Out in his muddy garden, Laz gingerly slipped his fingers into one of the raven lilies. The dark petals stuck close together in sunlight, making it a pain to harvest their nectar during the day. But that didn’t matter; Laz was determined to test his theory.

I can’t believe I didn’t notice all of the signs sooner, Laz thought as he reached for the base of the flower with the needle in his other hand. He was thankful for the fence Calder had built behind the house. It not only gave Irida the privacy to walk outside and hide when a customer visited, but stopped any wind from interfering with the delicate procedure he was performing.

A few weeks prior, Umbra had barged into Laz’s lab to thank him for his Climate Control. While he appreciated the gesture despite her brashness, Irida had tried walking out of his bedroom and in plain view of her multiple times. Laz was thankfully able to toss a blanket over her and usher the unexpected guest away before anything was seen. Still, it left him afraid of how careless they had been, and the next day Calder constructed a cheap wooden fence to keep the garden at the back of his house away from prying eyes.

It’s good I was able to put his muscles to use. His years of training, improving his strength, his thick arms–

Laz almost dropped the needle as Irida bumped his leg with her rock-hard skull. Her movements were already closer to her usual self, as were her annoying behaviors. Though even Laz wasn’t heartless enough to scold her after her near-death experience a few moments ago.

“Give me a minute,” he said. Working the needle deep enough into the flower to reach the small pool of nectar at the base took focus and practice. For the time being, he only had the latter. All he could think about was testing his theory. If it worked, it meant their money problems were solved. Not only that, it meant he hadn’t failed his mentor!

If it didn’t work…

He pictured his bracelet, sitting in Irida’s stomach. His sapphire, his first possession, his tie to his family, melting away inside of a strange beast. There was very little hope left in him, but what he had was working at full power.

This has to work. There’s no other option, it has to be what Master intended.

Finally, little droplets from the lily ran through the needle and into a vial tucked in Laz’s palm. He held his breath so as not to interrupt the process until the flower surrendered its last bit of nectar. After a quick look at the flask, the wizard decided it was enough and made his way back inside.

At his desk, Laz ignored his mentor’s notes. He didn’t have his bracelet to cast Magic Message and read them anyway, though if his theory was correct, it might not matter. Two years of attempting the experiment made it easy to be confident. So long as he remembered the nine drops instead of four, the rest was ingrained in his memory.

He set a jarful of water on the stand and popped open a fresh canned flame to set underneath right as he heard heavy footsteps scrambling up his walkway. A little excitement welled up inside Laz, which he pushed down. I can’t say for certain it will work yet. I shouldn’t get his hopes up alongside mine.

Calder swung the door open with his shoulder, his arms preoccupied with two lumpy satchels. “I’m back! I kept an eye out for anything you could use as a focus too, but–” He trailed off when he saw Laz at his desk and Irida perked up next to him. “Oh. You’re out of bed.”

“Of course I am,” Laz said. He got out of his chair, confident the water wouldn’t boil right away. “How long do you think I lay about on an average day when there’s work to do?”

Irida trotted over to Calder, her crystalline feet hitting old floorboards with clear thuds. While she was slow-moving, her expression was happy and her breathing sounded level.

“Hey girl.” The off-duty knight crouched down and showed her the pouches in his arms, which she sniffed closely. “I got ya some real food. Way better than those gross metal beads.”

Laz stayed by his desk, unsure if he should join the two. Guilt still weighed down on him over Irida’s hunger, and how it could have been avoided had he spoken up sooner.

“She seems to be doing better than when I left. Did she end up eating some of the iron?” Calder was standing again, making his way over to the desk.

With a sigh, Laz realized he needed to explain. “No, she didn’t.” He subconsciously rubbed his wrist where his bracelet once resided. “In fact, soon after you left she got much worse. And, I had to feed her. Whatever it took.”

Calder’s eyes trailed down to what Laz was hinting at. “Your sapphire?”

Laz nodded. “She was shaking and coughing, I didn’t know what else to do! If I had waited for you, I’m not sure if she would have lasted…”

“Will you be able to cast spells with any of these?” Calder handed Laz one of the satchels.

