"I've got it!"

Epithumia jumped up with glee and nearly startled Jonathan, who had been sitting peacefully beside her on the couch.

The two had been brainstorming on ideas to at least have a chance in confronting Durratine, when the little witch had seemed to conjure up an idea.

She did not hesitate to then grab the sample of toxin and the doctor's hand and take them both upstairs.

The three doors came before them, and the witch turned around to face the stairs.

"We will need the library and mineral room for this."

He watched as the little witch twisted the sphere of the left banister seven times and the wall, parallel to the top floor, stretch further back to reveal two doors, one on each side of the open banister.

"This way."

She smiled and subconsciously reached for the doctor's hand again, before he could inquire, and pulled him towards the door on the right side.

The room was bright but warm with dark wood paneling, as what little wall you could see, and rich, dark built-in shelves, from the ceiling to the floor filled to the brim with books, as most of the room. To the far left was a large bay window fitted with curtains over a bench prepared as a reading nook with a knitted blanket and throw pillows. Just to the right, in between two shelves, was a large, square, stain glass window of a doe under a tree that gave the room its brilliant brightness.

"Hidden rooms, I should have guessed."

Epi giggled, "If you look at the blueprints for the house, you can see that they've always been here. It wouldn't make sense for the second floor to be so different in size from the first floor."

"Why hide them?"

"In the lifetimes that I've had, the one thing that has proven to be the most lethal weapon is knowledge."

Crane nodded to that conclusion, himself overly aware of the power behind information.

She ushered him to the bench and pulled down a book to find the passage she needed.

"So, though we may not be able to 'mix' together chemistry and alchemy, we can make a curse out of the two."

Jonathan squinted at the pages the little witch had placed on his knees. They contained a diagram and some symbols alongside some scripture that he wasn't able to transcribe, but he understood all the same from the visual map available.

He paused a moment before speaking.

"Do you have any evidence that this will work?"

"I don't, but I do believe it wouldn't be in such a reliable book if it hasn't worked before."

The man let out an exasperated sigh before standing up and handing her back the book. However, as her fingers closed around the spine his grip slipped around her wrist and he took no time in yanking her into his chest and bending till his lips were next to her ear.

The woman shuttered out a breath as his emotionless tone mingled with his low words and hot breath into her ear.

"If your little tricks, in any way, tamper with the perfection of my toxin, when this is all over, you will be my new lab rat. Understand?"

"You needn't worry about something like that," the little witch managed to huff out under the pressure of his body being pressed so close to hers; it was almost suffocating.

Just as fast as he had pulled her in, he let her go, stepped back, and made his way to the door, only to stop and turn back.

"What else do you need, Ms. Bashem?"

Epithumia shook her head to regain herself and respond.

"Gemstones."

The doctor's eyebrow did rise to the sight of the next room on the other side. Shelves were again built into the walls, but instead of containing books, they contained a vast, and vibrant variety of colorful, glistening stones; each more beautiful than the last. The light that poured in from the circular window was caught in the shimmering structure of them all.

He marveled, as he stepped in, at every shelf he passed until something unexpected made him freeze. There was a whole shelf system with common mineral rocks such as sandstone, slate, and even smooth garden stones amongst the shimmering collection.

Jonathan curiously picked up what looked to be a chunk of a polished granite countertop and cleared his throat.

The witch, who was in the middle of gathering some geodes turned to him.

"Ms. Bashem, what is this?"

He asked this while clearly and firmly nodding the chunk he held in his hand as what he was addressing.

Without batting an eye, she replies with, "That is a part of my rock collection."

"Surely, you must be joking."

"It's still a rock, Jonathan."

The doctor opened his mouth to spew forth every logical point he had on why she didn't need this, but decided against it, as it was still technically a rock.

He went to put it back but just as he did, he noticed the shelf just below had an even worse and useless assortment. There was half a red brick, a chunk of sidewalk cement, and hardened clay.

"Is that a piece of asphalt?!"

"Doctor, if you are going to be judgmental then I will have to ask you to leave the room!"

"BUT THAT IS NOT EVEN A REAL ROCK!"

"GO WAIT OUTSIDE, JONATHAN!"

The man huffed as he waited for her to finish her task just outside the room. While he waited, there was a tiny pitter-patter coming from the stairs, and as he looked Drine was waddling up to the doorway.

The palm cockatoo fluffed up aggressively, but continued to waddle past him, all the while starring the lanky man down.

Epithumia had just finished gathering the necessary minerals when she heard her familiar's signature whistle. When she turned to him, he had already climbed the shelves and was stretching out his leg to step up.

She offered her arm and he shimmied up her shoulder to her ear.

"I know you saw him last night, and he now knows where to find us."

She gulped in dread, remembering the dream she had had last night.

Durratine had appeared to her last night, taunting her, but she hadn't realized that would be a way to locate her.

"What did he say to you, Mistress?"

Epithumia looked at Jonathan who was still waiting by the door.

"Jonathan, could you please take all of this downstairs," she asks while handing him the supplies, "I'll be down in a moment."