Potions, Power and Pain

Chapter 4

Avana Candytuft knew she was beautiful.

What she also knew, was how to use her beauty to get what she wanted. Therefore, all the things she had ever desired had been handed to her on a silver platter. Well all of them expect one: Rowan Nightshade.

They had known each other for years. She had always been there for him, dreaming about the day he would wake up and find that what he had been looking for had been here the whole time.

But Avana was as spoiled as she was beautiful. Which was why she did not take rejection lightly. Granted, she had never truly been rejected because she had too much pride to ever ask anyone out.

But Rowan not liking her back and not caring when she dated other guys was rejection enough.

Which was why she found herself in the dodgiest part of town, at the Improbus Mercatus, the notorious black market that made people passing by hurry their pace and children hide in their mothers' skirts.

While it was indeed a black market, meaning many illegal activities took place, the Improbus Mercatus had surprisingly never been shut down. The streets were grimy and muddy. Stalls were crammed together, every vendor desperately trying to match all their competitors' prices whilst still making the most money. The air was filled with an awful stench that only intensified the further one walked in the market. Ranging anywhere from underground card games to rare and endangered species, the Improbus Mercatus had it all.

Avana had no desire to be seen frequenting such places and had therefore done her best to fit in with the crowds. But considering her fine black cloak with beautiful hand embroidered details and matching dress, she still stood out.

She marched along, making sure that her hood covered her face, and that her auburn hair was completely out of sight. Once she arrived at the stall she had been seeking, she stopped and greeted the owner.

He was old and miserable looking, yet he was still in better shape than most of the other vendors and customers of the Improbus Mercatus. He was one of the richer vendors, considering how much he sold each day, considering what he sold.

This merchant was the main supplier of illegal potions and elixirs in the whole of the Earthly Kingdom. However, the concoctions he sold were not your run of the mill potions and elixirs that just anyone could make, they weren't the type that Avana was taught how to make at the Academy. No, the ones he sold were either impossibly strong, lethal, or highly toxic. He produced and sourced any and every potion and elixir, including love potions, which was just what Avana had come to the vile market to buy.

"I would like to purchase your best love potion," Avana demanded. When the vendor did not reply she added "Please."

"And why does a pretty girl like you need a love potion?" the man asked with a twisted smile.

Taking offence to his words Avana threw him a look of haughty disdain. "That is absolutely none of your concern. Your job is not to ask questions, it is merely to give me what I want after I pay you. So, I will ask one more time. Which love potion is the best?"

The vendor gave her a sharp look and said "Very well, if when you say best, you mean most effective, it would have to be Heartseize. It comes from the juice of wild pansies. Legend has it that the Gods accidentally shot a pansy with an arrow of love, transforming it from white to purple and accidentally giving it some of the arrow's power." From beneath his stall, he pulled out a small glass vial containing a bright purple liquid. Everything about the liquid was captivating. From the way it caught the light, to the way its contents swirled and shimmered, Avana couldn't look away. The vendor noticed. "Ah, yes. It is rather mesmerising, isn't it? All you have to do is pour a single drop on each of a person's eyelids while they sleep, and when they wake up, they will irrevocably fall madly in love with the first person they see."

Avana couldn't help but be amazed. But she quickly snapped out of her daze. "How much will it cost me?"

"One hundred gold coins"

"One hundred gold coins?!" Avana exclaimed. "That is absurd. It is most likely not even worth one hundred copper coins."

"Perhaps not. But you look like you can afford it either way, so it's one hundred gold coins. Now we are just going to have to see how desperate you are," the vendor said with a smug grin.

Avana was fuming. How dare he disrespect her in such a way. Nevertheless, she reached into her pocket, pulled out a small leather pouch containing exactly one hundred gold coins, and reluctantly dumped it in his hand.

She was not even sure she knew what she was doing. Would anyone ever find out? More importantly, would Rowan find out?

If she used Heartseize on Rowan and he figured it out, would he ever forgive her?

Avana knew he wouldn't but was willing to risk it anyway.