Page 64 of Crown of Briars
Strange purple smoke wafted down the hallway. Terror gripped my chest as I assumed it to be Necro Shadows. But upon further inspection, I realized they were fumes. I sniffed the air, which smelled so strongly of peppermint that it stung my nostrils.
Frowning, I followed the scent to an open door halfway down the hall. I peered inside, my curiosity getting the better of me.
The fumes were so thick it took me a moment to see through them. Heat floated around me, and from within the room, a female voice murmured words I didn’t recognize. They weren’t Terrish or Agnarrish.
I stepped forward, and a floorboard creaked under my foot. My heart leapt in my throat as I eased backward, afraid of getting caught.
In a flash, the door swung open to reveal Tislora, her sparkling silver eyes sweeping over me. Her brows lowered in displeasure.
“Can I help you?” Her tone was clipped.
“I—forgive me. I’m just—” I gestured helplessly toward the hall where I’d come, unable to find the right words.
Tislora scowled, then followed my gaze. She sighed. “The castle deposited you on my doorstep, did it? Well, come in, then.”
My eyebrows lifted as she stood back, retreating inside the smoky and hazy room to allow me to enter. The room was not at all what I expected. Nearly as large as the queen’s chambers, it was stocked with shelves that wrapped around the entireperimeter of the foggy room. In the center stood a massive, bubbling cauldron, behind which rested a small stand with an open book perched on it.
My eyes widened. “What is this place?”
Tislora shot me a smirk over her shoulder as she moved closer to the cauldron. “Never seen an apothecary before?”
“Not like this,” I admitted, wondering why the castle decided to send me here, of all places. Was it possible Tislora could help me locate the enchanted rose?
“You might as well make yourself useful while you’re here,” Tislora said, flipping through the pages of the large tome on top of the stand. “Can you fetch me the jar of sage? It’s on the far right, with green leaves.”
I scanned the contents of the shelves, trying to wave the smoke out of my eyes, before I finally laid eyes on it. The jar was small, and it easily fit in the palm of my hand. I gave it to Tislora, who was staring intently at the page of the book. She peered into the cauldron and inhaled deeply. A furrow formed between her brows.
“It still doesn’t smell quite right.” Her eyes became unfocused for a moment. “Something is… off.” She glanced back at the book and turned a few pages. “Human, fetch me some ground demon horn.”
I blanched, my stomach twisting with unease. “Demon horn?” I repeated.
She shot me an amused look. “It’s notactuallythe horn of a demon. It’s the horn of a bakathra, the largest species of fae creature known to our kind. It usually resides in the mountains and is dangerous and volatile when disturbed. The powder is white, and the jar is quite tall. The substance is rare, so do be careful, will you?”
I nodded, turning to the shelves again as I searched for the ground demon horn. I allowed myself to glance over the labels of the other jars and vials while I looked. The worn parchmentlabels were written in an untidy scrawl, the ink slightly faded, which made it harder to read.
“Mother of Shade, you humans are soslow. Have you found it yet?”
I rolled my eyes. “And you fae are so impatient. I don’t have to help, you know.” I found the white powder, grabbed the jar, and handed it to Tislora. Despite our barbed exchanges, she had a small smile on her face.
Tislora’s moon-like eyes swept over my form. “You’re not dressed.”
“Yes, I am.” I glanced down at my violet gown.
Tislora snorted. “I mean for the revel.”
“What revel?”
Tislora looked at me again, her shrewd eyes calculating. After a moment, all she said was, “Hmm.”
I folded my arms over my chest and watched as she tipped the jar of ground demon horn just enough to let a few white grains trickle into the simmering contents of the cauldron. It hissed, and purple steam billowed from within. I coughed, waving a hand in front of my face.
“What is the revel?” I asked impatiently.
“It’s a day of merriment. A tradition for our kind.”
I arched an eyebrow. “You want to have a party? While there are deadly shadows surrounding the castle as we speak?”
Tislora’s gaze turned cold as she looked at me. “That is exactly why weshouldhave it. The people are scared. Would you prefer we have them cowering in their closets every night for the foreseeable future?”
