Nothing could disturb ...

Nothing could disturb the girls' concentration as they carefully measured and mixed. Essa let Lisa do most of the work, since it was her potion. She contributed only some assistance for grinding the powders in the mortar, since she could surreptitiously do that by Magick while giving the appearance of using the pestle industriously.

Only once did Lisa pause and eye the younger girl. Then she commented, "You aren't supposed to help, are you?" Essa shook her head.

"No. Your teacher wanted you to learn this. It will work best for you if you complete it yourself. But did you have a question?"

Lisa explained briefly that she was unsure how fast to add the final ingredient, the one that eventually would make the potion assume it's characteristic clear golden color. Essa smiled, and told her just to take her time. Start with a goodly pour, then add more slowly. They had enough materials to make one more batch, should this one fail, she reminded the new student.

But Essa's eye was true. Her first dollop of the final ingredient brought the mix to a light brown. More dribbled in made it go darker. Darker still, it became, until it looked and smelled like the worst mess ever. Then, just as Lisa sighed with apparent frustration, there came a soft burst of light from within the cup and the potion hung in the balance. It was not yet clear, but it had a dark golden color.

"Now, then, one drop at a time ... Ah! Perfect!"