Potionmasters [IN PROGRESS]

Read the entire Potionmasters story here!

PART 1

“Why won’t you just admit that I’m right?”

I scowl as Hidir strolls past me, hands clasped behind his back.

“Quite simply because you are not right,” he says.

“Oh great, here we go,” I mutter under my breath, rolling my eyes.

“When you add ground hivox teeth to arwa saliva, the resulting reaction causes the creation of kodine gas, which, as you should know by now, is quite dangerous.”

“Yes, but if you’re smart, you’ll be prepared for the reaction and have a bottle ready,” I argue. “Then you can add berirn root and mix thoroughly to get your kingsbane potion.”

“Berirn root is too unstable,” Hidir says with a disapproving frown. “It would be unwise to use such a substance in such a delicate brew.”

“But it’s so much faster than jeir juice!”

Hidir turns on me, his frown deepening. “Time is never of the essence–“

“To a smart potionmaster,” I finish, rolling my eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I know. I just thought that it might save us some time considering the massive shipment of kingsbane that Lord Eidrich just ordered.”

Hidir freezes. “How massive?”

“Five hundred vials,” I say, unable to stop the smirk from tugging at my lips.

Hidir continues his stroll to the doorway, pausing just before he exits. “Then I suggest you collect some more jeir juice during your morning errands,” he says before leaving.

My scowl returns. Great. Just great.

PART 2

I already know that Hidir is going to yell at me when I get back to the workshop, but I just can’t wrap my head around the fact that he wants me to waste my time using jeir juice.

I grunt softly as I push open the door, careful not to drop anything. Awkwardly, I maneuver myself around, just barely fitting through the doorway. The little bell tinkles as the door swings shut behind me.

Like usual, Hidir doesn’t even pop out to check who it is. Typical. Now what if it had been a customer or the king? Honestly, sometimes it’s like I’m the master and he’s the apprentice.

Miraculously, I manage to squeeze into the cauldron room without dropping anything. Hidir’s there, his back turned to me as he stirs something in the golden cauldron, muttering under his breath.

I go about unloading my purchases, completely ignored. A quiet mew finally catches Hidir’s attention.

Slowly, he turns. I brace myself.

“Why did you buy that?!” he hisses, his nose scrunching up as he stares.

I pick up the kitten with a smirk. “Cute, isn’t she?” I say. “She was the runt and no one wanted her, so she was being sold for half price. I just had to bring the poor thing home.”

“No,” Hidir says, shaking his head. “No, this is unacceptable. Completely, utterly–” He breaks off into a sneeze that makes his whole body shake. After wiping his nose, he glares at me. “You know that I’m deathly allergic to cats!”

I shrug. “I just thought that it’d be nice for me to have a companion while I spend the next three straight days waiting around for the jeir juice to react.”

Hidir scowls. “I stand by my words!” he exclaims. Another sneeze racks his body. “While you’re here, finish this Whispering Words potion, will you? I will be… outside.”

Without waiting for me to reply, he runs out of the room. I hear him sneezing again a moment later.

I look into my kitten’s eyes with a chuckle before sighing. “Well, I guess it’s time for us to get to work.”

PART 3

“Can you please just mix it all together?” I ask my kitten with exasperation.

Of course, she just stares back at me.

I let out a deep sigh and walk back over to the cauldron. Day two, and I’m only a quarter of the way through the order of kingsbane. One hundred and twenty-five vials down, three hundred and seventy-five to go.

Sure, this kitten is cute, but she’s also a really big pain in the rear. I mean seriously, how hard would it be for this kitten to give my potion a little stir every now and then?

She looks up at me and mewls. I scratch her behind the ears.

“Okay, fine, I’m sorry I’m being a grump,” I say with a slight chuckle. “It is nice having some company.”

She mews again and rubs against my legs, her tail tickling my fingertips.

“You know what? You need a name,” I say, making sure to keep mixing the potion. Suddenly an idea pops into my mind and I laugh. “I know what I’ll call you. Berirn! Then Hidir will be doubly annoyed when he falls in love with you.”

The kitten purrs as she rubs against me.

