The Seeking Serum

by Frank L. Cole

  Gordy had ExSponged both Mezzarix and Ravian McFarland. He hadn’t told any of his friends how he had done it. Honestly, there wasn’t a clear way to explain it, and Gordy knew it would be too difficult to discuss.

  When he had plunged his hands into the Vessel, the Eternity Elixir still churning through Gordy’s veins had filled in the gaps of what was missing. All at once, he understood how to manipulate the Vessel and use its power. A world of possibilities expanded within his mind. Mezzarix had learned much about the three-hundred-year-old chalice’s capabilities during his life. Gordy, with his fingers acting as a conduit, had gained the same knowledge in a matter of seconds. After that, he just needed to be one step ahead of his grandfather.

  When the idea struck him to turn the Vessel into a temporary Decocting Wand, the necessary elements were already there. Gordy simply had to transfer them to his desired location. As soon as he took hold of both the wand and the Vessel, the transfer was completed. With no need for ceremony or special words, Ravian and Mezzarix were instantly ExSponged when they touched the chalice’s handles.

  Mezzarix had crumpled in a heap, and Gordy had rushed to his side. Nothing was said, but Gordy’s grandfather gave him a look of what might have been understanding. Ravian, a blubbering mess, had wandered to the edge of the atrium. He called out to his birds, begging them to obey, but without any magic inside him anymore, no birds heeded his call.

  The next events transpired in a blur.

  A boy named Gabriel, the leader of the Atramenti, had entered the atrium and taken Mezzarix and Ravian prisoner. Somehow the hidden island felt like the right place for his grandfather’s Banishment. Gabriel promised mercy, but the Scourges would never step off the island again.

  When Gordy said goodbye, his grandfather looked so much older now, and weaker. The removal of his potion-making ability seemed to have added years to his age.

  After almost an hour of flying, as Roseanne soared over Florida, Max finally broke the silence.

  “Nobody look, okay?” he said, getting to his feet.

  “Look at what?” Sasha still had sand caked beneath her ears from where she had been buried, but Gabriel had found a key in one of Ravian’s pockets and had freed her from the metal clamps.

  Max glared at Sasha. “I need some snacks, and I don’t want anyone staring at me when I turn around.” The beaver tail had finally dissolved, leaving a gaping hole in the back of Max’s jeans.

  “I’ve been wanting to ask you,” Gordy said, leaning toward Adilene and Sasha. “How did you guys break out of your cell?” With Sasha’s hands covered in metal and no potions to speak of, that had been quite the mystery. If his friends hadn’t shown up when they had, things most certainly would have ended differently.

  Adilene fidgeted with an empty glass bottle. She had been holding the same vial for most of the evening while they waited for Bolter to return. “I mixed a Moholi Mixture and melted the latch,” she said.

  “You did?” Gordy wasn’t trying to sound surprised, but it caught him off guard.

  “I Projected through her,” Sasha explained. “We Philtered out the ingredients of Adilene’s first attempt and then rebrewed another one together.”

  “Yeah,” Adilene agreed, looking down at the floor. “Maybe, but I think it was more than that.”

  “What do you mean ‘more’?” Gordy asked.

  Adilene made eye contact with Gordy but then looked at Sasha, who appeared to be biting her lip. “I know what you think, Sasha. That you used me as an instrument, but I think it was more. I felt like it was working, not just from what I could see, but inside me as well.”

  “But you’re too—” Sasha started to say.

  “I know, I’m too old,” Adilene hurriedly answered. “And you probably did just Project through me, but . . . I don’t know.” Her shoulders slumped.

  “Maybe we can talk to somebody when we get back,” Gordy suggested. “Someone who could test you.”

  “Yeah, maybe,” Adilene said.

  “She was great, though,” Sasha added. “I couldn’t have done it without her. I know I give you a hard time”—she caught Adilene’s eyes—“but you really are a great lab partner. Gordy’s lucky to have you.”

  “Thanks, Sasha,” Adilene said, her cheeks turning a slight shade of pink. “He’s lucky to have you too.”

