The Potion Diaries

by Amy Alward

  Princess Evelyn placed her arms around her. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I started to worry because we hadn’t seen you – and the invitation specifically said that we would. Besides, Sam had given me a letter that I was supposed to give to you – and only you. I didn’t want to let her down. We were left alone for a moment in the Palace entranceway as we waited for the Transport home so I thought I’d try and find you. I ran back down the hallway and opened this pair of brown doors and—’

  ‘What did you see?’ Evie’s eyes opened wide.

  Molly swallowed. ‘It was a huge great ballroom. But it was so strange, because against the far wall there was a massive four-poster bed. You were lying on it, underneath the covers. No one was around, so I walked over to it and I . . . I tried to wake you. You were fast asleep. Then I touched your hand as I placed the letter beside you and it was almost like I got an electric shock.

  ‘When I got back to the group, the Prince was there. I asked him what was wrong with you? Why you were asleep? I thought he was going to be so mad with me, but he didn’t look angry. He looked . . . panicked.

  ‘And then I coughed so hard, I doubled over. My friend Bethany grabbed my hand . . .’ Molly looked around until her eyes stopped on the face of one of her classmates – a young girl, her dark skin covered in a sheen of sweat.

  ‘What happened, Bethany?’ Evelyn asked.

  ‘Well, I took Molly’s hand and the next thing I knew, I was coughing too. It was a really bad cough,’ Bethany said.

  ‘Like we were hacking up our lungs,’ added Molly.

  ‘And then it spread,’ Bethany continued.

  Evelyn could picture it in her mind: the children standing in a line and the cough jumping from person to person like an infestation of fleas.

  ‘I was at the end of the line,’ said Molly. ‘And I could see the Prince. He called out to some of the servants and they came over to us and gave us each a glass of juice to ease our coughs. Of course we all drank. Then Bethany fainted. I don’t remember anything else until waking up here.’

  ‘The Prince – what did he look like? What was his expression?’

  Molly frowned. ‘He looked pretty scared – his face turned this really weird shade of grey.’

  Evelyn’s heart dropped. The story confirmed what she had been worried about. That whatever virus she had was contagious.

  Molly looked up at her, her eyes wide with fear.

  Get a grip, Evelyn. She couldn’t cause these children who had come to visit her to descend into panic. Whoever they were – whether this was real or a dream – she had a duty, and that duty was to protect her subjects. ‘Right.’ She clapped her hands together. ‘The fact is, you all came here to meet me, and now – here is your opportunity. How about we all think really hard about what the Palace looked like, and maybe we can recreate it here.’

  The young teens looked terrified, but they nodded, glad to have a task. Molly was one of the first to close her eyes and almost immediately, up popped the floating candles that illuminated the hallways of Palace Great.

  ‘Perfect!’ Evelyn cried out. ‘What else do you guys remember?’

  Suddenly there was a rich red carpet at their feet, decorated in geometric gold patterns. Up popped the marble walls, not a single bright, clean white slate out of place. A window appeared above them, flooding their feet with natural light. Evelyn began to feel more and more at home. She beamed at the group of teens.

  ‘Now, what do you see in terms of people? Who is around?’

  Immediately, a selection of bodyguards popped up – although their features were fuzzy – as if the children couldn’t quite conjure up their faces, only significant details. Evelyn recognised the particularly square head of one of her bodyguards, and the tall cane that was the new Palace Secretary’s object. Prince Stefan also appeared, surrounded by a pool of light. His features were the clearest – but then his face had been all over the casts and the newspapers, so he was more familiar to the kids – yet his form had the shimmery quality of those she had dreamed up, not those living in the dream with her.

  She couldn’t figure it out. It was a puzzle that made her brain throb.

  Something else was strange. ‘Was this really all the people that you saw?’

  Molly and the others looked at the collection of shimmering people, then nodded slowly. ‘Our teacher stayed behind in the other room.’

  ‘You didn’t see anyone who looked like this?’ She thought of Renel – easily recognisable by his strong beak nose – and a shimmering version of him instantly appeared.

  There was no hint of recognition on anyone’s face.

  That didn’t make any sense. For an official Royal visit, Renel should absolutely have been there.

