A Birth day

Jerss had been sat in the libray when she felt a downward shift in energy. Placing down her book she ehaded for the kitchen seeing Angus she nodded to Minos " good to see you again" she said then looked at Angus's hand " Marcus good to se eyou too" she held out her hand for Angus to place the small fae in it " I have been working with Robert, I will tell you this Minos, he is my first Fae patient, I will do my best" she said as the fae lay in the palm of her hand she focused on the tiny body finding small broken bones she sent the tiniest amount of energy using all her focus and control to mend them. Then realign his energies to send them to where they needed to be, once she was very sure he was stable she let a tiny amount of her energy trickle into him feeling his own jump start, Looking down she saw a soft glow from the man in her hands . " give him a day or two to rest but he is on the mend." she said looking at Minos as she let out a breath from the self control she had had to use. " I will admit I wish Robert was here to double check my work, but by the colour he now has this, guy will be okay, if you want to check him, please, " she said moving her hand closer to Minos so he could walk on her hand.

Ruby had taken out a third pie and placed it on the counter having followed the recipe plus the extra step that Angus had suggested. Now three merengues sat cooling on the counter in front of her.

"Robert will definitely check him when he gets back. He does that any time there is any sort of a broken bone. He is very perfectionistic when it comes to realigning broken bones," Angus told Minos. Minos crawled out of Angus's pocket, and, he walked over to Jess's hand and then, when Jess got him over to the injured fairy, he checked him and looked at Jess and nodded. He gave her a gesture that Angus had come to learn as a thank you gesture.

"That's his symbol for thanks," Angus said. "He's satisfied. I'd leave him here with you--except, Fudge would really like to eat these two. And, second, his fellow Fae would like to see for themselves that he's been tended. Minos, do you know a formula for pain potion for him?" Minos looked at Angus and sighed. The answer was complicated. "Try to explain. You know a formula but you don't have what you need to make it?" Minos nodded, impressed Angus had gotten it right the first try. If we take you to Robert's workbench, can you talk one of us through making a batch? Will you try?" Minos looked at Jess, hopeful she'd try, and he nodded. "Minos says he's willing to try if you are."

Jess watched as Minos checked his fellow Fae and made a gesture to her . She smiled when Angus said it was of thanks " your very welcome" she said to him then listened as Angus mentioned about pain potion she was about to suggest Roberts work bench when Angus spoke about it first " I was just about to suggest that very thing" she said hen looked to Minos " we can go right now." she told him and making sure not to jostle the injured Fae she walked up the stairs to Roberts lab. Opening the door she stepped inside.

Now stood at the worktable she gently placed the Fae on a small cotton pad that was thick enough to serve as a bed for him. " Minos do you see what you need?" she asked taking one of Roberts pestle and mortars and shrinking them down along with a bottle she knew he would need.

"I'll follow in case I can help translate," Angus said.

"And that means I'm coming because Robert has stitched me to your arse," Marcus said, following satisfied to wait in the hallway a few steps away. Minos fluttered around looking at equipment. He looked at Jess, trying to judge human size as opposed to Fae size. It needed to be a large enough batch that she could accurately measure it. He fluttered up to the jars on the shelves and read each one carefully. Finally he landed on a bottle and tapped on it. He gestured to Jess the number 1.

"It's stored as stems with leaves, Minos," Angus said. "You mean 1 leaf?" Minos shook his head no. "Ah. One stem, then?" Minos nodded. "And that one stem is going to be your base. It's going to represent one part. So all the other ingredients you're measuring, one part will be approximately that amount. Two parts would be double, and so on, right?" Minos nodded, clapping, pleased that they had gotten it so quickly. "Okay. So one of those. Got it." Angus opened the jar and got out one stem and put the jar back and laid the stem on the bench.

While Angus was doing that, Minos was going over to another jar where magical nuts were stored. Minos looked at the jar and showed Jess two fingers. He kept Angus and Jess busy fetching ingredients, and Angus was writing the formula down as they worked.

He had to gesture to Jess his calculation of how finely things needed to be chopped or diced or crushed or grated. Angus was helpful because he understood Minos's charades pretty well by now. Angus translated for Jess to help her understand how to prep the ingredients. Minos chose a small cauldron and saw one of Robert's glass beakers. He gestured to Jess 3 beakers full of water to go into the cauldron to heat. And when it was hot, he gestured to her which ingredients to add, when to stir, when to adjust the heat, and walked her carefully through the process.

He was looking for a pencil led, and he finally resorted to dipping his hand into Robert's inkwell and writing a word on Angus's paper that he was writing the formula on. It was a very strange looking word.

"OH! Is that the incantation in Fae language to make the ingredients work?" Angus asked. He sounded out the word and when he got it right, Minos nodded. Angus showed the word to Jess. "This should do it, with a flick of your wand," Angus told her.

Jess watched as Angus and Minos spoke then she nodded she too understood , carefully as Minos directed she gathered and the ingredients for him seeing the number three and him motioning to the glass jars of water she added it and the ingredient's just as he ahs instructed they should , she lit the cauldron and looked to Angus as he spoke of the incantation , taking out her wand she held it above the cauldron and waited for Angus to speak the fae words.

