Stolen Alchemy Ch. 02

"My...my lord. I...I beg your pardon.Your messenger said you would come later this evening. I...I was not expecting you to arrive this early."

A smile of understanding crossed the Dukes face as he took out a wickedly sharp dirk and began to clean imaginary dirt from under his fingernails.

"Well, unfortunately my schedule changed but I shall only keep you as long as is needed to conclude our business. That should not be a problem, should it?"

The veneer of friendliness dropped from Nikolai's voice as he continued, seemingly engrossed in his fingernails. "After all, you did agree to provide to me a certain elixir today, and I do take my agreements very seriously. I would appreciate it if you would fetch my goods now."

Alexei stood rooted to the spot in confusion. He had no idea what was going on - this invasion of his home was not something he had ever thought might happen. The two guards at the door didn't move a muscle, standing as still as statues. Nikolai gestured to the back of the shop with his dirk, and Alexei moved to obey. As he pulled the curtain to the workshop aside, one of the guards followed closely behind him. It didn't take long to get to the cupboard with the three vials of elixir stored within, but the brief respite from the Duke's presence allowed Alexei to gather his muddled wits. As he opened the cupboard door the alchemist made sure to use his body to block the guards sight. He pushed the third vial behind a box to hastily try and hide it, then grabbed the two he had promised to the Duke.

When he returned, he placed the two potion bottles on the counter before Duke Nikolai, and stood aside, waiting to be dismissed. He just wanted Nikolai to take them and leave him alone to get his life back together. The red liquid within the bottle glowed slightly, creating a red halo of light where they sat on the counter. The Duke looked hungrily at the potions, and began to speak again.

"I must admit to being pleasantly surprised. I had you pegged as an ambitious man, and a greedy one, but I was never quite sure if you would deliver in the end. I mean, you promised me an elixir to revitalize ones body, to restore lost youth and virility. You claimed it would grant immunity to sickness and poison, and make whoever drinks it as strong as an ox. A truly miraculous potion!"

Nikolai gingerly picked up one bottle, holding it up against the light to admire the liquid within before reverently putting it down again.

"With such high promises, I was inclined to believe you to be a charlatan, or else an old fool with an inflated sense of your own abilities. And yet...you were renowned as a skilled and respected alchemist. Not your typical swindler. So I quizzed your customers as well as a number of your peers. They all agreed that you had an inflated ego and that you hoarded your secrets, but that somehow you had always - ALWAYS - delivered what you claimed you could, even when other scholars claimed it was impossible. So I paid your fees, and hired men to hunt down the outrageous ingredients you demanded and waited."

Nikolai leaned back. He turned his gaze back to Alexei, seeming reluctant to look away from the glowing potion bottles.

"Years passed, and then I finally received a message that you were nearly finished. I began to worry, fearing you might be wooed by a wealthier patron, or that a rival might steal your work. I assigned men to protect your work... and my considerable investment in it. After all, even a man of your talents might be tempted to leave and take my gold with him. But I am pleased that my suspicions were unfounded and true to your word you have delivered what I paid for."

The Duke gestured to one of the men-at-arms, who produced a small box filled with straw and carefully packed away the bottles, hiding their glowing light when he closed the lid. The Duke got up from his seat, and turned to leave. Alexei let out a sigh of relief, thinking that perhaps he would now be left in peace. After all, he still had the third bottle back in the storeroom. The gears of his mind were turning, thinking over what the Duke had been saying. He was coming to the conclusion that maybe he should just take what he had left, and get out of the city.. Then he could start trying to replace what his idiot assistant had poured down the drain...he wouldn't have to work from scratch after all, as he would still have the remaining elixir to work from.

Alexei was also starting to think it might be prudent to leave before the Duke realised that he had been given a diluted potion. True, each draught would revitalise him, but in its diluted form the effects would not be anywhere near as potent as the original elixir. He had forgotten that he had told the Duke just how powerful the full elixir would be all those years ago. Alexei was snapped out of his musings, when the Duke stopped on the threshold of the shop and turned back..

"Oh, just one more thing. It occurred to me that an ambitious and greedy man might want to keep such a miraculous potion for himself. Now, I know an upstanding citizen like yourself is unlikely to try and deceive me, but I am a cautious man and I am afraid I must ask my men to check."

