He said something else, but I didn’t hear him. Circe could do it, too. She could handle the poison plants with her bare hands. What I could do wasn’t unique, and Circe knew it. Isaac seemed to think it was a power she’d developed, a side effect of handling the toxic plants, but I knew better. She’d probably been born with it but that realization only left me more questions.

“Are you all right?” Isaac asked, snapping me out of my own head.

“Yeah,” I said. “I’m fine.”

I opened the jar of wolfsbane. He covered his mouth and nose with the sleeve of his sweater. It didn’t smell, but even a little dust in his windpipe could kill him. I reached in and took out a single root. Cold gripped my fingertips and made them ache for a moment before returning to normal. I set the root on the copper plate.

Isaac reached into his pocket and produced a small vial. He uncorked it and poured a shimmering, silver liquid on top of the wolfsbane.

“What is that?”

“I dabble in alchemy,” he said. “It’s taken me a long time to produce this substance. It’s a staple of my practice but it is nearly impossible to make. If you would be so kind as to press your hand down over it.”

“What? Why?”

He smiled warmly, but there was pity in his expression, and I didn’t like it. “I’m not sure how long you’ve been aware of what you can do, or how deeply you’ve delved into what you’re capable of. I can assure you, however, that it is not limited to growing a garden, poison or otherwise—though that is a very useful part of it. Your skill is much more than that, which is why people like myself come to find you here. This apothecary has been a pillar of the magical community in Rhinebeck for generations.”

Magical community.

Marie had hinted at something similar, and so had Lucille. I kicked myself for thinking I was going to grow some thyme, maybe a little basil, and call it a day.

Isaac looked down at the wolfsbane root. “I can’t actually transfigure the mixture. I can prepare it, but it takes more than that to complete the process, something that can’t be learned from a book. The ingredients I use are highly toxic—fatal to someone like me. But that isn’t the case for others. Try it. I think it might answer your question as to whether I’m serious or not.”