The Potion Diaries Read online

  ‘Who lives in that tower?’ Evelyn asked.

  ‘She does. She’s taking all of it. All the magic she can . . .’

  The resignation in the Prince’s voice only caused Evelyn’s resolve to strengthen. ‘How do we stop her? Can we storm the building and take our magic back?’

  Prince Ilie shook his head. ‘I’m afraid we have an even more urgent problem than that.’

  ‘Which is?’ Evelyn demanded.

  The stone tower shook, threatening to topple over at any moment.

  ‘We think she’s about to wake up. And when she does – she will have the power to drain the whole world.’

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Samantha

  ‘START ROLLING THE CAMERAS,’ DAPHNE says as we approach the check-in desk at the terminal.

  I frown. I can’t see how checking in for a Transport will be of any interest to viewers at home. But then I see why. Standing with his elbow propped up on the counter, his hair glamoured so each black strand is iridescent in the bright lights of the Transport terminal, is Zain.

  It’s thrown me so totally off guard that it gives him a moment to leap forward and lift me into a twirl. He grabs my hands and kisses me on the lips before I can react. ‘I did it, Sam,’ he says, a charming grin on his face.

  ‘Did . . . did what?’ I stutter. My eyes flicker between him and the camera.

  ‘I got the time off! I’m coming with you to Zhonguo.’

  Emotions war within me. I’m so confused by this total 180 from Zain. But the cameras are on, Zain’s squeezing my fingers and staring up at me with his startling blue eyes, and I find myself smiling back. ‘That’s great!’ I say, trying to inject the same enthusiasm into my voice.

  ‘Cut!’ says Daphne. ‘What an entrance. Oh, I knew you two would be television gold.’

  I barely register what she’s saying.

  I step back from the embrace as fast as I can, my eyes flickering back to Trina to make sure the cameras are off. As soon as I can see they are, I say: ‘What the hell, Zain?’

  ‘Sam – I’m sorry. I overreacted yesterday.’

  ‘And the best way to spring that on me was on camera? You couldn’t text? Phone? Email? DM? Anything?’

  ‘My fault!’ says Daphne, throwing her hands up in the air between us. ‘I had called Zain to confirm his details and he told me about your little disagreement. I knew you two would work things out so I thought we could capture the tension for the documentary! You know, you can’t manufacture this kind of dramatic storytelling . . .’

  I blink in disbelief at Daphne, and then at Zain. At least he has the decency to look bashful. ‘I’m sorry I blindsided you. Daphne wouldn’t let me get in touch. She said it would ruin the “authenticity of the moment”. Will you forgive me?’ he says.

  I feel myself soften. This is our first fight. You’re supposed to be able to get over your first fight, aren’t you? ‘Yes.’

  ‘So we’re okay?’ He lifts my fingers to his lips and kisses them gently.

  ‘We’re okay.’

  ‘Good.’

  I allow myself to smile. Now that the shock of seeing him has worn off, I’m relieved I won’t be going to Zhonguo on my own. ‘Well, I’m glad you decided to come. I didn’t really want to do this without you, you know.’

  ‘I know.’

  Daphne steps in and I cringe as I realise she’s been listening the whole time. ‘Oh, lovely! Just lovely . . . all back to happy families, yes? Come on, let’s get checked in for the Transport then.’

  We have an hour to wait in the terminal until our Transport is called, so we settle in the comfortable waiting lounge. Except for Katrina and me, almost everyone in here is Talented. They’re the only ones who can afford such an expensive mode of travel. Huge Summons screens line the far wall, with strong Talenteds guiding passengers along streams of magic from one destination to another. A journey that might take several hours by plane can be accomplished in only a few minutes by Transport. Flights might be slower, but they’re also cheaper – and they come with the added bonus of not having to witness the entire journey from mid-air.

  I wait for a moment when Daphne takes Trina aside to do some shot planning, and I drag Zain over to a nearby coffee counter. I need a hit of caffeine before the Transport, but I also need to speak to him in private.

  I drop my voice to a whisper. ‘Hey, did you recognise that camerawoman?’

  Zain frowns and looks back over his shoulder. ‘You mean the woman with the red hair? Um, I don’t think so. Should I?’

