Chapter 23
Elise was glad Susanne had advised her to arrive later that day. During her sleep, she had experienced the most intense dreams in all her eighteen springs. Those wicked brews had rattled her from head to toe, and now even Bruno looked weary on her shoulder as she made her way to the castle.
She walked toward the gates at a brisk pace with only one intention in mind: She was determined to make the finest impression possible. They would be so pleased with her diligence that she would soon be granted the freedom to roam the gardens during the evening hours.
Elise had shared her grand plan with Morgaine and Beth, and they had been fully in support of it.
At dawn, however, Elise had risen in such a stupor from the few sips of Beth’s brews that she had managed to walk directly into a wall while preparing breakfast. The two witches, who had remained awake all night, were still deep in celebration, laughing, eating, and drinking as if the night had never ended.
Morgaine, noticing the unsteady effects the brews had on Elise, saw fit to prepare a potion that would help her perform any task with the smoothest of graces.
The miraculous remedy was called the Dutiful Maid Potion.
Her protector whispered the chant carefully and keenly advised her to use the powers of the concoction with restraint.
Elise had wished to make a good impression on the fairies completely on her own, but out of curiosity, and feeling her eyelids growing heavier, she decided to test the potion’s benefits just a bit.
She took a small swallow and whispered, “By dusting and fetching...”
But before she could finish the chant, her eyes flew open, and even Bruno startled. The crow eventually settled back on her shoulder, and she walked at an even faster pace to the gates.
Feeling her entire body filled with extraordinary energy, she reached the gates in no time.
Once there, she only needed to tell the guards that this was her first day.
The men recognized her at once and brightened at the sight of her.
One of them offered to escort her to the fairies’ quarters, and Elise complied with great relief.
It was difficult to keep her hands steady, but she managed to place them at the sides of her ample skirt, burying them among the many folds of russet linen. Her cape, a new creation in the most exquisite shade of mulberry, concealed much of her black leather bodice and cream ruffled blouse.
When Elise and the guard reached the catacombs, she could tell she had arrived with some delay.
Dozens of women and a couple of men hurried about with herbs and vials while others remained occupied with washing.
A whole line of bells rang through the halls while people bustled from one side to the other.
The guard bowed to Elise upon seeing Susanne approaching from afar.
Elise suddenly felt nervous, seeing how composed everyone appeared and imagining they were all far more experienced in the hard labor of potion-making.
“Dear Elise,” Susanne said kindly. “Welcome.”
Elise curtsied and returned the warm smile. “Thank you for the opportunity. You won’t be disappointed.”
Susanne let out a small chuckle. “I suspect I won’t. Come with me.”
Elise followed the woman whom she regarded with the fondness of a fairy godmother. From afar, she spotted Fabian directing a group around a potion table. She nodded in acknowledgment, and the man did the same, though not without some grumbling she could hear even from a distance.
Susanne took her to the gardens, and soon they stood before an immense enclosed herb terrace filled with hundreds of plants. The place was so beautiful that even its ceiling was lined with greenery and flowers.
“This is the herbarium, my dear.” Susanne swept her gaze around the many beds of plants. The place was filled with so much color and fragrance that Elise felt a measure of peace.
“I made special notes for you to pick sprigs, bundles, and leaves of all the plants,” the fairy continued with a hesitant look, handing Elise a hefty bunch of papers. “I know it’s perhaps too much to ask, but worry not, you’ll have plenty of time to complete it.”
Elise took the notes from the fairy and nodded. There were baskets on the far side of the herbarium, and she figured the rest would be easier.
“If you have any questions, come to the workshop and ask for me or Fabian. He already knows about your task,” Susanne said as she left Elise to her new duties.
Outdoors, as Elise liked to be whenever possible, she felt things could not have gone better. The task was simple enough that she relaxed enough to enjoy the breeze. She set the thick bunch of paper on the wooden table while Bruno settled himself among some vines by the ceiling.
She picked up a basket and started her labor, feeling that the effects of the Dutiful Maid Potion had already faded.
Elise took every sprig carefully and arranged each herb in the basket with the utmost delicacy. After collecting a total of twenty out of the five hundred herbs required, she set off toward the workshop to make certain this was what they were expecting.
