Radiance - The Alight Archives Book #1

54. A Hobgoblin's Glow

Elaine anxiously tapped her thumbs together as she sat quietly beside Minerva, all the girl's focus dedicated to the miniature cauldron they left to simmer over the oven infused into the table before them. 

Bubbles popped like hundreds of ichorous balloons, all the while puffs of gas emanated out of the cauldron's lips in streams, Elaine being forced to bat them away with a hand whenever she ventured to glance at the multicolored solution swirling around inside.

There was a thick, if not itchy, scent in the air, not dissimilar to a fiery spice that would prick the inside of one's nose. After having spent countless hours helping her parents prepare potions in their store, Elaine had more than gotten accustomed to it. The same could not be said for everyone in the classroom, though. 

Even with it being the midpoint of their semester, she still spotted numerous other students turning their heads or cupping their mouth and nose with a hand or audibly gagging with a pinched expression. But, much like her, the hobgoblins weren't at all affected by it—at most, they'd croak curiously or make an odd sniffing sound that Elaine suspected was their version of a sneeze—which only furthered her hypothesis that Professor Lurgs had domesticated them to some extent. 

Her hobgoblin sat patiently in front of her, almost as if waiting to be served the potion they were preparing. Elaine could only hope that the end product would suffice the abnormal amphibian.

"Drahgar seeds," Minerva said absently, extending an open hand towards her.

"Drahgar?" Elaine repeated doubtfully. "Seeds like those would—"

"Compromise the effects of the gingersnap lilies. Yes, I'm keenly aware," Minerva said as if merely having to elaborate on her thoughts was an annoyance in and of itself. "But the counteractivity between those two will further discourage burning the incent nuts, which will limit the amount of excess concoction and keep contamination to a minimum." Her judgemental glare pierced Elaine in the eyes. "Light and shadows, do I really have to explain such rudimentary procedures? I thought you came from a family of potion-makers?"

"I do," Elaine said harshly, frowning.

"Then stop being useless and hand me the seeds already. You might be determined to fail this exam, but Aeris forbid, I won't let you drag me down with you." 

Elaine would have loved to retaliate with an insult...but they were fighting the clock. Preparing the base solution for the potion had cost them well over forty minutes. They couldn't afford to waste any time; every moment was precious. Exhaling dryly, Elaine swung a handful of seeds into Minerva's palm. 

"Was that really so difficult?" Minerva inquired in a mockstern tone. "Now, be a dear and go to the pantry again. It wouldn't hurt to stabilize its base with some more drahgar seeds."

"I thought we were supposed to be partners?" Elaine grumbled. "You've been treating me like I'm some servant girl since we began."

"Oh? Have I? Forgive me, but when you're raised in one of the most respected and well-renowned Noble Houses in the country like I was, you tend to forget common decorum." That should have been an apology, but to her ears, it was very obvious that Minerva was bragging, flicking her gray-colored hair as she smiled contently to herself. "Anyways, it's not like you care much for my opinion of you in the first place, so what is it to you how I choose to get the project done?"

"For starters, it's our project. As in, you and I are meant to be working together. Weren't you listening to Professor Lurgs? It doesn't matter how good the potion is if we keep bickering the whole time!"

Minerva raised a brow at her. "Are we bickering?"

"That's not...well, no, no, I don't—"

"No? Then why are we even having this discussion? It serves no purpose entertaining such trivial affairs when we should instead be prioritizing our objective. That would be the most logical course of action, wouldn't you agree?" Her manner of speech was calm, if not a little aggressive, but the way she peered into her with that concentrated stare made Elaine's voice shatter. Something about this girl always got the better of her. It was infuriating! "What's more, they say that a hobgoblin's glow is greatly dependent on how they're feeling. They're highly emotional animals."