Chapter 28
Aria spent the next day breaking in her new alchemy set. According to her book, each piece had to be cleaned, then heated and cooled several times before using them. Up to now, Mraaj-Dar had owned the only full alchemical set in the Sanctuary. Rather than deal with his attitude, Aria had chosen to use a smooth stone and a pewter plate to grind the powder for her potions and had boiled them with a pot from the kitchen. Now that she had proper equipment, she could make potions with far more ease.
She was trying to figure out the easiest way to clean out the calcinator when a shadow fell across her bed. She looked up to see Vicente smiling down at her. "You're back!" She cried, throwing her arms around him.
Vicente sat dow beside her and kissed her deeply. "I missed you, dear one."
Ocheeva's words echoed in Aria's mind. She pulled back and took his hands. "Vicente, I love you."
Vicente's face softened and he squeezed her hands. "I love you, too. Being away on this contract made me realize how much I need you." He abruptly stood up, pulling her to her feet. "Come with me."
He led her down the hall to his quarters. His cloak, weapons, and a satchel lay on his bed. Vicente released her hand and pulled a rolled bundle out of the satchel. "I realized I would likely miss your birthday because of the contract, so I found this for you." He offered her the bundle.
Aria found the edge of the fabric and unrolled it to reveal an elegant, floor-length dress. The sky-blue velvet was accented by gold embroidery on the hem, sleeves, and bodice. "Oh, it's so beautiful!"
Vicente smiled, pleased that she liked it. "I was hoping to be back in time to give it to you yesterday evening, but the enchanting took longer than I thought it would."
"It's enchanted?"
Vicente nodded. "It has a Speechcraft spell on it. With that dress, you could charm the Emperor himself into handing you his kingdom." He gave her a wicked grin. "I call it the Deceiver's Finery."
Aria threw an arm around his neck and kissed him. "I love it, Vicente. Thank you."
"You're very welcome, dear one. Now, I don't know about you, but I could do with something to eat."
Aria carefully draped the gown over her arm. "There's some cold mutton and bread leftover from dinner. I'll put this away while you get some, then you can tell me about your contract."
Vicente followed her back to the living quarters. Aria carefully put the gown in her trunk, then joined him at the dinner table. After a few bites, he started telling her about his contract.
"The target was the leader of a marauder band in the western part of the province, out past Skingrad. The leader was very sick, but he was given medicine daily that was basically the only thing keeping him alive. The terms of the contract were to replace his medicine with poison that would make it appear as though he died of natural causes."
"How'd you find where they were hiding?" Aria asked, snatching a piece of bread from his plate.
"I was talking to Teinaava while getting ready to go. He was in the area recently and heard of them. They were holed up in an abandoned fort. It wasn't hard to find, but the entrance was heavily guarded. But Teinaava told my about a secret way in."
"Really?"
Vicente took a drink from his wine glass. "About half a mile to the east, there's the remains of an abbey. The secret tunnel into Fort Sutch comes out there. So I snuck in that way. Inside, I overheard a couple of his men talking about him. When they mentioned where his medicine was kept, I hurried to the cabinet and made the switch. Once that was done, I got out. All in all, it wasn't too hard."
Aria scoffed. "I'm sure it was a lot harder than you make it sound." She stood up and took his empty dishes. "More?"
"No, thank you. I'll be fine until supper. I need to unpack and see to my equipment." He stood up and embraced her. "I love you."
Aria sighed happily as he gave her one more kiss before leaving the room. When she turned around, Antionetta was leaning against the counter. "You two are so cute together," she teased.
"Oh, shut up."