“True, he could have,” answered Stormaway as though the outburst had not occurred. He shook the cylinder but there was clearly nothing rattling around in it. “It could be smeared with paste of some kind, I suppose…Hmm. Doubtful, I think.” He stood up and carried the cylinder to the edge of the clearing. Facing the top away from him, he carefully lifted its lid.
Nothing happened.
The wizard looked back at everyone, “Did anyone see any haze over it as I opened it… possibly dark red like Jarand’s magic?”
“Or bluey grey like Journeyman’s magic?” suggested Danton.
Stormaway nodded, “Yes. Could be either. No one saw anything? Well, I certainly didn’t.” He breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. Now that it is open, I can run a scan for any lethal substances before we remove the parchment. Summer R
