It was beautiful.
“Do you think it’s safe?” I asked, feeling that thirst intensify with each passing second.
“Nothing is safe down here, but there’s only one way to find out.”
“We should flip for it. To see who drinks first. Could be poisoned.”
“A taste tester? How barbaric. Fine, do you have a coin?”
“No, do you?”
“Believe it or not, I didn’t really think I would be purchasing anything down here and left my wallet at home.”
“Oh, why don’t we use this?” I picked up a smooth stone and removed the dagger from my boot, etching an x on one side and leaving the other blank. “X, you drink, blank, I do.”
“Sounds fair.”
I tossed the rock and caught it in my hands x side up.
We both stared down at it for a beat before his icy blue eyes looked up at me, with that insufferable smirk pulling at his lips.
“Guess I’m the guinea pig,” he said, removing his empty canteen. He dipped the metal into the shallow end of the pool.
It didn’t dissolve at his touch, so that was promising. He brought it beneath his nose and sniffed.
“Interesting,” he murmured.
“What, what is it?” My brow furrowed as I took a step closer.
“It smells like…” he brought the canteen to his lips and my heart beat faster, hoping that it was okay.
His tongue sneaked out and took a tentative taste of the liquid. I watched as his eyes widened, my breath caught in my chest as I waited.
“Just as I thought,” he said after a moment.
“What!” My patience was snapping.
“It’s nectar.”
My mouth dropped as he took a swig.
Nectar was the drink of the gods. It was the most sacred and coveted of all drinks, only given to a select few mortals. People back home claimed to have tasted it only to be met with skepticism and laughter. Others still tried to peddle cheap watered-down wine or sparkling ale claiming it was authentic nectar. Only fools fell for it.
“How do you know it’s nectar?” I asked feeling that surge of thirst licking along my bones.
His chin raised and his eyes gleamed. He sat back, kicking his legs out, finishing off his canteen without answering me.
“Aren’t you going to have any? You must be thirsty,” he said in response, avoiding my questions as usual.
I eyed him warily and finally took the canteen from him. He didn’t seem to be having any kind of adverse reaction to the liquid, and I was parched. I was thirstier than I’d ever been in my life, feeling as if my tongue had been turned into sandpaper.
Damn it, I guess I didn’t have much of a choice but to try it.
Bending down, I scooped up enough to refill the canteen. There was a faint flowery scent that wafted towards me as I raised the bottle to my lips. Like jasmine and lavender intertwined.
“Cheers,” Dex said, fake knocking an imaginary canteen against mine with a mischievous wink.
I took a steadying breath and responded, “Cheers,” with a shrug of my shoulders.
