“Do you? Really?” I squinted at the mage skeptically.
I wore a simple beige skirt, clean but frayed along the hem. A gray scarf around my breasts was of similar quality and in similar condition. In addition to the dress I wore when I arrived in Ashgate, I only had two more outfits, and both had been bought used. I insisted on that. After five weeks in Ashgate, all my possessions could be packed into a medium-sized basket.There was no need to spend money on meaningless things when it could buy people’s freedom, including Timur’s and mine.
Nothing about me said I fit into the mage’s world of expensive fragrances, plush cushions, and precious chiffon silks.
He read my sarcasm with ease, giving me a knowing smile.
“You don’t need to be dressed in finery for me to see your true value,” he said, walking over to a tall chest of drawers. “You, my dear, are priceless.”
“Priceless?” I smiled, faking confidence to edge out my unease. “That’s not true, mage…” I paused, realizing he hadn’t introduced himself, and I forgot what name Timur used for him earlier.
“Suhai,” the mage had guessed the reason for my pause.
“Well, since you know who I am, Suhai, then you should also know that I very much do have a price.”
Suhai nodded.
“Your weight in gold, I’ve heard,” he chuckled. “What a steal. Wasn’t it, General?”
“Yes, a real bargain,” Timur replied dryly. “But we aren’t here to discuss the price or value of my Joy Vessel. She isn’t for sale and never will be. You said you can help her see.”
“Right, right, you mentioned she has trouble seeing…” Suhai gave me a questioning stare. “Yet you’re looking at me, Sweet One?”
“I can see,” I explained. “Just not as well as a healthy human normally would. Details are blurry for me from a distance. For example, I don’t see facial expressions unless people come very close to me.”
“Do you mean you can’t seemyface?” Curiosity colored his voice.
“Not from where you’re standing.”
It didn’t help that the only lighting in his cave came from the several thick candles randomly arranged throughout the space.The mage looked barely more corporeal to me than the shadow he cast in the candlelight. I mostly guessed his actions by the shifting of his shape and by the sounds he made rather than by actually seeing him.
Suhai opened several drawers in a tall chest by the wall and took a few items out, then arranged them on a small rolling stand.
“Does it get better when I come closer?” he asked, taking a few steps toward me.
“It does. Now I can see your eyes, though I still can’t tell what color they are.”
To me, his eyes looked like a couple of pale dots in his face.
“I have golden eyes,” he said proudly. “The color of royalty.”
He came closer, rolling the cart with him.
“Well, let’s see what ails you, Sweet One.” He lifted a round lens in a thick golden frame.
I held a breath in apprehension. Medical exams often felt unnerving, even if it was just a simple eye test. But I’d never been examined by a fae mage before, and this place certainly didn’t look like an optometrist’s office.
Timur gently tugged on my hand.
“Come here, sweetheart,” he said softly before placing me onto his lap.
I’d almost forgotten that his tendrils were still connected to me, but he sensed my unease and knew that I’d be far more comfortable if he held me. His right arm went around my middle, and his tail wound loosely around my ankles.
I gripped the warm bones of Timur’s right forearm for comfort, eyeing the giant lens in the mage’s hands.
“What exactly are you going to do with that?” I asked uncertainly.
“To treat a problem, I first need to determine the full extent of it,” Suhai said. “I need to see your eyes.”
