Calumbra 23 - Book 1: The Maid

33 - Frozen In Time

Samson met Angelica outside in the gazebo and they sat beside each other, each with a cloak on.
"Well?"
"She has the recipe and will make it on her own. I know that she dabbled in alchemy a long time ago but it's been hundreds of years for her. She's most likely forgotten."
"That's a good thing. We don't need her to remember or she could cause a problem..."
"Indeed... I can't thank you enough, Lord Samson, for teaching me how to read. It if hadn't been for you, I would have never figured out how to decode those books."
"I don't know how I can ever repay you. With both of them gone, I can finally have some peace... except..."
"Except what?"
"Except that Tavit is still here as well as Huntley... I wish there was something I could do to them. Nothing detectable, just enough to cause an... accidental death?"
Angelica put her hands on Samson's and looked into his eyes.
"Anything for you, my love."
They leaned in and kissed each other passionately and then pulled away, Angelica in a feeling of euphoria.
"When would you like me to start?"
"As soon as possible, of course, but like I said, just make sure it's slow so that it looks like an accident or an illness."
"Of course... there are plenty of recipes like that."
"Good... now, for your payment?"
"The usual romp will do."
Samson smirked at her and led her out of the gazebo.

Delaware scribbled endlessly on her notepad what she could remember about the opposites of the recipe she was looking at. For the life of her, all she could remember was garlic being the opposite of this particular recipe and it frustrated her to no end.
"Buggar! I'm going to need some help... From that no good doctor, too..." she grumbled, running her fingers through her unruly hair.
She'd already gotten it into knots from all of the hair grabbing and running it through with her hand. She knew it was going to be a horrible time trying to get all of the tangles out. She didn't want to have to ask Arnold but he was the only one she knew of that would have some knowledge of alchemy like she did. When he was younger she had showed him a few things and even though he liked to consider himself a man of science, she knew he dabbled in it still. She tried to run her fingers through her hair again but got it caught up in the massive tangles she had given herself and frowned. She got up to find her brush when there was a knock at the door.
"Come in."
The door opened and Sullivan walked in.
"I wrote down all the recipes that had garlic in it for you, Ms. Tate."
"Thank you, Sullivan." She finished brushing her hair and stuck it in a braid, grabbing the papers. "Hmm... no, no, no... maybe... possibly... no, no, definitely no... It looks like there are only about four on here that could help with Trinidad."
"How can you tell?"
"Other ingredients in these recipes."
"I don't understand, Ms. Tate; we've made some of these recipes and Master Trinidad has eaten them, so how would they affect him now?"
"As I told your son, Sullivan, it's all in how it's done. Used as a regular recipe guide, the book is as it seems, a recipe book. But, if you perform alchemy with the ingredients before you make it, it becomes a whole new thing."
"Perform alchemy? With vegetables?"
"You can do alchemy with anything. The most basic form is circular array, where you draw a certain array or put objects into the shape of the array for a desired effect. The vegetables tell you how many you need and sometimes the amount of stirs or different things like that let you know how to make the alchemy work. It's all a constant flow from the ground into the array. It's the way things react to each other."
"I see... But if this happened to Trinidad, why didn't it happen to you?"
"Well, from the looks of this particular recipe, it can be individualized if need be."
"Where does it say that?"
"Right here: Serving size: can make for up to 8 persons. That means that without any individualization, the effects would be done to only eight people. If in a large crowd, usually the first eight. Because it says that it can be up to eight people, that tells me that it can be done for one if need be."
"I would have never guessed that."
"It's alright. I have to go to Dr. Sexton's for a moment so he can help me figure out which recipe will be the counteracting one."
"Of course. Will you be back in time for lunch?"
"I highly doubt it. I may ride to a local tavern or something and eat there... That's what I miss most about Asia: places to eat on every corner!"
"Well, you will have to ask Lord Tavit for the keys to any of his vehicles."
"Keys? You don't need keys for a horse."
Sullivan smiled. "Ms. Tate, this is the 20th Century; no one uses horses anymore. You'll get there quicker by vehicle."
Delaware made a face. "But I want to ride a horse; I haven't ridden on one in so long... Don't tell me that little dummy sold them all?"
"No, he kept some but he uses them for The Hunt. Not much for riding around the lands and travelling."
"Ugh, I hate turns-of-the-centuries; they're so exhausting." She said with a sigh. "Fine, I guess I'll see if he will let me use one of his cars."
Sullivan nodded and left the garden house as Delaware found some clothing to wear and put the papers in her small purse to take into town. She wasn't very fond of these automobiles but then again, she said the same thing when the train was invented...