Page 33 of Trivium

“Here, tell me what to do. I’ll do the mixing. And if you mess it up…” Her eyes locked on his, unblinking. “You’ll be the one in the coma.”

His mouth fell into a lazy smile. “Yes, boss.”

Somewhere along the way, Zeina stopped listening to his instruction. The plants spoke to her, whispered messages, and she listened intently. Mix elderwood herb here, gently place amphilia petals there, rub only a tiny smudge of bayan root for a single second. It was like music to Zeina’s ears—a beautiful orchestra, a frequency, and it became all that existed until her own voice rang in her ears. “Done.”

“Very good, Ori,” Hashiluna said from behind her, making her jump. “Go ahead and give it a try.”

“Me? No.” She pushed the smooth wooden bowl with the completed potion over to Lennox. “He will sample it.” She couldn’t afford to be sedated. She couldn’t even afford to be sleepy, unless she was tucked away in a safe hiding spot.

“The second years will be travelling beyond the wall after this lecture. You’ll have to sample it this time.” Her long black fingernails held a claw grip on the bowl as she slid it over to Zeina, urging her on. Lennox sat back in his chair amused, and Zeina huffed out a breath. If she got this wrong and passed out, or worse, went into a coma, her secret would be out.

“Go on, we don’t take lightly to cowards here, Ori,” Hashiluna said, her eyes cold.

Zeina picked up a clean wooden spoon from the table and dipped it into the potion. It numbed her tongue slightly, and her whole body relaxed.

“And?” Hashiluna peered down at her.

“I feel… fine. Just more relaxed, I guess.”

“Interesting.” She looked Zeina up and down, taking her in. “It takes a long time for an Alchemist to create that potion in a way that produces a calming effect in humans. For the majority, creature and human alike, it simply causes drowsiness.”

Was that a compliment? It would have sounded like one if Hashilinua didn’t look at Zeina like she was dirt on the bottom of her shoe.

“Ahmina was the first student to complete part one of the exercise. What I didn’t share at the beginning of the lecture is that there is a part two,” Hashiluna said to the class.

Zeina’s cheeks heated as everyone turned to face her.

They watched in awe as Hashiluna opened the broom closet and pulled out a large golden cage containing a creature. An actual creature. Zeina’s heart raced. The thing looked terrible. Its beak was long and jagged, and its talons were sharper than a dagger. Cramped and limited by the restrictive cage, it couldn’t spread its wings, but Zeina could tell its wingspan was massive.

“This is a Rat Tail Falcon. Who can speak about it?” A few hands shot up. The professor ignored them, instead calling on two women sitting huddled together laughing.

The one with long, straight, brown hair cleared her throat and sat up a little. “It exposes secrets. It possesses mind magic and some experts argue it has psychic capabilities.”

Zeina’s leg trembled. This creature had the power to expose her to every single person in the class.

“Correct. And Sapphira, just because your family has a legacy at this school, doesn’t mean you get to giggle in the back of class like a child. Don’t forget you’re here to learn, and there is still a lot for you to learn.”

Sapphira tensed and Hashiluna continued, “Ahmina here has shown exceptional talent when it comes to executing this potion. Let’s see how effective it is on the Falcon. Given how well her and her partner performed this task, it should dull the Falcon’s abilities. If any part of the potion is even slightly off, well, let’s just hope Ahmina doesn’t have any secrets she doesn’t want known.”

Zeina thought about running, but she knew that would draw too much attention. She had to act like Ahmina, and Ahmina would be thrilled to show off. But if the Falcon revealed who she was and why she was here, she would likely be executed for infiltrating the Jarrian’s defense system.

“Ahmina, we don’t have all day. Bring your potion.”

Zeina rose to her feet and picked up her potion with trembling hands. Standing in front of the Falcon, she silently begged it not to expose her as it infiltrated her mind. First, she was looking down at herself as a baby, wrapped tightly in blankets, while her parents gazed at her fondly. Their skin melted, morphing, and then she was in school which was promptly whisked away before she was on the streets of Jarrah, a woman sneaking her fruit behind her back.

“The Falcon shows us the moments you keep close to your heart. The reason why it is such a formidable opponent is because it shows more than just the secrets you keep. It shows the parts of you that are hidden away.” Hashiluna’s voice floated in from outside her memories.

The day the woman had given her fruit, Zeina had contemplated ending her life. She was so tired of fighting, so tired of the gnawing ache of hunger, a giant crater of loneliness in her heart. But the woman quelled her hunger and told off a man who had threatened to get her arrested. Just to get rid of her. And she would have welcomed it. But the woman’s kindness hit Zeina so hard, it knocked the will to live back into her.

She never let herself sink that low emotionally, physically, or mentally ever again.

“If you don’t want the entire class to continue watching your memories in their minds, Ahmina, I suggest you give the Falcon your potion.” Hashiluna’s voice cut through her memories, and Zeina quickly slid the potion into the Falcon’s cage, careful not to let her fingers go past the threshold.

She hadn’t realized her visions weren’t only hers—they were in the minds of the entire class, too. The Falcon sniffed it slowly, and she silently begged the creature to drink it before another vision entered her mind.

But it had barely given her a moment of reprieve before she stood outside the Library of Jarrah, staring at it. Longing for knowledge. Longing to go in.

Zeina blinked, the vision gone. In front of her sat the Falcon, slumped over. It looked like it was somewhere else entirely, as if relaxed enough to use its magic on itself for pure enjoyment.