It was a marvel to behold. Both Jess and Nevin stood back in awe, taking in the scene.

One by one, Mike lifted the immeasurably heavy rocks and placed them into the back of the cart as though they weighed little more than sacks of feathers.

Nevin leaned over a little to whisper, “Did you know he was this strong?”

Jess shook her head in response. She really hadn’t known. It felt like she’d discovered a colleague was moonlighting as one of the world’s strongest men. Granted, Mike was a minotaur and not a human. It made sense that perhaps he would be stronger than the average person and yet seeing it in action felt like a scene from the movies.

Mike loaded another stone block into the cart. One that was the same size as Jess’s torso. “Are ye going to help or are ye just going to watch?”

“I think you’ve got this, big guy,” replied Jess, giving him double thumbs up and a wide grin.

“Ye asked me to help… Not do all the work for ye,” Mike countered as he dusted off his hands on his tunic.

“You said we were in the way,” said Nevin. He nervously toyed with the hem of a sleeve.

Jess nodded her head in Nevin’s direction and added, “What he said.”

Mike rolled his eyes but said no more. Instead, he plodded off to another rough outcrop to find the next rock to lift. While he did so, Jess eyed up their current booty. The bottom of the cart was just about covered with rocks now. Each one they, or more accurately, Mike, had chosen was a solid hunk of limestone, perfect for her needs. They sat nestled upon a blanket to protect the cart from being damaged by their rattling.

“How are the rocks going to help?” asked Nevin. He was carrying a rock of his own towards the cart, though it was only about the size of a grapefruit. It was placed upon the growing pile with a look of pride on his face.

A sly smirk crept across Jess’s face. “Dark druidess magics,” she said, waggling the fingers of both hands at him as though she were casting a spell.

Nevin’s eyes rolled so hard that Jess was surprised he didn’t cartwheel. “Druidess’s only use nature. Everyone knows that,” he replied with a petulant scowl upon his face.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yes,” he snapped. “They have to obey the laws of nature.”

“Is that so,” replied Jess quietly. She rolled a small chip of limestone between her fingers, feeling the grainy texture. A small, warm smile had replaced her smirk. The so-called ‘laws of nature’ had always been magical to her. They were what had drawn her towards biology and the sciences in the first place. It was sharing that magic with students that had caused her to train as a teacher.

When she looked up, she found that Nevin was staring at her with a perplexed frown on his face. She flashed him a cheeky wink and laughed at his flustered response, before turning to locate more rocks. Mike was almost certainly able to complete the task himself, but they would never hear the end of it if they left him to do so.

It took very little time to fill the cart as much as they dared to. Jess didn’t want to press their luck and overload the small cart when they had so kindly been offered its use for the day. She already felt as though she was taking advantage of Farmer Hewitt’s kindness, without risking damaging his possessions.

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Once loaded and with Nevin and herself on board, the two donkeys were persuaded to begin plodding back towards the city. Mike had refused to ride in the cart.

“Just feels unnatural,” he had stated with a grimace. Jess had laughed but couldn’t blame him for his choice. He was far too big for them to all comfortably fit anyway and his long gait meant that he kept pace with the sedate donkeys regardless.

Once they reached the gate to the city, Jess tugged on the reins and brought the donkeys to a begrudging halt. The great beasts never seemed keen on following instruction. If they were asked to go, they would drag their hooves and creep at a snail’s pace but if asked to stop, it was as though Jess were ordering the incoming tides to retreat from the beach.

“You’re sure you don’t need my help?” asked Nevin. His hands were planted firmly on the edge of the cart, yet he hadn’t risen from his seat.

“I’ll be fine,” Jess reassured him with an easy smile. Preparations had already been made and the delivery was expected by men who were in a much better position to lift the heavy boulders from their beds.

He climbed out onto the road with a downcast look on his face and Jess’s stomach panged with sympathy. He’s a good kid.

“I’ll need a lot more help soon though if you have the time at all?” Jess asked and was rewarded handsomely by the sight of the boy’s face lighting up.

“I can help,” he agreed eagerly. “I’m good at chores and odd jobs.”

Mike placed his hand upon the top of Nevin’s hood and ruffled both it and the hair beneath. “Stay out of trouble till then,” he warned Nevin affectionately then turned to pat the rump of one of the donkeys. When the beast refused to move, Jess made a clicking noise at them and flicked the reins.

With an irritating cacophony of braying, the two beasts renewed their journey and both Jess and Mike continued into the city through the large Eastern gate. After a hurried glance over his shoulder, Mike commented, “Ye’re a better teacher than his current one.”

“You haven’t even seen me teach?”

“Ye sure?” he asked with a raised brow.

She paused, unsure of her answer, before giving a shrug and a smile instead.

It wasn’t long before they and their precious cargo reached their destination, Steelsmith Wing. The streets were lined with all manner of armouries and smithies. Black smoke belched into the air and the fine, carbon powder seemed deeply engrained in every surface. The clatter and clanking of hammers and chains, shouting and the deep roars of forges excited Jess in a way that she hadn’t expected. Mike seemed less impressed. His furrowed brows and slicked-back ears acting to clearly indicate his annoyance. No doubt a thorough washing would be in order before he would allow himself behind the counter at Toleron’s Trinkets.

At last, as they emerged through a blanket of smoke and steam, the shop front that Jess had been searching for came into view. The owner was Elruc Coalgut. He was a notable potter in the city, but Jess wasn’t interested in his earthenware. As they approached, a red-haired man with a long-braided beard emerged.

“I see you made it!” he called out with a smile. He was wiping down his hands with a ragged bit of cloth. Not that it seemed to do much good as it was already as filthy and grey as the clay that he made use of.

“Afternoon, Elruc!” Jess greeted him. The donkeys stopped reluctantly, their heads searching for the noticeably absent vegetation.

“I take it you brought the stone then?” he asked amiably.

“All loaded in the back,” piped up Mike, already beginning to haul some of the rocks from the back of the cart. Jess still hadn’t informed him of her plan and his curiosity was apparent. Either that or he was desperate to leave for fresher air.

Between them, and the aid of some of Elruc’s nephews, the stones were transported inside the store and out of the back of the building. There, several large kilns sat with piles of wood and coal around.

“The one at the back is the one we’ll use,” Elruc informed them. “She’s old and starting to crumble. No good for glazes or ceramics, but she’ll suit your purpose just fine.”

“What is yer purpose?” Mike cut in, eyeing Jess with suspicion.

She flashed him a wide grin. “You’ve not figured it out?”

With a snort, Mike looked back and forth between the kiln and the stones. An ear flicked as he processed the information but seemed to come up with no answers. With a shake of the head, he admitted his defeat.

Elruc chuckled heartily. “It’s been a long time since anyone has needed this trick in these parts.”

“I’m just glad that you knew what I was talking about,” agreed Jess, nodding excitedly.

“What are ye talking about?” asked Mike in a vexed tone.

“Quicklime!” exclaimed Jess, beaming. “We’re going to make quicklime to neutralise all of the acid slime!”