Inside was a collection of small chunks of quartz and a few turquoises. Damn, the quartz is too clouded. Maybe a few hundred years ago Evermine could have processed something clearer and usable, but this…

“I’m afraid none of these will do.” Laz set the open bag on the ground for Irida to dig through.

Calder frowned. “And this bag is more of the same.” He tossed it onto the desk where it landed next to Laz’s jar.

“Hey, careful!” He rushed over to make sure the flame hadn’t been disturbed. Inside the jar, a tiny bubble swam to the top. “You can’t just throw things around in my lab, meathead.”

“What are you making?” Calder stood close to Laz, their shoulders almost touching.

He has no concept of personal space. His face felt warmer in the man’s presence, and Laz side-stepped away. Even as autumn took over, Calder’s large body generated more heat than Laz had ever known possible, canceling out what was supposed to be a relief from the onslaught.

“It’s the elixir.” He debated explaining his entire thought process before actually testing it out. In the end he decided against it. His own hopes were already rising at breakneck speed, he didn’t need Calder up there with him.

“But you need to cast a spell for it to work, don’t you?”

From the edge of his vision, Laz could see Calder studying his face, patiently waiting for an explanation. Thankfully, another, larger bubble rose to the top of the jar, followed by another. He wagered that within the minute the water would be ready. “I have a theory. A way I might be able to perform the spell without my old focus.”

As he spoke of it, he began to doubt himself. The whole idea was sillier than he first thought. For all I know it could blow up in my face. Maybe I should forget it now. When are things ever so simple, anyway? He remembered his error with making Exchange Elixir that had halted his progress for years. A simple error that Calder had fixed. Okay, I’ll try it, but if it doesn’t work then Calder will lose even more respect for me as a wizard. Not that I care about that.

The jar rattled, a sign that the water was boiling, and that the stand was off balance. Calder remained at the desk, though he kept his mouth shut and stepped back to give Laz room to work.

Laz was ready. He had spent years making the elixir, perfecting the recipe. Every plight he had unleashed on the town pointed him in the right direction, and at last he had done it. Even though it was weeks earlier, he remembered the day of his success. He steadied his jug of spirits over the jar and poured for the exact time he had that day, no second measuring glass necessary. It merged seamlessly with the water, leaving one step left.

Nine drops of nectar. Nine. I owe Calder for that much, as annoying of an oaf as he can be. It might have been another two years before I figured that out, if ever. He peered over his shoulder to be met with Calder watching him with a grin on his face.

“Are you enjoying this?” Laz asked.

“It’s just like when we first met. I had to watch you do this dozens of times, remember? It’s a fond memory. Feels like forever since you last made up a batch of this stuff.”

Laz turned back, hiding his eye roll from Calder. “It was hardly that long ago. You’re too sappy.” He heard a muffled chuckle behind him.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

While he waited for the jar to return to a boil, Laz readied the raven lily nectar he had collected earlier. It was runny, easily sloshing around in the small vial at the smallest bump. Laz lowered his dropper in, sucking up the entirety of the amber liquid into the pipette.

I suppose even if I get the elixir wrong, I’ll know that my theory was correct. But what if it was a fluke the first time? I only ever did the spell once, what kind of testing is that? Should I let it boil longer to be safe? Or would it reduce too much and ruin it that way? The sound of Irida rifling through the bag of rocks he set on the ground for her interrupted his thoughts. Doesn’t matter. As long as the spell works, I’ll recreate the elixir no matter how long it takes.

One, two, three drops were released into the jar. Then another three. Laz held his breath, careful to count each one that fell in and not overshoot.

“Calder,” Laz said. “Could you please pick up Irida and set her on the desk?”

“Uh, sure, okay.” Despite his hesitation, he obeyed. He pulled the dragon away from the now-empty pouch as she finished swallowing the last quartz piece. She was making a similar face as to when she ate metal, though it seemed enough of a change up to keep her satisfied and able to eat. Calder lifted her up and gently placed her next to Laz’s equipment on the table.

