Pouches and flasks and items unnamed hung everywhere inside the alchemy classroom.

“In your book ‘Beginners Guide To Hedge Magic’,” said Lady Kizamere in a stern voice. “You’ll find the first chapter is dedicated to all the ingredients needed for healing potions.”

Lady Kizamere had an uncanny ability to silence a classroom with a look and when she spoke, people listened and were quick to obey. Kizamere had narrow eyes that could see the tiniest of mistakes and a thin nose that gave her a hawk-like appearance that Tristan found intimidating yet beautiful.

The sound of pages being flipped filled the air and Lady Kizamere gave the class a look that silenced the room one again.

“There are various potion recipes you can choose from and all produce the same results,” she continued. “You can find anything you need in the academy gardens or on the edge of the hidden forest.”

Her eyes scanned the class and each student nodded in understanding.

“A final warning, the medela mushrooms look very similar to their poisonous cousin the felshroom. If you are uncertain about your shroom lore then I suggest you use a non fungal healing potion recipe. This potion takes two to complete. So select a partner. You have one hour to collect what you need and bring it back here.”

The students stared at her.

“Go,” she said.

Chairs screeched as students pushed back their chairs and headed for the door.

Tristan nudged Luna. She had been ignoring him since the evening before but he hoped that a day was long enough for her to get over being upset. “You should be good at this,” he said. “Want to partner up?”

Luna picked up her books and marched straight out the classroom without looking at him.

“So it's just you and I,” he said to Jayce.

“You’re a bad influence, hoa,” said Jayce. “As he followed Luna out the room.”

Tristan looked and realized that the only other person in the room was Ambrose.

“Really?” he said.

“Looks that way,” said Ambrose. “Come let's get this over with.”

“Couldn't you partner up with one of your sidekicks?” Tristan asked.

“I could but then the one I don't pick will feel left out,” said Ambrose. “It's the burden of leadership.”

“Yeah,” said Tristan. “That's why I'm alone. Just too good at this leadership thing.”

Tristan opened up his alchemy book and read the chapter on healing potions. Then he read it again. It made no difference. To him a plant was a plant and all mushrooms looked the same.

“How long do you think this is going to take,” Tristan asked as the two of them headed towards the hidden forest.

“Until Luna forgives you?” asked Ambrose.

Tristan smiled. “That too.”

“You know she's too good for you,” said Ambrose.

“Why do you care, Ambrose? Aren’t you and Sylvia a thing?”

Ambrose picked a mushroom, twirled it in his fingers then threw it over his shoulder. “Sylvia is a legacy magi,” he said matter of factly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Tristan.

Ambrose frowned. “You know about the jinn?” he asked.

Tristan nodded.

“Do you know how people receive them?” Ambrose asked.

“I've noticed some similarities in some people's stories,” said Tristan.

“Yes,” said Ambrose. “Jinn are attracted to damaged souls. When I was younger I saw a wagon full of miners fall off the edge of a cliff. They all died. As I sat in my fathers carriage a fear like I’d never felt before came over me. It was at that moment I received my jinn.”

“What has this got to do with Sylvia?” asked Tristan.

Ambrose picked a flower and plucked a petal off of it and rolled it between his thumb and index finger. He sniffed his finger and then placed the flower into this basket.

“Sylvia’s father was a magi,” he finally said. “In her family they pass the same jinn on from parent to child in each generation. The process is… ugly.”

“So that means you can't be with her,” said Tristan.

“It's more complicated than that,” said Ambrose. “Legacies don't get to pick their partner. The family does that for them.”

“Why?”

“Selective breeding,” said Ambrose. “So each generation is stronger than the previous one.”

“Why are you telling me this?” asked Tristan. “I thought you didn't like me?”

“I'm telling you something that everyone already knows,” said Ambrose. “But somehow you seemed unfamiliar with most things.” Ambrose picked a mushroom off of the underside of a tree. “My family heard strange rumors about a white haired youth,” he said. “I've seen you fight, it's hard to believe you could hurt a fly.” Ambrose dropped the mushroom into his basket and his eyes met Tristan’s “Let alone kill two Crimson Guards and put three Masters in the hospital.”

As Ambrose headed back to the castle Tristan leant against a tree and took a deep breath to steady himself. Ambrose’s words were meant to shock him and put him off balance and they had worked. He just hoped he had been able to keep it off of his face.

