While Elijah considered himself an old man, he was still young compared to the living legend who walked up to the table with a smile, chuckling as Vera hurried up to embrace the man. Alin Oathbreaker, with an old scar that ran from his mouth up to his left eye, held his cane carefully so as not to hit the younger woman with it.
Though he couldn’t say what it was made of, it seemed good quality. It needed to be as much if the tall man was to use it to walk properly. While still in one piece, the right leg seemed to not carry as much weight as it might’ve some years ago, calling for something else to support him as he walked.
Not that this was to imply that the man before Elijah was weak.
The body might’ve started failing, but the mind was far away from reaching that stage. Even without focusing on his magical senses, he could feel the intense energy radiating off the Royal Mage. Even without the purple robes, he would’ve known their true identity on sight. That earthy aura was unmistakable.
“And you must be Elijah Caede, the man of the hour!” Alin exclaimed, shaking Elijah’s hand before seating himself beside Vera. The cane he leaned on until that moment disappeared into nothing, the material used revealed as a product of his Affinity. “I assume you’ve already been thanked a hundred times over, but I will add to it by thanking you for saving my niece’s life. It means a lot to me.”
“It’s nothing,” Elijah assured them, not wanting to seem arrogant in front of one of the men directly responsible for Serenova being able to claim independence by way of power alone. “Truthfully, I had no idea about the identity of her highness when stabilizing the wound.”
“No need for the title,” Vera interjected, to which he nodded.
“And the fact that you didn’t know makes it all the more noble of you,” Alin pressed on. “You were injured yourself during the rescue, I can see. I assume that the healing remedies used on your arm were of your own making? Their purity is nothing to scoff at.”
Elijah confirmed as much, glancing at the limb while bolstering his own magical senses. Since he already knew what he was looking at, he could spot some traces of residue for the healing paste used, but it was extremely minimal. That the Royal Mage could spot it so casually, without knowing exactly what he was looking for, was a showing of extreme magical perception.
There’s a reason he’s the leader of the Royal Mages.
“Stop showing off, please,” Vera requested in a forced tone, the living legend trying to look innocent in response. “You came here for a reason, Alin, remember?”
“Ah, yes, I have to check whether you qualify for the position. It’s— Oh, thank you,” Alin said, being handed a cup as Harper finally returned with the cups and hot water in hand. Each of them had their cups filled, and the tea packets were placed inside before a taste test was done. “A perfect apple nuance, a bit of honey sweetness, and a well-rounded feeling overall. If this is what you can provide to the castle, Elijah, I believe I can already accept you as one of our own.”
“I… am not sure this would qualify as enough questioning normally,” Elijah replied, noting the side glances that Vera was sending him. “From what I have been told, there were high requirements if I was to be involved with the castle duties.”
Alin nodded at his words, going in for another sip of the tea before clearing his throat. Once you reached above 80, some things took a little extra time to do.
“That is true. While I would’ve loved to accept you on this alone, there are some things I would like to cover with you before you can start, and I have been given a rather expansive list of questions from a certain brother of yours,” the Earth Mage conceded, directing the last part to Vera who silently sighed. “But we can start out with the more interesting ones, which are the ones from me. While I must admit that my knowledge within the realm of herbalism isn’t as refined as yours might be, I do have an understanding of some of the more common plants used within the castle walls. Would you be able to tell me the various ways you can prepare the Common Frostfern?”
Being quizzed on Herb Lore by a living legend wasn’t something that Elijah had expected for that day, but he wasn’t going to reject it by any amount. If he had to prove himself to earn immunity and not suffer the consequences of having his secrets revealed, he would happily answer some simple questions.
“It would be no problem at all,” Elijah assured Alin. “The first method would be to dry it in the sun over two weeks, which would make it possible to then grind it into a fine powder. This allows us to infuse it into a liquid, where we commonly use water, which can then be consumed like tea. In this form, it is very effective at helping against the common cold.
Further on, the raw version can be cut up, blended, and crushed to remove all the liquids. From there it can be distilled to isolate the pure essences. While this requires a lot of material to create satisfactory amounts, the isolated liquid is highly effective and can be used to treat very serious fevers without stressing the body as many other concoctions of the same strength do.
If we were to macerate the blended material instead, some of the more delicate compounds could be extracted. While not typically done, since it can take up to a month to be done effectively, the final product is a thick liquid that is known for both its minty smell and its positive benefits to clear up the skin.
Going another route, we could also use fermentation and low-tolerance yeast to—”
“I’ll stop you there since I’m starting to think you know a lot more than me regarding this one herb,” Alin cut in, not even allowing Elijah to get into the interesting properties surrounding the charring and subsequent freezing of the plant which allowed it to be used for preservation of organic matter. “You listed the two I know, so I’ll take that as a good enough answer. I’m skipping the other common ones since I think you have a similar answer to those. If you would please tell me about Faerie’s Breath, it would be great.”
