At night, outside the Black Wood Forest Outpost.
By the cool light of the moon, Murphy carefully undid the Silver Button on his leather pouch.
The pale golden powder within the pouch glimmered under the moonlight.
He dipped his fingertip in, taking a small amount of the powder. Recalling how he had secretly watched the followers take their medicine, he placed the powder under his tongue.
Then, Murphy gently pressed the tip of his tongue into the hollow behind his upper front teeth. In Breathing and Guiding, this was known as 'building the magpie bridge'.
The principle behind it was quite simple. Pressing the tongue against the roof of the mouth stimulates the salivary glands. The digestive enzymes in the saliva could then begin breaking down the medicine's components. At the same time, the posture allowed the blood vessels under the tongue to make better contact with the powder, accelerating the absorption of its active ingredients.
