Chapter 192: Lillian IV.

Chapter 192: Lillian IV.

Lillian walked down the long, winding road that would eventually lead her to the apothecary. It was approaching evening now, the streets of Topside filled with day laborers returning home after a full shift, with tired eyes and aching backs.

After a shortyet long enough to be politedeliberation, she had declined the foxs offer, having decided that while it was one thing to entertain a demons fancy while they blocked your way, it was a different sort of foolishness entirely to follow them elsewhere. It seemed disappointed by the outcome, but didnt argue or try to sway her.

It had simply let her go.

And when she looked back, the fox had vanished into the ether.

Even if it wasnt some sort of trap, or trick, the idea of learning to hunt magical creatures that carried bezoars sounded like the beginning of a far-fetched fairy tale. One that skewed cruel. Magical creatures were supposedly much more intelligent than their mundane counterparts. Shed never intentionally harmed something intelligent in her life, let alone hunted it for parts. If that was where alchemy led, perhaps Gunther was wise to steer clear of it.

On some level she knew that this was a lie. A more pleasant cover for the murkier, more difficult to define reason that was as multifaceted as it was difficult to face.

It began with her mind. Or rather, the shortcomings of it. Yes, she understood the basics of apothecary work, but that didnt come from a knack or talent. It came from being raised by someone who practiced the craft, and long days and evenings of eye-numbing study, during which she barely retained half of what she read.It took multiple rereadings to commit anything remotely complicated to memory. Even now, with her knowledge finally approaching a workmans level of competency, she constantly forgot the names of plants and ingredients.

She wasnt pretty, either. Freckles ran rampant over her face. Her eyes were too close together, and she had a slight hunch from all the nights spent leaning over dusty books illuminated by candlelight.

If she was honest, the reason shed turned the fox down, with all his murmurings of her exceptionality and enigmatic qualities? It was because he was clearly wrong. Hed confused her for someone else. Someone better. Looking back over the course of her life, all the way to the present, there wasnt a single thing about her that stood out as anything other than average.

After the sobering events of the day, she could see with clarity that her recent fixation on alchemy was nothing more than another in a long line of fleeting obsessions. Before alchemy, infrastructure had fascinated her, coming up with ways to improve and streamline the tight, winding roads of Topside. Before that, shed latched on to blacksmithing, enthralled with the forging and shaping of molten metal. That too had faded. Follow current novels at novelhall.com)

And before that?

She was fairly certain shed wanted a pony.

The fox was wrong. There was nothing special about her.

Rough night the boy slurred, the syllables of his words barely distinguishable from each other.

Looks that way. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear only to have it fall back down. Can you tell me who you are?

Arn Arn? That didnt sound like a name. Was he just parroting what she said, or did she mishear it?

Can you tell me your family name? If the boy was lucid enough, maybe she could alert his family to what had happened. She couldnt move him like this.

icks the boy said, then fell quiet. She tapped his face as gently as she could, and asked more questions. Tried to rouse him again, keep him awake. But there was no response.

Tears pooled in her eyes, obscuring her vision. Gods. Im completely useless.

Average. Not special. Useless. Lillian.

Leave me alone, Lillian hissed, barely realizing she was responding aloud.

To what end?

That would be telling, she snapped. Then her hand brushed her satchel, and something occurred to her. Something important. In a rush, she undid her satchel, reaching beneath the clump of ruined moss and withdrawing the glowing bezoar. It was an alchemical catalyst, but that was only one use. According to the texts, that was almost outshone by its potent healing qualities.

Unsure of how to draw them out, she held the bezoar to his lips.

It shuddered in her hand and dissolved, glowing particulates fragmenting, drifting into the boys mouth and down his throat. Lillian watched in abject wonder as the bruises on his neck faded. When she bent down to check, the wound on his headgaping and angry moments beforewas already half-closed. His eyes flicked open, pupils much closer to equal.

We need to get you somewhere safe, Lillian said. He didnt seem to understand her, but responded as she hauled him up, clinging to her for support. Just stay awake, and keep listening to the sound of my voice