  ‘Don’t just stare at her! That’s Katrina. Formerly of the Princess Evelyn’s private guard service.’

  Zain’s eyes open wide with surprise. ‘Seriously? Wow. What do you think she’s doing here?’

  ‘I don’t know. But I’m going to find out. It can’t be a coincidence.’ On the tip of my tongue is to explain to Zain the chemistry I saw between them . . . but that’s Evelyn’s business. It’s not my place to say.

  ‘Hang on, they’re coming back over here. Order your coffee.’

  ‘I’ll take a caramel macchiato, please,’ I tell the barista.

  ‘There you guys are! Oh, another caffeine addict I see – just like me! I’ll take a triple shot no foam latte.’ Daphne says that last bit to Zain, and grabs me by the shoulders. ‘Now you, our little star, let’s set up in the corner of the lounge – make sure you get shots of people Transporting via Summons in the background, Trina, okay? I’m thinking adventure, I’m thinking excitement, I’m thinking transporting people out of their everyday lives and into Sam’s world.’ Daphne moves me until I’m sitting down on a small ledge with a huge window behind me.

  ‘What do you want me to say?’ I ask, shuffling my feet. The cold glass presses up against my back but the air from the lounge is too warm. My tummy rumbles. I want my macchiato. My whole body is uncomfortable and – not for the first time – I wonder what the hell I’m doing.

  ‘Just talk about where we’re going. This is going to be a one-on-one video, totally unscripted, a chance for you to open up a bit. Let us in. Tell us what’s going on in the mind of Sam Kemi.’ She punctuates every word of her final sentence with a finger jab at my forehead. I wonder if she’s going to leave a mark. ‘I’ve left some questions on a notepad down there, so feel free to look at those if you need some inspiration. And Sam?’

  ‘Yeah?’

  ‘Don’t hold back. If it goes too long, we’ll edit it down. The more you speak from the heart, the better you’re going to come across.’

  ‘Um, can Trina stay with me?’

  Daphne looks surprised. ‘Sure. Why?’

  ‘I just think it will be easier to talk to a person, rather than to a camera lens.’

  ‘Okay, but remember you will have to stare into the camera. We want it to be confession-booth style. Can you deal with that?’

  I swallow, but I nod.

  ‘Great. Okay, this works out! Trina can hold up the prompts while you talk. I’ll set up a spell around you that will block sound coming in and out so that we don’t get interference on camera.’ She pulls out her object – a wand like Zain’s – and with a few flicks of her wrist, manipulates the magical energy in the air around us to raise a sound barrier. My first thought is how loud the Transport terminal really is, now that all the background noise is gone. My ears ring in the silence.

  Trina slips a pair of thick round headphones over her ears all the same and turns on the camera, so the red light blinks in front of me again, a winking distraction.

  I swallow hard, taking a few deep breaths to compose myself. I glance over Trina’s shoulder and see Daphne has joined Zain in the coffee queue, wildly gesticulating with her arms as she talks. This is my chance. ‘I know you,’ I say, staring past the camera and straight at Katrina instead.

  ‘What do you mean?’ she asks, but I don’t buy her ignorance. Her face turns stoney, she’s bracing herself for my curiosity. And, most tellingly of all, she turns off the camera – but continues to poi
nt it at me as if we’re doing our assigned confessional.

  ‘Why are you here?’ I blurt out. I had wanted to ask more lead-up questions, but out of the corner of my eye I can see Daphne looking over at us. ‘I remember you. From the Palace. You and the Princess . . .’ I don’t even know how to finish that statement, but the flash of red colour that appears on Trina’s cheeks is proof enough that my assumptions were correct. ‘Why aren’t you at the Palace? Is she okay?’

  ‘I was fired from the Palace,’ Trina says through gritted teeth.

  ‘What? Why?’

  ‘Stefan. But that’s not all. Before they fired me, I also saw that the Princess was sick – she can’t stop coughing, she’s weak; she can’t stand up to him.’

  ‘I knew it,’ I say. ‘No one else would believe me – not outside my family and friends. Especially not when those honeymoon photos came out.’

