Chapter 2 Truth spree... spill out your secrets
“Oh, no! He has seen me at my absolute worst!” Evelyn cried out in despair, lunging forward and grabbing a handful of Seraphina’s hair.
“Let go of me, you fish! My hair is my entire beauty!” Seraphina screamed, desperately trying to yank her locks free from Evelyn’s tight grip.
“Seraphinaaaa!” Evelyn wailed louder before finally letting go.
Seraphina scrambled to her feet almost immediately, pointing an accusing finger down at Evelyn, who was still sprawled across the floor.
“You...”
BOOM!
They both whipped around toward the source of the loud noise.
The primary oven door had burst open, releasing thick, deep-blue smoke that quickly drifted past the extractor hood and began filling the bakery.
“Oh no, no, no, no! Turn off the extractor fan, Azula!” Seraphina screamed at her familiar, who had been sitting nearby, lazily watching the chaos unfold.
Azula slowly turned his head.
He looked at Seraphina.
Then at Evelyn.
Then back at Seraphina.
“Mew.”
He finally began walking toward the wall socket.
Seraphina stared at him.
The cat was practically catwalking toward the switch at the speed of a tired snail.
“AZULA!”
Still walking.
Seraphina’s eye twitched.
In an instant, she sprinted across the room, vaulted over a fallen table, and slammed the switch off before Azula, who had barely reached the edge of the socket, could even lift a paw.
“Antidote, antidote! Where the hell is that stuff?!”
She rushed to the shelves, scattering potion bottles everywhere.
“Sera...” Evelyn tilted her head, her neck bending at a strangely unnatural angle.
“What the hell, Evelyn?! Not now, please! I’m trying to find this damn antidote!”
“Actually, I think Triton is much more handsome than Nerus. Though I do find Nex even more handsome. You know, Nex the Fae? Also, I think he likes you! He said...”
“I beg you, shut up, Evelyn! I know it’s the smoke’s effect, but breathe less! Try not to breathe at all! Stop inhaling the smoke!”
Seraphina frantically tore through her potion collection.
“Found it!”
She grabbed a jar and sprinted back to Evelyn, who was still sprawled across the floor, staring blankly at her.
Seraphina unsealed the jar.
“This is pickle juice. Drink some!”
She tried pouring a spoonful into Evelyn’s mouth.
“I hate pickles!”
Evelyn immediately recoiled, the instant the strong smell reached her nose, her shimmering tail disappeared, and her human legs returned.
Seraphina stared at her.
“What?”
The antidote was supposed to trigger a craving strong enough to make the victim swallow it.
Apparently, Evelyn’s hatred for pickles was stronger than the spell.
“Mew...”
Seraphina slowly turned toward the sound.
Azula was sitting directly in front of her precious StillRoot herbs.
He stared at the bundle.
Then at Seraphina.
Then back at the herbs.
Seraphina stared at him.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three.
“Mewww. Mew, mew, mew, mew!”
“No way!” Seraphina stiffened.
Azula’s ears twitched.
“No way! Not my StillRoot tea! That is extremely expensive! Four whole gold coins! Nobody is going to reimburse me when I’m obviously the cause of this mess!”
She charged toward the herbs, trying to cover them with both hands.
Azula immediately pulled the bundle closer to himself.
“Don’t you dare!” she pointed a finger at the cat.
“EVERYONE! SERAPHINA IS THE REASON WHATEVER IS GOING WRONG WITH YOU IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW!”
Seraphina froze.
Very slowly, she turned toward the open doorway.
Evelyn stood there, screaming at the top of her lungs for the entire street to hear.
“Bless me, heavens... why does this smoke have to force people to spill the absolute truth?!”
She threw both hands toward the ceiling.
“Curse you, oven!”
BUFFF!
The oven burst into flames.
Seraphina stared at it.
The entire oven was ruined.
“Oh... help me, Grandma.”
Seraphina collapsed into tears.
“We are here, Seraphina! Give us the antidote!”. A young Fae burst into the shop, panicking. “I just promised Lyra a crown woven from pure moon silk, and I don’t even have any raw elements to make it!”
“You! Because of you!”. Lumina, the sassiest Pixie in the village, stomped inside. “You!”
She immediately clapped both hands over her mouth. Her eyes widened.
“Fine! Feye secretly likes Rhy the Vampire! I told her she is a Pixie and that kind of love is completely absurd! Also...”
