When the dean signaled to begin, all the students lifted the cover hiding the ingredients. Galen couldn’t help but be amazed at the sight. At first glance, it didn’t look like there was anything other than basic spirit plants – meaning that these plants hadn’t adsorbed enough spiritual energy to mutate –, but all of them were of good quality. Galen knew that gathering these two thousand ingredients for the contest had to have been expensive.
“Yes, yes. Money has become a problem for you, but the others have already begun to study the ingredients – Zeki in the lead,” Lyra said when she saw that Galen was distracted.
Galen shook his head to concentrate on his task. With a pen and paper on hand to take notes, Galen checked all the ingredients. As he expected, some plants needed to be carefully examined. For example, the almond blossoms provided had dark yellow stamens although their petals were mostly white like sweet almond blossoms. As such, Galen judged that they were of the bitter variety – a poisonous variety.
In the same way, Galen noticed that what appeared at first glance to be some small dandelion flowers was in fact coltsfoot. While it wasn’t poisonous and of the same aster family, the coltsfoot had a different composition, and treating it like a dandelion would mess up most recipes. Galen was sure it wasn’t the only trick used in this test to thin out the contestants.
Once his overview was done, Galen realized there were only two possible binding agents among the ingredients, and one of them was volatile and difficult to use. However, the other one wasn’t necessarily the better choice. It was possible to extract oil from the peppermint leaves provided as ingredients using steam distillation. However, it would take too much time – a time made longer by the basic equipment available. In fact, most binding agents needed long processes to become usable, so pharmacists usually bought them in their refined form. But Galen had already checked, and he didn’t find any pack of seaweed gelatin or even a common bottle of canola oil.
Reviewing all his notes and observations, Galen concluded that the pills they could create with these ingredients in the conditions given to them were very few. After a glance at the time, Galen decided that trying to process the citrus bergamia – the only other possible binding agent – with cold pressing to obtain oil wasn’t efficient enough, and the oil wouldn’t make a good binding agent. It was possible to make a pill without any binding agent, but the final product would be unstable. Galen refused to lower the quality of his pill. Moreover, the youth couldn’t believe that the school made a test for which it was impossible to bake high-quality pills. Galen was missing something.
His eyes flying from one ingredient to another, Galen suddenly stopped on the belladonna. The school had provided the students with the whole plant, including its purple flowers, dark green leaves, and light brown roots. The leaves and the roots had some healing properties. However, the fruits – which were highly poisonous – were put further down on the tray. These two different parts of the plant had been separated, and they counted as two distinct ingredients, so Galen had assumed that the fruits were from the deadly nightshade belladonna – the famous poisonous plant – while the rest of the plant was from the recently discovered pale purple belladonna – a new species without toxicity. But what if it wasn’t the case? What if both the plant and the fruits came from the same species of belladonna? That would mean that there were only nineteen ingredients on the tray and the real twentieth ingredient was hidden.
Since doing the tests necessary to check if both parts of the belladonna were from the same genome would take too much time, Galen decided to look for the eventual twentieth ingredient. He methodically went over his whole laboratory.
Lifting the cover that had been used to hid the ingredients, Galen turned it over and looked inside. He saw nothing at first, but as he was manipulating it to inspect it under different angles, he noticed that one side was heavier. Feeling that he was on the right track, he thoroughly touched the border, where he found some irregularities. Galen carefully pulled on it. Once he removed this layer, which was acting as a kind of double bottom, the young pharmacist found a long, thin tablet of white beeswax.There! That was a perfect binding agent.
“Congratulations, Galen!” Lyra chirped. “You’re the twelfth one to have found it!”
“I want to ask if the eleven others are from Dahi High School, but I don’t have any time for distraction. I need to make my pill in the little time I have left.”
The situation wasn’t as dire as Galen made it sound. He still had one hour and a half. The youth looked over the ingredients again, considering which recipe to make. The lavender, the immortelle, and the garlic could be easily used together to produce an efficient balm against burn by helping soothe and regrow the skin, but Galen needed to make a pill. He also wanted to try to gain points by baking an uncommon pill.
Galen glanced at the foxglove. It was a delicate plant to use since one needed to be very careful with the dosage. A slight mistake could transform a healing pill into a poisonous one. However, if Galen could pull it off, it would show off his mastery of pharmaceutical skills. With the foxglove as the main ingredient, Galen decided to make a boosting pill. He quickly selected the red chamomile – also known as the pheasant's eye – that had the same cardio-tonic effect as the foxglove while also protecting against heart failure. For his last two ingredients, Galen needed plants that would allow his pill to gain an equilibrium and lower the risk of overdose and death. The lily-of-the-valley was also a cardio-tonic, but Galen rejected it since it had some toxicity.