Elijah didn’t comment on what the man believed to be a step up in difficulty, clearly not having suffered on-location training in whatever needed to be made in that minute. In those years that he had spent in the caravan through the country, he’d worked with thousands of different herbs and infusions, each ingrained into his skull through force. The punishments for messing up and wasting ingredients had made him a very quick learner, and the usages for each of those herbs were fused into his brain better than anything else in his life had ever managed.
An hour passed before he knew it, and each question was answered in as much detail as he was allowed to do. Elijah wasn’t satisfied with the cut-off answers most of the time, but there was little he could do about it. He knew that it meant that it was deemed satisfactory, yet there was still some small part of his mind that contained the rant about professional pride.
“There’s one last herb I need to ask you about before I’m done,” Alin said, taking a moment to down most of what remained in his cup. Elijah waited patiently as he had done the past many times. Though… maybe his throat could use some oiling as well. “What do you know about Heartroot Vervains?”
The cup never reached his lips, as he froze when hearing the name. This was… not something he expected to hear about.
“From that reaction alone, I think you’ve at least heard about them,” the Earth Mage commented, not hiding his grimace.
“It’s the last resort for the desperate. Rarely used, and most of the known instances of the herb are with rare collectors in the south,” Elijah said. He felt the air cool, as the others didn’t show offense at his words. “Is the king that far gone?”
“We don’t all have the privilege of aging gracefully,” Alin tried to joke, but the sadness in his words made the conclusion obvious. “While his mind might still be strong, the years have not been kind to him. Most weeks now go by without him leaving his bed. It’s… a necessity, to keep him alive.”
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Elijah didn’t offer a comment. He wasn’t sure what to say, truthfully. The Heartroot Vervains, though the herb went by another name informally, was one of the most powerful plants when it came to keeping a person alive. While it couldn’t heal, and it couldn’t repair damage done, it could stabilize a living person. It could force a weak heart to pump at healthy levels, make the lungs take in air, and stop the muscles from atrophying from a lack of movement. It allowed for improvement at some level, of course, but the people who consumed the concoction rarely had the strength to do as much.
Likewise, the cost to grow the plant was quite high, and also where its nickname had originated.
“Who is responsible for feeding the Lifestealer?” Elijah asked.
“Servants that are informed about the risks and given very generous stipends every month,” Vera answered before Alin could. “The assistants will handle the bloody parts, while you are responsible for the bi-weekly harvesting and processing. It is a very complex elixir, and we need to be sure that you can brew it.”
Of course, I can.
He didn’t say that out loud. Wouldn’t help him to readily admit it wasn’t his first time working with questionable ingredients. Alchemy didn’t always limit itself to plant matter. While this specific recipe would be new to him, the individual steps themselves would have been done a thousand times before.
“It won’t be an issue, though I have to be sure that I will also be given access to the King’s older files,” Elijah said. “I would prefer knowing what logic made my potential predecessor decide this was the best way forward.”
“Everything will be there for you to peruse freely,” Alin promised. By the tone alone, Elijah knew he meant it. “I’m happy that you can understand the weight of what we are asking.”
“Any concoction that requires, even indirectly, the sacrifice of substantial amounts of human flesh and blood is outlawed at the same level as Necromancy,” he responded, the eyes of the others darkening. “I am taking this as seriously as I possibly could.”
“Then I believe I have no more questions,” Alin concluded. “And as for dear Phillip’s questions… I don’t think they matter much anymore, after that answer. Whether you decide to join temporarily or permanently, Elijah, I will welcome you.”
And that was it, apparently. Through surprisingly little effort or questions about his personal life, he had been able to get through the process of being vetted without any serious moments. Elijah was still mildly baffled about what herbs he’d been questioned about at the end, not expecting the royal family to ever use such an abhorrent thing, but there were worse secrets to have.
Details about his future employment were put in order not long after that. While Vera did make another offer, granting him more gold and benefits if he decided to accept a permanent position, he once again reaffirmed his decision to take the temporary version. Elijah argued that it was because of his age, and wanting to return to the quiet life by next year, yet he wasn’t sure either bought it.
“You’re 71, my friend. Not what many would call a young man, and yet you’re still moving around working day in and out,” Alin commented, before accepting his cup as Harper had refilled it with more tea. “Do you not have gold saved up for retirement?”
“We do, there’s enough to live a quiet life for decades, but… I would not be able to afford to continue my experiments,” Elijah finally replied. While he hadn’t gone the magical routes of experimentation in the past, he’d most certainly bred variants of various herbs. The chamomile plant was the most notable, but several others still thrived in the laboratory. And they were costly to have, with how much he went through at a monthly rate. “It would be a boring life, and I’d rather not end it with such a sad finale.”
“Well said!” the Earth Mage exclaimed, raising his voice as an aged grin found itself on the man. “I had to calm myself last week when one of my guests dared to suggest I needed to consider retiring from my work in the castle. As if I would ever consider such a thing.”
