Page 62 of A Taste of Torment
The more I know about creatures from the Under World, the better, so I spend a little time browsing the Oriziah section, specifically seeking books about the royal line.
There are a few volumes to select, but most of them are detailed descriptions of past rulers’ reigns. I find one that acts as a general summary, which is exactly what I’m looking for. I flip through the pages before I commit and find the first half of the book is a historical overview, and the back half is cultural aspects and general characteristics.Perfect.
I take my two books and head back down to the ground level to meet Jarron. He’s already sitting at a glass table, nose in a book. He looks up when I approach. “Find what you were looking for?”
I nod but offer no further explanation. I’d prepared one if he asked why I was researching his kind, but he doesn’t ask.
“What about you?”
He holds up the book he’s reading.A Legacy of Cruelty, Supernatural Effect on Earth’s Magic-less Society.
I tilt my head, trying to figure out what he’s getting at with that one.
“There’s a chapter on the Akrasia Games.”
“Oh.”
“I’ll give it to you when I’m done if you want.”
I nod and then flip open my potions book. I figure that’s the safer of the two. This book is much more detailed and complex than the one my potions teacher gave me, but even so, I don’t find a death potion quite like the other one.
I do find another potion of interest, though.
A magic nullifier.
The description tells me it will suppress a supernatural’s magical ability anywhere from minutes to hours, depending on potency. And it doesn’t need to be ingested.
Winner winner.
In a matter of seconds, this potion will make the magical being essentially mortal for the duration of the potion’s affects. All I have to do is get the liquid on the target’s face and it’ll work.
It’s complicated, mostly because the concentration is high. I need to brew the potion and then very carefully let it simmer for nearly a week to condense the magic so it can be used on the skin.
I recall what my defense teacher told us about supernaturals during our training—they tend to over-rely on their magic.
In this school, they put an emphasis on battling with and without magic, but that’s not a common practice. Most supernaturals do not have strong physical abilities without their magic. Their slower speeds and less strength would throw them off completely.
This very well may be what I need.
There doesn’t seem to be many limitations, except that earth-based magic is immune. That really only applies to witches. So, don’t use it on Manuela or my roommate. Any other species? Fair game.
“Find something of interest?”
I can’t help but stop my smile from spreading even wider. I search through the ingredient list. It’s pretty extensive. It’ll take a full three weeks to brew. But totally worth it.
I start jotting down notes to myself of what I’ll need. Three quarters of them I can get in my potions class. But there are another five I’ll struggle to get my hands on because they’re rare ingredients only found in other worlds.
I make a second list, with those hard-to-find ingredients, and pass it to Jarron. “Think you could get these for me?”
He raises his eyebrows. “Finally taking after your parents, are you?”
I shrug. “Use my strengths to my advantage.”
“Good girl.” He folds the page, again not asking my intentions, and puts it in his pocket. “Give me two days.”
I smile. I appreciate his respect of my privacy. His trust.
Content with my day’s work, Jarron and I head back toward his room.
