#sizani.

THE MUSIC ROLLED OVER LEILA IN WAVES, her eyes roving the throngs of warm bodies and clinking glasses in search of a familiar face. In the weeks since her conversation with Chris, she had spent much of her free time considering the feasibility of enchanted blood. She possessed an expert command of blood magic and understood blessing magic well enough, but enchanting multiple donation bags— and keeping the blood stable long enough to remain useful on a hospital shelf— would require an extra step. What if, instead, she treated the blood like a potion?

The question had sent her back to her grandmother's lessons. How calendula petals could be crushed into a salve to treat bruises, and yarrow used to staunch bleeding. Mageshroom, though finicky, could make any potion that much more potent — and she knew someone who might be able to help.

Leila caught sight of Sizani across the room, half-shadowed near a cluster of laughing partygoers. She had been the first person she met upon arriving in Vievecor, turning up on the doorstep of the Dumisani Coven and expressing her desire to join them. She’d still gone by Líadan then, and around the Dumisani headquarters she still did.

She threaded through the crowd without hesitation this time, slipping past bodies and conversations until she was close enough to speak without needing to raise her voice.

“Just the person I’m after,” Leila said, a smile spreading across her lips. “Do you mind if I join you?”