Ferdinand 3rd Year Royal Academy

I stretched the kinks out of my back and glanced toward the sole window in Hirschur's lab. Judging by how the goddess of light was just barely grazing her husband's cloak with her fingertips, it had been another all-nighter. That meant another potion would be in order. A humph noise reminded me that I was not the only one pulling all-nighters. Professor Hirschur was bent over a broken tool that the librarians had brought to her. As I recalled, it was magic tool designed for preservation. Useful to someone like Hirschur or myself who had copious amounts of vital and sensitive documents in an environment that was not always the safest for said documents.

She hmphed again. So, things were proving to be more challenging than she had previously predicted. "Ferdinand, come look at this." I nearly sighed at her dropping the 'lord' but to be honest, she did this with everyone when she was focused on research. At the very least she had stepped back to give me enough room to see and to not be inappropriately close. The tool in question was laid out in carefully dissected pieces. It was also all laying on a clean cloth; a rarity in this lab. I glanced over all the pieces and mentally reconstructed the tool. Everything looked it would slot together perfectly. That couldn't be the problem. Then I began to inspect the magic circles over the surfaces. Primarily, they should have been wind elements, with two light and darkness circles. The former were all present if a little smudged. Those would have to be done again, but that likely would not have prevented the tool from working.

"Pass me a board."

Hirschur handed me an empty board that she had dug up from the pile on her long table. She also passed me a quill and inkwell. I quickly jotted down a small list of materials for the worn-out wind circles. Tonight, I could gather what I didn't win from Dunkelfelger students. Then I began inspected the other two types of circles. Found it.

"It's missing a light circle." I tapped the darkness circle that was always paired with a light circle. Hirschur leaned closer and frowned.

"Where would that circle have sat?" She had a point. There was no room for the circle itself. "It doesn't look like it was broken." No, it didn't. Neither Hirschur nor I would have missed something so obvious. There were no jagged spots, no gauges, or discoloration. Yet we were definitely missing a circle. I tapped two fingers against my temples and studied the darkness circle. Then I noticed three tiny triangles set equal distance around the magic circle I had been pondering. Barely more than bumps, but there seemed to be cracks in the inward facing edges. Carefully, I ran my fingernail down them noting they each seemed hollow. Something was inserted here.

"A consumable, maybe?" I murmured to myself. If it was indeed a consumable resource, we would have to check the old records to determine what it was. That meant a trip to the library was in order. I glanced at the window again, just enough time to get some rest before the library opened for the day. "I will check the archives after some rest."

"When you go, can you also-?"

I waved her off, already knowing what she was going to ask. "Yes, yes. I'll check for more information for your other projects too." She did the noble equivalent of beaming with joy. Before she could ask, I pushed the board, inkwell, and quill toward her. "Put what materials you are missing on the list as well as what we are low on. I will see if we can source it all from Dunkelfelger." Lately, I had taken to giving Peter my list of materials so he could 'leak' them to the Dunkelfelger knights. This would lead to more fruitful matches that could almost be worth dealing with Heisshitze's exuberances. Peter apparently would also charge his fellows and then give me a portion of the sale of information. Even though I protested, he simply smiled and pointed out that the money could go to Hirschur to fund her research. The boy was a ruthless follower of Greifechan. One I would cheerfully take advantage of.

Hirschur snorted. "Your expression is slipping again. You're going to rob them all blind again, aren't you?"

"Do you care?" I asked knowing very well that she didn't. "As long as you get to do your research does it matter where the funding comes from?"

Those eyes glittered with amusement, for a brief moment I thought she might refute my statement, but instead she smiled indulgently. "I suppose it doesn't matter what other motives you have for what you do. So long as our research is done." Then she turned back to her work. I decided not argue with whatever nonsense she was spouting. Besides this afforded me the perfect opportunity to slip away and get the rest I would need. I left instructions for Justus when he arrived and made sure to carefully conceal them some place my eccentric scholar would notice them. Then, I went to the glorified closet that had been my sleeping arrangement for the last week. The potions for helping me sleep were stored in a small lock box hidden beneath my cot. I pulled it out after a quick sweep of my mana and the usual checks; poison, tampering, attempts at opening, I undid the magical lock. Inside the potions were all sealed exactly as I had left them. But I still did another cursory test for tampering; just in case.

All safe.

