Traveling Salesman: Astronomgonist

Chapter 12

"I swam to Hawaii. And I found some spirulina, a natural blue-green freshwater algae. It is a rich source of vitamins and minerals, with a high content of iron which is a good source to increase hemoglobin in the blood. It is the most effective and potent treatment during a sickle cell anemia crisis. I pulverized it with my wizard magic, so she'll be able to take it in water like a BC Powder."

Sailil had transformed her body out of the rest of her merfolk form pulling in her scales. Her skin became bumpy for a moment as the scales settled underneath her human skin. Being part merfolk, she was part humanoid-aquatic creature with fish-like characteristics. "Jezromiah, did you give her the nettle tea, I made for her?" Sailil asked seeing that Dorothey was asleep.

"Yes," Jezromiah answered brushing Dorothey's hair from her forehead.

"The nettle tea will replenish her body with iron, chlorophyll, vitamin C, calcium, folate, beta-carotene, sulfur, magnesium, phosphorus selenium, zinc, vitamin B. I picked the leaves from my own nettle tree." She pointed to the tree outside the window of the infirmary.

He looked over his shoulder. "That was neat of you, Sailil."

Sailil put the closed jar of spirulina powder on the nightstand next to the mason jar of tea she'd made from the nettle leaves.

"I was locked out of the cryptology lab. I guess Apatt is still upset and barred me from access. It's a temporary setback." Sailil shrugged. "I have to give him more time to calm down." She sighed. "I'll be there if you need me." She pointed to the tree outside. He nodded. She opened the window and jumped out of it onto the nettle tree. Jezromiah closed the window behind her. Sailil transformed into her hamadryad form. Branches extended from both sides of Sailil's head. Her body sprouted flowers and vegetation and merged with the tree trunk. Her arms, hands, and fingers turned into branches, limbs.

Her legs and feet formed into tree trunks and roots, and she was almost completely camouflaged by the tree with only the contours of her face still showing. In her hamadryad form, Sailil was a guardian; guarding nature, humans and supernatural beings. Hamadryads (tree spirits) must stay in close proximity to their trees or they die. If the tree dies, the hamadryad dies, too. But since Sailil was half-hamadryad she only needed to be near her tree to increase or rejuvenate her spiritual power. If the tree died, she wouldn't die but her access to her spiritual power would diminish or eventually die out. Her merfolk, druid and wizard heritage kept her immortal and powerful.

At the cryptology lab, Popi Aseena finally settled down and the doors to the lab unlocked as she did. She retracted her Fury wings and turned to her Djinn-fairy form. "Sorry for locking the doors, Teach and going ape. It's a tough part of being half-Djinn and half-Fury. I have twice the amount of vengeance in my blood than normal. My fairy side is the yin to my yang side, but at times twice the crazy wins out. I literally saw red and it was too much seeing my own emotions in that color."

"No sweat, Popi. I've sequestered the cage in an isolated habitat. We'll keep it there until we can figure out how to extract the child's soul and remains without waking the creature from stasis. If we risk waking the creature, it'll be a bad scene."

"There are no sorcerers I know in all of Anagram." Popi shrugged, hovering above the floor trailing behind Dr. Apatt Raddlethorpe as he paced around in the lab.

"That's because they're extinct. They were eradicated during the Remyhk Meguro Eagar Dynasty. But there's one source of astronomical magic and sorcery, albeit quite unstable. Four years ago, I researched and did a field study on this and I found that resource no longer existed." Apatt took off his lab coat, draped it over the back of his chair and sat down at his desk.

"Teach, in your line of work that's never stopped you before."

"Right on," Dr. Apatt Raddlethorpe smiled, putting his elbow on his desk and resting his chin on the knuckles of his hand.