As he was thinking of the best ingredients to stabilize the effect of his pills, Galen processed the foxglove and the red chamomile. He finally decided to use a bit of hawthorn fruit for its properties to help with heart diseases and kidney problems. A good boosting pill didn’t only need to boost the heart rate but also ensure that the blood flew correctly. Following this logic, Galen selected the leaves from the borage as his last ingredient.
Galen took the time to jolt down his recipe and his knowledge about the ingredients he selected as a last check for any mistakes. Seeing nothing wrong with his recipe, he went to work. Cutting, crushing, steaming, mixing: every step was done carefully. The risk of poisoning due to the foxglove sharpened Galen's focus.
When Galen finally took his pill from the small oven more than one hour later, drops of sweat were falling down his face. However, he knew he wasn’t done. Letting the pill rest before him, Galen took a pen to write down his report, beginning with the five ingredients’ analysis: the foxglove, the red chamomile, the hawthorn fruit, the borage, and the white beeswax. He went on to explain the diverse processes he used, being meticulous enough to write down exact dosages, temperatures, and timings. Finally, he described the pill obtained and the effect it was supposed to have. Galen finished his report with a few minutes to spare.
His notes were messy, but Galen wrote his report properly using the professional pharmacists’ official format. He carefully put his pill in an airtight box and folded his report before stapling it to the box. One of the invigilators came over as he was putting his number face down above the box.
“Are you done?” he asked in a stern voice.
Galen took the time to check the laboratory one last time before answering. The invigilator showed some impatience, but Galen didn’t want to lose points for a mistake he could have easily checked. Finally, he said, “I’m done. Thank you for waiting, sir.”
Without any comment, the invigilator took Galen’s box and went away. Galen looked over to see him put it down with other similar boxes. From now on, all the contestants needed to wait for the jury’s verdict. The six renowned pharmacists would take at least three hours to evaluate all the reports and products, so the contestants and the public were invited to wait outside the hall. They were free to use the cafeteria or take a walk through the gardens.
“While you were concentrating on your task, the invigilators eliminated nine contestants. It might help reduce the time you have to wait for the results,” Lyra told Galen as he was walking toward Mrs Bousrani and his Light Fairy. “One of them was a beast tamer. I saw him with a common Blue Fly. Do you know him?”
“No, I don’t,” Galen answered as he remembered what the boy looked like. “Why was he disqualified?”
“One of the invigilators from the Association judged that he used his talent [Olfaction] to identify plants,” Lyra dutifully reported.
“We had five beast tamers from the Association watching over us. How could he expect to escape detection?” Galen didn’t dwell on the stupid boy and asked, “Anything of notes from the others?”
“No,” Lyra hesitated to go on. She had noticed something, but since nothing came out of it, she didn’t want to burden Galen with it.
“What is it?” Galen asked as he greeted Lucia, who was flying around to check if he was alright.
“It might be better if I tell you after the competition. You need to be able to concentrate.”
“Too late, Lyra,” Galen answered with a slight smile. “Now, I’ll try to guess what it could be.”
“Alright,” Lyra knew her host enough to be aware of his tendency to overthink. “Since you were so suspicious of the Yaratilis dudes, I kept a part of my attention on them. Beren Yaratilis had bribed one of the invigilators from the Association. He wanted him to find an excuse to disqualify you.”
Galen tried not to be affected by this since he already suspected something of the sort, but it still hurt. Trying to focus on what was important, he asked, “Why was I able to compete unhindered?”
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
“He changed his mind because you made a ruckus in the hall. He also knows you found out about the Nebe Law. He is frustrated, but he told his guy it would be too suspicious to do it in these circumstances.”
Confirming that the Yaratilis Family was working against him didn’t comfort Galen either. Even more uncomfortable was the fact that he didn’t know Beren’s reason for acting against him. Was it due to his wish to cleanly separate the Yaratilis Family from a falling one? Or did the man betray the Eos Family much earlier? Beren knew about the Caladrius Bird’s skills. He could have been the anonymous person who had denounced Galen’s mother. Galen had no way to confirm it: he could only add this question to the other ones.
***
As every contestant gathered with their friends, Galen ended up staying with Mahlon and Anan. They were soon joined by Rachel and another beast-tamer girl, who introduced herself as Tzivia Ruh, Rachel’s bodyguard. Rachel had her common Small Snake wrapped around her left wrist, and Tzivia’s common Dwarf Antelope was playfully bumping Anan’s sheep.
Seeing himself surrounded by members of the Ruh Family – though only from the minor branch –, Galen felt curious. Most Families were keeping their distance from the twins or betraying them, like the Yaratilis Family. So, why did Anan accept Artem’s demand? Why were Mahlon and Anan not cold or dismissive like the others?