An hour later after digging through bushes and checking under tree bark for mushrooms Tristan finally filled his basket and headed back to the castle.

***

Lady Kizemere swept down the aisle between the desks and stopped in front of Tristan. “Mr. Bell, what are the three recipes for crafting a basic healing potion?” she asked.

“Um,” he stuttered.

The Master’s eyes narrowed.

“Can I read them?” he asked.

She gave the smallest of nods.

Tristan felt his face going redder. He opened the book and glanced down at the first page.

“The first one uses mountain moth wings, aqua blossoms and shivermoss,” he said.

The Master nodded.

“The second one uses medela mushrooms, snork bulb root and corprus vine.”

“Go on,” said the Master.

Tristan flipped the page and read the last recipe. “Serpent king blood, koltrice stems and ash crab chitin.”

The Master smiled. “Could you be so kind as to let us know why your basket contains bane weed petals and direvine?” she asked in the same drawling voice.

“Um—” said Tristan.

“Those are poisonous, young man,” she interrupted. “We will be testing these potions at the end of class and I would prefer it if you did not poison your classmates.”

“I guess having hair like the heros doesn't mean that much,” a student whispered behind Tristan.

Lady Kizamere strode to the front of the classroom her green gown trailing behind her as she walked.

“On your desk you will find a standard mortar and pestle, a retort, a calcinator, and an alembic,” she said. “You have until the end of the lesson to complete and test your recipe.”

Tristan eyed Luna's basket which was filled to the brim.

“Are you planning on starting a pharmacy?” Tristan asked.

She sniffed and looked away.

“Which potion are you making?” he asked as if he hadn't noticed her giving him the cold shoulder.

“All of them,” she said.

“Of course,” said Tristan. “So where did you get the serpent blood?”

She nodded towards a shelf containing jars of liquids, pickled creatures, powders and dried herbs.

“Lady Kizamere has a supply of serpent blood and ash crab chitin for those using the kotrice recipe.”

“That helps,” he said. “Could I, maybe, use some of your ingredients?”

Luna sighed. “Of course,” she said. She glanced over at his basket. “Don't throw your plants away. The bane weed petals make an amazing pink dye and direvine is poisonous in large doses but a small dose is great for stomach pain.”

***

“Potions down,” Lady Kizamere said at the end of the lesson. “Sylvia Grenlock, Evelyn Featherswallow and Faye Marple bring your potions to the front.”

The three girls walked up front and placed three potions with different shades of red onto the table.

Lady Kizamere took a pin and handed it to Sylvia. The shy blonde girl took the pin with a trembling hand.

“Poke your finger,” said the Master. “Then add a drop of your potion to the wound.”

Sylvia yelped as she pricked her finger. A drop of blood formed on her extended finger. She added a drop of her potion to the wound and moments later she held up her finger and smiled shyly.

“It's healed,” she said.

“Good,” said the Master. “Next.”

One by one students went up with varying degrees of success, eventually Tristan went up and placed his translucent pink potion onto the table in front of the Master. He pricked his finger and then stopped before adding the potion.

The Master frowned. “What’s taking so long?” asked the Master.

Tristan showed her his healed finger. She took the pin and grabbed his finger. He resisted the impulse to pull away as she pricked it. Blood welled up and then the wound healed.

“Rapid regeneration,” said the Master. “How extraordinary for a human to have that.”

Tristan smiled proudly.

“I would love a sample of your blood,” she continued. “A vial should do.”

Tristan’s smile vanished.

***

When Tristan and Jayce arrived back in their dorm Tristan found a stack of envelopes on his pillow.

“What you got, hoa?” asked Jayce.

Tristan opened the first letter and read it.

Eat gruffalo balls and die.

Jayce laughed. “What?” He snatched the letter out of Tristan’s hands, read it and packed up laughing.

“A reply to one of your scams?” asked Jayce. “Or have you been doing something else to piss off the good people of Aressea.”

Tristan opened the next envelope and the words were different but they carried the same basic message.

“What’s wrong with these people?” he asked as he handed the letter to Jayce.

Jayce frowned. “This one’s actually quite poetic.”

Tristan opened the next one and a silver coin fell out onto his bed. “Finally success,” said Jayce.

Tristan’s shoulder slumped as he handed the letter to Jayce.

“My grandson’s name is also Timmy,” read Jayce. “Here’s a coin hoping he feels better and will be able to visit his grandma soon.”

Jayce dropped the letter. “Doesn't feel so good when it's an old lady,” he said.