The chamber was now in an even greater state of disarray than before.
By Elise’s account, it had not even been half an hour since her arrival, but things already seemed volatile in there.
She looked for Susanne but found only Fabian.
With some hesitation, she approached the man, noticing immediately that he was still wearing the same outrageous red leggings from the day before.
“Morning,” she said.
Fabian turned to her with a frown. “Did you finish already?”
“I came to see if this is how you expect the herbs to be collected.”
He gave the basket a quick glance, then swallowed. Elise was certain she had done well, for the contents of the basket appeared to her no less beautiful than tiny bouquets of flowers. She had even cut ribbons she found by the table to give the whole thing a finished presentation.
But the pride in her work soon faded when the man took the basket from her and mumbled, “Next time, don’t come back until you’ve finished collecting them all. I don’t have time to inspect little bits of work.”
“But—”
“But nothing,” Fabian muttered. “Do as I say.”
Elise gave a weary nod. A small worry filled her momentarily at the thought that she had to finish everything that very day. It was not the impression Susanne had given her, but she did not protest.
She went back with a sigh. But just as she reached the exit, something gave her a little hope.
She saw Susanne return through another door and approach the basket that contained all the herbs she had collected.
The old fairy wore an expression of satisfaction that told Elise enough.
Fabian stood at her side, seemingly complaining, but Susanne appeared perfectly at ease all the same.
Elise suspected there was no way to get on Fabian’s good side. Nonetheless, she set herself to accomplish the impossible. After all, she had a little magical aid.
*****
“By dusting and fetching, allow me to do my serving,” Elise whispered to herself as she entered the herbarium.
Her hands lifted as if in readiness, her back straightened at once, and with a single glance at the many beds of herbs, she could spot each one with remarkable clarity.
Elise felt an energy from another world fill her as her hands shook. She went to the table where the instructions had been laid and set to work immediately.
After grabbing a small pruning knife for the most stubborn stems, she began cutting, arranging, and tying bunches. One page of the plant list, then another, then another.
The first hundred plants were collected at a demonic speed. Her hands seemed eager to continue their duty. She could think of neither food nor drink, nor even of rest. Exhaustion was wearing on her, but she pressed on, page after page, until only a few remained.
The air was warming, and among birdsong and the occasional croak from Bruno, the many sheets of parchment flew by around the herbarium. She could only tell the passing of time by the growing warmth, but not even the beads of sweat forming on her forehead prevented her from continuing her work.
Ten baskets were needed to hold all the blessed items Susanne had asked her to gather.
By the time she had finished, the entire place looked a shade less green.
She cleaned her tools, feeling as exhausted as though she had sprinted across the whole kingdom.
By then, her knees were trembling. She had murmured the chant two more times during her labors, and now, with the effects fading, she felt as though she had gone to war with the herbarium and lost.
Despite the exhaustion, however, a feeling of satisfaction began to tug at her lips.
There was no way in heaven Fabian would have anything to complain about after this miraculous performance.
Not even she could fully believe her hands alone had been capable of collecting and arranging so many plants in the span of a few hours.
Wanting to calm some of her frayed nerves before facing the fairies, she sat in an old chair nearby.
The seat was a square wooden thing built from thick planks.
One of the boards was missing, leaving a gap and several exposed nails that invited caution more than rest. Nonetheless, Elise sat on it as though it were no less than a cushioned throne.
Right in the middle of this delicious reprieve, and just before she could begin carrying the baskets to the fairies’ workshop, a glint from her pocket caught her eye.
It was the mirror Morgaine had given her for communication. Elise carefully pulled it from her pocket. Suddenly, a shrieking sound burst from it. She threw the wicked thing aside in alarm.
“How’s everything going, dear?” Morgaine’s voice called from the mirror.
Elise retrieved it from the ground and leaned closer. With narrowed eyes, she could make out Morgaine’s immaculate face in a miniature image within the glass.
“Everything is going well. I just finished collecting hundreds of leaves and sprigs,” Elise whispered.
“You look like you just planted an entire cotton field by yourself, darling,” the witch rasped. “What kind of maniac put a girl of your delicate frame to hard labor?”
