"His given name is Macula." A soft voice came from the doorway. A short woman with white hair stood there. She obviously had been traveling, her clothes were dusty and she looked tired.
"Conium, I am glad you are here." Stain stood up and pulled out a chair for the visitor. She sat down and set her bag on the floor. "Would you like some food or juice?"
Conium smiled, "I would love some. I have been flying for three days straight with only stops for food and water. I have even been sleeping on the wing."
She could fly? Evidently Raven wondered the same thing.
"You can fly?" Raven sounded doubtful.
Conium grinned around her juice. "Actually I ride, my owl flies."
Raven looked confused, "How could an owl carry you?"
Stain answered that one. "Conium is the King's Herbmaster, she rides a great blue owl. You can talk to him later, I imagine he is eating right now."
Conium laughed, "He scared some fishermen almost to death pulling out a massive fish. I figure he will stuff himself and then sleep for a day. His name is Siniy." She leaned forward and looked around the table. Pointing at each of us in turn, "Otter but called Ott, Suzie, Raven, Mophar, Pat. Did I miss anyone?"
Fiosrach spoke up from the rafters, "Me, Herbmaster."
Her head whipped up to look at him in the rafters. "Ah, the gargoyle. My apologies. I am quite tired."
"That is most understandable after such a flight." Fiosrach spoke.
Conium looked around. "The king briefed me on everything up to three days ago. I imagine not much has changed that I can not find out tomorrow." With that she tucked into her food with such determination that we all just sat there for a moment and stared.
Stain chuckled, "Well, I had planned on doing a better job of introductions. However, Conium often has her own way of doing things. And no my name is not Macula. She was being funny." He stood up. "Since she has just arrived why not let her settle herself and talk to her in the morning?" He stopped beside Conium's chair. "If you would see me after you finish eating, there have been some developments that I would like to appraise you. Also I would have words with what your plans are while you travel with us."
Conium stopped eating for a moment and looked at Stain. "Very well High Mage. I will attend you in your chambers momentarily." She then started eating again, this time with a smirk.
Stain shook his head, smiling fondly. "Goodnight everyone. I will see you in the morning. Ott, there are a few more things to finish up before we leave. Please try to fit them into your schedule for the next few days." He walked out and down the hallway.
Conium watched him walk out. When he was out of earshot she grinned, "I was teasing about his name. Macula means stain in another language. It annoys him when I say that though. Some people take it too serious."
Raven spoke up, "So what is his real name?"
Conium laughed, "Nobody knows. Except the king. I know he knows but he promised not to tell."
Suzie sat back and sighed. "He will probably never tell."
Conium nodded, "Most likely. Although he will have to tell Ott one day." She continued eating, putting away more food than I had for my meal.
"Why will he have to tell Ott?" Suzie asked.
Conium paused, "You do realize that Ott will take over for Stain?"
Everyone nodded.
"Good. When a master passes down his full responsibility, all the oaths, promises, duties, and such he does so with his true name. Ott will have to use his full true name. So will Stain. Although Ott might be sworn to never reveal Stain's name." She looked around. "Still dealing with learning magic and such? No politics?"
Raven sat up at that, "I have been working on that one a little. It makes my head hurt."
Conium smiled, "Then you are on the right track. If it did not hurt your head then I know you had no clue what you were doing. Politics are a headache." She took a large drink of juice. "I better report to Stain. I will see all of you at breakfast." She stood up and grabbed her bag. "Ott, I need you to make at least a part of your morning available to me tomorrow. We have a lot of ground to cover before we leave again." She sauntered out, off to meet Stain.
We sat there for a moment, the silence like a weight after Conium's departure.
"Well she will be fun on the trail." Suzie chuckled.
Raven and I looked at each other and laughed.
"That woman has too much energy." Mophar climbed down from the table. "She makes me tired." He walked out, probably heading for bed. Which was a good idea.