Laz felt dizzy. If it didn’t work, they would be broke, without any way for him to earn more, and a hungry beast to feed. The hope he had when he first considered his theory was struggling to keep him afloat now that the time to test it had arrived.

Three final drops in the jar.

“My idea was,” Laz started without thinking. Perhaps explaining his thoughts aloud would make it easier to perform. “The focus I used to have was the same purple color as Irida’s spots. And at first I assumed that because she ate it, maybe it transferred the color to her? But it was too big for her to eat, which was confusing. Then I thought she just knocked it onto the floor and it shattered, which made sense. Even when she was smaller, she ate a lot, right?”

“Right.” Calder inched closer as he listened. Laz was grateful that Calder wasn’t making his nerves any worse.

“But the more I look at her, and the more I think about it, it’s becoming clear she doesn’t just look like a gem. Humans and animals, we’re made of all the nutrients we eat. But she doesn’t eat food, she eats rocks, and seems to prefer gems.”

A light went off in Calder’s head. “So she’s made of rocks and gems?”

“It makes sense!” Laz blurted out defensively. “I thought it was a tough, scaly hide with some sparkly flair or something, but I swear I can see through thin parts of her and out the other side sometimes! And that’s not all. I think she is the old focus I used to have. Not like she ate it and absorbed it, but like… She used to be that and now she’s a dragon.”

“Like an egg?”

“Maybe! I’d have to see it for myself to say for sure.” Laz fumbled around looking for his sweat rag until he could dab at his forehead. “But earlier, I got upset while I was holding her, and it was as if she pulled my emotions out of me, through my hands, just like when I cast a spell. The only time I’ve ever felt that was with that focus. As if she knows I can use magic, or even wants me to.”

“Then hurry and try it! That would be amazing!” Calder wrapped an arm around Laz’s shoulder. “All of our problems would be solved, right? No more having to save money for minerals and gems, or a new focus, you could just use her!”

Laz felt another rush of heat and pushed Calder’s arm away. “I know, but if I’m wrong–”

“Try it and then worry about it, come on! You have everything ready.”

“Alright…” Laz looked down at Irida, who took up nearly half the desk space. She was poking her nose at the ring stand where the old focus used to sit during a spell. “Hey, dragon, er, Irida. Please tell me you can help me here, okay?”

She turned and chirped. At least she’s in a better mood. Though if we can’t feed her it won’t last.

Laz petted her head and rubbed under her chin, mimicking what he had seen Calder do many times to entertain her. He would rather her be happy going into the test. Once that had sufficed, he ran his hand down her spine until it was in the middle of her back.

Exchange Elixir. Laz recited the spell over and over in his mind, and the patterns returned as if he had never stopped. Immediately, he could feel familiar warmth radiating inside of Irida. He recalled exactly which emotions, what quantities, which memories fueled them, all from that day when the spell finally worked. He willed them out of his heart as he had done thousands of times with every spell. The moment they reached his hand, Irida’s chirps halted. She squinted her eyes, not from pain, but because she seemed to be fixated on what Laz was sending her way.

Laz could feel the magic being pulled from him, stronger than the focus had ever done. What’s more, the patterns he had in his mind, ready to weave, were forming themselves. Not entirely. It was as if the pushes and pulls he willed on the magic were guided by an invisible hand. The difficulty matched his Climate Control. Incredibly easy, and nothing like the juggernaut spell that he had spent two years studying and practicing.

It’s really working! She’s acting as a focus! And it’s almost like she knows the spell too and is… helping me?

The warmth in Irida grew as the spell neared completion. It felt just as Laz remembered it. Welcoming, happy, void of the uncomfortable blaze that tortured him in the summer. For a split second he thought of Calder and his warmth. How he helped him not only perfect the elixir, but take care of an illegal creature that could ruin both their lives.

The heat came to a head. Irida’s determined face looked around the room, stopping when she locked eyes with Laz. What? Is she confused? Or does she want to know where I’m casting?