  ‘And what about this person?’ She swallowed, pausing for a moment before conjuring an image of Katrina in her head. Katrina’s bright red hair and lithe form appeared standing next to her, and Evelyn was momentarily captivated by the sight of her piercing green eyes.

  ‘Oh, I know her!’ said Molly.

  Evelyn was so relieved she thought her heart would burst. ‘You saw her at the Palace? How did she look – was she well?’

  Molly shook her head. ‘No, not at the Palace. I saw her at home. I remember her amazing red hair . . . I’ve always wanted hair like that.’

  ‘At home? You mean . . . she came into Kemi’s Potion Shop?’ Evelyn frowned. She couldn’t think why Katrina would need to visit an alchemist, but there were probably plenty of things she didn’t know about her.

  ‘No, not at the shop. She came to the house to help film Sam’s docucast. She was the camerawoman.’

  Evelyn’s face fell. ‘Oh, it must have been someone else then. This woman is not a camerawoman. She’s one of my bodyguards.’

  Now it was Molly’s turn to frown. ‘It definitely was her. I even noticed because she had a star-shaped freckle on her nose. But then she couldn’t have been one of your guards, as she was ordinary. She definitely wasn’t carrying any kind of magical object.’

  ‘I have ordinary guards too,’ Evelyn said, with a distant smile. Combined with the star-shaped freckle and the red hair . . . maybe it was Katrina. But why would she be with Samantha and not with her? Unless . . . a cold feeling like ice water dripped down the back of Evelyn’s neck. Unless while she was stuck in this dream world, Stefan was slowly getting rid of everyone at the Palace who really meant something to her.

  She had to get all of them out of this dream world.

  Fast.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Samantha

  ‘IS MOLLY OKAY?’ ZAIN IS THE FIRST TO ASK as I close the door of the office.

  ‘They don’t know,’ I say, shaking my head. ‘She’s being held in quarantine at the Palace and they won’t let my parents in to see her. I’m so worried. They said that synthmakers from ZA are working on the cure – do you think you can find out what’s happening?’

  ‘Sure, of course.’ Zain digs his phone out of his pocket.

  ‘I have to speak to the Waidan,’ I tell him.

  ‘Guys, you might want to come back in here,’ says Trina, appearing at the door of the living room before Zain has a chance to dial. ‘The Prince is coming back to the mic.’

  Zain and I exchange a look and then hurry back to the television screen, where the Prince is returning into view. He clears his throat, places his hands on either side of the podium and takes a beat, before staring straight down the barrel of the camera lens. I gulp down a breath. I have to admit: he’s impressive. I’m reminded of when I first met him, at the Laville Ball. He had shown up as my unexpected escort and charmed me with his tiger eyes.

  I had even kissed him.

  Okay – so that had been to slip a poison leaf into his mouth, but still. I knew his true nature. He was a man desperate to preserve his power but equally desperate to save face. His – and his family’s – pride came first, no matter what the consequences were for anyone else.

  Pride and power
. A dangerous combination.

  Prince Stefan’s voice grabs my attention and pulls it back towards him, like a twisted tug-of-war. ‘Good people of Nova. This is the second time that I have had to address you today, and I wish the news was better. But it is still news, and I promised you that I would share what was happening. The Palace security team have been working around the clock to find the source of the disease – and we have an answer.’ He takes a deep breath, his eyes closing for a moment. It makes the instant when he opens them again even more impactful.

  ‘Oh, he’s good,’ says Trina from beside me. I can’t help but agree.

  ‘We believe this was an orchestrated attack by the ORA. We are examining evidence found at the scene now and will update the public as soon as we know more.

  ‘This is a very serious matter. We are sending out urgent messages to every Talented person in Nova who might be at risk of contracting the virus, and advising them of specific steps to take. We urge you not to ignore these messages, and to follow the directions within. We are also warning the ORA – and, indeed, all the ordinary people of Nova – we will find out who is responsible. And nobody is to leave Nova until we do.’

  My jaw drops as the cast ends. ‘What in the name of kelpies is he doing? He’s delusional! Surely no one believes that the ORA are behind this – and what does he mean by nobody is to leave Nova?’

