It felt like every student hurried in the opposite direction as Saahira made her way to the alchemy lab. Like wading through a stream against its current. The students who passed her by spoke excitedly about their dorm buildings, roommates, and their evening plans in Odalric. There wasn’t a single mention of classes or the work their professors had tasked them with. A nagging voice in the back of Saahira’s mind said that she was going the wrong way. Nia would certainly join the nighttime excitement, maybe with Kaylee again. The thought soured her mood.
A trio of elves approached, speaking together in their elegant, unfamiliar language. They didn’t spare Saahira a single glance as she walked past. Behind them, two students who appeared in their second or third years traded sharp, pointed words in the rapid Nagatsu dialect. A demon with long, narrow ears and round, glistening eyes hung from the shoulder of the young man on the right. Its gaze settled on Saahira and remained there; even as it shuffled to its summoner’s chest with tiny claws, it continued to stare at her with unnerving interest. Saahira brushed the unease aside and refixed her stare on her destination.
The Laughing Bull had always felt like a tiny world of its own, where Saahira occasionally met travelers from other countries and, if she was lucky, picked up a story or two about Faylon. The Sanctum of the Nine Arts, on the other hand…well, it was like comparing Hahn’s book collection to the library. Whenever she stepped outside, Saahira was greeted by a whirlwind of languages, ideas, fashions, and lineages.
By the time she reached the spiraling staircase to the building that housed demonology, the crowds had moved away from campus, taking their conversations with them. It was impressive just how quickly the grounds shifted from the clamor of her peers into silence.
Saahira looked upward and frowned. Cyprus had said the lab was above the demonology classroom’s basement floor, but the building had two stories built above it. The ground floor held a single hallway where Saahira stood on the west side of the building, and—as she found when she glanced around the corner—at least one more on the south side.
As she combed through her satchel in search of her map, the click of a door on the third floor above caught her attention. Cyprus? It hadn’t been long since the final bell rang, and, while it would have been a bit of a detour from enchantments, he could have used the east stairway.
Besides, she’d always found locations far easier to remember if she scouted them out herself.
Giving up on her map, Saahira hopped up to the first step and ascended the staircase. Her footsteps echoed against the stone like a hammer to the forge as she made her way upward until she reached the second floor.
The stairs’ bannisters transitioned into a gate that wrapped around the four sides of the building, and Saahira followed it around, resting her hand on the cool metal. Unlike the basement and ground floors, there weren’t hallways, corridors, or alcoves ushering students into separate classrooms. Just four solid stone walls that wrapped around the enormous building, and—after a precursory circuit around—just one door. Darkened windows on the west and east sides of the building did little to help her see what was inside, and the familiar medicinal scents in Cardaimont’s classroom were absent. Maybe the walls are enchanted. It seemed very large for a second alchemy lab; certainly larger than Professor Cardaimont’s classroom below ground. With a shrug, Saahira opened the door.
A head of dark hair tumbled forward. Melony Truefang collided with Saahira and gasped with surprise. A thick tome slipped from Melony’s arms and landed on the walkway.
Saahira hopped backward and moved to retrieve Melony’s book. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t think anyone would be there.” She straightened and handed Melony the leather-bound tome.
“That’s alright. I didn’t, either.” Melony chuckled as she accepted her book, and then glanced over her shoulder. “Er, do you need to see the headmaster for something? Or were you looking for the alchemy lab, too?”
Saahira tilted her head to the side and stepped away from the door. “This isn’t the alchemy lab?”
“It’s downstairs.” Melony scratched behind her ear. “I thought I could find it with my nose.”
“That makes two of us.” As the door closed behind Melony, Saahira caught glimpses of red curtains and a bespectacled woman sitting at a large desk across from two students. “Who’s at the desk?” she asked.
“That’s the headmaster’s notarie, Miss Ara. She’s, uh, very tired of students ‘neglecting their maps.’” Melony smiled sheepishly. “I guess this happens a lot during the first two weeks of class.”
“It was kind of you to tell me. Thank you.”
“Don’t think anything of it,” Melony said, approaching the guardrail and glancing down. In the sunlight, her hair took on a blue sheen inside the inky black. She wore sleek, dark brown trousers that fit into calf-high boots, with a green leather bodice trimmed in silken furs. Over her shoulders was a forest green cloak with more fur trimming around the collar. The attire was very different from the other skirts and dresses worn by their female classmates.
