บท 7: A Cup of Tea

Lyonis stepped inside and was greeted by the pleasant smell of the apothecary. Looking around, he noticed how clean and tidy the establishment was. Cordelia gestured to a round barstool along a long wooden counter. He stepped over to the middle chair and sat down, setting her basket on the counter next to him.

His eyes traced the length of the shelves behind the counter. They were filled with things he had never seen before. He was intrigued by the glowing orbs that were placed strategically around the room, filling the comfortable space with light. Even the fireplace was magical; no wood, only a small glowing red crystal sat in the hearth - a small flame hovered above it. He had so many questions.

"You have a lovely establishment, Cordelia."

He noticed a small smile on her lips as she closed the door behind her before walking around the back end of the wooden counter.

She sat her large hat down as she stepped around behind the counter. Lyonis was finally able to look at her unobstructed face. In his eyes, there was no way the woman could be considered a demon. Her dark black hair was loosening from the bun tucked at the base of her neck, strands fell gently over her forehead, and she absentmindedly pushed them behind dainty ears. Her grey-green eyes sparkled in the glowing light.

He felt a bit disappointed that the dress she wore covered every square inch right up under her chin. To his satisfaction, the dress hugged her in all the right places, and Lyonis's mind couldn't help but wander. She was unapologetically gorgeous.

Though maybe, he thought to himself, maybe that was the trick. Demon or not, he couldn't argue that Cordelia VonElise had already captured his attention. Perhaps he was already doomed.

"Thank you. I take great pride in my work." She bent down to gather a kettle and two porcelain cups and saucers, placing them on the counter near Lyonis. She turned around and knowingly grabbed a handful of dried leaves out of a large glass container. She flicked her wrist, and a large mortar and pestle flew from behind the counter to set gracefully on the counter.

She let the leaves from her hand fall into the air, and instead of falling to the floor, they floated gracefully into the large stone bowl. She opened a few more glass jars, smelling some before grabbing a pinch or handful of its contents, letting the mysterious ingredients join the other dried leaves in the large stone bowl. After a while, the large stone mortar stood upright and started to methodically grind and stamp the contents in the bowl.

Cordelia stepped up a rolling ladder to fetch a box full of empty teabags from the top shelf. She turned around and placed it on the counter before checking her concoction.

Lyonis didn't say anything. Watching her work, seeing the subtle changes in her expression as she thought to her herself, was mesmerizing. He had no clue what she was doing and was enthralled by the grace, intelligence, and beauty of her movements.

"Ah…" Cordelia looked inside the stone bowl, and when it was to her liking, she flicked her fingers over the bowl. The blunt stone grinder stopped instantly and put itself away under the counter. The small linen bags started methodically preparing themselves into neat tea pouches - small clumps of the ground leaves placed themselves carefully into each small bag before sewing themselves closed and floating to arrange themselves in neat lines in a small empty red box.

Cordelia picked up two of the prepared bags from the box and placed one in each white porcelain cup. She grabbed the kettle, and to Lyonis's surprise, steaming hot water poured readily from the kettle's mouth. He hadn't even seen her fill or heat the water.

Cordelia carefully placed a spoonful of liquidy golden honey in each cup before stirring it gently. She pushed a steaming white cup sitting on a delicate saucer towards Lyonis. He eyeballed it questioningly. The atmosphere in the apothecary was so calming and peaceful that he felt his body grow heavy with sleep. The whole process unfolded like a dream, and he doubted if he was even awake.

Cordelia noticed his apprehension and placed her own cup to her lips, blowing on it gently. He watched her rosy lips purse together in a kiss, the steam floating away from her face as she cooled it with her breath. She inhaled deeply, closing her green-grey eyes, enjoying the smell before taking a sip herself. Lyonis couldn't help but feel jealous of the small cup. His mind danced over the thought of her lips pressed against his.

