Page 20 of A Taste of Torment
“You need magic to do it.”
“Do you?” she asks. When the boy just stares helplessly, she continues, “Can someone with no magic brew a potion?”
“They need to use some kind of magic, right?”
“Do yourself a favor, boy. Next time, do not speak about what you know nothing of.”
His shoulders slump, an annoyed frown on his lips.
The teacher marches back to the front of the class and selects three jars, placing them in a line on the table beside the smoking cauldrons. “These ingredients are Majoram, moss from the Twisted Forest, and ginger root. If I were to combine these three ingredients into a base of silver and water, brewed for three days, what would I create?”
I frown, considering the three ingredients. It would have to be a simple potion, but they’re fairly potent ingredients. “A protection spell?” I ask.
“Yes. A spell that would rebound any offensive magic for several minutes.”
That sounds impressive.
“Now, if I were to invite any human off the street and have them do the honors of combining and stirring the ingredients, what would happen?”
“Theoretically, it would turn out the same,” I answer.
The teacher turns to face me and sets her hand on her hip. “How do you know?”
“Because I could complete that potion, and I have no magic.”
There’s a surprised gasp somewhere behind me.
“None at all?”
I shake my head. “Nothing usable.”
She nods. “So, then, how can you create magic? A mighty protection potion?”
“Because the magic is in the ingredients.”
“Correct!” she says loudly. “Any human is capable of completing most potions. There is certainly a level of talent and intuition involved in potion making, but that is not a form of magic we recognize. Potion making does not require magic. Magic is simply an ingredient in our experiments. So, let me ask this: if a potion requires no magic, is it easy?”
No one answers. We all know the answer is no. Potions is one of the hardest fields.
“Potions making is a form of magic that can change worlds, and yet anyone can learn it. It requires patience and dedication, a blend of intuition and knowledge. But even the weakest in magic can become powerful with time. Do not, I repeat, donotunderestimate a talented potionist. Even a human can wreak magical havoc. You just need the tools and the desire to make your enemy burn.”
9
The Plot Twist I Should Have Seen Coming
My lips partas I enter the lunchroom at the start of my second week. Something is very different. No pulsing magic pressing down on me. No intimidating beings sizing me up.
“Where is everyone?” I ask as we walk toward the front archways to grab our lunch. Half the tables are empty.
“Isn’t it nice?” Lola exclaims, flutters through the air, her wings glowing slightly. “I love when the Elite give their big announcements during lunch period.”
“Big announcements?”
“Yeah,” Janet says. “The final inner circle is being announced.”
Lola shrugs.
I twist my lips and follow Lola and Janet up to the bars of food and under the magical archway. I hold my breath as I pass under the spell revealer. Nothing happens. No zing or pulse of magic like in Minor Hall. Nothing at all.
