Torn Between Two Moons

Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

Natasha stopped and stared at Riven.

He stood, leaning on a large wooden table which was littered with a combination of different materials. Some were normal things you expected to see in a library, such as books, scrolls and pens. Other stuff were a bit weirder.

There was an iron pot sitting atop what looked like a burner with blue flames, and a bunch of plants clustered around it, giving off a weird, flowery smell. He stared at his creation, like a master artist adding the final touches. It was beautiful, the way his hands moved like a tiny dancer, the way his eyes glistened with laser-like intensity, there was something special about this.

Natasha took a step back, not wanting to intrude on his almost- sacred moment. As she moved, Riven glanced up, his golden eyes staring straight at her, dancing slightly due to the flames.

“Natasha!” He exclaimed, as if surprised to see her standing there.

Natasha sighed, he had seen her already, she had wanted to avoid that, now she had no choice but to move forward.

“Sorry,” She said as she walked towards him. “I was bored and thought I could read some books to pass the time.

“Don't apologize, it was just surprising to see another person here aside from myself.” He mumbled, but Natasha could tell most of his attention lay on the project he was working on.

“So, what are you making?” She asked, peering into the boiling pot of green liquid.

“That,” He said as he pulled her back, “Is a very, very dangerous liquid, even it's fumes might kill you, it's no place for those for do not know what they are doing.” He said bluntly, then proceeded to ignore her and focus on the mixture after he had pulled her away.

Natasha tensed, what is with this guy? How dare he treat her like a child, well, she would show him who was ignorant.

She walked around him, and he stood there, his black hair tied back and his hands adding ingredients one after the other until the smell was almost choking. She looked away from him, and looked at the table.

On the table were a diverse mixture of plants, some dried, some powdered, others fresh, they were all high quality, and each gave off a unique scent, Natasha realized where she had seen them all before. They were poisons.

“I wouldn't add so little Nerium if I were you.” She said, a smirk on her lips as he turned to face her, his hands wearing gloves for the poisons he was making. “So little, and it will cause little more than muscle cramps.”

He turned to her, then said, “Yes, I thought about that, but if any more is added, I would counteract the Hemlock and render the entire concoction useless, wouldn't it?” He said, as if explaining to a child when he had something better to do.

“Then add some Azalea,” She said, pointing to a green bowl, there was no way she would lose this match between them, not after how he has been treating her, “That would basically solve all the problems by solving the heart rates, right?”

“Yes, but they are crazy hard to find, and would be a waste for a test batch, wouldn't they?.” He removed his hands and wiped it through his black hair as if he was tired from what he had been doing, but still had to continue. His black shirt showed sweat, and Natasha wondered how long he had been here. Probably the whole day.

“Who taught you about poisons?” He asked after she had gone silent. He had now looked away from his experiments and was looking at her, his gaze not wavering or looking away.

She bristled under his glare, his eyes were sharp and piercing. She steeled herself, she could do this.

“I learnt it, mostly by myself, to find if there was a poison that was strong enough to kill werewolves, it was pointless though, we heal too fast for even snake venom to hurt us, much less kill us.”

“Yes, that's what most people think,” He nodded, but his eyes spoke that there was an undiscovered truth behind it, “But look what happens when a little silver is added to the mix.”

As he said that, he heaped spoonfuls of powered silver, until the mixture took on a lighter shade.

Natasha wrinkled her nose, the smell had gotten worse.

“After I added that, the silver should slow down the healing long enough for the poison to take effect.” He said, his voice carrying a little of the pride a master craftsman showed when displaying his work for all to see, it was so subtle Natasha almost missed it.

Natasha looked, stunned at Riven, who had just created the first effective werewolf poison as most people assumed it couldn't work because of how fast they heal. She looked, and started to admire him. If she and Ashier were the fighters of this group, he was definitely the brains.

“Even with the silver though,” He said, shifting his focus back to his poison “The body of a werewolf is too strong, that's why I'm making this.” He gestured with his fingers to the boiling pot.

“It’s not done yet,” He continued, “But when it is, it'll be the first poison ever to kill a werewolf.”

Natasha looked at him, in shock, he had just casually said he had made something most people before him had found impossible.

His attention turned back to what he was doing, and for the remainder of the time Natasha spent with him, he barely said anything, reverting back to the silent confidence he displayed in the morning. Natasha felt him, as she watched his add ingredient after ingredient, she understood him like never before. They were kindred spirits, in a unique way.

By the time Natasha left the library, evening had come. She dragged herself to her room, tired both physically and mentally from the day. Thankfully, someone had laid food, some pork sprinkled with some spices and sauce, on her bed-side table. It was still a bit hot, and Natasha took a few bites before being too tired to eat anymore. She lay down on her bed, and within moments she was fast asleep.

And so Natasha spent her days in the mansions. In the mornings, she would train with Ashier in fighting, sometimes with weapons and sometimes without, and sometimes there were a few more kisses. She spent the afternoons with Riven, watching, and sometimes helping him on his diverse projects. That was how her days went, until..........