Page 138 of Bruised MC Bear

“It’s been a long process, lots of sleepless nights. As you saw, I even have a small bedroom down here next to my lab.”

“Which explains your frequent disappearances.”

“Now you know I was working. I’ll show it to you later, but yes, I finally hit on it.” She showed Kiera a jar on the wall behind them. It was filled with a bright blue powder. “That is the essence of the flower. It’s taken me days on end to dry it and grind it to the right concentration. Watch.”

She opened the lid and took out a bit of the powder using a metal spatula. Stepping up to the bars, she blew the fine particles in through the bars. Some of it settled on one creatures’ face that had been stirring. Its legs became unsteady, and within seconds, it slumped to the ground. “This quantity will keep the critter down for about five hours.” Reena chuckled. “Once, I used so much on them that I knocked all three of them out for a day and a half. I thought I had killed them. They came to eventually, thank goodness. These beasts are hard to come by…well, you know what I mean.”

Reena replaced the lid on the jar, treating it with reverence.

“Does the powder affect humans? Or shifters?”

“No. It’s completely harmless to us.”

“Why would the Regent not want to use this product in traps, guns and all the other defensive weapons across the Sector? Or on the outer walls?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. The plant grows like a weed all spring and summer, everywhere on the island, so availability is not an issue. After I first showed him how it affected the beasts, he told me I needed to spend more time testing it. It wouldn’t be difficult at all to weaponize…and apply it on the Sector’s outer walls, or even have the Nauru incorporate it into their border containment spells. The ravagers would inhale it, drop like flies for a long nap, and soldiers could kill the buggers in their sleep.”

“Would we need as many shifters?”

“No. I would recommend some remain, as no one solution is fool-proof, but you’re right. We can probably make do with half of the troops, or even less.”

“Meaning fewer shifter transformation ceremonies.”

“If the Regent allows it.”

Kiera shook her head. “I can’t believe he’s not open to using it this winter.”

“Me too.”

“So… what else have you found out?”

“That was it for now. There are other enchantments I’ve been working on, but this is the most promising.”

Kiera held on to Reena’s shoulder to stop her. “Just a few questions before we leave.”

“Okay. Go on.”

“First, if this is actually ready to go, why did you tell me you were close to a new development?”

“That was for something else. I’ve been trying to recreate an old but very strong barrier spell I found in one of the scrolls in the library. I thought I had found the missing herb last week, so I was hopeful. The spell didn’t work, though, which was strange. I probably—”

“Are you listening to yourself right now, Reena?” Kiera yelled, cutting off her friend. “You have something that works, right there in your hand! Why can’tthatbe the solution that puts an end to this year’s transformation ceremony? You have a way to save your brother, Ryan…and me too, I’ll add. Plus Coco. So why not push the issue with the Regent? Demand the change.”

“Relax, kiddo. To go that route, it means complete defiance of Minassus, and that requires something more than a botanist witch flying off the handle to get her way.”

“Like?”

“Well, now that you asked, we needed to get the Nauru on side…and to work with Commander Oslo’s soldiers…oh, and enough backing from, I don’t know, the Chosen!”

“Well newsflash, Reena. I’m on board now.”

Reena flashed her a grin. “Then we’re golden.”

“Excellent. So, here’s another question. Is there another way to enter the dungeons? I imagine the guards did not just walk these ravagers in through the front or back door on full display.”

“That is correct. There’s an old prisoners’ entrance at the back. It’s a tunnel that opens out on that spot behind the fortress where the land slopes down to the waterway.”

“Oh. It makes sense to use the channel leading to the old shipping canals…” Kiera turned to look at the sleeping monsters again. “Don’t ravagers need to be in a body of water to survive?”