“Why don’t you just ask them instead of wondering?” Lyra told him in a carefree tone.
Galen doubted he would get a truthful answer, but he still asked. Mahlon smiled without replying. Galen glanced at the others, but none of them seemed inclined to answer.
“Well, at least you tried,” Lyra said as if she was trying to praise him.
“I don’t know why I expected them to answer,” Galen told Lyra with some self-depreciation. “As Artem reminded me the other days, they are part of the Mashriq Families and are most likely working in some ways for the Agency. If you think about it, gathering information begins by simply keeping a cordial relationship with everyone.”
“That’s one way to see it,” Lyra said, “If it’s any consolation, I don’t feel anything bad from them.”
Their little group got their food and sat together with their pets around a table, giving them a good view of most of the room. As they began to eat, Mahlon leisurely said to no one in particular, “Don’t you find it pathetic when someone fails so badly at something that comes naturally to you?”
Rachel smiled cryptically while Tzivia chuckled. Anan ignored Mahlon to keep an eye on the people around them.
Galen looked at them, trying to understand what Mahlon meant. Who was the person Mahlon was referring to? Did the Ruh Family notice Beren Yaratilis’ suspicious behavior? Galen idly wondered why Mahlon would allude to it in front of him. Was it a warning to remind Galen of the Ruh Family’s skills in gathering information?
Confused, Galen realized he could be the person Mahlon was talking about. The young pharmacist had spent a lot of time in the library recently. Even if Galen hadn’t noticed them, the boys from the Ruh Family could have easily found out what he was doing there. Galen supposed Mahlon’s purpose could also be to hint at the reliability of their Family’s service. But why would the Ruh Family want to ally themselves with the Eos Family now?
Galen didn’t know how to answer any of his doubts. This left the youth with a simple question: should he be wary of the Ruh Family? His mom had told him to trust no one. Maybe he was asking the wrong questions.
“Isn’t there a saying about keeping your enemies close to you?” Lyra said. “Nothing wrong with eating and talking with them while being distrustful.”
Agreeing with Lyra, Galen ignored Mahlon’s remark. The dark-haired boy changed the subject to take advantage of the Ruh Family’s supposedly good network. “I’m surprised I haven’t seen anyone from the Yenilmez Family.”
Rachel gave him a knowing smile before answering. “Devrim Yenilmez doesn’t like pharmacists. Quite awkward, that, since his main ally is working as one. So during these kinds of events, he makes himself and his Family scarce.”
Devrim Yenilmez was the head of the Yenilmez Family. Galen didn’t know as much about their members since their collaboration with the Eos Family was more punctual.
Before Galen could think of his next question, Mahlon said in a teasing tone, “Oh, I've just remembered! Wasn’t there some noise about Artem being engaged to a daughter from the Yenilmez Family? A girl older than us by at least four years. What’s her name again?”
“A fiancee?” Lyra exclaimed. “Ah! You never explained about Larissa and you!”
“Just a rumor. The match sounded good to Tuktu Yenilmez, but my dad and Devrim Yenilmez never agreed to it,” Galen said. He remembered how Tuktu – Devrim’s wife – had once gone on and on about it when the Yenilmez Family was dining at the Eos Family Villa. It had been quite awkward because she had ignored her husband’s obvious disapproval. Galen had thought at the time that it was because their daughter was older than Artem, and Devrim was hoping for a better match. But could it be something else?
“That man doesn’t like anyone!” Tzivia said in a gossipy tone. “Just the other day, I overheard him badmouthing his own wife!”
“Why?” Mahlon asked curiously.
“I only heard a bit in passing, but it sounded like he didn’t like how she was always comparing him to other men.” She paused a bit to look at Galen and lowered her voice. “The next bit, I didn’t hear clearly, but I believe he cursed your father afterward.”
Galen frowned pensively. What was he supposed to do with this information? Rachel brought his attention back to the present. “Don’t listen to her: she’s a horrible gossip. Speaking of fiancee, aren’t you engaged to Duru Yaratilis?”
“Oh, yes! I also wanted to ask you!” Tzivia said, apparently unaffected by Rachel’s dismissal of her gossip and keeping Galen from answering in her excitement. “The poor girl is a shadow of herself since her mother’s death. Zeki hardly looks sad at all, but he’s got the same impassive face as his father. And I know that Beren loved his wife dearly. I saw them once together. They were so cute!”
Belinay – Beren’s wife – had been close to Tana Eos. She had been a nice woman devoted to her Family and her City-State. Tana had supported Belinay’s research to produce a potion that could counter the problem of the limited space to farm crops by allowing each plant to be harvested two times a year.
Belinay had died in the Tonkin Cities-States region half a year ago while she was on an expedition to look for ingredients for her project. This region was far away, to the East of the Mediterranean Cities-States, so it had been impossible for the Yaratilis Family to help her in time. Galen remembered his mother crying when she had heard the news.
