FIRST BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES OF FANTASILIA SERIES
𝘈𝘯 𝘢𝘨𝘦-𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘺. 𝘈 𝘵𝘺𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯. 𝘈 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘳.
Xanthiene Vivenca's life drones on in a cycle of finding her next meal, ensuring...
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Xanthy pursed her lips. Sitting inside a merchant's cart brought certain memories back. This time, though, it was not June who was with her.
Nyxis clicked his tongue while he rummaged around his satchel. He counted something with his fingers before shaking his head and muttering under his breath. Xanthy watched him turn to the nearest crate and peek inside. His eyes practically sparkled.
"What are you doing?" Xanthy crawled through patches of hay to Nyxis's side. The boy propped open the crate lid revealing pots of a plant with pink leaves and thin, green stems with yellow, bell-shaped flowers blooming. The smell hit Xanthy's nose and she recoiled.
"Want to smoke?" Nyxis grinned as he plucked a flower from one of the pots.
Xanthy waved the smell away from her nose. Just catching a brief whiff of it sent her mind reeling and foggy. "Do you want to go to the Palace drooling like an exhausted dagrine?" she frowned. "Get away from that."
Nyxis chuckled. "Of all the carts we have snuck in, it is this illegal oshella trader," he drew an empty vial from his satchel and slotted the yellow flowers in. "What a nice coincidence."
"Nyxis, I am serious," Xanthy tugged at his sleeve. "That stuff is dangerous."
"It is an ingredient for a potent potion, do not worry," Nyxis removed Xanthy's hand from his sleeve before giving her a knowing smile. "We never know when we might need it."
Xanthy huffed and crossed her arms. "What potion are you even talking about?" she demanded.
Nyxis laid a finger to his lips and proceeded to pluck more flowers. "You seem to know a lot about brewing," Xanthy noted as she watched him pluck a pink leaf and cut it to small pieces. "Did they teach that in the Palace?"
"Yes and no," Nyxis answered. His tongue peeked between his lips as he poured a viscous, clear liquid into the vial containing the oshella. "They teach you basic techniques in the Palace. I learned these complex potions on my own. Through tomes. Invented some of mine, too."
"Like Averal Coris?" Xanthy blurted.
Nyxis snorted. "Yes, like him," he muttered a spell under his breath and his finger lit in fire. Xanthy yelped and he laughed. He dangled the vial over his finger. "Relax, I got this under control."
Xanthy was reduced to watching him tinker around the vial. More muttered spells were cast. The liquid inside the vial changed from pink, to frothy crimson, and finally, to transparent silk yellow. "There we go," Nyxis stuck a stopper into the vial's mouth and palmed it. "Hopefully, we would not need this but just in case."
"What does it do?"
Nyxis winked. "You will see."
Xanthy stuck her bottom lip out. She rose to her knees and peered out of the window. "Hey, Nyxis," she breathed. "Was this the Palace?"
