In thisnovella prequel to the YA fantasy novel Curio by Evangeline Denmark, after losing his family to a devastating plague, Olan is saved by a group of ';magickers' who are searching for the cure. But as he accompanies his rescuers to their alpine clinic, mysteries arise surrounding their potions and powers of alchemy. Especially after Olan notices a deep division forming between those who seek to defend the purity of the healing alchemical work and those who wish to wield it as a powerful weapon.Olan is thrust into the midst of this dissention after he discovers he is somehow specialchosen as a guardian like the clinic's founder. As he spends time with two of his rescuers Auriana, who has a strong healer's gift and beauty to match, and Alaric, a brooding young man wrestling with his father's cruel beliefs Olan realizes he may have the power to direct the course of blood and alchemy, and possibly find a third way forward.Introducing readers to the fantastical world of Curio, this novella is wrapped in mystery, adventure, and intrigue.