Excitement filling me, I hurried over. “I’ll get my stuff.”
“Don’t bother. You can’t come with.” Alice said it with such glee, it took me a moment to grasp that she was shutting me down.
“What? But why? I need to learn…”
“Because I can’t close the shop, so you’ll stay here in case customers come in.”
I bit down on the urge to ask her why she couldn’t close it. She’d likely done it countless times before I’d come around. But part of me wanted to stay and watch Lea work without Alice around to interfere. That sounded almost as good as going artifact hunting. “Will I be able to go with you soon? I need to learn.”
“Of course, sweetums. You have a lot to learn. And much of it is here.” She patted my hand, giving me a smile that almost looked sincere. “Detective Grym was right. I pushed you too hard before. I’m going to give you some time to learn the ropes in the store before we move on to the next thing.”
That sounded reasonable, so I nodded. “Okay.”
Alice headed for the door. “I’ll bring dinner back.” She grinned. “Tacos?”
The day was looking up. “That sounds great.”
I watched her leave and then started toward Lea, intending to ask her a lot of questions. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be.
The front doorbell jangled and I looked over to find two women coming into the store, chatting and laughing happily.
Customers.
Barely biting back a sigh, I headed in their direction.
I’d never seen the shop so busy. Of course, I’d only really spent time there for the last two days. But hardly anyone had come into the store the day before.
An hour later, Lea came around the end of the shelves with her small magic bag. She looked tired. “I’m done for now. I’ll get back to you with the results of my tests.”
I nodded. “Do you want some tea? You look done in.”
She smiled, “Thanks. That would be nice.”
Lea sat at the table with my newly stacked notes, and stared into space as if she were utterly drained. A few minutes later, I settled tea and a plate of cookies on the table and joined her there. “I’m tired too,” I told her. “It wasn’t nearly this busy yesterday.”
Lea sipped her tea, a knowing spark in her turquoise gaze.
I raised a brow. “What?”
She laughed softly. “I’ve known Alice for three years now. I can’t remember her ever wrangling an artifact on a Monday. It’s her busiest day.”
I read between the lines for what Lea didn’t say. “That’s why she left me here. She saw an opportunity to escape a hard day’s work and took it.”
Lea grinned around her cookie, which was fortunately something Alice purchased at the local bakery instead of making it herself. As evidenced by the fact that we both still had our teeth.
“That rat,” I murmured, sighing.
“At least you’re getting dinner out of it.”
I laughed. “She is right, though. I do need to learn this part of the business. The magic stuff will come soon enough.”
Something in the way I said it made Lea tip her head. “You’re not comfortable with the magic?”
I held her gaze for a long moment, wondering if I dared confide my doubts to her. After a moment, I decided Lea was trustworthy. “I’ll be honest, I don’t know what I’m doing…magically speaking. I was never formally trained. My ability has pretty much consisted of getting bad headaches and drawing random floating objects.”
Lea’s expression tightened, and I immediately regretted telling her. I’d been afraid of exactly that reaction. The reaction of a seasoned magic user when faced with a clumsy novice. I didn’t ask her what the face was about. I just started to climb to my feet. “Well, I guess I should get back to work…”
Lea’s hand came out and clasped mine. “If you ever need advice…” She hesitated as if unsure whether her offer would be welcome. Then she smiled. “I’m just next door.”
My surprise must have shown because she gave my hand a squeeze. “We’ve all been there, Naida.”
I collapsed back into my chair. “I doubt you were ever where I am. I’m terrified Alice will figure out I’m a fraud.” As soon as the words slid past my lips, I panicked. My head shot up and I covered my mouth. “You won’t tell her?”
Lea stared at me for a long moment. Then she reached out with both hands, palms facing me, and waved them in front of my face, about six inches away.
I blinked in surprise. “What are you doing?”
She let her hands drop. “Your aura is purple, did you know that?”
“Um…”
“Sorcerers generally have auras that are anywhere from lilac to deep purple. The depth of the color informs the level of power you possess.”
“But I’m not a sorcerer,” I objected.
Lea picked up her tea. “Your power ranges in the upper third. Not the deepest purple, but certainly not lilac.”
“What are you telling me?” My voice was breathless. I was suddenly terrified to fail her assessment.
“I’m telling you that you come from a powerful line of sorcerers. Even untrained, your magical aura is strong. I suspect you will only grow in strength with training.” She grimaced. “I’d bet my favorite hex that Alice knows you’re strong, and her treatment of you is probably based on a mix of jealousy and the knowledge that you can take care of yourself, despite her inadequate training.”
I thought about that, not really believing it. “I wish that were true.”
“I assure you it is. I can see it.”
I leaned over the table. “But I’ve been told I’m not magical.”
“If that’s true, then why are you here?”
I shrugged. “Someone thought I might like it.”
I expected her to ask who that someone was, but she didn’t. Instead she asked, “Why did they think that?”
I chewed my lip for a beat before I told
