Chapter 57
There wasn’t a lot of preparation left for their journey back to the outskirts of the mist-strewn city – except one very important thing, of course. Loughrey had hoped for more time to wait for a good potion master to accompany them on their journey, but he would have to settle for a consultation instead. To that end, he left FALSE with Devara hurried toward the carriage he’d passed by earlier; one with a thin trail of smoke emitting from a small chimney spout in one of its back corners, and with a dire hyena sitting guard outside. The creature lifted its head as he approached and let out a growl, but thankfully didn’t move. It alerted someone inside, though, and the intricately decorated door of the carriage opened. He was first met with the visage of a black wolf, but the craning neck and curious antennae belonged to a Skydancer that regarded him warily. Shadows coalesced around the dragon and ghostly hands began to creep out and grip around the frame of the door.
“Who are you? What do you want?” he hissed out, his voice an echoing rasp. A wave of cold hit him as piercing ice-white eyes glared him down.
“I heard there is a potion merchant here,” Loughrey said. “Is that you? I have a… special request.”
The eyes narrowed beneath the fur, but further questions were stopped by a voice in the background.
“Chimerical? You’re not scaring away more potential customers, are you?” The Skydancer scowled back over his shoulder. “Come on now. Let him in.”
Chimerical scoffed lightly but moved away from the door. Loughrey stared at the size of the carriage dubiously, but as he stepped up to the door, he could see that there was a much larger space within. In fact, it hardly looked like a carriage at all. It almost looked like the interior of a hut, complete with furniture for resting and shelving housing all manner of bottles near the door and ingredients behind a table that served as a counter. To the side toward the back was even a crackling fire heating a large, bubbling cauldron. Lounging quite languidly behind the counter was a small Bogsneak, adorned with silver thorns and wearing a spindly crown. Her scales held a rich metallic sheen that almost looked like fresh blood when she shifted to beckon him inside.
“Welcome,” she said with a warmness that was somehow still unsettling. She wore a mask that obscured her eyes, but he thought he could see a hint of green. “My name is Talutah. Is there something I can do for you, dear?”
“I assume you are an alchemical expert of sorts?” he asked blandly. She chuckled; an innocuous sound that made his feathers begin to fluff out.
“I am. What do you need? I have any number of things, from simple tonics to wondrous potions. And other… unique concoctions, if you would like to inquire.”
“We’ll see, but first, I need you to tell me what’s in this,” he said, producing the potion vial and setting it on the table in front of her. Her crests perked up minutely, giving her the brief appearance of a cobra. She picked up the bottle, looking over it curiously.
“And where did you get this?” she asked.
“From a former colleague of mine,” he answered. She uncorked it and sloshed it around, wafting the scent toward her with a claw. He thought he saw the quirk of a smile at the edge of her lips, but her face returned to neutral so quickly, he wondered if he was paranoid.
“What does it do?” she inquired, setting it down and turning to the shelving behind her.
“It’s supposed to be for protection,” he told her, watching warily. She let out a ‘tsk’.
“If you want my help, you’re going to have to be more specific, sweetheart,” she said, sliding open a drawer. Loughrey glanced over at Chimerical, instantly meeting those pale pinpoints of eyes. He looked away and cursed himself internally for showing any anxiety.
“The Shade,” he said as confidently as he could muster. He hadn’t wanted to give it away, but that Skydancer would know if he were lying. That’s probably why he was here.
Whatever reaction he had expected from Talutah, she merely hummed and plucked something out of the drawer and had shut it and returned to the table in mere moments.
“I thought so,” she said simply, running her claw around the fancy lid of the jar she held. The contents inside seemed to be moving and he squinted at them between her claws before realizing what it was – just before she spun the intricate lid open.
“What are you doing?!” he snapped, backing away instinctually.
“Oh don’t worry; I’m not so foolish as that,” she waved at him. “A silly little lid like this couldn’t keep it in; this enchantment does that. The lid is to keep curious or clumsy claws
out. That could get quite nasty, you understand.”
True enough, the jar itself seemed to have a faint pulsing glow to it and the small sample of Shade attempted to escape to no avail. While Talutah talked, she picked up the smaller vial and very gingerly tilted it over the open jar so that a single drop fell inside. The Shade recoiled, pushing itself to the sides of the jar away from where the drop had splashed against the bottom. Talutah snapped the lid closed and picked up the jar to tilt it around, chasing the Shade around like she were torturing some common insect.
“Oooh, what a clever little mixture,” she cooed at it, smiling almost pleasantly. “Very clever…”
“… This doesn’t answer my question,” Loughrey pointed out.
“Ah, no it doesn’t,” she conceded, zipping off to slip the jar back in its drawer and returning to the table. “You wanted the ability to recreate this, no?”
“No- yes. Yes, that’s what I need,” he said. She almost purred, and he quickly asked, “How much would it cost for you to make a few vials of this for me?”
“You don’t wish to make it yourself?” she asked, lacing her claws and resting her chin on them.
“Won’t that cost extra?” he groused. That smile curled up her lips again.
“Oh, no- payment has been received,” she said, picking up the potion vial and swirling it almost lovingly. “It’s not every day I discover something entirely
new. And as an additional gesture of my gratitude, I can give you three vials for free, if that’s what you wish.”
Well. That was far easier than he thought. Perhaps he should think about the repercussions of this – this Bogsneak was
clearly untrustworthy – but he didn’t have much time and he needed those potions today.
“How long will this take?” he asked. She hummed, looking over the vial.
“If we start now? I have my ways to… accelerate the process. I can have it ready for you by morning.”
“Deal.” He said the word before he could second guess himself. Come what may, he
needed this. She smiled that unsettling grin again.
“Wonderful. Chimerical, close up shop. We have work to do.”
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