“It’s settled then,” I say with a grin, throwing up my arms. Unfortunately, my ladle was full and it goes flying around the room, splattering all over the place.

My eyes widen as the potion begins eating through the non-magicked glass vials containing our entire potion store.

“Uh oh,” I mutter as the room explodes.

PART 4

“A single sprig of ivari!” Hidir screeches, waving it in my face. “Six months of work, and all that’s left is a single sprig of ivari!”

I wince as he continues shouting. Truthfully, Berirn and I are lucky to to have made it out alive. Though I’m starting to wish that I hadn’t.

“Do you know why this single sprig of ivari is still in one piece?” Hidir continues, eyes wide and hair flying.

“No…?”

“Because it got caught on my robe as I was leaving the back room!” he screams.

“Oh.”

I hug Berirn tightly to my chest. I’m kind of scared that Hidir’s going to turn her into a cockroach or something in his anger. After all, she’d been the one distracting me when I sent that ladle of kingsbane flying.

“I’m really sorry,” I repeat. “I’ll won’t sleep until everything’s back to the way it was, I promise.”

Hidir freezes then sighs, arms drooping to his sides. “No, no, don’t be ridiculous. When the merchants come around next week, we’ll purchase some potions to refill our store. I’ll figure out a plan to restock the rest. You just go home and get some rest. You had quite the scare today.”

I’m even more scared now that he’s acting so calm about all this. “Er, are you sure?”

“Yes, of course I’m sure,” he says. “Now go, before I change my mind and turn both you and your cat into cockroaches.”

I don’t need to be told twice. I scurry to the door, pausing only to say another quick “Sorry, master.”

PART 5

It’s been a month since my little… mishap… at the shop. I’ve been working my butt off to make up for destroying all our work, but I can tell that Hidir’s still mad at me. I don’t blame him; I’d be furious if my apprentice blew up my entire store of potions too.

So, while I’ve been running around purchasing the potions that Hidir needed, I’ve been trying to think of the perfect gift to give him to make up for it. And, by pure chance, I found it.

Now, it’s time to see if Hidir likes it.

“Berirn, come here,” I whisper. She trots up to me, the bell on her collar making a pleasant jingle. She sits down beside me and starts cleaning her whiskers.

I hold my present in front of her face. “So, what do you think? Is Hidir going to like it?”

Berirn’s tail wags, brushing over my boots.

“I think so too,” I say with a nod. Carefully, I wrap the present in the finest gift paper I own before standing up. “Come along, Berirn, let’s go to the shop.”

Berirn mews as she follows me out.

When we arrive to the shop, Hidir is nowhere to be seen. I duck into the back room to see him stirring a cauldron full of what I presume is kingsbane.

“I could’ve finished the shipment, you know,” I tell him.

“No, I’ve got it under control,” he says, his voice short.

“Your hair is telling me otherwise,” I mutter, staring at the clump of frizzy strands on top of his head.

“Why are you here?” he asks without looking up. “It’s late.”

“I know, but I wanted to give you something.”

“Oh?”

He promptly stops mixing and looks up at me. “Well?”

I pull the present out from my pocket and hand it to him.

“Why are you giving me garbage?”

I frown at him. “That’s premium gift wrapping paper from Norid’s boutique.”

“Norid’s boutique is a scam,” Hidir mumbles, but he still rips open the package.

The paper tumbles to the ground as he stares at his present. “What is it?”

“It’s a decoration,” I say, excitement making my voice high-pitched. “I thought that you could put it on the front desk for customers to see when they enter. And the best part is, it’s made of a magicked material that’s unaffected by any type of potion. At least, that’s what the merchant told me.”

Hidir turns the little plant decoration around in his hand. “Oh? And what exactly is this material called?”

“Pla-stic,” I say, the word feeling strange in my mouth.

Hidir sighs. “Foolish child,” he mumbles, shaking his head. “This is from the merchant from North Dirkid, isn’t it?”

“Yes…?”

Without a word, Hidir turns and exits the back room. I glance down at Berirn.

“What did I do wrong this time?” I sigh.