I skipped over the light blue potion, knowing it would put me to sleep entirely too long and dangerously deep. Instead, I choose one of a sickly yellow color which would induce sleep for exactly one bell, yet I would feel as if I had gotten a full night's rest. Of course, there was a trade off to something so effective. I would be awoken by a very unpleasant nightmare each time. But thus was the price of efficiency that I was fully prepared to pay. Once I confirmed the potion, I locked the door, set wards, and went back to my cot. After drinking the potion, I had just enough time to remove my boots before falling into an instant sleep.

The nightmare forced me to full wakefulness exactly one bell later. I could still see those hateful green eyes watching me in the back of my mind, a table laid out with succulent food between us. My stomach heaved and I swallowed back the bile that rose at the memory. Cursing under my breath, I got my breathing back under control and listened to the sounds coming from the other room. Justus was quietly chatting with Heidemarie. Both of them seemed abnormally excited. This meant they felt safe enough to do, Eckhart was probably guarding the door. I sighed and unlocked the door before reaching into my highbeast cage for Justus' namestone. I put just a drop of my mana into it. Just enough that he would know I needed him. Justus tripped over his words for a brief moment and then promptly excused himself. When he entered the room, he came in carrying new clothes for me.

"Slept well, my lord?"

"Fine, we have work to do."

He smiled. "Peter has already been sent to Dunkelfelger knights to inform them of the things you require. I expect you to be inodiated with challenges when you arrive for training this afternoon and the rest of the week."

I grunted. It would be a pain to deal with, but the rewards were worth the nuisance. "At least he is being useful."

"More than that, Hirschur asked to see his monocle."

Ah, so he had been unable to dodge her this time, I thought with no small amount of amusement. That he managed for so long was honestly impressive. But now professor Hirschur likely had it in pieces on her work bench. But wait, if Peter had left to go back to Dunkelfelger dorm then did that mean he left a magic tool of his own creation for us to study unsupervised.

"He left it?" I discarded the thought that it could be a trap. Because of the 'bargain' with his lady, Peter couldn't allow harm coming to me or mine without risking his position and future status. But still, looking at original tools was a lot like looking into the mind of the creator. Of the few we had seen had all been very novel in both design and concept. It almost felt alien. Lord Peter was no doubt aware of this, so the fact that he didn't protect the tool better meant he clearly believed we wouldn't learn anything from the tool. Both a challenge and an insult. Justus mouth twitched fighting a smile, his mind clearly going the same place as mine. He was equally fascinated by Peter's tools but; I suspected, more for their novelty.

My scholar helped me out of yesterday's clothes. A quick waschen was used to ensure I was clean and to help get the smell of burnt herbs out of my hair. Then it was a simple matter of redressing in the clothes that Justus had brought for me. Once I was presentable, he made a slight face before asking, "Potion?"

I nodded in affirmative, taking the potion from my own belt. It was incredibly unappetizing, but I could feel my hunger abating quickly. In the end that was all that really mattered. Justus did a quick once over to ensure I had everything before nodding in approval. With that, I went out into the main lab area. Professor Hirschur, Heidimarie, and Lasfam were all leaning over her workbench on the opposite wall. Eckhart was guarding the door while also keeping an eye on the others. My guard cleared his throat when he saw me come out of my temporary residences. Lasfam instantly pulled himself away and greeted me.

"My lord."

Heidimarie turned enthusiastically when she heard Lasfam's address of me. "Lord Ferdinand! Have you had a look at this?" She was already moving aside to allow me to take her place besides Hirschur. Thankfully my mentor had no disassembled the piece; yet. Though now looking at the piece I understood why. The metal that acted as a frame for glass was decorated in the most exquisite details. Tiny vines filled with little flowers skillfully added worked as a beautiful camouflage to any joining spots. Even the circles were heavily blessed by Verbergen, not only due to their impossibly small size, but the vine work around it. The type of tools needed for such fine detail work were probably even slimer than the finest of needles. How did he manage it, I wondered as I moved my inspection to the chain. It carried the same vine and flower decoration, but it seemed to end too suddenly with the chain. Almost as if there was a piece missing. I scoffed, no wonder he was so comfortable with handing it over, he never gave the full tool to begin with.

"Ferdinand?" Hirschur was looking at me expectantly. Her eyes practically gleaming.

"This isn't the full tool."

"I watched him remove it from his pocket."

