The Mayhem Sisters (12 page)

Vivi’s curiosity was piqued. “Are the Mender twins in charge of all the healing magic or do you have a potions master?”

Dax ran his finger along the edge of the crystal glass. “The wizard in charge of operations is Dr. Fowler. He’s a brilliant wizard, driven to exhaustion,” Dax said. “We have inspections to get ready for. You know how strict the Healer Division of the council can be. They have such high standards for mass-produced potions. We even had to bring in extra staff to handle the workload.”

Interesting,
Vivi thought, setting her glass down.

Dax stood and whispered some instructions to his assistant. “I have an appointment in twenty minutes, so I’ll walk you down, and we’ll go from there.”

“Perfect.” Vivi smiled, trying to contain her excitement. It was everything she had hoped for. Like Esmeralda had told her—follow the vision wherever it leads, and currently her search continued for the two elusive black birds.

H
ooked to his arm, Vivi glided out of Dax’s office. He guided her into the elevator, making her feel like a VIP witch as the assistant eyed her enviously. Within mere minutes the elevator whooshed them into the secret depths of Mender Corp. Vivi was practically giddy, for even though she wasn’t entirely sure what she was looking for, she was getting a rare opportunity and gave herself a mental pat on the back. Spontaneous investigating just might work out for her.

A wash of cold crisp air enveloped her as she stepped out onto the sleek marble floor, sending a shiver through her. A long hall connected a hive of laboratories, humming with busy technicians who didn’t seem to notice them as they entered the secretive domain of healing research. The company had a distinguished reputation for mass-producing many basic healing remedies, making them available to the public faster and easier. A witch didn’t need to make appointments with healer witches and wizards when she could pick up a potion or capsule at the local apothecary to treat a headache or indigestion.

Suddenly, the hallway grew quiet when the technicians realized Wizard Cross was on the floor, but he didn’t seem to notice the furtive glances and hushed whispers. Dax motioned for Vivi to go ahead, and she pulled her shoulders back, striding through the swinging doors at the end of the hallway. The sign on the door read: “Production,” giving her a flutter of anticipation. Vivi’s main goal was to follow the magic. Since the Mender twins’
persuasion
was healing, the ideal place to start her search was where the magic was literally put into practice—the lab.

Once through the doors, she was faced with glass-fronted laboratories lined up on both sides of the hallway. Inside the immaculate labs, witches and wizards, wearing head-to-toe white suits, hoods, goggles, and face masks, stirred giant bubbling vats of smoky potions with long wooden paddles. Brewing had never looked so efficient and sterile. Vivi cringed at the idea of wearing a hairnet and protective eyewear while she conjured up a batch of potions in the back of her shop.

Mender Corp was about logical scientific potion making. Here, the assembly line was king and made a lot more gold. This was the type of conjuring that would make the professors at Haven Academy proud, but Vivi was the kind of student who had blown up more than one kettle in her school days. She had always believed that potions, remedies, and healing came from the personal touch of a witch or wizard—the special creative juices a witch infused into the concoction. This magic might work well enough, but it had no soul. She shelved her opinion. She wasn’t here to judge; she was here to observe and look for clues.

Witches and wizards hurried up and down the hall in a flurry of tense excitement. Dax wasn’t kidding when he said the atmosphere in the lab was intense. He stopped a young witch who was scribbling data on a pad of parchment, completely absorbed in her duties.

“Excuse me, miss. Do you know where I can find Dr. Fowler?”

The busy witch’s head jerked up, but she barely looked at them. “He’s right behind me. But I’d steer clear. He’s in a vile mood. Spitting nails.”

“Is he on the rampage again? I’ll be sure to watch myself. Don’t want the good doctor angry with me.” Dax smiled, and the witch almost dropped her notepad.

“So sorry, Wizard Cross. I didn’t realize it was you.” Panic filled her face as she quickly got her bearings, straightened her lab coat, and tried to cover for her previous comment. “The professor is hard at work. As I should be, too.” The witch spun around, making a hasty retreat down the hall in the opposite direction.

“Are you sure this is no trouble?” Vivi asked.

“Not at all. It’s like this all the time. They thrive under pressure.” Dax stared at the frenzied activity with admiration.

The doors ahead of them swung wide and a white-haired wizard wearing a rumpled lab coat approached. Sensing someone’s presence, he glanced up from his notes and gave them an exhausted sigh. He had bags under his bloodshot eyes and probably hadn’t slept in days. “Good to see you again, sir. How can I assist you today?” The wizard gave Dax a cordial nod.

“We’re trying to find the latest tour group, Dr. Fowler. Have they pushed through yet?”

“Yes. You missed them by about ten minutes.” Dr. Fowler pulled his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Can I assist you?”