PART 6

The smell of something burning draws me to the front of the shop. I peek out to see Hidir holding my little plant decoration from the tips of his fingers, watching it as it burns.

“Hey! What are you doing that for?” I screech, jumping forward.

Hidir holds his arm out to block me and I stop in my tracks; even though I could easily knock him over, I’m well aware by now that the shop is filled with very flammable potions.

“So I’m guessing you didn’t like your present,” I mutter.

Hidir waves the plastic plant in my face. “You see this? This is some sort of dark, unnatural magic. What else did you purchase from the North Dirkid merchant?”

“Umm, three clumps of diriweed, five bie roots, and eighteen bottles of jeir juice.”

Hidir’s eyes widen. “Jeir juice?”

“Yeah, for the kingsbane.”

Hidir shoves the burning plant at me and dashes into the back room. I let out a small yelp as the burning sensation reaches my fingertips. Looking around wildly, I see Berirn pushing a metal bin toward me. I drop the plastic plant in and watch it melt into a puddle of goo.

“Hidir’s right,” I tell Berirn. “That stuff’s not natural.”

A sudden howl interrupts my thoughts. Berirn licks her paw calmly as I race past her. I fling the curtains to the back room open to see Hidir’s hair on end once again. He’s perched on a shelf, trapped on the other side of the room by a puddle of bubbling kingsbane that’s covering the floor.

I put a foot out to stop Berirn from entering as I survey the room. “Well,” I say slowly, “that’s unfortunate.”

PART 7

I’d like to say that I do well in high-pressure situations, but that would be a big fat lie. I’m horrible under pressure, and even worse when my mentor is screaming at me to help get away from the potion covering the floor that burns skin on touch.

“You NEVER buy ingredients from the North Dirkid merchant!” Hidir screeches. “NEVER! Do you understand me?!”

“Yeah, yeah, I understand,” I mutter.

“Good. Now GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!”

I wince at his tone and race out of the room to find a ladder or something that Hidir can climb across to reach the doorway. As I tear apart the shop, I suddenly remember; I lent our ladder to Urielle last week because she needed to fix a leak in her roof. Without Hidir’s permission, of course.

“Hidir’s going to kill me,” I mutter to Berirn.

She sits with a quiet mew and starts to groom herself.

Well, there’s no use regretting it now. Hidir’s screams follow me as I run out of the shop to find Urielle.

Of course, she’s not home. Neither is her husband, nor any of her five children.

I continue racing around the village, trying to find something, anything, that can help.

Eventually, I do find a ladder. It’s leaning against the castle wall, which means that it’s either being used for construction or an attack. Either way, there’s no way they’ll miss just one of their ladders, right?

Without hesitation, I grab it and rub back to the shop, almost tripping and rolling down a hill on my way back. Somehow, I make it back in one piece.

I throw the curtain open to see that the potion on the floor is still rising. Hidir immediately begins shouting again when he sees me and I lower the ladder to him with trembling hands.

Miraculously, Hidir’s able to crawl across safely. As soon as his feet are back on solid ground, he grabs me and runs to the exit.

The door closes behind us and the shop explodes. I’m thrown away and land next to Berirn, who lets out a soft yelp.

I groan as I roll over to look at the damage. When I see the shop, I let my head drop back to the ground.

I’m so dead.

PART 8

Surprisingly, I’m still alive. Hidir didn’t even yell at me for blowing up the shop for the second time in the same number of months.

Actually, now that I think about it, maybe there’s a reason for his calmness. Maybe he was expecting me to mess up again.

That’s countless times worse than him yelling at me.

My stomach is one big knot as I trail behind Hidir on our way to the city. To be completely honest, I don’t know why he still keeps me around. I’ve displayed zero qualities of a trustworthy and knowledgeable Potionmaster, yet he continues to tolerate my presence.

“Master?” I ask, quickening my pace. “May I ask a question?”

Hidir glances at me, eyes filled with concern. “I don’t recall ever hearing you ask for permission to ask a question before.”

My feet shuffle along the ground. I focus on them to avoid his eyes as I ask, “Master, why haven’t you dismissed me yet? This is the second time I’ve caused major damage to the shop, but you continue to keep me in your employ.”