I grunted. "Doesn't he usually wear it clipped to his cloak?" Then I pointed to where the vine on the chain suddenly cut off. Frustration flashed in her eyes as she realized how easily she had been duped. I went back to studying the tool, this time focusing on the glass. Though on closer inspection I realized it wasn't glass, but some kind of durable crystal. I lifted the monocle into the light, turning it this way and that. The gentle play of colors was beautiful until I caught sight of a circle at the very center. It took several methodical turns to see enough of it to get the general gist of it. A circle that connects two points.

It took a moment, but I soon remembered I had seen something like this before. That very first greeting where I had seen the very same circle on Lady Minerva's magic tool. Huh, why would they connect two points of glass? What purpose does it serve? Before I could voice the question out loud a person cleared their throat. We snapped around to see Peter had managed to slip into the room completely undetected even to Eckhart, who was glaring at the other boy. The Dunkelfelger scholar was watching us with thinly veiled amusement. It was then that I noticed Peter's; normally loosely, tied hair was pulled back tightly exposing the upper parts of his ear. Seven gold rings wrapped around the top shell of his ear. Not cuffs, as I had first thought, I could see the slight discoloration were the metal pierced the soft flesh. What a way to insure people couldn't easily get the information, I had no small amount of respect for Peter's diligence.

The scholar crossed his arms in deference and asked, "Lord Ferdinand, how may I assist you today?" The earlier amusement was lost behind a smile that was both noble and professional. Now, if only a certain someone could learn to do the same.

"We are going to the library before training, Justus can explain in more detail."

He inclined his head in understanding. Then looked to professor Hirschur. "Professor, may I have my tool back, it would be most inconvenient to not have its assistance?" He didn't quite look her in the eyes when he asked, as if he was afraid to meet her gaze. She for her part pouted at the thought of loosing something so interesting to study.

"I suppose I have learned all I can from what I was given." Not so subtly pointing out that she knew he had deceived her. I watched his shoulders tighten slightly.

"I am delighted I could be of assistance."

Hirschur's smile was absolutely evil. "Then I am sure you will be delighted to help Ferdinand and I later with brewing." I wasn't sure if I should pity him or not.

"If Dregarnuhr wills it."

I cleared my throat, and Hirschur handed over the tool without further words. I watched as Peter pinched a strange piece of metal that dangled from the lowest ring on his ear, opening it like a jaw. Then clamped it onto the end of the chain, finally the glass was tucked into a pocket hidden in his collar. I looked at my retainers and they instantly gathered around me. Peter fell into step beside Justus. The two of them began their conspiring in hushed tones almost the moment we left the lab. While I trusted my hidden scholar, Peter still left me with far too many questions. As if to prove my point, two yellow caped laynoble girls passed by. Both I recognized as being firmly in the Veronica faction. Peter smiled pleasantly at them and greeted them with his voice dropping an octave as if Brennwärme were speaking through him.

"Not even Flutrane could send such lovely (*spies*)."

Both girls flushed red. Whatever a 'spy' was it must have been salacious. He continued to flirt with them and while they were distracted, I glanced at Heidimarie. She didn't even need an explanation, simply nodded and melted away from the group to go back to Hirschur's lab to watch for sabotage. Once Heidimarie was out of sight, I quickened my pace to get away from Peter's most shameful display as fast as I could. Another memory flashed through my mind of that very same scholar wrapping his cloak around his lady. For some reason I felt a scowl pull at my features. The two acts felt… contradictory. It made my stomach twist. I had gone a few steps around the corner when Peter asked,

"Lady Heidimarie forget something?"

"My scholars are very busy." The words had more bite than I intended earning me a slightly raised eyebrow from Peter. He understood the plain meaning quite clearly, 'do your own work, mind your own business, I don't like you'.

Peter chuckled softly. "Truly gained in drops and lost in buckets."

Now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow at him.

"Apologies, Lord Ferdinand, I was simply musing to myself."

I didn't believe a word of his apology, but could not very well continue this conversation without looking foolish. So, instead, I focused on making my way to the library. Once we reached the main doors, I slipped my light feystone armor on underneath my shirt. When we stepped past the threshold the cold instantly bit down on any exposed area of flesh. Lasfam shivered as an icy wind howled past us. Normally we'd take high beast to move around, but because the library and the scholar building were so close together it wasn't worth the mana, plus the wind would be extra hard on Lasfam. Peter subtly slowed to match Eckhart's pace only for my laynoble's shivering to cease entirely. I felt a slight wave of heat on the back of my neck and when I glanced back Lasfam was giving me an appreciative look. Unexpected, now I was resolved to get out of the cold faster. By Dregarnuhr's grace we reached the library quickly and there was no one else present.