“Well, anyway, see you down there,” Melony said. With a quick flash of teeth at Saahira, Melony vaulted herself over the railing and fell.
“Melony!” Saahira cried and lunged forward, snatching the guardrail.
“I’m fine!” Melony howled a laugh as her cape flapped behind her, and then her feet reached the ground. She let her knees bend and rested her free hand on the sidewalk in a crouch, then looked back up at Saahira. The pose felt almost feline in nature. “You humans are so much fun.”
Saahira watched, speechless, as Melony stood and skipped down the hallway on the west side of the building.
We humans…?
-Do you wish to know what that girl is?-
Saahira considered the choir’s proposal, then shook her head. I’ll find out myself.
-As you desire, Saahira.-
While their helpful urgings were kind enough, they were still off-putting. Was this repentance? Something else? As she made her way back down the stairs, a dozen thoughts of their motives circled her mind, and the choir did nothing to soothe a single one of them.
She moved down the hallway, noting similar illuminated glass orbs set in sconces as she’d seen in the library. It was an interesting juxtaposition to Lillith’s torches below. Was it the succubus’s choice of lighting, or the sanctum’s decision to light the hallways differently?
At last, the sharp scents of alchemical solutions wafted lightly from the first door on Saahira’s left. They were masked well behind the wood and stone, causing her to believe there was still some truth in her enchantment assumption. She tugged open the door and stepped inside.
The same oil lamps in Professor Cardaimont’s classroom illuminated the alchemy lab, which was larger than Saahira had anticipated, but not nearly the size of the headmaster’s office. Two narrow counters protruded from the back wall, encasing cabinets and shelves of alchemy supplies, before joining on either side of a shorter counter at the center of the room.
Like a bar, Saahira realized. Seeing it summoned a memory of challenging Natalie to a contest to see how far either of them could slide a mug of ale without it tipping over the edge. Natalie had won, and Saahira had cleaned the latrines that night.
“Ah! A new student! Come in, come in!” A violet-haired woman behind the counter beckoned Saahira toward her with one hand. The wings on her head and waist fluttered with excitement. As Saahira approached, the woman looked over her shoulder at a dark-haired boy whose focus was locked on the words he penned. “Kataya, you should take this one!”
“Yes. Of course.” Kataya carefully placed the quill to the side of his paper, joined the woman at the counter, and then bowed deeply. “Good afternoon. My apologies for not welcoming you.” A light Nagatsu accent touched his words.
Saahira shook her head and clutched the strap of her satchel. “I-it’s no trouble at all. I’m sorry for interrupting you.”
“Not at all. You are my first priority.” Kataya rose and searched her face, though his dark eyes never met her gaze. His plush lips were pulled thin above the soft outline of his jaw. Dark hair curled around the nape of his neck, falling to the edges of his broad shoulders, and his bangs teased the corners of his eyes.
“Always so intense!” the flügel woman beside him covered her mouth with one hand and giggled.
A tiny smile crinkled the corner of Kataya’s mouth. “Is this your first visit to the alchemy lab, my lady?”
“Y-yes,” Saahira murmured as she wondered what to do with her hands.
“I can tell her the rules, Kataya, if you’d prefer,” a voice to Saahira’s right said. She turned her head just as Cyprus joined her at the counter.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
“Aw, Cyprus, let him practice,” the woman said.
A brief silence fell between them as Cyprus crossed his arms, tipped his head, and studied Kataya intently. Kataya’s smile vanished, and his gaze flickered to Cyprus’s face before he found interest elsewhere on the floor. “Alright, then. Continue,” Cyprus said.
Kataya nodded. “Mistress Latali Vonte is the master of alchemy who oversees this lab—”
“Just Latali is fine,” she added softly, a light blush touching her milky-white cheeks. For the first time since she’d arrived, Saahira noticed a vine tattoo that traveled up Latali’s throat and resolved in a bright flower. How did I miss that?
“—and I am Kataya Shiro, her apprentice,” Kataya continued as if she hadn’t interrupted. “Please understand, there are three rules when practicing alchemy here. First, you must leave all bags, satchels, and pouches with one of us upon entry. You may bring up to two books and pre-written notes to the tables. We provide you with ink, quills, and parchment to use for the duration of your stay, which you will find on each table.