Hidir stops walking, and I realize a few paces too late. I stop as well and glance back at him.

His face is filled with warmth, almost as if he pities me. Does he pity me? Does this have something to do with my being an orphan?

“You have no idea how special you are, my dear child,” he says gently.

“I’ve set you back months of work, destroyed thousands of rollons’ worth of ingredients, and questioned every order you’ve given me,” I protest. “Just admit it; it’d be easier to be rid of me.”

“Oh, no doubt,” Hidir agrees with a nod. “However, the thought never even crossed my mind.”

“Is it because I’m an orphan?” I ask, probably much too harshly. Still, I need to know.

“Of course not,” he says, frowning. Then his expression softens again. “You have a remarkable talent for Potionmaking, and your constant questioning of my methods is what separates you from all the other apprentices I’ve had. Yes, they were more easily trained, however I hardly think that blind obedience is a worthy trait in any craft, especially one as subtle and precise as Potionmaking.”

“But–“

“No,” Hidir says firmly. “You are staying with me, and that is that. Now, pick up those feet. We’ll need to make up ground if we want to get this jeir juice before the merchant leaves.”

PART 9

“I never want to go back there!”

I wince as another bottle smashes on the other side of the wall behind me. Berirn is huddled at my side, just as she always is during these fights.

“It’s okay,” I tell her, stroking her head. “It’s just Corell having another one of his fits.”

Berirn lets out an annoyed mewl before slowly slinking away.

The room beside me goes quiet as Corell finally calms down. It’s days like today that I wish I had taken Hidir up on his offer to go live at the shop with him rather than at the orphanage. Then again, after the incidents from the past few days, I’m glad to be able to give him a bit of space.

A knock on my door. I turn around to see Corell standing in the doorway, clutching his teddy bear to his chest.

I hold back a sigh; it’s not exactly polite to sigh at the mere sight of a five-year-old in your doorway.

“Whatcha up to?” he asks, walking into my room and dropping onto the ground next to Berirn. Surprisingly, she doesn’t seem to mind him constantly pulling her tail.

“Trying to finish this batch for Hidir,” I tell him over my shoulder as I continue mixing. I’m going to need a serious massage when I’m done.

“Why are you doing it here?” Corell asks frowning at the cauldron that’s taking up most of my room.

“The shipment’s already two months late,” I mutter. “I’m just trying to help however I can. That includes working some late nights at home.”

Corell falls silent for a moment before asking, “Are you going to make this home explode too?”

I stop mixing abruptly and turn to face him. He’s still petting Berirn innocently.

“Go on, get out of here,” I tell him softly. “It’s late.”

Corell pouts but gives Berirn one more pat before grabbing his stuffed animal and leaving.

PART 10

It’s still dark out when I leave the house. Hidir isn’t expecting me for another few hours, but I want to get this load of potions to the shop before he wakes up to surprise him.

Still, Corell’s words linger in my mind. Does everything I touch just explode?

The box of potions rattles as I struggle to fit through the door. Even though I made sure to cork them and package them all tightly, they’ve somehow already gotten loose. And this is just the first box out of fifteen that I’ve got to carry over to the shop.

“You don’t think you could suddenly grow hands and help me with these, could you?” I whisper to Berirn, setting down the box.

She ignores me and climbs up on top of the box, curling her tail around her paws.

“Yeah, I didn’t think so,” I mutter, bending down to stroke her head.

The next fourteen boxes are equally shaky, but I’m able to get them outside without incident. But that was the easy part; now I’ve got to load them up onto my carriage to transport them to the shop.

“We’ve got this,” I tell Berirn.

She licks her paw and drags it over her ear.

I chuckle. “Yeah, we’ve got this.”

I won’t say that I’m weak, but I’m also not one of the strongmen who comes around with the travelling circus. I’m just… average.

Average people apparently tire easily, because I’m only partway through lifting the boxes up onto the carriage before my arms start protesting.

I sit down heavily next to Berirn, who’s still perched on top of her crate.

