"I don't know if he knows anything about this kind of magic but maybe you're right and I don't see what it can hurt except being horribly embarrassing and again the king told me not to talk about—"

"What's so embarrassing?"

"I keep talking and I can't stop and what's not embarrassing about that? And—"

"You always talked a lot, it's not like it's anything new," Hanna said loudly over Ildri's words as she started dragging Ildri down the hall.

"Yes, but I can barely control what is coming out so it could be anything, anything that possibly crosses my mind! Do you have any idea of how many inappropriate things I think at any given time? It's like I've turned into Keziah and I'll be saying bloody this and mess that and then my mind keeps going back to him and that's a subject I definitely don't want to—"

"What are you doing?" Missus White's imperious voice echoed down the hall.

"Oh that's just great, she's probably the last person that I wanted to see right now," Ildri said and she clamped her hands over her mouth.

"What was that, Ildri?" Missus White said as she stalked closer.

"Oh, nothing," said Hanna over Ildri's muffled muttering. She smiled but it looked more like a teeth baring grimace.

Ildri could not keep her hands up any longer. "I said that you're the last person who I want to deal with right now which is technically true but it's still not something I would normally say as you see I'm having a bit of a magic talking problem and I was hoping to—"

Missus White's frown was making deep furrows in her forehead. "Cease your babbling, child," Missus White snapped over Ildri's speaking. When Ildri did not listen her she cleared her throat loudly and said, "You are being terribly rude, Ildri, speaking while I am speaking."

"You've interrupted me as many times as I have you, you nasty prude and now that I've said that I wish that I could just disappear on the spot but apparently this potion does not do that. What it does do is makes me incapable of not saying what I'm thinking and I really think that I should be going on because this conversation is really not going to get any better the longer it lasts, I think, so I'll just be going and you can give me a long and boring lecture later once I can stop talking to listen to it although maybe now that I'm the castle witch that might not be your place to do that. Maybe I should ask Lord Wildwood—"

"Let's just go before she explodes," Hanna said, tugging at Ildri. Ildri's legs moved reluctantly.

"I really made her angry, didn't I, but I swear that I did not mean to but I can't take those words back so I guess she'll really give it to me later and this is why I did not want to leave my room because I knew that something terrible might happen and my life is going to be a bloody living hell after this because she'll never forgive me without a doubt—"

Hanna continued to push Ildri down the hall while Ildri babbled futilely.

The moment that Ildri saw Lord Wildwood her words came out in a rush. "Oh, I can't believe that I was lucky enough to find you this easily, Lord Wildwood, I really need your help because I made a potion that seems to have a rather bad effect on me and I seem to be forced by it to say everything that comes to my mind no matter how embarrassing or insulting like that Missus White is a nasty prude or that I'm so grateful that you and your father have been so kind to me or that I think I fell in love with Ty even though he's a duke's son and completely unavailable and I only knew him for like a week and I know that it is ridiculous and I am so embarrassed right now I can't even think of the right words to describe it but if I could I certainly would describe it because it seems that I can't do anything else and I guess that brings me to the reason that I'm here but I swear that the potion was green and that means that it was temporary and not harmful but apparently the meaning of not harmful is open to interpretation. And now that I've said—"

Lord Wildwood clamped his hand over Ildri's mouth. "I apologize for doing this, but if I understand you right, you're incapable of not talking right now. Thank you for bringing her to me. Hanna, you can go. I'll take care of this," he said.

"Yes, my lord," Hanna said and scurried off.

Lord Wildwood let go of Ildri's face.

"That's exactly the problem, my lord, because it seems that what this potion does is takes whatever crosses my mind and throws it out my mouth and it is really not a good thing and the last time I made a mistake I ended up with quite a convenient disguise potion even if it was a bit mortifying but this is terrible because if it keeps up I'll be running around the castle telling every secret I know especially about Ty and that would be a bad thing because even though he's probably dead he was really secretive when he was alive and I bet his family didn't even know where he was and I doubt he would want me talking about it to everyone and I don't think that I can stop myself because every time I realize I'm saying things I shouldn't be saying my mind immediately goes back to him, I think I might be obsessed, oh, how terribly embarrassing please forget that I said that and then I talk about him some more and—"

"Sorry, but how did this come about?" he asked quickly and let go of her mouth.

