When Esme arrived at the keeper’s clinic the following afternoon, Augustine’s treatment room was in a state of chaos. Drawers and cabinets were flung open, their contents in total disarray. Augustine was crouching down, his head stuck inside one of the cupboards under his workbench. He emerged empty-handed, looking grave.
‘I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news.’
Esme froze, fearing the worst. ‘What?’
‘One of the ingredients for the elixir has gone missing.’
‘Which one?’ Esme cried. ‘Not the bloodstone, or the fossil, right?’
‘No.’ Augustine waved an arm toward the fireplace in the corner, where a small cauldron simmered over the embers. ‘They’ve been steeping for days. It’s the elysium that’s gone.’
‘How can it just be “gone”?’
‘I’ve no clue. The clinic was locked, and there’s no signs
