Home > Determine the Future(9)

Determine the Future(9)
Author: Sarah Noffke

“So what else did you wish for?”

“Well, I was fairly hungry from the heist—”

“Please don’t tell me you wished for food,” Sophia interrupted and rolled her eyes.

He scoffed. “As if. I don’t like chewing. I have people for that. I asked for a protein shake.”

Sophia covered her forehead with her hand. “Could you have wished for a cure to hunger or world peace or something?”

Rudolf shook his head. “That’s stated clearly in Section 5304, Paragraph 668 of the genie protocol.”

“Of course it is,” Sophia muttered dryly. “And for your last wish?”

“Well that day, I’d had one of those itches in a really embarrassing place—”

Sophia held up her hand. “No, stop there. I don’t want to hear anymore.”

His brow scrunched up at her. “Fine. I guess if you’ve never had an itch between your shoulder blades, then you won’t understand.”

“That’s what you were going to say?”

“Well, of course. What did you think I was going to say?”

When Sophia didn’t answer, simply glared at him, Rudolf sighed. “Anywho, I had tried everything short of dislocating my arm to scratch that stubborn itch. It was embarrassing.”

“So your last wish was to take away the itch?”

“Heavens no,” Rudolf answered. “I wouldn’t waste a wish like that. I simply didn’t read all of Section 7585 in the genie protocol handbook and didn’t phrase my question right. Imagine my surprise when I’m muttering something about how I wished that itch would go away and Stan swings around behind me and scratches it, fulfilling my last wish and his service to me.”

“Then it was murder time,” Sophia guessed.

Rudolf nodded. “Yep, so I put him back in his bottle and chucked him in the ocean.”

“That was a total derailment off-topic,” Sophia commented, strangely entertained by learning all this information.

He grinned widely. “You’re welcome.”

“I didn’t say thank you,” Sophia replied dryly.

“I would have thought you would have. Your parents didn’t teach you any manners.”

“Probably because they were dead,” Sophia mumbled.

“That’s no excuse for not teaching children to be polite.”

“Anyway,” Sophia began with a sigh. “Toxic stuff in a bottle, remember? I have to get going.”

Rudolf nodded, hooked his arm through hers, and tugged her down the lane. “I’ll lead the way. We’ll be there in two shakes of a rooster’s tail.”

 

 

Chapter Nine

 

 

“Put the noxious substance in the container by the door right away,” Bep ordered before Sophia had fully entered the Rose Apothecary.

She paused, surprised that the potions expert knew that she had the green goo. “Can you smell the stuff too?”

Bep, who was standing on the opposite side of the shop, nodded. “I sensed it when you were halfway down the block. It’s lethal to magicians and most other magical types.”

“But not as much to me because of the chi of the dragon.” Sophia reached into her cloak to retrieve the potion bottle and found it almost too hot to touch. She was about to toss it into the bin that Bep had indicated when Rudolf stepped in front of her to deposit his bottle—this one of some purplish liquid. “What are you doing?” she asked him.

He glanced at her over his shoulder. “Doing what Bep said and allowing her to confiscate my wine of the Gods.”

“Although that stuff is pretty gross, that is not what I was referring to,” Bep stated dryly, obviously not entertained by Rudolf’s usual antics.

Rudolf shrugged, unscrewed the lid, and took a drink. “It’s an acquired taste.”

“It’s a high enough alcohol content to get a minotaur drunk on a thimble full,” Bep corrected.

After another long swig, Rudolf whipped the back of his hand across his mouth and burped. “Oh, I wish I was a minotaur then. This stuff only gives me a slight buzz.”

“Maybe you can go find a genie’s bottle and make your wish,” Sophia offered as she deposited the bottle containing Stan into the bin, closed and locked the lid. It sounded like steam released from the inside.

“Do you want to inform me why you brought poison into my shop?” Bep asked.

“All right, I get that this wine isn’t to your liking, but you can show a little respect.” Rudolf took another drink and started to sway.

“Again, not talking to you,” Bep said in a punishing tone before directing her attention to Sophia. “Do you enjoy making it a habit to bring dangerous things into my shop?”

“It’s not on my list of hobbies, but I get that it’s becoming sort of frequent,” Sophia answered.

“It’s part of her charm.” Rudolf hiccupped.

“I’m sorry if I put you or the Rose Apothecary in danger,” Sophia began to the shop owner. “It’s just that my fairy godmother asked me to. This stuff has taken over Happily Ever After College, and she thinks that you can help figure out what it is and how to get rid of it.”

Bep nodded confidently. “She’s right. I’m your only hope.”

“Thanks,” Sophia said with relief. “So you’ll do it?”

“I will,” Bep answered. “But it will take some time to research since I have to use extra precautions to ensure I don’t endanger myself.” She picked up a syringe that Sophia hadn’t noticed lying on the counter next to her and waved her over. “Come here so I can draw your blood.”

Sophia lowered her chin. “I don’t usually give my blood away and especially when people don’t ask nicely.”

Seeming as annoyed as her, Bep flashed her a look. “How do you expect me to research the substance if it kills me?”

“That is the age-old question that all the greats have debated for centuries,” Rudolf sang and rocked back on his heels.

Sophia simply shook her head at him before glancing back at Bep. “So you need my blood because…”

“Because you can be around the substance due to the chi of the dragon,” Bep explained. “I think you’re aware of that.”

Sophia nodded.

“Well,” Bep continued, “if I have a sample of your blood, I can create a spell that protects me as well. Then I can do my research, find the remedy, and save the fairy godmother college for you.”

Sophia smiled. “Thank you. In that case, you can have as much of my blood as you want.”

“You know that’s the only time you shouldn’t give one hundred percent,” Rudolf offered. “When you’re giving blood, you know?”

Sophia laughed.

Bep didn’t. As if he were serious, she nodded with a stern expression on her face. “I only need a single vial.”

“Good thing you’re not a vampire,” Sophia joked as she pushed up the sleeve of her cloak and offered a vein for Bep to draw blood from.

“You know,” Rudolf mused. “A vampire can’t go outside because it will kill them. Therefore they don’t get any vitamin D so they’re forced to drink blood. Have you ever really thought about that?”

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