Laz pointed to the jar of boiling liquid, unsure if that would do the trick. With a soft chirp, he felt the magic leave Irida, and in an instant, the jar was once again filled with sparkling gems.

***

The last time Calder had felt so relieved was when he had passed his exam as a knight and learned he was accepted to work in Evermine with Faramond. But now, as he saw Laz perform his spell, and the bubbling liquid in the glass jar vanished and was replaced with gemstones, he had topped that. And it wasn’t even his first time witnessing Laz do that.

“Hah! I did it!” Laz jumped up and cheered, throwing his arms around Calder’s neck.

Oh. This… feels nice. He felt his entire body relax and hoped the embrace, accidental or not, would last longer. Maybe forever.

While Calder tried to work out if Laz realized what he was doing or not, Irida trilled in excitement as well. She dove at the jar, knocking over the canned flame in the process. Unfortunately that meant Laz ended his hug and picked her up.

“Hold on, don’t burn yourself.” He turned and held her out, and Calder took the hint to grab her. With his hands free, Laz put a lid on the flame and dumped the jar onto the floor. Irida quickly wiggled free and landed next to the small pile to begin her feast.

“You were right!” Calder said, shock finally wearing off, both from the spell and Laz’s hug. He hoped Laz would smile at him if they locked eyes, but the wizard was too excited and refused to stay in one place for long while he bounced around the room.

“It really worked, didn’t it?” Laz spied out the curtains, though he didn’t seem worried. “We can get as many gems as we want now! Gems can return to Evermine!”

Calder tried to follow where Laz walked, but his path was erratic, and eventually he gave up and sat next to the fireplace. “Should you make more elixir, then? Or, how do you want to do this? Do you think there’s a limit to how much it can make?”

That seemed to be what finally stopped Laz’s frantic wandering. Even his face lost a lot of its excitement, as if he remembered something awful. “I don’t know if there’s a limit. I never heard or read of anything like that. But maybe I should hold off on making more elixir right away. I mean, how would we even distribute them? Would we do it by weight? Value?” Laz’s speech sped up the longer it ran. “And if we give everyone a hundred gems, will they be worth anything at that point? We’d have to trade outside of town, and word would surely reach the capital! Then suspicion will be on us, and they could spot Irida!”

“Right. We have to come up with a plan.” Calder watched as the dragon would gulp down a gem, just to stare at another for a few seconds and then run up to it and swallow that one as well.

“A plan.” Laz’s voice had calmed down, almost befuddled at how Calder had been able to not panic at their situation. “We could make a plan. Right? A way to hand out gems in town without– Oh!”

“You think of something already?”

Laz walked over to the mess of gems Irida was devouring, which was nearly half gone. “No, but I need a focus I can use in front of the townsfolk! I can’t bring a dragon around for all my jobs.” He knelt down to pick up a gem, only to be met with a low growl from Irida. His hands shot up and he backed away. “Sorry, wow, I know you’ve been starving but I just wanted one.”

Calder got up and grabbed an amethyst that had bounced into a corner, out of the dragon’s sight. “Will this do?”

Laz inspected it but soon frowned. “I would prefer something round, to be honest. That’s far too blocky and would probably break in a few days anyway.”

“Hmm,” Calder tossed the amethyst into the air. Irida’s eyes darted over to it, and she launched her tongue at it, catching it on her first try. While she was busy, Calder grabbed a few of the other gems she left unguarded. “Here, what about these?” He dumped the two round ones he had picked up into Laz’s hand and dropped the other back to the floor. He didn’t know the names of them all, just that one was a dull amber color, while the other was a vibrant green.

It matches Laz’s eyes… He hoped he would pick that one.

“Oh wow, this emerald is beautiful.” Laz stared at it in his palm for a second before handing it back. “Which means I should probably stick with this topaz. It’s less flashy, and will attract less attention. Here, you can feed this to her. Not worth the trouble.”

Calder was annoyed with the decision, though he agreed with the reasoning. As Laz investigated the topaz for cracks, Calder slid the emerald into his pocket. He thought Laz deserved something nice, and he really wanted to be the one to give it to him.