Phony Potions

Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

It took time to clear up the confusion as to exactly why we were the victims while surrounded by a bunch of half-dead bandits. The Avalons took the fact that they could heal Mallow as evidence enough that she had been acting in self-defense. They questioned me about whether having a Moon Giant in tow was a wise idea. I had heard this line of questioning from Avalons repeatedly over the years, so I decided to change the topic by playing the scared civilian.

"Are you sure they won't come back?" I asked, clasping my hands together in front of me in worry. I pretended to be shaking with fear, but really, I was fatigued. I didn't have to act much at all, the entire encounter having sincerely frayed my nerves raw. Sir Halley softened in the face of my pitiful state.

"Positively. Sir Stricklen has probably killed their leader. We plan on rounding up whatever's left of the ones your Giant kicked into the trees," he said, taking off his helmet. Next to me sat Mallow, physically restored but with the memory of the pain of the attack still shadowing her expression. She was jumpy; flinching when Mendenhall marched up to her and stared her in the face.

"It's odd. I thought my healing magic wouldn't work on Moon Giants because they're cannibals," she said, her words confident.

"She's never eaten a human, ever," I said.

"Moon Giants don't eat other Moon Giants, so I wouldn't be a cannibal even if I had," Mallow snipped.

Uncomfortable silence ensued. I was shocked. Mallow never said things like that. She was ashamed of how the others of her species acted. When she was younger I used to have to stay up holding her while she cried in apology for the crimes of the Moon Giants, for their victims.

I was so frustrated and angry at the Avalons for letting her bleed out that I didn't say anything to break the tension. I enjoyed the way that Mendenhall's eyes grew wide, and Halley was unsure of how to righteously respond to such a vaguely threatening statement. Mendenhall averted her eyes, scuffed the dirt with one toe of her shiny boot. She worked up her resolve and jerked her head up at Mallow.

"I am deeply embarrassed for accidentally shooting you." She bowed her head ever-so-slightly. "I apologize for the harm that befell you due to my mistake." She didn't sound sorry. She sounded angry, but considering the way Avalons usually eyed me and Mallow whenever we came into range, it was the best we could hope for.

The bottom of Mallow's eyelid twitched. She was trying to hide how much she wanted to punch the lady Avalon in the face.

"It's all right," Mallow rumbled. "I know I'm scary."

"Well, in Sir Mendenhall's defense..." Halley said, gesturing to Mendenhall. "A Giant was rampaging after a man. We didn't intend to hurt, it just..."

Mallow's hand fell to her stomach and wiped at the blood that was now beginning to dry there. It came off glinting like flecks of metal, lighter than air as it broke away. The color drained from Mendenhall's face. She was humbled as she finally realized what she had done.

And so it began: a ten minute apology. She asked for forgiveness, explained herself and offered to help Mallow endlessly. At the end of it Mendenhall snapped her fingers and chanted a small couplet. Flowers burst forward from nothing, their sweet scent swimming through the air, before she threw them and they dissipated. Her powers had returned.

Grinning, she showed a few small spells to Halley. Even though I had been the one to warn of forever losing her power, I'd never seen it happen before. I always wondered how that whole 'losing powers from being immoral' thing worked. I assumed that it wasn't an eternal loss each time an Avalon goofed and broke their code, otherwise there wouldn't be any Avalons, but I hadn't realized it was so forgiving.