Chapter Five
The next morning, I woke up refreshed and ready to continue my investigation. I packed a satchel with the tools I might need and went downstairs to find some breakfast. The Dragon King hadn't given me a tour, so after reaching the ground floor, I stopped a passing courtier.
“Pardon me, could you tell me where to find the dining hall?” I asked the Argaiv man.
His delicate, membranous wings rustled as he stared down his long nose at me. Attractive, but dangerously so, he had his long brown hair pulled back to show the sharp angles of his face. His green eyes narrowed. “Who are you?”
“I'm Master Sevarin, an alchemist hired by the King. I just arrived yesterday.” Frowning at his tone, I added. “Who are you?”
“As I thought. A Volper alchemist. Master, indeed,” he scoffed. “Your mountain mixing won't help. Go back to your clan and let the real alchemists handle this.”
It wasn't the first time I'd been insulted, but it had been a while.
I realized it was because I'd been traveling.
They welcomed me in other kingdoms where people rarely saw Volpers, though it was mostly out of curiosity.
But I was home now, and here, Volpers weren't rare.
People often viewed us as forest-dwellers, similar to the Shanba.
They considered forest-dwellers to be ignorant, regardless of whether we studied law, medicine, or alchemy.
We weren't the ignorant ones, but I wasn't about to fight with a bigot. Nor would I back down.
“So, you don't know where the dining hall is?” I looked him over as if he were a new bug I'd never seen before. “You must be new as well. Or slow-minded.”
The Argaiv's handsome face reddened and twitched. “I am the Court Alchemist! I know where the dining hall is, but I have no intention of helping you, you fraud!” He spun about and stormed off.
Chuckling, I went in the opposite direction.
As I walked, a Volper stepped up beside me.
He was the same man I'd noticed the day before—the one who had bowed to me.
His coloring was the opposite of mine, with his hair, horns, and tail all black.
His complexion was darker too, a deep tan, while my skin was more the color of sand.
It made his golden eyes appear brighter.
I stopped to turn to him. “Hello.”
He stopped as well. “Hello, I'm Daglor Auilos, Head Archivist. Welcome to the Royal Palace.”
“Auilos.” I nodded, recognizing the clan as Knots—made up of scribes, contract lawyers, and archivists. “I'm Sevarin Beckhur, Master Alchemist.”
“Yes, I know.” He lifted his chin to indicate that we should continue walking. “It's nice to meet you, Master Sevarin. This way to breakfast.”
“Ah, you overheard that?”
“Yes, and pay Vanre no mind. He's a borrowed-tail and half-mixed as well.”
I chuckled. Borrowed-tail and half-mixed were both insults; the former was used to describe a person full of pride for no reason, and the latter was a term for incompetence. “How did he get hired as the Court Alchemist?”
“First, he's not the Court Alchemist. He's a court alchemist. He's here because his uncle is the Head Alchemist. Vanre thinks the position will be his one day, but all of that is looking uncertain now that the rot has come, and none of them have been able to cure it.”
“I see.” I followed Daglor into a vast hall full of long wooden tables covered in blue linen.
A central aisle between tables led to the King's table, perched atop a dais at the end of the hall.
It was empty, and I assumed the King was still asleep.
Or perhaps he had an early start and had already eaten.
Thinking back to our vigorous sex, I decided it was the former, and that brought a smile to my face. Just in time too.
Daglor had led me to a table full of Volpers, and I held my smile as I took a seat at the end, across from Daglor.
As Daglor introduced me, servants brought us plates of food and mugs of water.
I requested coffee, and servants brought me a mug of it as well as a pot of sugar and a small jug of cream.
The Volpers lifted their brows at my choice of drink.
“I've traveled extensively.” I added sugar and cream to my coffee and took a sip. “When I was in Zaru, I developed a taste for the beverage. They make it darker there, but I enjoy how the brew differs from region to region.”
“Interesting,” Lella, the only female Volper at the table, said. “Did you study while abroad, Master Sevarin?”
“Yes. After my grandfather taught me all that he could, I left Sconheit and traveled around Serai to learn from the greatest alchemists I could find.”
“And now you're home.” Daglor buttered a slice of warm bread. “How long have you been back?”
“I only just returned. I was in Tabaa, staying with the Dragon King, when King Falken summoned me to help with the Silver Rot.”
