Adilene’s fingers trembled as she picked up the botched Moholi Mixture and removed the cork. Fumes wafted from the bottle, smelling like licorice and dandelions. She had already torn several pieces of stale bread into chunks. One of Sasha’s gold earrings rested at the bottom of the glass. The water covering it hissed as Max stoked the candle flame with scraps of the woolly blanket.

“One or two drops at first,” Sasha whispered, her eyes closed, concentrating. “Try not to get any on the edges of the glass.”

Adilene wanted to close her eyes as well but knew someone needed to pay attention. Besides, brewing in the dark prison cell made her vision almost nonexistent. She wouldn’t dare admit it to the others, but she feared she might miss the target. Steadying her hand, she extended the vial over the lip of the glass and dribbled out two drops of liquid. The clear water grew clouded, and the potion’s fragrance increased in potency.

Sasha peeked open one eye. “More,” she instructed. “Lots more. And don’t breathe in the smoke. It’s toxic.”

Max held his breath, wafting the smoke away with his hand. Adilene poured in twelve drops, and the water began to bubble, darkening in color. Then she added the second earring. Something sparked across the surface, and Adilene jumped in surprise.

“That’s normal,” Sasha said, her voice calm. “The gold is causing a chemical reaction with the other ingredients. Cover it quickly!” Her eyelids scrunched, her brow furrowing; she appeared to be mulling over the next step. “Um . . . how does it feel?”

Adilene tested the side of the glass. “It’s hot but not burning.”

“More heat, Max.” Sasha’s eyes snapped open. “It needs more heat!”

“Easier said than done,” Max said, feeding more of the blanket into the candle’s flame. The fire began to sizzle, licking the bottom of the glass, and Adilene could hear the liquid roiling within.

A couple minutes later, Adilene tapped her finger against the glass and immediately pulled back, her fingertip reddening.

“Add the pieces of bread now,” Sasha commanded. “One for each key ingredient.”

“What will that do?” Max asked.

“If this actually works, the bread will absorb the ingredients,” Sasha explained. “If it works.”

It will work, Adilene told herself. It has to work! One by one, she dropped in each piece, and the bread floated on the surface before sinking to the bottom.

Sasha’s lips pursed together in frustration. “I knew it,” she muttered. “It’s not like I can turn on a Projecting switch whenever I want and magically—” She fell silent.

The bread began to float again, rising to the top. Each piece sparkled with a hint of color: bronze, lavender, dark green, and a lustrous shade of silver. When the stench of putrescent beetle shells filled her nostrils, Adilene felt a tingling of excitement travel up her spine. Sasha’s earrings now resembled twisted knots at the bottom of the glass.

Following Sasha’s next instruction, Adilene dangled in one of her shoelaces, and the soggy bread crumbs clung to the strand. She lifted them out, laying them next to the glass, where they sizzled against the stone floor.

Sasha exhaled slowly. “We don’t have a copper spoon or an Amber Wick, so this batch probably won’t end up the way it should, but we have everything else we need. Maybe Zelda was right during training. Maybe the recipe doesn’t have to be exact. Maybe we just need an Elixirist who knows what she’s doing.” Her lips pulled wide in an arrogant smile.

“And a pretty good instrument too,” Max added, nodding at Adilene.

“Yeah, well, that also,” Sasha said.

With Sasha hovering over her shoulder, Adilene began to rebrew the Moholi Mixture. Though her memory was foggy, Adilene could remember most of the steps. Even the part about thinking up a song to create a rhythm and possibly one that reminded her of Gordy. Upon completion, with a couple slight modifications, the potion settling in the glass was a shimmering rose color, and everyone gasped with surprised excitement.

Everyone except for Adilene. She was happy, of course, but she wasn’t surprised it had come together perfectly. She had felt the potion forming with each ingredient. Sensed its power. She didn’t think she could describe it—Sasha would immediately deny it had happened, and Max never took anything serious—but Adilene had brewed the potion. She had brewed it herself and without any help.