“Second, all supplies are dispensed by Mistress Latali or myself. You cannot bring outside ingredients to use in the lab unless first approved by both your professor and Mistress Latali. You must present to us which recipe you intend to work on, and we will give you just enough of each ingredient to complete it. It is acceptable to fail the recipe and request more, but you must brew one at a time.
“Third, when you are ready to leave, we will ask you to kindly turn out your pockets before returning your satchel. If Mistress Latali or myself suspect that ingredients have been misappropriated, we are permitted to a more thorough search of your person.”
“You didn’t ask her name,” Latali whispered.
Kataya flushed and bowed again. “I disgrace myself and this lovely young woman.”
Cyprus clicked his tongue. Saahira snuck a glance at his face from the corner of her eye. Did Kataya do something to upset him?
“A thousand pardons, my lady. May I have your name?” Kataya asked.
“Saahira Montarac.” She removed her alchemy book from her satchel and slipped it over her head. “And I just have this.”
“Thank you, Mistress Montarac.” Kataya straightened just enough to accept her satchel, then carefully set it behind the counter. “Do you have any questions for Mistress Latali or myself?”
Click click click click.
Saahira looked down to find a sky-blue pony the size of a housecat trotting around the counter’s corner. A tiny yellow horn poked upward between glistening purple eyes and twitching ears. Four golden rings clinked around its ankles, and a fifth sat at the base of its fluffy tail.
Saahira pointed at the horse. “Who is this?”
Latali beamed. “My demon, Bayeri,” she said. “He helps us keep an eye on practicing students. If your brew becomes dangerous, he has a nose that can scent it.”
Saahira licked her lips. “May I pet him?”
Cyprus chuckled.
“You can certainly ask him!” Latali replied happily.
Saahira approached the tiny horse and crouched down. “Bayeri, may I pet you?”
Bayeri looked up at the counter, then at Saahira. His snout bobbed in a resolute agreement. Saahira grinned and stroked the lush blue mane before scratching behind his ears. Bayeri closed his eyes and hummed in satisfaction. For a few wonderful moments, it was like petting Barclay’s horse back in Almaryn.
Kataya cleared his throat politely. “Mistress Saahira, are there ingredients that I can fetch for you now?”
Saahira stood, letting Bayeri return to his patrol. “Oh, um, I don’t—”
“Yes. You can. We each need a set of ingredients for falcon’s eye potions,” Cyprus interrupted. “Do you need the list?”
“No, Master Cyprus. Thank you for offering, but I am familiar with this recipe. One moment, if you would.” Kataya bowed and made his way to the cabinets filled with ingredients.
Latali bent down and fished out a blank piece of parchment from below. Her top had the bright colors and intricate patterns she’d begun to associate with A?ál?, held together by two strings around her neck and two more around her bare back. She stretched her wings, glanced over her shoulder, then leaned over the countertop with the parchment.
“Are you alright, Cyprus?” Latali whispered as she dipped a quill into ink. “You weren’t so curt with Kataya yesterday.”
Saahira was relieved to hear her ask.
“I wasn’t curt with him today, either,” Cyprus replied.
Saahira eyed him warily.
He caught her stare and frowned. “Was I?”
Latali nodded alongside Saahira.
“Hm. Well. It wasn’t my intention,” Cyprus said, crossing his arms and looking away. “I’ll be more cognizant moving forward.”
“I think that’s a good idea. Especially since we’ll be spending a lot of time together.” Latali nodded, then scribbled Cyprus and Saahira’s names across the parchment. “Melony requested these ingredients as well. Is this Vivianne’s—excuse me, Professor Cardaimont’s—current assignment for first years?”
“It is,” Saahira said.
“What studious pupils she has.” Latali smiled. “We’ll make sure you shine in class.”
Kataya returned with a tray of materials. Saahira picked through them while Cyprus apologized, and Latali finished listing each ingredient. Two vials of a viscous yellow liquid that Saahira recognized as Buriti oil, two vials of water, two vials of an unfamiliar blue substance, two small black talons, and two small jars with glistening, greenish organs suspended in a clear liquid. A quick peek at the list named them as frog livers.