“Dr. Fowler has important testing going on,” Dax said to her and then addressed him. “I don’t want to interrupt your progress. Perhaps one of your assistants could catch us up to speed, until we reach the group.”

“Not at all. It would be my pleasure.” He gave Vivi a half-hearted smile. She seriously doubted that. He looked like he wanted to get back to his work, but Dax was the boss, so he graciously complied. “I can walk you through the production stages and join up with the rest of the tour in a few minutes.”

“Excellent. I knew we could count on you. You can start by explaining to Ms. Mayhem your role here at Mender.” Dax gave the doctor a heavy pat on the back that almost knocked the poor man over.

“I’m the chief healer. I’ve been a healing wizard for over two and a half centuries,” he said, beaming with pride. “Here at Mender Corp we are trying to do great things, pushing the boundaries of magical medicine, and meeting an ever-demanding clientele that expects the best. It’s my job to see that it happens.”

Vivi could tell Fowler was an experienced and powerful wizard, and working at the most advanced magical medical company in Everland probably meant he was a genius. “That’s a lot of pressure.”

“Nothing we can’t handle.” The doctor gave her a courteous nod, and they continued on through the facility, where he showed her the production process.

Vivi felt a twinge of sadness, seeing the sterile surroundings, conveyor belts, and rows of glass bottles ready to be filled with the next generic potion.

“Gone are the days of door-to-door healing, treating witches and wizards personally,” Vivi said before she could stop herself. “Don’t you miss it?”

“Miss the hands-on healing work I did as a young wizard?” He seemed to contemplate the idea. “Not in the slightest. I’m only one wizard and the population of Everland is constantly growing. We need assistance where we can get it.”

“Tell me, what do you have going on here?” Vivi motioned to the gigantic contraption behind a wall of glass. Multiple levels of conveyer belts streamed by, carrying capsules in a tiny marching row.

“The herbal batches are transferred to this sterile area, where the potion vat is poured into a specialized machine and the healing tonic is either poured into a bottle or compressed into a lozenge.”

The lab she had seen so far was crawling with magic techs, engineers, and healing wizards and witches hard at work. The operation was impressive, but Vivi wondered what it had to do with her vision. She wasn’t seeing anything that might connect Mender Corp to anything evil or illegal, just the opposite, and she was getting a bad feeling this whole endeavor was for nothing.

Dax’s stressed assistant had slinked up behind them and had managed to pull him away with a stack of parchments for him to sign. He hung back as the witch talked incessantly and shoved a plumed pen in his hand. “Keep going. I’ll be right behind you,” he said and waved them onward.

“He’s very busy,” Vivi said.

“Aren’t we all?” The doctor turned to continue the tour and his wand slid out from under his arm and fell to the floor, skidding down the hallway. Vivi leapt to grab it before someone stepped on it and handed it back to the doctor.

“Thank you. I forgot I was carrying it.” He slipped the wand inside of his coat and that was when Vivi noticed the doctor’s hands for the first time. The pads of his fingertips and nails were a sooty gray color as if they had been washed repeatedly, and the doctor had been unable to remove the stain.

He noticed her staring. “Oh, this.” He inspected his fingernails. “I was installing a new charcoal filtration device in the lab and the spell backfired, covering me in black gunk. I can’t seem to get it off my hands no matter how hard I scrub. I blame the spell combination.”

“Try washing with vinegar,” Vivi said. The dark wizard in her vision had fingers that were stained worse than that, but still, the sight made her suspicious. Maybe he was telling the truth and couldn’t bother with the stain, but it was still suspicious. She would definitely keep an eye on him. “Are you working on something new? A new magical device?” she asked, already knowing the answer, but seeing if he would tell her something about the company’s newest breakthrough. “I enjoy experimenting with potions, so I find this all very fascinating.”

“I’m not at liberty to discuss developmental magic. The Mender twins are the real visionaries behind the company. They’ve dedicated their lives to the healer’s craft. Advancement is important to them at any cost.”

At any cost—what a strange thing to say
, Vivi thought. “Ambition has taken them far,” she said.

Vivi and the doctor filed out of the production area and entered a packing facility where a group of young wizards was loading up crates for delivery. Glass jars filled with lozenges and liquid potions were lined up and being stocked for shipping all over Everland. A side door was open, and a hover delivery vehicle was ready for pick up.

A young wizard wearing a hoodie and a jean jacket ducked in through the opening. He rushed up to Dr. Fowler and handed him a roll of parchment. Bouncing on the balls of his feet, he stared eagerly at the doctor, who with an annoyed glance tucked the papers under his arm. Dr. Fowler barely suppressed his disapproval of the guy’s presence. “Not now, Paul. Come back later.”