"Oh, this is so embarrassing but don't get me wrong Lord Wildwood I appreciate it greatly just like everything else you do because you're so wise and so generous just like your father and I'm so grateful—"

Lord Wildwood spoke over Ildri. "We were glad to, Ildri. But tell me what happened, please."

"Oh sorry I'm having trouble focusing but anyway I decided to try a potion that was supposed to specialize some trait of my familiar or something but it seems to have just given me the inability to shut up which I suppose does make sense because Keziah seems incapable of keeping her mouth shut but it will only be temporary—please let this be temporary—I'm hoping a couple more hours—I was hoping it would be worn off already—but that's not what you asked was it? You wanted to know what happened so I'll tell you but I guess I already did so your question has been answered so now I'm just babbling like a fool—"

"Can anyone with a parrot..."

"You're right, Keziah is a parrot or at least that's what the merchant who sold her to me said but for all I know it's a name he made up but I guess that doesn't matter because everyone here now knows her as a parrot or a demon bird or something like that I guess and—"

"Can anyone with a parrot make this sort of potion?"

"Well, I don't think so necessarily because Maxine has three rabbits and she told me that even animals of the same kind with the same witch might have different speciality potions because two of her rabbits makes a potion that makes a person look cuter—I don't know how it works but it seems to be a disguise spell and another of her rabbits just makes your nose twitch uncontrollably and your eyesight very slightly better. But she can make a supersensory potion that works far better with any of her rabbits' help and I probably could too if one of her rabbits would let me or even if it didn't want to if I was some kind of villain and forced it but she did not tell me what the speciality potion was—I found it in that book you gave me—but I checked the spell so I knew that it was not permanent or harmful but what if there was something wrong with my tester solution and now I'm going to be talking like this forever or—"

"Sorry again, Ildri," Lord Wildwood said as he clamped his hand over her mouth. She was relieved every time he had stopped her, but even with his hand over her mouth she still longed to continue talking and could feel her mouth working. She hoped that her tongue would last through hours of the punishment she was putting it through.

"Do you have more of this potion? Just nod or shake your head," Lord Wildwood said.

She was beginning to feel an overwhelming urge to struggle to free her mouth to talk but fortunately Lord Wildwood let her go. She would not have struck him, would she?

"That's good because my mouth really wanted me to smack you—oh I can't believe I said that but I guess it is true—that tester solution better have told the truth, what if I'm stuck like this for the rest of my life? I don't think that I can bear it but it is definitely temporary and I'm never trying a new potion again regardless of what that bloody tester solution claims of a potion because if this counts as a non harmful solution it's crazy and I don't know what I'm going to do so maybe, could you lock me in the dungeon with a deaf guard or something until this wears off because at least then he couldn't hear me confess my undying love for Ty over and over until my face lights on fire from how much I will be blushing and I can't believe I said that and please forget what I said again because—"

"One more question, is everything you are saying true?"

"I really wish it wasn't because I could think of so many lies that I would prefer to say than all these awful things like for example I'm glad Ty's gone is a complete lie yet I said it but I think if you asked a direct question I would have a lot of trouble making up a lie before I blurted out the truth so most likely everything I said was the truth at least as far as I know it because I guess the truth is simpler and I hope that answers your question and I can't help but wonder what sort of potential use you might have—"

And suddenly Ildri felt her jaw clamp shut. Her tongue barely missed being chomped. She glanced in surprise at Lord Wildwood.

"I just locked your jaw. When the spell wears off I'll remove it. Or if you are hungry. Is it better this way?"

Ildri shook her head fervently yes.

"Too bad that there aren't any counter potions."

Ildri would have told him that there were a few specific ones, such as ones for speeding up the dissolution of disguises, but she could not. Her mouth, really, really wanted to, however.

"I'll walk you back to your rooms and I'll take the rest of that potion now if you don't mind. I may just have a very good use for it with our little friend in the dungeon."

Of course, the Scelus man who they were holding in the dungeon. He had utterly refused to talk. Ildri smiled. It felt so good to have her mouth shut.