Page 44 of With the Potion in the Courtyard

"Now, for the maps." Luna made a twittering sound and a group of Peregarnians came over, maps in hand. They were rough sketches, lines, and squiggles that somehow made sense to them. We needed more help having everything explained to us.

"Luckily, we have maps of the inside of his lair too, since members of our community have worked for Zorand," one Peregarnian unrolled a map on a nearby table. "This is his lair."

We huddled around, studying the layout. There were tunnels, rooms, and lots of dead ends.

"Here," Robbie pointed. "This passage, it's less guarded."

"Could be our way in," Jessie nodded.

"Or out," I added.

"What's this?" Robbie tapped on a littledoodle off to the side.

"Secret chamber," the Peregarnian said. "Zorand keeps things there. Could be valuable or dangerous."

"Or both," Jessie said.

We exchanged looks. It was time to plan our next move.

The Peregarnians had set up a tent for us patched together from a quilt of mismatched socks. Once inside, the three of us huddled around a small lantern that cast playful shadows on the canvas walls. We need to talk, to figure things out, and then to rest, because the three of us were exhausted.

"I’ve been thinking a lot. Okay, so this Zorand guy is a lizard, right?" Robbie rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "What if we make him think he's not the top predator anymore?"

"Huh?" Jessie stared at him in confusion.

He nodded. "We don’t know how to defeat a wizard, but wedoknow how to defeat a lizard."

"Snakes," I caught on. "Lizards are scared of snakes."

The room grew silent as we all began brainstorming. What do I know about lizards? What are their weaknesses, but it was Jessiethat was the first to talk.

"What about making it chilly in there? Cold-blooded means sluggish reflexes," Jessie said.

"Jessie, you're a genius," I said with a smile. "But how do we even start to make a desert lair cold?"

"Leave that to me. With enough time, I can scribble together spells based on other spells I’ve learned. It’s tricky, but I have time to practice."

Robbie pulled out his notebook and offered it to her. She took it with a grateful smile.

"Also," Robbie added, "I read somewhere that lizards can't stand eggshells."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yep," he nodded. "Crushed-up eggshells. They hate walking on them. Throws off their balance or something."

"Could work as a distraction or a line of defense," I said as Jessie jotted down notes.

"Let's make a list then. We need robes for the illusions I’m planning, eggshells, something to keep the cold spell... icy," Jessie ticked items off onmy fingers.

"First thing tomorrow, we get our supplies," I decided, feeling a flicker of hope.

We talked for a while longer. The Peregarnians brought us plates of food that, although sweet, were really good, and then they collected the plates when we were done. We moved to the back of the tent, where a mountain of blankets and pillows had been laid out for us and sat in the middle of them.

Jessie finished her enchantments and stepped outside to practice them, while we continued going over the maps and the plans. Another Peregarnian came to see if we needed anything else, and we had quite the time trying to explain the concept of eggshells. Luckily, when we were done, he was confident he could bring us many "Breaky Sharps."

At last, Jessie returned, looking exhausted, but explained that she was confident in the spells we needed for the rescue mission. We had to trust her, which we did.

Robbie sat beside me, his presence both comforting and unsettling in ways I hadn't expected. The ground was hard beneath us, but fatigue made any spot a good enough bed.