Chapter Two
Before I agreed to a price, I wanted to see more of the rot. We didn't have to go far. The King took me on a palace tour, starting with the gate.
The horns on duty didn't bother to bow to His Majesty; they were too busy rushing to get out of his way. Not that they seemed scared. It was more that the King's formidable presence demanded a clear path. He moved, and they moved aside like opposing magnets.
King Falken took me to the gatehouse, opened a panel in the wall, and motioned at the glittering wheels inside. “The gate has to be lowered manually now. We're too afraid to use the mechanism.”
I set my case down on a nearby table, scattered with the remnants of someone's lunch, and opened it.
After removing a pair of glasses, I put them on and went to stand beside the King.
He didn't move back for me, even when the side of my arm pressed into his chest. I didn't care.
My focus was on the rot. With a sharp inhale, I leaned closer.
“Don't Volpers have excellent eyesight?” The King leaned in with me, searching for whatever had caught my attention.
I glanced at him, then did a double-take.
His aura was astonishing—billowing with green, gold, blue, and red.
The red was expected; the deep shade showing strength, vigor, courage, and a need for success.
There was a hint of blood-red passion in the billowing haze, which was unsurprising given his current attraction to me.
The gold was rare, but again, expected. It was a sign of power.
Pure dominance. But it was tempered by the ivy green of responsibility, determination, and dedication.
What was most intriguing were the shades of blue that hovered closest to his body.
They meant he was loyal, trustworthy, and had enormous wisdom. He also valued close relationships.
“Master Sevarin?” He frowned at me.
“Oh, uh, these are alchemical glasses. They show me what can't be seen by the naked eye.”
“What do you mean?”
I returned my gaze to the mechanism, studying the silver veins within the gears, glowing white at their centers. “The visible spectrum is only a small percentage of what exists. There are so many things we cannot see without assistance. So much that in comparison, we are blind.”
“Blind?” The King's face came closer, his chest pressing against my back.
His scent was stronger now, with a hint of spicy arousal.
He may be interested in what I was saying, but he was even more interested in me.
I was interested in him as well. He was my type of man, and I'd need a physical release soon.
I hadn't fucked in over a month, and physical needs had to be met.
Without a healthy body, the mind cannot achieve its full potential.
“Yes, blind,” I said. “But again, that is compared to all that we cannot see. Obviously, we can see enough to navigate the world.”
“What do you see with those glasses?”
I pointed at a wheel, my finger hovering over it. “The Silver Rot is growing. I can see the silver veins within the metal. They cast no aura, so it's not alive. The rot is not a bacterium or poison.”
“May I have a look?”
Glancing over, I found the King turned toward me, his lips two inches from my cheek. I removed the glasses and set them on his face, stroking his hair as I settled them around his ears. “Careful with them. They are one of my most prized possessions.”
The Dragon King blinked at me through the crystal lenses, his brown eyes going wide. The amber in them glittered, even without the sun. “You . . . you're beautiful.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Yes, I know. But thank you.”
“No, I mean your aura. I can see it. It glitters like jewels.”
“Like jewels? What color is it?”
“It's white but glimmers with violet and blue.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “What shade of blue?”
“Deep blue. Sapphire.”
“Ah, that makes sense. Deep blue indicates an exceptional mind.”
The King chuckled and shifted his stare to the rot. “Does the white show narcissism?”
“Clarity, calm, and focus, actually.” I grimaced. “It's not narcissism if it's true. I'm self-aware.”
The King laughed harder, and then abruptly stopped, clearing his throat. “So, the Silver Rot has a silver aura?”
“It's not an aura. The rot looks the same under glasses as without. The glasses simply allow us to see deeper, through the metal gears, where it's blooming.” I held out a hand. “May I continue?”
“Oh.” He straightened and removed the glasses to hand them to me. “Yes, of course.” He even stepped back after I took them.
Stretching my shoulders, I put the glasses on and leaned in, looking up and down the gate mechanism. There was nothing else of note, so I stepped away and stowed my glasses back in my case.
“Are you ready to see more?” the King asked.
