It took another hour for Verdan to visit the three ill families and ensure everyone was in good health. Two more hours were needed after that to make sure that the local clinics all had a temporary Aether construct bound to them to promote healing.

  The ones that Dirk had been keeping replenished had failed in his absence, it seemed. Something that, while not too surprising, was still a little odd. Dirk tended to be cautious with Aether usage, so more patients than usual must have been crossing the threshold of the clinics.

  Verdan hadn’t heard of any illnesses sweeping the city, no more than usual anyway, nor any accidents that might have caused a lot of injuries. He’d asked a few general questions, but the staff of the clinics didn’t understand what he was trying to do, which made them reluctant to answer questions. The most that Verdan could figure out was that they’d seen a lot of short-term patients come through.

  Exactly what that meant, he didn’t know, but they didn’t seem concerned about it. Verdan had quite a bit on his plate, so investigating further didn’t feel warranted. For all he knew, it was perfectly normal and looking into it would be a waste. Of course, the opposite might also be true, but Verdan couldn’t really conceive of what that might look like.

  From what the clinic staff had said, they were just busier than usual, and hadn’t seen any sort of dramatic rise in the number of serious injuries or deaths. The bags under the man’s eyes had spoken of long days and short nights, but that was always the way trying to keep a city healthy.

  Heading back to the estate, Verdan wrote a quick missive to Branwen, telling her what he’d found and asking her to investigate if she had the time. Something about the whole situation just didn’t sit right with him, even if he wasn’t sure exactly what the problem was.

  Satisfied that Branwen would take care of it, Verdan got back to work on the Aethite cores he wanted finishing. It would take time to fully carve the Sigils into them, and then just as long for them to fill with Aether, so the sooner he put the time in, the better.

  -**-

  “Verdan?” Natalia knocked on the door as she stepped into the room, pulling his attention away from the latest of the crystals he was shaping and carving. “Do you have a moment?”

  “Of course,” Verdan carefully finished the Sigil he was working on and set the crystal aside. “How was your talk with Tobias?”

  “It went well, actually. The previous demonstration I did for the local alchemists of my new potions drew in some interest, so he wants to do another. We went over ingredients and what I need, some of which he had stored up already. The rest is going to be gathered under his name, so the Guild can’t interfere.”

  “Well, they shouldn’t,” Verdan said with a frown. “At this point, I don’t want to take anything for granted.”

  Natalia paused, her face falling. “Do you really think things are going that badly?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know. It feels like every time I turn around, there’s a new problem. My talk with Silver was eye opening though, so perhaps I’m overreacting.” Verdan sighed and ran a hand through his hair before making a throwaway gesture. “Enough of that, let’s assume that Tobias gets you what you need. What next?”

  “Two weeks from now, we’ll hold another demonstration. Based on that, he’ll try to negotiate prices for me.”

  “So you’ll be selling to Tobias and then to these merchants?”

  “Not quite. He’s going to act in his capacity as councillor, rather than as himself. The city will get a cut, but in potions, rather than in coin. It all feels quite complicated, but we’ve not set any terms down in writing yet. For now, we’re just working on getting the ingredients and doing the demonstration.”

  “I understand, and that sounds like it might help quite a bit,” Verdan said after a moment of thought. “Personally, I’d be a bit more comfortable if it were all laid out from the start. I think Tobias has earned enough trust from us to go with it for the moment, though.”

  Natalia nodded, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “I admit that it did help convince me when he sent a message straight away arranging for the delivery of the ingredients he had in stock. They’ll be here soon, and then I can finally start work again.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. Is there anything you need for the machine?”

  “No, I just wanted to come and let you know what was happening. The Guild issue hit you hard, but we’re going to get around it.”

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  “I know.” Verdan got to his feet and pulled her in for a hug. “I just hate the thought of someone trying to get to me through you.”

  Natalia scoffed and adopted a faux-arrogant pose. “I think you’re forgetting that this particular problem was because of me and my high-powered potions. You were simply included because of your proximity to me.”

  “Oh of course, how could I forget,” Verdan said, his eyes crinkling as he bowed respectfully. “Please forgive me for not realising sooner.”

  “Hmm, perhaps I will, but you will have to work hard to convince me.” Natalia sniffed haughtily, but her eyes were dancing with suppressed mirth.

  Verdan nodded seriously and bent to kiss her hand before breaking out into a chuckle. The tension and worry that had been building inside him fading as their banter continued.

  -**-

  Natalia’s delivery arrived a few hours later, and she quickly roped Alden, Ruan and anyone else who didn’t scatter quickly enough into carrying everything inside.

  “Oh, Verdan, a moment,” Nikau said, hurrying away from Natalia before she could pass him something to carry. “I meant to tell you, Hope came by to speak with you earlier. She said it was to do with the food issues.”

