Mercury, Sulfur, & Salt

By Ben Stahl

As the daughter of a powerful alchemist, Rhea resents the fact that her father refuses to teach her anything more than rudimentary alchemy. Though she understands that he is trying to protect her after her mother died in a violent alchemical accident, she still hates the secretive nature of his work. After an argument with her father, she seeks out his assistant Aurora. Instead of receiving the comfort she sought, she is asked to violate every belief she’s ever held.

Strange cloaked figures swarm the village, reducing it to cinders while they work to contain the deathly whispers floating on the scorched air. The night is red with blood and fire, filled with the screams of the dying -- and something else. She must wade through the chaos of the village to try and find her father -- and some answers -- before everything dear to her is reduced to ash.

Worst of all, Rhea knows that it is all her fault.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ben Stahl
• Release date: Sep 15, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301836154

Ben Stahl

Ben Stahl has loved stories and valued sharing creativity his entire life. Now, he’s decided to pull some of the heroes, villains, monsters, hopeless situations, and shining triumphs out of his head and put them on paper (or screen) for all to enjoy. His focus is on science fiction and fantasy, and some of his favorite books include the works of Hugh Howey, Orson Scott Card, Terry Goodkind, and Joe Halderman. Ben likes to think of himself as a laid-back geek. When not writing, he enjoys gaming of nearly all sorts, reading, and painting. He lives in Raleigh, NC with his girlfriend and two Chihuahuas.

Book preview

Mercury

Mercury, or quicksilver as it is frequently called, is one of the three foundational components of alchemy. It represents fluidity and motion. Mercury allows life to bend and sway, avoiding the grim realities that accompany stagnancy. It binds our volatile sulfurs to our basic salts, and is the stuff of memory itself. - Furrol, The Elements of Alchemy

Rhea crouched in the long grasses that lined the path home, several dandelion puffs poking through the dark green blades in front of her. Setting her tray of barley bread and cheese aside, she carefully plucked the fluffy white balls of seeds from their stems before tucking most of them away in a pocket.

Focusing on the few remaining seeds in her hand, she thought about wind. Rhea recalled the rustling of leaves that foretold a coming breeze and imagined a breath of air flitting through her hair. A weak tingling sensation ran along her arm and fizzed in her fingertips. The dandelion seeds were gone.

The tall grasses around her swayed as a warm breeze tickled her cheeks. She wondered if her mother would have been proud of her. Smiling, she picked up the tray and hurried along the path. The sun was high now, her father and Aurora would be hungry.

The tray scraped across the table while Rhea checked one final time to make sure she’d remembered everything. Bread, cheese, water, and a few pieces of fruit. She nodded to herself. Pleased with the results of her inspection, she left the inviting shade of the arbor and followed the short path to her father’s atelier. Rhea banged on the door.

Lunch is ready! she called. I brought bread, cheese, and fruit.

No one answered. Rhea knew she shouldn’t, but she tried the door. It was barred, so she began banging again.

Come eat!

The sound of wood on wood scraped across her ears and the door cracked open. Her father, Tarik, peered down at her.

I told you to stay away from my atelier and wait for us to come out.

If I did that, you and Aurora would never eat again. Rhea grinned up at him. He did not return the gesture.

"Rhea, you know you shouldn’t be here."

A third voice, somewhere beyond the door, joined the conversation.

"I am getting hungry, and we need to let this mixture cool. If the food is ready, why don’t we go eat?"

If the mixture needs to cool now, then yes, we can go eat. Tarik pinched the brow of his nose and sighed. "We’ll be there in just a few minutes. Go wait for us