Seraphina dashed across the floor and slapped both hands over Lumina’s mouth.
“Azula!”
She whipped around.
“Get up right now and start brewing the StillRoot tea this instant!”
Azula did not move.
He curled himself even tighter around the bundle of herbs.. “Mew.”
“Azula.”
Nothing.
“Azula!” She called again.
One golden eye opened.
“No oat milk for a whole month. I promise you.”
Azula went completely still. His ears slowly lifted.
Seraphina smiled. “That’s what I thought.”
Azula immediately stood up and dragged the bundle of StillRoot leaves toward the brewing table.
With a heavy, miserable sigh, his little body began to shimmer.
A moment later, the cat was gone.
In his place stood a cute little boy with messy hair, cat ears, and a furry tail swishing angrily behind him.
He glared at Seraphina.
She smiled sweetly.
“Go on.”
Azula huffed.
He dragged the herbs into the large pot and began preparing the tea.
“This is abuse,” he muttered.
“You’re getting paid in oat milk.”
Azula shot her a deadly glare before turning back to the pot.
A short goblin suddenly barged through the door.
“Evelyn! That chocolate cake you bought the last time I saw you!”
He pointed accusingly at Seraphina.
“Seraphina completely oversold it to you! She added an extra fifteen coins to the actual price!”
Seraphina’s jaw dropped.
The goblin turned toward her.
“I need help! But first... those herbs Yvaine sold to you last week? They were actually four coins, not six!”
Seraphina slowly looked toward the door.
Yvaine stood among the growing crowd.
“The remaining two coins... she secretly gave them to Silvan! I saw him giving them to....”
“ENOUGH!”
Seraphina screamed at the top of her lungs as more townspeople flooded into the bakery.
“I get that the butter roll smoke is making you all spill your deepest truths, but this is way too much!”
She pointed toward the crowd.
“Please... one more secret and I might actually never give Yvaine the antidote! I will let her spend the full hour blabbering!”
She turned dramatically toward Yvaine.
“I thought we were friends!”
She clutched her chest. “You took my two coins!”
Yvaine coughed into her hand. “How is the smoke not affecting you?!”
“That’s not the issue here!” Seraphina wailed.
“Mew... tea is ready.”
Everyone turned.
Azula stood beside the enormous pot, looking completely exhausted.
Seraphina immediately ran over.
“Perfect!”
She dumped the remaining pickle juice into the pot, whispered a quiet counter-spell, and stirred rapidly.
Pale white steam rose from the tea.
“Evelyn!” she shouted over the noise. “Get over here and drink your factory-reset tea!”
Evelyn walked forward, both hands still clamped tightly over her mouth.
The chaos behind her continued growing. The line of villagers had stretched all the way outside the bakery.
Seraphina handed her a steaming cup. Evelyn gulped it down instantly.
She paused, then let out a loud belch.
A tiny, shimmering bubble floated out of her mouth.
Everyone stared.
“I think I’m good now, Sera...”
“Great!”
Seraphina clapped her hands.
“Now come help me serve this crowd. It’s time to make some MONEY!”
“Actually...”
A deep voice came from the doorway.
Seraphina squeezed her eyes shut.
That was the third time today. She slowly turned around.
Rhydian stood in the doorway, his dark eyes fixed on her.
“You are actually required to give the antidote out for free. You caused this entire pandemic in the first place. Your friend already admitted it.”
Seraphina raised her head. Her eyes narrowed.
“First off... what is your name? I need to know what to call you before I start arguing.”
“A prince does not need to introduce himself.”
Seraphina snorted.
“HA! Funniest joke of the entire year! A prince? Spare me the dramatic terror. Name, please.”
He exhaled deeply, apparently deciding that arguing with this woman was not worth wasting any more of his valuable time.
“Rhydian.”
“Dear Rhydian, please get lost. I beg of you.”
“You caused this disaster, you know.”
Angry murmurs immediately erupted from the crowd.
Some agreed with Rhydian.
Others accidentally blurted out even more secrets.
“Mew... you actually did cause it, Seraphina.”
Azula stirred the tea without looking at her. “You have to give it to them for free. You really should.”
Seraphina slowly turned toward him.
Azula suddenly became very interested in inspecting his claws.
“Fine!”. She grabbed the ladle and dipped it into the pot. “Single-file line! No rushing!”
The crowd surged forward.
“ONE AT A TIME!” she screamed.