  As Roseanne began her descent onto the football field behind Kipland Middle, Gordy gaped at the destruction. Buildings had been set ablaze, black smoke curling into the sky. Downed power lines sent crackles of sparks along the roads. The center building of Kipland, which housed the main offices, had been demolished by a block of ice easily the size of a school bus.

  “What is that?” Max asked, pointing to an enormous mound of spindly limbs and claws lying on its back across three rows of bleachers.

  Bolter squinted. “Probably some sort of prop or a balloon or a—”

  “It’s a centipede,” Gordy said.

  The creature, significantly larger than the one Gordy had fought on Tobias’s property, looked dead, its legs shriveled, its head pitched back at an odd angle. The centipede meant the Scourges had dug deep into their arsenal of deadly weapons. What other nasty insects had been enlarged for battle? And were they still scurrying around somewhere in the shadows?

  The field had been torn to pieces at the fifty-yard line. Fountains of water spewing from busted pipes gave Roseanne an uneven landing. A group of people congregated near the concession stand, and Gordy spotted his Aunt Priss at once. Dressed in military fatigues and bending over a table, Priss barked orders to those surrounding her. Swinging down from the rope ladder, Gordy hit the ground almost at a run.

  “Where’s my mom?” Gordy shouted, racing up to his aunt.

  Several Elixirists whirled around, potions in hand.

  “Stand down!” Priss commanded, pushing her way through. “What are you doing here, Gordy?” Gawking at Gordy momentarily in shock, she pulled him into a tight squeeze. “Where’s Bolter? Why did he bring you here?”

  “What do you mean? Bolter is right there.” How had his aunt missed the giant bird-machine parked on the football field? But when Gordy pointed to the spot where Roseanne had landed, he could see Max, Adilene, and Sasha running toward him but no flying contraption looming behind. Roseanne had vanished.

  “Where did he go?” Gordy blinked in confusion.

  “Where did who go?” Max asked, panting as he ran up to Gordy. Max turned and appeared equally flummoxed by Roseanne’s disappearance.

  “Bolter hasn’t removed the cloaking potion,” Sasha explained when she and Adilene arrived at the concession stand. “He wasn’t sure if it was safe to reveal her just yet. But he’s powering Roseanne down now.”

  “You should be in Colorado with your dad,” Priss grumbled to Gordy. Laid out on the table behind her was a large map with pushpins marking several areas. “There are still Scourges hiding everywhere.”

  “The safe house is in Colorado?” Max asked. “That’s lame.”

  Priss’s eyes flashed with rage. “When I get my hands on Bolter, I swear I’ll—”

  “It’s not his fault,” Gordy chimed in, interrupting her rant. “You can’t get mad at him. He did what he was supposed to do, but I Blotched him.”

  “You did what?” Priss recoiled.

  “We Blotched him,” Sasha corrected. “It was my idea.”

  Gordy wasn’t sure if Sasha was actually coming to his aid or just trying to take credit. “Yeah, but I laid the trap,” Gordy said.

  “Technically, Adilene had planted the mayonnaise in Bolter’s satchel,” Max added, shoving Adilene in the arm.

  Adilene scowled in embarrassment.

  “You . . . you what?” Priss shook her head. “Why would you do that? Bolter was given specific instructions for your safety.”

  “Yeah, well, we had no choice,” Max
said, folding his arms. “We held the fate of the world in our hands. Someone had to step up to the plate.”

  “Fate of the world,” Priss mocked, exasperated. “And I suppose you were in on this as well, weren’t you, Max? What did you do?”

  Max opened his mouth, but his eyes suddenly widened. “I feel a draft.” Throwing his hands behind his back, he covered the rip in his pants now exposed to at least a dozen Elixirists nearby.

  “Where’s my mom, Priss?” Gordy demanded.

  “Your mother’s fine,” Priss said. “A few bumps and bruises, but nothing to lose sleep over. She’s in the gymnasium, but you can’t go in there right now.” Priss snagged Gordy’s sleeve as he turned to run, pulling him back. “She’s tending to the fallen.”

  “What does that mean?” Adilene asked.

  Priss lowered her eyes. “This was unlike any battle we’ve ever fought. We were unprepared for the Scourges’ weapons, and a lot of good Elixirists were ExSponged.”