"Ferdinand, research help?

"Need more?" The black and white shumil tools chirped when we arrived.

"Yes," I gave them a list of what Hirschur needed pulled and assigned each one of my retainers and Peter to start looking into them. The white shumil hopped off to deal with that. Then I told the black one about the library's magic tool that I was looking into.

"This way, archive open." He led me down into the old archive where ancient stone tablets were kept. Most of them were written in language so old that most students wouldn't be able to read two words form them. The last time I had been brought down here both shumils had come with. Huh, didn't this need special keys to open? Why was it already open? When I reached the door, sure enough it was already open and there was someone else huddled over a pile of tablets near the front of the archive.

Schwartz entered before me and when I entered, he once again chirped, "Not enough prayer"

Before I could say anything, the person who was hunched over the tablets grumbled, "Yes, yes, 'Not enough prayer' no need to keep reminding me." If it hadn't been for the fact the Hirschur actually needed that tool, I would have turned around and left before she realized the shumil had not in fact been talking to her. Instead, I sighed and walked over to the table beside hers, setting my things down.

"Quit grumbling or I'll make you do all the translation work." Minerva seemingly growled at me.

"Excuse you?" I glared at her. It was only the slight stiffening in her shoulders that gave away her shock. She glanced my direction owlishly. Then she cursed under her breath in that strange language.

"(*You did that on purpose, you little shit*)"

"Has Chaoscipher finally driven off all remnants Gebotordnung you might have possessed?"

She snorted. "Perhaps, but that is neither here nor there."

I wanted to rub my temples with both hands, but managed to settle for just tapping two fingers against my temple. What kind of fool says something like that to another person? She all but admitted she might be crazy. Her chuckle filled the room.

"It is too easy to tease you, Little Flower."

"Must you call me that?" I could feel my temper slowly rising.

She seemed to think about it for a moment before grinning. "Yes."

It was very tempting to throw something at her. But then she returned to the mountain of tablets that she had laid out before her. Her sheet of parchment already mostly full of notes. I caught a glance of circles for making a massive barrier, not unlike the one at the door to this very archive. This was at odds with one slate which; from the few words I could catch, was a very old version of Yurgenschmidt's origin myth. What a strange combination. I shook off these thoughts and instead went to work on finding the information I needed. Schwartz helped by bringing me notes of the library's oldest tools. One had some scraps of information on the shumil itself. I set that aside for later and started sifting through the information letting the rest of the world fade into the background. I had gone five different documents before I found what I was looking for. The book included a detailed sketch of an insect and approximate size I would need for the tool. But I had never seen such a creature before.

"A moon moth."

I nearly jumped at Minerva's voice so close to my back. It was warning enough that I shouldn't rely to heavily on the cloak to detect harm. But I also knew I couldn't lose this opportunity. "Moon moth?" I asked keeping my voice bored. "Never heard of it." Very few people couldn't resist showing off, when invited to. I doubted Lady Minerva would be able to resist either.

"A feyinsect with a strong light affinity. Typically, they live in heavily forested areas." She glanced at the page reading the size. "But the size required for this tool is on the larger side. We haven't seen many in that size in Dunkelfelger since my grandmother's time at academy. Peter would probably no more."

I frowned. That meant it would probably be difficult to find. I wonder how difficult it would be to raise some? Maybe I could convince Peter to care for them while he was still my temporary scholar. Those thoughts were stopped dead in their tracks as realized the Dunkelfelger princess carried a small stack of parchment full of notes. How long had I been here?

"By the way, if you plan on going to practice you should probably go now, any later and you will be very noticeable arriving." Then she turned to go. I sighed not knowing is I should feel relieved she caused no further mischief or offend she did not bother with a proper goodbye. A normal noble it would be the latter, but I felt the former was best. With another sigh I gathered up the few notes I took and followed the wild woman. She stopped at the waiting room for attendants and handed off her notes to her timid blonde attendant.

"Did you find what you were looking for this time?"

