An ominous tension descended over the castle and it seemed we were all on tenterhooks, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Carnell kept his men training for hours on end, preparing for a battle I couldn’t predict. I could understand Carnell’s anger, but being the brunt of his rage didn’t help.
In desperation I’d started making batches of potion constantly; as soon as I’d finished one I’d start another. Perrault was strongly against the plan, arguing that the potion could only be used once each twenty four hours. I argued that if the potion reached the point where it stopped swirling roughly eight hours after I’d mixed the ingredients, why couldn’t I use it straight away? So I’d been divining three times a day with few side effects other than a little lightheadedness.
The extra efforts ha