They thanked Kataya and Latali, and Cyprus led them to the table he’d chosen before Saahira had arrived. She caught sight of Melony on the opposite side of the room, poring over her notes with a frustrated expression on her face and a mortar and pestle in her hands.
“We do drink this one, don’t we?” Saahira whispered.
Cyprus’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “We do.”
Saahira poked her tongue out. “Frog liver?”
“Frog liver.” He chuckled. “And wickersnatch juice, which will burn your tongue for days if you don’t dilute it correctly.”
She shivered. “Well, that’s great motivation not to mess up this recipe.”
“Look at it this way,” Cyprus said, setting the tray on the table, “if it doesn’t turn the right color at the end, then you don’t have to drink it.” He opened the lid of the tool chest near the cauldron. “Well, here at least. I think Professor Cardaimont will make us all drink our potions. It’ll be an entertaining morning.”
Saahira thought of protesting, but Dimitri and Kaylee were both in her alchemy class. Just a little retribution wouldn’t hurt…right? She pushed the thought aside and took a seat. Just as Kataya had said, a stack of parchment, fresh pots of ink, and four quills waited near the tool chest. Saahira took one of each, opened the ink, and dipped the quill.
‘Falcon’s eye potion,’ she wrote at the top. “What is this potion supposed to do, exactly?”
“It enhances your eyesight.” Cyprus pointed toward one of the cabinets in the distance. “You should be able to read each letter on those bottles from here if you brew it correctly.”
“Really.” Saahira raised her brows. “When should I carry one with me?”
“Honestly, it doesn’t see a lot of practical use. But it makes for a good practice brew.”
“Hm. Alright.” Saahira noted the falcon’s eye’s purpose beneath its name, then began to list its ingredients. “So we have frog liver. What do we do with it?”
Cyprus set the mortar and pestle in the center of the table. “We grind it into a paste.”
Saahira exhaled through her nostrils, but copied his instructions beside the ingredient name. “And what is a wickersnatch?”
“It’s a carnivorous plant that grows in southern Chivari. It has a few different uses depending on which part you use. The juice is what lures in the insects, and then its acid begins to break them down for it to digest,” Cyprus explained.
“Thank you.” Saahira scribbled his explanation down. “What about the talon?”
“‘One talon of a black-eyed heron,’” Cyprus recited, lifting the ebony claw from the tray. “We grind this into a powder.”
“Then we should do that before the liver. That way, we don’t lose any of our powder to the…paste,” Saahira thought aloud.
“Yes. Absolutely,” Cyprus agreed.
“Anything I should know about the heron?”
“They’re very common around Chivari. You’ve more than likely seen a few in Almaryn and didn’t realize it. You can utilize different talons in this potion for greater effect.” Cyprus glanced to the side at Latali and chuckled. “I wonder how flügel nails would do?”
“I think I’d rather drink four frog livers.” Saahira laughed and flexed her fingers around the quill. “Now, will you please tell me how you know all of this?”
Cyprus’s expression sobered, and he looked up at the counter. Saahira joined him, hoping that it was far enough away from the table that Latali or Kataya wouldn’t be able to overhear their conversation. However, they seemed to be engaged in a discussion of their own.
At last, Cyprus nodded and carefully set the talon back on the tray. “My mother was a master alchemist.”
Was…?
“She started teaching me as soon as I could read. She…ah…” Cyprus’s brow furrowed. His hand was shaking.
Saahira raised a hand. “Wait. I-I’m sorry, I—”
“You’re apologizing again,” he said softly, maintaining his gaze on the tray.
Saahira chewed her lip and tugged at her sleeve. She cursed herself in silence as she watched Bayeri make another round on his patrol. “I don’t want to hurt you, Cyprus,” she murmured.
Cyprus shook his head and finally looked up. There was a deep, untouchable pain in his gaze, one that had settled into him long before he’d met Saahira. “You aren’t hurting me.” He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “The last three years, I thought every person in Chivari had questioned me about my parents. Not because they gave a damn about me or my brothers, but because it was the best gossip among nobility, and the advances my parents made in their respective domains have yet to be replicated.
“When I was invited to the sanctum, I expected everyone to avoid me.” With a dry laugh, Cyprus leaned his head back and looked at the ceiling. “I think you’re the first person I’ve talked to in years who doesn’t have an ulterior motive. And I don’t have the words.”
