Chapter 51: 51
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I peer at the scrap of paper between my fingers curiously.
"Someone left a note in the book," he says, tying up his long hair away from his eyes. Ithuriel leans over to indicate the book with his index finger, proving its source.
"It fell out, take a look," he prompts, and taps me lightly on the shoulder. I sniff, rubbing my eyes once more.
"Fine, fine," I mutter, and draw the scrap of paper up to my eyes to interpret the tiny scrawl of writing- small enough that I might debate that someone didn't actually want me to read it. At least, it sure seems that way. As my eyes get more and more blurred from tiredness, I find myself debating asking him to read it out for me, then quickly decide better of it.
Sure enough the note reads:
"To stay hidden from the mind soul's power:
Grind two thistleweed stems into a pulp, with the additional flowers of one renolsbane. Let sit with goblin essence for one day and one night. Consume every three days." I squint to read the last scribbled line, blurred and smudged by excess ink.
"If the mind soul realises they are being hidden from, the elixir may be less effective."
I place the piece of paper back down, staring at it carefully. Such neat handwriting, I think to myself, looking at the way each letter is curled, as if each word had a life of its own. I turn it over, but there is nothing on the back. A frown creeps onto my face.
"It could just be a ploy written by some crazy vampire, we don't know if this will even work." I counter. "I mean, what sort of person goes around putting notes in books?"
Ithuriel shrugs and makes to pick up the note off my lap, placing it on top of a cabinet.
"What other choice do we have? Azrael is dangerous, and it is no use me studying this map to try and find the location of the flame if we can't even get past their first line of defence." A gyrating sigh escapes my lips, heavy with the weight of new information, and the tiredness that has slowly begun to creep into my veins.
"I will find them then. We have goblin essence packed in our supplies, thistleweed is on the outer edge of the Great Forest and renolsbane…" I pause for a moment. Ithuriel leans over, tapping out a route on the pad of the arm chair.
"Renolsbane is on the borders of the end. Lilyana used to use it for her elixirs. It's very rare." A shiver spider walks down my spine.
"Oh, wonderful," I mutter despondently.
The end: nobody goes there. Not unless they want to die. Only a vampire would be brave enough to walk to end, or a very stupid mortal. I consider this fact for a moment.
When I was little, Councillor Igor would tell me stories of it, in retrospect probably to deter me from leaving the borders of the Illistrae but then again, I never did leave. Between the creatures of the end, and the vampires of Sezeria, there was always a pretty compelling reason not to go out- every factor pointed to me being eaten alive. That never stopped me from imagining it though.
"Alright I will go," I decide at last, hauling myself up from my chair with the same graciousness as a baby deer. I teeter, wobbling on numb legs.
"It's not like we have any other valid option." I say, half to convince myself.
"Alright then, I will gather your things," Ithuriel insists before I can even think about protesting.
Great, no going back now.
He jumps up to start preparing me a pack for foraging, stuffing into a sachet empty pouches, a dagger, and a couple of bottles of water. I go to grab a cape from the wardrobe and sling it around my shoulders, bracing me from the frigid cold of the outside world. I clip my sword onto my belt, taking a moment to stare at my reflection in the shining hilt. A cold and hardened face stares back at me, eyes alight with a fiery glow. The face of a warrior, and a Queen. I sheath my sword.
"I put a few vials of silver in as well, just in case," Ithuriel adds as I round back into the main room. He hands me the sachet, and takes a moment to spread his wings out behind him, stretching out the stiffness of his back. A part of me feels jealous as I watch; a small ache forming in my chest, the longing to feel feathers on my back again. By now, it seems almost a distant memory. I shake myself.
"I will be back before sunrise, whether I have the ingredients or not. I do not plan to stay out in the Great Forest longer than necessary." I inform him, and Ithuriel nods, pushing back his long hair and puts a fist over his heart.
"May the winds guide you," he nods, and I return the gesture. Just as I move to leave, Ithuriel's voice stops me.
"My Queen?" I turn.
"Yes?" I answer. Ithuriel looks back down to the book that had since returned to his hands. I do not need to read auras to understand the worry written all over his face. I purse my lips, foot tapping impatiently for a response. And then:
"Don't worry, I will tell you when you get back." He says, shrugging it off casually as if the worry was never there, tucking the book under one arm. I look him up and down. It is very unlike Ithuriel to not say what is on his mind. Even when we were little, he would be sure to voice his worries, concerns and critiques, even at the expense of my own dignity. I wonder silently to myself when things had changed.
