The way my gaze wandered over Falken's body worried me. My attraction to him was quickly becoming an obsession, and I wasn't that sort of man. Still, I was glad I had stayed, both for Falken and the city. It seemed there was more for me to do.
“A mob has gathered on the street before the palace. My guards are barely holding them back.” Falken held out a hand. “We need to address them.”
“We?” I handed him a basket.
He frowned at the basket but took it. “They're blaming you.”
“Me? For what?”
“The bridge.” Falken shrugged. “Everything.”
I grimaced and grabbed the second basket. “People need someone to blame.”
“Yes.” The King hurried out of the lab, his long legs taking him far ahead of me in seconds.
I rushed to keep up, the glass orbs full of glimmering liquid clinking in my basket. “I can calm them enough for you to speak to them.”
“How do these things work?” He slowed enough for me to catch up.
“You just throw them. They'll break and release a gas. Once inhaled, it will take effect.”
Falken cast a look at his basket. “Right. Be careful with the glass bombs.”
I chuckled. “They're fine in the basket. Just don't drop any, or we'll be paralyzed for several hours. Those are the last resort reagents.”
“Gods help me,” he muttered as we took the stairs down to the ground floor.
When we finally exited the palace, we found the courtyard full of horns with more on the walls. Even the Commander was there, standing front and center before the ground forces. The gate had yet to be replaced, so they were guarding a massive hole in the outer wall. Beyond them was a mob of angry citizens, many of them armed with swords. The city Talons and the King's Horn Army had closed in around the mob, but the citizens didn't seem to care. We were minutes away from chaos.
The crowd chanted, “Bring out the Alchemist! Bring out the Alchemist! Bring out the Alchemist!”
I winced as the King led me to the stairs along the wall and up to the walk. Horns drew out of our way as the King strode to the end of the walk, where it crumbled away. It made for a perfect perch.
The Dragon King set the basket down. “Silence!”
All the horns and talons circling the mob couldn't achieve what the Dragon King did with one shouted word. The crowd went quiet, swords lowering, and every stare locked on King Falken. I, however, didn't trust it and put my basket down to pull two orbs from it. I went to stand beside the King, hands down at my sides. A few people shouted and pointed at me, but a glare from the King quieted them.
“Master Sevarin has discovered the source of the Silver Rot,” the King bellowed. “It is not his fault that the only way to remove the rot is to remove specific enchantments. The bridge fell because dismantling it is a delicate procedure, and an accident happened. It has nothing to do with the Master Alchemist!”
“He came, and the rot got worse!” someone shouted.
“The rot is not getting worse!” The King slammed a fist on the stone railing to his right. “We are removing it. That will feel as if things are getting worse for a time, but this is the path to freeing the city.”
“You are destroying the city!”
“This ismydecision formykingdom! Accept it or leave!” the Dragon King roared.
Instead of cowing the crowd, this made things worse. They shouted and rushed the line of horns barricading thecourtyard. The line buckled. The King scowled at his knights, waiting in the courtyard behind the horns. He opened his mouth, and I knew he was about to order them to shift in a show of strength. But scaring a mob with a group of dragons would only make Falken a tyrant. People would flee the kingdom, just as he dared them to. A king without people isn't a king.
So, before the order could leave his lips, I tossed two orbs into the crowd. They shattered on the ground, releasing the liquid reagent, which immediately turned into a gas. The mob didn't even notice, too intent on shouting at the King. I kept tossing the spheres until I covered the area before the palace, and blue-colored mist rose around the mob. The Horns and Talons drew back as the mist spread, but the mob couldn't flee. They breathed in, and the cloud dissipated. As the fog thinned to nothing, filtered by the mob, it revealed a sea of calm people. They weren't confused, just relaxed. It made me wonder if the gas could have recreational uses.
Falken lifted his eyebrows at me.
I waved toward the crowd with a smirk.
Chuckling, the King turned back to the mob, now just a crowd. “The bridge's collapse was a setback, but we will rebuild it better. Just as we will do for every piece of architecture that must come down. We must weed out these enchantments so we can start again. Only then can we become the strong, enlightened city that we were. I'm asking for your patience, understanding, and help. I cannot do this alone. But if we come together, we can cure all of Sconheit and make it a better place for the next generation. Will you help me?”
The crowd cheered and applauded. As the King beamed and waved at them, I looked down into the courtyard. Themagic-users and alchemists of the palace stood on the palace steps, most of them watching the crowd. But one of the magic-users stared up at me instead. As soon as I turned my attention to him, he looked away, but not before I caught his malicious expression. Frowning, I set his image to memory—a human man with brown hair.
