Cursed: Expulsion

Chapter 7 (part 3)

Mel had finally found the place she was looking for; an apothecary. It was a shabby looking store, with very dim lighting. Behind the counter were a multitude of different herbs and potions stacked on shelves. She could see an array of different colours. An eyeball was suspended in some light red potion. A green slimy liquid housed what looked like earthworms scrunched into a ball. Some of them looked like ordinary ground herbs and your everyday seasoning. From the ceiling a number of oddities were dangled. One of these was what looked like a starfish that had herbs growing out of it. Another looked like an oily peace of snakeskin. Mel had to admit, it was a freaky but interesting place.

The man behind the counter was in his late sixties by Mel’s estimate. He was short and had wrinkles all over his face. A large pimple on his cheek distracted her from his deep wise-looking eyes. He had long brown hair that reached his knees, and it looked straighter than most girls’ hair.

“Can I help you, sweetheart?” His rough voice implied that speaking was an effort for him.

“Do you have any gold-leaf potion?” Mel asked straightforwardly.

The old man squinted his wise eyes and rubbed his chin with two of his fingers. “Yes, I do, but it is quite expensive.”

“How much?” Mel asked cautiously.

“Eight hundred Zeds for a jar this size.” He pointed to one of the jars on the shelf that contained a weird type of root.

Mel paused for a second. It seemed like a tiny amount.

“It will be enough to reveal your royal mark only one time, if that is what you’re thinking,” the man said indifferently. Mel’s jaw dropped slightly. She had underestimated this old man.

“How can you tell that I’m royalty?” Mel asked after leaning in towards him, even though there were no other customers to overhear her.

The old man smiled. “You look just like your father. He is a good man.”

“You know my father?” Mel was excited that she had found someone else who did.

“I KNEW your father. I haven’t seen him in about twenty years.” Mel frowned, disappointed. The old man bent over and produced a golden coloured potion from under the counter. “This is gold-leaf potion. It is the most regal of potions. If a royal family member soaks their right hand in this mystical liquid, the symbol of their birth right will show itself; the royal raven will appear.”

“Royal Raven?” She took out her father’s coin from her pocket. “Is this it?” She showed the old man the side with the bird in flight. He nodded.

“That’s the one.”

Mel smiled. “So all I have to do is pour the potion on my right hand?”

The old man nodded with a smile. “It is that simple, sweetheart.”

She breathed nervously and passed him eight hundred Zeds.

“Does that television work?” She pointed to a rusty old screen to the left of the old man. It was level with the counter. The old man nodded. “Can you put on the local news?”

He complied after smiling knowingly. He flipped through the channels till he reached what looked like Zayani news. The screen showed that a building was on fire in the eastern part of the city. Mel read the headline which said:

              “Soldiers negotiating to release hostages, as criminal fire-Herak users make demands.”

That could go on for hours. Perfect! Mel thought. “Can I have a bag for this?” Mel asked with a smile. The old man bagged it and handed it to her. She accepted it and walked towards the door. “Thank you for everything…I didn’t catch your name.” She turned to him.