“Yes. Why does Mr. Tom put on all that garb?”
“I have no idea.”
“And why did he roll up his coat sleeves and one pant leg?”
“Look, when it comes to Mr. Tom, or Edgar, or Niamh, you really just need to roll with it. They don’t make any sense at the best of times.”
Sebastian’s crooked smile was back. “You might have the most eccentric organization of them all.”
“That’s a very nice way to put it. Okay, you gotta scram. I can’t have you hanging around, chatting to me. You’ll get me caught.”
Sebastian took a step away, but he paused and pulled a small vial from his back pocket. “I don’t have magic to blend into stone, but when you get good at potions, you can use magic to make you disappear. I won’t get you caught. Give me a sec.”
He pulled out the cork stopper, tilted the vial up, and dribbled the contents into his mouth before he swished twice, sucked air in through his lips, and then swallowed it down, all without letting any liquid dribble from his lips.
He saw me watching. “Sometimes it’s not just the potion, it’s how you take it. Aerating that one right before swallowing keeps it working for twice as long. Don’t tell anyone, but I found out accidentally. It’s a secret.”
His body shimmered and then the image of his face went hazy. A moment later, his physical being bled away, out of sight. He’d become invisible through other means.
“Does that mask your scent, too?” I asked, remembering when spells like that had been used against me.
“Scent, yes,” came his disembodied voice. “Not sound, though. For some reason, I can’t get this potion to cut out sound.”
“Maybe you don’t have enough power?”
“I can do a soundproof potion, and the two can be taken together, but the soundproof potion doesn’t respond to aeration, and, strangely, stops the other from responding as well. I have no idea why. It makes no sense. So when I use the soundproof potion, the invisible potion doesn’t last as long. I don’t figure I need it here, though, so it doesn’t matter. I’ll be quiet.”
I shook out my hands, noting Mr. Tom had drifted down the way a little, giving me space.
“Here.”
The bit of sidewalk where Sebastian had stood looked completely empty. “What?”
The sound of glass met concrete. A shoe sole scuffed against the path, and a little vial appeared at my feet.
“So you can see me, and also get used to needing a defense against invisibility potions. They are heavily used within the magical world.” His foot slid further away, giving me space. “You have to be careful with this potion—the one I took. It isn’t just your body that disappears. It’s almost like a cloud extends around you. Not far around you, but you will make things within the cloud disappear. A cunning eye will spot that, and an experienced magical worker will look for it. That vial at your feet holds a counter-spell to the potion I took. If I drank it, it would nullify the effects of the spell I have consumed. If you take it, it will allow you to see through the effects of the potion I’m using. There are a few varieties of invisibility potions, and the counter-spell will reveal them all in different ways. That’s a secret, too. Most counter-spells are just that—counter-spells—but I added a twist to this one. It’s more helpful that way. Plus it tastes better.”
“You guys must all want to sneak into each other’s labs and steal each other’s stuff, huh?” I picked up the vial and pulled out the cork.
“In most cases, yes. Which is why our labs are so well warded. Break-ins usually only happen to newer mages, and they don’t have much to offer. Anyway, don’t let me keep you. I didn’t intend a lesson on invisibility potions, I just figured…since the case presented itself…”
“I hope this isn’t poison.” I upended the vial. The taste of black licorice exploded in my mouth, and I forced myself to choke it down. My face screwed up and I shook my head. “If that tastes better, I don’t want to know what it tasted like before.”
“Don’t like black licorice? Huh.” He took the empty vial from my hand, his fingers brushing against mine. I flinched as half my hand disappeared. “Also, no, it is not poison. I don’t want to even contemplate what it would be like for that alpha to come after me. I will never hurt you, as long as I live. I swear that, both because I have decided to take you as my student, and also because I’m terrified of what that alpha would do to me. The more I learn, the more I realize how even-tempered he is around you. I do not want to make him angry.”