Page 57 of Ruby & Onyx

“An exchange.” He hums as the wrinkles on his forehead scrunch even tighter. “Carte blanche?”

“Yes, you may make one request when I am made queen. Carte blanche.” Oh, gods, I’m going to regret this, aren’t I? “Please.”

Finally, he says, “If you swear to a blood oath, then you have a deal.”

A blood oath. The twins mentioned swearing a blood oath. They also said that the price of breaking it is death. My heartbeat quickens at the thought. “What does that require?”

He holds his left hand out in front of him and draws a dagger with his right. He slashes it quickly across his palm. Blood oozes out around the sliced skin. Then he turns the hilt to me as his calculating eyes meet mine. “Blood oaths are magically binding contracts. If you renege on your part of the deal, then the oath will take your life in exchange.”

If I back out now, then he won’t help me remove the blinders on the invisibles. I need to be able to move and speak freely without the fear of invisible eyes watching my every movement. I need this. I need to know what gift was so important that my own parents leveraged it for safe passage. So important that the King of Mendacia promised his son for it.

Grabbing the dagger from him, I place it on my palm. Without allowing myself a moment to hesitate, I submit to the contract and slash the dagger across my skin. We bind our hands together, blood to blood, shaking our agreement into existence. Once we release our hands, the slash across my palm disappears, like magic.

The deal is struck.

In pursuit of discovery, some sacrifices must be made. And this sacrifice, I pray, is worth it. “When can it be done?”

“Patience. This will require time.” Sir Magis is nearly frothing at the mouth as he stares at my palm. I quickly pull it from his sight, hiding it behind me.` What did I just give him?

I don’t have time to think about that any longer. The spell must be complete by the time I meet with Guylita on Saturday, assuming she agrees to come. “How long?”

“A week, perhaps.” His eyes narrow on me, assessing. “What’s the rush?”

“I told you already. They make me uncomfortable,” I tell him. If it takes a week, then the blood oath was for nothing. It has to be done sooner. It just has to.

He’s suspicious, that much is clear. But thankfully, he chooses not to push that line of questioning further. “Give me a couple of days. I’ll move with haste.”

I let the relief flood through me as I take a breath. A couple of days until we remove the blinders. I can do that. This will work out.

Chapter 26

The rest of the lesson was less than successful. Sir Magis tried to teach me how to unlock doors with magic but I seem to lack that particular gift. He did warn me that our lessons would be experimental in nature, intended only to test the boundaries of my power, but that doesn’t make failure feel any less irksome. Each time my magic fails, it makes me question what my gods-given gift could be. I wonder if everyone else questions it, as well.

Desperate to release some of the crushing anxiety, I asked Gemma to bring me a bottle of red wine. Sitting on the balcony floor and staring at the ocean waves crashing beneath me does little to help, even with the wine. Endless intrusive thoughts plague me, no matter how hard I try to silence them, leaving me to suffer with an unshakable sense of dread.

Only two weeks remain until I must choose whether or not to accept the arrangement. That leaves two weeks to uncover the truth of my gift and the prophecy. Gemma will go to town tomorrow to meet with Guylita, and all I can do is hope for her to agree. If not… well, then I guess it’s back to square one.

As the sun goes down and the colors of the sky shift from one brilliant hue to the next, I hear a knock on the door.

Oh, gods. With everything that’s going on, all I crave is a few moments of silence. One night to be alone. One night where I don’t have to try to be more than I am.

I take a sip of wine, squeezing my eyes shut and praying that whoever knocked on my door takes the hint and leaves. But a few moments later, another more determined knock squashes those hopes. I slowly rise from the cool tile floor, which sends Moose into a frenzy. He has taken a liking to palace life, especially when he gets to roam freely around the garden, chasing butterflies and gophers. He paws at my legs, begging for attention.

When the door opens, Moose catches sight of Olly and briefly growls before slipping out behind him to escape this bedroom.

“He never has liked me, has he?” Olly smirks, poorly hiding a glimmer of annoyance.

“He hasn’t. What did you do to deserve that?” I ask, torn between amusement and actual concern. What if Moose is trying to tell me something?

“Nothing!” He protests with his hands held in the air, feigning offense.

“I’ll have to ask him when he comes back.” I try to offer a smile, but my face will not comply.

He laughs and bashfully shoves his hands into his pockets.

“Why are you here, Olly?” I’m too tired to dance around the point.

“I’m here to apologize for what happened earlier. I was enjoying our time together until… well, Landers is a dick. And I’m sorry for his behavior.” There’s a sincerity in his apology that makes me believe he truly regrets the interruption.

---