Before I agreed to a price, I wanted to see more of the rot. We didn't have to go far. The King took me on a palace tour, starting with the gate.
The horns on duty didn't bother to bow to His Majesty; they were too busy rushing to get out of his way. Not that they seemed scared. It was more that the King's formidable presence demanded a clear path. He moved, and they moved aside like opposing magnets.
King Falken took me to the gatehouse, opened a panel in the wall, and motioned at the glittering wheels inside. “The gate has to be lowered manually now. We're too afraid to use the mechanism.”
I set my case down on a nearby table, scattered with the remnants of someone's lunch, and opened it. After removing a pair of glasses, I put them on and went to stand beside the King. He didn't move back for me, even when the side of my arm pressed into his chest. I didn't care. My focus was on the rot. With a sharp inhale, I leaned closer.
“Don't Volpers have excellent eyesight?” The King leaned in with me, searching for whatever had caught my attention.
I glanced at him, then did a double-take. His aura was astonishing—billowing with green, gold, blue, and red. The redwas expected; the deep shade showing strength, vigor, courage, and a need for success. There was a hint of blood-red passion in the billowing haze, which was unsurprising given his current attraction to me. The gold was rare, but again, expected. It was a sign of power. Pure dominance. But it was tempered by the ivy green of responsibility, determination, and dedication. What was most intriguing were the shades of blue that hovered closest to his body. They meant he was loyal, trustworthy, and had enormous wisdom. He also valued close relationships.
“Master Sevarin?” He frowned at me.
“Oh, uh, these are alchemical glasses. They show me what can't be seen by the naked eye.”
“What do you mean?”
I returned my gaze to the mechanism, studying the silver veins within the gears, glowing white at their centers. “The visible spectrum is only a small percentage of what exists. There are so many things we cannot see without assistance. So much that in comparison, we are blind.”
“Blind?” The King's face came closer, his chest pressing against my back.
His scent was stronger now, with a hint of spicy arousal. He may be interested in what I was saying, but he was even more interested in me. I was interested in him as well. He was my type of man, and I'd need a physical release soon. I hadn't fucked in over a month, and physical needs had to be met. Without a healthy body, the mind cannot achieve its full potential.
“Yes, blind,” I said. “But again, that is compared to all that we cannot see. Obviously, we can see enough to navigate the world.”
“What do you see with those glasses?”
I pointed at a wheel, my finger hovering over it. “The Silver Rot is growing. I can see the silver veins within the metal. They cast no aura, so it's not alive. The rot is not a bacterium or poison.”
“May I have a look?”
Glancing over, I found the King turned toward me, his lips two inches from my cheek. I removed the glasses and set them on his face, stroking his hair as I settled them around his ears. “Careful with them. They are one of my most prized possessions.”
The Dragon King blinked at me through the crystal lenses, his brown eyes going wide. The amber in them glittered, even without the sun. “You . . . you're beautiful.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Yes, I know. But thank you.”
“No, I mean your aura. I can see it. It glitters like jewels.”
“Like jewels? What color is it?”
“It's white but glimmers with violet and blue.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “What shade of blue?”
“Deep blue. Sapphire.”
“Ah, that makes sense. Deep blue indicates an exceptional mind.”
The King chuckled and shifted his stare to the rot. “Does the white show narcissism?”
“Clarity, calm, and focus, actually.” I grimaced. “It's not narcissism if it's true. I'm self-aware.”
The King laughed harder, and then abruptly stopped, clearing his throat. “So, the Silver Rot has a silver aura?”
“It's not an aura. The rot looks the same under glasses as without. The glasses simply allow us to see deeper, through the metal gears, where it's blooming.” I held out a hand. “May I continue?”
“Oh.” He straightened and removed the glasses to hand them to me. “Yes, of course.” He even stepped back after I took them.