“You sure you can’t grow those arms?” I pant.

She mewls and paws at one of the bottles.

Kingsbane. When used in the correct dosage, gives the user increased strength and speed. When used in the incorrect dosage, causes hallucinations, brain damage, and death.

Honestly, lifting any more of these boxes might cause me death anyway. Plus, I’ve been around kingsbane long enough to know what the correct dosage is.

“Alright,” I tell Berirn, taking a bottle. Popping open the cork, I say, “Wish me luck.”

I tip the bottle back against my lips and take a gulp. Just one extended gulp should be enough.

I cork the bottle and place it back into the box. The effects of the kingsbane are already beginning.

I grab the first box and easily lift it onto the carriage. Then the next box, then the next. In no time at all, all the boxes are safely stored in the carriage.

“Okay, Berirn,” I say, jumping on the balls of my feet with all my newfound energy, “let’s go.”

PART 11

Okay, so in retrospect, throwing everything into the closet probably wasn’t one of my best ideas. Still, with all my extra energy, I couldn’t bear just sitting around and waiting until Hidir woke up. Besides, what harm could a little reorganization do?

At least, that’s what I thought thirty minutes ago before I completely rearranged Hidir’s closet to make room for the kingsbane shipment I had brought. Now, I realize that they’re not supposed to go in the closet, but all the shelves were full and the back storage room is still under construction from my last little mishap.

But with the effects of the kingsbane finally wearing off, I’m beginning to realize that I’ve made yet another huge mistake. Well, more than one mistake.

My second mistake was the closet. Yes, I’m probably going to be spending the rest of today putting everything back to the way it was; Hidir’s very particular about putting things exactly where he wants them.

Then again, I might not even be around for the reorganization of the place. Remember that little warning label on the kingsbane bottle? ‘When used in the incorrect dosage, causes hallucinations, brain damage, and death.’ Yeah, well about two seconds ago, I realized that I never actually rearranged the closet. In fact, I’m not even sure I brought the kingsbane with me in the first place.

At least I realize that I’m hallucinating. Or rather, I think I’m hallucinating?

Uh oh…

PART 12

“Wake up!”

“Mmm…”

“WAKE UP!”

“Gah!”

I bolt upright, my forehead colliding with Hidir’s.

“Ow,” I yelp, rubbing my head. Everything’s spinning. “Ow.”

“Stupid child,” Hidir mutters, shaking his head. “What were you thinking, taking kingsbane?”

“Er, I guess I wasn’t,” I admit before sighing. “I’m sorry, master. I just wanted to get the kingsbane here on time.”

“Well,” Hidir says, looking around, “I would say that you accomplished just that and perhaps even a little bit more.”

I follow his eyes and my heart drops. “What happened?” I whisper.

Hidir stands up and offers me his hand. I take it and allow him to help me to my feet.

“I believe you tried reorganizing the shop,” Hidir says, a hint of amusement in his voice.

“I guess you could say that,” I mumble.

Not a single bottle is on a shelf. Everything’s scattered across the ground, seemingly organized carefully by… some sort of criteria. I’m sure I knew exactly what I was doing when I was doing it but now… I don’t even have the words to describe what I’m looking at.

“Master,” I begin, but Hidir cuts me off.

“No need to apologize,” he says, resting a hand on my shoulder. “Your intentions were pure, even if your methods were not the most thought-out.”

I sigh. “I’ll clean it all up right away.”

Hidir nods. “Yes, that would probably be best. Oh yes, and before I forget, the cat left earlier. Seemed to have something on her mind. Strange one, that cat.”

I can’t help it; a smirk starts creeping over my face. “You like her, don’t you?”

Immediately, Hidir scowls. “Clean this up!” he shouts over his shoulder as he stalks out of the shop. “I expect the shop to be back to normal when I get back.”

As the bell on the door jingles, my smile remains. Hidir likes my cat! Oh yeah, and I guess I survived a near-death experience, but that’s not nearly as exciting.