“Yes.” I picked up my case and followed him out of the gatehouse.
I crossed the courtyard at the King's side, and we went up the steps to the keep.
The guards stationed there opened the doors for us as we approached, and we passed inside without stopping.
Luxurious furnishings filled every room, along with modern magical machines and curious courtiers.
I even saw a few Volpers. One of them noted the Beckhur Clan symbol on my case and bowed to me.
I noted him back, memorizing his face. I didn't know him, but he knew my clan and respected it. That was enough to pique my interest.
We passed through a hallway with a lifter. The device transported people from one floor to another, but it was roped off. I frowned at that and followed the King to a set of stairs going down. Lights came on as we descended, washing the dull stone walls in amber.
“The worst of it is down here.” The King left the stairwell to enter a bare chamber of stone.
Two horn guards stood to either side of a massive steel door, but they each kept two feet between themselves and the door.
They bowed as the King entered the room and stepped further away from the door.
Their unease was justified. Silver veins spread across the steel door, covering most of the metal in beautiful designs with crumbling centers.
I didn't need my glasses to see the depth of this rot. It had surfaced.
“This is our armory. It has the strongest ward in the palace.” The King motioned at the door that stood several feet taller than he.
Eyes narrowed, I approached the door. “You have a stronger ward on your armory than on your gate?”
“I have thirty horns guarding the walls and the gate. Only two are posted here.”
“What about your quarters?” I set my case down and opened it.
“What about them?” He leaned over me to peer into my case.
I removed my collection kit. No matter where I went, I always had a collection kit with me. You never know when you might find a rare ingredient or a fascinating specimen. After opening the little silver case, I removed a pair of pincers and a small glass jar.
As I stood, I looked at the King. “Don't you have a ward on the door to your quarters?”
“No. I'm the strongest person in the city. If someone wants to test that, I'll be happy to oblige.”
I stared at him. He didn't twitch, just met my stare with confidence. The words hadn't held arrogance, only honesty. Which made them even more dominant. Nothing to dispute there. Dropping my gaze, I went to the door. The guards drew further away.
After uncapping the glass jar, I held the lid out to the Dragon King. “Do you mind?”
He took it without a word, and I didn't bother to look at him.
I was intent on my job, and didn't think it wise to look away from the rot when I stood so close to it.
Not until I knew what it was or how it spread.
Holding the jar as close to the door as possible, I scraped some of the crumbled center of a silver bloom into it.
The delicate flakes fell into the jar like snow to pile on the bottom.
Holding my breath, I stepped back and held the pincers out to the King.
“Hold them by the bottom.” I transferred them carefully to his grip and then took the jar lid from him.
Barely breathing, I capped the jar and set it in my collection kit. After closing that, I removed a cloth and held it open, nodding to the King. “Carefully, place the pincers on the cloth, please.”
Eyebrows lifted, the King set the pincers down, and I closed the cloth around them. With them contained, I moved faster, tucking them away and closing my case. I stood up and motioned to the guards. “Up the stairs. Now!”
The guards looked at the King.
The King nodded.
The guards hurried upstairs.
“Now you, Your Majesty. If you would please hurry.” I waved him after them.
The Dragon King climbed the stairs, glancing back only once to see me coming up after him. I didn't take a deep breath until we reached the top. The horns stood there, looking between the King and me.
“You need to board up this passage.” I motioned toward the open stairwell. “As soon as possible, Your Majesty.”
“It's contagious?” The King stepped away from the stairwell.
“I'm not sure yet. But the rot has surfaced in that door, and with exposure, things otherwise contained can become airborne. At first glance, this is a rot that targets enchantments, but most of the races of Serai have magic in them, including Dragons. If this disease targets magic, it could potentially target you, Sire.”
The King nodded at a guard, and the guard ran off. To the other, he said. “Make sure no one goes down there. Stay back until it's boarded up.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” The horn saluted.
Then the Dragon King looked at me. “So, are you taking the job, Master Alchemist?”
“Let's discuss it somewhere else. Somewhere far from here.”