“You were with the Dragon King of Tabaa as his alchemist?” Zensar, a dark-haired Volper male from my clan, asked. He was much older than me and had left Tuva before I was born. So I didn't know him, but it was still nice to have a Beckhur at court.
“He hired me for a job and appreciated my work so much that he offered me a place in his court.”
“What job?” Daglor asked.
“It's a long story. I used alchemy to cure some Okon who were magically infected.
“Fascinating. What was the infection?”
Before I could answer, Lella looked up over my shoulder, and her eyes went wide. “Good morning, Your Majesty.” She shifted back to stand up.
I looked over my shoulder to find King Falken behind me.
“No, please.” The King waved her down. “I'm just here to claim my alchemist. I don't want to disturb the rest of you.”
“Claim me?” I narrowed my eyes at him. “Your alchemist?”
I wasn't the only one unsettled by those possessive words. Every Volper at the table went still, staring at the King as if he'd just become a monstrous predator who could attack at any moment. In a way, he was.
King Falken cleared his throat. “I misspoke. What I was trying to say is that I'd like you to join me for breakfast, and when I called you my alchemist, I only meant that I hired you. I make no claim of ownership, Master Sevarin.”
“Ah.” I stood up, slid the handle of my satchel over my shoulder, and picked up my plate and mug. “Of course, Your Majesty. I would be honored to dine with you.” I nodded to the Volpers. “It was a pleasure to meet all of you. Perhaps I'll see you at the evening meal.”
They had relaxed with the King's explanation, and so they waved me off instead of defending me. Such defense wasn't rare but expected, even from newly met friends. Our people had learned to protect each other or lose ourselves completely. Even against Dragons.
Thankfully, it hadn't come to that. Instead, I walked beside King Falken to his table and took the six steps up the dining platform.
Curtains trailed from an arch above and before the dais, pulled back by thick cords.
It lent even more of a feel of separation.
Glancing at the statues of boars standing behind the table to either side, I set my food and drink down.
When the King set my mug of water beside my coffee, I flinched.
I hadn't noticed him taking the mug for me.
I hurried to sit down before he did something embarrassing like pulling out my chair for me.
But then I saw his lifted eyebrow and realized that I should have waited for him to sit first.
I surged to my feet. “My apologies, Your Majesty. Although I lived in the Royal Palace of Tabaa, I rarely dined with the King and his mate.”
The Dragon King chuckled as he sat down. “It's fine. Sit.”
“Thank you.” I sat back down and waited for the servants to bring the King's food to him before I resumed eating.
“You're welcome.” He sat back as servants set several plates of food before him. Then he straightened. “Why did my words offend you so greatly?”
“They didn't offend me. They made us wary. All of us.” I picked up my fork and glanced at him.
He was looking at me expectantly.
“You surely know that people once hunted us. We were kept and sold like property.”
“That was centuries ago. It's outlawed now.”
“Slavery is hard to forget.”
“Of course. I'm sorry. That was insensitive of me.”
I sighed. “Volpers were prized for their skills and beauty. Traded to the royalty of other kingdoms like exotic pets. We previously held the same positions we hold in your court today, except we did not receive payment for our labor. When a Dragon says words like 'claim' or 'mine,' we get nervous.”
“Yes, I understand how those words could trigger you.”
“It happened before my time, but my parents taught me, as all Volper children are taught, that anyone who tries to claim me is an enemy.”
The Dragon King blinked, then frowned. “I will never allow slavery in my kingdom, Sevarin. You're safe here.”
“That's good to hear, Your Majesty. Still, you can't blame us for being careful.”
“I don't. I just want you to feel safe.” He sipped his drink, took a bite, and looked at me while he chewed. “I woke to an empty bed.”
I frowned at the abrupt change in conversation. “I'm sorry?”
The King sent me a sharp look. “You should be. I expected to wake up to you beside me.”
“Why?”
His expression went blank, then surprised, then confused. “Why did I expect you to stay? Because we slept together.”
“We had sex. We did not sleep together. Is that why you're angry?”
“My lovers rarely flee my presence directly after sex.”
“Sleeping beside someone takes a measure of trust that I don't have for you.”
“You don't trust me?”
“We've only known each other for a day. So, no, I don't trust you.”
The King cocked his head as if processing what I had said. “I didn't consider that it was an issue of trust. I understand, and I shall adjust my future interactions with you to accommodate your perspective.”