“You’re going to want to see my new results.” Paul’s hands shook as he grabbed the parchment from under Dr. Fowler’s arm and unrolled it for the doctor to read. He poked nervously at something on the page with his gloved finger. “I’ve done it. You have to check out these findings. This changes everything.” His eyes were wild with excitement.

“I’ll look at the tests and get back to you as soon as time permits.” The doctor rolled up the parchment and squeezed Paul’s arm. “Can’t you see I’m busy here?” He motioned toward Vivi, trying and failing to subtly communicate with him.

“The tests were ordered by Miranda. She’ll want to see them, if
you
don’t.” His gaze turned downcast like a wounded puppy’s.
Talk about immature,
Vivi thought.

“I’ll make sure she sees them. Now, please excuse us.” Dr. Fowler turned his back on the young wizard.

Vivi made eye contact with the pushy wizard, but he averted his gaze and darted out of the room as quickly as he had come. She had only gotten a brief glance at his face, but was certain she had seen him someplace before, but she just couldn’t remember where.

“He seemed excited,” Vivi said, trying to be kind. “I’m sure you have many witches and wizards vying for your attention.”

“Unfortunately, yes. It causes a stir.”

Vivi could tell he was being modest. Working with Fowler was a career maker.

“Though a little unpredictable, Paul is one of my smartest apprentices. He’s very ambitious. He’ll do anything to succeed, even interrupt me no matter what I’m doing.”

“Where does the company go from here?” Vivi asked, sincerely curious. “You’ve revolutionized healing. What’s next?” Vivi had a feeling there was more to Mender Corp, much more that the doctor wasn’t telling her.

“Right this way. I’ll let the visionaries show you for themselves.” The doctor motioned to two huge silver doors elaborately carved with the official healer’s seal. As Vivi approached, the doors parted and he ushered her into a hushed theater space where a small group of witches and wizards sat in rows of chairs, facing a lectern on a small stage. Vivi spun in a circle. “I should wait for Wizard Cross,” she whispered, not wanting to disturb the presentation going on. She glanced around, but Dax was nowhere to be seen.

Dr. Fowler gave her a small bow. “I’m afraid I must be going. Do enjoy the rest of the tour.” He was done with his polite hosting duties.

She had no choice and quickly found a seat in the back row of the darkened room as the other attendees began to stir, crane their necks, and shoot her annoyed glares and a few shushing sounds. From the expensive clothes and well-coiffed appearances, Vivi realized she was in the company of a wealthy group. She also noticed a few scholar robes from the advanced magical academy and figured the tour must have been tailored for investors and academics.
This must be a very private tour,
Vivi thought. She settled down in her seat and tried to blend. Flanked by two uniformed security wizards, the large doors swung shut.
Guess I’m on my own.

Mitchell Mender stood in a circle of light at the front of the room, addressing the group. Her stomach plummeted. Tall and thin as a needle, he went silent, and his gaze pinned her to her seat like an arrow. She swallowed and tried to sink down in her chair.

“Welcome. Why don’t you join me up front? I was just about to ask for a volunteer,” he said. Vivi suddenly realized he was talking to her.

The Mender twins were an imposing duo. Off to his left, Miranda sat perched on a stool, gazing at her like a curious bird. She looked resplendent in a fitted skirt and loose silk blouse. Mitchell wore a black sweater and black jeans. Coolness oozed off them. His gaze shifted quickly over Vivi as he extended his hand to her. She felt briefly suspended in time, remembering the photo she had seen in the old newspaper of the two wide-eyed, black-haired twins holding hands after the terrible demise of their parents, and now here they were all grown up and still together. A mix of awe and sympathy for the orphaned geniuses filled her.

Vivi cleared her throat. “Thank you, but no. I’ll sit and watch.”

“You want to be a good sport, don’t you? Join me. I might surprise you,” Mitchell said with a mischievous grin. He directed her to the chair positioned at center stage. “Please take a seat.”

Reluctantly, but seeing no way out, Vivi walked to the front of the group to the sound of light applause. An ominous table covered in spellcasting supplies was positioned to the right of her.
What kind of demonstration was this?

“Tell us, what brings you here today?” Mitchell was in performance mode.

Vivi smiled and played along. Might as well make the best of it. “I’m a potion maker and I was curious about your operation.”

“Trying to steal our secrets?” Miranda asked as the crowd chuckled. “Be careful. You know what they say about cats and curiosity.”

As if on cue, a side door slid open, and a sleek black panther strode across the stage and stood next to Mitchell. The animal’s long tail twitched back and forth. Its coat shined a beautiful glossy black under the spotlight, and its eyes were the color of sulfur.