Chapter 1

"I'm not going."

"Olivia, are you insane?"

Liam Parker snatched the mission order from my hand and slammed it down on the herb table in front of me.

"This is a direct command. You're the only one who can complete it."

I lowered my head and continued wiping the glass vial in my hands.

"I said I'm not going."

"Look at this."

Liam flipped to the final page of the mission order. His knuckles turned white from how tightly he was gripping the paper.

"Rare wolfsbane poisoning. Organ damage has already exceeded seventy percent. The remaining time to prepare an antidote is less than twelve hours. There's a life hanging in the balance here!"

My pestle stopped mid-motion.

"Olivia, you're the only one who can break down the poison in time and create the antidote."

Liam stepped closer and lowered his voice.

"If you don't go, she'll die in the Healing Grove."

I poured the finished herbal powder into a bottle, then turned to face him.

"Liam, you've followed me for six years. You should know I've never refused a mission."

He froze.

"Then why..."

I didn't answer.

Liam grew anxious and grabbed my arm.

"This is an emergency assignment! If you refuse, you'll be punished by the Elder Council!"

I gently pulled my arm free, my voice cold.

"Let them punish me. I'm still not going."

Liam's face flushed red. His chest rose and fell heavily with frustration.

He had been by my side for six years, witnessing me becoming a chief witch.

He had seen me brew potions for seventy-two hours straight until I collapsed on the floor. He had seen me save a Rogue who was poisoned and barely clinging to life. Then he had watched me kneel outside the herb room afterward, vomiting until I could barely breathe.

But he had never seen me like this.

"Fine."

Liam finally closed the mission order and slammed it onto the table.

He walked toward the door, but stopped before leaving.

"But it involves a living, breathing girl. If you change your mind, we'll leave at any time."

The door closed behind him, leaving me alone in front of the cauldron.

My eyes fell on the photo of Munskar Vale on the mission order.

He looked even more imposing than he had ten years ago. The insignia pinned to his chest gleamed beneath the light, a symbol of his power and status.

But those cold, selfish eyes remained exactly the same.

When my daughter, Nora Vale, had been lying in Healing Grove, her last breaths slowly fading away...

He had been holding Timora Bell's daughter, Vivian Smith, in his arms, comforting her in a warm bedroom. He had once said that the only one he had ever wronged in his life was Timora. He swore he would protect her and her daughter and give them a lifetime of peace.

I closed my eyes and swept the mission order into the trash.

The phone rang suddenly.

It was the front desk of the Herbalist Guild.

"Olivia, Munskar wants to speak with you directly."

I was silent for a few seconds, then I waved my hand.

"Put him through."

"May I ask if this is Olivia?"

The voice on the other end was deep and steady, carrying the authority of someone used to being obeyed.

"Yes."

Years of breathing in the smoke from endless potion brewing had left my throat rough and hoarse. My voice had long since lost the warmth it once held.

"Good. This is Munskar. You should already know the details of the mission."

He paused briefly.

When he spoke again, his tone was filled with the arrogance of someone offering a favor from above.

"Name your conditions. If it's within my power, I'll grant them."

"I'm not taking the mission."

Silence filled the other end of the line, then came a cold laugh.

"Did you not hear me? I said you can name your conditions. Anything you want."

"I said I'm not taking it."

"If you help me, I can give you twenty million."