CH 14 – Regrets
Septimus had explained his situation briefly, though it didn't seem to clear any of the fog clouding Savin's mind.
Passing through a looking glass, into another time frame didn't make much sense to her. It wasn't physically possible, and even though this was indeed a fact to her, Septimus seemed to think otherwise.
And oddly enough, she believed him.
She snapped out of her confusion for a split second, 'He's not here.' Septimus' past words echoed in her head.
"Where's Marcellus then?" Savin's tired voice whispered, she was sick of these explanations.
"In his chambers.." Septimus didn't sound so certain.
Savin's black belted boots led her to the complex winding paths leading to Marcellus' rooms.
"Wait!" Savin turned to see a worried expression covering the boys face, "If what you said is true, then maybe you shouldn't."
"What do you mean?"
He hurried over to her side, "well.. It's been four hundred years, and things change over time Obviously." Septimus was beginning to sympathise for Savin, it sounded like Marcellus and her were good friends.
Though he couldn't possibly imagine his new teacher looking younger and being friends with no less than a witch.
Savin figured Septimus didn't quite know about the tincture, "it'll be fine" she concluded.
What he was implying didn't make any sense to the witch, not after what both Marcellus and herself had drank the night beforehand.
'The night beforehand, four hundred years ago' Savin reminded herself. A chilling shiver ran down her spine and she pulled her cloak closer around her.
Walking up the carefully carved steps, she reassuringly smiled back at Septimus and made her way down the hallways to find Marcellus.
For some reason Savin felt very, very nervous. The shaking in her hands that had been from the cold, now shook from pure apprehension. This confused her even more, should she not be mad at the Alchemist instead?
She reached his chamber door, hand hovering over the coloured wood, waiting for the opportune moment. But there was no opportune moment, for in that very second Marcellus' door screeched open, revealing a frail old man.
He slowly looked up and his eyes seemed to light up in his hollowing sockets.
"Juniper.."
She looked over the ageing man, his fading and frail figure standing before her in his Alchemy robes. Thin white hair hung down onto a wrinkled face, his hazel eyes staring straight through her just as they always did.
Savin's head did one more dizzying lurch, "M- Marcellus?" She fell to the floor, a swirl of lights staining her closed eyelids.
It wasn't some time before Savin once again became conscious, but when she did, the foreign sight of her former Alchemist still shocked her.
She was lying on the floor in the Chamber of Alchemy, cold air rushing over her face as she sat up.
Marcellus was by her side, his sad glance shaking her bones.
Savin looked down to see her worn boot slightly covering the bandage on her left leg. If it had been a week before, she would have been lying down the same as she was now, while a young Marcellus tended to her wound. Yet now she was in the same situation, four hundred years later.
"The tincture.." She whispered, all her concentration focused on keeping a steady head.
"It failed." His weary voice continued, "it was indeed made for the purpose of eternal life, as you can see.. But apparently not of eternal youth."
"Yes, I guess that thought did escape us didn't it?" She turned her glaze back to Marcellus, watching him twist uncomfortably on his stiff wooden chair.
The old man's chuckle sounded insane, but he couldn't help but himself.
"It's been nearly four hundred years since I've last seen you Miss Juniper, and you look the same as the day we met." He coughed heavily.
Savin ignored his subtle complement, "what do you mean four hundred years? I drank the potion too, did I not?" Which she was deeply regretting in that moment.
"Yes, but our faulty potion only protects from natural death."
Savin did not like where this was going, "how.. How did I?" She couldn't bring herself to say the last words.
"The Wendron's.. Somehow they found out or plan and came looking for you."
Savin's mind was working on overdrive, "the recipe!" Strangely enough, Marcellus was now the one who seemed utterly bemused.
"I dropped the list in the forest along with my coat! The witch mother must have taken it, and read the contents.." Savin closed her eyes, she couldn't bare to see anything around her, it seemed too unnatural. This time, this dimension along with it's different memories caused her much distress.
"I caused my own death then.." Marcellus stood, gently he layed a bony hand upon Savin's shoulder. Though he desperately wanted to embrace her in a hug, he thought otherwise. It did not seem appropriate with the situation at hand.
"I'm sorry.. It's a terrible thing, knowing ones death."
Marcellus slowly started to walk back to the entrance of the corridors, feeling to overwhelmed to be near the image of his lost friend.
"Where are you going?" Savin called to him.
"Miss Juniper," Marcellus called her name as a goodbye and left for his rooms.
"Four hundred years and he's still calling me that.." She sighed, getting up from the cold floors and leaving the chamber to find Septimus, "some things never change."
Many things were running through Marcellus' tired mind, all those years of guilt and longing finally turned over.
"How rudely ironic of fate" Marcellus stated to himself. Against all the odds she had somehow come back into his life.
'And just as Septimus is to begin brewing the final tincture.. Now perhaps she won't have to live through the horrible things I did.' He softly chuckled to himself, "Miss Juniper's luck is timely, i'll give her that."