Prophecies and Lies

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Well, this chapter's cool, I think, so I won't say anything about it--don't wanna spoil anything. Just enjoy, okay? ;).

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          After Blake had left the room, Terrance waited for a minute before leaving himself. “Stay here,” he told Maya.

          “But June-”

          “There’s nothing you can do to help her, let us handle it. Stay…” He closed the door, with Maya inside, and quickly went down to the laboratory. It was empty, no one was here. Still, the flames were still burning, as if the alchemist preparing the potions hadn’t left. Terrance ignored it like he had before. He wasn’t afraid of the potions, nor of the alchemical devices with their strange glass arms and bulbs to keep liquids boiling for hours without letting them vaporize. He was used to those, he knew what they were… but he didn’t know the recipe. A mystery he had to solve.

          Without a moment’s delay, he moved to Coldflower’s desk and took the large tome that held her secret somewhere deep inside. He was only halfway through, and understood only the slightest bit of the recipe. Why it called for blood of a wolf or silver dust, he had no clue, nor why it was vital to keep it boiling until just before drinking. It was something he had never seen before in all his years of being an alchemist, and it made him suspect there was more to the recipe than mere alchemy. Alchemy, infused with bloodmagic, would make a strong combination, but a dangerous one as well. So why take the risk? Why not use normal alchemy?

          He couldn’t figure it out, and it frustrated him. He growled and, in a fit of anger, lifted up the large tome and threw it away. It flew through the smoke and fog, and landed on the floor not too far away, where it kept lying still, taunting Terrance.

          “I can read you,” he muttered. “Just give me time. Time is all I need…”

          But he didn’t have time. How long would it be before Coldflower would be back to defend her secret? And how long did June have? If she lost her importance to him, Nikolai would surely kill her. Why he hadn’t already though…

          “Evangely,” he whispered in stunned realization. Quickly, he reached into his pocket and took out the black Oleyrean orb. “Evangely!” he yelled at it. “Come out, you bastard!”

          The orb sparked orange deep beneath the surface, and it quickly grew to a blaze that raged inside it. A deep voice echoed inside Terrance’s head.

          “Hello Longeway. You wish to converse?”

          “Yes, I wish to converse,” he hissed. “I wish to converse your head off!”

          “Something has angered you. What is it?”

          “What do you think?”

          A dry chuckle. “Surely not the fact that we have outsmarted you once again?”