03 - Sworn (54 page)

I backed out the door with my arms full and tripped over a foot. I stumbled, but caught myself before anything hit the floor.

“Sorry, sweetie,” said my table-mate, who made no attempt to help me with my unbalanced armload of supplies. She looked down her nose at me. “We had orders not to go in until you came out. Been waiting here a while.”

I muttered an apology and carried my treasures back to my workstation. I slipped the eggshell under the table, safe until I could figure out what to do with it. I’d have to work on my blocking potion here, but not now. Not when Sara was watching so closely.

At least I didn’t have to worry about anyone sensing the shell and finding me out. It would protect itself from detection, as it had once protected its contents.

I tuned out everything around me and got straight to work, following my instincts as I prepared my chosen ingredients. Blue sand from I knew not where, sprinkled into the bottom of the bowl. Slices of papery burbentix, thorns removed and set aside.

Sara appeared and glanced over my table. “Interesting choices. You’ve used enshandris before?”

“No.”

“Hmm.” She frowned and went back to her own private workspace.

I sensed that the energy in the flowers would never react well to that in the roots under normal circumstances. But Mama Bunn could have done it, and so would I. Instead of trying to mimic Mama’s song, I did as I had when preparing Ulric’s potion and hummed my own. I ignored the side-cast glances from the others. It seemed they didn’t know the trick. I wondered how many did, whether they’d pick up on it. I lowered my voice, not sure why I felt I should hide it, but certain that I didn’t want to draw their attention more than I had to.

I took the enshandris in one hand and the barberry root in the other, warmed them with my body heat and my personal energy, and crushed them together between my palms, working entirely on instinct, gently convincing them to create the reaction I wanted.

Red light glowed between my fingers, then faded to warm pink.

Minutes later I had the ingredients combined and set into a straining cloth to release their juices, which gathered in a glass bowl. I set a low flame beneath and watched as the pink glow returned to the liquid, deepening with every drop added to the bowl.

“Impressive,” Sara said, and laid a hand on my arm. I’d been so focused that I hadn’t heard her coming.

“Thank you.”

“You know that enshandris is poisonous? Instantly fatal?”

“I sensed it. I counteracted it.”

Her fingers tightened, and her nails dug in slightly before she released me. “That should be very nearly impossible. Tell me, would you be willing to sample your project for me?”

My breath hitched. I was nearly sure I’d succeeded, but if I’d slipped up, if I’d been wrong about my abilities...

No. I’m sure.

I selected a glass spoon from the rack and dipped it into the bowl. The hot liquid burned my tongue and my throat. I gasped as light filled me, and couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled from my throat.

Sara’s eyes narrowed. “Well, you’re not dead.” She dipped a finger into the bowl and licked the potion off. A shudder passed through her body, and she took in a hard, sharp breath. “Beautiful. I can’t be completely sure it would work, not without a subject to test it on, but I think you’ve passed the test.”

I looked back at the potion, admiring its beauty. “So you don’t need to use this? Lord—I mean, our king has fully recovered?”

Sara laughed, then gasped as a pale hand rested on her shoulder.

I stopped breathing, as though stillness would hide me. I didn’t dare look any higher than that hand.

Don’t make eye contact. Think only of the present.
I checked my mental defenses and tried not to think about them. If they failed now, I’d never have a chance to figure out how dragon egg worked.

The long, elegant fingers tightened, and Sara winced.

“Your king’s magic was never as weakened as you might have suspected based on your assignment,” said a cold voice. It was strong, not nearly matching what Aren had told me about Severn’s physical condition, but I had no doubt about who it was.

The potion’s light left me, leaving only fear. “Your Highness,” I whispered, and dropped into a curtsy. I looked up enough to meet Sara’s gaze. Her face had turned into a blank mask.

“Look at me,” he ordered.

And so, for the first time, I laid my eyes on the man who ruined my life and condemned my mother to her slow death.

