She frowns slightly. “What do you need ghost mint for?”
“Just a little spell.”
She doesn’t question it further. “I am not sure if I have ghost mint. I do have starwort, but my grandmother sends me exotic herbs quite often. I’ll check if there’s any.”
I really hope she has it. I wait patiently as she opens a chest that would make even Heaven jealous. It has lots of trays that stack on top of one another, and she begins reading the names on the perfect little bottles. There’s a wooden tray with little spoons that fit nicely in the niches made in the wood.
Yup, Heaven would be so jelly.
“They’re mostly healing herbs… here’s starwort.” She holds out one of her pretty bottles, and I quickly get up and take it from her.
“Thank you. I only need a pinch.”
“You can use as much as you need. No one in the Academy ever needs anything to help them sleep, anyway.”
I nod as she begins looking at the names on much smaller bottles. I wait, trying not to show how desperate I am right now. If I have that, I could maybe do more than just visit that dream… I could navigate it.
“Moonshade, nightbloom, ashen fern, lanternleaf… ah! Here it is, ghost mint!”
“Oh, you are amazing, Shahira! Thank you!” I say, scooping the tiny bottle from her hand and smiling brightly at her. “I owe you.”
She smiles. “You’re welcome, but what are you trying to do?”
I hesitate, but I owe her that much. “I’m going to cast a dream-walking spell, one that prophetesses used. I have had visions through my dreams before, and there’s something I’ve been seeing that I want to make sense of.”
“I’ve heard of it, but never done it. Like you said, it only works if you have visions. Do you need my help?” she asks.
I glance at the herbs. It’ll be easier to do if the two of us set it up.
“Yes, please, are you sure you’re ok with that? You normally go to bed.”
“It’s alright, this sounds like much more fun.”
“Awesome, thank you.”
We get to work as I pass her the grimoire so she can read through the spell as we both start setting up the crystals surrounding the potion bottle. We mix the herbs together and add a bit of the salt water from my own supplies. I whisper the spell, working on the potion as she sets protection wards around my bed, something I didn’t think of, but is a wise move.
If, for some reason, the spell goes awry, they will help balanceme and wake me.
Once I finish making the potion, I look over the symbols she’s drawn and smile.
“You’re really good, and I mean really good,” I compliment, impressed at how quickly and sufficiently she drew them.
“Thanks. Back in my coven, I’m slated to become a High Witch of the Persian Coven when the time’s right,” she admits shyly.
I stare at her. “What? Really? That’s impressive,” I reply in awe. This is the Academy for the elite, but still! “Who knew we had such talent right here?”
“I’m good at masking my aura. We do it daily, so if in enemy territory or if an enemy is close, they can’t sense us.”
“That’s something we are meant to do, but I know many of us get careless within these four walls. You’re incredible.”
She blushes. “Thanks. Are you all good to go? Do you need help with anything else?”
I shake my head, although I wonder if she would know anything about the text from Jayce’s images. She’s Iranian, meaning her roots are not far from Egypt, and the languages were once similar.
“Thank you. I should be ok. Just… don’t let anyone wake me.”
She nods, now serious. The risk of things going wrong if I am pulled from my sleep could be a little bothersome. She wishes me luck and gets into her own bed behind the partition. I can see her through the gaps in it as she settles in and turns off her lamp.
