You could use bits of animals, sure. Lizard foot and nightingale tongue. Blaise was always trying to get hold of Thea's animals for just that purpose, and Thea was always fighting her off.
"I don't know. Gran," she said. "I'm still thinking."
"Well, you've got time-but not too much," her grandmother said, walking slowly toward her. Edgith Harman's face was a mass of creases, she hunched, and she used two canes-but that wasn't bad for a woman over a hundred who ran her own business and tyrannized every witch in the country.
"Remember, you've got some decisions to make when you hit eighteen. You and Blaise are the last of our line. The last two direct descendants of Hellewise. That means you have a responsibility-you have to set an example."
"I know." At eighteen, she would have to decide not just her specialty, but which Circle she would join for life: Twilight or Midnight. "I'll think about it, Gran," she promised, putting her free arm around the old woman. "I've still got six months."
Gran stroked Thea's hair with a veined, gentle hand. It chased the last of Thea's headache away. Still holding the mesh bag behind her back, she said, "Gran? Are you really mad about having us here for the school year?"
"Well, you eat too much and you leave hair in the shower... but I guess I can stand it." Gran smiled, then frowned. "Just as long as you stay in line until the end of the month."
There it was again. "But what's happening at the end of the month?"
Gran gave her a look. "Samhain, of course! All Hallow's Eve."
"I know that," Thea said. Even the humans celebrated Halloween. She wondered if Gran was having one of her vague spells.
"Samhain-and the Inner Circle," Gran said abruptly. "They've picked the desert for their ceremony this year."
"The desert-you mean here? The Inner Circle is coming here? Mother Cybele and Aradia and all of them?"
"All of them," Gran said. Suddenly her wrinkles looked grim. "And by Air and Fire, I'm not having them come here just to see you girls screw up-1 have a reputation, you know."
Thea nodded a little dazedly. "I-welt no wonder you were worried. We won't embarrass you. I promise."
"Good."
As Thea discreetly tucked the mesh bag under her arm and started for the stairs, the old woman added.
"You'd better toss some plantain into that mix to bind it all together."
Thea felt herself blushing furiously. "Uh... thanks, Gran," she said, and went to look for plantain.
Above the shop were two tiny bedrooms and a kitchenette. Grandma had one bedroom and Thea and Blaise shared the other. Tobias, Gran's apprentice, had been bumped to the workshop downstairs.
Blaise was lying on her bed, reading a thick book with a red cover. Poetry. Despite her frivolous act, she wasn't stupid.
"Guess what," Thea said, and without waiting for Blaise to guess, told her about the Inner Circle coining.
She watched to see if the news would scare Blaise-or at least alarm her into good intentions. But Blaise just yawned and stretched like a well-fed cat.
"Good. Maybe we can watch how they summon the ancestors again." She raised her eyebrows at Thea meaningfully. Two years ago in Vermont, while the human world was trick-or-treating, they'd hidden behind maple trees and spied on the Samhain summoning. They'd seen the elders use the magic of Hecate, the most ancient witch of all, the goddess of moon and night and sorcery, to bring spirits across the veil. For Thea it had been scary but exciting, for Blaise just exciting.
Thea gave up on trying to alarm Blaise.
Thea looked at the three star-shaped blue flowers lying on her palm. Then, one by one, she ate them.
"Now say 'Ego borago guadia semper ago,' " Selene instructed. "It means, 'I, borage, always bring courage.' Old Roman spell."
Thea muttered the words. For the second day in a row, she was on the patio looking at a sandy head across the room.
"Go get 'im, tiger," Blaise said. Vivienne and Dani nodded encouragingly. Thea squared her shoulders and started across the room.
As soon as Eric saw her coming he went down the side path.
You idiot, Thea thought. You don't know what's good for you. Maybe I should just let Blaise have you.
But she followed him. He was standing just beyond the buildings, staring into the distance. She could only see his profile, which was nice-clean and somehow lonely.
Thea swallowed, tasting a lingering sweetness from the borage flowers. What to say? She wasn't used to talking to humans-especially human boys.
I'll just say "What's up?" and be casual she thought. But when she opened her mouth, what came out was, "I'm sorry."
He turned immediately. He looked startled. "You're sorry?"
"Yes. I'm sorry I was so mean. What do you think I was following you for?"
Eric blinked-and Thea thought his cheeks colored under his tan. "I thought you were mad because I kept staring at you. I was trying not to get you madder."
"You were staring at me?" Thea felt a little flushed herself. As if the herbs from her bath were steaming fragrantly out of her skin.
"Well-I kept trying not to. I think I've got it down to one look every thirty seconds now." He said it seriously.
Thea wanted to laugh. "It's okay. I don't mind," she said. Yes, she could definitely smell the love potion now. The heady floral scent of rose and heartsease, plus the spice of yemonja root.
Eric seemed to take her at her word. He was definitely staring. "I'm sorry I acted like such a jerk before. With the snake, I mean. I really wasn't trying to feed you a line."
Alarm whispered through Thea. She didn't want to think about what had happened in the desert.
"Yes, okay, I know," she said. He was watching her so intently, his eyes such a deep green. "Well- you see, the reason I wanted to talk to you was... you know, there's the Homecoming dance this Saturday. So I thought we could maybe go together."
She remembered at the last instant that in human society boys frequently asked girls to dances. Maybe she'd been too direct.
But he looked-well, extremely pleased. "You're kidding! You're serious? You'd go with me?"
Thea just nodded.
"But that's terrific. I mean-thanks." He was as excited as a kid at Beltane. Then his face clouded over.