Galen had accepted Zeki’s condolences because he knew the youth understood his pain. Death was a common thing in this world. Anyone going outside a City-State knew they were putting their life in danger. Galen knew it, he had always known it. However, it didn’t lessen the pain he still felt at the loss of his parents.
“Do you mean that Zeki and his father are hiding their pain?” Mahlon asked in a gossipy tone matching Tzivia’s.
Despite Rachel chiding them for speaking about people behind their back, Tzivia went on. “I don’t know for Zeki, but a man so in love with his wife can't stay unchanged when he loses her!"
Rachel and Anan forcefully brought back the conversation to the imminent competition, since they judged this gossip about the love life of people a generation older than their own to be distasteful. The contrast between Rachel’s and Anan’s righteousness, and Tzivia's and Mahlon’s chatter made Galen uncomfortable.
Were they feeding him cryptic clues or were they milking him for confidential information? Were they trying to mislead or confuse him? Galen wasn’t used to such deep games, but he couldn’t help wondering if Tzivia was trying to imply that Belinay’s death was a clue to explain Beren’s betrayal. Her use of the word “unchanged” was too weird.
Lyra pestered Galen to know if he was engaged to Duru Yaratilis, forcing him out of his thoughts. After denying the engagement, Galen listened to Rachel explaining how the next part of the competition would divide the contestants into two groups: those testing their healing skills as pharmacists and those testing their poisoning skills as alchemists.
Galen intended to choose the healing side, but he was surprised to learn that it was also Rachel’s choice because her pet – like Mahlon’s frog – had poisonous skills. Of course, Mahlon chose to test his research on poison. Taking advantage of Rachel’s knowledge, Galen asked her for more details, but she didn’t have any.
Without much else to do, the three of them chatted about recipes and techniques. Mahlon and Galen were happy to learn more about what Dahi High School was teaching their students.
***
In the early afternoon, an announcement was made to call back all the contestants to the room where the competition was taking place. This time, the beast tamers were allowed to keep their pets. Beren Yaratilis and the other members of the jury were standing on the stage with the dean of Dahi High School.
As soon as everyone was seated, the dean read out the results, beginning with the one with the highest score. Without much surprise, Zeki was first with ninety-six points out of one hundred. Galen’s name was among the first fifteen, along with Rachel and Mahlon. The visible gap in the scores between these first and the other contestants led Galen to believe that only these fifteen young pharmacists had found the beeswax.
The eight pharmacists from Dascalos High School didn’t put their school to shame: they all passed the first part of the exam. Among the names read by the head, Galen recognized several gifted pharmacists he had competed against in the previous years and noticed that very few of them had managed to become beast tamers.
The dean stopped reading after the fiftieth name. Those whose names he didn’t read were asked to leave: their product was judged to be of too low quality, so they had failed the first part of the competition. In the following week, a written report detailing their score and giving some advice would be sent to them. Dahi High School prided itself as an educational institution and couldn’t leave the failing contestants with no way to improve themselves.
Once every failing student had left the room, the dean explained the two choices in front of the remaining contestants. He only described each possibilities briefly. His purpose was to let the contestants make an informed decision. His explanations confirmed what Rachel had said.
The dean announced the three winners would be determined by adding the points obtained in both parts of the contest. Since the second part was marked with one hundred points too, the ranking could move around in significant ways depending on each contestant’s performance in the second round.
When the dean was done, the remaining contestants chose their next trial by standing in front of Beren Yaratilis for the healers’ side and in front of the dean for the alchemists’ side.
On the alchemists’ side, Galen saw Mahlon and Melanie – which surprised him but it wasn’t his place to judge her choice. He also noticed two girls from Uspeh High School. One was a beast-tamer girl with a common Lab Rat and the other was a mundane girl. They both looked familiar but Galen didn’t remember their names. Nevertheless, he knew that these girls from Uspeh High School were skilled.
There were more students on the healers’ side. Among them were Zeki Yaratilis, Rachel Ruh, Rachel’s friend from Dahi High School with a small floating plant for a pet that Galen didn’t recognize, Kahlil Howayek from Yahsun High School who was accompanied by his pet – it was a sort of bush, but Galen also didn’t know its name –, and Jason Makris from Dahi High School. Galen had kept a sharp memory of both Jason and Kahlil after their impressive showing in one of last year’s competitions. Of course, Galen didn’t forget the pharmacists from Dascalos High School, as they were also very skilled. Most of them chose the healers’ side.
The dean confirmed that no one wished to switch sides before leading the alchemists to the room where their test would take place. Beren Yaratilis did the same for the healers. Galen quietly followed, focusing his mind on the task ahead.