Potions and Poisons (1/3)

"I wonder if you will escape death," Mortilsa murmured, tapping against the glass jar where a giant, fat toad resided. The toad had been subject to many an experiment in the past, and this time it was claimed that the toad had been fed a sample of a deadly poison, leading to fatality in almost every other case. The toad had also been fed a new concoction, a vibrant red substance with the same viscosity as that of blood- dubbed as the elixir of immortality. Mortilsa gently placed the jar onto the wooden table, beside a small cauldron of bubbling red juice. Around the room, Mortilsa glanced at the thousands of pots and jars lined up in cabinets, some old and dusty, others brand new to the shelves.

This room was where the potions were made, one of two rooms (excluding the cellar, where they lived) that made up "Amaizur's Store of Potions and Poisons". Fellow witches, dwarves, elves and elementals would travel from all corners of the land in search of elixirs, although the store itself was unknown to many. Agatha, the aunt of Mortilsa, had inherited the store and learned how to brew all kinds of potions, encompassing emotion potions, plagues and blessings. Agatha was known to many as the Poison Witch.

Aside from the crackling of the fire and gurgling of the cauldron, the store was rather quiet. Mortilsa could hear her aunt  in the front room, engaging in conversation with its only customer.

"Oh, you are so charming, Eerat! I don't know why you ask for such a potion in the first place, surely you must seem magnetic towards women!" Agatha warbled. "But don't you worry, we'll have you sorted at a small price!"

Despite the joy which radiated from Agatha, there was no atmosphere of happiness in the Wraithwoods. Of the two kingdoms, that of light and that of darkness, the Wraithwoods served as the capitol of the kingdom of darkness. The woods were always blackened and the glow of the moon acted as the only source of light, spilling over the forest floor in uneven patches. Sometimes the terrain would sparkle white, where faeries had been passing, although those moments were rare, as most of the creatures of the Wraithwoods were in hiding. Even giants and wolves would only be seen on occasion, wary of the threat whispered through the trees, of an undeclared ruler of the land, known as the Queen of Darkness. 

   She would ride inside a chariot of shadows, and wear cloaks stained with black blood, and had earned a notoriety for her two alleged powers- immortality, and the ability to induce sudden death in others. Mortilsa felt her skin prickle at the thought, eyes wandering to the window to be sure she was safe. Her eyes met only darkness, and her own reflection: the soft curls of black hair drizzling down her shoulders and chest, and those striking green eyes she had always known.

"Yes, Eerat, well don't you worry, I'll just go and get- Mortilsa!" Agatha called out, "Will you come here for a moment please?"

Mortilsa arrived to her aunt's side at the counter, where a fierce-eyed goblin glared up at her from the other side. "Will you look after this kind gentleman while I collect his potion?" Agatha smiled, rushing away.

"It's unusually quiet in here today," The goblin commented, once he and Mortilsa were alone. "Are you closing early today?"

"Yes," She lied, "Aunt Agatha wants to collect more Nightjuice for the sleeping elixirs."

Although Agatha was in need of ingredients, the store would still technically be open, but only for one visitor, who had travelled for weeks from the most northern point in the kingdom of darkness. His name was Huon Greytongue, Aunt Agatha had said, also known as the Emperor of the Undead; one of the most famous men in the kingdom, he travelled along the border with his army of skeletal children, to protect the lands from unwanted visitors. But he was an aged man now, with a reputation to keep, and was taking a secret trip to collect a youth elixir in order to restore his strength and appearance.

Agatha returned with a small vial of translucent blue liquid with a silver lid- Mortilsa could recognise this one easily, the only potion she had learned to identify, the love potion. The goblin, Eerat, snatched the potion from Agatha's hands, his eyes greedy.

"That's three coppers," Agatha reminded him, and he snapped "yes, yes", tossing the coins on the counter as he scurried away, leaving a trail of blue gas smoking behind him. 

************

It was less than two hours later that the great wooden shop door was heaved open, tinkling on a small bell as the visitors entered. Mortilsa was sitting at the counter, as instructed by Agatha, transferring all the copper coins into small brown bags to be stored in the cellar. The two figures that entered were cloaked in blue, each carrying the skeletal hand sigil over their left breast. 

"Aunt Agatha," Mortilsa called, "Our visitors are here."

No reply.

The smaller of the cloaked figures unveiled first, a frail old man with wisps of grey hair sprouting from his head and chin, and eyes of pure black, like two giant pupils, glistening in the candlelight. Huon Greytongue had become weak. Beside the Emperor, the second man was revealed to be his knight, a figure with broad shoulders and a shock of silvery hair over milky, white skin. 

 "My name is Sir Auberon," The knight introduced himself, "protector of the Emperor and companion-protector of the realm of darkness. The Emperor must know where his medicine lies."

"I- I'm not entirely sure," Mortilsa answered, "I've only been living here since the end of last year, but my aunt would be able to tell you..."

Auberon and Greytongue exchanged glances uncertainly. "I'm afraid we cannot stay for long," Auberon warned, "We believe there may have been eyes watching our arrival."

"What do you mean?"

Greytongue answered with a shaky voice, "My dear, there is a strange silence about the forest tonight, it is quieter than usual."

"Our horses could not enter the district," Auberon added, "They simply would not pass the border. We had to leave them, and ever since, it has appeared that... we may not have travelled alone."

Mortilsa nodded, "We could probably keep you here for the night, if you need protection."

"That would be most kind," Greytongue murmured.

Mortilsa bid her visitors to look around the shop, while she left to the back room to fetch her aunt. The room was dark, and the candles had been put out, yet the fire at the end of the room still illuminated the walls in an orange glow, casting long shadows over the shelves and jars and something on the floor. In the centre of the room, Aunt Agatha lay sprawled over the ground, unmoving. Mortilsa choked on her breath, dashing to Agatha's side.

"Aunt, wake up, Aunt Agatha," She cried out, shaking her shoulders, then just the face. Agatha's cheeks were still warm. Not dead, unconscious. There was no sign of an open potion in the room, no scent lingering in the air. The toad had managed to escape from its container, yet the rest of the room seemed untouched. Mortilsa darted from one cabinet to another in search of a potion that may assist, to no avail. The labels were simply roman numerals, an alien language which offered no help in search for a cure.

Mortilsa returned to the shop floor, where the visitors were inspecting relics lined up along open shelves. She approached Sir Auberon, but before speaking, realised the windows were still exposed. Mortilsa began blowing out candles, until the room was dimly lit by a mere three, and Auberon was watching curiously. 

"Do we need it to be any darker?" He asked.

"Sir Auberon, I believe there may be some truth in the belief that you have been followed here," Mortilsa spoke gravely. 

"What?" Alarm sparked in his eyes, and Auberon moved his hand to a sword by his belt.

"Something has put a spell on my aunt," Mortilsa whispered, "and in order to do that, the creature would need to be inside this house..."

A silence suddenly filled the room. For a moment, no one moved. Auberon began to slowly unsheathe his sword. 

"We should go, now," Auberon breathed, and then to Mortilsa, "Come with us- we need to leave. Right now."

She nodded, and Auberon quietly pulled the door open, holding the bell above the door still to prevent any noise. One by one, Auberon, Greytongue and Mortilsa filed out of the room and into the icy air of the midnight forest. Mortilsa shivered, clasping her bare arms. 

"He can't run at all, he's getting weaker," Auberon gestured to the Emperor, "But I know a place we can get to in the meantime."

Mortilsa nodded in agreement, and they began to scurry through the forest, as Auberon took the lead. Mortilsa looked back at her home one last time, and watched as the dim light cast from the windows suddenly vanished into darkness.