  ‘I have no idea,’ says Trina. ‘Something like that would be hard to implement . . .’

  At the same time, Daphne and Zain’s phones begin to buzz. My head whips around to look at Zain, and I stare over his shoulder as he opens the message.

  ATTENTION: TALENTED CITIZEN OF NOVA.

  IF YOU ARE OUT OF THE COUNTRY, PLEASE TRANSPORT BACK TO NOVA IMMEDIATELY. ANY PLANNED TRAVEL OUTSIDE OF NOVA WILL BE SUSPENDED. IF YOU FOLLOW THESE DIRECTIONS, WE CAN KEEP YOU SAFE FROM THE SPREAD OF THE ORA VIRUS – THE ROYAL PALACE OF NOVA

  I cover my mouth with my hand. ‘He’s calling it “the ORA virus” . . . but why? Zain, you can’t go back. You’ll be putting your Talent at risk.’

  He frowns so deep, his eyebrows almost knit together. But he shakes his head. ‘No, of course not—’ His phone buzzes in his hand again. ‘I have to take this,’ he says. I can hear the tension in his voice and the muffled concern of his father on the line. ‘I’m here, I’m okay,’ I hear him say, as he disappears off into the next room.

  Daphne’s face is as white as a sheet. It’s clear she’s just received the same text message. When she’s finished reading it, she starts gathering her things – packing away her laptop and her camera equipment.

  ‘But Daphne, you can’t go – what about the documentary?’ asks Trina.

  ‘I . . . some other time,’ she replies, for once short on words. ‘I want to stay, Sam, I really do. But the Palace instructions are really clear.’

  ‘Hang on a second,’ I say. Zain walks into the room, his face unreadable. I can’t think about what that means right now. ‘Zain, you used the FollowMe to find me in the monastery, right?’

  ‘Um, yeah . . .’ He stares at me, not sure where I’m going with this train of thought.

  ‘How much did you film? If you caught what I saw on camera . . . then I can show you both what I’ve seen and you can judge for yourselves whether you should return to Nova. Will you at least wait until you’ve seen it until you decide?’

  Daphne hesitates, then nods. ‘Okay, I’ll watch the footage.’

  ‘Good.’ I hope I can convince her to stay.

  Trina rushes over with a laptop. We take the memory stick out of the FollowMe and plug it into the laptop. The latest file is at the top. We double-click on it and I can’t tell whether to be relieved or disappointed: it only shows the last few sentences of my conversation with the Waidan, and none of the story told by the liquid magic.

  ‘You understand what this means?’ says the Waidan on the screen.

  ‘It means the Gergon virus isn’t a virus at all. It’s a person.’

  I stare at Daphne and Zain’s faces as they’re watching it. I can see emotions warring within Daphne, but eventually she shakes her head. ‘Do you know who this mysterious person is?’ she asks.

  ‘No,’ I admit. ‘But I have a recipe for a cure – stay here and film me make it!’ I feel her slipping away even as I keep trying to bring her onside.

  ‘I’m sorry, Sam. But you might have a recipe for a cure and you don’t know who’s really behind this. I can’t disobey the Palace.’ In a few seconds, she has her phone out again. ‘Hi, set me up a Transport link out of Long-shi?’ I catch her say, before she turns away, her hand covering the mouthpiece. ‘Come on, pack up the cameras – we’re leaving tonight,’ she says to Trina.

  But Trina puts her hands on her hips and shakes her head. ‘I’m staying here. With Samantha.’

  Daphne stares at her for a second, then shrugs. ‘Suit yourself. I’m out of here.’

  I turn to Trina, my eyes wide. Then she looks pointedly over my shoulder. I spin around and see Zain has returned, holding his phone limply in his right hand. I pray that Zain is going to make a different decision to Daphne.

  ‘My parents called,’ he says, his voice sounding far away.

  ‘Oh yeah, I heard your dad on the line. What did they say? Do they know what’s wrong with Molly and the others?’

  ‘I need to go home,’ he says.

  I take a step back. ‘What? Even after seeing the footage?’

  ‘I’m sorry, Sam.’

