Trouble Brewing: A Cozy Shopkeeper Fantasy (Runes & Brews Book 1) by Riley Shea

Author:Riley Shea [Shea, Riley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Inkfort Press, LLC
Published: 2023-07-23T23:00:00+00:00

It turned out that even Adam’s reinforced body could only handle so much perren cuisine.

Theo stood next to Adam, patting the man’s back as his stomach evacuated its contents.

“Gods, it still burns,” Adam croaked before heaving once again.

“I’m sorry!” Theo said, fussing over the warrior. “I didn’t realize it would have this kind of effect!”

“It’s—” Adam coughed and spat. “Fine. I probably shouldn’t have eaten it all so quickly.”

Theo held out the second—and last—healing philtre he’d packed. “Here, for your throat.”

Adam took the potion gratefully, swishing a swig of it around his mouth, and handed the bottle back to Theo. “Oh, that’s so much better.” He glanced at Pina.

She stood off to the side, attempting to whistle nonchalantly but not meeting Adam’s eyes.

Theo put his hands on his hips, scanning the area. “...In good news. We’re here! Or, close enough. I recognize those ladelia bushes Elouise told me about. They’re the last location I have on my list. There should be a stone with a notch in it somewhere around here…”

“Is this it?” Nils asked, indicating a large, somewhat mossy stone next to him.

Mana flowed into Theo’s eyes almost painfully before he focused on control once again. A complex web of hidden runes scattered across the rock revealed itself, a diamond-shaped hole in the centerpoint of it all. “It is. How did you know, Nils? It was supposed to be hidden by enchantments.”

“There’s some form of Phrenic spell passively emitting from this stone,” Nils said, knocking a knuckle against the stone in question. “If we hadn’t been following you, I believe we may have simply walked around this spot for hours.”

Theo kneeled down in front of it, running a finger over the runes. “It’s highly impressive work. Beyond anything I can do for sure. This must have been done by an enchanter who is at least…” His eyes widened. “Tier eight. Gods.” He glanced back at his group, swallowing. “That’s um—goodness. A-Anyway, just look at how well the creator was able to add three dimensional layering to his runes.”

“Uh, Theo, no one else can see what you’re looking at except me,” Adam said, kneeling down next to Theo. “You’re right though, this must’ve taken some serious funds to have enchanted. It’s subtle. Look at how they latticed these Phrenic runes.”

Theo leaned in closer. “Oh my. I’d been paying too much attention to the depth and strength of each rune. What a gorgeous lattice. I—”

“You two done geeking out?” Telsa asked, tapping a foot on the ground.

Theo colored, standing up and dusting off his knees. “Right. Yes.” Patting his pockets, he pulled out the silver brooch Kennard had handed him. “Let me just…” He slotted the brooch into the revealed point of the rock.

It slipped in effortlessly, snapping into place. The line of dense bushes and brambles in front of them vanished in an instant. A path sprawled out in front of them, leading to an area considerably denser in flora.

“Oh my, the mana density is so much stronger in this area,” Theo said, his magic sight still active.

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