“From what father told me, you said the same thing about ever working here permanently,” Vera commented from the side, not hiding her smile from the man. “Wasn’t your original contract a temporary one as well, limited to building up the various cities and villages?”
“Oh, I guess it was,” Alin confessed, seeming lost in thought for a moment. “A favor to your mother for all the times she’d saved my life during the endless fights and battlefields we stood side-by-side in. I thought it only prudent to help rebuild all the places we’d torn apart, but, well, I saw how your parents managed without me being around so who would I be to leave them alone? It’s more fun being here instead of boarding myself up in the Academy like my peers do anyway.”
“It must still be stressful,” Elijah pointed out.
“Of course.” There was no hesitation in the reply. “But that’s what makes me keep going, the challenge of holding all of this together without hiring another aide. Yet… Talking about ourselves is hardly a sign of politeness. Tell me a little about yourself, Elijah. Where’d you grow up? I can’t imagine it was close to here.”
That probing wasn’t subtle in the slightest, but he didn’t mind it. Those questions had to come along at some point.
“I grew up closer to the southern parts, in a place called Fairwind,” Elijah lied, following the lines that he and Aleksi had prepared so many decades ago. “You wouldn’t recognize the village's name, I believe me and my friend are the only parts that remain of it, but it wasn’t a terrible place regardless. Only a month’s travel from here on horseback, if you’d believe it. Small, barely a hundred people, but with enough traders coming by that we were privy to most news of the world.”
“Sounds like a nice place to grow up,” Alin said. There was a strange edge to his voice, one that hadn’t appeared until now. “A month of distance away… that would put your home’s destruction in the middle of the war, I believe?”
“We lost it five years after hearing of the first battles,” he confirmed. “Raiders took it from us. Burnt it all down. Only luck allowed us to survive, and even then it was a close call.”
Elijah had been there when they’d burned down the village in question. He’d only known that it was called Fairwind after he had plundered the storage house for anything that could be used in his work, finding a book detailing its history. It had stood for over a hundred years in relative peace, and his group had been able to demolish it in the span of six hours.
The fires had spread so quickly, invigorated by the oils that he had prepared to accelerate the process.
“No need to say more, my friend,” Alin said when he grew silent for a moment. “Talking of old times too often brings the wounds we’d rather forget about.”
He nodded in response.
Some more small talk passed through, an hour or so passing while they drank the rest of the tea. When the skies above darkened slightly, hinting that rain would soon come, the meeting was put to an end quickly.
“We will have a wagon come by tomorrow morning to help bring all the equipment you’ll want to keep up here,” Vera explained, Harper handing him some more precise times to work with a moment later. They had already agreed that not all his time would be up in the castle during the first month or so since he still had dealings with others in the meantime. The Dungeon Guard, Grace and her mother, and dozens of others still relied on him for their weekly batch of medicine. It had taken little convincing to let that arrangement be respected. “If there’s anything else you will need help with, you can ask for it tomorrow and we can probably make it happen.”
“The benefits of having the castle’s resources at our fingertips,” Alin joked, rising from the table with a small groan. A cane manifested in his hand within a second of him reaching for support, a thud heard as it hit the floor. “I’ll be taking my leave first, as I’m not a large fan of the rain. Vera, would you mind showing our friend the way back?”
“Of course,” the princess said. They bid the Earth Mage farewell, letting him leave through another path before the talking started up again. “That wasn’t as hard as I had feared. You did well, Elijah Caede.”
“I would hope so,” Elijah replied dryly, distracted as he mentally planned what would be brought up to the castle tomorrow. He knew that the laboratory up here had variants of all the equipment in his shop, but he doubted he would be accustomed to their versions. Since he had extras of nearly everything in storage, it wouldn’t hurt to have some transferred here. “Should I expect to find my house with an extra inhabitant when I get home?”
“Harper is needed elsewhere for the rest of the day, so you can rest easy,” Vera assured him before smiling. “And, regardless, it already seems like you’ve got a third and possibly fourth inside your home.”
He didn’t react to the comment, just staring the princess down while wondering how much she knew. It couldn’t be everything, since he doubted he would’ve secured the position in that event, but the woman before him was still a threat to the secrets he kept.
“If I find your assistant trying to search through my home, I will cut my time as the Royal Healer short,” Elijah said, moving away from the table and into the main chunk of the garden. “I know my way out. No need to guide me.”
“If you say so.”
Walking along the path, there was no feeling of being watched. No hints of the Mage that the princess kept under her payroll, no hairs on his neck that rose. It was a sign of trust, hopefully, one that he hoped would last through the day.
As he walked down the spiral staircase, out the entry hall, out the entire castle area, and into the upper district, he felt himself gain a sense of calmness.
Maybe it’ll work out in the end.
How wrong he was, when he entered the shop half an hour later and found the traps on the window on the second floor had been triggered. Drops of blood could be seen on the ground, some smeared out from a boot that had stepped on them.
There’d been intruders in their absence.