“Well, a big one. Or at least in a copse of trees. In the forest. You know, very Druidy.”
“The old days.”
“Well, this building is creepy.”
“She’s strange, but she’s a valuable tool with valuable skills.” He led her around the building to a side entrance in the alley and pushed open the wooden door that lead into a shop.
Ana stepped in behind him, and her eyes took a minute to adjust to the light. It was nice enough, full of books and crystals and tiny statues all piled on shelves and tables. Dim light filtered in through small windows, glinting off dust motes and glass. All the sorts of things mortals would buy from a witchy type.
“Times have changed,” Cam murmured.
“Indeed they have.” A husky, feminine voice came from an archway in the back of the store. Surprise lit her green eyes when she saw them, and a strange smile twisted her lips. “Camulos. Times really have changed. It’s been nearly two thousand years since I’ve seen you last, hasn’t it? And now you’re in my shop and I’m consigned to peddling trinkets to the mortals and the occasional spell to Mytheans. The good old days are long gone.”
Ana assumed she meant back when Druidry was still the dominant religion in Britain and she’d held an enormous amount of power as the intermediary between mortals and the gods. Ana shrugged mentally. Tough tits—it happened to all the old religions.
“Druantia,” Cam said. “We’ve need of your talents.”
No salutation, Ana noticed, and his voice was different. Businesslike and brusque. Far from how he spoke to her. Druantia took it in stride, with only the barest tightening of her lips.
“And who might this be?” Druantia asked, looking at her appraisingly.
“Andrasta, Goddess of Victory.”
The briefest flash of something like shock crossed Druantia’s face, there and gone. Had it existed at all?
“Her glow has faded,” Druantia said.
“I’ve been on earth a while,” Ana said.
“What can I do for you?” Druantia asked.
Ana listened as Cam explained his lost protection charm, but she focused her attention on the store, hoping to see Logan Laufeyson lurking amongst the shelves.
“Aye, I can replace it,” Druantia said when he finished. “But it will cost you.”
“Not a problem. We can do it now?”
She nodded.
“Could I get one, too?” Ana asked. She didn’t know why she hadn’t thought of this before. It would solve all her problems.
“No. It doesn’t work on gods,” Druantia said.
“Oh.” Ana suddenly felt as collapsed as a pile of dead leaves.
“Come on back.” Druantia waved a hand and turned to walk under the archway that led to a back room.
Ana glanced at Cam expectantly, the question in her eyes. He nodded and she followed, weaving around the little tables and shelves until she passed through the arch. A zip of magic sang across her skin when she stepped over the threshold. She must have just entered the Mythean part of the store, protected from mortal eyes and ears.
“Sit down.” Druantia nodded to a big wooden chair in the corner of the room.
There wasn’t much other than bookshelves and a few chairs. Not as creepy as Ana had been expecting. Then she felt like a bitch for assuming the worst of the spell peddler.
Cam sat in the chair and stripped off his shirt, revealing the hard planes of muscles that always gave Ana dry mouth. He was pale and huge in the cozy room, and suddenly her breath became a little harder to drag into her lungs.
Druantia strolled to a bookshelf and picked up a black curved wand-type thing that had a pointy end like a pen. Cam’s face tensed as she neared.
“Wait, what are you going to do to him?” Ana asked, suddenly nervous. The thing in Druantia’s hand did look very pointy.