Chapter 20 The Potion Maker
Lara
Stay where you are. I’m coming.
My legs buckled in relief as soon as I heard Elijah’s voice. Who knew the day could come when I would be happy to hear his voice?
How could someone even think of poisoning children? All my life I believed that wars and fights were between adults and never kids but seeing as someone used the one method that no one would even consider made me realize that people were plainly evil. Poisoning kids through candy. It was diabolical. I needed to make the cure before it got worse, especially that little girl who seemed to have had it the longest.
Instead of stopping completely, I ended up walking back slowly. Elijah met up with me seconds later and looked me all over. “What’s wrong?” He asked. His voice was in a low growl and I felt butterflies erupt in my stomach. His hair was a mess but the good kind. Of course, he hit the attractiveness luck. He could pull off any look and still look like an artist’s muse. I almost swooned but I remembered the poison and sick children and shook myself to reality.
“I’m fine but we need to stop something,” I replied and within seconds, I narrated the entire ordeal to heal from a similar rash to the candy theory. I slowly watched as Elijah’s anger rose and he fumed.
“Whoever is running that candy store had better start praying like it’s their last before I get there.” He said and was about to head out when I stopped him.
“Not now,” I told him and he looked at me like I had also lost it, I rolled my eyes. “You trained everyone here to believe that yet we’re all family. Imagine how they will feel if you stormed the store of the man they trusted with something as fragile as kids’ candy in broad daylight. Everywhere will be a mess.” I explained.
Elijah opened his mouth to argue before shutting it back. He knew I was right. He sighed before running his hand through his hair in frustration. “I can wait a few hours.” He says more to himself than to me.
I nodded, “and discreetly.”
He then looks at the books in my hands then at me. “Can anything be done? We can’t just leave them that way.” He asked and I smiled.
“A healing potion,” I stated proudly. “It’s a bit too complex for the healers but I can make it easily.”
Elijah raised a brow in surprise and I felt my ego skyrocket. “I was taught by the best of the best in potion making so don’t doubt me for a second.”
He stayed silent for a minute before groaning. “What do you need?” I almost did a victory dance and listed out everything I would need to make the potion. I wondered if I should write it down instead but Elijah gave me a nod. “The servers will prepare them for you shortly.”
“Alright,” I said and quickly entered the house. I made a beeline for my room and then the shower. I needed a shower to gather my thoughts. I could do this. Potion making was the one thing I could never do wrong. No when Ma Prudy was my mentor. I let up a deep breath. After the shower, I threw on a pair of cargo shorts and a free T-shirt which I suspected belonged to Elijah. I finally looked at my new hair in the mirror and almost smacked myself. It was beautiful. I don’t know why I was so desperate for Elijah’s opinion. Nevertheless, I packed it up in a messy bun and headed downstairs where I saw the servants flood in and out of the kitchen with every ingredient I asked for.
I was genuinely impressed by how Elijah got everything I said in one go. He’s really smart. I entered the kitchen and put on an apron. I found the one with the fewest flower patterns and wondered why Matilda was obsessed with flower patterns. Elijah met up with me in the kitchen and looked at the ingredients one after the other before nodding his head.
“Do you need anything else?” He asked and I shook my head. “Any assistance? The servants are at your beck and call.” He added and I felt my cheeks redden. He was really entrusting me with this task. I couldn’t afford to slip up.
“Thanks,” I said and he nodded before heading to the sitting room where I noticed Ron and Axel were already seated, engrossed in a deep conversation.
I took a deep breath before filling a pot with water. I opened the book I got from the bookstore and muttered the opening spell and the water slowly thickened and became less transparent. Okay, I was on the right track.
Grind the bitter herbs till they make a paste.
I took out the leaves and bit it a little just to be sure they were the right ones. The bitterness spread throughout my mouth in seconds and I gagged. Yeah, they were the right ones. After washing the herbs, I took the small mortar and pestle from the cupboard and began pounding the herbs. While I did that, I read the next step and figured someone else could be doing that part. I turned towards the kitchen door and saw a servant already on standby waiting for orders. So I instructed her on what to do and she immediately began to do it.
My eyes quickly read through the steps again and I knew I could do it. It was my forte even though I was lacking in a million areas but potion making was the one skill I was confident in. My eyes went over to Elijah who was talking with the other two and I felt a bit of nerves kick in. We may not have seen eye to eye since we met except for certain activities but he was trusting me with this responsibility so I could not let him down.
I was going to make this perfectly.