"I am going to bed. I think the next couple of days are going to be quite busy." I headed after Mophar, knowing if I did not get there before he fell asleep I would have to move him.
The next morning I woke up with Mophar laying on my head, Pat around my feet, and Fiosrach on the floor beside the bed. I slowly moved everyone so I could get up and start my day. I eventually headed for the dinning hall to find some breakfast. I found the two girls there already with Conium eating. As I walked up they suddenly grew silent and all looked at me.
I checked my clothes, everything seemed okay. "What? Did I do something?"
Conium chuckled, "Not intentionally. But that is always the ways of boys." She pushed a bowl of rolls towards me. "So I talked to Stain last night. He agreed with what you would be learning. Prepare to have some fun or to hate it. It is always the same. Either you love herb lore or it drives you to distraction. Stain said you have all the tools you need, so this is going to be about learning. If you will meet me in the herb workshop after you finish eating we will get started. We are going to do two very hard days of work and then the rest will be while we travel." She stood up and walked off before I could reply.
I just sat there munching on my roll. "She is quite forceful." I commented.
Raven and Suzie both nodded. "I like her though." Raven mentioned. "I think she will liven up the trip." Both girls finished eating and left to go about their morning activities. Mophar joined me just before I finished eating. He grabbed some fruit and juice.
"You snored last night. See if the herbmaster can cure that?" Mophar mummered into his juice. "I had trouble sleeping."
I smiled, "That was not me. That was Pat. I think his nose is bothering him. He sounds like a storm when it acts up."
Mophar chuckled, "Figures. Well maybe she can fix him." He buried his nose into his fruit.
I stood up, "I have to go see Conium. I will see you later?"
He nodded, "I will find you after a while. I will look in the herb workshop. If not there then the enchanting workshop? Working on those knives today?"
"Yes, I need to finish a few more enchantments to leave here before we leave. Most of the other things can be done while traveling." I tossed him a fruit and walked out, heading to the herb workshop.
Conium was already mixing and cooking herbs when I arrived. She had many pots bubbling over fires, bowls of herbs in the middle of being crushed, even a few items set out to be cut up.
"So. Your master has made it clear that you have the basic knowledge of how to process herbs. Even how to infuse those creations with magic." She handed me a bowl full of yellow paste. "What we are going to work on is advancing your skill to the point that you can make anything with herbs, without magic. Then once you have mastered that we will add magic to it." She stepped back. "You look surprised. I am a full mage. Can you not tell?"
I looked at her. Now that I knew to look I could see her mage energy. It was water and fire. "You have a dual affinity to fire and water?"
She nodded. "It comes in handy manipulating herbs. Also I should not have to tell you to check for magic energy. You have been attacked once already. Assume anyone you do not know is a possible enemy and check for magic. Just like checking for a weapon. I know MaPaine taught you that." She turned around. "Eat the yellow paste. All of it. It will be quite nasty, but it is needed." She handed me a cup of liquid. "To wash away the flavor when you have all the paste down.
I looked at the paste. I
t was sticky and thick. Stain had made it clear to follow her instructions and to learn. I spooned some of the paste into my mouth, the taste was the vilest thing I had ever tasted. I eventually got all of it down. Finally I swallowed some of the liquid. It was sweet and tangy at the same time.
Conium watched the whole time. "Now, you are immune to all poisons, both regular and magical. This is my own concoction, none other than myself and Stain have the recipe or the spell." She took the bowl and cup and threw them into the fire where they burst into flames.
I sat there for a moment and stared. "Immune to poisons? Why would I need that when working with herbs?"
Conium just stood there for a moment and then started laughing. "Why in case you get the recipe wrong. That is where some of the best poisons come from. A simple mistake, getting the wrong herb, or even cooking something too long."
That made sense. "So what are we doing today?"
She grinned, "We are making the most demanded herbal remedies. The ones that all good herbmasters can make without thinking. But where they have months or even years to perfect their technique you have this morning."
Shocked, I asked, "What about tomorrow morning?"
