Crimson and Gold

A couple of days later, the three women went together to the old farm, ten minutes away from the city, where Saria relocated the old alchemist and his daughter.

It was one of the hideouts belonging to the spy network under Lysandra’s command, often used as a drop-off location and occasionally for interrogations, so it was mostly equipped with all the necessary supplies.

Saria had decided to hide the father and his daughter there for a couple of reasons.

First, staying in the city risked that the guards would find out that Beatrice was still alive. That would endanger not only her father but also Saria herself.

Second, running a high-risk experiment in the middle of a densely populated city was too dangerous. If something went wrong, innocent people could have gotten hurt.

“Everything is already in place. You can start whenever you’re ready,” Drusus reported to Lysandra, as she was going through all the supplies she brought with her.

Most of the necessary potions she already brewed beforehand, however, there were still a few that had to be prepared on the spot. It was the first time she would be working under such pressure, so she wanted to be extra sure everything was in order.

“Thank you, Drusus. I’ll send the signal once we’re done,” Lysandra said, laying out in a perfect order the ingredients on a makeshift alchemy table in the cellar of the house.

The old spy stole a glance at Saria testing the thick chains they were about to use, then looked back to the Princess. “Your Highness, are you sure you don’t want me to stay?”

“I’m sure, Drusus. It’s too dangerous. You’ll help me the most by looking after Beatrice’s father and making sure nobody disturbs us while we’re in the process,” Lysandra assured.

The man wasn’t satisfied with the answer, but he didn’t push anymore either. “As you wish, Your Highness. If anything happens, just remember to use the signaling gem. We’ll be back right away.”

Once everyone except Saria, Lysandra, and Zahra had left the house, the three of them began the process.

Beatrice was moved to the cellar, where she was chained to a sturdy table in the middle with heavy chains. The Princess started brewing the first batch of potions, while Zahra and Saria stood on the opposite sides of the table.

“Once I start, she will be under a lot of pressure. You’ll have to keep her condition stable,” she explained and looked at Lysandra’s unusually quiet friend. “Are you ready?”

Zahra seemed occupied with thoughts when the question was asked. She blinked a few times, then slowly shifted her gaze from the girl, struggling between them, to the woman on the opposite side of the table.

Lysandra told her that Saria’s magic would play a major role in this experiment, but she never told her what kind of magic it was exactly. Except for the most crucial information, she was mostly kept in the dark, which gave her a bit of a bad feeling.

“I’m ready,” Zahra said finally. Her eyes lit up with a vibrant green light as her magic seeped into Beatrice’s body.

“Then let’s begin.” Saria pressed her palm at the center of the girl’s chest and closed her eyes.

Right away, she could sense the violent power tossing right under her fingers. The vibrations carried by the frantic drumming of Beatrice’s heart as it desperately tried to keep her alive.

Saria’s magic swept through the girl’s body, searching for every ounce of humanity still left in there.

Next, as she opened her eyes and a drop of bloody tear fell from her changed eye, Beatrice’s blood received the command.

Violent spasm shook the girl’s body, bending it unnaturally as a beastly scream erupted from her throat. The blackened veins under her skin bulged and swelled, then squirmed like worms.

The magic coming from Saria didn’t back off. The more the girl resisted, the more she pushed, forcing even the smallest cells to reject the venom.

The response was more violent than any of them anticipated. Beatrice was tossing and turning, squirming, trying to free herself from the shackles without care for how much it was going to hurt.

“First potion, quick!” Saria ordered. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead from the strain.

Lysandra reacted immediately. She grabbed the freshly brewed mixture and poured it into the girl’s pried-open mouth. The moment she swallowed the potion, another wave of horrible spasms exploded.

Agonizing screams that sounded neither human nor beast filled the house. Beatrice glared at Saria with her black and bloodshot eyes, filled to the brim with unspeakable desire to kill. Black substance started dripping from her mouth as she roared again.

Suddenly, one of the chain links broke, freeing the girl’s left arm that aimed directly for Saria’s throat.

“Watch out!” Lysandra tried grabbing Beatrice’s hand, but she was pushed back with incredible force all the way to the back of the room.

Fortunately, Saria managed to stop the attack with her free hand, but now she was forced to struggle on two fronts.

This whole time, on the other side of the table, Zahra was focusing all of her attention on the girl’s vital signs, applying magical aid wherever her body needed it.

She already had to rebuild her liver and her spleen twice, patch countless wounds constantly appearing on her heart, all the while keeping her most vital organ—the brain—from suffering any damage.

Seeing a hand freeing itself from the shackles and the talon-like fingers just narrowly missing her head almost made her loose the focus. Thankfully, as the eldest daughter of the Merea family, Zahra was trained to deal with difficult situations.

She raised her eyes and saw how the girl’s nails dug deep into Saria’s arm, carving long, bloodied marks in her skin.

The blood surged and filled the wounds, a few droplets fell, seeping through the girl’s fingers, down her forearm until it formed a small puddle on the table.

Zahra’s lips parted, ready to say something, but as she gazed at Saria’s face, the words froze in her throat.

There was a red tear rolling down Saria’s cheek. Her brows furrowed, jaw clenched.

In the next moment, the girl’s hand, digging into her arm, was pushed back to the table, pinned by an invisible force that forbade her from moving.

Zahra blinked, and when she opened her eyes again, the blood seeping from the long, carved wounds on Saria’s arm coagulated, then turned into a pale pink scar, right before disappearing completely.

In that moment, the mystery of the nature of the magic was fully revealed to her. Zahra immediately understood why Lysandra was hesitant to share this with her or anyone.

Getting her answers, she turned her attention back to the girl on the table. Her gaze, radiating with powerful magic, grew even more intense.

Two strands of nimble yet powerful vines broke through the stone floor of the cellar, wrapping themselves around the table’s legs to climb up until they reached Beatrice. Then, they wrapped themselves around her neck and the freed arm and pinned her down.

“Thank you,” Saria gasped as the pressure on her lessened.

With the corner of her eye, she saw Zahra nod. “I’ll keep her in place. Just focus on separating her from that poison.”