PART 13

Night’s fallen, and Berirn still isn’t back. I’m just finishing up cleaning the shop while Hidir is in the back, working on some order. We haven’t had any customers today–probably because it looks like the shop blew up once again–but Hidir told me that he’s gotten a ton of orders through our new mail service. Either that, or he just told me that so that I wouldn’t feel bad about making the shop look like a mess.

Honestly, I don’t know why Hidir keeps me around. Sometimes, I think that I should just quit so that I can stop being a burden on him. Then again, I don’t really have anywhere to go, and I know I’d kick myself if I let the chance to become a Potionmaster slip by.

Hidir pokes his head out from the back. “Are you almost finished?”

I nod, placing the last bottle on its shelf. “Done.”

“Good,” he says. “Go home.”

“But I haven’t helped you with these new orders.”

“Go home,” he repeats. “And don’t forget about that cat.”

A grin pulls at the corner of my mouth. “I know you like her!” I call after him as he disappears back into the room.

With a sigh, I collect my jacket and head out the door. I’ve probably caused Hidir enough trouble already, so I won’t bother him.

Anyway, he’s right; I need to find Berirn.

I call her name as I walk around the streets, but who am I kidding? She’s a cat, of course she’s not going to come when I call her.

Still, it’s strange that she just ran off like that. Usually, she’s attached to me. I think that this is the longest she’s ever been away from my side.

I pass Thrum on the street. “Hey, have you seen a cat coming this way?” I ask him.

He shakes his head and grunts in true Thrum fashion.

“Okay, thanks,” I say, giving him a wave as I continue on my way.

Maybe Berirn went straight home? Though it would amaze me if she were able to find her way home by herself since, again, she’s a cat.

A quiet scuffling catches my attention.

“Berirn?” I call.

The sound stops.

Immediately, I head toward the alleyway. Yes, it’s sketchy here, especially at this time of night, but if it’s Berirn she could be in danger. And it’s my duty as her owner and best friend to make sure that she’s safe.

“Berirn?”

Still nothing. Everything is pitch black.

I step forward and find myself falling. A scream tears itself from my throat as I tumble through the air.

Someone should really tell the builders that there’s a hole in the alley.

Bright light suddenly appears, blinding me. My voice runs dry, leaving my throat scratchy.

I hit the ground–at least, I assume it’s the ground–and the air is pushed from my lungs.

“Ow,” I mutter, rolling over, my eyes still tightly closed.

A soft mew comes from my left.

“Berirn?”

Slowly, I open my eyes and I gasp.

It’s beautiful here. Snow covers the ground and the trees. But the sky… The sky is spinning. I don’t know how else to describe it, other than captivating.

Something warm and soft rubs my legs. I look down to see Berirn purring as she wraps her tail around my fingers.

“Oh, Berirn,” I sigh with relief. I crouch down and scoop her up, cradling her in my arms. “Alright, well let’s see where you’ve brought us.”

PART 14

Something zips past my ear, leaving a gust of wind trailing behind. Berirn lets out a startled yelp as the same creature passes in front of her face. The creature stops, wings invisible as it hovers in front of Berirn. I barely get a glimpse of its long beak and vibrant colours before it takes off again.

Berirn’s lips are still drawn back over her teeth, but the creature doesn’t make another appearance.

I sigh; sure this new place was exciting at first, but now I just want to go home. It’s cold and wet and the night’s starting to fall again. Plus, neither of us have eaten since yesterday morning.

“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” I ask Berirn.

She meows and continues trotting forward, ears flat on her head as if she’s expecting that tiny creature to return.

I guess this is what I get for following a cat. Sure, Berirn looks like she knows what she’s doing, but do cats really ever look like they don’t know what they’re doing?

Berirn meows again before sitting down. She starts grooming herself, apparently oblivious to the fact that we’re all alone in the middle of an empty field.

I’m about to open my mouth to yell at her, but a sudden huge gust of wind makes me freeze.

It’s a creature. A gigantic, shiny, silver, flying monster.

And it’s heading straight for us.

PART 15

Berirn lets out a yowl as the silver monster unleashes a massive gust of wind toward us. I grab her, barely able to hold on as the monster lands in front of us.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, a little voice is screaming at me to run. My body, for some unknown reason, ignores that voice. At least my arms had enough sense to grab Berirn before she got blown away.