"It's not poisoned," she said to Lyonis, in an almost mocking tone, "It's just tea with honey. It's a special blend that should help give you strength and help you feel rejuvenated after being at sea for so long."

Lyonis grabbed the delicate teacup in his large hands. The sight was rather absurd to him. He felt like at any moment, his calloused fingers would shatter the tiny, fragile cup without warning. He couldn't remember the last time he held something so delicate. He brought the steaming liquid to his face and blew gently, taking in a deep breath. The smell was inviting and lovely but was hard to place. It reminded him of standing in a spring field filled with wildflowers back in his home country of Gresas.

The warm liquid touched his lips. A subtle sweetness mixed with flavors of cherries, smoke, and a slight hint of bitter orange peel cascaded over his tongue.

And just as Cordelia had said, Lyonis felt an invigorating warmth spread throughout his body from deep inside his gut. It energized him, and any wariness and tension he felt trapped deep in his muscles slowly dissipated. He stared down into the tiny cup, feeling as if he could easily sprint a thousand miles. The swirling liquid looked ordinary, like any other tea, slightly dark and dingy brown in color.

I must be dreaming. He thought to himself. He looked up to see Cordelia standing across from him on the opposite side of the wooden counter. She was looking at him, her chin resting comfortably in the palm of her hand, her elbow propping herself up on the counter. She was looking at him as if she were trying to piece something together. When she noticed him glance at her, she smiled. A true smile, one that emanated simple happiness. She seemed pleased with his response to her tea.

In their close proximity, Lyonis noticed that her light grey-green eyes had flecks of gold sprinkled in them. They sparkled like moonlight on the water and were filled with a quiet sadness. His chest tightened, and he had a difficult time pulling his eyes from hers.

"What do you think?" She said, still not taking her eyes off him. She lifted her own cup back to her lips and took another sip.

"I… I've never had tea like this before. Is it enchanted? What is this?" Questions threatened to flood from Lyonis's mouth. He wanted to know more, and not only about the tea.

"It's just tea. Our Great Mother gives us all the tools we need to live balanced lives. Everything has a balancing point. You feel pain or fatigue? There is an opposite energy naturally existing in nature. You simply need to know where to look and how to tap into it." She took another sip, closing her eyes to enjoy the moment with her cup.

Lyonis had heard of the healing properties of plants and nature all his life. He had met many famous doctors and practitioners of the art of healing in his travels, and yet this was far more impressive than anything he had seen before.

First, Cordelia magically saves his life, fixes his broken ankle in a single breath, and now… casually brews a magical fatigue-curing tea? He couldn't help but feel that this was a fated meeting. He was both impressed and slightly terrified by the power he saw in this woman. He was sure there was more to her than she let on.

He had so many questions. He didn't know where to start or if that was even appropriate of him. So he simply kept his mouth shut and sipped on more tea as he mulled over his thoughts.

…

The pair sat in comfortable silence for a while. A black cat with two tails had suddenly appeared in the room as if out of thin air. It sat on the counter, rubbing affectionately against Cordelia's forearm that propped up her head. She kept glancing over at the cat with sideways eyes. Aside from the two tails, which was odd, Lyonis couldn't see anything different about the black cat, but he couldn't help but feel like there was something off about it. As if reading his mind, Cordelia spoke.

"This annoying, needy thing next to me is Benoni. He is my cat." She stood up, straightening her back, affectionately scratching between the cat's ears. The cat sat on the wooden counter and stared at Lyonis. Or was it glaring? Something about the cat's golden eyes felt too knowing - far more intelligent than any normal cat.

Before Lyonis could say or do anything, the cat turned around, jumped off the counter, and slid out of sight. Cordelia sighed, "He's not very friendly."

There was a ding at the front door, and it flew open suddenly. A small, frazzled red-haired young woman burst through the door, tripping on her way in. She looked as if she had just sprinted there.

