The Potion Diaries 2

by Amy Alward

  I’m bent over double, my hands on my knees, attempting to calm my jagged nerves.

  ‘I see you didn’t bring Kirsty with you this time. She didn’t want to come and see the damage she’s done in person then? Sometimes I wonder if the grand adventurers are actually the biggest cowards. Typical, arrogant Finder.’

  Now it’s my turn to frown. ‘I don’t understand . . .’

  But she hasn’t finished. ‘First the dragons, then an influx of heavies making demands of the centaurs and the people of the village. Is Nova going to help us sort out this mess? You’re displacing this entire village and they have nowhere to go; they have to start all over again . . .’

  ‘Displacing the village?’ I ask, shocked.

  She adjusts her headscarf, which has come loose with her anger. ‘We all have to move.’

  ‘But why?’

  ‘You think you can rile up a dragon like that and get away with it? We’ve lived peacefully for decades and then three outsiders come along and mess it all up. The centaurs are suffering from the dragon’s anger and they blame us for it. The centaurian envoy, Solon, came by and said we either move away or they will drive us out. They want this territory now.’

  ‘You’re kidding.’

  ‘No, I’m not. So to be perfectly honest, I’m not sure that you are going to be all that welcome here. I don’t think I can help you.’

  ‘Please, Nadya. This isn’t just for me, it’s for everyone.’

  ‘Pah, everyone. You Novaens act like you’re the centre of the world, like the sun and stars revolve around you. You’ve been squabbling with Gergon throughout the centuries – your monarchies rise and fall – and yet in Runustan we do not notice. Our sun still rises and sets and our stars still shine. Your concerns are not ours.’

  I nod slowly. We do make Nova the centre of the world on all the maps, and I’m ashamed to be so Nova-centric. ‘Well, I should thank you anyway. You have already helped me by bringing me here.’

  There’s a slight crack in her serious façade. ‘Sam, I don’t think you understand. I feel for your grandfather and what you’re going through, I really do, but I don’t have time to drop everything and rush to your aid. If there’s more damage done to the village, no one will forgive me. They won’t let me back in, and all the work I’ve done here will be lost.’

  ‘I understand if you don’t want to help me but if it’s the village’s relationship with the centaurs you’re worried about, I can help you with that. I need one meeting with a centaur. With Cato.’

  She waves her hands dismissively. ‘That will change nothing.’

  The weight of the centaur’s eye is heavy in my pocket. ‘Nadya, you have to trust me. You said that my great-grandmother was the only one who cared about learning not only where the ingredients come from, but the history and culture that nurtured them. That she was an alchemist you admired. On my honour as a Kemi – as Cleo Kemi’s great-granddaughter – I give you my word.’

  She searches my face and I don’t shy away from her intense gaze. ‘Fine. I’ll give you one chance. But Sam, if you mess up with these centaurs . . . that could be the end for these villagers and their way of life. This is a rift you created.’

  ‘And I can fix it. I know I can,’ I say, with all the confidence I can muster. ‘And if I don’t, then there could be worse things coming your way. Worse people. People who really won’t care about what happens to you.’

  ‘Fine. I will call Solon. But you had better be prepared. The centaurs might take less kindly to you than the villagers – and you already know they don’t share the same forms of justice as we do.’ She runs her hands over the front of her dress. ‘I had better set off straight away. The technician is on alert for your friends. They should be through soon.’

  ‘Thank you,’ I say.

  She nods, then disappears from the tent.

  I pace around Nadya’s ger, waiting for Anita and Arjun to arrive. I throw my portable screen straight in the fire. As an acrid smell rises from the flames, I pray to the unicorns that there wasn’t a tracer on it.

  I drop down onto one of the cushions and wrap my arms around my knees. My foot starts tapping on the ground.

  I don’t have to wait long. Not even an hour passes before the tech rushes in, helping Anita and Arjun through the transport one at a time. I hug Anita so tightly she winces. But then when I let go, she squeezes me back again just as hard. ‘We thought you were dead,’ she whispers in my ear.

  ‘I’m still here,’ I whisper back. Arjun is next.

