104 | POTIONS AND PEACE

Two days later and there’s still no word from Shola. In that forty-eight hour time period, we’re confronted with some difficult truths.

First, another of the remaining two witches has died, they had been doing better, slowly becoming responsive after a day of being comatose, but the second they uttered a word, they were wracked with seizures. Less than an hour after that, they were pronounced brain-dead by the Docs. The remaining witch is still unconscious and being monitored twenty-four-seven for any change.

Second, the wards aren’t allowing me or any of the older vamps out of Kiwina. They hum against my body every time I attempt to cross - which is something I spend the whole of Sunday trying to do. I had wanted to visit my Pack and started freaking out when the invisible line wouldn’t allow me through. Blue had come to test the wards himself, but he didn’t have any problems passing through the ward-wall. Zoe and Hale came by a few hours after that, and neither could cross. My father continued testing the barrier with some of his Coven members, and some of the younger ones were able to go through without issue.

I can’t go under it or over it…the Magic seems to be working too well.
We could destroy one of the wards, by removing one of the trees where the runes are carved, the whole circle would break. And for a few minutes, I considered it. But I know the safety of the town comes first over any drive I may have to leave, so we leave the runes alone. There’s just no telling how long the Command I’d given the Revenant will last and I don’t want to risk the chance that it’ll return sooner rather than later.

Third…all Magic-touched things are unpredictable in their potency. Doc Quinn, vamp-doctor of the Coven, was the first to notice this. Since he dabbles in witchy-brews, and is really the closest thing to a witch-doctor that we have, it seems fitting that he noticed it first. While he and Doc Blythe, the Azure physician, were looking into ways to keep the comatose witch healthy while they are unconscious, Doc Quinn realized some his Magical compounds were affected by the backlash. Things that hadn’t glowed before started glowing, a few of his vials had exploded, and even a few had turned to dust.

Which leads to the fourth thing: Mom’s potions are no longer viable. She’s been taking her tea as usual, but they’ve been acting weird for her so she’s been weird about taking them in the mornings. When I heard that the Magic was off in the town, I confronted her about it, in person.
The moment she answered the door, I knew something was wrong. Her sent was off, and now…

I stare at my mom as she sits at the table across from me, Hale silently watching her in the seat beside us. Mom’s skin has lost the healthy glow she’d had during the backlash, some of the wrinkles becoming more pronounced. The scent of decay is now hanging in the air, faint but there. The smell of it is dry and sweet, the kind of aroma you get from dried petals or desiccated fruit. Not rotten, just withering.

My head’s swimming in the emotions pulsing through me as Mom’s animated energy seems to defy her outer appearance. It’s great that she’s so peppy, despite how worn out she looks, but it’s disconcerting…worrying. Her crystalline blue eyes sparkle with life as she talks about some conversation she had with Paris yesterday. When she pauses, looking at me expectantly, I blink.

“I’m sorry, Mom, what?” I give my head a shake and her eyebrows draw together as she tilts her head to study me. A wary look dampens some of the brilliance of her eyes.

“You didn’t hear a word I said, did you?” She asks me softly, and I swallow around the guilt tightening my throat as I nod. Hale sighs and takes Mom’s hand over the table, holding the delicate, bony protrusions that are her finger in his palms. *She’s wasting away once more. Three days and she looks worse than before I met Mari*. “I’m going to the Reinier Reunion.” Mom repeats with a brighter smile.

“I’m sorry, I think I’m hearing things.” I choke out a laugh as I try to comprehend what she’s just said. “I thought you just said-”

“You heard correctly.” Hale replies coolly when Mom’s smile slips and a frown takes it’s place. “Your mother wants to visit the Pack and make peace with her family.”

Pain lances through my chest, a crushing weight smashing into my heart at his words. Heat blooms behind my eyes, tears swimming in my vision as my eyelids flutter to keep back the tide. My lips pop open, a ragged gasp rattling through my throat and nearly suffocating me.

“That sounds like-” I rasp, swallowing hard to clear the emotion in my throat.

“I’m dying, Wisty.” Mom tells me calmly, her voice soft and soothing, but resolute. I’m smacked with a sense of *déjà vu*, my teeth clicking together as I clamp my mouth shut and fight a growl. “I think it’s time I make peace with our family before-”

“No, you’re *fine*-” I hiss out, anger surfacing faster than I can swallow it.

“***Wisteria***,” Mom snaps at me, her eyes burning with her own anger. The blue glows a little, some of her Wolven strength filling her words and making me shut up and listen. “The potions aren’t working anymore. The tea helps, but they’re not as potent as the potions. Mari is missing. We have no way of contacting her at the moment and it looks like I am deteriorating faster than the tea can help.” I stare at her in horror, my tears streaming down my face as the organ that was once my heart feels like it’s twisted and shredded itself in the few seconds it’s taken me to understand what she’s saying.

“This is it for me, Wisty.” Mom spells it out slowly, the glow of her eyes dimming and fading back to the normal hue of pale blue. She leans back in her seat, giving me that same sad smile she had when I first found out she was sick. It seems like a lifetime ago, when I know it’s really only been a few months. “Doctor Quinn and Doctor Blythe are working to replicate the potions, but…” Mom sighs and looks to Hale. “They’re not witches, let alone Dark Magicians with the power Mari has.” Hale’s face is frozen in the same mask of nothing he’s been wearing all morning, but there’s a faint redness to the rims of his eyes, like he wants to cry too. I close my eyes against the stabbing in my chest and breathe. *Just breathe*. “We all knew this was coming,” Mom continues after a few beats of silence. “Nothing is going to change simply because you ignore it. There’s no point in ignoring the truth any longer.”

My splintering heart continues to twist inside me as I open my eyes, forcing the chill wanting to rise up in me back down. As much as I hurt, I know Mom’s right. I can’t go on ignoring things I know to be true. To be real. I have to face reality in all it’s messy glory. A shiver runs down my spine as I come to terms with all this, taking slow and deep breaths as I stare at the wooden beams of the ceiling.

Eventually, my tears dry up and I wipe at the traces of the saltwater on my cheeks. I sniffle a little, blowing out a sigh so deep it seems to come from my toes as I look from the ceiling to my mom across from me. Her soft smile is back, a look of pride gleaming in her eyes as she sees that I’m in one piece - mentally.

“When’s the Reunion?” I croak, my voice thick with emotion. I clear it and have to blink a few times as fresh tears threaten to surface. I work my jaw, letting the movement distract me a little from the shards of my heart stabbing into me. “I promised Paris I’d try to go.” I tell Mom when I can speak again.

“This weekend.” Mom beams at me, straightening in her chair, that brightness of excitement giving her eyes fresh life. I swallow, knowing now there’s no way in hell I’m ever going to be able to deny her a thing. Anything Mom wants, I’ll give her, if only to see her so happy. “It’s supposed to be a whole week-long affair.” She adds, practically bouncing with joy.

“Sounds like fun.” I tell her honestly, a genuine smile pulling at my lips, though I can feel the prickle of tears continuing to burn at my eyes. “I’ve never been to one. What’re they like?” I ask, clearing my throat again. Mom’s face breaks into a brilliant grin as she launches into the details of what passes as a ‘Reinier Reunion’.