Chapter 3 #2
Carnelian sighed long sufferingly. “You will be my assassin. When you win, you’ll take him out that very night, and I’ll have someone nearby to discover the body and give you time to get away.
The timing is crucial; you must not kill him until you have been announced as the winner.
I will be providing the king council along with all the other lords, helping him decide who to eliminate at each trial.
I will ensure you stay in the running, don’t worry about that.
But you must do your part. We will go over everything you need to know to play the part of a distant family member of mine, one with my noble blood in their veins, and ensure you do not embarrass me in the process. ”
His voice hardened as he watched my reaction, my pink eyes wide as I tried not to panic at the thought of entering the competition. “You carry yourself with more dignity, more grace, than any street urchin I’ve ever seen. We’ll be able to polish you up enough to pull this off. Do you understand?”
I understood perfectly. If I didn’t play the part correctly, the high king wasn’t the only one who’d wind up dead.
I swallowed hard. Entering back into the world of courts and nobles wasn’t something I ever expected to happen.
It was too dangerous. There were too many opportunities for the king to realize who I was.
And I wasn’t sure how to play the part of a delicate noble lady anymore, not really.
I’d been roughed up around the edges since my childhood, to say the least.
Hence the thievery I was sure had my mother rolling over in her grave.
“How do you expect me to kill him?” I asked, knowing it was all that truly mattered in the end. This chance might be the only one I ever had.
The slow smirk he answered with was a frightening sight.
He stood up from his chair and strode over to one of the bookshelves on the wall, pulling out a book for some reason.
Or, I thought he was, but the book stopped partway, and the shelf began to move.
A hidden door. This castle was just full of them, apparently.
He waved me over, and I reluctantly stood up, following him into the secret room.
My jaw nearly dropped as I cleared the doorway.
I hadn’t seen a room quite like this since I was little, when I would play at my father’s feet, pretending I was doing magic.
The ones at market couldn’t begin to compete with the sight before me.
It was a full Gemlab, with potions bubbling away and bottles full of all sorts of swirling potions in numerous colors sitting on shelves around the large room.
Against the far wall was an entire shelving unit containing piles of raw gems, enough to make me incredibly aggravated that I hadn’t known about this room.
I would have definitely raided this instead, had I known.
Though I probably would have gotten caught anyway. It seemed like he kept this room quite private. It was odd, considering every lord had their own Gemlab. Why would he hide his?
He walked toward the table in the middle of the room, containing a smoking beaker full of a shimmering white opal, dark black onyx, sparkling green emerald, and a light sheen of purple amethyst. I’d seen similar combinations before, of course, but none that looked quite like this.
Depending on how much you use of each gem, and the method of brewing, you could use them to very different effects.
The alchemy of Gemwork was quite a fascinating subject, really, but not one I ever had the opportunity to explore the way I wished.
I slowly followed Carnelian over to the wooden table the potion was set on, and his red eyes took on a sheen I couldn’t quite decipher. His small smirk was no less discomforting, but I locked down my own face to ensure I didn’t let a single emotion flicker across it.
“This,” he announced proudly as he gestured to the potion, “will be what takes down the king.”
I eyed the swirling mixture, the smoke slowly dissipating as it neared completion. I couldn’t help the hard swallow I took as I contemplated what it meant. I was really going to do this. I would kill King Azurill. Maybe then, my family would be able to rest in peace.
Maybe then, I could find some peace, too.
As much as I hated the bastard, however, I’d never actually killed anyone before.
Injured a few guards here and there, sure, but now I was being forced to become an assassin, all because I was foolishly overconfident in my ability to steal without being caught.
Even if ending the king served my own ends, it was a thought that lived only in dreams until now.
But I’d done this to myself, and now I had to face the consequences. I just couldn’t live with myself if others were forced to face them too.
“And what about my friend?” I dared to ask, raising my chin as I stared the lord down. “She’s dying, if I don’t get her help—”
“Yes, yes.” He waved me off, irritation lacing every word, “I will send my men to pick her up.”
“Pick her up?” I asked, my pitch rising as I stiffened in alarm.
“Of course!” He smirked, relishing in reaction. “My people will watch over her and ensure she remains alive. Once you’ve succeeded, I will have her healed fully. That should give you proper incentive, should it not?”
I ground my teeth together, jaw working back and forth as my hands fisted tightly to prevent myself from reaching out and punching the pompous prick. I should have known it wouldn’t be so simple; nothing was ever straightforward with nobles.
I knew Carnelian would dangle Ula over my head until this was finished. Clearly, he didn’t believe my own life was inventive enough, but I would never forgive myself if I didn’t try to save her from this.
“I have just as much reason as you to want him dead,” I argued fiercely, and his eyebrow spiked, curiosity written all over his face. “You don’t need her.”
“Do you now?” he murmured, ignoring my last words as he continued to watch me.
It took everything I had in me not to shift on my feet under the intensity of his gaze, my nerves rising at what he might see.
Anonymity had been my only defense for so long; being seen was a nightmare beyond comprehension.
“Yes,” I stressed, shaking my head slightly. “If you heal her, I’ll do whatever you want. You don’t need to keep her captive.”
“Who said anything about captive?” He gasped as if offended, pressing a hand over his chest. “I’m merely carrying out our agreement.
A favor between…business partners, even.
I believe you care more about the safety of your friend than you do your own.
So I will keep her safe and well while you do your job.
I can’t just trust a thief such as yourself, after all.
That would be incredibly foolish of me, and I’m not in the habit of being foolish. ”
I bristled at his pointed tone, opening my mouth to argue once more, but he spoke again before I could. “Tell me, though, why do you want Azurill dead?”
His palms hit the table as he leaned over it, all but towering over me, and I had to suppress my flinch. I cursed the day I bought that damn map to his vault, and I was sure I would be cursing it and myself many times over before this was through.
Whatever he saw in me, it was too much. My nameless, invisible existence was key to my survival. If he knew who I actually was…
“I live on the streets and have nothing to my name. Is that not enough? He runs this system that sees so many with nothing left to rot, while he lords over us all in his damned diamond palace.” I obfuscated, hoping he wouldn’t press the issue.
“Hmm.” He narrowed his eyes, while I prayed to Erodite to obscure his sight and not let him see the truth of me.
Something I knew would be ever more challenging to hide in the heart of Diamond’s court.