  His hug is briefer but no less comforting. Worry mixed with relief blazes in his eyes. ‘Sorry it took us so long.’ We wait for an awkward moment in silence as the Talented tech confirms that the link is closed and heads back outside. He seems in a hurry. I think back to what Nadya said about the whole village being displaced. Hopefully I can help them a tiny bit.

  But first: the diary.

  Once we’re sure the tech is gone, Arjun continues talking. ‘We had to think up a rapid-fire excuse to tell my parents and I had to put together an emergency Finders kit and we had to get to a transport terminal. Luckily it’s like the whole world is looking for you, so our parents weren’t surprised when we finally told them we were joining the hunt ourselves.’

  ‘Wait, you told your parents you were coming to find me?’

  ‘Only in a general sense!’ Anita assures me. ‘Everyone thinks we’ve gone to Crane Beach in New Nova because . . . don’t be mad, but I’ve been on the Wilde Hunt Theories forums too. I did a quick bit of photo doctoring and made out that you’ve been spotted there.’

  ‘Why would I be mad? That’s genius!’ I say.

  ‘I know how you feel about those forums.’

  ‘Anything we can use to throw people off the scent is good.’

  Anita shrugs. ‘Well, I’m not sure if it worked. I don’t think Zain believed it. All I can say is, thank dragons he could only chat online and not in person . . . he probably would’ve seen right through me. He’s actually still in Pays, near the Gergon border. He’s with the Princess petitioning to gain access to Gergon to search for you.’

  ‘We got here, like you asked,’ says Arjun. ‘Now you tell us – why are we here?’

  I swallow and nod. ‘I’ve been here once before. To meet a herd of centaurs who live nearby.’

  ‘Back up a sec . . .’ says Anita. ‘Why did you meet centaurs?’

  Super-speedily, I tell them what Emilia did to my grandfather and how important finding my great-grandmother’s diary is. To their credit, they both listen without interrupting. Aware that time is ticking, but also that they need to be armed with the facts, I fill them in on my last visit to Runustan, the mystery of the centaur’s riddle, and I summarise what I learned while under Emilia’s captivity. The only thing I leave out is the gift that Emilia left me, and I imply that I stole the transport screen – just like I stole Prince Stefan’s phone. I don’t want them to have the same confusion about Emilia that I do.

  ‘What was that riddle again?’ Anita asks. She loves a good puzzle, and with her brain on this, we might stand half a chance.

  ‘A place where day is always night but the stars spark on command.’

  ‘And you have no ideas?’ Arjun asks.

  ‘I’m not sure. But I saw that Lake Karst was nicknamed Lake of Stars on a sticker on Cleo’s trunk.’

  Arjun taps on his phone. ‘A quick search says it’s because on certain nights it is so flat and still that the reflection of the night sky makes it look like the lake is filled with stars.’

  Anita frowns. ‘That doesn’t really fit the “day is always night” part though . . . Could it be an indoor location somewhere? Maybe where they can turn lights on and off? That’s the only way I can think of how stars could appear “on command”. Is there an observatory or something near the lake?’

  ‘Maybe, but there’s nothing like that here. It would be a brilliant place for an observatory. But there are a few buildings with electricity . . . maybe it
’s one of those?’

  ‘Well, if you had asked me about that before now, I wouldn’t have said it was in Runustan. There’s a really famous lake known by that name in Bantu, near Zambi, that’s called the Lake of Stars because it’s so high up in the mountains that when there are meteor showers, it looks like the stars fall into the lake.’

  ‘I’ve heard of that too,’ I say. ‘But that can’t be it. The sticker on my great-grandmother’s trunk most definitely depicted this place.’

  ‘Hang on – what did you say the Runu name for the lake is?’ asks Anita.

  ‘Lake Karst,’ I say.

  ‘I have heard of it.’ She takes out her phone and pulls up a scrapbooking app. ‘I use this to keep track of all the places in the world that I want to travel to after university. Hang on a second. I knew I’d saved a picture of Lake Karst. It’s known for having this bioluminescent algae.’

  ‘Biolumi-what now?’ I ask, confused.

