Chapter Six We Meet Again #2
Saeldian knew they were an excellent actor.
But Kell could charm a devil into giving him their soul, if he would just lean in to it.
He could make you feel like you were alone together in a room full of people, and he did it just to make other people feel good, feel liked, feel special.
But these days, they would still have their gold when he walked away.
“But you don’t sing?” Saeldian muttered, and when Kell looked straight at them, they glanced at the movement at the blurred edge of their vision instead.
Venthar swayed a bit, bumping gently into Saeldian’s shoulder. “Hm?”
Hells. They’d been woolgathering too long. “There are words to this song. I’m trying to remember them.”
The line moved, and Saeldian turned away from Kell to climb the steps to the gallery floor. A tiny flash high on the wall had Saeldian scanning the dentils lining the bottom of the crown molding. They let their gaze rest, and—
Another flash. Miniscule. If they hadn’t been looking…but now everything needed inspecting.
Jubilee kept up friendly chatter with Venthar. Saeldian used his tone to cue which empty bits of politeness would stand in for actually listening. When he laughed, they whispered a word and tapped their eyes.
Spells coated the gallery. Some of the people around them glowed, but they were the royal purple–colored aura of illusions.
Saeldian ignored that in favor of magic smeared on the floor, the walls, the picture frames, the pedestals and tables.
That turquoise glow was for divination—cool, pale, looking for the condition that would trigger them.
Those ones on the frames and cases were obviously triggered by touch. But the walls…
Nine Hells.
Jubilee kept Venthar talking about himself while Saeldian took careful note of the spells guarding Lady Elezia’s treasures. Saeldian made agreeable noises as they tallied their observations on the slow walk around the gallery’s impressive paintings, sculptures, and even weapons.
Of all the divination magic visible to Saeldian, the spots on the walls were the key. But why so many? If only Saeldian could tell what the spells were meant to do, instead of just the school of magic they were from.
The shadows in between the dentils hid a dozen spots that glimmered with golden-orange transmutation spells.
Transmutation? What would that do, turn would-be thieves into toads?
Conjuration made more sense, though Saeldian wouldn’t like to be caught in a poison cloud.
Evocation would have been obvious—fire, lightning, ice, acid—though a lot of those would hurt the art. But transmutation?
Turquoise divination spells midway up the walls. Periwinkle-blue abjuration spells on the walls and floor. Alarms or warding glyphs, almost certainly. It didn’t matter. Saeldian knew exactly what they had stepped into.
This was a Conundrum Chamber: a complex array of mechanical triggers, magical spells, and swift consequences for mistakes. No one had ever succeeded in robbing one, the legend said.
Saeldian and Kell had posed as servants for a month trying to learn how a Conundrum Chamber worked so they could defeat it and steal House Hullhollyn’s Storm Harp. Briona wanted them to repeat that trick in one night. Hells. Hells! All nine of them, in order and at random!
“Helarel?”
When had they stopped making agreeable noises? “I’m awestruck and quite distracted,” Saeldian said. “I’m so sorry.”
Jubilee fluttered her eyelids and looked down, then at the pillars and posts holding the polite silk ropes fencing away the art. All those mechanical traps too—and they had no idea how they connected to all the spells.
“Oh, I know,” Venthar said with a chuckle. “I simply wanted to bring you back to Toril, so you wouldn’t miss it.”
“Miss what?”
Venthar made a flourishing gesture to present the Kiss of Enduring Love, sparkling in its enormous silver setting.
They were at the final display, draped so people climbing the stairs wouldn’t see it until the end.
A single light shone down on it, soft as the light from a bright full moon.
Saeldian still held their focus on their spell, and the sight of it made every muscle in their body go tense.
The gem glowed with magic. Part illusion, part divination, part enchantment, it was silvery lavender and rose and green all at once, but also not any of those things, because the color was not a shifting of three colors or even an undertone of one or the other.
It was fey magic, imbued with great power, and magic glowed in the heart of the long, brilliant cut oval as if it could breathe.
Saeldian’s spell ended. The glow of fey magic faded.
The gem was still beautiful, still hypnotic, but Saeldian missed the magical sight of it already.
It was somehow not as large as they expected, but still too big to be a reasonable gem for a necklace.
A crown? Again, it didn’t matter. It would fit in a pocket, if they could steal it.
“Well,” Venthar said. “What do you think?”
Saeldian caught Jubilee’s eye and bit their lip. They inhaled, sharp and short, through their nose. Get us away. They sighed and smiled at Venthar. “I have no words. I never imagined such a thing.”
Jubilee got the message. “Helarel, you look a bit chalky. Did you have one of the battered peppercorn mushrooms?”
The question didn’t make sense. “Yes. Quite distinctively flavored. And tasty!”
Jubilee leaned in. “Did you have more than one?”
When your partner suddenly asks you a strange question, any good actor says yes first and figures it out as they go. “Well, yes, I—wait. Were they—”
“Cooked in maize starch? I suspect so.”
“Oh,” Saeldian said, letting their voice fill with air. “That explains why I feel so—”
“I knew we should have asked if there was maize!” Jubilee said. “Maybe it was only a little. Was it only a little?”
And there was, of course, more than one way to say yes.
“No.” Coins clacked as Saeldian clutched at their belly. “It definitely wasn’t only a little. I can’t undo this bodice alone. Accurate, please help.”
Jubilee-as-Accurate moved to take Saeldian-as-Helarel’s free arm, but Venthar didn’t let go. “The comfort rooms are to the right of the right-side staircase. Shall I send in a remedy?”
Jubilee dragged at Saeldian’s arm as they patted a pocket. “I always have some handy. Thank you, Saer Venthar!”
“Excuse me! Coming through. They’re not well.” Jubilee pushed through the crowd to the stairs. Venthar stared after them, disappointed as Helarel disappeared from his life forever.
And Helarel would disappear. This appearance and background was burned. Saeldian would be a different person when they emerged from the comfort rooms, and so would Jubilee.
Be empty. Be empty. They rounded the corner, and one of the doors stood ajar. Thank the gods! Saeldian turned the sign on the door to in use and locked it.
Jubilee leaned against the door, making herself a barricade. “You used your detection ring. What is it?”