His eyes grabbed my focus and prevented wider inspection. Glacier blue and filled with confident authority, they cut through me. I let my fear take over to a degree that seemed reasonable given my story and focused on his face, allowing nothing else into my conscious mind. If he could see deeper, there was nothing I could do about it.

He released me and took a moment to glance over the rest of my face, my hair, my body. I did the same to him while I had the chance.

Aren had described him to me as he was before his encounter with Rowan. He’d also told me that Severn as he’d last met him was a shadow of his former self, weak and bent, shuffling and thin. This man was none of those things, and no description of Severn’s old appearance had prepared me for this. I saw our father in him, in the strong jaw and straight nose. His mouth was softer than Ulric’s, and curved up slightly, pleased at what he saw. He stood tall and straight, slim yet strong, and he radiated power from every part of himself. Had I not known he was my brother...

I shuddered and looked away. I should have been accustomed to being around beautiful people by then. Appearances meant nothing, and I knew that. But his eyes, his voice, his very posture drew a person in with magnetic force that surpassed anyone I’d ever met, and I imagined it would be hard to deny him anything if he ordered it. I wondered how Aren had ever found the strength to defy him.

Severn wore simple but beautiful clothing, pants and a jacket that closed fully across his chest like armor, and his white hair flowed over his shoulders. I imagined that this simple attire was worth more than my old home, my potions, even my life.

“Sara explained the challenge to me,” he said, apparently finished with his assessment. “Did you achieve it?”

“I believe I did, Your Highness.”

He looked to Sara, and she nodded without meeting his eyes. He picked up the bowl and sipped. His eyes widened, and he chuckled. “Oh, you did. You most certainly did. What’s in this?”

Sara answered for me, listing off every ingredient accurately. She’d been watching more closely than I thought.

Severn looked out over the city and set the bowl down. “And she did it without unicorn horn. How incredible.”

Sara glared at me, but her expression softened before she finally looked directly at her king. “It is most impressive. I don’t know that this could have brought you back from where you started, but if you wished continuing treatment that didn’t require—”

He shot her a look that shut her up. “Sara, I wish to speak to your new assistant privately. You may go.”

Another scowl for me, shot from behind her hair as she curtseyed. The sudden change in her demeanor confused me until I identified the look. I’d worn it myself enough times to know jealousy when I saw it.

Severn took my arm and led me to the door. His touch made my skin crawl. I hoped any nervousness would seem natural, but wished I’d had more time to improve my blocking or work up a potion before I met him. He didn’t seem angry, at least. He hadn’t called his guards. I was still alive.

He released his grip on my arm, but I could no more have run away than I could have flown out through a window. He seemed to draw me along by the force of his presence. The influence Aren spoke of went far deeper than that of a regular human. I forced myself to believe my story, finally understanding how this man could break me down even without Aren’s gifts.

No one spoke to us as we passed through hallways, up a staircase, and through a glass-ceilinged atrium. In fact, no one spoke at all in Severn’s presence. Soldiers looked at their feet, others offered low bows. None made eye contact with me.

A guard opened a heavy door, and we entered a bright, pleasant sitting room with an ornate wood desk in one corner and several comfortable-looking chairs near a fireplace.

“Sit,” Severn ordered, and I did. A beautiful plate stacked with tiny sandwiches sat on the table, but I was far too nervous to eat.

“Tea?” he offered, and poured two cups before I could answer.

“Thank you.” My world had shifted sideways, and now nothing lined up as it should. Severn the monster, Severn the charming king.…

It’s a clever mask, and that’s all,
I decided, and accepted a delicate white cup filled to the brim with purple liquid. I sipped at it so as not to spill onto the saucer, and set it down to cool.

“Sara has been looking for someone as competent as you for years.” He sat across from me and rested one ankle on the opposite knee. With a flick of his hand he set a hot fire blazing in the hearth. “I suspect she’s now got far more than she wanted, but she’ll come around. Unless you think you’re a threat to her position, that is.”

“No, no. I’m here to help.”

His eyes narrowed. “Is that all?”

