New to this story? Read Part 1
This part of my story may be triggering to those sensitive to sexual assault scenes.
M
Mal stepped into the shop and found himself impressed by the array of ingredients on display. Dodging the hanging herbs, he made his way to the back counter. A black cat was lounging lazily on the counter and Mal smiled. This was not a standard herbalist shop, he suspected, but a skilled witch’s. He nodded respectfully to the familiar.
“We are here to see Vivi,” he said, “Lynn sent us.” The cat nodded and went to fetch its witch. The woman that emerged from the back looked younger than him, but he had a feeling she was far older instead.
“Nyx said Lynn sent you?” Vivi asked, confirming his suspicion. Mal nodded and explained not only that he needed Liatris root, but also the elixir he needed it for. She nodded and browsed her shelves of plants. He recognized many species that should not be able to survive in this climate and suspected more than a green thumb was at play. He was surprised she brought the entire plant over, its large purple plumes waving as she set it down.
“It may be useful to have a fresh plant on hand,” she suggested, “most elixirs only use a small portion of the root and a well cared for plant can supply you with enough for dozens of elixirs. The flowers are also frequently used in teas and poultices so they may be of use to you as well.” Mal blinked, stunned. He had expected to need to furiously haggle for barely enough root and here he was being offered a live plant that would benefit him for years with proper care. He agreed the plant would be best and set about agreeing on a price. The price in the end was far higher than he had originally expected to pay for the ingredient, but for such a resource he felt it was a huge deal. He turned to Anora to let her know they could go and found her arms full of a loudly purring feline.
Vivi chuckled beside him, which was a relief as he did not want the generous witch offended. Luckily, she found her familiar’s antics amusing and merely chided to leave the girl be. Mal watched Nyx listen and could practically see the cat’s disappointment at the loss of attention. Mal thanked her again for the plant and unslung his pack to retrieve a pouch. He did not want such a rare plant to be subjected to the heavy rain and days of bumpy travel so he carefully placed it inside the pouch. Satisfied it was now safely on his desk in his tower, he took Anora’s hand and led her out of the shop.
The rain made the walk back to the stables slick, the cobblestones a slushy mix of mud and snow. Mal told himself that was why he held Anora’s hand the entire trek, but he knew it was a lie. Once back at the stables, he forced himself to let go and noticed Anora was equally reluctant to sever the connection. He prepared the ponies and internally groaned at spending more time folded up on the creature.
A chuckle beside him informed him his groan had not been as internal as he thought and he found himself smiling. He was doing that a lot lately, he realized. He had never felt especially lonely in his tower, but he found himself hating the idea of being alone again. Not just alone, he amended, but specifically without Anora. He had to admit, at least to himself, that even though they had only known each other a short time she had wrapped herself so completely in his life that he had begun to see her presence as a vital necessity.
He reluctantly hoisted himself onto his mount and tucked his cloak around his folded legs, maximizing the protection it offered from the torrential rain. The ponies made short work of the distance to the forest just outside the town and Mal felt uneasy as they entered it. Unlike the dusky twilight they experienced on their first trip through, it was now fully night beneath the thick canopy. The only benefit was that it sheltered them from most of the soaking rain.
As they traveled the twisting trail, Mal found his unease getting worse. He caught movement at the corner of his eye before something large and heavy fell onto him, pinning his arms to his sides. From the shadowy trees, numerous hulking figures emerged. He saw a glint of steel as he turned to Anora and was aghast to find a blade was held at her throat.
“None of that spell business or the girl suffers,” the brute holding the knife warned. Mal was pulled from his mount and half dragged through the forest, Anora similarly herded along. He was led to a cave, its entrance carefully concealed from view. He grunted as metal shackles were clamped around his wrists, their chains secured to the rock wall of the cave. Anora was similarly chained and roughly shoved toward the wall after biting the brute holding the knife.
Mal fretted as he sat beside Anora. He watched as their belongings were ransacked though luckily the thieves didn’t seem to understand the pouches and found nothing, but empty sacks. He wondered what they could want, though as the leader stepped into the firelight he had an idea. The man had obviously had a rather unpleasant interaction with Nyx, Mal gathered, if the raised jagged scars that cut across his face were any indication. As attention was focused on their packs, Mal felt Anora lean against him, her warm breath tickling his ear.
“Can you teleport?” she whispered. He was tempted to say no, to pretend he couldn’t because he didn’t want to leave her, but he found he couldn’t lie to her.
“I can,” he admitted, “but not both of us. I will not abandon you.”
