“You’ve come into possession of this place,” the man said. “What do you think it’s for?”

Here we go with the damn riddles. I sighed. “It’s an apothecary. Natural remedies.”

Isaac chuckled. “That’s part of it, yes. That’s the face that’s presented to the local community who has no idea what’s happening right under their noses.”

He sounded like he might actually give me some information that wasn’t a question wrapped in a riddle.

“You have many, many ingredients here,” he continued. “On their own, they’re useful for natural remedies, teas, soaks, and so on. But combined, they can be much more powerful.”

“Combined?” I asked, confused. “For what?”

“Any number of things. Combining what you’ve collected here, in the right way, can bring about changes in the real world.”

“Sounds like magic,” I said jokingly.

He didn’t laugh. “Yes, magic.”

“You’re serious?” It wasn’t that I didn’t believe him. How could I dismiss what he was saying when I knew what I could do?

“Humor me,” he said, scanning the shelves again. He gestured toward the cabinet with the poison herbs. “Wolfsbane root. And if you would be so kind as to provide me a copper dish?”

I hesitated for a moment, but my curiosity took over. I brought down the wolfsbane and fished around in the lower cabinets until I found a stack of shallow copper plates.

“Please place one root in the dish,” he said.

“You want me to do it?” I asked.

“Can you?” he asked, a ring of worry in his voice. “Circe could do it bare-handed. She’d built up an immunity over the years running the shop, but I noticed you didn’t touch the oleander. I thought . . .”

He said something else, but I didn’t hear him. Circe could do it, too. She could handle the poison plants with her bare hands. What I could do wasn’t unique, and Circe knew it. Isaac seemed to think it was a power she’d developed, a side effect of handling the toxic plants, but I knew better. She’d probably been born with it but that realization only left me more questions.

“Are you all right?” Isaac asked, snapping me out of my own head.

“Yeah,” I said. “I’m fine.”

I opened the jar of wolfsbane. He covered his mouth and nose with the sleeve of his sweater. It didn’t smell, but even a little dust in his windpipe could kill him. I reached in and took out a single root. Cold gripped my fingertips and made them ache for a moment before returning to normal. I set the root on the copper plate.

Isaac reached into his pocket and produced a small vial. He uncorked it and poured a shimmering, silver liquid on top of the wolfsbane.

“What is that?”

“I dabble in alchemy,” he said. “It’s taken me a long time to produce this substance. It’s a staple of my practice but it is nearly impossible to make. If you would be so kind as to press your hand down over it.”

“What? Why?”

He smiled warmly, but there was pity in his expression, and I didn’t like it. “I’m not sure how long you’ve been aware of what you can do, or how deeply you’ve delved into what you’re capable of. I can assure you, however, that it is not limited to growing a garden, poison or otherwise—though that is a very useful part of it. Your skill is much more than that, which is why people like myself come to find you here. This apothecary has been a pillar of the magical community in Rhinebeck for generations.”

Magical community.

Marie had hinted at something similar, and so had Lucille. I kicked myself for thinking I was going to grow some thyme, maybe a little basil, and call it a day.

Isaac looked down at the wolfsbane root. “I can’t actually transfigure the mixture. I can prepare it, but it takes more than that to complete the process, something that can’t be learned from a book. The ingredients I use are highly toxic—fatal to someone like me. But that isn’t the case for others. Try it. I think it might answer your question as to whether I’m serious or not.”

The beating of my heart was thunderous. But like I’d done so many times since we’d arrived in Rhinebeck, I let myself stretch. I cupped my hand over the mixture and pressed down hard. The cold feeling went deep into my palm. I didn’t know if I should close my eyes or concentrate but suddenly, the muscles in my hand felt like they were being ripped apart. The pain was blinding and I snatched my hand away, but something had already happened in the dish. The silver liquid had dissolved the wolfsbane root.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

The viscous liquid turned over on itself, giving off a warm glow. He sighed, letting his shoulders fall, and clasped his hands together in front of him. “You’ve done it.”

“Done what?”

He carefully transferred the mixture back into his vial and stuck it in his pocket. “The true test will come in a week’s time. I’ll stop back and let you know if it was successful.”

“If what was successful?” I was so confused. “Wolfsbane is lethal. Whatever that liquid is, it’s dangerous. What are you going to do with it?”

“I will handle it with the utmost care. You have my word.”

Mom and Mo poked their heads into the shop.

“Everything good?” Mo asked.

“Yup,” I said.

Isaac turned to leave but paused at the door, glancing back over his shoulder. “Do guard your secrets carefully. When you can do something well, there will always be those who wish to take advantage.” He pulled out a small white envelope and set it on the counter. “I’ll be seeing you again soon. Take care.” He turned and left.

“How’d it go?” Mom asked, glancing down the hall. “Did he buy anything?”

“Yeah,” I said. I looked at my still-aching hand. “He’s an alchemist.”

“An alchemist?” Mom asked. “What’s that? Is that like a wizard?”

“Maybe?” I wasn’t really sure.

Mo came over, picked up the envelope, and peered inside. “Holy shit!” She pulled out several crisp one hundred–dollar bills.

Mom snatched the envelope. “What is this? Are these real? What did you give him?”

“Just some brimstone,” I said.