Blood wept from her hand into the shallow bowl. Garion's knife had cut her deeply, but Maya didn't feel it yet.
"Gar, hand it over before this begins to hurt!"
Garion gave her a vial filled with an emerald liquid that began to foam and bubble when Maya released the cork. She quaffed it swiftly, pinching the bridge of her nose with her bloodied hand. Immediately, green steam hissed from Maya's hand as the flesh began to seemingly weave itself back together. In a moment, the wound on her hand had closed. The air stank of rotten eggs.
Garion took quick notes in his ledger in the ancient glyphs he was learning from the worn spellbook his father gave him. He covered his nose and mouth as the smell became overpowering.
"It worked as well as written, but gods below the smell!" Garion said.
"Try tasting it." Maya retched, and she began to convulse, gripping the edge of the alchemic workbench she began to heave. "Gar, I cannot begin to describe how horrible this is. You'll never pass the exam with this recipe."
"But it works!" Garion protested. "Who cares how it tastes if it saves a life."
"You're missing the point." Maya had recovered somewhat after chasing the taste away with some wine. "You don't need to show the Order you can follow a recipe in some book. You need to show them that you can innovate! Everyone knows that you're smart Gar, but what are you going to do with it?" Maya gripped Garion's wrist firmly. "Your turn." Garion's blood joined Maya's in the bowl, filling it near to full, as she handed him a vial holding a bright red liquid. "Now try mine."
The liquid was like a syrup. It warmed his throat, biting his tongue with a taste heavy in spice and meat. Garion flexed his healing hand and he wondered at how the taste reminded him of the Fire-Creed food he had tried once as a young boy. "How did you do it?" he asked.
"Powdered fire root." Maya said, smiling. She leaned close to Garion, and tucked a vial into one of the small pockets sewn into his plum vest. 'Use this and I promise you will pass the exam. I've taught you everything I know, just remember to.....add some flavour. You can tell me all about it when you pass your tests and rejoin us in Lahan."
Garion watched as Maya carefully packed the set of healing potions in her travel satchel. When Garion had came to her for help, Maya had been in the middle of preparing for an expedition with Magus Altair.
"Just make sure you get that recipe right by then. If I'm dying and reaching for salvation, I don't want to worry if the cure is worse than the sickness."
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Garion watched Cinis close his satchel on the healing potions found in the wrecked camp, laying near Maya's outstretched hand. Tears glittered on Garion's cheeks as he turned away to look for hope among the ruins.