"Who knows, I'll have-." I was far enough away that I could no longer hear them. I moved quickly so as to not have to travel with her all the way to Dunkelfelger training ground. No need to be around that insufferable woman longer than absolutely necessary or invite misunderstandings. When I reached the reading room, I nearly stopped dead in my tracks. At the top of the stairs to the second floor Peter was leaning in close to a girl. His expression the exact same expression as when he had touched Lady Minerva's face with such tenderness. The girl whispered something to him and he chuckled. The soft sound carried in the quiet room. It took me a moment to recognize long dark hair and a Werkestock cloak, but when I did, I felt the hair on the back of my neck prickle. The archduke candidate of Werkestock, Isabella.

"Quite the charmer, isn't he?" Minerva's voice was almost inaudible, yet the dark amusement seemed to echo through me. The only reason I heard her was because she was so close. When I glanced back at her there was something deadly in those silver eyes. Then it was gone and lady Minerva and her attendant were leaving. They didn't make it out of the room before Peter's eyes shifted towards her. Isabella caught the movement and turned to look as well. The cruel delight that she laid bare was very reminiscent of a green-eyed woman back in Ehrenfest. She almost looked like she was going to call after Lady Minerva if Peter hadn't whispered something to her. She simpered at him before laughing daintily and moving off to join her retainers who were a short distance away. They giggled in delight and walked with a spring in their step they left. I could feel Peter's gaze on me. My other retainers had already gathered up their supplies and were awaiting me.

"Let's go." I didn't even wait for Peter to catch up. Eckhart, I noticed looked disgusted, while Lasfam looked uncomfortable. Justus looked… stumped. I would have to ask about it later. When Peter wasn't around.

Training was normal; uncomfortably normal considering what I had just witnessed. Lady Minerva led the formation training for halfway then she swapped with me. Again, I was impressed by how swift and coordinated the Dunkelfelger apprentices were. When I thought of Ehrenfest's knight apprentices it was enough to give me a pounding headache. After drills and a few mock battles; Heisshitze's being my first victim, winning me a good portion of the materials I needed. By the time I had finished five games of gewinnen, I had everything but the moon moth wing. The knights made me stay for lunch; I was about to refuse when Lady Minerva intervened.

"Lord Ferdinand. We have taken up much of your valuable time. The least we can do is prepare a meal for you. Or would have people say Dunkelfelger cannot properly host another archduke candidate?" Three lines that trapped me here for another half bell. Mercifully, the food was more ration than meal. Dried fruits and dried meat that was called, (*jerky*). It was filling, and surprisingly tasty for rations. It was still a relief to be free from all the loud voice clamoring for ditter in favor of the Hirschur's lab. By the time we returned neither Heidimarie nor Hirschur were present. I wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not.

I directed Justus and Lasfam to begin working on the other projects. Eckhart took up position guarding the door, but close enough to me that he could intervene as needed. Peter looked at me expectantly. A small part of me wanted to just ignore him, but that would be a waste of his talents.

"Help me sort these documents. I'm looking for any documents relating to preservation."

Peter nodded and began flicking through the parchment and wooden boards piled haphazardly on the long table; sorting as he went. I scanned the table looking for a particular document when I noticed a couple of feystones left lying buried under some particularly stained parchment.

"Professor can't even keep her spare feystones in a s-."

"NO! DON'T TOUCH IT!" Peter shouted. His left hand shoved me back from the table with enough force to trigger one of my protective charms. A bolt of Verdränner's fury coursed through Peter causing his body to lock up and his hair to stand on end. There was a faint smell of burning flesh in the air. As the scholar staggered his right hand brushed against the feystones. They flashed several colors.

SCREE!

What I had at first thought were stray feystones suddenly jerked into motion forming a short chain that snapped around Peter's wrist like a bracelet. Only, no bracelet made of feystones had so many barbed legs that sank immediately into wearer's flesh. He staggered to his knees clutching at his wrist. A pained groan escaped through tightly clenched teeth. Mana roiled through him to the point his skin started to bubble. Then it was all sucked away. The thing on his wrist pulsed almost like it was sucking up Peter's mana. His skin started to take on a gray color and sweat dotted his skin.

Justus yanked me back and Eckhart pounced on Peter with a schtappe sword ready to plunge it through his mana organ.

"Wait!" Eckhart did as I commanded. But the unrestrained fury in his eyes told me it was a close thing. Peter had nearly died then and there.

