“Potionmasters Pt. 20”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

Additional Note: This is a continuation of a previous Take Ten to Write story. Therefore, it would be beneficial to read the previous parts of the Potionmasters story which can be found here.

Prompt: “There’s not enough time!”

The floor begins to shake as I stir the bubbling brew in my cauldron.

“Hurry,” the man urges me.

Berirn rubs against my shins, her purring sending vibrations up through my body. Even though I know she means well, the little movements are actually causing my anxiety to increase.

Berirn’s body pressed against my leg, the trembling floor, the man yelling, it’s all too much.

“Everyone stop!” I shout.

For a single, miraculous moment, everything does stop. Even the floor stops rumbling, as if it was frightened by my sudden outburst.

Unfortunately, my second of peace is just that–a second.

There’s only one ingredient left. The jeir juice.

I scramble around the room, trying desperately to locate the jeir juice. If only I were back home; I know exactly where everything there.

“Time, enough not is there!” the man yells as I run past him.

The shaking gets worse. My feet leave the ground now with every step.

A sudden, sharp crack rings out. The door. It’s starting to splinter. Through the tiny crack, I see a bright, red light.

An eye. It’s glowing, though, with a piercing light. And it’s looking straight at me.

“HURRY!” the man screams.

Bottles drop around me, knocked out of their homes by the shaking ground.

Claws suddenly piece my leg. I look down to see Berirn holding something in her mouth.

Berirn root.

“ENTER, TO ABOUT IS IT!” the man yells, waving a finger at the red eye watching us.

It’s now or never.

I grab the berirn root from Berirn’s mouth and race to the cauldron.

“Cover your eyes,” I tell the man, holding the root over my bubbling concoction. “And whatever you do, don’t breathe in.”

I take a deep breath before dropping the berirn root into my Kingsbane.

Final Comments: This one felt a bit rushed. I think I was trying to put too many actions and descriptions in all at once while getting to the part with the berirn root.

Overall Rating: 😬