  “Hope?” Verdan echoed in surprise. He hadn’t heard from the Witch in a while, not since she’d opened up about not wanting to be a fighter. “Well, Natalia is going to be busy for a while, so I’ll go see what she wants.”

  Nikau nodded and glanced around at the empty courtyard before sighing. “It’s only over the street, so no need for a guard. Please don’t go any further afield though, or it’ll be my neck for the noose.”

  “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble,” Verdan said, fighting back a smile at Nikau’s obvious relief. “I’ll head over now. I doubt I’ll be too long, if anyone asks where I am.”

  Nikau nodded and moved on, leaving Verdan to head out of the estate and over to the small compound that the Witches had taken over. There was only Hedda and Hope in the city at the moment, and neither of their skillsets were useful for Verdan’s current issues, so he hadn’t spoken to them in a little while.

  The building seemed cold and empty, but Verdan knocked anyway, waiting a moment before letting himself into the small interior courtyard. There was no sign of either Witch, but Winifred, Hope’s familiar, was sprawled on a table.

  The large white cat’s tail was swishing slowly back and forth, her golden eyes watching him as he took a few steps in.

  “Hope?” Verdan called out, glancing around for where the Hereditary Witch had gone. If Winifred was here, Hope wouldn’t be too far though.

  “Verdan!” Hope came out of one of the side doors in a rush, a book clutched to her chest. “Sorry, I was looking for the right diary and didn’t hear you come in. Please, come inside!”

  Hope was a tall, willowy woman with long blonde hair and particularly pale features. Normally, she looked a little concerned about everything, especially recently. Now, however, her face was animated, and she looked more excited than Verdan had seen in quite a while, if ever.

  Winifred leapt gracefully down and wound her way through Hope’s legs before leading the way indoors, Verdan and the Witch following after a moment later. The interior was a large room of indeterminate purpose. There was a kitchen, a small pantry, even a few bookshelves with a reading nook.

  “Take any seat you like, I’ll make us some tea,” Hope said, clearing the top of a small table before bustling off to start heating some water and preparing drinks for them.

  Verdan had some time to himself, and he’d had a long day, so he pulled a chair over to the table Hope had cleared and waited patiently while the Witch fussed over the water. She certainly seemed anxious, though it couldn’t be anything too serious as Winifred had already sprawled out on a new perch.

  Eventually, Hope placed a well-worn mug in front of Verdan, the steam curling out of it bringing a slightly sweet minty smell to him. “A lovely smell, what blend is this?”

  “Nettle and mint, with a few bits and bobs thrown in,” Hope said, cradling her own mug in her hands and looking far more centered than a few minutes earlier.

  Verdan blew gently on the tea for a moment before risking a sip. “Very nice. So, what did you want to talk about?”

  “Well, it’s about the food issue,” Hope said, meeting his gaze with a firmness of purpose that surprised him. “I know that the issue is mostly with grains, right?”

  “That’s right.” Verdan nodded with a slight frown, not quite sure where she was going with this.

  “Well, I can’t do much with the fighting or hunting, but I was hoping you’d help put me in touch with some livestock farmers. I don’t really know anyone, you see, but you know all sorts of people and they listen to what you say.”

  “I suppose that’s true,” Verdan said, lifting a hand as she her expression brightened. “Before we get ahead of ourselves, though. What are you actually trying to do?”

  “Oh, right, yes!” Hope exclaimed before catching herself and taking a steadying breath. “Sorry, I’ve got myself all worked up over this, as I’m sure you can tell.”

  “That’s fine, just take your time.” Verdan purposefully sat back in his chair, ignoring the alarming creaking sound it made, and sipped his tea. It really was quite nice.

  Hope nodded and matched him, sipping her tea and gathering her thoughts before continuing. “I’ve been trying to think of ways to help, but my magic isn’t like the others. So much is based around Winifred, rather than the world itself. Not all of it though. The parts that aren’t have never been much use, of course. Not until now.”

  “Well, you have my interest,” Verdan said, carefully leaning forward. “What exactly are you thinking of?”

  Hope smiled and put the diary she’d been holding earlier onto the table before flipping through to a specific page and tapping some faded writing within. “This is a reference to a family story that was passed from mother to daughter. A story where one of us helps a local dairy farmer by passing them our familiar.”

  “What?” Verdan frowned before his eyes widened and he nodded. “Wait, I understand. Will it work like that?”

  “I think so, but with certain limits. There has to be a bond between them, one that won’t exist as strongly with animals raised for slaughter.”

  Verdan nodded, his mind racing. This wouldn’t solve everything, but it would help. The question would be what type of farmer would benefit the most.