  ‘Those were fake. Doctored. I know, because I used to run all the computer systems inside the Palace and I saw a memo going around that the Prince was looking for an “experienced Talented photo editor”. Then a few hours later – boom – those photos showed up. Didn’t you notice how fuzzy they were? And they didn’t even show the Princess without giant sunglasses and a huge hat.’

  I think back to the photos I saw in the restaurant. They hadn’t seemed right to me then, but everyone else had been so sure. I’m glad for the confirmation I’m not imagining things, but I’m equally terrified for the Princess. What’s really going on at Palace Great?

  ‘And what are you doing, going to Zhonguo?’ Trina asks me. ‘Up until yesterday you were doing this documentary in Nova. What’s with the change of mind? It’s to do with the Princess’s sickness, isn’t it? You’ve found something out, haven’t you?’ She stares at me with her piercing green eyes and I feel stripped bare under that look. I’m taken back to the moment at the Laville Ball where I saw her help Princess Evelyn after she lost control of her overwhelming power.

  It’s impressive. Anyone who can hold their own in a face-off with the Princess earns my respect.

  But not necessarily my trust. ‘How do you know what I was doing? Have you been spying on me?’ I move to stand up – I don’t know what’s going on, but suddenly I no longer feel comfortable.

  A look of panic flares up in Trina’s eyes and she flaps her hands at me to sit down. ‘Okay, you don’t have to tell me anything,’ she concedes. ‘I know because of what I just said – I ran the computer systems in the Palace. I’ve been following your movements, because you’re not only her friend – you’re her alchemist. And you’ve been vocal about your feelings about Stefan. I knew you wouldn’t be leaving the country unless you had a lead that could help her. So if your plan involves helping the Princess somehow . . . please. Let me be there with you.’

  I hesitate, still not a hundred per cent convinced.

  ‘Look.’ She pulls down the edge of her collar, and around her neck is a delicate silver chain with a ring hanging from it. A ring I recognise. It belonged to Princess Evelyn. ‘Evie gave this to me. All I want to do is help you help her.’

  Staring up into the woman’s pleading green eyes, I know there’s no way I can refuse her. I need all the help I can get. ‘Okay,’ I say, quietly.

  ‘Good. Now let’s get some confessional shots down or else Daphne is going to get suspicious.’

  I nod and take a deep breath. ‘So, um, we’re in Kingstown International Transport Terminal about to head to, uh, um, Long-shi village in Zhonguo. I am, er, really excited about the trip . . .’

  Trina puts up her hand to stop me, but I’ve already stopped myself. My shoulders drop and I lean forward onto my knees, a loud groan escaping my lips. ‘Wow, this is harder than I thought,’ I say, aiming for a sheepish grin but probably ending up with an unconvincing grimace.

  ‘Don’t worry about it,’ says Trina. ‘Shake it off and try again. Oh, here’s your first question.’ She holds up a white sign that reads: HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT TRANSPORTING?

  I feel myself relax as I read the question: this is something I can answer easily. ‘I’d never done much Transporting until this year – it’s way too expensive for me.’

  Trina holds up her hand to stop me again. ‘That was great, loads more natural, but make sure you’re looking at the camera when you say it, not at me.’

  ‘Oh right, I forgot about that.’ I grip the edge of the seat with my fingers, annoyed that I’ve messed up again. I return my gaze right to the centre of the camera lens, trying not to focus on my upside-down reflection in the smooth black glass. ‘I hadn’t really Transported that much until this year – it was always way too expensive for me – but because of the Wilde Hunt, I’ve had to get used to it quickly!’

  Trina smiles at me and nods encouragingly. Then she picks up the next card. WHAT ARE YOU HOPING TO FIND IN LONG-SHI?

  I pause for a moment. This is something I’ve been thinking a lot about, and I’m not sure that I have a definite answer. Then I realise that this is supposed to be confessional. I decide to go ahead and be honest. ‘I don’t know what I’m going to find in Long-shi. I’m going with a completely open mind. Something my grandad taught me is that alchemists always look to the past to find answers. Take, for example, the buried monastery they just discovered – it’s one of the greatest archaeological finds of the past century. This is where alchemy was born; this is where my ancestors come from. There might be answers there to questions we don’t even know to ask. That’s what appeals to me. And if I return to my roots, test myself and dig down deep into my past, I might find out what else I’m really capable of.’

