Chương 29: Chapter Twenty-Nine

I thought I would be packing. I was rather stressed about it. I had never had so much stuff before. I thought I would get away with leaving some of it behind… but no. My cousins, the maids, were packing. Using trunks. And making sure I would have everything at the academy. Which left me free to come with Mom and Dad to the auction house. Apparently today was the day my potion was being auctioned off, and it would 'just be easier for everybody' if I was there and did some paperwork or something.

So, we were standing in front of a large building that looked as secure as the bank did, but substantially smaller. They at least didn't like to waste space. Or so I thought.

"Stick with us, Lyra, we need to go to the requisition desk before we find our seat," Dad said as we entered a large lobby with items displayed under glass covers. One or two guards were stationed at each display. In the case of the bubbling potion in back, there were four.

"It's this way." I followed quietly in my Torture Device F, a yellow poofy dress that Mom bought on impulse when the seamstress presented it to her. It made me look like I was ten. But she insisted, and I caved. I needed to stop caving. At least I wasn't the only one. I counted no less than ten girls dressed as… decorative as me and many of them looked older than I was. Perhaps my perspective was skewed. I resolved never to tell Mom.

Mom picked up a piece of paper someone was handing out as we navigated the crowd and entered a room to the side. A woman was sitting behind a large desk, with a stack of paper sitting on top of it. She was busily scratching notes in one of them when Dad stepped up. He waited a moment for her to stop scribbling before introducing himself and handing her a letter.

"We're here about auction ninety-eight." The woman didn't respond immediately, just took the paperwork.

"One moment while I confirm," she said and opened a drawer and immediately started shuffling folders and other papers about.

"Here it is." She pulled out a folder and started examining whatever paperwork was in it.

"Okay, I've confirmed dual ownership of item ninety-eight, and your promissory note matches the ownership details we have on file." She pulled out another piece of paper from the folder and handed it to Dad.

"Review that and sign it. If there is a dispute, that's between you and the original owner of the item, that we recognize as the sole owner. We don't usually involve ourselves in these types of things." The woman spoke crisply and Mom moved up beside Dad to look over the paper. Both nodded for a moment before Mom motioned me forward.

"This is a term of sale. And it's fairly standard at the auction house. The only real difference is the terms listed in the second paragraph, which outlines the agreement you have with Mr. Altoroth. Please look it over." The woman's mouth pursed, probably not happy that Mom had turned this into a lesson. But I didn't live with her. I looked it over. The clause was mostly as we discussed at Mr. Altoroth's shop, with the addition of ten percent going to the auction house of the overall sale.

The remainder would see two mithril going to Mr. Altoroth, then everything else would be split evenly and deposited into each of our accounts. Which would take another ten percent of the money. How did people make money when everyone was taking money like this? I nodded after a moment and tried to hand it back, but Dad refused.

"You have to sign it, Lyra." The woman's eyes widened.

"Mr. Toordor, are you sure that you want her…"

"It's her item. So yes," Dad interrupted.

"The pen?" The woman handed me an inkless pen and I put the paper on her desk. It was a little awkward; the desk almost came up to my chest, but I managed to write my name where Mom indicated and handed the paper back. The surprise was still written on the woman's face. But she quickly hid it behind movement as she took the paper I signed, wrote something in the book in front of her, and filed it with the rest of the folder in her drawer. Dad took back the paper he had handed her.

"The auction will begin in half an hour. I hope you enjoy the auction." She looked at me. Somewhat dazedly.

"Anything you bid on will have its value subtracted from your total at the end of the night. You will be responsible for anything you bid over that amount," the woman said as Mom and Dad steered me away.

"Not that it's likely to happen," the woman muttered under her breath. My ears twitched as I heard it, and I frowned. I really didn't see how that could happen when so much of the money was going to other people.

"Let's take our seats. We're in the center balcony," Dad said, as Mom wrapped herself around Dad's arm. I followed them through the crowd with Mom gushing about the location of their booth. Apparently, they normally sat in a different booth. I was still surprised at how many people Mom knew, and genuinely seemed to like. I mean, she was always pleasant to talk to, and enjoyed talking with everyone that approached. But it ran much deeper than I thought.

Which her list of guessing about who might be seated near us highlighted brilliantly.

"I hope it's Lady Neroth. She always enjoyed a good auction, and I haven't had a chance to reach out to her yet." Dad, for his part, listened attentively and made all the right sounds. Even asking a question or adding a comment here and there. I tuned out after the third guess. Making our way through the crowd I saw at least a dozen varieties of demons, none of which were Toordor, and a host of beastkin. Though humans outnumbered both groups, I found the fur pattern on a wolfkin particularly pleasing.

