Page 90 of The Alchemists

“Look at me,” he said quietly. Jerkily, she turned.

Her face was damp and gray, eyes wild with pain. Unconsciously shed tears coursed down her face. Behind her, Chant nodded tersely and began to work, pulling out a vial of fine, shimmering powder.

“I need you to be strong, Lily,” he soothed. “This first part will hurt, and then it will get better.” His hands were steady, even as Seb could hear the tremor in his voice. “Ready?”

Still sipping in tiny breaths through her nose, Lily nodded. She clutched Seb’s fingers more tightly, her nails digging crescents into his skin.

“Alright,” Chant said, steeling himself. He pulled the stopper from the vial and sprinkled it liberally over her arm.

The scream that Lily uttered was unlike any sound Seb had ever heard before: raw and ripped out of her so violently that she immediately went hoarse. Sobbing, her whole body bucking from the pain, she buried her face in his neck, her teeth grinding into his shoulder. He wrapped his free arm around her, locking her into place, pulling her against him.

A chorus of gasps and sobs echoed around the previously silent lab.

“That’s it, Lily. That’s the worst part—good girl.” Chant’s voice trembled and sweat beaded at his hairline.

He pulled a small sphere from his kit. It was roughly the size of an egg, and beneath its translucent surface swirled a substance that looked like silver-blue mercury. He cracked it against the edge of the desk, then twisted it apart over Lily’s arm. The substance spilled out like dry ice, liquefying as it hit her skin, still covered in powder, and moved with intention, seeking out all the ruined parts of her. It slid from the back of her hand up her wrist to the elbow, with the scent of a fresh spring rain. As it traversed her arm, the blisters shrank and new muscle fibers began knitting themselves over the bone. Against his neck, her breathing slowed to something almost normal, but she shook convulsively.

“Sit for five minutes,” Chant told him. “Then take her to the health center.”

He turned to Gemma, his face contorted with black fury. “You.” His anger momentarily swallowed his ability to speak, and he stood, breathing sharply until he could gather himself. “You’re going to face an academic tribunal for this.”

As Seb stared past Lily’s head at Gemma, a thin shred of his anger faded. She was as horrified as any of them. She’d meant to fuck with Lily, clearly, but she didn’t look like she’d planned on truly hurting her.

“It was an accident!” she wailed.

Chant’s voice was stone. “What explanation could you possibly have for taking alkahest from the supply case, opening it, and pouring it on another student?”

Gemma flailed for an explanation. “I was distracted! The—the party, and⁠—”

“That’s enough. Get out of my classroom. Don’t bother coming back next semester.”

“But—”

“Get. Out.”

Weeping, Gemma collected her things. Seb’s timer buzzed. Lily had stilled in his arms.

“Hey,” he whispered to her as Chant directed the rest of the class to clean up. “Let’s get you to the health center.”

She mumbled vaguely into his shoulder.

“Come on.” He tried to help her up, but she flopped back into the desk, completely wrung out. Shiny, raw muscle stretched tight on her arm. He wondered if her freckles would come back. “Okay,” he said to no one in particular, then hoisted her up into his arms and walked out of lab.

LILY

“What time is it?” She flung herself upright, frantically looking around.

She was in the health center, propped up in a bed, her sweater gone, a blanket covering her chest. Terrified, she peeled it back. Her left arm was still there, wrapped in bandages, an IV dripping into her elbow. Dusky light pressed in against the glass.

“You’re awake!” Seb turned away from Tori. “It’s almost four.”

Lily could have cried in relief. “Thank god. Get out of here before those idiots actually manage to kill one of us.”

He stared at her. “Are you insane? Gemma threw the universal solvent on you. We can’t go now.”

She threw off the blanket, swinging her feet over the edge of the bed. “Look, I’m fine.” Her vision swam, and she clutched the railing for support.

“You. Are. Relentless.” Tori shook her head, but there was admiration in her voice.