“It was a fairy named Fabian,” Elise said tiredly.
“Ah, those dry loin twits. Always chasing the latest nonsense and now hiring men to do a woman’s job.”
Elise sighed, relieved once again by how protective Morgaine seemed. “They are not all bad. Fabian is really the only difficult one so far.”
Just then, Morgaine’s image blurred, and another far less gracious countenance came into view.
“How dare they have you working at this hour of the day? Tell them they can stick their herbs in their—”
“Beth, Beth,” Elise heard Morgaine call, and the image in the mirror blurred again.
“Go along with what they tell you for now,” Morgaine’s faint voice said. “But don’t let them make you their little witch. Now that you’re outside, go and try to find the Stone of Raj.”
After that, the mirror returned to its natural state, and Elise slipped it back into her pocket.
She was hesitant to follow Morgaine’s directions, so she took a moment to consider what to do next. Suddenly, one of Bruno’s loud croaks interrupted her thoughts.
The crow settled his small, black-feathered body among the baskets, and Elise felt it was best to head to the workshop and show the results of her hard labor before wandering through the gardens. This was her first day, after all, and she wanted to make the best impression possible.
To her good fortune, and thanks to her timely decision, Susanne was waiting for her by the time she brought the first three baskets to the fairies.
She was relieved she had not followed the witches’ advice, for as soon as she approached, the good fairy exclaimed with excitement, “I was on my way to see your progress, Elise!”
She smiled at Susanne and, with renewed confidence, showed her the contents of the baskets herself.
“You collected all this already?” the fairy gasped. “Darling, you didn’t need to do so much in a single day.”
Elise was about to mention that seven more baskets were waiting in the herbarium, but seeing how impressed the fairy was, she decided to reserve that information for later.
“What an extraordinary worker you’ve turned out to be,” Susanne continued.
As if summoned by the compliments, Fabian appeared at Susanne’s side in no time. The male fairy’s eyes widened at the sight of all the plants and, seemingly unable to find any fault or sign of a rush job, merely said, “Either you were being lazy before, or this is the result of sorcery.”
“Fabian!” Susanne corrected.
The fairy grumbled. “Fine…this looks…appropriate. Thank you, Elise.”
Elise couldn’t help but smile. She drew a deep breath and figured she could finally relax and perhaps do as Morgaine had recommended.
“I’ll continue my work, then,” she said, preparing to leave.
But before she could turn away, Fabian added, “Make sure to come earlier tomorrow. There are other chores to do. You can help with some new potions I want to try.”
“How much earlier?”
“Before dawn.”
Elise gasped. Susanne looked equally outraged and did not hesitate to voice her concern.
“Are you serious?” the old fairy said. “You don’t even know where this innocent soul lives.”
“We haven’t yet finished the Healing Potion for the wickedness from Falaine, and I’ll need all the help I can gather.”
“Use the fairies who live in the castle quarters.”
“If she wants the job, she needs to work for it.”
Fabian turned and left with a huff and a dismissive wave.
Susanne looked ready to combust at his haughtiness, but she did not follow him. It seemed the knave had earned the right to be so well positioned there.
“I’ll be leaving this afternoon,” Susanne said softly. “But I’ll make sure to give you a room here so you won’t put yourself in danger by traveling during dusk.”
Elise could barely believe what she was hearing. Susanne was truly a fairy godmother. She stood there, staring at the older woman and adding all manner of miracles to Susanne’s virtues. Eventually, she nodded and gave the benevolent woman a small hug.
Susanne chuckled and wrapped her arms around her in return. “Now, go back before Fabian finds something else to complain about.”
Elise let out a soft laugh. She was just on her way out when she spotted a blonde head moving among the potion tables.
Adelle?
Her face must have shown the utmost confusion, because Susanne felt compelled to follow her gaze and explain.
“She’s the daughter of Commander Langohr. She’s taken an interest in potions lately. She likes to spend time around the workshop whenever her father is here...which is becoming a daily occurrence.”
Elise sighed. For a moment, she thought this might have something to do with Kurt offering her a place on the magical staff, but that seemed far too far-fetched. With an almost inhuman ability to see only the positive in every situation, she promptly dismissed the idea as folly.