But I didn't stare. Mom already explained it was rude to me, so I noted it and moved on. I couldn't finish looking before I was led into a stairwell, and lost sight of all the people. Up a set of stairs, passed several person-sized statues of people I didn't know, and paintings of scenes that either didn't make sense to me or were horrendous in their content. Armies clashing, one with some person wearing armor highlighted by a break in the clouds. Why paint armies fighting among their own dead?

These people were weird. Dad opened a door and gestured for Mom and me to enter, so I did. The stonework was immediately broken up with a soft carpet, and tapestries. At least these just showed the Kingdom's sigil and not some battle or another. Five chairs were placed next to a railing, and tables had been placed on either side of the room laden with food. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

I caught a maid standing next to one of the tables, so still that my eyes almost skipped completely over her.

"Your Majesties." Dad's voice broke me out of my contemplation and my eyes snapped forward. Dad made a formal bow, one I recognized from Mom teaching and classified as 'a bow among equals'. I quickly curtsied, as I saw Mom doing the same.

"Enough of that, Evan. We're not in court," a man I would guess was in his forties said, waving Dad away casually. He was wearing a fine set of clothes, not quite a suit. Tunic, vest, and overcoat. All in the kingdom's colors. The kingdom's sigil was prominently displayed on his vest over his heart. My mind itched. Why was Dad bowing to royalty like he would to me?

"Mandy. I'm so glad to see you. You've kept yourself locked away since you returned. You know you can visit. I promise I won't make you work," the woman beside him said. She was in an elegant gown in matching colors, her hair done in a tight bun. I scowled as the knowledge about her hair came to mind unbidden. I rejected the cult of style! My own hair coiled around my face, framing it in cascading trails of cyan.

"Much at least," Mom replied to the woman's giggle.

"Guilty."

"And who's this," the king asked, looking towards me.

"Ah, Anders, this is my daughter Lyra. Lyra, this is Anders Lionstrike. The king. And his wife, the queen, Larissa Lionstrike," Dad introduced, and I curtsied again.

"Hello, I'm Lyra Lavith Toordor. It's a pleasure to meet you." I curtsied like I was taught to do. The one for royalty. Like Mom explained it to me. I glanced at her with the side of my eye as I waited in the pose to be acknowledged. They were both smiling.

"Aren't you adorable?" the queen said, looking me over.

"The pleasure is ours, I assure you." Followed by the same hand waving gesture he made at Dad.

"But stop that. Save it for the courts, least we return the favor. Princess Lyra." My throat went dry and I stood up immediately. Princess?! I thought that was a joke! Dad laughed! I looked at him, betrayed. He laughed again at whatever he saw in my face.

"You know I'm the leader of the Toordor, Lyra. It doesn't translate well across racial customs. But the closest would be king," Dad finally explained to me. I thought of everything. The house. Dad in the fight. The servants. The bank manager staying late. The lessons. A great many things were making more sense, and I was not comfortable with how they were fitting together!

"She didn't know?" the queen asked.

"Oh, you poor dear. Come here and I'll explain everything." The queen wrapped her hands around me and led me to the seats. Mom followed, picking up a glass from a maid that hadn't been next to her a moment ago. Ice ran down the back of my spine with how the queen said everything, but I couldn't think of a way to get away without being rude.

"And call me Auntie Lai." Mom smiled at the invitation. My mind had blanked. I was going to have to call the queen 'Auntie Lai' before I left here tonight. I just knew it.

"Well, now that I pulled you away from the men, is there anyone you have an eye on," the queen… Auntie Lai asked. Mom choked on her drink a little and thankfully came to my defense after she continued with: "We should really introduce you to Trevor, he's just gone through his own Becoming, so is about your age." Auntie Lai sat me down in a chair, and sat beside me, leaving Mom to sit on the other side of me.

"We don't go for arranged marriages, Lai. You know that." She just waved her hand at Mom.

"Who said anything about that? Just getting them together is all. What happens after is completely up to them," she said casually, though even I could see her transparent desire to set me up with her son. I had never thought about that before. I thought about my realistic options up until this point in my life and frowned. That would be the reason why, I thought, as Mom and Auntie Lai fell into a conversation about the latest wedding announcements. I looked at the stage, and around the room.

There wasn't any open seating. Just boxes, like the one we were in arranged on all sides of the stage. I could only tell by the lights from the boxes across the way. I had expected at least some of the room to be open seating. Apparently, there were only wealthy people in the auction house today.

"Oh, all right. I won't meddle. But, Trevor is starting at the academy too, and I won't stop them from bumping into each other." Mom sighed and relented. A fresh wave of panic washed through me as I sat up straighter. I was going to meet a prince. He was going to talk to me. Mom and Dad wouldn't be there. My spiraling thoughts were interrupted as someone took the stage. Sound escalated as dozens of people made to sit down at the same time, including Dad and the king.