"Await my return," is all I say, and lugging the sachet over my shoulder, I leave.
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I peer at the scrap of paper between my fingers curiously.
"Someone left a note in the book," he says, tying up his long hair away from his eyes. Ithuriel leans over to indicate the book with his index finger, proving its source.
"It fell out, take a look," he prompts, and taps me lightly on the shoulder. I sniff, rubbing my eyes once more.
"Fine, fine," I mutter, and draw the scrap of paper up to my eyes to interpret the tiny scrawl of writing- small enough that I might debate that someone didn't actually want me to read it. At least, it sure seems that way. As my eyes get more and more blurred from tiredness, I find myself debating asking him to read it out for me, then quickly decide better of it.
Sure enough the note reads:
"To stay hidden from the mind soul's power:
Grind two thistleweed stems into a pulp, with the additional flowers of one renolsbane. Let sit with goblin essence for one day and one night. Consume every three days." I squint to read the last scribbled line, blurred and smudged by excess ink.
"If the mind soul realises they are being hidden from, the elixir may be less effective."
I place the piece of paper back down, staring at it carefully. Such neat handwriting, I think to myself, looking at the way each letter is curled, as if each word had a life of its own. I turn it over, but there is nothing on the back. A frown creeps onto my face.
"It could just be a ploy written by some crazy vampire, we don't know if this will even work." I counter. "I mean, what sort of person goes around putting notes in books?"
Ithuriel shrugs and makes to pick up the note off my lap, placing it on top of a cabinet.
"What other choice do we have? Azrael is dangerous, and it is no use me studying this map to try and find the location of the flame if we can't even get past their first line of defence." A gyrating sigh escapes my lips, heavy with the weight of new information, and the tiredness that has slowly begun to creep into my veins.
"I will find them then. We have goblin essence packed in our supplies, thistleweed is on the outer edge of the Great Forest and renolsbane…" I pause for a moment. Ithuriel leans over, tapping out a route on the pad of the arm chair.
"Renolsbane is on the borders of the end. Lilyana used to use it for her elixirs. It's very rare." A shiver spider walks down my spine.
"Oh, wonderful," I mutter despondently.
The end: nobody goes there. Not unless they want to die. Only a vampire would be brave enough to walk to end, or a very stupid mortal. I consider this fact for a moment.
When I was little, Councillor Igor would tell me stories of it, in retrospect probably to deter me from leaving the borders of the Illistrae but then again, I never did leave. Between the creatures of the end, and the vampires of Sezeria, there was always a pretty compelling reason not to go out- every factor pointed to me being eaten alive. That never stopped me from imagining it though.
"Alright I will go," I decide at last, hauling myself up from my chair with the same graciousness as a baby deer. I teeter, wobbling on numb legs.
"It's not like we have any other valid option." I say, half to convince myself.
"Alright then, I will gather your things," Ithuriel insists before I can even think about protesting.
Great, no going back now.
He jumps up to start preparing me a pack for foraging, stuffing into a sachet empty pouches, a dagger, and a couple of bottles of water. I go to grab a cape from the wardrobe and sling it around my shoulders, bracing me from the frigid cold of the outside world. I clip my sword onto my belt, taking a moment to stare at my reflection in the shining hilt. A cold and hardened face stares back at me, eyes alight with a fiery glow. The face of a warrior, and a Queen. I sheath my sword.
"I put a few vials of silver in as well, just in case," Ithuriel adds as I round back into the main room. He hands me the sachet, and takes a moment to spread his wings out behind him, stretching out the stiffness of his back. A part of me feels jealous as I watch; a small ache forming in my chest, the longing to feel feathers on my back again. By now, it seems almost a distant memory. I shake myself.
"I will be back before sunrise, whether I have the ingredients or not. I do not plan to stay out in the Great Forest longer than necessary." I inform him, and Ithuriel nods, pushing back his long hair and puts a fist over his heart.
"May the winds guide you," he nods, and I return the gesture. Just as I move to leave, Ithuriel's voice stops me.
"My Queen?" I turn.
"Yes?" I answer. Ithuriel looks back down to the book that had since returned to his hands. I do not need to read auras to understand the worry written all over his face. I purse my lips, foot tapping impatiently for a response. And then:
"Don't worry, I will tell you when you get back." He says, shrugging it off casually as if the worry was never there, tucking the book under one arm. I look him up and down. It is very unlike Ithuriel to not say what is on his mind. Even when we were little, he would be sure to voice his worries, concerns and critiques, even at the expense of my own dignity. I wonder silently to myself when things had changed.