Slowly, the wind dies down. I risk opening my eyes to see that the monster is sitting in front of us, completely still.

“Is it dead?” I whisper to Berirn, still clutching her tightly.

She mews and wriggles free from my grasp.

Sunlight bounces off the monster’s head, nearly blinding me. Another flash of light catches my eye.

A figure descends quite literally from the belly of the beast before striding toward me. A smaller creature follows, trotting at the figure’s heels.

The figure–a person–stops in front of me. Her cat sits at her feet, tail wound nearly around its paws.

“Hello,” the girl says with a smile.

“Hi?”

“You two should come inside,” she says. “Berirn will surely catch a cold if you stay out here much longer.”

I freeze. “How did you know Berirn’s name?”

The girl laughs. “You always were the funny one, weren’t you? Seriously, though, come inside. It’ll be much easier to talk when we aren’t freezing our butts off.”

PART 16

“So, what brings you all the way out of Thriddinberg?” the girl asks, banging pots and pans together as she prepares some sort of concoction.

Her cat sits on the table in front of me and Berirn, locked in an intense staring contest with us. I think he’s winning.

“Well?”

The banging has stopped. I look up to see the girl watching me expectantly.

“Oh. Well, Berirn brought us here.”

“I know,” the girl says with exasperation. “But why?”

“How am I supposed to know?” I snap. “And am I really supposed to believe that we know each other?”

She frowns. “Jeez, no need to bite my head off. I’m just trying to make conversation.”

I sigh. “Sorry, you’re right. I guess I’m just a bit freaked out still after falling through a hole and landing in… whatever you called this place.”

Suddenly, the girl is directly in front of me. Her eyes match the intensity of her cat’s. “Did you just say that you fell through a hole?”

“Yes…?”

She yells a curse before starting to run around. “Quick, Argus, we need to move.”

Berirn moves onto my lap, curling her tail around her legs as we watch the girl and her cat move around in panic.

“Er, sorry, but what’s going on?” I ask.

The girl pauses for a moment, her face white. “The Great Awhoops,” she whispers. “They’re coming.”

PART 17

“‘The Great Awhoops’?” I ask with disbelief. “What in Nogwog’s Spiky Helm is that?”

The girl ignores me, instead choosing to slap the walls of this massive, silver structure we’re in. She must be some sort of witch; that’s the only reason why she’d be acting so erratically.

I wish that Hidir was here. He’d probably be able to make more sense of this than me.

Suddenly, the floor rumbles. I almost lose my balance as the entire building rocks. On my lap, Berirn lets out a yowl of alarm and digs her claws into me.

“What was that?” I shout at the girl.

She’s sitting in front of a large window, intent on whatever’s outside.

“Hold onto something!” she yells back.

Suddenly, the entire building lurches upward. I grab Berirn with one arm and the back of my chair with the other. Still, I’m barely able to hold on and my feet go flying off the floor. Not sure what else to do, I close my eyes tight and pray to Nogwog that we’re going to be alright.

Just as abruptly as it started, the building straightens itself out. I’m almost thrown from my chair and just barely keep a hold on Berirn. My grip loosens and I’m about to let out a sigh of relief when we get thrown into the air again.

“A Great Awhoop!” the girl screeches. She turns to me and I see my fear reflected on her face. “You need to go! Right now!”

“Go where?!”

She points down the hallway. “Argus will show you. I’ll buy you time!”

“But what about you?”

“JUST GO!”

Argus scratches at my hand before racing down the hallway, somehow managing to stay on his feet. I stumble after him, trying my absolute hardest not to drop Berirn.

Argus stops at the end of the hallway in front of a door. He looks up at me and points at it with his tail.

“O-okay,” I stutter, grabbing onto the doorknob. I yank it open and, for the second time in two days, Berirn and I fall down into a black hole.

PART 18

This time, I land hard on my side. Beside me, Berirn lands softly on her feet before trotting to me and nudging me with her nose.

