Learning Spirit of the Sun

Chalice was in Vitalus. It was bright and warm — not as warm as Thedale, but still better than anything Roenden offered. She walked up and down the aisles in the gilded library. The sun filtered through the glittering windows, making all the metalwork sparkle and shine. It was a beautiful library, but one Chalice was searching through to find the cooking books that would help her craft a few beginner items. As Chalice twisted around the white spiraling columns, another vayron yelped. 

“Ouch!” The voice cried. Chalice jumped at the noise and looked down to see she had stepped on someone’s long, very long tail. 

“Sorry,” Chalice whispered, moving off the white papillon tail. 

The vayron appeared around the corner and said with a laugh, “No worries, with a tail this long, I’m used to it being stepped on. It’s always a surprise, though.”

Chalice cringed and apologized again. 

“Eulalia,” the white and pink angora vayron introduced herself, ignoring the second apology.

“Chalice,” the Thedalian vayron replied. 

“Nice to meet you,” Eulalia smiled, “is there something I might be able to help with?”

Chalice returned the smile and asked, “Do you work here?”

“Oh no, I’m just here a lot. Know it like the back of my paw.”

Chalice considered the vayron’s words as she stared at her. Eulalia was covered in pink bows as her long mane and tail were braided with more bows. Her red eyes were unsettling for Chalice to stare into for too long. Finally, Chalice answered, “I’m looking for books on how to cook some beginner items.”

“I know exactly where they are,” Eulalia bounced happily, “follow me.”

The duo walked further into the library, passing more large windows that showed Chalice the wonders of this magical continent. Islands floated in the sky with rocks and crystals floating around them. From the distance, Chalice could only make silhouettes of large creatures gliding from island to island, but she assumed they were tyrians. Eventually, Eulalia turned a corner, telling Chalice that the books were just down this aisle. 

“Mel?” Eulalia stopped suddenly, calling to another vayron. 

Chalice rounded the corner to see who she was talking to. The vayron was covered in greens and patches of white. He stared at the pair, surprised, and then his expression quickly closed off. 

“Lia.” He replied before glancing at Chalice. 

“You can help us!” Eulalia said brightly, causing Mel to cringe.

“No, I was just here to gather some books, and then I’ll be going,” Mel declined.

Eulalia and Chalice looked at the books at his feet. Chalice spied one that she would need and almost said something, but Eulalia beat her to it.

“We were looking for that one, too,” Eulalia walked forward with a bounce in her step. 

“Lia, I don’t like working with others,” Mel’s eyes slid to Chalice before he added, “Nothing against you.”

Chalice shrugged. She understood the feeling. There weren’t many she liked being around for extended periods of time, save for her bonded. 

“Mel, please,” Eulalia insisted, “If you don’t want to help us research these things, that’s fine, but let us borrow the book first.”

Chalice watched the pair have a stare down. The silence progressed for so long that Chalice wondered if these two were bonded and could talk to each other with their minds. Except, Chalice also knew that if one of them were a Mentalist, then they could do the same without a bond. As the silence continued, Chalice let her mind wander around the library. She marveled at the twisting metalwork and the sparkling crystals that floated around the library. It really was a wondrous building. 

“Perfect!” Eulalia smiled as she started to walk towards a table, “Mel said he’d help us.”

Mel grumbled under his breath but didn’t deny what Eulalia said. 

The trio settled around the table Eulalia had selected. Chalice opened the first book, it was about making a tea called ‘Spirit of the Sun.’ The three poured over the book, noting the temperature the water had to be and all the dry ingredients they needed to steep in the water.

“Is there a place in the library to experiment?” Chalice asked. 

Mel nodded as Eulalia said, “Yup, we can move over there after we grab some of the ingredients,”

“Perfect, it would be helpful to try and make this tea,” Chalice said, standing up from the table. 

Mel led them to one of the kitchens, or laboratories as Mel called them. Chalice grabbed a kettle and thermometer while Eulalia gathered the exotic spices, milk, mangos, and honey. Mel placed the book on the counter and then filled the kettle with water. The trio returned to the book to read more about the process while they waited for the water to reach the right temperature. 

“Does it have to be drunk while it’s hot?” Eulalia wondered. 

Mel shook his head and pointed to a paragraph near the end of the page, “No, look at this passage.”

Chalice leaned closer to get a better look at the words. It told them that the tea would have the same effect hot as it would cold; however, the water had to be hot for brewing. That part was essential. The trio analyzed the diagrams on the next few pages until the kettle started to boil. A high-pitched whistle signaled that the water was ready. 

Eulalia gathered the spices and carefully placed a few spoonfuls into a cup before she passed it to Mel. Mel added some mango and honey before the cup finally made it to Chalice. She poured boiling water over the ingredients until it reached three-quarters full, then added a splash of milk. 

“How do we know if it worked?” Chalice asked. 

Mel and Eulalia looked at each other and then at the book. The three vayrons scanned all the pages, trying to find the answer, but they couldn’t find anything. 

“Are you planning to have pups soon?” Eulalia asked Chalice. 

“No, are either of you?” 

Eulalia slowly shook her head, and the trio looked over the pages again. 

“Here!” Mel said, mildly excited as he pointed towards a section of fine writing. 

The small sentences told them that if the combination was successful, the tea would taste like peaches rather than mangoes. When they flipped the page, more writing explained the combinations of exotic spices and mangoes and the science behind the flavour. Chalice and Eulalia backed away, while Mel seemed engrossed in the words on the page. 

“Who’s going to taste it?” Chalice asked. 

Eulalia shrugged, “I can taste it, or we both could.”

Chalice agreed and passed the cup to Eulalia. The pink vayron took a drink and gasped at the taste, it was something she had never tasted before and she loved it. She quickly passed the cup to Chalice urging her to try it. Chalice took a sip and the flavour of peaches exploded in her mouth. 

“So good,” Chalice said, staring at the cup and the golden liquid inside. 

“Mel, you should try it too,” Eulalia said, and Chalice placed the cup next to him. 

He stared at it for a moment before he drank the rest. 

“It worked,” He said with a slight smile on his face. 

The three vayrons talked animatedly about their success and decided to try another recipe. 

[1223]