Page 54 of Wings of Ashes
“The most valuable thing to learn about potions is the importance of science and exact specifications. One potion’s recipe can be turned into an entirely different potion with just a smidge more of a certain herb or ingredient,” Professor Bowen told the class, glancing at Nix for an extra-long second.
He added, “I have left three recipes for potions that are very similar in ingredients. Have a team leader follow the recipe on the green paperexactly,or you could end up with one of the other two, which, trust me, are not potions you would be interested in concocting.”
Nix grabbed a copy of the green recipe and scanned the details.
Two of its ingredients were ones she had searched for in the woods last night for her reversal potion.
One ingredient was specifically one she had an extraordinarily difficult time finding. Hyssop. Just what she needed for another reversal potion dose.
And it was right there. A whole cup of it in a glass jar, on her team’s lab table.
22
CHAPTER
Nix bit her lip and contemplated how she would sneak some hyssop purple blooms into her blazer pocket when no one was looking. It was necessary for another reversal potion.
I will do anything to get the traces of the poison from my system.
“I’ll take the lead on this one,” Nix said. She cleared her throat and tried to sound a bit less tired. “I feel bad that you guys did so much of the work the last few days.”
“You have no prior potion experience,” Bael deadpanned.
“Yes, well, I’m a fast learner. Besides, it’s the same kind of science as baking, and cygnus shifters have to take at least five cooking courses to graduate.”
Nix moved the beakers of ingredients toward her while Bael cursed about how sexist it was to mandate cooking courses. Nix’s fingers stayed wrapped around the hyssop jar.
“Could someone start removing the leaves from the agrimonia?” she asked.
Mara volunteered and grabbed the beaker.
“And um, Ryker?” Nix asked, looking down at her hands as she nervously addressed him.
Yeah, she was pretty ashamed of her interaction with him yesterday in combat class. Sometimes it took a girl’s whole world to fall apart to understand that she should not blindly believe what others have told her.
Does Elle know she is poisoning me?Nix shoved the thought away to deal with at another time.
“Um, Ryker, could you measure the coriander?” she asked.
Ryker nodded, also not meeting her eyes as he began pouring the powder into another glass vial.
“What should I do, Swan Lake?” Bael asked.
Nix bit her inner cheek. “If the purpose of this assignment is communication, patience, and precise and meticulous attention to detail… What if you sat this one out?”
“Burn,” Mara snorted.
Bael smiled and stretched back on his stool. “Sit here and look pretty? Sounds good to me.”
Nix’s hand shook as she raised the jar of hyssop, something she desperately needed to get the rest of the poison and illusion spell out of her system.
They were supposed to need four spoonfuls of the plant’s blossoms for the class’s potion. Meanwhile, she needed only half a spoonful for her potion.
As long as the professor gave us asmidgemore in the beaker…
Damn.
Nope.
