Page 83 of Autumn L.A.W

Victoria let out a short laugh. “That might be the understatement of the century.”

“Body stolen,” the crone surmised. “Identity taken. Magic displaced.”

Victoria leaned forward. “Yes. All of that. If you could fix it, I would deeply appreciate it.”

The crone ignored that.

“You’re chasing two paths at once,” she continued. “The ingredients… and the thief.”

“I like to stay busy.”

“You like control.”

Victoria’s mouth tightened. “I like results.”

She explained her whole situation, how she had been switched into another woman's body and now needed to find seven ingredients to reverse the spell.

The woman listened intently and then nodded her head. “I know of these ingredients,” she said. “You must travel to the far corners of the world and face great challenges to retrieve them.” Victoria's heart sank. She knew it would be a challenge, but what choice did she have?

“I also know the ingredients,” Victoria said. “I have a list. It’s aggressively inconvenient.”

“The quest will be worse than you think, especially if you go alone.”

A pause. Then Victoria cut in, sharper now. “Do you have any of those ingredients, or can you help me find the woman who did this?”

“No.”

Victoria blinked. “No?”

“Not yet.”

“That is profoundly unhelpful.” Victoria was about to leave when the woman stopped her.

“You’re not ready.”

“I am extremely ready. I am motivated, angry, and wearing someone else’s sweatpants. What more do you require?”

The crone’s gaze sharpened. “A trade.”

There it was.

Victoria leaned back and sighed. “Naturally.”

“You want knowledge,” the old woman said. “I want something in return.”

“And what exactly does a mysterious forest crone need that she cannot acquire herself?”

The woman smiled then. Fully. It wasn’t reassuring.

“A plant.”

Victoria stared. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Which plant?”

“I will help find the woman if you agree to do this for me first.”

Desperate for a shortcut, Victoria agreed.

The crone revealed that she wanted a rare magical plant that has an intoxicating fragrance, like a combination of sweet and spicy. Its aroma is so unique and powerful that it takes your breath away. The scent lingers in the air for hours after it's been picked. Then the fragrance changes to a heady mix of floral and musky notes, with an unexpected hint of something exotic.