"Await my return," is all I say, and lugging the sachet over my shoulder, I leave.
I peer at the scrap of paper between my fingers curiously."Someone left a note in the book," he says, tying up his long hair away from his eyes. Ithuriel leans over to indicate the book with his index finger, proving its source."It fell out, take a look," he prompts, and taps me lightly on the shoulder. I sniff, rubbing my eyes once more."Fine, fine," I mutter, and draw the scrap of paper up to my eyes to interpret the tiny scrawl of writing- small enough that I might debate that someone didn't actually want me to read it. At least, it sure seems that way. As my eyes get more and more blurred from tiredness, I find myself debating asking him to read it out for me, then quickly decide better of it.Sure enough the note reads:"To stay hidden from the mind soul's power:Grind two thistleweed stems into a pulp, with the additional flowers of one renolsbane. Let sit with goblin essence for one day and one night. Consume every three days." I squint to read the last scribbled line, blurred and smudged by excess ink."If the mind soul realises they are being hidden from, the elixir may be less effective."I place the piece of paper back down, staring at it carefully. Such neat handwriting, I think to myself, looking at the way each letter is curled, as if each word had a life of its own. I turn it over, but there is nothing on the back. A frown creeps onto my face."It could just be a ploy written by some crazy vampire, we don't know if this will even work." I counter. "I mean, what sort of person goes around putting notes in books?" Ithuriel shrugs and makes to pick up the note off my lap, placing it on top of a cabinet."What other choice do we have? Azrael is dangerous, and it is no use me studying this map to try and find the location of the flame if we can't even get past their first line of defence." A gyrating sigh escapes my lips, heavy with the weight of new information, and the tiredness that has slowly begun to creep into my veins."I will find them then. We have goblin essence packed in our supplies, thistleweed is on the outer edge of the Great Forest and renolsbane" I pause for a moment. Ithuriel leans over, tapping out a route on the pad of the arm chair."Renolsbane is on the borders of the end. Lilyana used to use it for her elixirs. It's very rare." A shiver spider walks down my spine."Oh, wonderful," I mutter despondently.The end: nobody goes there. Not unless they want to die. Only a vampire would be brave enough to walk to end, or a very stupid mortal. I consider this fact for a moment. When I was little, Councillor Igor would tell me stories of it, in retrospect probably to deter me from leaving the borders of the Illistrae but then again, I never did leave. Between the creatures of the end, and the vampires of Sezeria, there was always a pretty compelling reason not to go out- every factor pointed to me being eaten alive. That never stopped me from imagining it though."Alright I will go," I decide at last, hauling myself up from my chair with the same graciousness as a baby deer. I teeter, wobbling on numb legs. "It's not like we have any other valid option." I say, half to convince myself. "Alright then, I will gather your things," Ithuriel insists before I can even think about protesting.Great, no going back now.He jumps up to start preparing me a pack for foraging, stuffing into a sachet empty pouches, a dagger, and a couple of bottles of water. I go to grab a cape from the wardrobe and sling it around my shoulders, bracing me from the frigid cold of the outside world. I clip my sword onto my belt, taking a moment to stare at my reflection in the shining hilt. A cold and hardened face stares back at me, eyes alight with a fiery glow. The face of a warrior, and a Queen. I sheath my sword."I put a few vials of silver in as well, just in case," Ithuriel adds as I round back into the main room. He hands me the sachet, and takes a moment to spread his wings out behind him, stretching out the stiffness of his back. A part of me feels jealous as I watch; a small ache forming in my chest, the longing to feel feathers on my back again. By now, it seems almost a distant memory. I shake myself."I will be back before sunrise, whether I have the ingredients or not. I do not plan to stay out in the Great Forest longer than necessary." I inform him, and Ithuriel nods, pushing back his long hair and puts a fist over his heart."May the winds guide you," he nods, and I return the gesture.Just as I move to leave, Ithuriel's voice stops me."My Queen?" I turn."Yes?" I answer. Ithuriel looks back down to the book that had since returned to his hands. I do not need to read auras to understand the worry written all over his face. I purse my lips, foot tapping impatiently for a response. And then:"Don't worry, I will tell you when you get back." He says, shrugging it off casually as if the worry was never there, tucking the book under one arm. I look him up and down. It is very unlike Ithuriel to not say what is on his mind. Even when we were little, he would be sure to voice his worries, concerns and critiques, even at the expense of my own dignity. I wonder silently to myself when things had changed."Await my return," is all I say, and lugging the sachet over my shoulder, I leave.
