Mary Ann

“I hope this works,” I whispered.

Elaria watched the red glow from the sizzling test tube. The stench of burnt metal filled the stuffy air at the peak of Lorkgard Tower.

I held my breath as Elaria added liquid Cythium extract—mixed with some strengthening potion I couldn't name because she’d used such a long-winded term for it—into Lulu’s blood sample. She flicked a tiny spark of fire into the tube.

The liquid should have settled down. Instead, it did the opposite. The ...