  “Tobias?” Gordy blurted, his panic rising. “Was he—”

  Squeezing Gordy’s shoulder, Priss smiled. “Tobias survived. He’s the one responsible for that monstrosity.” She flicked her chin toward the main school building and the enormous block of ice protruding from the roof.

  “It’s an Ice Ball on steroids!” Max squealed.

  “More like an unplanned hailstone from a Sturmwolke Slosh,” Priss explained. “Those Scourges picked the wrong person’s garden to destroy.” A murmur rose up behind her as several Elixirists urgently gestured to the map. “Anyway, I have work to do and Scourges to hunt,” Priss said. “I’ll find someone to take you four out of the city. This is no place for children.”

  “I don’t know that we can address them as children anymore,” Bolter announced, suddenly appearing from the football field.

  “You wait your turn, Bolter!” Priss gave the man a fleeting glance, then did a double take. “Where did you get that?” She stepped forward, drawing the attention of the other Elixirists, who immediately stopped what they were doing and stared at Bolter, mesmerized by what he held cradled in his arms.

  “You should ask Gordy,” Bolter said. “And then perhaps give him and his companions medals. They deserve our respect.” Bolter held up the Vessel. “Thanks to them, we just won the war.”

  The Kipland Middle gymnasium had never smelled so strange, and that was saying something. Each bleacher seat was occupied by a satchel-toting Elixirist, their vials and ampoules filled with every color of the rainbow and giving off a variety of scents. Many in attendance represented the recently dissolved B.R.E.W., while more than half earned their livelihood in the Swigs.

  Yosuke Nakamura stood behind a podium at center court, tapping the microphone with his finger, trying to bring the mass of chattering Elixirists to order. “Can we get started, please?” he asked, clearing his throat.

  Behind Yosuke, seated in more than a dozen folding metal chairs, was an odd assortment of faces. Wanda Stitser and Aunt Priss sat next to each other. Tobias, on the far end, fed potato chips to the potted Venus flytrap balanced on his knee. Next to him was a muscular-looking fellow with coarse arm hair—the real Scheel Abboud. Finally home from a covert operation in Egypt, Scheel seemed particularly grumpy.

  Paulina Hasselbeck of the Stained Squad sat between Bolter and a man named Nestor Wax. There was one more representative of B.R.E.W.—a woman named Goldie Greta, who had been promoted to Lead Investigator directly following Wanda’s termination. Due to their recent ExSpongements, none of the current Chamber Members sat in attendance. Rounding out the row in the four folding chairs closest to the podium were Gordy, Adilene, Max, and Sasha.

  Only one week had passed since Mezzarix’s defeat, but the world had already changed drastically. For starters, entire neighborhoods had been demolished in the battle against the Scourges, houses and businesses razed to the earth in rubble. Gordy’s mom and the Stained Squad had managed to apprehend many of their enemies, but quite a few were still on the loose. Though the Decocting Wands in their possession could no longer ExSponge victims, thanks to Gordy reclaiming the Vessel, there were still violent Scourges, and something needed to be done to handle them.

  When Mrs. Stitser learned what Gordy and his friends had done, she’d been angry. Gordy had expected to be grounded for life, issued a Sequester Strap, and never allowed to step foot in a potion laboratory again. But when Gordy burst into tears explaining what he had been forced to do to his Grandpa Rook, her anger fizzled away. She had hugged him nonstop for an hour, which could have been awkward for his friends, but they didn’t seem to mind.

  In the end, Gordy avoiding grounding. After all, he had defeated the greatest enemy the Potion Community had ever known and prevented a global meltdown by rescuing the Vessel. Sometimes taking risks was necessary for the greater good.

  When Mr. Stitser, Isaac, and Jessica had returned from their surprise vacation the next afternoon, things almost started to feel normal again. The family spent several days in a hotel while repairs were made to their home following the catastrophic wind damage Roseanne had caused when she had landed in the yard, but events like that had become almost regular occurrences with the Stitsers.

  “We have many things to discuss and vote upon, and our first order of business—” Yosuke began but was immediately interrupted.