"I'm ready" she said to Angus and looked to Minos " once done I'll add it to the bottle and shrink it for you" she said with a smile.

Minos did some more quick math in his head and then he looked at Angus and showed him ten. Ten fingers.

"Ten? Ten what? Ten bottles? No? Um...Ten drops? No. Um..." Angus was struggling. It took them awhile. And then, as Angus was running out of options, Marcus poked his head in.

"Milliliters?" Marcus asked. Minos nodded vigorously.

"It needs to be reduced to about ten mililiters, then," Angus said. Minos nodded. And then we can pour it into some of your little bottles when we get home, right?" Minos nodded. "Will it work on humans, Minos?" Angus asked. Minos shrugged. He didn't know.

"I could hurt you so you could find out," Marcus teased. Minos laughed hysterically. As Jess finished the potion, a fragrant, floral scent filled the air. Angus and Marcus felt rather soothed and relaxed just by the fragrance.

"That's a very nice scent. We need to have Robert make a tea that smells like that," Marcus said.

"Minos is very pleased with your work, Jess. He thinks you did a great job," Angus said.

Jess finished the potion and placed it in a jar reducing it she handed it to Minos " thank you, I had a very good instructor" she said and smiled to Minos. " I have to say this is one of the nicest smelling potions that ahs come from this lab, smells like cherry blossom on a spring day after the spring rain." she said and chuckled as she saw Minos take the bottle.

"no hurting around me guys" she said and chuckled to Angus and Marcus " but it will need testing before we can human test it" she added. Placing the bottle next to Minos and the resting Fae. She watched Minos inspect the bottle and smile. Looking to Angus and Marcus she smiled too " I'll make note of the recipe , oh you already did good I'll have it made up again and kept in storage if the Fae nee it again" she said " I'll also add it to Roberts long list of potions in stock in the lab too," she sat back on a stood she had placed behind her and watched.

Angus found a clean eye dropper and put just a tiny bit in the eyedropper. Minos helped Angus guide the tip of the eyedropper over the injured fairy and Minos helped the fairy drink just one single tiny drop. As soon as he had had the pain potion, the fairy's little body started to glow again, ever so slightly, and the fairy drifted off to sleep.

"That's done it," Angus said. "His pain has stopped, so now he's finally resting. Well done, Jess. It works. And every time Minos shows me one of these Fae things, he proves to me over and over how smart he is and why he's going to be an incredible king for his people. He's actually the crown prince, but since his parents are gone now, he'll no doubt soon be coronated the king of this little tiny kingdom. He knew this formula just off the top of his head, and you should see the drawing he's done of how he's going to turn that tree that's now in the center of my garden to a proper Fae palace. He apparently has been studying architecture for hundreds of years. If he tried to teach me for the rest of my limited little life, I couldn't begin to know half of what he knows."

Minos began doing charades again, commenting about Angus' appreciation for how much Minos had studied in his life. Angus watched and he smiled. Minos was discounting all the book learning, and he gestured that the length of a life and all the studying didn't compare to the love one had in his life for family and friends. Minos believed that what honestly mattered was the love.

"And that," Marcus said, "is the ultimate truth, isn't it? For all we believe we have in our lives, the only thing that is eternal is the love. You are indeed very wise, Minos."

Jess stood and listened to Angus as she watched him place a single drop in the fallen Fae's mouth , she could see the shine returned to the Fae and smiled " yes he is going to be fine" she said then smiled as Minos spoke of Angus " I agree Marcus , love is the strongest bond of all the magics we learn" she said smiling. " now take the fae and place him in a proper bed to rest, no work for him, your majesty for two days, please" she added as Jack walked past the lab door.

"here you are, oh hey Minos" he said and walked over to Jess smiling he kissed her and looked at the fallen Fae " how's the little guy doing?" he asked walking over " I heard from one of the grounds men one of them was injured so came to check him out." Jack looked at the small Fae laid on the work table.

"Angus and Minos rescued him, and Jess has managed to save him. And she's brewed him a proper Fae pain potion with Minos' guidance. So, now we'll take him home so his people can fuss over him for a little," Marcus said. "He looks dramatically better."

Minos began doing some charades, and Angus watched carefully.

"I think he's like to have you take him to the stump they were working on. I think he's trying to tell us that he suspects there is a natural defect in some of the inner layers of that stump that caused the shaft they were making to fail," Angus told Jack. "If you're going back to the garden, he'd ride on your shoulder or in your pocket, but you would have to watch the bowtruckles because Fudge would very much like to eat him." Minos made more charades, and Marcus was the one who caught the message.

"I think I get it. Minos says you cut the rest of that tree for firewood, but he says if that flaw is in some of the firewood, those sections will cause the wood to make some pretty big popping, and he's afraid it could cause unintended things to catch fire. He thinks that once he shows you what to look for, you should go through the firewood to find the damaged pieces and get rid of them."

"No. don't get rid of them," Angus said, thinking quickly. "Set it aside. The next time we find some of Suzanne's sentries at a camp fire, I'm gonna switch some of their firewood out for it. When a readymade weapon presents itself, we'd be foolish not to take advantage of it, right?"