Page 376 - The Grotesque Children's Book

forehead. When she was wearing it, its presence gave her great serenity and peace, knowing all
she need do was flick open the locket and her antidote would be ready at hand. On the occasions
when she was not wearing the locket in her hair, it remained in her octagonal jewel box in her
private chambers, where it also was of great comfort. “My dragon,” she called it, “guarding over
me.” Zaccario did not remind her that the antidote wasn’t called “the dragon” -- that term
referred to Bunduqiatqasara, which was the alchemical stone to go into an amulet, once Zaccario
had succeeded in manufacturing it. The antidote actually was nothing more than crushed and
dried hemerocalles, a common yellow day lily, with some Realgar (red sulfide) mixed in for
show. But there was little reason to tell her that, was there?

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