  ‘But the answers are here. I know it.’

  He gives himself a shake. ‘Look, if I go back, I can be your eyes and ears in Nova. And I can help the ZA team on the ground.’ He joins Daphne in her frantic packing, throwing his belongings into his backpack. ‘Dad says that the Prince isn’t joking about shutting down the borders. There’s already rumours that Transport links are being blocked all around the country – they’re going to restrict plane travel next. No one’s going to be allowed in or out of Nova. Don’t you want me on the ground, keeping an eye on Molly and the Princess from the inside? And once you have your cure, you’ll need someone to get you access to the Palace.’

  ‘You would risk your power being drained?’ I ask, my eyes wide with surprise.

  ‘Sam, if you’re the one working on the cure, I know I won’t have anything to worry about.’ He stares at me, straight in my eyes. ‘I know you can do this.’ He pulls me towards him and kisses me fiercely. Even though my heart is filled with fear for him, my head knows it would be best to have him in Nova, where he can report back. He picks up his backpack. ‘I’d better go.’

  I can just about bring myself to nod.

  ‘Stay safe,’ he says.

  As soon as he’s gone from the room, I find the Waidan and grab him by his sleeve. Even though I know it’s a terrible breach of etiquette, all notion of politeness has gone out the window. ‘Please – I need your help. Grandad said I need to get back to the magic pool inside the monastery.’

  The Waidan nods and fishes a set of keys out of the pocket of his robes. ‘You take the car. I will stay behind here and research how to find phoenix flame. We don’t have any here, you know.’

  ‘You would do that?’ I ask.

  ‘Of course. We would have done more to help Gergon if we could, and now we must help Nova before this drain becomes a global problem we cannot stop. My entire team is at your service.’

  ‘Thank you,’ I say, blinking tears from my eyes. But before I can take a single step, Katrina leaps forward and grabs the keys out of the Waidan’s hands.

  ‘I’ll drive,’ she says.

  I nod. I’m going to need all the help I can get.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Princess Evelyn

  SHE DECIDED SHE HAD TO BE HONEST with them.

  ‘I can’t tell you exactly why you’re here,’ she told the shining, expectant faces of the school children. ‘Because the truth is, I don’t know myself.’

  The disappointment on their faces cut her to the bone.<
br />
  It wasn’t the answer that they wanted. But she didn’t know how to tell them the truth: that she had no idea why they had all been put to sleep. All she knew was that she had to keep the children from succumbing to whoever it was that wanted their magic and controlled the oneiros.

  ‘Everyone, listen up,’ she said, clapping her hands together. ‘I want you to close your eyes for a moment, take out your objects and picture the stream of magic that runs through your body. I know normally you can’t see it – but here you can.’

  Molly closed her eyes first, then Bethany, and the rest of the class followed suit. A split second later, a stream of magic shot from Molly’s gloved hands and into the sky. Her eyes snapped open. ‘Wow,’ she breathed out, the awe in her voice making all the other children open their eyes too.

  It was an amazing sight. Streams of magic flew out from every one of the children’s objects – wands, gloves and rings – flowing in different directions. But one strand from each joined the river of magic that led to that mysterious tower inside the walled city.

  Whoever it was, was draining these children too.

  She prayed that somewhere out there, in the real world, someone was getting to work figuring out how to stop the drain.

  ‘Thank you, guys.’ She closed her fist, and the children’s magic faded from sight. But even though they couldn’t see it, she bet they could feel it, just as she could. A low thrumming through her veins. Their magic – and it was slowly being stolen away.

  An idea flickered in the back of Evelyn’s mind. She turned her ice-blue eyes on Molly. ‘What was your sister doing while you were going to the Palace?’ she asked.

  ‘She left yesterday to go to Zhonguo.’

  Evelyn felt her already pale face drain of whatever colour was left. ‘Samantha left Nova? Did she know about my illness?’

  Molly shrugged. ‘There had been rumours, and you know Sam – she’s like a dog with a bone if she thinks something is up. Well, that’s what I assume,’ Molly added hastily. ‘She doesn’t share that much with me. Zain’s with her too. And some people filming a documentary about her.’