Page 11 of The Blade in the Ashes
“You thought this gown would be more appropriate for the heir?” he echoed my words, though more to himself than to me.
I fought the urge to snap at him, to hiss that we were going to be late if he continued standing here questioning my outfit choice. “Shouldn’t we get going?”
With a quick sidestep, I brushed past him into the hall. Nessira caught my fleeting glance and shut the door in a rush, forcing Caldrius over the threshold. He followed me with hurried steps.
“Wait,” he called from behind me, reaching out to grab my fingertips. “I have something for you.”
I lifted my brows, noting how the guards seemed to back away twenty paces as he gave them a nod of his head.
They were told to watch me closely but would leave if Caldrius dismissed them. Interesting.
Ignoring the sting of irritation that little fact caused, I tucked it away for future consideration and watched as he reached into his jacket, pulling out a large, rectangular velveteen box.
“What’s this?”
“A gift. Open it,” he instructed, passing it to me with a twitch of his lips.
Tension coiled in my gut as I took the box. It sat heavily in my fingertips, a weight that seemed strange given its size. He nodded at it in silent instruction, and I grasped the lid, pulling it open with a small creak.
My breath locked in my chest as I fought to keep my expression neutral.
This was some gift.
The sparkling stones of the large necklace caught every bit of torchlight, sending fractals of light reflecting all around us. It was absolutely huge, with several large iridescent stones surrounded by an unimaginable number of shining diamonds.
“Caldrius,” I breathed, my voice betraying the skepticism I needed to keep private. “This has to be worth a fortune.”
I met his gaze, unsurprised to find a smirk there.
“Oh, it was.” He chuckled, leaning sideways against the wall and crossing his arms tightly over his chest. The movement made his biceps tug against the fabric of his sleeves. “There’s over four hundred diamonds in that necklace.”
My fingers tightened on the box even as my stomach fell out from under me. Why in all of creation was he gifting me this?
“I’m not simply giving you expensive jewelry for no reason, though.” Caldrius took a step towards me, pointing towards some of the large pearly stones. They shifted colors under the light, rotating from hues of soft pink, lilac, and pale yellow. “These stones areincrediblyrare and difficult to find.”
“I don’t want this,” I protested, moving to push it back towards him.
He grasped my hands, his skin separated from mine by the barrier of my iron marriage bands.
“You, darling, are the only one who is ever worthy of wearing this. Do you know what those stones are?”
Numbly, I shook my head, my voice nowhere to be found.
“They’re Veilstones,” he explained. “Formed in underground caverns when the Veil between the realms is the thinnest. As you know, when the monster Eckna died, Hyrax used the power in its bones to create you. Miners extracted these stones decades ago from the very cavern where the monster eventually died.
Air felt tight in my chest as I glanced down at the necklace again. Tiny specks of gold seemed to catch in the light, reminding me of the shimmering golden portals I had once created.
“Anyway.” He shrugged, scratching at the back of his neck. “I found them in the palace jewels, and I suppose they reminded me of you. I thought you might humor me by accepting a gift from the man you consider to be your enemy.”
He reached into the box, grasping the necklace and holding it up in front of me. His desire for me to turn was clear, but I couldn’t bring my feet to move, so Caldrius shifted behind me and laid the stones around my neck.I flinched at the icy contact.
“These are the kinds of jewels the Goddess of the Veil should always wear,” he mused, his fingertips brushing over my skin while he fastened the necklace.
Its weight was uncomfortably heavy.
Feeling like I was wading through deep water, I turned to meet his gaze, feeling his eyes dancing across the gaudy necklace now locked around my neck, and he nodded approvingly before extending his elbow for me.
“You look beautiful,” he whispered.
