“Shush,” Rita scolds him for talking.
“Don’t you need another two people for the spell?” I ask, ignoring her ministrations.
“No, not for this spell. I’m getting better and it’s very basic. And I said shush!”
After another couple minutes of her quiet mutterings, she scoops up a spoonful of the herbs and hands it to Damien, telling him to eat up. He looks at her with wide, mistrustful eyes. In the end he takes the spoon and shoves it into his mouth. His jaw works as he chews and by the look on his face I’d say it tastes bitter. He swallows and Rita makes him open his mouth to ensure that he ate all of it.
“Now what?” he asks her.
“Now,” Rita begins, clasping her hands together, “you tell me why you’re really here.”
Damien’s eyes flick between me and Rita. “I – I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Rita scoffs. “Don’t give me that. You’ve been on edge ever since you arrived and every time I ask you a question your eyes flick to the left. Classic behaviour of someone who’s lying. Now come on, spit it out. What are you up to? And more importantly, who are you working for?”
I sit and watch the exchange with rapt attention. I had an inkling there was something off about Damien, but I mostly put it down to him being nervous. It’s a good thing Rita saw right through him.
“Look, I promise I’m just here for the spell. You came highly recommended from my friend Greg.” He reaches up and scratches at his neck.
“I do a lot of spells for Greg and he’s never sent me a referral before. He’s also one of the shiftiest guys I know, so it doesn’t take much of a stretch to see him accepting a bribe to give you an in with me.” Rita states all of this in a cold, detached voice, and I get a brief glimpse of the witch she could have been if she had of been raised by Theodore instead of Noreen.
“You have to believe me,” Damien spreads out his hands, in a gesture that’s kind of pleading. “I’m not up to anything.”
Rita laughs. “Deny it all you want. In a couple of minutes you’ll be telling me everything.”
He eyes her now. “What do you mean?”
“You just ate the components of a truth spell, my friend. You’ll probably be telling us what brand of underwear you like and who you lost your virginity to by the time it takes hold.”
At this Damien jumps up from his seat and makes a run for the door. Rita stands up and casually places her tiny self in his path, holding up a hand and muttering a quiet incantation. Damien stops in his tracks as though glued to the spot.
Sweat breaks out on his forehead as he struggles to move forward but can’t.
“Oh just sit back down,” says Rita in annoyance. “You’re not leaving here until I allow you to go. It’ll be easier if you don’t fight this. You’ll only be wasting your energy.”
His shoulders slump. He lets out a long, dejected breath, turns on his heel and sits back down in the chair he vacated seconds ago.
Rita gives me a wink and pulls out the seat closest to Damien. She leans one elbow on the table and stares at him intently. “So, feeling chatty yet?” she asks cheerfully.
Damien cuts her a cold glare. “Piss off, witch. You can’t make me talk.”
“I believe I’ll be proving that statement wrong in – oh say about two minutes time.” She makes a show of checking the non-existent watch on her wrist.
“Have you ever done this before?” I ask her.
Her lip quirks just slightly. “Once or twice.”
“And it worked?”
The lip quirk transforms into a full-on grin. “Oh yeah.”
Damien, who was unassuming and a touch nervous when he first arrived, now stares hatefully at Rita. “It would be wise to let me go,” he grits. “My mistress won’t be happy if you hurt me.”
“Oh really? Who’s this mistress then?”
His eyes turn to slits and he turns his face away from her. Rita claps her hands.
“See? It’s starting to work already. Come on honey, tell me who she is, you know you want to.”