Her grin grew, "Why then we tackle the truly demanding remedies. The ones that only a grand herbmaster dares to try." She grabbed a stack of papers. "These are your recipes. This workroom holds all the things you need to make them. Let us get to it."
The next few hours were a blur of cutting, mixing, pounding, boiling, burning, and every other method of processing herbs ever discovered. Finally Conium called a break.
"Time for lunch. I will say this, you are not the most gifted at herb lore. However, you catch on quick and you do it well." She drank the latest potion we had made, one to restore energy and vitality. "Perfect, just enough to get the body going but not enough to kill." She tossed the bottle into the fire. She had explained to always burn up used containers if you could, that way no intermixing of herbs would occur. "Let's go find the girls and see what the cook has prepared. I am starving." She grabbed my arm and hauled me towards the dining hall. She towed me to the table and we sat down.
"How did it go?" Stain was grinning at me.
I looked at him and smiled, "I think I will survive. But I am not sure I can finish the rest of my enchanting."
Stain nodded, "I thought that might be the case. They were extras so no great loss. Just focus on what Conium is teaching you. She might be crazy but she knows what she is doing."
Conium smiled, "I am only as crazy as you are Stain."
Stain laughed, "I am not sure. I would not drink most of what you whip up and drink."
Conium laughed, "Sure you would. Although my latest experiments with flavored spirits has been paying off. The soldiers swear it could awaken the dead." She grabbed some food. "I dosed him, like you wanted." This was said quickly.
Stain looked at me and smiled, "Worse thing ever?"
I nodded and grinned, "Very much so. I swear I almost did not make it."
Stain looked around and leaned over to Conium, "I need you to dose Raven also."
Conium grinned, "That should be interesting. I can do it after lunch. Although I hope she makes it through the dosing."
Raven and Suzie walked up at that moment and sat down.
"I am tired of politics." Raven moaned. "My head hurts."
Suzie grinned, "I have learned more about how the towns and cities work than I ever needed to know. Can we do camping exercises next? I know those!"
Stain grinned, "We have a meeting a little bit later today with a few more mages, only eight this time. Before that I need Raven to go with Conium for a bit. Suzie would you take Ott and make sure he understands how to navigate by using the stars? I think he might want to know that skill." He stood up and left without waiting for the girls to comment.
Suzie looked at me, "I guess I get to teach you for a bit." She grabbed some food. "Do you know how to navigate using the stars at all?"
I shook my head, "No clue."
Raven turned to Conium, "So what are we working on?"
Conium grinned, "No work. You just have to take some herbal mixtures. Ott already took his. You are simply next."
Raven looked at me, "How was it?"
I grimaced, "Worse than the one for beast speech."
Raven swallowed, "Well that stinks! What is this one for?"
"Protection. That is all I will say right now." Conium continued eating.
Raven looked at me. "That is not my place to say." I blurted out.
Suzie and Conium snickered and grinned.
We all finished eating in companionable silence.
Conium finished first, "Meet me in the herb workshop. Do not waste time. The longer it cools the nastier it tastes." She walked out at a brisk pace.
Suzie finished, "I will wait on you Ott. We have to go to a specific area to work on navigation. I think you will like it." She sat there and sipped on some juice.
"Well I guess I better hurry, I do not want to take too long." Raven slowly stood up and trudgingly walked out of the room.
Suzie looked at me and smiled, "Was it really that bad?"
Nodding I said, "Oh yes. It was the foulest thing I have ever tasted."
Suzie laughed, "Well I am sure we will hear about it later. Hurry up, this will take a while to show you."
I stuffed the last bite into my mouth and stood up. "Let's go girly."
Suzie jumped up, punched my arm, and then grabbed it. "I will girly you in a minute if you are not careful"
She dragged me out of the room and towards the workshops.
* * *
Learning how to navigate using the stars was interesting. I learned a lot yet I do not think I was quite ready to make my way just using the stars. Suzie seemed to agree.
