Page 15 of Faerie Trials

“Well, get yourself some freesia essence and get to work,” she snapped before turning her attention back to her workstation which was covered in some green goop. “His Majesty is entertaining another titled family this evening and needs asix-course meal this time. The girls and I are going out of our minds trying to get everything right for him and we only have a few more hours to prepare it. Care to join us and do your job or would you rather stare out the window mooning about nothing?”

Of course the king was entertaining again, and of course the staff were going crazy. Whatever King Tywin was up to, he certainly had a lot of guests in the castle these days and not a lot of free time. I was happy about it on one hand because it left him no room to wonder about my activities. On the other hand, that meant there were many more people for me to try and avoid.

“Here.” Raelynn drew a giant blade out of a butcher block and tossed it in the air, catching it by the steel and holding it out handle-first to me.

“I don’t trust myself with a knife,” I told her, walking up to the countertop. “Especially not right now.”

“I don’t care what you trust yourself with. I’m going to need these purple carrots diced before you move on to wash the jewelweed. And for God’s sake, Tavi, don’t crush the blossoms like you did the last time. Her Majesty noticed and she was not pleased.”

As it turned out, I definitely crushed the jewelweed today. I also sliced into my fingers a time or two, dropped a bowl of chocolate mousse into the sink by accident, and broke Raelynn’s favorite blue-and-yellow piece of crockery and totally forgot the words she’d taught me to fix it. Instead of mending the pieces together, I ended up transforming them into a swarm of crickets that promptly jumped out the open window.

She was not happy with me. My eyes blurred, burning, and no matter how I tried, I kept thinking about the spell I’d failed. How Juno stared at me with disappointment.

“You!”

I jerked up at Raelynn’s sharp tone. And when I looked over at the other woman, despite the goo on her nose and in her hair, her scowl made me cringe. She crooked a finger at me to beckon me closer.

“Yes?” The word ended up sounding like a grunt.

“Tavi girl, this is ridiculous,” Raelynn said as she pulled me into her office off the kitchen. She closed the door behind us and shut us in together. “It’s not like you to mess up this much. I’m going to need some answers because as you are, you are a liability and you are going to hurt yourself or someone else. I can’t take a chance on something else going wrong with you around.”

I tried to wave a hand and show her I was all right, and could have sworn I did. Until I looked down and realized my hand was still at my side. My muscles didn’t want to respond. Uh-oh. “School is wearing me out,” I told her plainly. “I’m tired. I haven’t even had any time to eat.” Or rest. Or do anything normal kids do.

Raelynn nodded knowingly and moved her hands to her hips, adopting her standard akimbo pose. “I understand. I do.Myschooling felt like it would kill me before it was all said and done. I’ve been in your shoes, trust me. I think I handled it with a little more aplomb and certainly more grace, but not everyone is blessed with my reflexes.”

“What did you do to get through?” I needed to know. I was desperate. Any kind of secrets she had to share, I would take, because at this rate I was going to pass out from exhaustion and not stand again.

Raelynn stared at me for a long moment, her lips pursed, looking rather intimidating for someone who topped out at just under five feet, and then she sighed, blowing out a breath. “Okay, come on. Let me show you something. Something you’d best be keeping to yourself under penalty of sever repercussions from me and my favorite wooden spoon.”

Although the lilt of her accent made the words seem joking, I knew better. She’d definitely follow through if I didn’t zip my lip.

The pantry to the kitchen remained magically sealed at all times unless you knew the particular spell to open the lock. I did. I also would sneak in there from time to time to steal ingredients I wouldn’t be able to get down at the corner store, ingredients for the potion keeping me out of Kendrick’s sight. No matter where he went or what kind of black magic he tried to work, he wouldn't be able to find me as long as I kept taking the potion.

Raelynn didn’t know I stole from the king’s supplies and I needed things to stay that way. She said the spell to the door, and magic twisted around us, the lock clicking open instantly. I stayed a step behind Raelynn with my face schooled into something neutral. Something to show herI definitely don’t come in here when you aren’t around.

She moved to a shelf and reached above her head with a short hop, grabbing a bag filled with fine white powder.

“Ah-ah!” she cautioned as I stepped closer. Not to grab but to see. “Hold your little horses there, girlie. You can’t have it all. I’m merely showing you what we’ve got to work with.”

Raelynn took a second smaller bag from the pocket of her apron and poured from the first into the second.

“What is this?” I asked her.

“This,” she replied, “is a very special powder made from the root of the Abrichxao plant. It’s found only on the northwest steppes of the Dasha plain in Faerie. The plant has to be harvested under the full moon light during the spring flood or else the properties are half the potency needed. Might as well not use it at all.” Once she had enough in the second bag, she re-tied the first and placed it back on the shelf.

“I’ve never heard of it before.”

Raelynn tsked. “No, you wouldn’t. Your teachers don’t want you knowing about this one. It isn’t going to be taught in any kind of herbalism or botany class because it can be quite addictive.” Memories of her own time in school, apparently, had her chuckling before handing the bag off to me. “This is going to help with your performance and clarity. Think of it as a magical mental boost.”

So Faerie steroids, basically. Although a part of me hesitated, wondering about the benefits—and the side effects—of taking something to help my performance, my hand reached out automatically to take the bag from my boss.

“How do I work with this?” I asked.

She held the bag out, then hesitated. “Listen to me carefully, Tavi, because this is important.Are you listening?” I nearly expected her to grab my chin. “No more than two teaspoons a week. And you have to spread out those two teaspoons across the seven days. Mix it with food, water, whatever you fancy. You should be good to go as long as you spread it out.” She clapped me on the back hard. It was her way. “But youhaveto spread it out and certainly no more than two teaspoons. If you take any more, you run the risk of some serious side effects and chemical dependency.”

We left the pantry with her warning echoing in my ears.

“So don’t go overboard,” she finished. “Got it?”

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