  “Who put you in charge?” one Elixirist demanded from the bleachers. Gordy wasn’t sure of his name, but knew he had worked for B.R.E.W. Burly and imposing, the man towered over those seated around him, with a square jaw and a furrowed forehead.

  “I am not in charge,” Yosuke reasoned, pressing a hand against his chest. “I am simply conducting a meeting. I think you will find not one of us here has any desire to take the lead during this very tense time.”

  The man gave a sarcastic smirk, and several people seated around him grumbled in support of his complaint. Mrs. Stitser had warned Gordy how this meeting would proceed. Combining that many Elixirists together, all with varying beliefs on what was right and wrong for the Community, was like trying to stir a discomfited batch of Pele Punch with a nickel-plated spoon.

  “However!” Yosuke’s voice grew distorted through the microphone, and he raised a finger to regain order. Other Elixirists in the audience began to stand, shouting accusations. They were ill-tempered and loud, but Yosuke’s microphone was louder. “However, if anyone should be in charge, it would be Gordy Stitser. I am certain you have heard by now how he has taken control of the Vessel and defeated the Scourge of Nations.” He gestured to the small table in front of the podium where the silver chalice sat, its pearly liquid producing a haunting glow. “Therefore, it is through his permission I conduct this meeting.”

  Gordy didn’t feel in charge of anything, and Yosuke needing his permission to conduct a meeting sounded ridiculous. But when asked who should handle the proceedings of the gathering, Gordy’s mom had suggested Yosuke. It was no secret Mrs. Stitser felt betrayed by her former mentor’s departure from B.R.E.W., but Yosuke had fought bravely by her side during the Potion War, and without him, the town may still be under Scourge rule.

  “Let us not forget why we are here,” Yosuke continued. “We need reasonable minds to mend the wounds of our Community. You have all been invited because your voices need to be heard. And those seated behind me on this panel were selected by you to represent your best interests. Please keep that in mind.”

  “Who agreed to allow children on the panel?” asked a frail woman with pinkish skin and blue hair. More murmuring rose from the bleachers.

  “They are here because Gordy requested it,” Yosuke replied. “Beyond that, they earned their right to be seated behind me; they are heroes.”

  Max puffed out his chest, and to Gordy’s amazement, Yosuke’s statement seemed to settle the crowd. But now all eyes homed in on Gordy. He nervously fiddled with the zipper of his satchel.

  Priss leane
d over. “Don’t make it obvious, but take a hard look at that woman,” she whispered in his ear. “Seem familiar to you?”

  Trying his best to be inconspicuous, Gordy casually glanced toward the woman, who was squeezing back into her seat. She did seem somewhat recognizable, but she was wearing a distracting fur stole draped over her shoulders that appeared to be breathing.

  “Ingrid Morphata,” Priss said under her breath. “Zelda’s oldest sister.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Gordy felt a chill run down his spine. “Whose side is she on?”

  “Zelda’s,” Priss replied. “Ingrid’s here to make sure her sister receives a fair trial, and she’s heard all about you.”

  “Just what I need!” Gordy groaned. “Another enemy.” Did Ingrid Morphata work exclusively in explosives like her sister?

  Priss smirked. “You worry too much. Ingrid’s a subpar Elixirist at best. She would never dare square off with the great Gordy Stitser.”

  With no further interruptions, Yosuke stated the first order of business. The town needed to be memory-wiped. Almost half the neighborhoods surrounding the middle school were filled with Blotched citizens, and some were beginning to remember bits and pieces of how they had been abducted by strange, bottle-throwing criminals. After some deliberation, it was agreed that Scheel Abboud and Nestor Wax would jointly head up the Purging Committee. Many Elixirists volunteered to assist, and the De-Blotching and subsequent Memory-Erasing of all citizens would commence directly after the meeting.

  Gordy glanced at Max. His best friend had brought snacks and passed Gordy a package of red licorice.

  “When’s lunch?” Max asked, leaning across Adilene.

  Gordy checked his phone. “Since we just started, I think it might be awhile.”

  “Lame,” Max grumbled. “I hope I make it on the Hunting Down Committee.”