I took another sip of tea to buy myself time. “If I may be completely honest with you... with Your Majesty, I mean...”

His lips curled in a half-smile of vague amusement at my discomfort. “Don’t worry about formalities for the time being. I’ll see that you get some etiquette training if you’re to remain here. But I do insist on honesty at all times.”

“Thank you. In all honesty, I did have selfish reasons for coming here.”

“Oh?”

I nodded. If I had to speak to him, I’d try to make a good showing. “I’m from a small town, and have always believed I have significant gifts, but have never had the resources for proper training. I heard that Luid was the greatest city in the world, with libraries and schools and the most powerful Sorcerers and greatest Potioners living here. I know I have much to learn, and I can’t learn it at home.”

All true. Aren would be pleased.

My humility seemed to disappoint Severn, though I couldn’t say why that would be. “True enough, and we’ll see that you have the resources you need to bring your skills up to the level of your gifts.” Another sip of tea, but his eyes never left me. “There’s something different about you, Nox. Something familiar.” He set his cup down and leaned forward. “I hope you are being honest with me.”

My cup rattled briefly against the saucer before I stilled the tremble in my hands. “I’m sure I’d remember if we’d met.”

“I believe I would remember you, as well. There’s something special about you. Perhaps that’s all it is.”

I tried to smile at the compliment, but couldn’t find words to answer.

“In any case,” he continued, “Sara will tell you what she needs your assistance with, a special project she’s been working on for me. I need your full attention on this. If your desire truly is to help, this will be the best way for you to do that.”

“Thank you.”

The pleasant expression faded from his face, and he turned toward the fire. “You may leave.”

I set the cup down, thanked him again, and turned to go. It was hard not to bolt from the room.

“Wait,” he said, and my heart stilled.

He rose and stepped toward me, then placed a hand on my face, lifting it so I had no choice but to meet his cold, compelling gaze again. A person could lose herself completely in those eyes.

“Watch out for yourself,” he said. “The palace is secure, but not always a safe place for those who aren’t familiar with our ways. You’ll come to me if there’s any problem.” His tone was convincing enough that I almost believed he cared. I dared not think of what I knew about his true nature.

My heart pounded. “I will,” I whispered.

“Good.” He smiled again, and let me continue my slow retreat to the hallway.

When the door closed behind me, I leaned against the solid support of the corridor wall and bent over to rest my head in my hands. Though my opinions on him hadn’t altered, confusion over my emotional reactions to his presence and personality overwhelmed me. I couldn’t blame Myk or Sara for their willingness to follow him anywhere. Had I not known what I did—

A hand rested on my back, and I straightened so quickly that I bashed my head against the wall behind me.

“Sorry!” Myk said, and stepped back. “I just wondered whether you needed an escort back to your room. They already cleaned up your station for you.”

I forced a smile. “Thank you, yes.”

He looked back over his shoulder. “A bit intense, right?”

I shook my head. “You have no idea.”

36

NOX

S
ara as good as ignored me the next day when we met in the workroom. No questions, no concern, not a reassuring comment.

“I’ll explain our main project later,” she said. “I have something else I need to take care of. For now, see if you can come up with something to get rid of the smell in the dungeons. Not much we can do about overcrowding, but we can make things more pleasant for the guards who have to deal with those people.”

I thanked her, and she left the room. I’d get to her assignment soon enough. First, I needed to do some research of my own.

But I was still under observation, not allowed to roam the halls at will. I looked to the door, where two guards stood watching us without much interest. The Potioners were a quiet bunch, and this had to be the most boring assignment either of the trained soldiers could have taken.

“Myk?” I asked quietly as I approached them. The other guard barely looked at me. “Where’s the library? I need to look something up.”

“This level, but it’s a bit of a walk.” He looked around and leaned closer. “I’m supposed to stay here and keep an eye on things.”

I gave him my most appealing trying-not-to-be-disappointed look. “Could you just walk me down? I’ll wait there for you if you’re needed here.”

He frowned and tapped his fingers on his crossed arms. “You won’t wander off?”