Chapter Thirty-one
Jacinth
Igot to work, grabbing the diamond, pearl, sapphire, and emerald gems I’d purchased, and began crushing them down into dust. Azurill’s eyes watched me intently as he leaned nonchalantly against the edge of the table. I was glad my hands were already busy, preventing me from fidgeting under his stare.
“Tell me, High King Azurill,” I said playfully, a grin peeking out, “Is the king attending each trial himself today?”
Azurill’s smirk turned slightly predatory, and he leaned further over the table and into my space. “Why, is my Lady Jacinth jealous I may be paying others the same attention?”
I scoffed, shaking my head. “Hardly. I merely find it curious that you alone are observing,Veri.”
“Ah.” He leaned back with a knowing smile, making my fingers itch to be buried in his hair, wanting to harshly tug on it in rebuke as I attacked his lips once more. “Well, my Lady, let me assure you that we have divided the trials among my council. My brother is attending Lady Amatista, Arianell is with Lady Sania, Emrys oversaw Lady Safira, and Wyn will be with Lady Allirea.”
“Ah, so you were lucky enough to get me then,” I replied innocently.
The deep rumble from his chest as he laughed warmed me from the tips of my toes to the top of my head. We were in dangerous territory, and I had to move quickly to determine what would happen from here. The future of the king before me rested on the result of this potion, as did the kingdom he ruled.
Whether anyone knew it or not, the fate of everyone in Gemaria rested on this one potion, and I felt the responsibility lay heavilyon my shoulders.
“Did you think I’d let any other see to you?” Azurill asked, the heat in his voice making my hands shake slightly as I poured in the sparkling white water from the crystal lakes, the solution used to bind the potion together and liquify it, into the large bottle I’d selected.
“I suppose I should count myself lucky then.” I teased him lightly despite the gravity of the moment.
I let the magic guide me as I grabbed the first batch of gem dust. I slowly dropped half of the diamond dust in before adding one-third of the pearl dust. I used a long wooden stirring spoon to combine the first layer of the potion, letting it mix fully before continuing.
Azurill watched everything carefully, and I did my best to forget about him as I worked. I added three-fourths of the emerald, then another one-third of the pearl again, before stirring once more. The magic was heavily reliant on following your instincts as they came, telling you which action was next, and I felt that surety and wholeness only the gods’ magic could offer filling me up. It was a feeling unlike anything else in this world, and I fully understood why professional alchemists chose to dedicate themselves to performing this magic as their life’s work.
I added the sapphire before letting the remaining pearl filter in, stirring them together with the rest of the potion, and then added the rest of the diamond. As I stirred in the final ingredient, I couldfeelthe potion as it began to bubble. The colors of each gem swirled together; the silver, blue, green, and pink layering in amongst one another, turning mostly pink and silver as the potion began to smoke.
I stepped back as the final sign rose to the ceiling, the smoke tinged with the colors of the potion itself. I allowed myself a small smile of pride. I may not have been taught magic and its alchemy formally, but I’d picked up a lot over the years, and being able to create such a complex potion was all the proof I needed to know I’d done well.
“Why such a complex potion if you’ve never made one like it before?” Azurill suddenly asked, making me jump slightly as I was torn from my thoughts.
He stood and walked over until he was right next to me, both of us leaning over the table to observe the potion as it settled.
“Because I have to see. There’s no other way to find out the truth, and this offered an opportunity for it that I may never get again.” I told him, perhaps too honestly.
His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and his head tilted to the side. Our eyes met, and I knew mine surely begged him to ask no questions. He sighed in defeat after a moment, turning to look away, but I grabbed his hand and brought his focus back to me. This time, I reached for his cheek, my fingers trailing down the sharp cheekbones and strong jawline on display, before going to his neck, my hand clasping over the diamond tattoo that I knew only started the giant piece that continued down his shoulder.
My hand on his neck kept him in place, and I briefly looked up at his crown, the gem of every court represented, with the diamond that stood for truth and power being the most prominent of all in the dead center. I knew that the truth of him could make or break me now, and I wasn’t sure when I’d lost myself to his power.
Looking down, I took in his too-handsome features, the teal hair shaved back on the sides but flopping playfully on top, the sparkling blue-green eyes that saw straight through me, and the long, dark teal jacket with silver detailing matching the vest underneath, hiding a body I knew would fit perfectly against my own.
I looked down, seeing my pink skirts brushing against the teal of his pants. It all came down to this, in the end. The interactions of Diamond and Pearl, and what hid within their history. Knowing he’d all but killed my family himself, I’d wanted so much to continue hating him, wanted nothing more than vengeance for their deaths.
And yet, my traitor heart would throw away my family’s vengeance for the chance of a future with the man before me.
But therewasa chance—a chance my heart knew something my mind did not. And I had to trust in that now. As I spied the potion’s last wisps of smoke dissipating in the air, signaling its readiness, I met Azurill’s eyes with a fierce look.
My other hand came up until both hands cupped his neck, and his own came to rest on my hips automatically.
“Trust me, Veri,” I whispered, a smile flitting across my face at the name. Things were so different now from when I’d dubbed him that. “Just for a little longer. Let me find out the truth. Find out if indeed the truth will set me free, or if it will damn us all.”
His forehead fell to mine, and I closed my eyes, knowing this could potentially be the last time I could allow this. If my doubts were wrong, I couldn’t live with knowing these feelings lived in me for such a monster.I’d slay him, as any monster should be, and live out the rest of my life in heartbroken shame.
I quickly reached up and tugged his head down, going to my tiptoes to claim his mouth with mine. His groan was lost in my mouth, as our tongues met with all the desperation I could feel pounding inside my heart. I let myself enjoy this, enjoy what I could, for as long as I could.
When we finally pulled back, panting for air, I smiled shakily before reaching for the potion. I clasped it in my hands, looking down at it with trepidation. As the potion began to shake in my hands at the thought of what I was about to experience, Azurill’s hand reached out and grabbed the bottom, steadying it, while his other came around my back, steadying me.
