of pain. She didn’t have the right aura just yet, but it was there, lurking just above her skin. He breathed out in relief. Maybe a little satisfaction, too, as he was responsible for putting her back on her feet. That felt good.
“Oh! I have your earring!” He fished in his pocket to give it back to her. He’d been using since taking it off her to keep up with all the various languages floating around this castle.
Cassie waved it off before turning her head to show off a new earring with the translation spell etched into it. “Keep that one if you want, at least until you make your own. Lisette had pity on me when I woke and made a new one for me.”
“Her German is terrible,” Lisette tossed out.
Cassie rolled her eyes. “My brain was made for spells, not foreign languages.” Which made Tori laugh loudly because she was learning the foreign language for spells just fine.
“So, we haven’t run you off yet?” she teased him.
Laughing more, he shook his head. “Not yet. I just spoke with King Alric and Mage Lisette about what I saw with the Jaeggi. Your king is very…kind, I think is the best word.”
“Oh, he totally is,” Cassie agreed. “Big teddy bear in many ways. So, the meeting went well? Good. Come have some fun with everyone.”
He cast an uncertain, longing glance toward the tables. “I’m sure they’ve got a rhythm going. I don’t want to disturb that.”
“Nonsense,” a woman called as she stirred one of the cauldrons. “We’re running behind and could use an extra hand.”
“Tori,” Lisette introduced, “at this table is Carla, Melissande, and Ha Na.” She turned him in another direction and pointed to three more women. “And that’s Elissa, Jana, and Gisa. Everyone, Tori.”
Everyone called out general hellos to him.
“We truly are running a bit behind schedule, Tori,” Lisette said with a shrug. “It’s why I brought you in. If you can mix a potion on a woman’s skin and save her with only half the ingredients you need, some simple lotions and shampoo are well within your capabilities.”
He saw the serious expression on her face and reeled a little at the realization that she meant it. To her, he’d already proven his magical ability. Cassie sitting there, alive and whole, was testament to his knowledge as a mage.
And really, shouldn’t he think of it the same way? He blinked at the thought, mind spinning. He’d fought off four mages with just reflected sunlight and got a burned-out mage back on her feet with on-the-spot magic, all while winging it. If he could do that, shouldn’t shampoo be a breeze?
Tori almost laughed at himself, a sardonic and bitter thing. Just how much of his clan’s attitude was responsible for how he saw himself now? He might not have the same experience and training as the capable women in this room, but by god, they weren’t holding that against him. They had invited him to join him. So what was he dithering around for, waiting for that invitation to expire?
Excitement bubbled up at the idea of them truly taking him seriously. He sucked in a breath for courage and drew on a smile. “Sure. Where do you need me?”
The woman with the purple hair and white apron swallowing her whole immediately threw up a hand. “Here! I can’t keep up with those crazy people over there.”
Melissande and Carla laughed but kept mixing and stirring things.
He went to her table, looking at the array of leaves, flowers, and jars of liquids lined up in order. “I take it you’re ingredient prep?”
“That I am.” Ha Na gave him a smile and pointed to the papers taped along the wall. “Those are our measurements, and we dump the ingredients in this bowl here. They come and grab it, pour it into a cauldron, and then we repeat the process.”
“Alright. I’ll start chopping.” Tori was positive he couldn’t screw that up.
“Gloves,” Ha Na cautioned, handing latex gloves over. “The peppermint is strong this year, and it’ll soak right into your hands.”
Good idea. He slipped them on with a snap. The bright green leaves had clearly been harvested recently, as the stems were still fresh. He cut them into large strips and dumped them into a food processor where he put the speed on low, turning them into more of a paste. Ha Na took over the liquid measurements as he handled peppermint, lavender, and rosemary. “Are we making shampoo for hair growth?”
“We are,”