Abducted [W&W Book 3]

Chapter 32

The next day Maxine insisted that they follow a routine of sorts during the time that Ildri was learning. Ildri did not bother to tell Maxine how pointless it likely was, instead she simply agreed to what Maxine had decided. Every morning they would walk for ingredients and every afternoon Ildri would repeat yesterdays frustrating and pathetic attempts to master something she probably had no capacity to learn.

The results were just as bad as the day before except that she shattered nothing, which was almost disappointing. At least shattering the bowl had been something instead of endless, frustrating nothing.

The day after was much the same and the day after that as well. Ildri was nearly ready to give up the whole attempt. She could enjoy her time with Maxine if she quit. She could even help Maxine with the physical part of mixing potions.

The fifth day a heavy downpour began which prevented them from taking a walk. Instead Ildri pretended to read a book on witch magic. She looked at the same page many times, but instead she thought about everything but. Her whole life had been composed of one disaster after the other and she did not think that she had the capacity to pretend otherwise any longer. The only good thing that had happened to her was Wildwood. She would return there and give up the nonsense about learning to protect it. It was enough that she could cook for them. It was an important part of life there, good meals could keep people's moral up.

Cooking was about the only thing that was going well at Maxine's. Even Allan had mumbled a grudging compliment and Ildri could clearly see that Maxine was enjoying her food, but she could do that at Wildwood. Perhaps she could invite Maxine for a visit there.

When the afternoon finally came, Ildri ran through the rain to the work shed. She could not wait for it to be over, when nothing happened today, she would tell Maxine that she was giving up. She felt oddly guilty about quitting, as if she was letting someone down, perhaps Maxine or perhaps Lord Wildwood, she did not know. Or perhaps Ildri was letting herself down, suggested the silent whisper at the back of her mind. Nonsense. All Ildri owed to herself was to be happy and this clearly was not the way to do it.

Ildri really did wish that it had been different. It was as chef had said, she just had no control. It was not as if she could change that. Chef was not being unkind. Ildri just was the way she was.

Ildri looked down at the unfinished Dredil's tonic with real loathing. She was sick of looking at it, sick of the slightly minty smell of it, sick of remaking it every day. She wished that Maxine would let her try something else but Maxine was resolute. It was the easiest potion to make magically. Just simple drawing and twisting. Anyone could do it. After she mastered this, she could move onto something more magically complex.

But it wasn't like she would be moving on. She was having exactly as much success with this stupid potion as she would have with the most complex one on the planet. Absolutely none!

"I am so sick of this!" Ildri snapped to the empty workroom.

She did not know how it happened but it was much the same as it had been when she had broken the bowl. Without warning, a spot on the workbench caught on fire. She stared at it in shock for a moment. The fire was licking the wood and growing rapidly. Water? She needed water! Where was water? The pitcher was empty on the shelf. Or she could slap it out with something. A towel? Or should she just run? What was she supposed to do?

Ildri stood there for a long, panicky, indecisive moment before she finally moved. "Maxine!" she cried as she pushed the door open. "Fire!"

Luckily, Maxine was near the house on her way out to the shed. "Fire? In the shed?"