"What is that thing?" Eckhart wrinkled his nose in disgust. But I didn't have an answer. I had never seen anything like it, nor had I read about anything fitting its description. I went to move to look closer, but all my retainers moved to stop me. Even Peter tried to move away from me despite clearly being gripped by agony.

"My lord!"

"You mustn't!"

"Lord Ferdianand, don't!"

I glared at them. "We don't have time. This was clearly a trap, and we need to find out what it is and who left it." Likely it was for me or Hirschur, but I couldn't be entirely sure. One thing was for sure, Peter recognized it at the last minute. The horror and anger that I had seen when he shoved me couldn't be faked. Not that quickly. "Peter, what is it?"

He gasped, his eyes changed colors rapidly, pupils contracted, and his muscles seemed systematically lock up like he was trying very hard not thrash around. His left hand covered over most of the thing blocking it from view. After grinding his teeth, he managed to grit out, "Giftigfesseln."

"How do we remove it?"

Peter clenched his teeth again and slammed the back of his head against the floor several times. Whether that was to clear his head, distract himself from what was happening to his wrist, or a sign he was losing it, I didn't know.

"Min!" Gasp "Er!" Pant. "Va!" His back arched and a shredded pained sound was torn from his throat. "(*Ash*)"

"Send an ordonnanz to Lady Minerva." I snapped. Justus already had one out and offered it to me. "Lady Minerva, we need assistance with a Giftigfesseln in Hirschur's lab." Peter gasped for air like a drowning man. Justus tapped little bird sending it off. It was mere breaths later that the bird returned.

"I am on my way. Do nothing. Use no mana on Peter. No one else enters that room." Her frigid tone repeated thus thrice. It wasn't long before mana roiled through the door to the lab. Eckhart got between me and the door. It crashed open to reveal Lady Minerva looking murderous her eyes flashing seven colors. Her gaze swept the room taking in everything. Then in a low rumbling voice she growled, "Out."

My retainers looked to me and when I nodded, they obeyed. I started to follow.

"Not you."

I had thought to give them privacy, but it seemed that Minerva either didn't want it or hadn't recognized the gesture. In her state, probably the latter. She placed long leather pouch on the table and slammed the door shut behind my retainers.

"Help me get him on the bench, no enhancement magic." She slid a bench over from the opposite table and grabbed Peter by his knees while I lifted him under his shoulders. Peter gasped in pain as we lifted him onto the bench.

"Lady Minerva-."

"You may not breath a word of this to anyone. Only archducal families are allowed to know about Giftigfesseln, much less how to remove them. Watch carefully."

"What is it?"

"A parasitic feyinsect originally found in Dunkelfelger. Now," she scoffed, but rage flared to life like blizzard in her eyes. "Now most of the upper echelon duchies know how to breed them."

"Breed?" To what end? It clearly wasn't a pet.

"You know the tradition of Dunkelfelger. How our women are supposed to be handlers of our men?"

I nodded.

"Well, how do you suppose we trained our shall I say 'too strong willed' women into being able to control themselves?"

I looked at the bracelet like feybeast pulsing around Peter's wrist. He was mouthing something silently over and over.

'I'm sorry.'

Lady Minerva unrolled the pouch she brought to reveal a strange collection of tools. A thin metal rod, a large pair of C shaped pliers, several crystal jars, a strip of leather, a couple vials of purple black liquid, and some rope. She took the rope and tied Peter's knees to the bench.

"You will need to hold him down without using strength enhancement."

"Why?"

"If the Giftigfesseln senses what we are about to do, it will try and bury itself into Peter spewing poison into him as it goes. Once his heart stops it will look for a new host. Sedatives will also cause this reaction." Hence the rope. "Ready?"

I nodded.

Minerva pulled up a stool beside Peter's right hand. She guided his elbow in between her knees so that the wrist with the Giftigfesseln was close to her. Any other time I might have made a comment about how shameless, but that didn't seem wise at the moment.

"(*Crushed by thighs*)." There was an exhausted smile on Peter's face.

Minerva made a slightly strangled sound before shoving the leather strip between his teeth. "Shut up, you." Then she grabbed the thin metal rod and very gently tapped it on each of the feystone like nodes. Each one producing a low hum until the second to last. That one when struck made a higher sound than the others. Minerva repeated the process with all 'stones' three times.

