Phony Potions

Chapter 40

"Welcome back," Lena said. She was sitting in her usual place behind the desk at the contractor's office, but had a mirror in one hand and a powder puff in the other. She dabbed into the white cake make up in the small golden disc on her desk, and then continued to apply it. As I got my bearings, the small clouds that exploded outwards from each impact seemed transfixing.

"Hello Lena," I said. I collapsed onto the sofa and stared up at the ceiling. Then I propped myself up and stared at her. "Wait, aren't you at the party?"

"I was. As I believe you witnessed, Azeria got sick all over my shoes, so I decided to return here and tidy up. We're going out to enjoy some boating on the lake in roughly half an hour."

"That's nice... Wait." My mind replayed the rolling hills around Blythe. "There's no lake for miles around here. A river, but no lake."

"Oh, there wasn't. There won't be soon. But at the moment, there is," she laughed. "About two dozen of us got together and cast one. We siphoned off a bunch of the rainwater Osoro was holding back. Did you know it was supposed to be storming all this week? Oh it was exhilarating, drafting up a chant together, then speaking in unison, our voices making this odd sort of humming resonance.. I'd never been part of a group spell before, but now I can't wait for my next one!"

"I wish there'd been rain on my way here; maybe I would have gotten stuck in the mud and would have stayed out of all this trouble...." I wasn't mirroring her sense of whimsical playfulness, and she ignored me.

"Anyway, we made a lake and we fully intend to use it. Bernard arranged it all this afternoon, although he didn't do any of the casting himself. We all said we'd understand if he cancelled, but he insisted. Another group made the boat, stiffening a bunch of the dirt we dug up into the wood for it. There'll be a full orchestra, floating lights, and I think a firefly show. Plus, it's rumored it'll end in a most dishonorable splash fight." She laughed. She smelled a little like wine, but she wasn't drunk quite yet. Just giddy.

"I've been receiving so many courting gestures since this party began. One elven Mysti even offered to fight as my champion against my master if I'd accept an invitation to stay a week at his estate," Lena laughed. "The poor love-struck fool would lose horribly, slain dragon in his past or no, but it was a very sweet gesture. I'm afraid I'm getting quite spoiled on all of the attention... If only one of Divinis Wenrick's sons could have an Age Day every year."

As if only now remembering that one of those sons was very close to not having it at all this year, she glanced at me.

"How is Winsor, by the way? He was one cough away from converting into a spectral other being last time I saw him."

"He's fine. Me and Shician Lar's Assistant got him in his bed, and his parents joined him a few minutes later. They said he's fine too. He's very warm right now."

"Oh that's good. He is still so young; no one deserves to die like that, bad host or no. Speaking of which, your Mallow, are you ready to make a Contract?" She closed the powder puff. Did she not have enough magic to sustain the boat and a magically enhanced face? Her hair was pinned up about her head, perhaps in an effort to give it some sort of a bounce and curl later.

"Give me a second." I folded one arm behind my head, and let the other fall over my eyes. The darkness was inviting, allowing me to mull over the words that had been said. My pulse had been pumping, so afraid of being cast into a toad and then fed to a crane by Divinis Wenrick that I had little attention to give to the subtleties of the conversation. And yet, my intuition knew something was all wrong.

"Azark—" She powdered her face again when it became obvious I wasn't planning on signing anything. "-you can't use the ring whenever you're running from a mob. That's an abuse of the power."