“It’s not abandoning me if you come back,” she countered. “You can get away, to your tower, and make the elixir.” Mal shook his head. He would not be able to teleport back here, unless… He paused, considering. It would be risky, he knew, especially for Anora. Looking into her eyes he saw no fear, only determination and trust. He nodded and turned to the thieves.
“I’ll show you how to use the sacks,” he said. The leader looked skeptical, but brought the packs over. Mal rattled his chains. “I’ll need a hand free.” The leader motioned to the man beside him and a knife was held to Anora’s throat. Mal swallowed, his nerves on edge, as a shackle was unlocked and his right hand was freed.
“Slowly,” the leader warned. Mal nodded, slowly reaching for his pack. He pulled out the pouch he wanted and reached in. His long fingers brushed the plumes of the Liatris, but he moved further over, his hand closing over a smooth oval stone. He also grabbed a small flask that was beside it. Pulling his hand out he let the stone fall discreetly on the cave floor, just another stone in the dust. He held the flask to the leader, its swirly contents a shimmering gold in the firelight.
“It will turn anything into gold,” Mal said, “just let us go, please?” The leader grinned, greed evident in his beady eyes. Mal was roughly rechained and shoved against the wall. The man with the knife was dismissed. The leader went to a table and Mal figured he was going to test out the flask. He turned quickly to Anora.
“Cover your eyes!” Mal whispered urgently, covering his own once he saw she had. He waited as the leader opened the flask, expecting to pour the contents onto whatever he wished to make into gold. A brilliant flash erupted from the flask instead, its light so bright Mal could see it even with his eyes closed and shielded with his hood. The screams informed Mal that most of those in the cave were now blinded, though it was temporary. The flash gone, Mal opened his eyes. The packs were still where the leader had left them and he quickly pulled them close with his long legs. He did not want them to have access to the pouches now that he had demonstrated their use. With a pack in each hand he turned to Anora.
“I’ll be back as quick as I can,” he promised, giving her a quick kiss. In a blink, he teleported back to his tower, the packs safely in tow.
A
Anora blinked at the empty space beside her, two shackles laying in the dirt before her. She knew this was the best option, but she still worried it would take too long. She had no idea what the men would do to her once they regained their vision and found Mal gone.
While she waited, she thought back on their adventure so far. They had known each other for less than a week, yet she trusted him completely. More than that, she admitted to herself, she loved him with her whole being. She recalled her mother had told her once that when she found her soulmate it would be like her very existence was welded to them. Not chained like a prisoner, she had explained, but as if you suddenly realize you were only part of a greater whole before and now are complete. She wondered if that was what she felt for Mal. It certainly felt like a monumental connection to her and Mal had been reluctant to risk leaving her, confirming to her that he felt something similar for her.
The thugs at the edges of the blast were starting to recover, she noticed, her body tensing. She watched as one looked her way and noticed the empty shackles. She found herself holding her breath as he made his way over to the leader. They were too far away for her to make out their whispered conversation, but she could tell it was not pleasant. Luckily, whatever fate awaited her was to wait as nobody approached her even after the leader had finished giving instructions.
The rain lightened up outside as she waited, though the sky grew darker. It must be evening, she realized, surprised so much time had passed. Her stomach growled, informing her of its dismay at missing a meal. The noise caught the attention of the leader whom she now thought of as Scar because of the wicked gashes across his face. She tried not to cower as he stalked over to her. He grasped her chin and pulled her up, tilting her head back so she was forced to look at him.
“Your companion has abandoned you,” he stated, a smirk pulling at his lips. “Fear not though you will be given plenty of attention shortly.” He rumbled a laugh that made her skin crawl and deposited a wooden bowl of gray sludge on the ground before her. Her stomach cramped painfully and she forced herself to ignore the hooting and laughter as she bent down, her hands still shackled behind her. It was humiliating to eat like an animal, but Anora tried not to care. She had spent time in a prison after all.
Once the thugs had finished their meals, Anora watched them huddle around a table. They seemed to be deciding on an order for something, but she couldn’t tell what. She watched as the winner crowed happily and then leered at her. Her blood went cold as she watched him lick his lips and approach her. She knew exactly what he had won first dibs on and she prepared to fight as best she could. He stroked her cheek with his grimy fingers and she snapped her teeth at them. A swift backhand slammed into her cheek causing her to see stars. She was picked up and carried to the table, vaguely aware of the cheers and cat calls from the other men.