"We want to remove the mana organ first. It slows the Giftigfesseln's ability to send poison into the victim's blood stream because that is also its head. It also means if it regenerates it will do so inside the containment jars." She set the crystal jars close to her side then grabbed the pliers wrapping them around the stone that had the higher pitched sound. "On three."

Peter nodded.

"One."

Snap. Crack. Scree!

The pliers clamped down on the 'stone'. The creature screamed and Peter's entire body flexed and thrashed. The scholar was shockingly strong for how little training I had seen him do. Perhaps it was due to pain and sheer survival instincts, but either way I kept him pinned. There was a soft tink sound when the organ was plopped down into the crystal jar. Minerva worked swiftly cutting away each of the six remaining 'stones' that made up the Giftigfesseln's body. Peter did his best to keep his cries muffled, but there was a limit to his strength and a single piece of leather could manage. It felt like an eternity had passed before Minerva had finished with body. Now there were over a dozen spiney legs twitching from Peter's wrist. Blue green veins were spreading from the punctures toward his elbow. It was as if it was delibertabley seeking his mana organ as a last attack to take its victim down with it.

Minerva pulled one of the tubes of purple black liquid; which was actually a syringe, and swiftly inserted the needle into the vein nearest to the poison. The spread stopped but the blue green veins were still there.

"Almost done." Then began the process of systematically ripping the barbs from Peter's skin. By the time it was over Peter was shaking almost uncontrollably and soaked in sweat. Even I felt unsteady. Minerva took the second vial, popped the corked, snatched the piece of leather, then shove the open end into Peter's mouth. He drank it without flinching. "You can let go." Minerva's voice quivered ever so slightly. She moved to make herself more presentable. She grabbed the thin rod and speared the mana organ of the Giftigfesseln. It turned to black sludge that eventually vanished while the other feystones remained in the jars.

"They are yours, Little Flower. Without the mana organ they are no different than regular feystones." She scrubbed a hand across her eyes looking far more tired than I ever remember seeing her. Lady Minerva lifted one of the six remaining jars up to the light turning it this way and that. "Ahrensbach."

I froze at her words. "How can you be so sure?"

She handed the jar to me. "Look at it under the light." I did as she directed and held it up to the light. I notice the surface had faint black lines where the rough stone had edges or corners. "They take on properties of the gate they are closet to. And the darkness gate is in Ahrensbach. That is where this one was bred." She collected her other tools, including the rope and placed them back within the pouch. "One more thing, Little Flower." I didn't even grimace at the name. I got the distinct impression Minerva was more than a little dazed and trying to keep herself in the here and now. "Giftigfesseln are bred to fit and grow with a child. Less likely for the child to overwhelm its shackle. This one," she pointed to the jar in my hand. "Was big enough to subjugate an adult with royalty level mana. It could kill archdukes on the weaker end of the scale of mana very easily."

So, this was another attempt on my life, but did they know? No, I don't think so. This would be exactly her idea of a great way to get rid of me and maybe pin the blame on Hirschur in the same go.

"O Goddess of Healing Heilschmerz, of the Goddess of Water Flutrane's exalted twelve, hear my prayers. Lend me your divine power and grant me the power to heal those who have been hurt. Play the divine melody and cast the blissful ripples of your pure divine protection over Peter." Her ring flashed with a green light that fell on Peter. His color returned to a healthier color, and blue green veins faded. The sores both where the legs and body had burrowed into his skin however, didn't fade at all. "That seems to be all I can do." Then she got and turned to go leaving the jars. She had gotten to the door when Peter managed to force himself into a sitting position. No matter how much healing had been done, he'd still be physically exhausted.

"My lady!"

Minerva stopped with her hand on the door. "Yes?"

"Hakuna matata."

I watched Minerva carefully as her head dipped almost to the point of resting against the door. A soft chuckle seemed to bubble up from her only to abruptly be cut off. "Little Flower, I hope you will pardon my rudeness for giving your temporary scholar an order."

I snorted.

"Peter."

"Yes, my lady."

Then with also the coldness of Schneerst she growled, "Find them!"

"Without fail."

Author's Note: I am so sorry for taking so long! I was busy with house hunting/moving. But now I have an office that I can work in without worrying about keeping the hubby awake at night! Whooooo! I am very tired ^.^ apologies about editing, it is likely not great.

But what do you guys think? Any thoughts on Peter? Anyone have Lion King refences on their bingo card?