The sadness and defeat in his voice was a spear through Saahira’s heart. She reached forward and touched his shoulder. He looked at her hand, the surprise in his eyes unmistakable. “You don’t have to force them. We have plenty of time ahead of us. Besides, I can bore you with tavern stories until you’re ready to tell me.” She withdrew her arm, afraid she’d crossed a line.
“You’re far from boring, Saahira.” He caught her fingers as she pulled her hand back. He bent forward and brushed his lips against her knuckles.
Saahira suppressed a gasp, and heat flared into her neck and face.
Cyprus raised his ice-blue eyes, white strands of his hair touching the whites of his lashes, and he smiled. “Thank you.”
The hammering against Saahira’s chest was so loud that she feared he could hear it. Her mouth had gone entirely dry. All she could do was nod.
“Hey! Cyprus! Bottled light king!” Melony approached their table like a storm with her mortar and pestle. “I need help. Latali told me to ‘ask my peers,’ so here I am.”
Saahira stole away her hand and clapped it and its partner together in her lap. She let her hair fall over her shoulders and cover her blush-soaked face. His lips were so soft…
“How can I help you, Melony?” Cyprus laughed. The pain in his voice was gone.
“Oh. You remember my name. That’s nice.” Melony blinked. “Anyway, I’m trying to grind this stupid liver, and this little part will not be a paste.”
“That’s because it’s a bile stone. Just take it out.”
“Really? That’s it?”
“Mhm.”
“Huh.” Melony looked over her shoulder, then back at Cyprus. “…Can I ask you a few more questions?”
Saahira took a deep breath, willed her pulse to slow down, and looked up at Melony with a smile. “Why don’t you practice with us, Melony?”
“Are you sure?” Melony looked between them and grinned. “I’m not interrupting anything?”
“I’m sure as long as Cyprus is.” Saahira gestured to their tray. “I haven’t started working yet.”
“I don’t mind,” Cyprus added.
They watched as Melony returned to her table to collect her things. Saahira looked sheepishly at Cyprus and lowered her voice. “Let’s both make friends without motives?”
Cyprus nodded, a slight red tinge rising to his cheeks. “With you, I think I just might.”
Thanks for reading!
Be sure to check out our for early access chapters, full-size artwork, acrylic pins, and more. Subscribe to the monthly for exclusive updates and coupons!
Many thanks to our Patrons!
Berserker Tier: SkySom, [William Martin]
Scholar: Jack Sparrow, Flaming Moose, DiscountDan, Alex Bagster-Collins, Zachary C
Curator: PhantomKnight, nick0, Runecaster, Lazarus G, LT_Ashpole, 0hawkclaw0, Sir Joe, Janna Shi Island’s Fury, Lord Taxus, Miles, Tim W., Gavin D, Zarkis, Carlos M, Neko1967, Pyromaniac, Kat S
Powerhalf, Mitchell Aberson, Matt[hew] D Christensen, Travis, JC Quinn, HariboHeadHunter, King Jerkera, waymogunz, Phil, Centhi, Khii, Matt[hew] Johnson, Jason Walker, Belkorin, Rodney the Paladin, ICE.Paragon, Kyle McCoy, Cameron Garfalk, blackmambauk, NekoPix, Zerum Sparklez, Joshua williams, Michelle Hundt, Dave, Emily, Skade, Rosalee, SyloSpectre, Tonk, Twelve, hanani, Shags, Ranger Frank, Zak Stromquist, Spencer decoteau, Jacob Moore, Alex H Cowley, Zeklor, Neko1967, KH, Bilman, VKandis, ProfessorComputerMan, Victor Bugg, Vir Honestus, Steve Tatum, Brooke Grace, Hock, kenneth york, Kat L, WarptheSynth, Aaron A, Queen Toast, GreatFireLegend, Ryan E, Draxx127, Wesley F, Bakenecro, BeanSauce, StarTin, Myrmarked, Bryan O, Mister Drake, Hahn Feder, Elissia, Lumberjack0716, stupidhand, Zaq, Aaron C, MrMcmuffin, Wesley Jace, Marisa Eldridge, Michael KochKetola, danjiro, B’rye Ahn, DobbyIII
Please remember to follow, favorite, and rate!
Patreon | |