  ‘It sounds a bit like you’re treating yourself like a potion ingredient.’

  I laugh. ‘I suppose it does! And in a way, that’s exactly what I’m doing. I’m examining myself. I want to find out what my properties are, so I can find out exactly where I belong. Just like an ingredient in a mix.’

  AND DO YOU HAVE YOUR DIARY WITH YOU?

  ‘My potion diary? But of course.’ I pat the tan leather satchel at my feet – my present to myself after escaping from Stefan. ‘It’s always by my side. And – I know this is nerdy – but part of me can’t wait to put my potion diary on the same shelf as those of some of the most revered alchemists of all time – and not just those related to the Kemi family! I was doing some reading and I found out there’s an ancient library in Long-shi that has potion diaries going back a thousand years! Just to be near that sort of history . . .’ I can’t help myself; I shiver with delight.

  Trina gives me a nod and smiles at me. ‘That’s great, thanks Sam. I think we got what we need.’ She turns around and gives a thumbs-up to Daphne.

  Daphne drops the sound barrier. ‘How did it go?’

  ‘Sam did great,’ says Trina.

  ‘Oh, good, because our Transport is ready. Only a few more minutes to go and we’ll be in Zhonguo! This is all so exciting,’ says Daphne.

  But I’m not listening any more. Instead, I’m staring at Katrina, who is packing up the camera equipment. The Princess never would have let her go – so it must have been all Prince Stefan’s idea.

  I wonder what’s really going on inside the Palace walls.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Samantha

  ‘HEY, ARE YOU OKAY?’ ZAIN ASKS AS WE jump into one of the cars Daphne rented to take us to Long-shi. Daphne and Trina are in the second car, along with the massive amounts of camera and computer equipment they’ve brought along with them. I was sure that couldn’t all be for the documentary, but Daphne laughed when I commented on it. She called it ‘travelling light’ in her industry.

  Anyway, I’m glad Zain and I get a few hours of privacy – even if it is while driving.

  We still have a long journey ahead of us. Long-shi is miles away, and cannot be accessed via Transport panel – they’re just not set up for that. It’s also surrounded by the Wilds, where magic becomes less predictable. Wilds are natural reserves spread all around the world, where magical creatures and plants
can survive without interference from Talenteds. In towns and cities, streams of magic are tightly bound and controlled, like strands of hair woven into a braid, so it can be used predictably. In the Wilds, it’s a different story. I’ve seen Zain’s dad’s object – his ring – explode in front of his eyes when he attempted to use magic in the Wild Hallah mountain range. It’s dangerous, so I’m glad we’re not Transporting there.

  I know exactly why Zain’s asking if I’m okay. I can’t seem to shift this permanent frown that has etched itself onto my forehead. I have this feeling deep in the pit of my stomach that I normally only get when a potion isn’t co-operating. It usually means I’m missing something.

  If only I knew what it was.

  Tincture of nightshade – to see into black holes of knowledge. Web of a Persian spider – to help the brain make connections.

  I try to shake it off. Soon I’ll be meeting the Waidan and I’ll be able to get some answers. ‘Yeah, just anxious to get to Long-shi,’ I say.

  ‘Me too. I know you’ll be in talks with the Waidan that I can’t be a part of . . .’ His arms tense and I brace myself for another argument. But instead, he lets out a long breath and his muscles relax. ‘Because I’m not a Master Alchemist. But I’m excited to go up and visit the archaeological dig. The history side really interests me – I can’t believe we’ll be one of the first people to see it.’ His eyes light up as he talks, and it brings a smile to my face. ‘I know we’re going to have the film crew with us, but I’m going to bring my own camera too. Want to see?’

  I nod, and he digs around in his backpack. A moment later, he pulls out a small, nondescript black camera, with a bulbous lens. ‘It’s one of these new FollowMe things. If you look here, the top folds out into its own propeller. I can send it to places we can’t see – like getting awesome aerial shots or down into the dig site or something. Maybe they’ll let me do my own videos on the side to promote the docucast.’