Henry’s eyes drooped and his head nodded forward until Coralis gave him a light pat on the cheek. “Sorry, Henry. I forgot to adjust the mixture to compensate for your size and age.” He smiled. “I believe these lessons will be as good for me as they are for you.”

He removed a small pinch of herbs from the bowl and popped it into his mouth, swallowing with a wince. “Yuck! Always bitter when dry. Especially the chamomile.”

Within moments, Henry’s eyes were focused and his body relaxed.

“When your mind is clear, it can more easily absorb information. And not only absorb it but store it.”

“What’s the difference?” asked Brianna. The effects of the herbs were even greater on her small size, and from her drowsy state, she appeared to be sleep-talking.

Yet Coralis addressed the question as if she were fully awake. “The human mind is among the most complex structures on the planet—better than any supercomputer. With your five senses, you absorb information every conscious minute of your life. That information is stored as memories. Sometimes you can recall that information on command. Other times memories arise unbidden. For instance, a certain smell will trigger the memory of a person you haven’t thought of in years. Amazing, yes, but not terribly efficient.

“But you can also train your brain to store information in compartments. That way, the information is there when you need it. Try to picture your brain as a large chest with an infinite number of drawers.”

“Or like the world’s biggest Kunstkammer,” added Henry drowsily, subconsciously recalling a section from the Guidebook.

“Very good! Now then, I want you to start with a drawer labeled ‘astrology.’ Visualize opening this drawer and looking down at rows of compartments, each one empty.”

“It’s open,” said Henry.

“Your job is to listen, something that very few people know how to do. You hear things, but unless you listen with the intent to understand, you will not learn.” Coralis’s voice suddenly changed. The spoken words became deep and full, rich with substance. And at the tail end of each word was a barely perceptive musical tone—a mezzo piano bell tone that was meant to be felt more than heard. “So I will talk and you will listen. And I will tell you where to file each item of information, just as I have them stored.”

Henry twitched as something horrible occurred to him. “You’re not emptying your drawers to fill mine, are you?”

Coralis forced himself not to laugh while reverting to a normal voice. “No, Henry, I cannot forget what I have learned. And besides, it would take many lifetimes to transfer the entire contents of a single drawer. We will start with basic information. Within time, you will learn to create subcompartments and drawers within drawers.”

“Will I live as long as you have?” asked Henry.