A Scent of Chaos | ONC 2024

Chapter Nine

We worked through the day, only stopping for lunch which I managed to drag Corvin out for. He had been making perfume after perfume without resting in between and I had to admit I was a little concerned for him. The Velux Emporium canteen was loved by all the apprentices for the mouth-watering meals it provided and the new Head Perfumer needed to experience them too.

When we got there, I ordered a sweet tomato and ground beef lasagna topped with stringy, melted cheese which was my all-time favourite. I didn't get it every time I managed to escape my workspace for a meal, but it seemed like a special enough occasion. Corvin ordered the same meal since he trusted my judgement and had no clue what else to order. As we ate, people stared and whispered around us, which put me on edge. However, Corvin didn't seem to take any notice, focusing on the meal that he also agreed he loved.

The next day, we both returned to the workshop before the sun had even peered above the horizon and stars still danced in the darkness above us. We were so close to finishing the perfume and it was all I could think about. I felt much more energised compared to the previous day, so I was ready to take on the challenge of expanding the forest illusion.

Shaking his head, Corvin leaned back in his chair with a grunt of frustration, letting his fingers fall away from the perfume he was working on. "It's still not right, I can just tell. Getting the illusion to expand further seems impossible."

"I highly doubt it's impossible." I took the atomiser and used it to spray his latest attempt.

The same forest appeared around us, shadows weaving between the trees as I hadn't added the fireflies just yet. We needed a complete base before we started finalising it. I left my seat — no longer a box as I had borrowed one from a neighbouring workshop — and walked towards where I thought the door would be. Instead of the illusion expanding around me, it somehow became narrower. It was as if I could sense the wall I was approaching which wasn't meant to happen. The image of the forest distorted and lost its lifelike charm.

I frowned. "It's just going to take a little longer."

"How much longer? We haven't got any longer. There's only one day left to perfect it and then it needs to be sent off to be tested." He blew a strand of his hair out of his eyes and closed them, trying to think of a solution.

Sitting back down, I pushed the ingredients I was using out of the way. While Corvin was working on the expansion of the forest and the magic, I had been testing different variations of scents that could fit well with the enchanted atmosphere. After all my experiments, I had settled on something in the citrus and rose range.

"It's my turn. Take a moment to think things through and rest before you try again. You've been working all day," I pointed out, selecting another glass bottle.

Corvin pinched the bridge of his nose. "If I think anymore my mind is going to burst."

Now that I had rested more after being drained, the magic in the air around us felt much easier to steal and weave into place, creating an endless amount of opportunities for perfumes. The liquid inside the bottle bubbled as I worked and imagined a never-ending forest around me. Each pop touched the glass and warmed my fingertips. Once I smoothed out the last threads of magic, the scent of smoke tickled my nose.

I opened my eyes to Corvin's smile and a plume of grey wisps escaping the perfume. "I'm glad to see you've got your fire back."

I shook my head in an attempt to hide my returning smile. "Let's just hope this forest isn't burning down when we test it."

Spending all of my time with the Head Perfumer was both annoying and the best thing I had ever experienced. Getting to discover how his mind worked and seeing the elaborate perfumes he had created in the past was really inspiring. I no longer questioned why he had received the title instead of me. I did still hate him for stealing it from me, swiping it from underneath my feet, but I was glad it was him and not anyone else.