“A pertinent question, but for now, nothing. Cure, I need access to a runic cauldron, and…” My voice trailed off as I pulled out a bit of parchment and a quill from my pouch and wrote the ingredients down on it. “Let’s see, Trout scales, Mugwort, Lillipad wax…” I paused for a moment. “Hmm, yes. A bit of blood from the two of you will be required as well.”

  Both Amira and Myrrh looked uncomfortable at the mention of blood. I kept adding things to the list before handing it to Cure. She read it. “Most of these Torgols either eat or use in daily life.” I nodded. “I’m not making an elixir here, but a brew. As such, symbolism and intent are as important as the alchemical potency of the ingredients. Now, can you get those ingredients?” Cure nodded. “Can do, friend Morgana. Syrn, would you take prisoners and friend Morgana to the brewing cauldron.” The Torgol she asked, a teal and muscular fella with a scar running down his chest, nodded. “Will do, come along.”

  Syrn lead us out of the room and the building and over to another building. This one seemed to be made from quartz, as it was so white, it was giving me retina burns to look at it for too long because of the light reflecting from it. Syrn lead us inside. “How big?” He tilted his head and looked at me. “The cauldron? Big enough to submerge a person in its content.” Syrn nodded and lead us down the corridors, past Torgol and Leaf Folk who seemed shocked at seeing a human here, but not afraid, seeing as both Syrn and I were present.

  Amira and Myrrh looked nervous, and I couldn’t blame them. After almost five minutes of wandering through the various corridors, we finally arrived at a chamber with a massive cauldron in it. Big enough to submerge your average sized standing human. It was perfect. “This will do nicely, thanks, Syrn.” Syrn gave me a silent nod, then walked out the door to not get in the way. As I walked over to the cauldron, Amira and Myrrh followed suit. Amira eyed the cauldron with trepidation. “So, what do we need to do?”

  I was busy finding the rune to fill the massive thing with water, but I glanced over at her. “For now, nothing. The brewing process is a bit of a delicate matter and has to be done by a witch. So until I say otherwise, just find a place to sit down and wait. If I mess this up, it would kill you, after all.” Just then, the door opened and Cure and a few other Torgols entered the room with the various herbs, meats and ingredients I asked for. Cure looked at it all with a confused expression. “Mind if I watch, friend Morgana?”

  Another spectator? "Err… fine. Just… don’t get in the way, and no matter what, don’t help regardless of what happens. It would ruin the brew and destroy the effects. I shouldn’t need to tell you that would be bad for Amira." Cure nodded. “Right, I’ll just sit here in the corner.”

  Once the cauldron filled up, I cast a spell to make the massive lade stir on its own. “Slow and steady, good. Now then… add in the lillipad wax…” As I tossed it in, I also channeled magic into the waters, and the wax dissolved on contact as the water turned the color of snot. An unusual reaction, since lillipad wax was usually impervious to water. But that just meant it was working as intended. As I chopped up the mugwort, I gestured towards the fish scales and sent them sailing into the cauldron next.

  The content turned a deeper shade of green and bubbled softly as I mixed more magic into the brew. As I finished chopping the mugwort, the next ingredient into the cauldron was raw pike. As it entered, the cauldron gave off an acrid greenish-purple smoke, and the color shifted again, into the same color. Amira and Myrrh glanced at the content and Cure wrinkled her nose. “Ah right, I forgot to warn you, most brews stink to high heaven. I am so used to it, I hardly notice these days.”

  I could see Cure swallow and stick a finger into each of her nostrils, with Myrrh following suit a few moments later. “Noted. Will it get worse than this?” I took a deep breath to really notice the smell. “I’d say so. Since the brewing just started, it’s likely to get much worse. If you want to leave Cure, feel free too. Those two need to stay, though, as they have to contribute an ingredient each during the brewing.”

  Cure shook her head. “I’ll handle it.” Well, if she insisted. “Fair enough. I have warned you, though.” I poured in the powdered mugwort, and the concoction gave off a sound similar to a fart. That was a good sign really, strangeness always was. Next up some more raw meat, this time trout, along with watercress and some crayfish. With each ingredient, the reactions were interesting.

  The trout caused the brew to spontaneously turn pink for a moment before it turned sky blue. The Watercress changed the cent to become a pleasant honey-like scent. About an hour and several dozen ingredients later, there were only two ingredients left. I tossed the second to last into the cauldron, a Crayfish.

  The crayfish caused the brew to take on the looks, scent and consistency of blood. That was what I was waiting for. “Alright, you two come over here. I need some blood from the two of you, you first Myrrh. Please hold out your hand. I’ll make this as painless as possible.” As I spoke, I pulled out a small, but impossibly sharp knife.

  Myrrh and Amira glanced at each other before Myrrh nodded and held out her hand. I drew the blade across her palm, causing a shallow, but bloody, wound. “Don’t go pour it in yet. You need to do it together.” Myrrh grimaced, but closed her hand into a fist to stem the bleeding. Amira suppressed a groan as I cut her palm as well. This next part was the most important.

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  When the two approached the cauldron, I poured even more of my magic into the brew. “As blood from Human and Torgol drips from above, the human form is given up for love.” As I spoke, the two let their blood pour into the cauldron. The concoction turned jet black and made a belching sound. So far, so good. Then, a few moments later, the final and expected change took place.