"Madame! Madame! Delphine said that she saw you walking around town with a mmm…." The girl froze as she looked up, and her eyes met Lyonis's.

He couldn't help but chuckle at her expression, which was a swirling mixture of concern, panic, shock, and embarrassment. Her cheeks flushed bright red, and she gathered herself, looking over at Cordelia with silent, furious questioning.

"Gabrielle…" Cordelia stated in a calm voice, "This is Lyonis Tualon. He is a merchant that is visiting Ville Marais." She turned to look at Lyonis, "Lyonis, this is Gabrielle. My apprentice." Gabrielle gave a polite curtsy in his direction.

"Ah! Another witch?!" Lyonis brightened and looked back at the young girl whose eyes went wide.

"Oh. No sir." She waved her hands in front of her, her large emerald green eyes darted around, not making eye contact with him, "I am not magically inclined. Madame VonElise is teaching me holistic medicine. I help her run the apothecary."

"Ah. I see… I imagine Cordelia is a fine instructor. You are lucky to have her." Gabrielle's wide eyes darted at Cordelia, who seemed unaffected by her apprentice's nervousness. A small sigh left Cordelia's lips. She turned to grab the red box of tea bags that had finished preparing themselves and placed it in front of Lyonis.

"Lyonis. It is getting late. I am sure you have much left to do. Thank you for escorting me back. Please, take this box of tea back to your ship and share them with your crew members as my apology for keeping you so late." Cordelia pushed the box in his direction and collected his empty cup and saucer.

He felt a tinge of disappointment. He wanted to stay longer and learn more about Cordelia. But with her apprentice busting through the door, it seemed like the right time to head out. She was right, and he did need to return to the docks. He was sure Agis was throwing a temper tantrum in his absence.

"Yes. It seems you are right. Thank you for all your help today." He stood up and grabbed the box of tea bags off the counter, and started walking towards the front door. He stopped halfway and turned to look at her.

"Cordelia. May I call on you again? I would love to continue our conversation another day."

Cordelia froze in place at the comment and paused long before answering. Gabrielle had snuck her way behind the counter, and Lyonis could hear her whispering frantically from Cordelia's feet behind the counter.

"...adame, say yes…. Madame! SAY YES!... Mad… for the love… god say yes. What are yo…." Cordelia pursed her lips and shot a threatening glance down at her apprentice, who was hiding at her feet behind the counter.

Lyonis couldn't help but chuckle and silently thanked the young girl in his head for helping him out. A deep sigh left the witch's full lips. She looked up at him and smiled gently, caving in.

"You may." She nodded once. He heard suppressed squealing from behind the counter.

"Excellent! I shall come and fetch you in three days. I'll come at first light." Cordelia went to open her mouth in protest, but Gabrielle shot up from behind the counter.

"She'll be ready! Have a nice night Sir Tualon!" She gave him a silent look that said, 'leave before she can make an excuse to get out of it'. Taking her advice, he winked at the redhead and slipped out the front door, closing it behind him.

…

"Gabrielle! What are you thinking?!" Cordelia scolded her the moment the door closed behind Lyonis.

"I'm thinking you need to have some fun, Madame! What's the harm in going out and having a good time? You deserve it! And he's GORGEOUS! You seriously can't tell me you don't find him attractive. And he's obviously into you!" Words poured from Gabrielle's excited lips. She twirled around the apothecary as she helped Cordelia clean up.

Cordelia rubbed her eyes and tried to steady her elevated heartbeat. She could not deny that she had felt interested and possibly physically attracted to Lyonis. But he was a world traveler from across the ocean, and she had already told herself she would probably never see Lyonis again. She wasn't ready to be swept up in feelings only to have him leave in a few short months. Of course, Gabrielle had to twirl in like a whirlwind and throw her plans out the window.

