Persie Merlin and the Witch Hunters - Bella Forrest Page 0,101
assure you, unless you call being an expert in breaking curses creepy.”
“Depends on the person,” Genie replied, staring at the medieval door. An original relic, if memory served.
Then, the door swung open to reveal Ariana herself. She rubbed her hazel eyes as though we had just woken her from a nap, or perhaps she had been so deep in her work that she had forgotten the intensity of daylight. I had certainly been there before. A moment later, a smile spread across her face, and she tucked her long, dark-blonde hair behind her ears. She and I had come to the Institute around the same time—myself as a student, her as a scholar’s assistant—and she had always been a welcome sounding board to bounce my ideas off of. And I’d always found her Yorkshire accent charming.
“Ey up, if it int the Beast Master himself.” She swung the door wider, revealing the dimly lit interior of her lab: ancient, splintering workbenches adorned with test tubes and vials and bottles, all filled with liquids of unknown origins. A pungent scent of chemicals and the earthy note of herbs and dried plants drifted out of the room, making me sniff in pleasure. “What brings ye to my door? Not that ye’ll find me complainin’. Ye know I’m always happy to have ye swing by for a brew.”
Genie stiffened beside me. “Does he do that often?”
“Not so much, as of late, but the lad’s been busy, so I’ll not hold it against him.” Ariana winked at me, oblivious to Genie’s suddenly frosty glare. I observed Genie discreetly, a half smile tugging at the corners of my lips. Was she… jealous? I wasn’t the sort of person who thrived off the jealousy of significant others, nor was I the type to play games, but it added a bit of kindling to the flame of hope that she liked me as much as I liked her.
“If you could resist holding anything against him, that’d be great,” Genie muttered under her breath.
Ariana tilted her left eye toward us. “Sorry? I didn’t catch that, love. I think I’ve gone a bit deaf from this explosion we had the other day. Ye shoulda seen it! Coulda taken out this entire hallway if I hadn’t jumped in sharpish.” She showed her hands, which were covered in the fading marks of chemical burns. “Me mum always said me hands would never be pretty. Guess she were right!”
You’ve got nothing to worry about, I wanted to tell Genie. Ariana and I were just friends and colleagues who shared research woes over a cup of tea every now and again. This was the way Ariana acted with everyone; it was part of her Northern nature to tease and be friendly with anyone who came to her door. Genie just didn’t know that.
“Did you get everything cleaned up all right?” I asked politely.
Ariana nodded. “Oh, aye, nothin’ I couldn’t handle. Me lab already looks like it’s taken a beating or twenty, so no one’s gonna notice.” She cackled, her laugh deep and throaty. “Anyway, much as I’d like to flatter meself, I’m guessin’ this int a social call?”
“Right!” I segued into the task at hand. “There’s a curse I need help with—or, rather, an anti-curse—and I thought I’d pick your brain about it. Have you got time?”
Ariana waved a singed hand at me. “Barrels of it. I were just porin’ over a few new defensive hexes when ye knocked, so I could do with a change of pace. I’ve been hittin’ dead ends like no one’s business. Maybe thinkin’ about somethin’ else’ll get the creative juices flowin’ again.” She turned and beckoned us to follow. Genie strode in first with a prominent scowl on her face, and I brought up the rear.
Once you got past the potent smell of acridity and nostril-burning spiciness, the lab was a place of historic beauty. Built underground to lessen the impact of any explosions that might take place, the room had low, vaulted ceilings and stone walls that were draped in elaborate tapestries depicting everything from ancient magical battles to Roman and Grecian gods and goddesses, plus a few monsters thrown in for good measure. Iron sconces with flickering torches clung to the walls between the tapestries, which probably went against fire regulations, but they illuminated the lab in a clandestine glow. There were electric lights, too, but Ariana liked to add atmosphere to her domain, and she claimed that it was easier to see the colors of