The shackles were latched onto the table and her arms were thrown helplessly spread on either side of her. She kicked furiously, though lying prone on the table made it difficult to aim. She heard a grunt, informing her she’d connected though not nearly hard enough. She felt her legs pinned down and her pants slowly being pulled down. She flailed harder, desperate to delay the horrible fate before her. She found herself wishing Mal had been able to continue his actions last night if only to avoid this vile creature being her first. A tingle went through her, raising the hairs on her arms. As if her thoughts had summoned him, she heard him.
“Get your hands off her!” Mal roared. She had never heard him sound so furious. She craned her neck to see him and was stunned. He was wreathed in flames, his dark robes billowing in the currents of heat and magic, and she thought he looked like a vengeful god ready to smite all before him. She glanced at her amulet and saw the stone was a deep red. She closed her eyes and hoped it meant fire shielding.
M
Mal barely had fully transported into his study before he became a flurry of motion, donning his usual robes with their various enchantments. He had no idea how long he had before the sunburst spell would dissipate and the men regained their sight. He gathered the other ingredients, the book already open to the elixir recipe. He took a deep breath to steady his trembling, trying not to think about what they would do once they saw him gone.
Focus, he chided to himself, rushing leads to mistakes. He took another breath, his hands finally steady, and began to prepare the elixir. As he got to the Liatris, he realized Vivi had been right, only a small portion of the root was needed and he quickly set about grating the fresh root into the boiling potion.
Mal watched as the concoction changed from orange to blue and a thick cloud of steam plumed up. He took a deep breath, breathing in the steam and began the incantation. He felt a tug in his chest, then began coughing. Something wet slid out his mouth and he opened his eyes. The rain cloud hovered before him and he quickly captured it into a flask like the one that held the starburst spell. He stood a moment to catch his breath, taking a full breath for the first time in weeks. He squared his shoulders, ready to throw every spell he knew to save Anora. Closing his eyes, he chanted the spell needed to transport him to the anchor stone he had left in the cave.
When he opened his eyes he nearly lost his mind. He saw Anora strapped to the table, her legs pinned as a man was pulling down her pants. The rest of the group was circling the table, cheering on the thug. Rage turned his blood molten and he felt his whole body ignite. He was barely aware of the inferno surrounding him, his fury narrowing his focus to the vile creatures before him. He strode forward, barely processing his actions as he unleashed whips of flame, strangling and burning those that dared approach him.
As he reached the table, the leader drew a sword and others followed. His whips became blades as he continued his assault, leaving a pile of bleeding corpses in his wake. The leader grabbed Anora, thinking to use her as a shield. Mal paused only long enough to see the amulet was red and send a quick prayer that it meant a fire shield. Then he engulfed them both in flames.
A
Heat was everywhere, yet it was gentle, a warm blanket surrounding her. She kept her eyes firmly closed as she heard screaming beside her and the smell of charred meat assaulted her nose. The screaming stopped and she felt the man holding her disappear. Cool air rushed around her and a new warmth enveloped her as she felt Mal’s arms wrap around her.
She opened her eyes to gaze up at her savior, a beaming smile on her lips. His own gaze made her tingle with its intensity. She felt a gentle brush of fingers on her cheek as he gently leaned down. She felt herself melt into him as their lips connected. When she was out of breath he pulled back, his eyes glittering with emotion.
“Let’s go home,” he said softly. She smiled, her heart brimming with happiness at that simple phrase. She watched as he went to retrieve a small stone in the dirt by the shackles he had been in. She didn’t hesitate when he reached his hand to her, her hand seeming to fit perfectly with his. “I’m able to teleport us both now that the cloud is out of my lungs,” he informed her, “Ready?” She nodded and he wrapped his arms around her. In an eyeblink they were whisked away, their first adventure together complete. Their first, Anora mused, but by no means their last.
The End
We’ve reached the conclusion of my rewrite of Elixir just in time for the New Year. What started as a 3,000 word story ended up as just over 20,000 words and much better for it in my opinion. I’m curious what genre you guys would classify it as. I have a nasty habit of ignoring genre lines as you may have noticed in Homeward too. Leave your feedback in the comments, I’d love to know what you guys think of my story! Oh and do let me know if you’re interested in reading more adventures with these two, I have a very loose idea for another story, not exactly a sequel, that would be more Anora’s quest while this one is Mal’s.
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Well done! I really enjoyed this and, though it's not necessary for a good story, I rooted for the characters from start to finish. The alternating POV was interesting and the characters and dialogue are well-written. Everything progressed logically, which for a fantasy-type story (I'm not good at genre either) can be a challenge, and there was enough action/intrigue to keep me reading. I'd be interested in more stories in this series :-)