"You don't need to worry about anything Madame. I will take care of the apothecary the whole day, and if you want more time with him…" She swiveled her hips sensually at Cordelia, who recoiled at her apprentice's sudden implied suggestion. Seeing her reaction, Gabrielle laughed. "Madame. It's OK! You're how old? You can give yourself permission to spend the night with a gorgeous man. Enjoy yourself!"

"Ughh. But people will talk…"

"People always talk, Madame. And who the fuck cares?! You're a powerful witch who literally fixes everyone's problems! What are they going to say to you? Really?" Gabrielle put her hands on her hips defiantly. She pointed a finger at Cordelia. "You are not backing out of this. You always tell me not to run away from my problems. And yet here you are, running away from your own feelings. Shame on you!"

Cordelia couldn't help but laugh at her apprentice. Gabrielle was really scolding her like a child. But she did have a point.

"Ok. I'll go. I won't back out."

Gabrielle grinned from ear to ear.

…

Cordelia waved goodbye to Gabrielle as night enveloped the town. She watched as the redhead ran down the street towards her home. Practically skipping with excitement for her master.

'What an exhausting day', she thought to herself, and she finished closing up the apothecary. She climbed the steps, and as she entered her room, Benoni was sitting on her bed waiting for her.

"Whatever you have to say, Beni. I don't want to hear it. I'm exhausted." Cordelia stripped her clothes down and pulled on a thin robe. She sat at her desk and pulled out a brush, taking her long black hair out of the bun and running her finger through it.

"There's something off about that man…" Benoni's voice rang in her head. Of course, he wasn't going to drop it.

"I know. I felt something different when I fixed his broken leg. Something strange was mixed into his mana. It felt… refreshing?"

She mulled over the thought in her head. It was curious. Most humans, even those who had an affinity for mana-manipulation, did not have energy that felt the same. Most human life forces felt bland and uninteresting - their energy flowed slowly through them like a creek flowing naturally down a hill.

"You used magic on him?! Cordelia…. Who saw?!"

Cordelia rarely used magic to heal wounds. Small cuts and scrapes were easily treated with ointments and salves. Larger and more complicated wounds could be treated with medicines and enchanted bandages. Internal damage could be treated using small amounts of magic since it was slightly easier to hide. Straight up healing a broken leg on a whim was outside of her normal practice. But for some reason, she felt inclined to help Lyonis.

"Beni… That was after I stopped a carriage full of wooden crates from crushing him at the docks. A lot of people saw a lot of magic today…"

She felt him silently fuming. Worry was building in him. She couldn't blame him. The more people who knew about the span of her powers, the greater danger she was of being discovered by undesirable people or driven out by the church and scared townspeople. He stood up and paced her bed. The more he paced the more worry he felt, and the less his cat-like form held together. The shadow beneath him grew and warped.

"What was I supposed to do? Let him get crushed?"

"Yes." Benoni stopped to stare at her. His large golden eyes had thin narrow black slits. His whole essence tensed up. He was being completely serious.

"Beni, that's cruel. I couldn't just stand there and do nothing." She sighed, "Besides, I think people were more preoccupied with the fact that I was walking through town with a strange man.

Gabrielle sprinted here to talk about that with me. She didn't even bring up any news regarding what happened at the docks."

She picked up the brush and ran the bristles through her black hair. She stared at her cat in the mirror. Watching as he calmed down slightly. His shadow returned to normal. "I really don't think you need to worry so much about it. We've lived here for decades now. I'm sure everyone has caught on, and performing simple magic like that is almost expected of me now."

Beni continued to stare at her. His tails flicked against the bed in irritation. But he said nothing.

"I have a date with him in three days." Cordelia laughed. She stood up and climbed into bed. Her cat moved over to let her get under the covers. "That should give our neighbors more than enough to talk about for the next few months."

"Ugh. What? Cordelia… I don't think that's a good idea. I don't trust him."

"You don't trust anyone." She ignored Beni, and let herself daydream a bit about what they would do in three days. She quickly fell asleep.