Before the alchemist had a chance to reply, the Duke snapped his fingers, and one of the guards stepped forward and pushed his way past Alexei into the back of the shop. It didn't take long for the guard to find the hastily hidden third bottle - the red glow made it somewhat easy to see once he opened the right cupboard. Duke Nikolai shook his head in feigned disappointment when the final bottle was brought out and added to the box alongside the others.

"Alexei, Alexei. I am saddened to see that you were trying to keep something back from me. I am afraid this means that I will need to invite you back to the palace so we can have a more extensive chat about your services, and my purchases."

Weeping, the alchemist was frogmarched out of his home and workplace, to an unknown future at the mercy of the Duke.

******

It actually took some time for Peter and Catherine to sit down at their kitchen table to chat. Before getting dressed they had to clean themselves and their bedroom up thoroughly. Their bedding was soaked with fluids from their intense romp that morning - as well as the previous night. Catherine insisted that they had to completely strip the bed and bundle everything into the wash tub to soak for later, before cleaning it got even harder. Once that was done, Catherine ladled out another bowl of porridge for Peter from the large batch she had made earlier that morning. They both then sat down at the table to talk, Peter starting the discussion.

"So...that potion definitely healed you. But it has clearly had some other effects as well. There is the obvious of course..."

Peter pointededly glanced at her bust, which was straining to escape from a now too-small dress.

"But apart from that, last night you literally tore one of my shirts to pieces without any visible effort. And...well...how to put this..."

Peter seemed uncertain how to continue, shifting his weight in his chair as if embarrassed - or perhaps afraid.

"It was like a spell came over me. I thought I saw your eyes flash gold, and suddenly all I could think about was pleasuring you. I mean, I love you with all my heart, but something about how I was feeling wasn't normal."

Peter paused, eating his porridge to avoid continuing what he felt was an awkward conversation - he was the one who stole the elixir from work after all. Catherine thought a moment before replying, speaking slowly as she considered what she was saying.

"Peter, I don't exactly know what to tell you. Yes, that potion definitely did a lot more than just banish my sickness. I feel healthier than I ever have in my life. I can breathe easier, and even my eyes has been improved. You know how I always used to be short-sighted? I think my sight is now perfect. And I can feel...some kind of power within me. I'm not sure how to describe it."

Catherine was thoughtful for a moment as she tried to put what she had been feeling into words.

"It feels like a deep well that I can draw from if I need to, but most of the time it has been dormant. It has only really seemed active when I am aroused - and the amount of pleasure I get from sex has definitely increased. I think that well of power is what made my breasts grow - I was thinking about how good it felt when you touched them and wishing they were bigger, and then suddenly they were. I am not sure if I really am stronger though, I've never really thought about being strong and I haven't noticed anything. Maybe your shirt was already torn or something?"

"I don't think my shirt was damaged but I was so worried about you that I might not have noticed if it was." Peter sounded doubtful of his own words, but then continued "At least being stronger should be easy to test."

Catherine nodded, and looked around the kitchen for a likely target. Her eyes fell on the corner of the room where they kept her wedding chest. It was probably the sturdiest, and heaviest, piece of furniture that they owned. It was made of intricately carved solid oak and had reinforcing steel bands. They kept all of their few valuables within its secure interior - her wedding dress, their best clothes, a few pieces of heirloom jewellery and their meagre savings. When they had moved in it had taken two of her uncles to lift it, and even then it had been difficult to carry. Making a decision, she got up and walked over to it. She reached down and grabbed a hold of one of the heavy steel carry handles, then looked over at Peter before continuing.

"I have never been able to even budge this thing on my own before. If I can move it now, I think that's a pretty good test of whether or not I really am stronger."

Catherine tightened her grip, placing both hands securely on the handle. She braced her legs against the floor as she prepared to lift the chest. She closed her eyes, wondering whether she really would be able to raise the chest up off the floor. When she straightened up and pulled on the handle, she was shocked when the chest easily lifted off the floor. It felt weighty, but nowhere near as heavy as it should - it felt about the same weight as a small sack of potatoes from the market. Heavy, but not exactly difficult to carry. Unfortunately, she had been expecting a lot more resistance and when the trunk left the floor she overbalanced and fell backwards. She released her grip and the chest fell back to the ground with a solidthunk, while she landed on her rear. She looked up to Peter, and saw his eyes were wide and his jaw slack as he stared at her. Catherine stared at her hands in amazement.

"Peter...I think you need to go back to Alexei and find out what exactly that potion is..."