‘Fortunately, Captain Lovett volunteered to test them. This one, when consumed, will heal the drinker of his or her wounds, just like the healing spell. It helped Captain Lovett partially recover from her paralysis.’ She withdrew a vial, swishing the blood-red contents back and forth.
‘And this one will replenish a demon’s mana when its summoner drinks it,’ she continued, pointing to one of the blue vials as she replaced the red one. There was an awkward pause as her hand hovered over the tubes filled with yellow liquid, then she shrugged and turned back to the group.
‘I’ve only just started the plant research, but they’re a good place to start!’ she said brightly.
‘I’ll say,’ Seraph exclaimed. ‘That’s going to give us a real edge!’
‘What about the yellow ones?’ Sylva asked. ‘What do they do?’
Electra frowned and then shrugged with a shake of her head.
‘I have no idea. I know it has some effect on something, but that’s all. You drink it and feel the rush of something happening, but I haven’t worked out what.’
She slapped Seraph’s hand as he surreptitiously reached for one of the vials. Then the door behind them slammed shut and footsteps could be heard.
‘Ah, Jeffrey’s here,’ Electra said, clapping her hands together. ‘He’s my eyes and ears, you know. Risks life and limb to collect orc demon corpses after there’s a battle in the jungles. It’s their species of demons we rarely see in our part of the ether, so they’re more likely to reveal a spell we haven’t discovered yet.’
Fletcher turned to see Jeffrey walking their way, his sunken eyes and unhealthy complexion compounded by the light around them. The servant boy smiled at Fletcher through a thick mop of shaggy brown hair, styled similarly to Fletcher’s own.
‘Of course, his asthma slows him down,’ Electra said, ‘but his knowledge of the jungles will be invaluable to you. I’ve been training him as an alchemist for the past two years too.’
‘Hi everyone.’ Jeffrey waved shyly. ‘I look forward to working with you. I’ve always wanted a chance to contribute, but they wouldn’t let me join, on account of my lungs. Now I can.’
‘Wait, he’s going to be our guide?’ Seraph exclaimed.
‘For one of your teams,’ Electra said gruffly, raising her eyebrows at him. ‘Captain Lovett selected him, but thought she would give both of your teams the option to take him. Arcturus has his own choice if you decide to turn him down.’
‘Respectfully, I’m a little worried,’ Othello said, shuffling his feet with embarrassment. ‘If the military doctors said he wasn’t fit for duty on the front line, how can he be ready for a mission this dangerous, deep in the jungle? I thought we would be getting a scout, or a tracker.’
‘I was inclined to agree with you when Jeffrey suggested it to me,’ Electra said. ‘But I concocted him a herbal remedy that relieves his symptoms somewhat and, like I said, he knows the jungle better than even a scout would. He’s studied its ecosystem, the same way I have the ether. Knows what plants to eat, which ones to avoid. He’ll see you right, if you’ll take him.’
‘We have a choice?’ Fletcher asked.
‘Yes. Nobody is forcing you to choose him as your guide, but I know that Captain Lovett has yet to find a second option for your team. If you want my elixirs and the new spells I have discovered, you’ll do it. That deep behind enemy lines, who knows what manner of demons you will encounter. I want an alchemist there,’ Electra replied.
For a moment Fletcher stared at Jeffrey, who stood a little straighter, determination written across his face.
‘I’ll take him,’ Fletcher said.
21
Fletcher and his team sat around the tavern table, examining the map in front of them.
‘Why are they dropping us in so far from the mission target?’ Othello said, pointing to the far edge of the map, where their drop zone was marked with an X. ‘It will take us days to get there.’
‘It’s probably as close as they can get to the pyramid without being seen,’ Sylva mused, tracing the distance from the front line to the mark with her finger. ‘If we’re spotted being dropped off, then we might as well set off some fireworks to announce our arrival.’
Fletcher watched the debate with his chin in his hands, too tired to add his own speculation. The cart ride into Corcillum had been miserable, drenching them with a thin drizzle that had kept them all silently huddled together, protecting the map and instructions that Rook had handed to them on the way out of Vocans.