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“Would you like to have your heart gilded so it’s forever preserved?” snarled Aurelius. “The black thing that must be inside would look so much better. Or maybe you already replaced it with the fourth item.”
The smile he gave David surely wasn’t entirely sane.
“Oh, yes, it would be the fourth and final for you, wouldn’t it? You have three. You can drink if you like, but be careful unless you want the men to haul you out once you’re a drooling mess. I’d like you sober enough to speak with. The men put some broth and water in you earlier since they dosed you a bit much the last time, and they’d already been giving you nornine. They got a little concerned when you wouldn't come around.”
Great. He’d been drugged with the thing the herb woman had used to help him win the war. He’d been flying high on that rare herb that grew in the mountains. A person could use it daily for a few weeks, and then it had a high chance of causing a stroke.
Without water, it took too long to get out of the system at higher doses, and the person might be out of it for longer than they wanted.
David shook his head. “I told them to be careful, and you were a half-dead mess for the past couple of days because they gave you far too much. They wanted to sleep and slow down the last few days since they were beyond worn out, and they forgot to force enough water into you. It was also easier to drug you since more travelers were around with the river crossing and the road to Zenith. They wanted to keep you quiet. You’ll be fine now.”
Everyone could do what they wanted with Aurelius, and it was just fucking fine. He downed half of the wine because hecould. It hit his empty stomach and flew straight up to his head. For a second, he wanted to cry because his whole life had been destined for shit since he’d been conceived with those other three fuckers. And it would end in some way at the hand of his enemy. His original plans…gone.
Good things were for everyone else. Not him. Elira, he missed Jari.
“I thought you could gild back then at fifteen, but perhaps you weren’t lying to Corvo, and you weren’t old enough to do it.”
The name twisted Aurelius’s stomach.
“Perhaps such magic does require the brain to mature to a certain point like fairy magic. Thank Elira that starts at puberty and not earlier.” David gave a dry chuckle. “Could you imagine babies accidentally sending fireballs into the ceiling from their cradle? You as a toddler or child with the ability to gild already would have been equally dangerous, so I’m now assuming it’s like that. I wouldn't know since Eurig was eighteen when he took the key after Tourwin's death.”
That was true, but Eurig had said he’d gotten to it beforehand when he was sixteen. He’d tried the key, and while he had felt something in his head, meaning Mammon had latched on, he hadn’t been able to gild like Tourwin.
He’d been eighteen when Grandfather passed, and the key was truly his then. It worked after that. He’d mentioned that to his sons, but he must not have ever told David, thinking it wasn’t important, or he’d simply forgotten at the time. Aurelius had been seventeen when he first gilded. The slight difference in age compared to Eurig meant little since fairy magic didn’t come at the same time for everyone. Twelve or thirteen was typical.
“Since you finally gilded someone, you can’t deny that you can do it,” David added in a pointed tone.
“I can do it,” said Aurelius. Denial was useless, so why bother? “Yay. My brothers all had the Golden Touch too. Zylem’s dead and gilded, so you could go find Gullveig. He did it.”
“Oh, really. Where is he?”
“Fuck if I know.”
David sighed.
“I’m not lying to protect him. We took Morning Glory, and he fled like the pile of shit that he is.” Aurelius took a sip of the wine. “Except, I wouldn’t wish what happened to me on anyone, so even with him, don’t bother.”
“I don’t need to go on a wild chase for him when I’ve got you. I gave Corvo permission to break you as he pleased. Having you was a partial reward too. He was quite pleased to have that permission and find you out there…what a stroke of luck. Wouldn’t it be nice if everything we wanted fell into our laps so easily?”
Aurelius forced the wine to his lips before he did something stupid, but the warmth from the sapphire liquid couldn’t chase away the icy terror that name brought. He hadn’t even been able to speak it to Jari. “What if I’d gilded your friend?”
“That was a risk. I assumed killing was something that you were too scared to do, although you did later. Honestly, Corvo’s not so special. He’s made up for losing you, and I tell him he’s my most trusted Commander now because he’s loyal, and that is valuable, but if he died...” David shrugged.
“And now you want to have dinner with me like nothing happened. You loved Eurig, and yet did horrific things to his child.”
“Yes.His. You and I have no special connection.”
David picked up a little silver bell and tinkled it. Barely ten seconds passed before a lady came through the doorway behind him with a tray. Another followed her. The older one glanced at Aurelius with the chain running from his collar. If she guessedwho he was from his hair and missing eye, she didn’t show anything. She quickly averted her gaze, and the other didn’t look at him as they served the meal.
Chicken in white sauce with libby leaves and carrots. Salad tossed with oil and vinegar. A tiny plate for each held some kind of little pastries. Green poked out from the corner of one, so he assumed it was spinach. They also had a little sliver of cheesecake with berry preserves on top.
The servants hastily retreated, and David shook out his linen napkin. “Eat. It’s not poisoned. I hope your stomach can handle it since it must be quite empty. As long as you act appropriately, you can see the fourth item after dinner. You figured out three since I heard a certain gold statue is missing a hand. I never thought about the Gold Lady, and it seems Eurig didn't either. Good job.”
Aurelius might as well eat. If the food was poisoned…at least his suffering would be over soon. He took his fork and poked his chicken.
“I’ve used it,” said David. “Rarely, of course. I never touched the key so I’m not cursed like your Father, and I’m quite sane.”
“I beg to differ.”
