Darkwing Duck Bushroot Novels & Stories

Even with the moon as a source of light, along with the lights inside the castle, I can see him sweating and acting like he doesn't know what I'm talking about when he was the one who brought it up. "Yeye," I say sternly and cross my arms over my chest. "You better tell me, or I will not let Takkar give you the herbs you took. And I know you took some when you left that day." The day he left for his journey was when Takkar told me some of his rare herbs, such as Thimbleberry, Sweet Ribwort, and Silkweed, were plucked. Each of them is deadly but has a sweet scent that sometimes confuses their cousins - the Moutain Red Snowdrops, Windroot, and the Fluxroot. The three poisonous plants are used

I gawk as one of the warriors hands Crimson a torch from his pack and a box of matches, only realizing when he spoke in his gruff voice, that that was the man who took me down. “What did you poison us with?” I finally ask, only thinking of and wanting to know now. “A thorn from the bush of Manchineel dipped in Nightshade.” He speaks. “And what did you give Tawny the night of the full moon?” Crimson growls out the question. This time Arik answers, “She was given Jimsonweed in her wine.” At least he looked guilty as he told us. “That and nightshade grow abundantly on our lands. Mix them together and you can take down anything and have them seeing shit for weeks.”

I sprang up and headed into the forest at a short distance. Time slowly crawled by. The sound of birds and chirping insects bombarded my ears as I pulled away thin branches. Going in deeper, I saw flower bushes shiver before animals ran out. Frustration bubbled within me. I'd been searching around the thick forest for an excruciatingly long amount of time, and all I could find were just burdock roots. A few more hours passed on before I gave up. Heading back into the house, I hastily cut up the roots, setting them aside while I dropped down on the cold floorboards and fished out the burner.

Dax had made the arduous trek to the shrine, knowing that it was his best chance for survival. Lucas, the wise and noble alpha, had led the group of werewolves on a perilous quest to find the magical herb that could counteract the poison's effects. The herb, known as Moonleaf, grew only in the darkest corners of the enchanted forest, guarded by mythical creatures and treacherous terrain. Their journey had been fraught with danger, but Lucas and his crew had prevailed. With the Moonleaf in their possession, hope had blossomed within their hearts. They knew that this herb held the key to Dax's recovery, the antidote to the venom that threatened to consume him.

The crowd roared. "Damien, Silas, get the birds." I ordered. "We need to move fast." We grabbed the ducks. They were heavy and cold. We had already cleaned them. Now we began the stuffing. I took the wild herbs. I pushed them into the cavities. I used rosemary, thyme, and a bitter root from the southern marshes. Silas poured the stock water over the skin. It was a concentrated broth. It would infuse the meat from the outside.

Aria pointed at the dark crimson streaks running through the sample. "I've seen this before." Her heartbeat quickened. Years ago, while serving as an apprentice healer in Nightclaw Pack, she had studied poisonous plants. One particular herb had always stood out. It was a rare flower known as Bloodroot Lily. When mixed with certain fungi...Its effects became far deadlier. The chief healer's eyes widened. "You think someone altered the fungus?" Aria nodded. "Not just altered it." Her voice hardened. "They created it." The realization sent chills through both of them.

"Oh, this?" She held up the glass jar. "You've got some wonderful fungi growing on a few of these pine trees. Its scientific name is Croartia Quercuum. Most people call it Fusiform Rust. In Wiccan circles, it goes by Heart Skin. Deadly to the trees but incredibly useful for attack potions. Poison, essentially. If you administer it to someone and perform the right spells over the mixture, their hearts will literally burst right inside their chests. Like pop, you know?"

“I have some here already. But I will need more, so I will need your guards to fetch them from the Moonshade Garden for me.” I gave a slight nod and released her from my grip, then gestured for two of his guards to step forward. She faced them, “Listen carefully. I need five specific herbs. They must be fresh.” The guards nodded, “First, I need moonshade leaves,” I began. “They are pale silver-green and soft to the touch. You’ll find them growing closest to the heart of the garden.” “Second, get the duskroot. It grows low to the ground, it has deep purple stems with a single black blossom. It’s bitter, I suggest you don’t bring it with your bare hands.”

For a moment, I wasn’t sure if he was still alive, but George assured me that he was. “I’m not sure I can stop the infection without the antibiotics. It’s spreading too fast. I need a specific ingredient to make it,” he informed me. “What is it?” “Witchroot,” he replied. “It grows in the forests to the east, where the soil turns black from iron ash. We used to keep it in storage, but the last of it was burned during an attack.”

A thought that wouldn’t go away but over time it grew teeth. I couldn’t stay hidden forever, hiding felt like slowly fading away. So I started moving again. I followed whispers. A woman selling dried roots spoke of a witch who lived deep in Black Hollow, surrounded by thorns, guarding things no one should touch. A half-starved rogue muttered about a book with red-stained pages he’d glimpsed in her hut years ago. That night, I didn’t sleep. I gathered what I needed in silence… nightshade berries crushed into a dark, sticky paste; valerian roots pulled from wet soil under the thin light of the moon; the last pinch of sleep-dust I’d traded for months ago from an old woman on the trail.