Ursula's Beginning

3. They come flocking to my cauldron

After Triton's unexpected appearance at the library, Ursula never regained her concentration. She had to admit defeat and return to the main level of the temple, to the king's quarters. She spoke with the other healers that had worked his case from the start. They had no new ideas or information, and agreed that it wouldn't hurt anything to try the old energy spell she had discovered, perhaps in the next day or so. 

She set out to gather supplies, excited by the prospect of working with a new spell. She wanted to practice it as much as possible before performing it on the king, so she asked Ephram for permission to recruit volunteers to experiment upon. He agreed and issued the call: any elderly creature that could stand to have more energy and was willing to risk death for the king by taking part in this trial was to announce itself at the temple in the morning. 

After that was done, she returned to King Nepp's side for the evening. She passed the night observing him and perusing still more books. Towards morning, she nodded off briefly.

She awoke to the queen gently shaking her arm. Triton and his sisters hovered behind Galataye. "Have you been here all night?" asked the queen.

"I have." Ursula stretched, extending all ten of her limbs out as far as they could go and allowing them to collapse again. It was a curious sight. "What time is it?" she asked.

"Dawn is breaking," said Galataye.

"I have to go stand by the temple entrance for awhile. I'm expecting--or at least, hoping--for some volunteers to arrive soon."

They all looked at her quizzically. "Volunteers?" Triton prompted.

"Yes, volunteer subjects for that old vitality spell I mentioned to you yesterday in the library,"  Ursula said.

All three women looked at Triton in surprise, then at one another. The twins bit back smiles and  took a sudden interest in studying their silvery fins. 

Ursula continued. "No one alive today has ever practiced it, and I didn't want my first attempt to be carried out on the king himself. Venerable Ephram is going to meet with you this morning and tell you more about it, and it won't be done unless you agree to it, Your Highness."

The queen opened her mouth to respond, but Triton cut in. "I want to volunteer," he said quickly.

"Ohhhh. Um." Ursula stalled, searching the queen's worried face. "It's somewhat dangerous, Prince Triton. That's why I've asked the aged and failing to come forth. If it works well, it will benefit them and likely your father. If it goes awry, then at least they died in service to their king. If you'll excuse me, I must go." 

She was swimming away already, giving him no chance to argue.

                                                                                     **********

Ursula was pleased to see dozens of old oysters, some ancient stingrays, and two wrinkled merpeople waiting around the main entrance. "Oh, bless you!" she cried, ushering them into the hall. This hall was dominated by sculptures and engravings, and equal in beauty to the adjacent one covered in mosaics.

Her materials were carefully arranged and the library book was open on a pedestal nearby; she  immediately set to work. Ursula paced between her first volunteer, a huge oyster named Walter,  and her open book, proceeding very carefully. Walter survived, and by the fifth oyster, she no longer needed to refer to the written spell.

Ursula was vaguely aware of others coming and going around her. Seafolk and animals would watch awhile, then swim away. She was too absorbed in her work to care who it was, but periodically, she would ask for updates on the king. An answer would come back and she would nod, not even looking up from whomever she was casting upon at the moment. The answer was always the same anyway: he's sleeping. Barely moving. The same as he was an hour ago.