Nyxis heaved another heavy breath as he went back into pounding the nage seeds. His mind stewed in his thoughts like vulkraine soup.

Once the seeds are ground into fine brown powder, Nyxis dumped it into a compact cauldron. He filled it with water from the pitcher by June's bedside. Next, he took his burner—a stick of metal that's capable of directing flame without dying out— and flicked flame at its rounded base before dumping a small cube of skicea wax on it. That should be enough for another twenty minutes or so.

The arisdema's scent stung his nose as he cut its leaves into smaller pieces. Nyxis preferred using emedria spores but that's hard to come by in Dwanzeig as it was endemic in Penleth. He should have bought a bottle of it when he was last there.

But, arisdema have the same sedative properties as the emedria fungi so it would have to do. Nyxis didn't have the luxury to go shopping now.

That's the same thing with the midseg leaves, the levier fruits, and the nage seeds. Nyxis wanted to use other ingredients for them but he couldn't wish for oshella or cloveris when they're native to Alkara and Carleon.

So, he dumped the cut arisdema petals, the grounded midseg leaves, and the peeled levier fruits into his cauldron. He poked it with the broken half of his stirring rod and waited for a few minutes before adding a dash of dried porgon leaves in. They help calm the nerves.

He rummaged around his satchel for an extract of zosslet pitcher's digestive juice. It's something he bought out of a whim in Penleth without knowing that it would become useful someday. He shook the vial, peering at the slimy liquid inside. He poured at least half of the vial's contents into the cauldron, stirring as the concoction inside simmered. Pitcher plant's digestive juice. It helps in getting medicines down the throat easily.

He wiped the sweat off his forehead with his forearm. The smoke rising from the cauldron would have been a good nasal decongestant but now's not the time for that. He took out another vial filled with blue liquid from his satchel. Tears of a grocon which he purchased in a smuggling shop in the Commons. Just like the zosslet juice, this was another of his whim-based purchases that he unwittingly needed in the future. Thanks, past Nyxis.

Two drops of the vial's contents went into the mixture. That's enough to calm a tumultuous stomach for at least half a day.

He stoked the mess of leaves, fruit, and petals until he was able to extract a clear dark purple liquid that took after the midseg leaves' tint. He extinguished the flames after he's certain it had boiled evenly, passed the contents through a sieve placed atop another basin.

Nyxis wrapped the residue left on the sieve and set it aside. He could boil it three more times and still get the same amount of extract. Convenient. Smart.

He let the extract cool for a moment before placing it before him. The dark purple liquid swirled almost like it's inviting him for a drink. He palmed the knife he used to peel the fruits and took a deep breath. He held the knife by his palm, gritting his teeth at the several lacerations already healing there.

For the past three days, even before they left Lanteglos, he's been using his blood to strengthen the effects of his potions. When Xanthy asked him about the bandages wrapped around his hand, he told her that he had a little accident in preparing one of the ingredients. She believed him just like that.

Nyxis could live with the guilt that came with that lie. If Xanthy knew that he had been feeding June human blood, she might turn him to dust before he could blink. He clenched his jaw and prepared for pain to strike as he slid the knife down his palm, tearing the skin at just the right depth. Ten drops. Just...ten. The solution hissed with every drop until it changed from a dark purple solution to dark pink.

He placed the knife down and rummaged in his satchel for a fresh bandage. A curse bled out of his lips when he found out he only had one roll left. Even though he had rantipole with him and would potentially heal his wounds faster, it was still an effective downer. He didn't have half a day to spare just for sleeping.

With his situation now, he couldn't even remember when was the last time he slept straight. Last night, after Xanthy left, June's drawback acted up again. Nyxis spent the night, up to the early hours of dawn, chopping, grating, mixing, concocting, and treating until the half-blood finally settled back in a pained stasis.

Nyxis tried catching it for at least a few hours, but by the time the sun appeared in the sky, his body had already given up trying to get him to sleep. So an hour later, he got up and started collecting ingredients in Eldan's backyard which happened to be the entire Dwanzeig forest.

He finished tying the bandage with one hand and his teeth—a skill he mastered not so long ago. He obtained more vials in his satchel and began pouring the newly-concocted solution into them. This should be enough for at least three days provided June was still sated by the same dosage. With the rate the half-blood's progressing, Nyxis wasn't convinced.

He moved to polishing his preparation knives when his fingers paused. His senses flared with warning about something foreign approaching. It's approaching fast.

Nyxis tensed and snapped his fingers. His things flew back into the satchel just like he enchanted them to do. Good spell. Efficient, too. The window exploded into a thousand shards. A cluster of white feathers blurred in his periphery. Not today.

The satchel flew to his hand and was slung across his form just as he leaped in front of June's bed just in time to cast a shield in front of him. A sword tip thunked against his shield. Nyxis traced the blade to a white-clad arm to a snarling face framed by blond locks. His throat dried up. A hand sneaked into his satchel and gripped a vial. For emergency purposes, of course.

Deep blue eyes flashing with indignation stared back at Nyxis through the shield. "Surrender my brother to me," the girl hissed in a strong voice despite the wall of magic between them. "You will be charged with aiding criminals declared by the Crown if you refuse."

Nyxis smiled, eyeing the girl's glinting metal armor and the spread of bird-like wings sprouting from her back and pooling on the floor. Something glinted between the feathers. That's something he didn't want to know. The dirt smeared on the girl's cheeks only made her fiercer.

The girl dug her sword deeper into Nyxis's spell. He snorted. With her thin arms, she wouldn't get far. His amusement died when small cracks started webbing in his shield. Oh.

She's strong.

He had to get out of here. Nyxis let out his most annoying grin. "Sorry, I already made a promise to someone else. Better luck next time."

With that, he disarmed the shield, whipped his chosen vial out, and flicked the contents in the girl's eyes. The girl screamed as she stumbled backwards, dropped her sword, and clawed at her eyes.

Nyxis leaped to action. He scooped June up, ran past the girl, and jumped into the broken window. With the healing rate faster in fairies, how much time did he have? He ran across Eldan's yard, waving a bottle of cathshins around and shouting, "Sahili!"

Finally, a krou slunk into view and yowled. Nyxis dropped to a crouch in front of her. "Something bad is chasing us. Mind giving us a ride?" his breaths came in short gasps. His heart didn't let up either.

Sahili blinked at him like he's a dumb child but inclined her head, yawned, and swelled to a creature as large as a house. She roared as it spread its white wings and stared at Nyxis with a passive expression.

Nyxis blinked. Just then, a bushy tail slammed into his face. Nyxis shook his head and sputtered out a cluster of white fur that stuck into his lips. Stop staring and be done with it. The front wall of Eldan's house splintered as vulkraine girl burst out. Oh dear. Nyxis hadn't any versallis to pay Eldan for repairs.

"Sahili, to Eldan!" Nyxis screamed as he flung himself into the krou's back. The girl leveled her sword and lunged just as Sahili pushed off the ground and launched herself to the sky.