The Volper courtiers who had remained behind gasped and shifted to stand beside me. No, we were not like the Shanba. We could and would defend ourselves. And we'd do it as a group. Even knowing that this was normal, I sent the Volpers a grateful look.
We'd been pets once, to royals and the wealthy. They'd kept us as exotic creatures to be put on display and used for our talents, including those in the bedroom. Those days were over, but we would never forget, and we'd forever be on guard against a relapse. Insults like that one, thrown so casually, were a call to arms for every Volper within hearing range. It wasn't a personal affront, but a gauntlet tossed at our entire race.
Lella went forward first, the others backing her, but I moved to intercept them.
Hands up, I held them back. “He directed at me. I shall take the lead.”
“No, you shall not!” King Falken snarled and punched Lord Turgov in the face.
Wings rustling, Turgov stumbled back and clutched at his bleeding nose. “You hit me!”
The other alchemists and Argaiv courtiers backed away, distancing themselves from Turgov.
“You deserve worse.” The King stormed forward, grabbed Turgov by his tunic, and tossed him toward me. “Now, you can handle it as you see fit, Master Alchemist.”
Every Volper in the room gaped at the Dragon King. It was an incredible show of support and respect. It was his right to deal with his courtier, and he had, but then he offered me my vengeance, trusting me to be strong enough to do so. In basic, primal terms, he was sharing the kill. And you only do that with your pack. The King had declared that I was important to him with no hint of possession.
I couldn't speak for a moment, my chest too tight with emotion. Then I bowed to the King.
Turgov had stumbled to a stop before me, his hands out to the sides as if we were about to duel. The King had punished him physically, but I was hesitant to do the same. The court had already seen me bring down Lord Orro—who was also in attendance, standing against a wall nearby as he watched me eagerly. I didn't want to disappoint him or the other Volpers, but I also didn't want to sink to violence when I could use my words to greater effect.
“Have you ever been someone's pet, Lord Turgov?” I looked him up and down. “Have you? Do you know how a collar feels around your throat? Have you ever burned with humiliation and fury when forced to kneel at the feet of your master? Have you ever had your work stolen because more powerful people believed that your talent didn't belong to you?”
Turgov went still, his eyes wide. “No.”
“Neither have I. But I have the fear and fury of it in my blood, passed down to me by ancestors who were pets. Worsethan slaves. Slaves, at least, have the dignity of being treated like people. My ancestors were treated like exotic beasts. Put in gilded cages to decorate a room until someone wanted to pet them or fuck them, or steal what birth had given them. So, when you speak that word, it probably means very little to you. You might even think it was a minor offense. But to me and every Volper on Serai, it is a callous reminder of a monstrous past. By speaking it,youhave become a monster to us.”
“Oh, I'm the monster?” He leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. “You had the King, your lover, cast my nephew into a cell simply because his magic had the wrong result!”
“I didn't ask the King to do that. But your nephew could have destroyed the city with his foolish spell. I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen. Then, while I cleaned up his mess and protected the palace, he ran away! Your nephew is a coward and a hack.”
“You bastard!” Lord Turgov lifted a hand. In it, he held a bottle of blue fluid.
It could have been anything from a potion to burn off my skin to an explosive. Whatever it was, it wouldn't be pleasant. As he lifted it, I heard the King cry out, his footsteps coming closer. But he'd be too late. Not that it mattered. I could handle a fool with a bottle of evil.
Dropping to the floor, I kicked Turgov's legs out from under him. When he tumbled, I launched upright and dove for the bottle, catching it just before it hit the floor. The Argaiv man scrambled to get up, but by then, the King was there, and he grabbed the man by the throat.
After hauling Turgov to his feet, the King shoved him at one of his Dragon knights. “Put him in the cell with his nephew.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” The knight grabbed the Argaiv man and dragged him off.
“Your Majesty, I've done nothing wrong!” Turgov called back.
“You insulted and then threatened the man helping me rid the city of Silver Rot!” the Dragon King shouted back. “You are as foolish as your nephew, and just as dangerous in your ignorance. I'll deal with the two of you after the city is clear.” Then he swung his head toward the magic-users and the remaining court alchemists. “Anyone else want to speak to me about the rot?”
They backed away as a group, heads bowed and shaking. The rest of the assemblage slipped away quietly, including the Captain of Talons. The only exception was the Ricarri, including the General and the courtiers. They grinned in open approval and bowed to the King before they strode out, happy as can be. I was the last to go, leaving the King with his remaining knights. He scowled at me as I bowed and left the room.
Chapter Twenty
I should have been more careful after Lord Turgov's attack, but I was too unsettled by it and the King's response to everything. He had acted to protect his people and then to avenge me, but only enough to assuage his anger. His actions had spoken to needs inside me I hadn't known existed. It was as if he had been made for me.
“Don't be ridiculous,” I muttered to myself as I entered the lab.
Distracted, I went to the central worktable where I had the ingredients laid out to make a new batch of revealing reagent. I modified the composition so that it could be sprayed on an item to determine if it had a resonant enchantment loop. The search teams were using it to check items in case an owner lied about its enchantment. Now, I wondered if I should ask the King to order the teams to spray every item to verify infection.
Shaking my head, I poured some powdered ivy root into the base solution and set it over a burner. No, that wouldn't do, because many items with resonant enchantment loops weren't infected yet, but would still need to be collected. There had to be a way to verify that an item held a loop.
As I lit the burner, the Dragon King entered the lab. I glanced at him and returned to mixing.