  The biology geek in Anita surfaces. ‘It’s this specific type of algae that emits a bright light when disturbed. It’s a rare natural phenomenon that occurs in special places all around the world – just some places are more distinctive than others. Like here, look, there’s a beach on an island in the middle of the ocean where the waves light up at night because of the algae washing up on the shore.’ She shows us the photo on her phone and she’s right – it looks stunning and otherworldly. The waves are lit up like the Tree of Light in Laville. ‘Anyway, Lake Karst in Runustan is known for having this phenomenon too. But it’s so far off any other normal tourist trail that not many people come here.

  ‘It’s also really hard to photograph the algae here, so there are no spectacular photos like that island. But it could be an explanation for the riddle: stars that appear on command. If you snap your fingers or clap your hands underwater then this algae sparks up like fireworks!’

  ‘And it would be dark as night under the water too,’ I say. ‘Anita – you’re a genius! Do you think that could be it?’

  ‘It’s worth a try,’ says Arjun.

  For the first time, I feel a surge of optimism. I’m here with two of my best friends in the entire world – who also happen to be the smartest people in the world – and I know that if anyone can figure this out, it’s going to be us.

  CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

  Samantha

  WHEN WE STEP OUTSIDE, KARST looks completely different. Half the gers have been taken down and the villagers are frantically running around, loading their worldly belongs into flatbed trucks. It’s a far cry from the calm, peaceful village I knew.

  I swallow hard. Did Kirsty, Zain and I really do this? I hadn’t realised that my actions – and subsequently Kirsty’s – could have such terrible ramifications. Did she know, and act anyway? I wonder how much dragonfire costs. Probably a LOT.

  But it’s not worth this.

  And still not as much as a centaur’s eye.

  My lips press together. Kirsty and I have been through so much, but that means I know exactly how ruthless she is. She’d probably make me use the centaur’s eye. Use it – or sell it.

  Anita puts her hand on my shoulder and I tilt my head so my cheek rests on her hand.

  ‘Look, over there.’ Arjun points at a plume of dust rising from around the edge of the lake. As it comes closer, I can see it’s Nadya in her 4×4. We run down to the water to meet her.

  ‘I’ve spoken with one of the envoys: Solon. He said Cato would not meet you.’

  ‘What? But—’

  She holds her hand up to stop me. ‘I stressed how insistent you were about the importance of this meeting and so Solon agreed to meet you and me alone. You, so that you can offer him whatever it is you think will change the centaurs’ minds about our town. And me, so that I can negotiate the terms. It is a glimmer of hope.’

  It’s not Cato, but it’s a step forward. ‘Great. Is there a way for us to explore the lake?’

  Nadya points to the small shack down by the lake’s edge. ‘That’s the water sports centre. Unfortunately for you, all the young people who work there have abandoned the village and gone back to the main city. They want to try their luck elsewhere before this place becomes food for the dragons . . . literally. But most of the equipment is still there – they haven’t had time to move it yet. And there’s a boat. I’ll make sure the owner knows.’

  ‘I’ll take a look at it, Sam,’ Arjun says.

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Yes, I’ve taken diving courses in my Finder’s training – I can at least check the equipment and see whether it’s safe for us to use.’

  ‘I’ll take a look online and see what I can find out about the algae in this lake,’ says Anita. ‘Maybe it can help us narrow down the location. It’s pretty massive, after all.’ I follow her gaze out towards the lake. It is massive, the far side of the shore looks to be at least a mile away. It’s only because the sky is so bright and clear that we can even see that far at all.

  I’ve never loved my friends as much as I do in this very moment. ‘Thank you so much for doing this for me.’

  ‘Thank us when you’re back,’ Anita says, her fingers flying across the keyboard.

  I give them both big hugs. ‘If all goes well, I’ll be back here in a couple of hours, okay?’

  ‘We’ll be ready for you.’

  I jump back in the car with Nadya, my fingernails bitten down to the quick. I’m grateful that the centaur wanted to meet me, but nervous at the same time. What if he wants payback for what we did to his herd?

