Page 46 of When the Witch Met the Minotaur

“Send a note to Rustion’s place if he shows any symptoms of draining again. We will be there for a while.”

We leave the home and finish handing out all the vials. By the time we finish, the sun is setting. We’ve talked about herb lore, Lady Owl, my home back in Mytilene, and how she messaged everyone now involved in building the room of ditchite. Turns out, Rustion had a pile of the stuff in the back forty acres of his estate holdings.

“We work well together when we choose to, don’t we?” I take her empty wooden frame as she unlocks her front door.

“I suppose.”

“Just admit it.”

Her front room is attached to a small kitchen where copper pots and a large black wood stove take up most of the space. Beyond that are two doors, one of which leads to her workshop. It’s strange that I have already been there, sleeping on a cot. That feels like a dream.

Inside, she returns the wooden frames and empty vials to their shelves. She uncorks another vial of her purple potion, a dose she seems to have kept here.

“Bottoms up,” she says.

“You’ll see how awful it tastes now and you’ll stop insulting my malehood for griping.”

“I doubt it.” She grins, then swallows the potion down like a shot. A grimace bunches her face. “Oh, that is horrid.”

I laugh and start to help her with the stuff on the higher shelves. Once most everything is tidied, I pick up the broom beside the dark hearth to sweep a few of Lady Owl’s fallen feathers.

“Stop.” Tully’s voice surprises me into freezing. “That’s not for cleaning.” She sounds panicked, and her arms are spread wide as if I’ve just lit a fuse and something is going to go off.

I hand her the broom. “Apologies.”

She lifts a brow and looks me up and down. “Want to fly to Rustion’s?”

A thrill beams through me. We planned to go back as soon as possible to help with the building. “Definitely.”

I hurry out of the house on her heels. She straddles the broom and gestures toward the open spot behind her.

Shaking my head at how wild this is, I throw a leg over the rowan wood broom.

“Hold on tight, Minotaur.”

Before I can give a smart-mouthed retort, we are flying. Fast. The broom somehow feels all right on my arse—a magic force cushions my seat like an invisible pillow. Wind tears through my hair and my horn chains. I keep one hand around Tully’s waist and one on the broom just behind me. My tail wraps around the broom as well, keeping me in place as Tully takes a dive toward Rustion’s open courtyard.

When we disembark, I can’t seem to keep from laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Tully holds her broom aloft and narrows her eyes at me.

“Don’t wallop me. It was amazing. I’m just happy.”

A smile curves those lips I want crush them with mine. “Oh. Well, then, I’ll allow it.”

The building of ditchite is nearly complete. Eight people—two pixies, a fairy, three orcs, two goblins, and Cyrus—are working on stacking the stones that Halvard is cutting neatly just beside the structure.

“I don’t think I’m as strong as Halvard.”

Tully eyes the orc, obviously enjoying his build. I can’t blame her. He is impressive.

“No one is as strong as Halvard,” she says. “Don’t let it tamp down your ego too much. That’s my job.” She snickers as she sways off toward Rustion.

I stop to just admire the view before catching up.

Rustion is talking to her. “…it’ll be finished in an hour. Will you be ready?”

She digs into the satchel hanging across her body. “I’m prepared.” Turning, she faces me again. “Eh, I forgot to give you these.” She pulls out two lava stone bracelets and a necklace. “Kaya, Romulus, and Laini finished them and left them at the smith’s forge.”