Discussion

"What?!" Theron visibly wanted to decline.

He was sitting at the dining table in front of Calla and Meara. He dropped by to deliver a newly dug young white dogwood tree which was only about a meter in height. It is sure to be a beautiful addition to the courtyard once it flowers and reaches about 20 feet tall.

The two ladies before him wanted his help to accompany them to explore the mountains. The mountains he knows so well are home to animals, big and small, tame and ferocious, slithering, walking and flying. How could he endanger them?

"No!" His voice was a little louder, then he saw the fear flash in the eyes of his two friends.

"No…," he said almost pleading, "Do I really need to say it's dangerous? Come on…"

Meara appealed back.

"We won't go deep in the woods. We promise." She even put up her right hand.

"Just around the periphery where herbs grow. See this book? There are rare medicinal herbs here. We will use this as a reference. We will grow some back in the courtyard and sell some. The pharmacies will pay more for rare medicinal herbs." She opened the book on the table and showed him.

"Why the sudden need to do that?" He asked.

Meara explained all about the reduction of food ration for her instigated by the second wife.

Theron felt bad for the two outcasts. Isn't it better to live a separate life than be always targeted like this?

He sighed while reconsidering.

Not long after, Meara gave him a small wooden chest with small thin bamboo internodes each containing a circular jelly-like blue substance about a centimeter in diameter. It trembled but was pretty much solid.

"Here, the finished product. There are 8 potions in there. I cannot afford small glass or metal containers so this should do for now. Just make sure you keep the box upright."

"You want me to try these now?" Theron didn't show a bit of reluctance.

Before Meara could nod, he already drunk one and stared at the sky.

The two ladies gasped but waited for his feedback.

"Have you tried it?" He asked.

Both ladies shook their heads.

"No. Women cannot because we have an innate power to replenish ourselves with vitality. In theory, that is."

Meara continued, "How about you Calla, you have a sister and a mother, have you tried giving them your essence?"

"No. We were always generally healthy. Besides, common illnesses can be easily remedied with basic medicinal plants. Even though my mom is blind, I never thought of providing her with essence."

"Okay, hear me out. This potion is specific to each ability, right? So this is not for vitality only but for either calming or healing. For example, Calla, what color do you have?" He pointed at Calla's wrist.

"I have blue." Calla showed her wrist.

"Okay, so what if the potion is a green one? Don't you think Calla can benefit too?"

"Oh… Hmmm… I didn't think of that… But I can only assume that my dominant ability is blue since it's the only color I was able to produce."

"What does the book say when it comes to different colors?" Theron asked Meara again.

"Every woman can provide vitality. The difference is in the color. Blue for calming the mind and heart. Green for faster healing. Red for blood replenishment. Black for curing of poison. The last two, however, were considered assumptions as it is very rare with only three and one cases respectively."

"Hmmm, which finger did you prick? Have you ever tried other fingers?" He asked again.

"No… I can try it later using my ring finger and middle finger. All this time, I was only using the index finger for the blood." Meara pondered about it.

"Okay, so what does it feel like?" Calla finally asked impatiently.

"Because by now I am used to Meara's essence, it is the same feeling. That is why I am not surprised. It revitalizes strength. Right now, I am not aggravated or anything, so I was pretty calm even before I drank it. It tastes milky… without the taste of blood and it's creamy."

"That's great! My problem now would be the storage container. It's too small and it would be a waste of resources to buy small glass containers for one-time use." Meara again pondered.

The three remained silent for about 3 minutes.

Calla broke the silence.

"What if it doesn't need to be thrown away? I mean maybe you can ask the general to keep it for future refills?"

“That may be a challenge. It's already hard for me to talk normally to him as it is… how much more to request for him to save these considered trashy things.” Meara pondered.

"That may be feasible. But what if you don't need a container?" Theron threw a question again.

The two ladies looked at him, encouraging him to clarify.

"Since you are in effect cooking it during the process, why don't you mix it in a pastry? Or.. oh! What if it's a candy?" Theron pointed his finger upwards as he marveled at his own ingenuity.

"Wow…" The two ladies were impressed at his intelligence. He's been throwing ideas left and right.

"I will have to try. If we can't get sugar from the kitchen now, we will have to buy it. Or… get honey from the mountains!"

The mountains. Again.

"So we're back to that huh?..." Theron gave up. "Anyway, you try if mixing it in food is feasible and if it won't change the effect of the potion. For now, let's talk about preparation for tomorrow."

He gave them pointers for the trip to the mountain and left with the potions.

On the day of hiking…

The two were decently dressed for mountain hiking, carefully following Theron's instructions. Make sure to wear light and comfortable clothing but wear enough layers. Extra bag for food and extra clothing if they get wet on dews. Two baskets for collecting fruits and herbs. They even brought an umbrella, well, Calla is afraid it might rain and Meara might get wet.

Since Theron will not be bringing hunted prey today, he waited for them outside the gate at the agreed time. He brought extra cloth bags in case they needed to bring more produce.

In the afternoon, Meara still informed Mr. Milton about their activity outside. She didn't give him a reason and he didn't ask either.

“Madam, please take care. Even though you were not favored as of this time, we cannot afford to have you injured or lost in the mountains.” Mr. Milton reminded.

“Of course. Thank you for your concern.”

"Also, I will mention this to the General. I have seen your close relationship with your servant girl and that hunter. I trust your judgment, My Lady. Please keep in mind your status nevertheless."

"Yes. I remember. Thank you." Meara left the mansion with a light heart.

Even if Donne doesn't care about her, maybe if she doesn't come back, he will search for her.

'You wish…' She also contradicted herself.