Chương 18: Chapter Eighteen

Mom took the bubbly potion, and I had made five good quality healing potions by the time we rolled into the first town on our way home. Home. I've never even been there, but the word came naturally. Along with the worry pains in my gut.

"Should I try to sell one of my potions in the town?" I asked Dad as I sat next to him watching the outlying houses slowly move by as we approached the town proper. The buildings remind me of Hindor. Wood construction that looks like it's barely holding together in places. Hopefully the people are different. Dad scoffed at the idea.

"You won't find anyone here that can afford one of your potions Lyra."

"Why not? It's good quality and you said fair quality was what? Two silvers. Good can't be more than twenty-five silver or so." I thought to myself.

"Good quality lesser healing potions go for twenty silver pieces." Evan confirmed and my stomach did a flip. If I sold it to Evan I would make as much as my entire stock did when they arrived in Hindor.

"But you don't have lesser healing potions Lyra. You have healing potions. Which is a different market entirely. Your potion can be sold for twenty-five gold coins."

"G… g… gold? Twenty-five." My brain was failing to process the value. I don't think I've even seen a gold piece!

"And these people will be lucky if they can earn five gold coins throughout their entire lives." The offhand comment made my heart beat faster. Five. I had five potions. Each worth twenty-five gold. I was carrying around over a hundred gold worth of items that I intended to just give to someone if they got hurt. I frowned at the thought, before shaking my head. I have five potions to use in case someone around me gets hurt. And if they don't, I have five potions to sell as I make more.

I won't let how much I could make stop me from giving it to someone that needs it. That would be… Not me. The thought felt right so I held onto it. Dad let me chew on the information, a smirk finding its way to his lips on occasion. The wagons circled the town square on two sides, there wouldn't be enough room for our wagons otherwise. Weird. If anything, it's smaller than Hindor. But otherwise…

A larger two-story building that looks to be in good condition, surrounded by homes that look as though a stiff breeze could knock them over. The similarities were starting to mount. And I didn't like them. Mom put her hand on my shoulder.

"Why don't you hold Boyan while I help your dad set up." She handed the wiggling bundle of brother and walked off. Boyan immediately reached for my hair, so I gave him a raspberry on the side of the neck to distract him. Giggling he tried to fend me off with his little arms as I watched as people from the village started gathering. A couple came up to our wagon, and Dad greeted them by name stopping to chat briefly.

I'm pretty sure I saw him slip at least one candy to a boy about thirteen who was trailing his father as they talked. I could only smile as the candy quickly disappeared before his dad could notice. But mostly, I saw how no one was harassing me. The few kids my age, humans who had just had their Becoming or would do so soon walked past and greeted me without sneering. Or hidden barbs in their words. They were simply… nice. Then my eyes snapped to a trio of kids who wandered into the square.

None of the people were dressed particularly well. The clothes I was given are a step above everything I can see, but these three were wearing practically rags. Just like I used to wear. But that was where the similarities ended. They didn't walk as though they were shying from the other townspeople, as I always did. The group actually stopped and chatted with one of the girls that had walked by a moment ago.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"They're orphans." A girl said beside me, causing me to jump, clasping Boyan to me who latched onto my hair.

"Their parents died a couple of years ago. The wagon they were riding on slid off the road in a rainstorm." The girl had blond hair and was around the age of adulthood, but I couldn't tell if she'd already Become. She smiled at me gently.

"We give them work that we can, and share what we have. It's not much, but it will keep them alive." I couldn't quite manage a smile as I wrestled my hair away from Boyan and made sure it all hung behind me.

"Where I grew up; they would have been left to their own devices." The girl scowled.

"It doesn't sound like you grew up in a very kind place."

"No. I didn't. I'm Lyra." I tried to offer my hand but Boyan tried to make an escape causing me to grab him so he didn't fall from my grip. Looking around I found a small patch of grass, and moved there to set him down. He immediately sat up and started ripping pieces of grass to shove in his mouth. Not my choice of salads, but it shouldn't hurt him. The girl chuckled.

"I'm Stella. I've not seen you in the Toordor caravan before." She commented, standing strategically so Boyan had less ways to make an escape if he decided to try to run off.

