Chapter 1 #2
There were easily a dozen items in the case, arranged by year of origin, maker, and magic.
Some details were lost to time, but Camden was exceptionally good at deducing pertinent details about an artifact the longer he had close proximity to an item.
His affinity was for the earth, but more specifically, the minerals, metals, gems, crystals, and woods used in the crafting of artifacts, allowing him to determine authenticity, age, function, and many times the maker of artifacts.
Earth-based magical psychometry was the official specialty, bolstered by training, education, experience, and skill.
His personal magic made his job fun and interesting, and he loved the puzzle of authenticating new artifacts when Achilles sent them to the shop. Aside from being a sales associate, that was Camden’s job—figuring out artifacts, determining their value, and pricing them.
He knew the history of every object in the shop, and their purpose and magics.
The entire building whispered to him of ages past, with hints of hundreds of different craftspeople and previous owners adding to the mix.
If he were less in control of his magic, the shop would be a chaotic and difficult place to step inside, let alone work.
Camden ignored the weapons and instead went for the artifact in the center, by an artisan named Sylvia de Pizan, a sorceress and noblewoman.
She’d made hundreds of artifacts in her lifetime, including many private commissions and gifts to friends and contemporaries, and even commissions for several royals in the early 1500s.
His goal was a necklace resting on a dark-blue velvet tray, and he reached through the spells without issue and lifted it free from the case, setting it on top of the counter.
It was fashioned from gold and sapphires, and its central stone was a large red ruby shaped into a fat red apple, gripped in the fanged mouth of a golden viper, eyes a brilliant blue from the sapphires.
The coil of the viper was the length of the necklace, and the head of the viper holding the apple would rest just above the collarbone of the wearer.
It was a large piece, meant to be worn with shoulders bared, exposing the throat and the viper with its prize.
“Crafted by Sylvia de Pizan in 1503 in Rome, and given to Anne of Brittany, the Queen of France.” Camden was fond of this piece—the de Pizan women at the time of its making were fiery, outspoken people, and had surprisingly progressive attitudes about women’s rights.
“Solid gold, sapphires, and rubies, handcrafted, and the spellwork is locked and functional to this day.”
“De Pizan? Truly?” Nicolo asked, excited more by the name of the maker than the materials. “I knew a Christine de Pizan, an extraordinary person of learning, wit, and talent. An exceptional author, she wrote for the French Royal Court.”
“Sylvia de Pizan was her cousin, and shared many intellectual pursuits with Christine,” Camden said, excited as well.
He loved talking about history with immortals—they had first-hand experience about some of Camden’s favorite topics and people.
“It was Christine’s connection to the French Court that got Sylvia the commission to craft the necklace. ”
“This was owned by Anne of Brittany?” Nicolo leaned in carefully to examine the necklace, getting a hair too close. Camden tried to warn him, but things happened too quickly.
With a sharp hiss, the viper came to life, depositing the red ruby apple in its coils and then striking outward at Nicolo’s face with a sharp snap of metal, the coils clinking softly as the artifact moved.
Nicolo blurred back from the viper, standing upright, blinking down at it in surprise. The viper relaxed once Nicolo was out of range, opening its mouth to reclaim the ruby and settling down once again into perfect stillness.
“Are you alright? I’m sorry, I didn’t warn you in time,” Camden apologized.
“That was marvelous!” Nicolo gasped out. “Simply marvelous! Snapping at men who get too close to the apple, how delightful. And it would keep away unwanted touches and protect personal space, as well. Simply perfection.”
Pleased that Nicolo had figured out the artifact’s purpose, he grinned and nodded.
“Yes! Exactly so. Anne of Brittany had it commissioned to do exactly that—protect the wearer from unwanted touch and attention. The defensive spells aren’t locked onto gender, though; it will bite anyone it doesn’t ‘know’ if they get too close.
It needs to be introduced to anyone who wants to wear it, or is allowed to get that close and intimate with the wearer while in use. ”
“And how does one get introduced to a magical necklace?” Nicolo asked, silver eyes alight with curiosity and good humor.
He was so handsome. Camden was thoroughly charmed.
Camden shook his head with a rueful, gently teasing smile. “The secret is revealed only with purchase, I’m afraid.”
“Ahh, of course,” Nicolo murmured, amused, if his gently crinkled eyes and the small twist to his full lips were anything to go by, and the smooth rumble of his voice made Camden’s belly tighten.
“How enterprising.” He eyed the viper on its luxurious cushion of velvet, and seemed to come to a quick and decisive decision. “I’ll take it.”
“Wonderful,” Camden smiled, pleased. He hoped the vampire would be just as willing to buy it once he learned of the purchase price. “We take cash, credit, and cashier’s check, or an equitable trade. The price of the necklace is 125,000 USD.”
Nicolo didn’t even flinch at the price. He reached into his coat and pulled out a slim leather wallet, placing it on the counter, just out of range of the golden viper.
“Not a problem,” Nicolo said, watching the artifact with a complicated mix of fascination and wariness before focusing on Camden.
His eyes were beautiful, and Camden struggled not to blush at the thought.
“Out of curiosity, what would an equitable trade look like?”
“A few pints of vampire blood; a sack of mint condition ancient Roman coins from the Republican period; or an old dragon scale about the size of my pinkie nail.” Camden listed off the most recent trades he’d taken as payment for artifacts that were within the same price range, give or take a few thousand dollars.
The vampire blood had been sold immediately to medical researchers and hospitals—Achilles had no use for it, and it would help more in the medical field than sitting on a shelf behind glass.
Nicolo didn’t even blink at the mention of the blood but didn’t seem excited at it either—not an option for him it seemed, not that Camden was upset by that at all.
He wasn’t squeamish about blood, but he wasn’t a fan of watching a vampire cut their own wrist over a goblet, either.
He let Achilles handle those transactions if it came to it.
“Credit card for me. Nothing as exciting as a bloodletting, I’m afraid.
” Nicolo pulled out a black card and slid it across the counter, careful of the viper.
Camden took the card, happy to make a sale on such a slow day.
Camden locked the display case before he carried the card and tray holding the necklace down the counter to the closest point-of-sale device, typing in the artifact’s SKU and matching it with the information on file.
Nicolo followed at a sedate pace, idly perusing the display cases as he joined Camden. He slid the chip card into the reader and didn’t blink when the approval came through immediately—he had been working there long enough that the large transactions stopped shocking him ages ago.
He handed the card back to Nicolo, asking, “Would you like it gift-wrapped?”
“Yes, please.”