“I think we’ve got it.”
“We’ve got what?”
Veeyel hadn’t been paying attention. He was busy reading a book about low energy, low level healing spells, trying to find information on repairing mobility problems in limbs. So far, he’d found nothing, but he was determined to find at least a spell to help numb his pain by the end of the day.
“We have all the ingredients we need!” Ksiel boomed. His voice came out far larger than he expected, echoing all over the cold, stone walls.
“Huh.” Veeyel admittedly wasn’t interested. Their plan to ‘revitalize and refresh’ themselves had not been going well, what with Kayel having suddenly fallen ill, having a sore throat, nausea and losing the ability to talk. Considering that the magic they were learning involved a lot of saying words and chanting spells and things like that, Kayel’s sickness was a massive setback for them all. Hence why Veeyel had been working on his own.
“You sure?” Thitel asked. He was busy smashing up mint leaves for both the ritual and an unrelated spell. He really just wanted to make a potion that would keep biting insects away, but they needed vast quantities of crushed mint anyway, so Thitel was killing two chickens with one rock.
“Yes, I’m sure!” Ksiel stood proudly over his table, where he had been examining ingredients. The ritual they were planning to do needed a specific plant, known as the staiansos pantzoin louloud. Better known to the Thraki as the Stasis Flower. Problem was, not only was it very rare, but there were several flowers that looked incredibly similar, the differences between them only visible via a microscope.
“You sureeeee?” Thitel asked again, almost mockingly.
“I’m sure! I’ve triple-checked! I’ve quadruple-checked!”
“Then centuple-check it,” Thitel hissed. “Kayel’s going to be pissed with you if you bring him the wrong plant again.”
Ksiel tutted. “It’s more me being pissed at myself. But I’m certain this is the right one. I’ve been through so many of these damn things… Speaking of Kayel, how is he?”
Zitel appeared from a small alcove, carrying a pile of scrolls. He trotted along, put them back, picked up a bunch more scrolls, then paused and realised that Ksiel might have been talking to him.
“Uh, well, I can’t get him to stop working and to actually get some rest. Which isn’t great because I think he has a fever and could do with some sleep.”
Veeyel tutted as he struggled to his feet. “Let me speak to him.”
“That would be a great idea!” Zitel almost seemed thankful.
They’d been taking it in turns looking after Kayel, and it was Veeyel’s turn anyway, so Zitel was glad to get back to doing his little experiments. But as Veeyel headed towards the alcove, he found himself bumping into Kayel.
“What the-”
“You’re supposed to be in bed!” Zitel shouted.
Kayel didn’t say anything, so he sent them all a telepathic message. “I can’t sleep. We need to get moving on this. Do it soon.”
“Why?” Ksiel asked. “We’ve been hesitating so far. Taking our time. As you suggested, might I add.”
“Because I believe the Thraki are slowly working out what we are doing…” Kayel whispered. “And if they work out the truth, they will kill us all…”