elsewhere?” Elizabeth asked helpfully.
“There is no apothecary that will sell this,” said Polidori. “Come, and I will show you.”
On the table a great volume lay open. “Here it is. Look,” he said, pointing to a coloured engraving.
“It is a fungus, or lichen, of some sort,” I said.
“Very good,” said Polidori. “A lichen.
Usnea lunaria.
”
“It is beautiful,” said Elizabeth.
The engraving had been rendered with painstaking detail. The lichen was a brownish-grey, its complicated filaments delicate as lacework. I stared at the image a long time, trying to memorize its shape, colour, and texture.
“It has healing properties, then?” Henry said.
“It is a toxin,” Polidori replied simply.
“A toxin?” Elizabeth said in alarm. “You mean a poison?”
“Yes, but a poison to destroy other poisons,” Polidori said. And then he must have seen the uncertain look on my face, for he added, “Healing is a complicated business. To heal, sometimes we must harm the body, but hope that the overall effect is beneficial.”
“It is true,” Henry said to me. “I remember your father saying arsenic was sometimes administered as a curative.”
“The dose is critical,” Polidori said. “And Agrippa is very specific about it. Let me worry about that. Right now our first task is to procure the lichen.”
“Where does it grow?” Elizabeth asked.
“It is a tree lichen,” said Polidori. “I once collected it myself, but”—he waved a hand at his withered legs—”that is no longer possible.”
“Where do we find it?” I asked.
“We are most fortunate. It can be found not half a day’s ride from here. Throughout the year it migrates across the trunks of the tree to follow the moon. Not surprisingly, it grows at the summit of only the tallest trees.”
“The tallest trees are in the Sturmwald,” I said.
I knew the forest well, since it rose from the steep hills behind our chateau in Bellerive. The trees that tended to thrive there were strong, for in winter they were racked by terrible winds. Some had reached great heights, and were said to have been growing since before the time of Christ.
“I have here a map,” said Polidori, producing a piece of paper so many times folded that it was almost in tatters. “I kept it, you see, in case I ever had need of the lichen again. You will see here some landmarks to help you on your way. On the actual tree where I found the lichen, I cut a blaze in the bark, but there is no guarantee it will still be seen. It was many years ago, before I lost the use of my legs.”
I glanced again at his legs, and thought how I would hate to have that freedom taken from me.
“Thank you,” I said, placing his map carefully inside my pocket.
“It will not be easy,” he said. “Though the lichen needs the moon to live, it can only be seen on the darkest nights.”
I shook my head, not understanding.
“It must be the exact same colour as the bark on which it grows,” said Elizabeth, looking at the engraving.
“Exactly so,” said Polidori. “Even in the moon’s full glare you will not be able to discern it. But in the darkness you will see it.”
“How can this be?” Henry asked.
“It exudes a very pale glow,” said Polidori. “But you must make sure there is no moonlight whatsoever. That is how you will find it.”
“How much must we gather?” Elizabeth asked sensibly.
Polidori passed her a glass vial padded in leather. “This should be ample.”
I looked at Elizabeth and Henry in turn. “Well, it seems simple enough,” I said jokingly. “We must navigate the Sturmwald in total darkness, find and climb the tallest tree, and then, at the summit, discover the lichen.”
“Have you
seen
the trees of the Sturmwald?” Henry said to me. “Many don’t even have branches until they are fifty feet high!”
“You will certainly need rope,” the apothecary said.
“How can one climb a tree in total darkness while holding a
“There is no apothecary that will sell this,” said Polidori. “Come, and I will show you.”
On the table a great volume lay open. “Here it is. Look,” he said, pointing to a coloured engraving.
“It is a fungus, or lichen, of some sort,” I said.
“Very good,” said Polidori. “A lichen.
Usnea lunaria.
”
“It is beautiful,” said Elizabeth.
The engraving had been rendered with painstaking detail. The lichen was a brownish-grey, its complicated filaments delicate as lacework. I stared at the image a long time, trying to memorize its shape, colour, and texture.
“It has healing properties, then?” Henry said.
“It is a toxin,” Polidori replied simply.
“A toxin?” Elizabeth said in alarm. “You mean a poison?”
“Yes, but a poison to destroy other poisons,” Polidori said. And then he must have seen the uncertain look on my face, for he added, “Healing is a complicated business. To heal, sometimes we must harm the body, but hope that the overall effect is beneficial.”
“It is true,” Henry said to me. “I remember your father saying arsenic was sometimes administered as a curative.”
“The dose is critical,” Polidori said. “And Agrippa is very specific about it. Let me worry about that. Right now our first task is to procure the lichen.”
“Where does it grow?” Elizabeth asked.
“It is a tree lichen,” said Polidori. “I once collected it myself, but”—he waved a hand at his withered legs—”that is no longer possible.”
“Where do we find it?” I asked.
“We are most fortunate. It can be found not half a day’s ride from here. Throughout the year it migrates across the trunks of the tree to follow the moon. Not surprisingly, it grows at the summit of only the tallest trees.”
“The tallest trees are in the Sturmwald,” I said.
I knew the forest well, since it rose from the steep hills behind our chateau in Bellerive. The trees that tended to thrive there were strong, for in winter they were racked by terrible winds. Some had reached great heights, and were said to have been growing since before the time of Christ.
“I have here a map,” said Polidori, producing a piece of paper so many times folded that it was almost in tatters. “I kept it, you see, in case I ever had need of the lichen again. You will see here some landmarks to help you on your way. On the actual tree where I found the lichen, I cut a blaze in the bark, but there is no guarantee it will still be seen. It was many years ago, before I lost the use of my legs.”
I glanced again at his legs, and thought how I would hate to have that freedom taken from me.
“Thank you,” I said, placing his map carefully inside my pocket.
“It will not be easy,” he said. “Though the lichen needs the moon to live, it can only be seen on the darkest nights.”
I shook my head, not understanding.
“It must be the exact same colour as the bark on which it grows,” said Elizabeth, looking at the engraving.
“Exactly so,” said Polidori. “Even in the moon’s full glare you will not be able to discern it. But in the darkness you will see it.”
“How can this be?” Henry asked.
“It exudes a very pale glow,” said Polidori. “But you must make sure there is no moonlight whatsoever. That is how you will find it.”
“How much must we gather?” Elizabeth asked sensibly.
Polidori passed her a glass vial padded in leather. “This should be ample.”
I looked at Elizabeth and Henry in turn. “Well, it seems simple enough,” I said jokingly. “We must navigate the Sturmwald in total darkness, find and climb the tallest tree, and then, at the summit, discover the lichen.”
“Have you
seen
the trees of the Sturmwald?” Henry said to me. “Many don’t even have branches until they are fifty feet high!”
“You will certainly need rope,” the apothecary said.
“How can one climb a tree in total darkness while holding a
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