“But all this potion does is make someone stronger. That doesn’t seem very important.”
“If you’re going to act as a bodyguard, you’ll need to be able to handle them up close. I can’t use these potions, so if I’m going to have some muscle protecting me, it has to be you.”
“Why can’t you use them?” asked Tiny.
“The potion temporarily alters the internal turyn flow of whoever imbibes it. All the training I went through to become a wizard means that my body will automatically resist something like that. At best it would make me sick, but most likely it would just fail.” Will took that moment to bring out the case he had gotten Blake to acquire.
“What’s that?”
“A present,” said Will, laying the leather case on the worktable. It was roughly two inches thick, seven inches long, and six inches in width. There were rings mounted at every corner along with a collection of straps. Depending on how the straps were used, it could either be put on a belt at the waist or strapped to the leg. The top flap was secured with a unique mechanism that Will had never seen before, a spring-loaded buckle that could be released with a small amount of pressure applied to the right place. It kept the case securely shut but made it quick and easy to open when needed. Will was grateful that he had asked Blake, since obviously the military had seen the need for such an item long ago, and they had put a lot of time and effort into designing it.
Once the top flap was opened, the interior was simple. It was divided into six velvet-lined compartments that had a small amount of woolen batting stuffed loosely into them. The extra bit of wool allowed the compartments to hold a small vial snugly in place. Tiny picked it up, feeling the leather with his hands. “It’s stronger than it looks.”
“The leather is hardened, but there’s also a thin layer of metal sandwiched in between the outer layer and the velvet to help it hold its form if it’s put under stress, say if you fell on it or something.”
“It’s for potions?”
Will nodded. “More specifically, it’s for you. Since you can’t store things in a secret magical space, you’ll need somewhere safe to carry potions so you can use them in a pinch when the time is right.”
Tiny looked hesitant. “Those things are valuable. You should keep them. If I lost them or broke them by accident…”
“You’re more valuable to me, Tiny. More valuable than any amount of gold or magic.”
The big warrior raised his brows and rubbed his chin. “Really? How about Selene, more than her?”
Will pursed his lips.
“See! My love means nothing to you!” They both fell to laughing at that. Then Tiny pointed at the interior of the case again. “So, there’s six spots. Do you plan on putting these Dragon Heart potions in all those spots?”
“You can only take one or two before they become worthless. The first one lasts about half an hour, but if you take a second one the effect is lessened, and you only get another fifteen minutes. Taking more than that is pretty much a waste of time, and probably dangerous to your health. I thought it would be better to put other potions in those slots.” He pointed to the two on the left. “Two Dragon’s Heart potions, then beside those, two blood-cleanse potions, then one regeneration potion, and for the sixth spot a universal antidote.”
“You think someone might poison me?”
Will shrugged, then gave Tiny a meaningful glance, eyeing him up and down. “I think most people would rather poison you than fight you face-to-face, at least if they’re smart.”
Tiny rolled his eyes, but then he became thoughtful. “You should give this to Janice. She needs it more. The other day, if she had had…”
Will felt another stab of guilt. “I didn’t have any regeneration potions then, but I agree with you. Once this is over, I’ll have some time to make more.”
“Things are dangerous now, Will. Let me just give her these.”
“No.” Tiny narrowed his eyes, beginning to show signs of stubbornness. Will held up a hand to forestay the man before he set his heels. “I only have two regeneration potions right now. Do you want me to give her mine?”
“Of course not. She’ll be safe tonight. You should… oh, I see what you mean.”
An hour later and the potions were done. Will had made five, though he could have made even more given the amount of blood he had. From what he could tell the black fluid was spoiling rapidly and he doubted he would be able to use the remainder. He’d likely have to bleed another pig and feed his prisoner again. Next time he vowed to have more time so he could maximize his gain from the procedure.
They loaded two of the potions into Tiny’s case, filled the rest of the slots with the other potions they’d talked about, and then Will stored the extras in the limnthal.
“What now?” asked Tiny.
“Well, we could spend the night making another batch of regeneration potions, or I could see if I can attune myself to the relic. Since their big plans were for tomorrow, I think I should probably use the time to see if I can use the relic.”
“So, no fighting?” Tiny’s relief was faintly visible.
“My house isn’t safe. They know to look for me there. But the Alchemy building stays open all night. We can stay here. It will be boring for you, probably, but you could always perfect your ‘skullcrusher’ persona with Lawrence while I study the relic.”
“So you do think I should try to seem more dangerous!”
He laughed. “No. I think she’ll either like you or she won’t. Trying to change yourself isn’t going to fool her.”
“Hmm, I’m not sure you’re qualified to give advice on this subject.”
Will lifted one hand and pointed at himself with his thumb. “I’m married, remember?”
“You murdered your bride-to-be’s groom on her wedding day, then got yourself stabbed to death, only to be resurrected and married at sword point. Are you sure you’re in a position to give advice?”
“She killed the groom, not me,” corrected Will irritably. “Why does everyone keep saying it was me?”
“Because he’d still be alive if you hadn’t shown up uninvited in the first place?”
He gave Tiny a narrow stare. “Whose side are you on anyway?”
“I’m on any side that doesn’t send Janice running in the other direction.” He paused briefly, then put a hand on his stomach. “Is there any food here? This will be a long night if there isn’t.”
“There’s usually stale bread from the dining hall. They leave it out for the students that come at night. It’s in a little room behind where Lawrence sits downstairs. I’ll show you where it is.” Together, they went downstairs, but they were surprised to see that Lawrence had company at the front desk when they got there.