Abby and the Mad Prince's Son. The Outpost: Episode One

Chapter Ten

'I wonder where Baron Ren is?' whispered Abby as she, Esme and the others were jarring the Peri Elixir the following day. She had glanced at the Apothecary door a dozen times already. 'Do you think something's happened to him?'

Ladling a spoonful of the silver liquid, Esme responded, 'If it was serious, we would have heard about it by now, I'm sure. Maybe he's still training soldiers or doing something else for Princess Edina. What I want to know is what was in that bloody sack he was carrying?'

Abby had wondered about that all last night while trying to get to sleep. She could come up with no reasonable or innocent answer.

'It may not have been blood,' she replied.

'It sure looked like it.'

Before coming to the Apothecary, the two had gone to check out the winged carriage way, to get another look at where Baron Ren had dropped the sack, but a short downpour early that morning had washed away whatever was there.

'Let's not jump to conclusions,' Abby said, 'Too many people do that with Baron Ren.'

Jarring the Peri Elixir took less than an hour. And after everyone helped carry it all to the outpost's Infirmary, the surgeons' apprentices there grateful for a rash of colds had sprung up, that was it for potions that day. Everyone then went to see if they could help somewhere else, Abby and Esme choosing to go to the greenhouses to join Gwen.

Dark clouds hung in the sky as a cool breeze swirled all around. And as they entered Greenhouse 8, more rain began to pour, pattering heavily on the crystal windows.

'Oof,' exclaimed Esme. 'What a difference from outside.'

Indeed, it was, thought Abby, as hot and humid air hit her like a thorned dragon's tail to the face. But it was glorious. It reminded her of spring. Her eyes then fixed on the long rows of bursting, glistening green leaves that reached as high as their waists. And at the far end a group was decked out in gloves and rusty garden tools, large baskets strapped to their backs.

Looking like gnomes, Gwen was there with her friends, their heads barely peeking over the foliage.

Gwen was quick to notice Abby and Esme, rushing over between the rows.

'You came,' she said.

'Told you we would,' replied Esme, giving her sister a hug.

'So, what can we do?' asked Abby. 'We are ready to serve.'

'You can help with the harvesting,' answered Gwen.

'Harvesting already?' said Esme, looking gob smacked at the vegetation. 'But how's this possible? It's only been a few days.'

Gwen shook her head. 'Giant rapid radishes, of course. They germinate in less than a minute and grow a foot every day.'

'Look at you. You're becoming a real green toe.'

'It's green thumb.'

'Ooh, sorry,' Esme smirked.

'What else are you growing in the greenhouses?' asked Abby.

'Sugar gourds, vining beans, blue carrots, behemoth beetroot and much more,' said Gwen.

Hearing the word beetroot reminded Abby of last night but the image quickly vanished as Gwen took her and her sister's hands and dragged them over to where the others were.

Getting a closer look at the giant rapid radishes, Abby gasped. Under the leaves were swollen golden roots the size of heads.

'Quite big, aren't they?' said an older looking girl with smudges covering her round face. Her name was Zinnia. 'Glad you two came to help. Gwen told me. Now as I was saying, not only are the roots edible but the leaves too. So, what I want is the leaves to be ripped off – it's quite easy to do – and put them in their own baskets. And that's it. Let's get dirty.'