Forgotten Magic

Chapter 8

"Varian?" I popped my head into the alchemist's lab, eyes scanning the chaotic tables full of notes and various test tubes.

"Hm?" He looked up from his notes, lifting a pair of goggles from his eyes.

"Want lunch?" I asked.

"No thanks," he shrugged, returning to his work.

I walked over and leaned against the desk he was working at. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing much. Just thinking about the water boilers. I'm thinking we should-"

"Yeah...about those boilers..." I interrupted...my mind returning to a time a few days ago.

"Would you mind...just...try to convince him that maybe this isn't the best idea? It isn't going to end well."

"Okay.'

Varian looked at me with big blue eyes, and I paused.

"Never mind," I shook my head. "It-it's nothing."

"Are you sure?" he asked, tilting his head a degree.

"Yeah."

For a couple minutes, we stayed there in silence. Occasionally, pencil scratches and frustrated grumbles from Varian punctured the air.

Suddenly, there was a loud hisssss and a purple smoke slipped under the door. Varian jumped to his feet as it began to spread across the ground.

"What? What is it?" I asked, standing up as well.

The alchemist slipped on a heavy coat and grabbed a...what I'll describe as a welding mask, before opening the door, letting even more of the purple substance slip into the room as he slipped out.

Through the fog, I heard two voices.

"Fine. A booby trap."

"Shoot. Raps, everything is going to be-oh!"

And then I heard, Varian's distorted voice through the fog "What do you want?"

"Um...hi," the first voice greeted shyly. "So sorry to bother you...sir. I...wanted to ask you about my hair. Because you're such a magic expert-"

I nearly laughed out loud.

"Magic?" Varian asked. "I do not work with magic." And then I'd assume he took off the mask because he then continued in his normal voice with "I mean, technically it's not magic. It's alchemy. But yeah...don't...don't sweat it."

"Got it," the first voice answered. "So, what is this?" I heard a squish and assumed they had gotten caught in one of the alchemist's raccoon traps.

"Oh, it's...it's a chemical compound of my own design,. Thank you" he explained smugly. I heard a chitter as he picked up a raccoon. "See, we have a bit of a critter problem out here and through the miracle of modern alchemy, I have found a humane way to solve the problem." My ears perceived a second chitter and a crash as Varian...threw the raccoon in a closet?

"This is riveting, but could you get us out of here?" the second voice snapped.

"Ha!" he laughed. "Where is that neutralizing parti...Oh! C-Come...get outta here!" A second chitter and crash told me he chucked the raccoon out again. This time, though, I heard the slam of a door. I heard the sound of...well, what I can only describe as a salt shaker. "I am so sorry, your highness," he chuckled.

Now this caught my attention. 'Your highness?' What did he mean by 'your highness'? I had heard about six six months ago that the Lost Princess had indeed returned, but I thought it was only a rumor. Could it be? And if it was, was it true her 70 feet of blonde hair had returned?