Welcome, you’ve stumbled into The Tori Story Series. If this is your first visit to this realm you might want to catch up.

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“Here take this.” Tori held out a bottle filled with essential oil. She continued holding it out to her left waiting for the young girl, who was supposed to be near her, to take it. Tori kept her eyes on the task at hand trying to collect more of the oil floating on the surface of the water that had separated from the plant matter. She knew this oil would not result in a pure, unadulterated essential oil but it was better than nothing. Maybe it would offer just enough healing properties to buy her some time. Hopefully long enough for the Peddler to come through with the penicillin. 

“Here” She repeated, a little louder this time in case the girl didn’t hear. She shook the small amber bottle to get the girl’s attention but still it remained in her left hand, untouched.

“Where did she get off to?” Tori wondered aloud as she stood and surveyed the courtyard of the palace. She frowned when she noticed the fire below the still was nearly out. Where were all her helpers? She continued to scan the courtyard. 

When Tori spotted the girl cowering right next to her, she flew into a rage and screamed, “Take the bottle!” but the girl made no move to well… move.

“What’s the point of helping if you don’t help?” Tori yelled, exasperated. She shook the bottle again and this time the girl timidly reached out her hand. It trembled. The moment Tori released the bottle, the child— because that’s what she was really, a young child maybe 9 or 10– recoiled. The bottle fell to the stone floor and shattered. Essential oil splattering all over the place. 

“Are you kidding me?!” Tori screamed yet again. “I ought to beat the life out of you!” 

Tori didn’t mean what she said, she was only expressing frustration, but the young girl didn’t know that. How could she? The child burst into tears and ran out of the courtyard wailing, “She’s going to kill me! The Witch is going to kill me!” 

Tori took a deep breath. She was going to have to get her emotions under control moving forward.

“Now,” she said in a voice sweet as syrup. “Where is the boy who is supposed to be tending the fire?” 

“Over here” A low timid voice called from behind one of the stone columns. Tori saw a hand wave. Well, if truth be told, it shook more than waved. And this was no small boy. He was a strapping young man in his late teens. Certainly too big to be cowering behind the stone structure. 

“Don’t tell me you are going to run off screaming too.” Tori called to the shaking hand. 

The boy peeped out from behind the column, concern clouding his countenance.

It was no use. It seemed the King’s servants were much too terrified of her. They were no help.

“Go on…” Tori sighed waving her hand toward one of the castle doors. “I’ll just do it all myself.” 

The boy cautiously backed away. Never once taking his eyes off of the Witch, not until he made his way all the way out across the courtyard and through the doorway. Then he bolted. His wooden clogs echoing down the hallway.

Tori rubbed her eyes and ran her hands through her hair pulling it back out of her face. She looked to the sky to say a prayer. A petition. She needed help. And not the King’s kind of help. She needed divine intervention. She was exhausted, having spent the last three days working ceaselessly, trying to find a cure for Prince Ben. If she were in Belton it would have been as simple as calling an order of medication at the local pharmacy. The trouble was, she wasn’t in Belton. 

Here, she was forced to work only with local plant life, her knowledge limited. In addition, her supplies and makeshift lab were primitive. She was getting nowhere fast.

Tori sighed and rubbed her temple. If only Andor were here. She knew there was the chance that she could coax him into helping. She’d done it before. It was part of the reason Prince Ben was here to begin with.

It was Andor who helped her with the fertility tincture, but he assumed it was for her. When Andor found out she had used it on Queen Hannah he was furious.

“I thought you meant to use this for yourself.” He scolded Tori like a child. “We do not meddle in the lives of the seed of the earth.”

Tori sighed. Thinking on it now it was highly unlikely Andor would help her at all— she was on her own.

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