Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45901 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45901 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
“Please don’t worry—I don’t have much magic that isn’t of the healing variety, so I had one of the witches in town make this spell for me. It comes in handy whenever I need to explain something in writing,” she said. “Now please—attend to me.”
What followed was the most complex and fascinating chemistry lesson I’d ever had. Only it wasn’t actually chemistry like I’d learned in any of my classes at USF back home—it was magical chemistry.
Madam Healer started out simply by listing the ingredients of the potion and then she got more in-depth, writing out their chemical formulas and explaining the spell that was used to weave each one together before they were all added to a single pot and “melded” as she called it.
She seemed surprised when I kept up with her lesson and asked pertinent questions.
“My…no one has ever understood it so well before!” she said. “You must be at the very top of your class back home in the Human Realm, my dear.”
“I have a 4.0 GPA,” I said, unable to keep the pride out of my voice. “But this isn’t like any chemistry I’ve ever learned before.”
“Of course not—but you’re doing quite amazingly well anyway.” She sighed. “Much better than the last apprentice I tried to train. That boy simply could not get his head around the material.”
I could see how someone might have a problem with the potion formula. It really was complex—which was what made it fascinating, as far as I was concerned. It also made Madam Healer’s next question easier to answer.
“Now that you understand it, will you take a sip of the healing potion?” she asked. “I promise it will take away the magical ache from the spelled armor. Your headache will be gone like that.” And she snapped her fingers—which were covered in tiny scales, like the rest of her body—dramatically.
“All right. I’ll take a sip,” I agreed. “Er, but can I stand up first?”
“Better not—what if you get dizzy?” Tark rumbled. It occurred to me that the Orc was extremely strong. He had been holding me patiently all this time, though the lecture had taken almost thirty minutes, but he still seemed reluctant to put me down. And, as I think I mentioned before, I’m not exactly skinny so it couldn’t have been easy to hold me like a baby all this time—though he certainly made it look easy.
“Tark is right—just take a sip for now.” And Madam Healer held the martini glass filled with shimmering purple liquid carefully to my lips. “He can put you down when you feel better.”
I took a careful sip and was surprised at the light, delicious flavor that rolled over my tongue.
“Oh—it actually tastes good! Like some kind of candied flower petals.”
Madam Healer smiled and her forked tongue slipped out from between her perfect lips for a moment.
“Ah yes—I take great pride in the flavor of my potions. It’s not always easy finding non-magical ingredients that won’t react with the magic ones to create a pleasant taste. Now try touching your head, my dear,” she added, gesturing to my forehead. “Does it feel better?”
Carefully, I put my fingers to the lump on my forehead…only to find it was mostly gone.
“Oh—it does feel better!” I exclaimed. “Wow—I’ve never had any medicine that worked that fast!”
“That’s because it’s magical,” she reminded me. “But having said that, I don’t want you leaving Hidden Hollow right away. I need you to stay close just in case there’s any kind of delayed reaction either to the potion or to the armor.”
“Why—do you think there will be?” I asked, feeling suddenly anxious.
She shook her head.
“Almost certainly not, but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I let you leave the Magical Realm right away after having your very first sip of a magical potion.”
“I can watch over her—she can come home with me,” Tark offered quickly. “I’m close to your office so if anything happens, I can bring her right back over.”
“Very well.” She nodded. “Just keep her for an hour or so, will you? If she feels fine at the end of that time, she can go back to the Mortal Realm.”
“An hour?” I exclaimed as the implications of what they were saying hit me. “But I’ve probably already been here at least forty-five minutes—if not longer. If I stay another hour, my boss is going to be so mad at me! I mean, he already hates me. I need to go back right now!”
“Hates you? How could anyone hate you?” Tark rumbled, looking down at me with a frown.
“Don’t worry my dear—I’ll give you my spare time charm,” Madam Healer remarked. She went to the shelves again and this time she came back with a slim golden band that looked a little like a watch. It had a face with all the numbers of the clock marked on it and two black hands. The time it was telling seemed correct, but there was no glass over the face to keep the hands protected.