"Oh, they adopted me… erm… Evan and Mandy adopted me when they passed through my town not too long ago. I went through my Becoming after they arrived." I started to explain but she stopped me fairly quickly.

"If you just Became, wouldn't you be an adult? Why would they adopt you?" She looked baffled, and I would have agreed not too long ago.

"Cultural differences. Demons don't consider someone an adult after they Become. They view it as the point where they need to stop playing and start learning a trade to support yourself. You aren't considered an adult until you can."

"Oh, so you would consider me a kid then? I Became a couple of weeks ago." She planted her hands on her hips waiting for my response.

"You're about my age then. And no, you're not a demon so you're clearly an adult." I offered holding my hands up in surrender causing her to chuckle again.

"Well, maybe you should wait until you're as tall as me before you claim to be an adult." She puffed her chest out in exaggerated pride. Even with her teasing I didn't sense any meanness to it. It was more like what I saw the other girls saying to each other. But she was right, I was a couple feet shorter than her.

"Please, before I Became, I was taller than you."

"Oh yeah, how tall?"

"I could have stepped on you." I deadpanned picking up a foot and making an exaggerated stomping motion.

"What were you a giant?" We finally broke into giggles and I made a quick dive down to pick up Boyan who had decided he was done with the grass and started crawling towards the dirt of the square. I didn't want to have to clean him off if Mom found him filthy.

"I was taller. About your height. I lost a lot after I turned into this." I turned around for her to see the back of me as I fought with Boyan who didn't want to be held as much as I didn't want to have to clean him later.

"Have you decided what you're going to learn yet? What trade you're going to go into. I mean. That's what you're supposed to do now right?" I nodded growling playfully as I mock bit Boyan's hand as he was pawing at my face.

"I'm going to learn magic and potion making. I already know how to brew a couple of potions. So, it seemed like a good craft for me."

"Wait, you're going to Ederall? And are going to EveningFirst Academy?" Stella was suddenly excited.

"Uhm… yes?" My voice was hesitant.

"That's wonderful!" Suddenly I was being hugged from the side by Stella, and Boyan's eyes gleamed at the sight of Stella's blond curls as he reached for them. I wasn't able to stop it as she bounced up and down, but she quickly quieted with an ouch when Boyan's tiny fists clenched onto her locks. I helped her untangle herself from the pint-sized menace, then patted his head. All while making sure my hair was still behind my back.

"My dad was able to get me a place in EveningFirst for their next intake. My mana's high enough that I could become a city-mage in the guard. Or, I will be able to come back and help here. A mage during a beast tide would be wonderful, and help ensure no one gets hurt." I didn't know what to make of her plans. I haven't really made any. Other than being able to earn money, significantly more than I ever thought I could at that, making potions I have no idea what I will do.

I frowned, and Stella thought I was reacting to her plans.

"Either path would be fine!" She defended, her stance going guarded.

"Yes of course. I was just thinking about me. Sorry."

"You?" Her posture immediately changed into curiosity. I nodded.

"I'm going there, but I don't really know what my plan is. What I'm going to do. Other than sell enough potions to make a living that is." Stella nodded knowingly.

"Well, it's obvious, isn't it?"

"It is?" I blinked at her trying to find what was obvious about it. She rolled her eyes at me.

"Become a healer. It pairs great with potion making. Where one fails, you have the other to fall back on." A healer. The idea hadn't crossed my mind, but I thought about Mom sitting by the wagon as people came to her to be healed. And about running through the campsite, unable to do anything other than tell them where they should go.

"A healer… Maybe…" My voice trailed off as Stella nodded and started talking about the people in the town. I didn't have much to add about Mrs. Kennowith's pet cats or her dad's sour feet. But it was nice simply listening to someone gossip with me. When Stella eventually took a breath, I told her about Tenoth, and Benna's Inn and the cooling stick she made for me that still worked. That prompted her to run off and get a couple of glasses of juice.

I used the cooling stick on her drink first and waited until small ice chunks formed before putting it in mine. She took a sip immediately.

"Wow! This is so good cold!" I smiled and shared my drink with Boyan. I caught both Mom and Dad glancing my way as they worked. They looked away when I turned to see if they needed me for something, Mom actually waving me off. So I stayed and talked with Stella, as the caravan set up around us.