Chapter 7

When she saw Ochen the next day, after her meeting with the prince and breakfast, she blurted the first thing that came to her mind--which was the only thing on her mind.

"I saw the way you were looking at the king yesterday, is there anything you're not mentioning to me?"

And that was when Ochen grew distant. Not speaking to Dea or anyone else throughout the morning classes. Dea felt Ochen's silence wasn't because she was affronted but rather, because she was... scared.

Ochen remained impregnable, not even when a pea bounced off her head during lunch, Dea shared a worried look with the girl who threw the plant.

Lumi shrugged hopelessly.

* * * * *

That morning, Icarus strode through familiar opulent halls. Servants and guards stopped to bow and curtsy before him, he nodded at them curtly, his shoulder muscles ached from the rigorous training of his new knights.

His guards bowed as he neared his office, though it was technically his. The king had relinquished all the kingdom's responsibilities to him.

The first thing he spotted,entering the room, was his father standing before a row of undraped windows. Icarus chose to ignore him.

When he was seated behind his desk his father cleared his throat.

"Icarus--"

"What do you want, father?" Icarus cut in, not meeting his gaze.

His father ignored his interruption, choosing to go on. "The rest of the court are arriving soon-"

Icarus groaned inwardly. Among the throngs of the court was his father's sister, his aunt, Adelaide. A woman who loved luxury and was always more than ecstatic to gloat about to her bevy of high stationed friends; who Icarus had always thought of as sheeps following his aunt's every command. Adelaide never stopped trying to get him shackled to one of her coterie's feather brained daughters.

"--she'll be acting as chatelaine for your choosing." The king said turning his gaze from the window to him. "Son, I came to advise you to choose wisely an--"

Icarus scoffed, "choose wisely? The same way you chose the witch?"

The king's false air of calmness faltered as his eyes flashed dangerously.

"I did not choose the wi--"

Icarus clenched his teeth. "Its in the past fath--"

"Its in the past but yet you bring it to the prese--"

"Just because it happened long ago doesn't mean your sins have faded away." Icarus cut in.

"It wouldn't be a sin if what you imply never happened." His father defended tightly.

Icarus turned the page of his ledger a trifle too roughly. "But it did. You sinned before your family and your kingdom."

"Icarus." The King said, breathing in deeply. "You would never believe me, will you? Even if I tell you I didn't return the witch's interests."

"But you did entertain it, her interests I mean. You entertained them, and her, each time you met up in secret." Icarus said, reaching to his inkstand.

The king sighed, looking every inch of his old age. "Your choosing begins in the next month, you must put a stop to your reclusion and accommodate them." The king looked at him with tired eyes. "One of them would be the next queen to the ice kingdom."

After that, he departed the office, leaving Icarus to burn a hole through the door he exited.

The door opened again and the witch walked through. After a little curtsy she knotted her hands before her and looked around the office, everywhere but at him.

"Speak."

She jumped, startled, as if she was truly lost in the decor of his office, or as though she expected him to remain mute.

And despite himself, his lips began to curl upwards as he remembered the way she tripped over herself yesterday prior to what she would think; he saw the scene and only averted his gaze when.

The curling of his lips stopped halfway, freezing on his granite face as he remembered the fierce heat that swept through him when he spotted a pair of shapely legs beneath the heap of skirts.

He narrowed his eyes at the witch frigidly, as if she was responsible for his being hard at the sight of her creamy calves. Perhaps she had casted a spell over him, he thought, because he couldn't imagine himself reacting so strongly to a pair of legs.

The witch cleared her throat as she straightened to her full height.

Icarus watched the way one of her bonnet's ribbons swayed due to the movement and, he wondered why she chose to wear a bonnet.

"The first reason out of the two I have for you to send a warlock to our coven, is; we would never ill use your generosity. We are honest, and while we are open and accepting to various kinds of rituals, we would never carry out one of a nefarious intent. If you would like, your highness, you could keep a record of our every ritual carried out.

We are truthful--"

"Surely you jest." Icarus cut in mockingly. His attention on his ledger.

The witch was silent for a while, before she snapped. "I'm not joking!"

He lifted his eyes, locking them on her.

She averted her gaze, splotches of red dancing at her cheeks.

He wondered if she was angry or merely embarrassed at her audacity, he wondered if a certain part of her anatomy would flush red if given special attention. Then, he wondered if he was mad. Perhaps, he thought once again, the witch had casted a spell over him.

She cleared her throat, again, and hr was tempted to ask if she had a cough.

"The second reason." She said, breathing in. "Sending a warlock to strengthen our coven would ensure the safety and resources of our villagers. Seeing as the villagers are banned from other kingdom's they can't get fruits and earth crops from the lykaen or red kingdom. And as I mentioned before our villagers are unprotecte--"

"Typical witch." Icarus spat, not looking at her. "Highlighting other people's in order to get what you want.

Why don't you come again tomorrow and try to convince me with a valid reason this time. The ones you gave were utter bullshits."

He lifted his eyes partially and watched as her chin quivered precariously with barely leashed anger. The red splotches on her face seemed to be heating to a dangerous degree.

With a quick curtsy, so quick it couldn't even have possibly happened, she left his office.

Icarus chuckled into the empty space of his office, the sound alien to his ears. Even Rhys, his bird, cocked his head at him, as if wondering why he was laughing.

Icarus experienced a strange urge to always annoy the witch, just to see her reaction.

Immediately his chuckles halted.

The witch must really be good with her spells, he mused.

* * * * *

It was when they were all seated for their afternoon classes that Ochen finally spoke up.

Amidst the noise consisting of witches pushing the doors open and walking in, chattering noisily as they sat, Ochen said quietly. "Come to the blue hall after dinner,when everyone's asleep." Dea nodded immediately, not even comprehending the lateness of the appointed hour.

