The Spellshop

The next day, Kiela processes her strange experience. She wants to tell Larran but can’t confess her illegal magical activities. Eadie comes by and pays Kiela for the tree remedy. Kiela decides to bring some jam to Larran and Bryn, but when she goes into town, she finds it deserted. She runs into Fenerer, who accosts her and accuses her of bringing trouble to the island. At Bryn’s bakery, Bryn tells her that an alarm has been sounded warning of an oncoming storm. On her way back, Kiela finds that the magical storm has grown too fierce for her to return home, and so she stops at Larran’s instead.

Kiela desperately knocks on Larran’s door and is pulled inside. He gives her a change of clothes and explains that the storm is caused by magic thrown out of balance. They watch the storm out the window and nearly kiss, but Larran sees someone out on the waves. He runs outside to help despite the danger. Kiela watches the rescue, terrified for his safety, until he and an unconscious woman return.

Larran and the woman return. Soon the storm dies down, and Kiela goes to find the town healer, Ivor, and check on Caz. She finds Ivor, who has the air of a magical creature, and tells him what happened.

Kiela returns home and greets Caz, who was sick with worry. He leads her inside to reveal a mermaid waiting in the bathtub, along with her sick baby. The mermaid believes that Kiela can heal him the way she healed the trees. Kiela realizes that the baby is “storm sick,” having absorbed too much magical energy from the storm. She and Caz go into research mode and search their books for an answer. They find a cure for the illness and run around gathering ingredients. Kiela makes a paste and applies it to the baby’s body, curing him.

After the mermaid leaves, Kiela repairs the damage from the storm. The next day, she prepares to check in on the merbaby and Larran. The mermaid and her son have returned to the ocean, so she continues. When Larran doesn’t answer, Kiela imagines that he’s falling in love with the refugee woman. She goes to see Bryn instead and observes the carnage left by the storm. Tobin is helping but causing a mess. Kiela helps serve tea and overhears Larran and the new woman, Radane, talking on the terrace. Radane has come from Alyssium, just like Kiela, and tells the onlookers about the revolt there. Kiela runs away as she relives the trauma of her departure.

Kiela distracts herself by searching for a cure for Halio’s spring. She finds a book on storms and learns that a storm can be tamed by a “wind-speaker” and a group of sorcerers. Suddenly, she hears Caz and Larran talking and goes to join them. Larran asks for Kiela’s help healing Sian, who has been infected with the same storm sickness. Kiela gathers her spell ingredients and follows him. They discover Radane at Larran’s house; she shows an interest in Caz while Kiela attempts her healing spell out of sight. However, Radane spies on them and acts suspicious.

The next day, Kiela and Caz prepare to work on more tree growth spells. Three customers enter the shop: Bryn, Eadie, and a many-armed harpist named Ulina. They briefly discuss Kiela’s mother, whom Ulina was friends with at school. Bryn explains that they want to buy more tree remedies, and Kiela says that she’ll need to make more while they wait. Eadie offers to help, but Kiela is concerned that they’ll see her working illegal magic. In the end, Kiela decides to trust her new friends. They work on creating the spells together. Afterward, Eadie suggests that they name themselves the “Pine Cone Coven,” after the key ingredient. Kiela suggests “Pine Cone Society,” and they agree.