  When I see Solon standing at the edge of the water, a lump appears in my throat. He’s alone, his body a dark silhouette against the sky. We park a short distance away, then Nadya and I approach. Once again, Nadya whispers to me out of the corner of her mouth, ‘You had better have a good plan.’

  Once we are within speaking distance of Solon, I bow my head. ‘Hello, again.’

  He doesn’t say a word back to me – only stares with his golden eyes, his arms folded across his chest. He doesn’t need to speak to me. I’m the only one who needs to say anything.

  ‘I am deeply sorry for what happened to you and to your herd. I’m sorry that this was brought about by my visit. I assure you that I never had any intention to hurt you, or to anger a dragon. I have only come here to try and find my great-grandmother’s missing potion diary. I know that she came here, and I thought it was my best chance to follow in her footsteps.’

  Solon interrupts me, anger distorting his voice. ‘You have done more than that. Your ancestor would have never been so reckless. You have provoked the dragon’s ire and now she is hungry. She won’t be satisfied until she has tasted flesh – centaur or human. It is all we have been able to do to protect ourselves and our young. She won’t cross to the other side of the lake, and that is why we need the humans to give up their territory until the dragon is vanquished.’

  ‘Is there nowhere else you can go?’ I plead.

  ‘No. It must be here.’

  I nod my head, slowly.

  ‘You said that you have something of great importance for me?’ Solon asks, scraping his hoof against the ground, impatient now.

  ‘Yes, I do. And I’m not going to use it as a bargaining chip. I won’t ask for anything in return.’ I turn back and look at my companion. ‘I’m sorry, Nadya. It has to be this way. I won’t withhold this from the centaurs.’

  Her eyes harden. ‘You are just going to give freely something you could use to save us?’

  ‘Yes,’ I repeat. ‘It was given to me by someone who thought I would use it to further my own goals. But I can’t do that. I’m sorry that I deceived you.’

  I unloop the chain from around my neck, pulling the eye out from underneath my shirt. As soon as Solon sees it, he rears backwards until I can see the whites of his eyes, and he shouts in Kentauri. He reaches back and draws his bow. Then he seems to remember himself and he says in Novaen: ‘Where did you get that?’

  Even Nadya leaps away from me. I, by contras
t, take a few steps towards Solon. I kneel down on the ground and hold the eye out in the palms of my hands, trying to ignore the fact that there’s an arrow pointed straight at my heart. ‘I know that this belongs to your herd. Please take it and return it to the rightful family, so that they may bury it with whomever had to give it up because of an alchemist’s greed and ambition.’

  I keep my eyes lowered to the ground, because I can’t bear to think what might happen if he doesn’t accept the eye – or if he decides that I’m the one who deserves to be killed for its theft.

  I feel more than hear his hoof-steps coming toward me, and I close my eyes in anticipation. There’s a gentle pressure on my palm as he lifts the eye out of it. As soon as the eye is gone, I stand up and stumble backwards away from him. He is holding the eye up to the light, examining it as I have done. ‘I know a certain centaur who will be very happy to have this back.’

  ‘Wait – the centaur who lost this eye . . . he’s alive?’

  ‘Indeed. And I believe you may even have seen him? He chased you out of the herd.’

  I swallow and nod. The centaur with the eye patch.

  ‘We forbade him from killing you outright, which is what he wanted. We offered you that courtesy as the descendent of Cleopatra Kemi, who provided a great service to our herd in their time of need.’

  I decide to try my luck. ‘Will you allow these villagers to continue living by the lake?’

  Solon shakes his head. ‘I’m afraid we have already seen that this is what we must do. There is no other way. You will have until tomorrow nightfall to vacate your camp before the first centaurs move in. And they won’t show mercy like me.’

  ‘Why are you showing us any mercy at all?’ I ask, not really expecting an answer.

  ‘Because I remember what your ancestor did for us better than anyone.’

  ‘What did she do?’

  He doesn’t answer, but encloses the eye in his fist and gallops off, away from the lake.

  I stare after him as he leaves. Reluctantly, I turn back to Nadya. Surprisingly, there isn’t as much hatred in her eyes as I expected. Her shoulders are rounded, her eyes downcast, resigned to her fate. We walk back to the car.