The doors were pushed open and a middle aged, plump ice woman bounced in hurriedly. Behind her were a bevy of servants, along with the bags they carried a slight cauldron and stove were hefted.

The warlock hurried to the desk in front of the class, arranging her paraphernalias on it and muttering incoherently under her breath.

After the vials and potion books had been distributed the servants left.

The plump warlock lifted her hand, her lips drew back to reveal a bright, toothy smile.

"Alright class gather round, gather round." She rushed.

When the witches had surrounded the cauldron and the table of bottles, she introduced herself. "My name is Elma and I'm your potions teacher. Today we'd be learning about elixirs. Now," she said, gesturing to three distinctive bottles on the table, "there are three types of elixirs; the sweetened or cordial elixir, the unsweetened or knot elixir and the amphix elixir which, is a mixture of both."

She clapped her hands excitedly, drawing the witches gazes from the bottles. "Today we're going to be making all three of them, the elixir might just about be the easiest potion to prepare, but its measurements must be precise. This," she said, lifting a bottle, "is a tincture extracted from beebalm and orange blossom, perhaps later you'll learn how to prepare tinctures. Note witches, cordial tinctures are meant to be extracted from aromatic plants. The cordial elixirs can be used, only, to heal mild illnesses like; cough or perhaps a cold, and as the name implies, cause someone to be friendly towards you."

She moved closer to the boiling cauldron, putting in ingredients as she spoke.

"There are three main ingredients used in making a cordial elixir,and as well other elixirs, these are; a tincture, an element; honey. And of course, critters. The potions you prepare depend on the nature of critters you're dissolving. For example; when potioning a flying potion you use a fly, a strengthening potion you use a dung beetle."

She lifting her head from the simmering cauldron, observing. The fumes had started to take on a sparkling pink fog.

"The most important ingredient in a potion is the element. They are," she listed, counting off her fingers. "Mercury, liquid copper and honey."

When the witches nodded in apt focus and understanding, she turned her gaze to the cauldron. "When do you know when a potion is done?" She asked.

Snow's hand shot upwards, at Elma's nod she explained. "A potion is finished when the critter ruptures and lets out a shrill cry."

Almost immediately, a piercing noise escaped the cauldron, the witches grimaced as the shrill noise bit into their ears.

Elma nodded approvingly.

"Good, now take out a vial from your magic cases and fill it up with the cordial elixir."

When the witches had done as she said and the cauldron was simmering once again, she continued. "Now, the knot elixir," her voice turned serious. "This is used for healing only complex illnesses, understood?"

The witches nodded rapidly.

Elma smiled once more, her green eyes twinkling. "Knot tinctures must be extracted from dangerous and foul smelling plants like; crown imperials, voodoo lilies or perhaps, devil trumpets."

At the skeptical looks on the witches faces she added. "Do not fret so, the critters serve as a neutralising agent."

She uncovered a tincture, "now,witches, you put just a tiny drop of tincture."

When the measurement was done, with only one eye opened widely, she grabbed the jar of insects and threw in a wiggling critter into the cauldron.

"The knot elixir's main element is honey, too." She said, putting five drops in.

After a while the piercing shrill of the critter breathing its last sounded.

When the witches had filled up their vials with the knot and the cauldron was once again filled with water, Elma lifted a bottle containing green liquids.

"Now the amphix," she pronounced, "this is a blend of the cordial and knot elixirs. Its tinctures can be extracted from confused plants like; artichokes or burdock roots."

When she had dissolved the ingredients, including five drops of honey, she addressed them. "Amphixes can be used to heal body aches or sepsis."

Olive's hand went up, Elma nodded at her to ask her question.

"But," olive said, "isn't that the same function as a poultice?"

Elma nodded approvingly. "I was waiting for someone to take note of that." She said, smiling. "Yes, the amphix does have the same functions a poultice has, but while poultices can't regrow body parts, amphixes can."

Dea was surprised, because while they had treated potions a lot of times at her coven an amphix was never mentioned.

After the critter's cry had sounded, the witches scooped the elixir into their vials.

When they were done, Elma clapped once. "That'll be all the practicals for today. So, any questions?"

Anonna's hand shot into the air like an arrow. When Elma nodded at her she spoke quickly. "What body parts can an amphix regrow?"

"Just about any limb, and more." Replied Elma.

Anonna's eyes widened, her excitement palpable.

Layana's hand came up next. "Liquid copper is the main ingredient for a venussium, isn't it?"

Elma nodded.

Layana continued, "but one day, when I and my caste witches were snooping around we came across an ancient potions book. The instructions for the love potion said to melt in four millimeters of copper, which we did. And by then we thought it a good idea to give the potion to a man Faina fancied but I'm afraid it turned out all wrong, he became too obsessed." Layana ended.

Elma replied, "perhaps the men of which time the book's authoress belonged to must have had a stronger resistance to falling in love."

The witches giggled.

Lumi's hand waved in the air, her voice curious as she asked, "every spell can be made into a potion, right?"

Elma appeared thoughtful. "You see there's a thin line between spells and potions. And yes, just about every spell can be a potion but, there are some disadvantages to using potions, like side effects and long durations. In our next class we'd look into that."

Olive's hand went up next, "what are you?"

The witches looked at Olive with confusion, they couldn't imagine Elma as anything other than a warlock

Elma laughed breezily, "you're a perceptive one, aren't you?" She observed, looking at Olive approvingly. "Well I'm a druid, you can't be imagining there being any female warlock, now, are you?"

The witches stared at Elma in amazement.

"A druid..." Anonna whispered.

Elma chuckled. "Yes, a druid."

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