Tristan sighed and fell back onto his bed.

***

Tristan woke that night to the sound of a bell ringing on the end of his bed. He opened his eyes and saw Sphinx, the winged cat’s eyes gleaming in the dark.

“Follow you?” Tristan asked.

The bell rang again.

Tristan sighed and rolled out of bed.

***

Sphinx stopped in front of an oak door with an albatros emblem emblazoned on it.

Tristan raised his hand to knock and the door swung open. Blue light out of the door. Tristan hesitated a moment then stepped through the door.

It was as if he had stepped into the depths of the ocean. Everywhere he looked he saw fish swimming, colorful seaweeds swaying and packs of glowing jellyfish floating by.

“What is this place?” Tristan asked. Sphinx stepped past him and lept onto a table. A section of the wall rotated and Headmaster Aurelian stepped through the gap in the wall.

“You arrived earlier than expected,” said the Headmaster. “You must have come as soon as Sphinx called.” The Headmaster smiled. “You must have questions.”

Tristan ducked as a large fish swam overhead. “Is this your office?” he asked.

“It was once Lady Hemlock’s office,” said the Headmaster. “A bit dramatic for my tastes but the explosion at the beginning of the year destroyed my office as well as the chamber of testing.”

“Ah, sorry about that,” said Tristan.

“No worries,” said the Headmaster as he watched a school of tiny pink fish swimming by.

“But I didn't call you here for that,” he said.

Tristan felt his palms begin to sweat. Had the Headmaster found out about his scams? Or about him using his magic to feed Buzzbeak or had he heard about his duel with Ambrose. When Tristan thought about it there was a lot he could be in trouble for.

“Why did you call me?” he asked.

“I had a visitor earlier today,” said the HeadMaster. “Any guesses who?”

So many possibilities crossed Tristan's mind.

“It was a Crimson Guard,” said the Headmaster.

Tristan went very still.

“I see you are familiar with them,” said Aurelian.

Tristan nodded.

“They were looking for someone,” continued the Headmaster. “Do you know Scarlet Odell?”

“What?” Tristan stammered.

“Redhead girl,” said the Master. “From Westwind, the same island you and your friends came from.”

Tristan nodded slowly. The conversation was not going the way he had expected.

“Do you know anything about her disappearance?” asked Aurelian.

“No, sir. She arrived a few days before me. I haven't seen or heard from her since.”

The Headmaster nodded.

“It's not like the Crimson Guard to get involved in a simple missing student case,” said Aurelian.

“Is that all?” Tristan asked.

The Headmaster looked Tristan in the eye. He studied the boy for a few moments.

“We have had an incident,” he finally said.

“What?” asked Tristan.

“The shared dream the students had,” Aurelian continued.

Tristan’s eyes widened.

“Yes we are aware of Malice’s mind invasion. We don't know its full purpose but we have increased Tempest’s defenses. Have you had any dreams since?”

Tristan shook his head.

“Good,” said the Headmaster. “Then our new defenses are working. If the dragon was at full strength no barrier would stop him.”

The Headmaster opened a draw on his desk and brought out two glasses and a bottle of red liquid.

“Redberry,” said the Headmaster. He filled the glasses and handed one to Tristan.

The Headmaster adjusted his glasses. “You had questions?” he asked.

Tristan took a sip of the juice. It was sour and fruity with a hint of sweetness.

“I don't have a jinn,” said Tristan.

“That's true.”

“But how does my magic work?”

The Headmaster drained his glass. “You are not truly a magi, Tristan. Magi are jinn magicians. We don't really have a name for your type of magic, maybe something like parasite mage?” He shook his head. “No, that doesn't sound right. Your magic is tied to your link with Malice that much we know, but it seems to be more than that, more than just the magic.”

“So everything I can do malice can do?” Tristan asked.

“In theory,” said the Headmaster. “But you hold a sliver of the dragon’s power. Enough of it that the dragon would kill you to get his power back. Fortunately for us all the dragon has not found you yet.”

A thought occurred to Tristan. “You weren't doing me a favor by accepting me into the academy,” he said.

The Headmaster regarded him for a few seconds before responding.

“No Tristan, You are here as much for us as for you. The King sees you as a potential weapon in his fight against Shalegos and Malice.”

“So the King knows I’m here?” he asked.

“The King knows about everything happening in his realm. You could be an asset for him in his war or you could be the very tool Malice uses to destroy us.”