  The concoction turned a dark, muddy brown and gave off a sound akin to a rumbling stomach. It was time. “Now, only one thing remains.” I looked at Amira. “The final ingredient for the brew is you, Amira. You need to jump in.” I could see Amira stiffen.

  “I could toss you into the cauldron if that makes it easier.” Amira Took a deep breath, and I could see various emotions war on her face. “Sure, I would appreciate some help to get into it, as I don’t think I’d have the nerve to slowly enter a boiling brew like that.” Myrrh gave her hand a squeeze as I put a hand on Amira’s shoulder. “Very well.”

  Before either Myrrh now Amira could react, I casually flicked my hand and Amira sailed into the air and disappeared into the brew with a sound akin to that of a boulder hitting water. Yet despite the noise, the brew didn’t budge an inch, no splashing, no waves, no nothing. As for Amira herself, she just vanished into the brew with a surprised expression on her face.

  Myrrh took a step towards the cauldron, but I grabbed her arm with the same unyielding force as a vice. “No one is to approach the cauldron until the content is gone, and only Amira remains inside. Only then will the transformation be over. Besides, any further additions to the brew, even a single flake of skin, could cause unpredictable and horrible side effects. As such, I have to ask the both of you to leave, for now. I’ll watch over the cauldron from a distance.” As I spoke, the content began a slow swirl on its own accord. A good sign.

  Myrrh didn’t seem convinced. “But how?” Before she could continue, I gently, but firmly, led her towards the door. “We don’t. All we can do it hope. But have faith Myrrh, so far, every sign points to success. And remember, I have two centuries of experience behind my belt. I am confident in my ability to recognize successful brews. Now, for the sake of your loved one, wait outside. Cure, could you and Syrn make sure she does nothing stupid until it’s over?”

  Cure rushed over, and in difference to Myrrh, who was too worried to notice the smell, she seemed quite eager to be out of the room. “Can do, friend Morgana. I and Myrrh will be outside.” I gave her a nod and turned my attention back towards the swirling, bubbling brew. It wouldn’t be noticeable to Myrrh and Cure, but it was slightly less brew left in the cauldron. That meant the brew worked as intended, and it was slowly remaking Amira’s body.

  Wonder how Soot would react when he learned I made a successful Brew of Rebirth. It might not be a potion of youth, but it was another pinnacle of brewing. As the minutes ticked by, I could hear voices outside. Just in case, I spelled the door shut. I wasn’t kidding about the ingredients part. I kept my distance from the cauldron as well. Do as you preach, after all. The concoction swirled faster and something emerged from the liquid.

  It was a fleshy, brown, and was gently stirring cocoon. As the last of the liquid disappeared inside it, I approached the cauldron. The cocoon shook more violently, and a cerulean webbed hand pushed out from the inside. That was all the confirmation I needed as I rushed over and gently helped Amira out of the cocoon. Gone were her human features, and in their place she was now a young Torgol, with yellow skin that slowly turned green as it approached her iridescent fins, and brilliant blue eyes. “Take it easy now. Your senses need a few moments to adapt.”

  Amira opened her mouth to speak, but gagged instead. “Right, the stench. Just give me a moment.” I lifted Amira into my arms and with a thought dispelled the spell on the door. Then used my tail top to open the door itself. As soon as I stepped outside, Myrrh rushed over, only to stagger back with a gasp from the stench that billowed from the room itself. “Let’s get to another room. The smell should sort itself out in time.”

  As we left the room behind, Myrrh approached again and gently cupped Amira’s face. I got her attention with my tail. “Before you decide to celebrate too much, Amira’s just been through an insane ordeal. She’s likely to be bedridden for a day or two as she rests and recovers.” Amira opened an eye and opened her mouth to speak again. “Wh, why do my eyes sting?”

  I looked down at her. “The brew remade you to your very soul, including your eyes. So this is the first time your eyes have been used. This means they are still adapting to the light. Again, you will need a few days to rest and adapt to your new form.” We entered another room. This one had several large indents filled with water in it. They were Torgol beds. I gently put Amira into one of them, and she gave a sigh of comfort as the water enveloped her. The water was pulled from the lake itself, and the high concentration of mana in it would help her recover.

  “Well then, I will leave you all too it. I have done what I needed to do. The rest is up to you.” Cure followed me out of the room. “Unusual colors on Amira’s skin, but unheard of, but she will stand out.” I nodded. “I didn’t expect that either. It might be because of her innate magical abilities. She was, or is, a sorceress, after all. You should see about getting her a magic teacher, just in case. Wouldn’t want and accidents, after all.”

  Cure glanced back into the room, where Myrrh was speaking with Amira, who, despite her exhaustion, seemed enraptured by the conversation. “She’s finally getting a full conversation, rather than the watered-down version that those who are not Torgols receive. Guess she never fully understood how articulate Torgols can be.”

  Cure nodded. “You understand us well, despite not being a Torgol, though.” I shrugged. “True, but then I understand all spoken languages, even that of birds and beasts. Which I why I dislike spring, so much noise.”

  I could see Cure grin widely, showing her sharp teeth. “I bet. Anyway, thanks for the help, friend Morgana. Enjoy what remains of the evening!” I gave her a friendly wave as I left down the hallway to get back outside. It was getting late, and there was still something I wanted to show both Miva and Meleri.