“I’m alright,” I groan, rolling over. I open my eyes to see a face with large eyes peering down at me.

“Okay, you?” the man asks, his face uncomfortably close to mine.

“Er, yeah, I think so.” I push myself up to sitting and scoot away from the man. His eyes follow mine. I don’t think he’s capable of blinking.

My hand hits something soft. I look down to see that I’m sitting on a bunch of pink petals. Nearby, Berirn’s on her back, rolling around in them and batting at them with her paws.

“Where are we?” I ask.

“Vidirii in are, we,” the man replies. “Flowers pink of city.”

“Uh huh.” As if that’s supposed to mean anything to me. Of course now I regret not listening to Hidir during my geography lessons.

“Vacation on you, are?”

“Umm, no. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure why we’re here.”

The girl’s white face, eyes wide with panic, is imprinted in my memory. She sacrificed her life to save Berirn and me from the Great Awhoops, whatever those are. Some part of me feels the need to help defeat the Great Awhoops. But the other, more rational part of me just wants to go home.

“You chase Awhoops Great did?”

I stare at the man, startled. It’s almost like he read my mind.

“Mind your read can I, yes,” the man says with a nod, as if that’s something completely normal. Actually, maybe it is normal around these parts, how am I supposed to know?

Unsure of how else to respond, I just nod.

“Me with come,” he man says, standing up. He sticks his hand out to me and I take it, letting him help pull me to my feet. “Danger great in are, you.”

PART 19

I’m not sure why, but the thing that sticks out the most to me in Vidirii is how smooth the bark is on the trees. Maybe it’s the hours I spent with Hidir learning about all the types of plants and what their uses are, but I can’t get the thought out of my mind. Maybe I should ask this strange man if I can slice off some bark to bring back to Hidir; maybe he’s heard of these types of trees before.

My heart suddenly feels heavy. What if I never see Hidir again? Or worse, what if I do see him again and he’s so mad at me for running off that he fires me as his apprentice?

“Here, wait,” the man says suddenly, stopping in front of a gigantic pink door.

Berirn’s tail wraps around my legs as the man walks over to a collection of knots in the wood. Sticking out a finger, he methodically taps on the knots. I hear a faint click and the door swings open.

“Come,” he says, waving for me to follow him.

I bend down to scoop up Berirn as we walk inside. Once we’re inside, the door swings closed and I jump.

“Hurry,” the man hisses, grabbing my arm and starting to drag me along. It takes all my attention not to trip and fall.

Finally, the man stops. A door in front of us opens and I’m momentarily blinded by light. When my eyes, adjust, I see a familiar tool.

The man leads me to the cauldron and points. “Potionmaster are you?”

“No,” I say quickly, shaking my head. “Not for another ten years. I’m still an apprentice.”

The man frowns. “Potions brew, can you?”

“Well, yes.”

“Potionmaster, are you then,” the man says with a firm nod.

“Well, just because I can make potions doesn’t mean that I’m a Potionmaster,” I protest. Inwardly, I wince; I can just imagine Hidir beginning his lecture about all the experience I’m missing that would make me a full Potionmaster.

“Kingsbane, brew how know you?” he asks, moving to the side of the room. Reaching up, he pulls open a cupboard to reveal some familiar ingredients.

A grin spreads across my face as Berirn leaps from my arms. “Now that’s a potion I know how to make,” I say, rolling up my sleeves.

PART 20

Of course all the most obscure ingredients would be available–there was even some berirn root hiding in the back corner of the cupboard!–but the most common and simple of ingredients would be missing.

“Do you have any lavender?” I ask, glancing up at the man.

He shakes his head.

Great.

“I can’t finish the kingsbane then,” I sigh, stepping away from the cauldron. “I’m sorry, but I need lavender.”

The man frowns. “Lavender is what?”

“Um, a purple flower. It looks a bit like all those pink ones outside, but it’s taller and purple.”

The man’s frown deepens. “Lavender… lavender…” Suddenly, his eyebrows shoot up. “Lavender!”

Without explanation, he bolts out of the room, leaving Berirn and me alone with the half-finished bubbling pot of poison.

To be continued…