, either. That’s why we’re consulting the Director.”

Will looked away.

“Besides,” Zani continued, a hint of humor in her voice, “you’re not one to talk about forming connections in the past. You found your entire family tree.”

That earned her a reluctant smile. “Fair point.”

As they reached the door to Zani’s bedroom, Will adjusted the satchel that was slipping down off her shoulder. Then he leaned in for a quick kiss. He held up one finger in the air and closed his eyes.

“What are you doing?” Zani asked.

“I’m tracing the ley lines. This is the one between me and you.” Will ran his finger from his heart to hers, as though he were sliding it along a gossamer silk thread. “It’s a powerful line, Zani. Can you feel it?”

She could have sworn she did. Even more so when he kissed her again. This time, like he really meant it.

“I’ll never leave you behind, Zani. This is how I’ll find you. Anywhere. Anywhen.”

She wanted to believe him. But she knew that even as he kissed her, the earth’s alignments were subtly shifting, moving inexorably toward an eclipse that might change everything. Again.