The Bitter Root

She says she is family. She may be telling the truth. That makes her more dangerous. Celeste Drummond arrives in Saltwhistle with documents, magic, and a claim to the apothecary that Philippa cannot easily dismiss. She is their grandmother's other heir. The one who was trained. The one who was promised. The one who was abandoned when the old woman chose to vanish rather than pass on her legacy. Celeste knows about the constraint. She knows Philippa cannot protect herself with magic. And she knows exactly how to exploit both. As the Spring Tide Festival approaches, Celeste's schemes grow bolder. She engineers situations that leave Philippa vulnerable. She whispers doubts into ears that trusted. She is searching for something in the apothecary's depths, a remedy their grandmother hid, one that could give her power over life and death itself. To find it, she will burn down everything Philippa has built. The shop. The village. The family she has gathered. Philippa has spent her whole life avoiding conflict. Smoothing things over. Giving way. But some things are worth fighting for. Some legacies are worth any cost. And some cousins need to learn that the woman who cannot protect herself with magic has found other ways to fight. The truth about their grandmother's disappearance is finally coming to light. Philippa is not sure she wants to know what she will find.