Burn the Witch

Death Warrants and Decisions

My gaze was transfixed on the bottle of the so-called healing potion. I might have worried about my safety due to Alex's death grip on it and his face that's burning with rage, but my mind was still too preoccupied with what just happened.

Vaguely, I wondered if I was being pranked. The place, the potion, and Alex's reaction told me otherwise. Still, I had to ask.

"How did you do that? Magic?" My voice was laced with awe, doubt, and slight hysteria.

"You're not supposed to be here. You shouldn't be able to pass through the wards in the first place," Alex said with barely controlled anger. He placed the bottle down and partially hid it on the table behind his back as if that would hide the blatant anomaly.

"I just followed the instructions you sent me," I replied and showed the message from the job website that I accessed through my phone this time.

Alex shook his head and huffed. "That wasn't me. I never directly contacted the candidate apprentices."

"Was it your assistant?" I asked, remembering his mutterings a while ago.

Alex gave me a sharp look, but then his shoulders sagged as if resigned.

"Probably, yes. I asked him to look for a replacement apprentice before letting him retire. I gave him free rein on how to look for them, on the condition that it's me, who will be testing them and ultimately making the final decision."

Alex turned around once again and started tinkering with the herbs and bottles. He grabbed a handful of leaves, a mortar, and a pestle, and walked towards the cauldron near the window.

"You already know too much. A mind-altering potion would be best," he simply said.

I stared at him, dumbfounded.

Excuse me? Say what?!

"Sir, I refuse to take any potion," I said, my voice unyielding.

Alex carefully set down the materials he was holding, but I could see how much he was trying to remain calm from the stiffness of his movements. He slowly faced me, his gray eyes turned dark and cold.

"Do you have any idea what you just stumbled into? This community has rules. Rules that you cannot just carelessly disregard. What you did broke one of our cardinal laws, to not let any human gain knowledge or awareness of the occult and mythical arts. This," he gestured towards me, "is punishable by death. I'm doing you a favor by letting you forget what you saw."

My mind was still reeling with shock from the potion issue. Now, I'm being threatened with death. I took a deep breath and tried to still my thoughts. I can break down later but right now, I have an asshole to face.

"Sir, I think you're forgetting something. This wasn't my fault. Your assistant sent me the message, and since he was still employed by you while doing so, you're the liable one," I said, my voice filled with false saccharine sweetness. I bared my teeth at him in a useless attempt to smile to complete the look.

Alex gripped the edge of the table where the cauldron was set up, his knuckles turning white. If I have to hazard a guess, although what he said sounds to be true, he was also at fault in some way and he knows it. He wouldn't offer the mind-altering potion in the first place if his hands were clean.

Or maybe his moral rights weren't that twisted. Alex might have threatened me, but he still hadn't inflicted any physical harm on me. Was his reason for the mind-altering potion true? Either way, I'm not drinking questionable liquid any time soon.

Period.

There was a bit of silence. Both of us locked on a stare-off. Both are unwilling to stand down and yield.

Finally, after some time, Alex gazed away and sighed.

"The mind-altering potion is the best solution," he said, but even that statement sounded weak to my ears.

"I'm not going to tell anybody, I swear. Okay, I also refuse to have spells cast on me to ensure my silence, but you have my word that I will keep my promise."

I didn't know if spells were actually a thing and not just a product of media, but I'm not taking any chances. After all, I did end up meeting someone that seemed to be making potions.

"Your words are cheap, and they don't mean anything to me, human."

Oh, you f*****g prick-

Deep breaths, Avery. Take deep breaths.

"For sure, we can have a compromise. You said you need an apprentice, and now you also need me to keep this dirty little secret. How about you hire me? That way, you can keep an eye on me while filling your job vacancy. How's that?"

I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best because if this bet worked, not only will I dodge a death warrant, I will finally have a job.

Alex looked at me incredulously, as if he couldn't comprehend mere human bargaining with him.

"How can you even make potions?" He asked.

"The normal way? Hold on, does someone need to have magic to make potions?" I said. I'm kind of bummed by his question. I didn't consider that implication, but at least Alex seemed to be thinking about my deal.

"Anyone can make potions. That's one of the main reasons why our art is a closely guarded secret. Although, not anyone can make a potion that works."

"Then teach me how! Give me the books and materials that I'll need. Point me in the right direction. I'm willing to learn and extremely good at following instructions," I said.

Being here is a testament to how damn well I could follow instructions.

Alex sighed. I couldn't even begin counting how many times he did that throughout this whole conversation. He looked around the room, his gaze sweeping among the clattered tables, the plants hanging on the ceiling, and the bubbling cauldron. His stare lingered on it, but it moved away eventually.

Right then, I knew I got him, hook, line, and sinker. I can see it now. Alex needed me. He needs an assistant and apprentice that will help him run this shop. Granted, I didn't know what this job entailed, aside from making potions. There didn't seem to be customers that needed attention throughout our conversation. I also didn't know his situation and how he ended up needing an apprentice besides the possible retirement of his former assistant.

It didn't matter. The two most important things to me right now were to get out of this place unscathed with my memories intact and to finally land a job.

Finally, Alex moved and walked toward the door at the end of the room. After several seconds, he emerged once again, holding stacks of books. He approached and dropped them on the table near me with a loud bang.

"Read everything inside these books. I want it memorized from the first letter to the last page number. Be here are 6:00 AM sharp tomorrow and remember," he narrowed his eyes at me, "do not tell anyone about anything related to your work. Not. A. Single. Word."

My grin almost split my face in two.

"Yes, sir!"

I decided then and there that I wouldn't let Alex regret his decision. I just hoped that I wouldn't regret mine as well.