Page 80 of Charmed

King Ciaran’s voice drifted from the shadows still shielding him. “Lunaroot, a peculiar blue plant that uproots itself during a full moon, so that the tips of the roots are in direct moonlight. They’re quite common in my kingdom of eternal night.”

This plant required a transformation spell to harvest in order to change the sunlight streaming through the glass into moonlight, magic that transformed the day into night long enough for us to locate thelunaroot’s roots poking through the earth in search of moonlight.

The door’s final riddle proved different than the others, given not in words but a blank panel whose wood appeared slightly discolored. I leaned forward to study it, stretching out a curious hand, but before I could make contact King Ciaran leapt forward almost completely from his protective shroud of shadows.

“Don’t touch it! Cast a revealing spell first.”

Alden gave a low murmur, his magic stirring to life in his palm. He frowned in consternation at its faint glow, doubtless wondering if it would last for the rest of the challenges. At first nothing happened, but after a moment an oozing purple substance seeped through the cracks in the wood. King Ciaran released a whooshing breath.

“Poison. No test on our knowledge of magical plants would be complete without encountering one of the basics of herbology: a knowledge of poisons and their remedies.”

Kai brightened. “Poisons happen to be one of my specialties. I live in an area of the kingdom where toxins are common, so have made careful study of poisons and their remedies for the benefit of my village.”

His gaze drifted across the vast atrium in the direction of a marsh.

“I’ve already spotted several plants during our previous searches that are effective against poisons, includingmire bells, which are flowers that grow in swamps. The blossoms on their own are not inherently magical, but when crushed into a paste or salve, mire bells have the ability to siphon poisons or venoms from the body like a sponge.”

He guided us to a section of small, brown, bulb-like flowers. We helped him harvest them, with the exception of Princess Demetria, who wrinkled her nose at the prospect of getting her skirts dirty from the swampy ground.

Once we’d gathered an armful, Kai summoned mortar and pestle and proceeded to produce a paste with expert movements that testified to his many hours of practice in creating antidotes. When he finished, he carefully applied it to the poisonous panel, which absorbed it, leaving a purple flame in its wake. We all watched breathlessly to see what would happen.

With all five flames lit, the door opened soundlessly to reveal a staircase with vines twisting around the railing. Silently we climbed to the next floor. Upon reaching the landing, we barely had a chance to stare across the vast forest of towering redwoods when a thick darkness descended, blotching out all sight, without even the dark outlines brought by our eyes adjusting to the night or any stars to illuminate our path.

Princess Demetria’s gasp was followed by Alden’s wince of pain. “There no need to grip me so tightly. I can serve my role as a protective older brother without your maiming my arm with your nails.” Even with the ominous mood that had descended with the darkness, he still managed to sound teasing, embodying his brotherly role even midst such circumstances.

“I don’t need your protection.” The princess’s voice hitched, close enough to reveal that for all her insistences, she hadn’t moved from Alden’s other side.

The darkness created an unsettling sensation; I unconsciously found myself pressing closer to him as well, finding solace in his warmth when the night obscured my other senses.

Kai tried to conjure a flame, but the spark immediately extinguished from his cradled palm, snuffed out by the consuming blackness. “It appears traditional lighting magic is ineffective against it.”

“No light can penetrate curses of night,” King Ciaran said. “This darkness is mere child’s play to the force overtaking my kingdom—thick and all encompassing, with a life of its own that reaches inside of you to twist your thoughts until you fear you’ll go mad.”

My empathy swelled, and I realized that my suspicions regarding him had faded. While he remained shrouded in mystery, I no longer feared that he was the cause of everyone’s diminished powers, or that he would sabotage our efforts, despite his desperation. “Is that why you entered the competition?”

He made a small sound of confirmation. “I’m in search of a spell of light powerful enough to fight against it, knowledge that appears as heavily guarded as the most forbidden spells.”

“Producing light is such a rare feat that most magical wielders go an entire lifetime without managing the task,” Alden said.

King Ciaran sighed. “Even after years of futile effort I’ve failed to discover how to break the curse afflicting my kingdom…save for measures that are far too drastic for me to even consider, but which I may be forced to settle upon if I can find nothing else. It’s not a position on the Enchanters’ Council I’m seeking but access to their vast library that I can only hope contains the information I need that won’t cost me my very soul.” He didn’t elaborate beyond that.

“Does your understanding of this curse of darkness provide any insights on how to break it?” Kai asked.

“I suspect we’re being asked to produce a basic light potion,” King Ciaran said. “A narrow enough focus to provide ample challenge considering very few magical wielders possess the knowledge to brew one. We will need to procure four ingredients that produce light.”

“Would sunflowers work?” I asked. “As plants that follow the sun, from what I’ve read they are often used in light spells after a charm extracts the light they’ve absorbed. Daisies are also known to close themselves off in darkness, leading me to wonder if they may contain hidden pockets of light.”

“Though those flowers would work in theory, I doubt we’ll be able to find any in this particular environment,” King Ciaran said. “However, more than seventy fungal species are bioluminescent and often glow within dark forests, often intensifying their glow at night when it's dark and most effective to attract insects that help them spread their spores. Due to my research into elements containing light, I’ll be able to procure several for the potion if you’ll all lend your assistance with the brewing.”

“How will we navigate to find the ingredients within such darkness?” Kai asked.

“I’m used to living without the light, so my eyes have already adjusted,” the Lumerian king said. “Therefore the darkness is no hindrance for my sight. I will procure the necessary ingredients.”

“With such desperation guiding your efforts, can we truly trust you to take charge of this challenge?” Princess Demetria asked. “You have no reason to work with us if our mutual success hinders your chances of accessing the Council Library.”

“The limits placed upon our combined powers forbid me from venturing forward on my own,” he said. “I’d be a fool to betray your trust and lose access to the borrowed power that is the only way to overcome the challenges on each of the tower’s floors.”

She made no further argument, but her hesitancy lingered, magnified by the thickness of the surrounding night.

---