Though it was mid-autumn, I felt reasonably confident that I could make enough in the off-season to manage. If I could get the apothecary up and running as well, I’d be set.

It occurred to me that Theresa had never gotten the chance to show me how to open the apothecary door, and my buoyed spirits came plummeting back down again. Then again, it hadn’t looked that hard.

Hurrying to my office, I stepped over to the wall and ran my hands along the spot where I’d seen Theresa stick her arm in.

There! My hand passed over a spot that felt more spongey than the rest of the wall. Pushing through, my fingers clasped a sort of metal ring. After some finagling, I figured out that I had to pull the ring, then turn my arm clockwise about forty-five degrees. With a yank, I pulled the door open.

There was the apothecary, all the bottles still intact, lined up neatly on the shelves.

I let out a sigh of relief as I stepped inside.

As I stood there staring at the bottles, it occurred to me that I should make note of what ingredients were out of stock or running low so I could replenish them at some point, if I ever figured out where to buy them.

I was out of chameleon, of course.

I felt a pang as I remembered Theresa laughing over my drug accusation. She could have gotten angry, but she’d taken it all in stride. I wished I could do something, anything, to find her.

Forcing my attention back to the potion ingredients, I wrote down two columns. I put Willow Bark, Essence of Chameleon, and Owl Feather on the out-of-stock list, while only the Horse Hoof and the Zebra Strips were low in stock.

My stomach rumbled as I closed up the apothecary and put the list in my pocket. Taking inventory had used up more time than I thought. When I left the shop, I saw Jade waiting for me in the parking lot.

How’d your first day go?

I couldn’t help looking pleased. “Really well, except for a visit from Jo and some horrible woman.”

The hairs on the back of Jade’s neck went up. What horrible woman?

I shrugged. “I don’t know her name. She came in and was acting all snooty about my products, asking me when I’d moved to town, about my grandma, that sort of thing.”

What did she look like?

“Long black hair, lots of makeup. Why?”

Jade just watched me, the fur on her back giving a quick twitch now and again. I guess it doesn’t matter.

I frowned. “That’s it? You acted like she was some big threat, and now it doesn’t matter?”

She stood up and started walking down the sidewalk towards the house. There’s one certain woman you should be very wary of, but your description doesn’t match her.

Sudden understanding dawned. “You mean Chandra?”

Jade gave a short meow. You catch on quick.

We walked in silence for a time, the wind picking up speed and howling ominously around us. A shower of leaves drifted down around us, something I normally would have found delightful, but I couldn’t help fixating on Jade’s words.

Who was this Chandra person? Was she a Farrow? Was that why she hated my grandmother?

But Jade said they had once been friends, so what caused such a huge falling out?

My steps slowed as I walked up the porch stairs. I felt so tired of not having answers. I’d enhanced the protections on the house, making sure to include the basement in my calculations this time, but it still didn’t make me feel completely safe.

“Jade,” I said, a new worry occurring to me, “are there limitations to how much magic a person can do?”

She leapt up on the back of the couch as soon as we went inside. Yes. They can be hard to define, though. The more powerful a witch, the larger her threshold for magic.

I walked into the kitchen and checked the food in the crock pot before opening the fridge and grabbing a bottle of lemonade.

“What happens if a witch overextends herself?”

Jade nosed at the cupboard with the tuna cans.

She dies.

Chapter Nine

“Oh, great. Something else to worry about.”

I got out a can of tuna and put it in a bowl. Jade began eating before I’d even set the bowl down on the floor.

“Could you elaborate a little bit?”

She snatched up a large bit of tuna and swallowed it whole, licking her lips. There are signs you can watch for long before you die, of course. Sudden headaches, muscle fatigue, a burning in the chest, those sorts of things tell you that you need to take a break.

“You could have said that to begin with.”

I pursed my lips as I watched her eat, wondering if she actually liked being cryptic. She’d answered my question well enough, I supposed. I hadn’t felt any of the symptoms she described, despite keeping up a shield on the house and on myself, so I must not be using much of my power.

Think of it like an electrical panel. Just like you can’t have too many things plugged into one circuit, you can’t have too many spells running at once, or use large spells that may overwhelm your abilities. As you practice your magic, you’ll learn your limits and get an idea for the depth of your ability.

I nodded thoughtfully as I scooped a spoonful of chicken and rice out of the crock pot and onto a plate. Seasoning it with a little salt, I headed to the table, but stopped when I saw Jade staring at me.

You got any extra?

“I have a crock pot full. Are you still hungry?”

She gave a loud yowl. Tuna is fine, but it does get tiresome. I would never say no to a hot meal.

“Feel free to ask. I’m not stingy.”

Taking the tuna bowl, I ladled some of the chicken and rice into it, blowing some of the steam off so she wouldn’t burn her tongue.

Again, Jade attacked the food, her pointy little cat teeth deftly tearing the chicken apart. “What have you been eating since Grandma died?”

My heart filled with unexpected sympathy for the little creature. Jade could be mean and totally blunt, not to mention she’d murdered someone, but I felt sad thinking of her being so hungry.

Sometimes people in town fed me, but I have to be careful which parts of town I hang around in. Most of the time, I foraged.

I wrinkled my nose. “You mean like for mice?”