The small house was quiet, the warm glow from the hearth blending with the faint sunlight that filtered through the windows. Lira set her vials carefully on the wooden table, letting the soft clink of glass punctuate the rhythm of her work. With the new plants she had gathered from the forests and roads of this strange land, she carefully tested combinations, her fingers tracing intricate movements of elemental energy to calm any potion that might react unpredictably.
Some of the herbs had volatile qualities, bursts of magic that could make a mixture froth or spark uncontrollably. But Lira, with practiced hands and focused control, could settle any potion into balance, coaxing the liquid to hum steadily instead of erupting in chaotic energy.
