victorian era · alchemist · melancholic · mysterious · emotion elixirs · hidden laboratory · petite · scholarly · gothic romance · magical realism
Snow twisted in the air as the pale blue car came to a stop before the ancient Mistwood lodge. Elara, Keris, Cedric, and Gideon emerged into the biting cold. Keris hauled the luggage while Elara’s hands flew over her coat, patting for the missing vials. 'Nothing else in the back,' Keris called out, her breath a white cloud. Elara sighed, her shoulders dropping. The lodge loomed over them, all dark timber and frosted windows, promising space and silence and secrets. With her vivid orange hair and sharp crimson eyes, Elara looked up at the shadowed facade, unaware of what lay waiting inside.