The person on the stage waited for the sounds to die down before starting.

"Ladies and Sirs. Welcome to this month's auction. We have a plethora of relics and trinkets from lost ages for your enjoyment tonight. Along with a rarity. Something never before seen in this auction house. A potion from the time before legends." The silence gained a new quality as a heaviness descended on the auction goers. The king was nodding.

"The True-Elixir," he said with a reverent tone.

"You're bidding on it?" Dad inquired quietly as the announcer continued to try to sell up the items that would soon be on display. My right ear shifted slightly to better hear what Dad and the king were talking about.

"It's the only thing I'm bidding on," the king admitted.

"You too?" he asked. A bit of nervousness had found its way into his voice.

"We're here for the potion," Dad admitted, and I swore I heard the king deflate at that.

"But for you, I won't bid," Dad added, and I watched at the side of my vision as the king visibly sat straighter.

"Thank you, my friend. I owe you one." Dad nodded kindly, his eyes never leaving the platform below.

"I'll support your bid, within reason," Dad added, and the king smiled openly.

"Standard terms?" Dad nodded, and the king spelled it out.

"No interest, paid in full within a year." With Dad's second nod, they shook hands. My head had tilted as I thought about the interaction. Dad knew I made the potion. He had never come to bid. If he wanted it, I would have just given it to him. Or made another. But now, the king was treating him even more friendly than he had been. I hoped his son made more sense, or talking to him would be worse than I was imagining. The auction began shortly after. A sword, that looked a bit worn.

That someone had carried somewhere important sounding. People started yelling numbers. The bids climbed from gold into platinum, before selling for five platinum and a dozen gold. My throat had gone dry at the numbers, and I gladly accepted the glass offered by one of the maids when I looked around for something to drink. No one else looked surprised that the sword had sold for so much. And I had seen better on street markets for just over a gold in the city. I was never going to understand these people.

An axe, sword, cloak, and a book all sold for mind boggling sums of money. Then finally something interesting. A staff. I didn't catch who it belonged to, or where it had been wielded. But it radiated mana. I leaned forward to get a better look, but Mom put her hand on my shoulder, shaking her head. Auntie Lai beside me smirked.

"Looking for a staff, Lyra?" I didn't like the smile that blossomed on her face, but I sat back and mumbled a response before ignoring her and paying attention to the auction. Which got boring. Fast. I think I fell asleep, because Mom jostled me and I jolted upright. On the stage, the same glass-covered display I noticed in the entry way was being rolled into the center. Lights dimmed and the stage was lit only by the cyan glow of my bubbling potion.

"And now we have the item everyone has been waiting for. Tonight's cap-stone. The legendary True Elixir, identified by Grand Potion Master Altoroth!" I could hear murmurs erupt throughout the area, but it quieted quickly as the auctioneer raised his hands. He didn't yell, but his voice carried throughout the area. It wasn't magic, I noticed. There had to be another trick in play.

"This potion will cure any physical injury. If you lost a limb, it will reattach it if you hold it against the wound. Any poison. Any disease. Any curse. Only death itself is beyond its grasp." At the proclamation the murmurs started again.

"But that is not all." He went on.

"It will also grant you an additional ten years of life. In the state you are when you drink it. Ten years. Unageing." This time the murmurs had gotten louder. I could only shake my head at their display. The king was visibly vibrating in his chair. I sat back in my chair. I hoped Mr. Altoroth would get his mithril piece back.

"We will start the bidding at five mithril coins," the auctioneer said at last. To my surprise, it was immediately matched by someone, and someone else raised it. It went back and forth, growing by platinum at a time before the king shouted out "Ten mithril." On the other side of the queen, who didn't look surprised in the least. The bidding paused. Then started back up, with fewer voices.

"Fifteen mithril," the king declared after a moment of it going back and forth. Again, the bidding paused. This time, it didn't pick up again. The auctioneer, looking pleased, began to countdown before another voice rose from one of the boxes beside us.

"Twenty." The king's surprised intake of breath told me he recognized the voice. Then his expression shifted into one somewhere between anger and annoyance.

"Twenty five." The king countered.

"Thirty." It went back and forth between the two until the price reached eighty mithril. Honestly, I couldn't tell if he was still bidding on my potion anymore or simply bidding to outbid whoever he had been bidding against. But finally, he stopped. He turned to my Dad.

"Twenty mithril?" he asked, to which my Dad tilted his head slightly before nodding his head.

"One adamantium," the king said, causing a wave of murmurs to wash through the assembly. The other voice had quieted. My mind went blank. I brewed that potion in a cart. Using three ingredients that I found on the side of the road. The king smiled, and I caught the queen squeezing his hand as the auctioneer resumed the countdown. This time, no one stopped it.