No sooner had Rizzik seated himself at his desk that he heard the familiar chime of the bell hanging above the front door of the shop, indicating someone had entered. Walking briskly in anticipation back downstairs, he opened the door with a warm, expectant smile—only to have it melt away from his face in the next instant.
Standing just inside the entrance was a young woman, wearing an elegant purple blouse, black vest, and long skirt; all stylish and form-fitting, only surpassed by the garments of nobility in quality. Her piercing golden eyes were framed neatly by her shoulder-length black hair, with a purple highlight on the right side which matched her outfit. Crossing her arms under her visible cleavage, she inclined her head slightly and gave a half-smile signaling familiarity, but not affection.
“Rizzik,” she said simply.
“Lucinda,” he returned, with frost lining each syllable.
“Please, just Luci is fine. I wouldn’t want you to strain yourself.” she gave a slight wave and scanned his shelves with the bored look of a count waiting for the new paint to dry in his privy. “I was on my way back from a recent excursion to the Ridgespine Mountains and decided to stop in town for a brief rest. I was hoping to catch a comedic play at the local theater, but when I realized Durmrin didn’t have one, I opted to come by your quaint little shop instead.”
“If you wanted to view something humorous, you need only look in a mirror,” Rizzik replied, not missing a beat. “I’m surprised no one bothered to tell you about that bog eel attached to your head. Then again, maybe I shouldn’t be.”
“Oh, this?” she asked, idly running a finger across the highlight in her hair. “I developed it myself. It changes with the wearer’s mood, but also reflects their relationship to their environment. For example, purple denotes confidence and well-founded superiority. It’s become quite a fashion statement in Silvervale. Duchess Wolcroft and her vassals have all ordered a crateful of bottles. It no doubt is circulating around the royal court at this very moment—almost as fast as the rotplague seems to be circulating around this town, given the smell and appearance of your local clientele.”
Rizzik turned expressionlessly toward a shelf to pretend studying the labels, but inwardly he was seething. Today had been such a good day until she decided to show up. As the alchemist of the bustling trade hub of Silvervale, Luci had considerable business connections which made her one of the wealthiest alchemists in the kingdom—a fact she never tired of flaunting, especially toward Rizzik. Though Durmrin was quite a bit more modest in the level of commerce it conducted, he still managed to do relatively well for himself and had established a reputation of novel work all through the region, despite her own stellar renown. At least he knew this tended to get under her skin.
“I’ll be sure to pass along to Lady Ravenwind what you think of her,” he told her, not bothering to look look up, though he did notice in his periphery that she tensed slightly, which caused him the need to stifle a smirk. “Or maybe you’d like to tell her yourself?”
“Sorry, who?” Luci frowned, though Rizzik knew she heard him perfectly. There weren’t many in the kingdom, even in lands abroad, who weren’t aware of the Ravenwind family—or more accurately, their deep political connections both within the court and throughout Amonar.
“The Lady Estrel Ravenwind. She stopped by last week to place an order and I’m expecting her today to pick it up. It’s over there on the table.”
“And what would Lady Ravenwind possibly want with…”
Luci’s voice trailed off as she noticed the potion Rizzik had referred to. Not many concoctions had the ability to stop her in her tracks like this one just had. It had a telltale pinkish hue common to all vendiroot-based formulas, but that glow…it was unlike anything she had observed in her own extensive studies. The addition a common luminescent agent would have been easily recognizable to her trained eye, but this was something completely different…and new. Now it was her turn to seethe.
“Hmph,” she turned away, a practiced feign of disinterest masking her face. “Even if I believed that’s really who this was for, I shudder to fathom what she’d think of whatever gaudy mixture this could be.”
“A beautification potion, the first of its kind,” Rizzik replied proudly. “Designed to transform the appearance of the entire body to a degree I’d wager has not yet been seen in all the land.”
Luci laughed derisively. “Now I know you’re spinning a yarn. What use would Estrel Ravenwind have with a beautification potion? She could already have her pick of any suitor from here to the Frigid Sea. I suppose I was right to come here in lieu of a play. This has been more entertaining than I expected.”
Rizzik rolled his eyes, his patience wearing thin—not a particularly challenging feat in the presence of this woman. “Believe what you wish. I’m afraid I have neither the time nor the interest to entertain you further.” He reached a hand back and gave a few taps on the door behind him. “Zevine!” he called, turning his head slightly. “Could you please come out and see to the guest at the counter?” Heading back toward the door to his study, he gave Luci one last insincere smile. “Feel free to browse our fine wares and let my assistant know if anything catches your eye.”
He proceeded up the steps with Luci’s icy glare at his back, only broken by the pleasant voice from the figure that appeared from the cellar. “Hello! How can I help you?” Zevine smiled.
“Oh, uh…” Luci began, ready to wave her off dismissively, but then an idea sparked to life in her mind. “Yes, could you please get me one of those elder’s insight elixirs behind you? And would you mind grabbing one from the back? I’d rather have one of the fresher ones.”
Zevine nodded, spinning around and bending down slightly to rummage through the many bottles and vials on the shelf where the requested potion was kept. After a few moments, she had obtained the item and turned back to Luci. “Here you are,” she announced, setting it on the counter between them.
“Thank y—oh, drat!” Luci snapped her fingers suddenly in realization. “I actually just realized I left my coin purse at the inn. I’ll go fetch it and will be right back.”
Zevine gave a courteous bow, watching the potential customer hurry out the door before shrugging and returning to her work in the cellar. Meanwhile, Luci had walked a few blocks before stopping and fishing out a small vial from within her cleavage. Within lay a few drops of the glowing liquid she had secretly procured from Rizzik’s shop while the assistant was distracted.
A sly smile graced her lips as she continued toward the stables where her horse was kept. If Rizzik thinks he can single-handedly revolutionize the alchemy trade throughout the land, he’s sorely mistaken. Just this small sample will be all I need to develop my own potion—better than this in every. By week’s end, he and his shop will be all but forgotten.
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