"Well you can get around. I would not rely on the stars just yet for you to get around. Practice while traveling to verify where you are and which direction you are traveling." She put away a few tools and stood up. "I do not know about you but I think it is time to go meet the others for another fun meeting of the mages."
I smiled at her humor and stood up. "Have you noticed that most of the mages are either very warm and friendly or almost downright mean?" This had been bothering me.
Suzie nodded, "I have noticed. I think it shows that there are mainly two types of people. Those who like to share, to teach, those who enjoy seeing their craft practiced. Then there are those who would simply rather not be involved with others."
We walked down the hallway, considering this thought.
"The last few meetings have been interesting. Not like the one's in Haver's Town." I commented after a moment.
Suzie stopped and looked at me. "What is it like to be able to use all four magics equally?" This question seemed to have been bothering her.
I looked at her and grinned, "It is complicated more than anything. I imagine with one magic you either can do something or not." I made a small shield above my hand. "I can do something but I also have to know which magic will work best. It makes it more interesting at times." I slowly changed the different magics in the shield and we watched it change colors slightly. "I have found that some things are done better with specific magics. I really have only covered earth and water but there seems to be a lot of the same things that can be done with either magic." I collapsed the shield and smiled. "Mainly it means I have to practice a lot."
Suzie thought about that and smiled, "I used to wish I could work fire magic. It seems as if that would be interesting. Water and fire together."
"It is a fun mix." Conium spoke behind us suddenly.
We both jumped. She had walked up behind us quietly. I turned around. "How would you explain it?"
She laughed and grabbed both our arms, "Like eating spicy food and drinking cool juice. Both good but unusual." She walked us to the dining hall. "But Ott has his own challenges. All four magics require some quick thinking. Me, I either soak it or burn it." She sat at the table
and grabbed some of the rolls that always seemed to be at the table. "Your cook is amazing. That is one of the finer things in life, good food. Too bad many people just do not take the time to care about what they eat." Looking at me she asked, "Can you cook?"
Suzie chuckled, "He helped the cook all the way down from Haver's Town."
I gave Suzie a dirty look and sighed, "I can cook decently well. At least no one said any different."
"Good!" Conium stated. "Stain dislikes when I cook. I get too creative, shall we say."
"You tried out too many of your concoctions on the people you were supposed to be feeding." Stain dryly stated. "I will always remember that one time you caused the king's guard to all belch for hours."
We laughed.
"In my defense they were not giving me any respect!" Conium claimed. "I had to do something to prove I knew what I was doing. It was either that or kill off a few of them. I did not figure you or the king would appreciate losing some guards."
Stain sighed, "That is all true. Just do not go pulling any of your tricks with our meals on the road." With that he grabbed a roll. "Well it looks as if everyone but Mophar and Raven are here."
A voice came from the rafters, "Just Raven. I have been here waiting on you lunkers for a while. I figured better for you to come to me than me go searching for all of you." A fruit peel was flung and hit Stain in the forehead. Stain picked it off and looked upwards.
"Try that again fuzzy." Stain stated dryly.
Another fruit peel zipped out of the dark rafters and struck Stain. Suddenly the fruit peel reversed course but at a much faster speed. It also seemed to grow slightly. A moist smack could be heard and a loud yelp came from Mophar. He appeared from the dark, falling towards Stain. Stain reached out and caught Mophar. "Perhaps you should be wary of mages who could make you go bald?"
Mophar looked up at Stain and grinned, "I would do it only if you want me to snuggle up to you for warmth at night."
Stain chuckled and set Mophar on the table. "So where is Raven?" He addressed this to Conium.
"Well, you see. I gave her the anti-poison paste and drink. She got it all down but seemed to turn a little green." Conium seemed mildly embarrassed "I know I got everything right, yet I forgot she was a harmonic mage. So she's going to have to do it again, but Ott will have to make it up. Evidently my magic does not work well with hers."
A Deepening Knowledge (A Life of Magic) Page 9
