I made my way to Seraphina's shop, The Gem Emporium, as the sun continued to ride the horizon. One thing I appreciated about my new residence was how much sun we received compared to the gray and gloomy weather back home.

The streets of Everspring were as busy as ever. People bustled from place to place, many of them heading to or from the market, arms or wooden crates laden with supplies. I had to move out of the way on several occasions to make room for carts heading out after a successful day of sales, based on how few vegetables or other supplies they bore.

I was a few blocks over from Roland Hightown’s office. If I wasn’t in a hurry, I would have dropped by to say hello. I liked Roland and had shared a number of engaging conversations with the town's steward.

As I approached Seraphina's shop, I spotted her silhouette through the frosted glass. As I stood in front of the door, I suddenly felt nervous. Taking a deep breath, I lightly knocked and opened the door.

Seraphina had her hands on several gems, muttering words over them. She didn't immediately look up. I stood there and simply stared after I'd closed the door. I couldn't help but admire her beauty. She wore a soft azure blouse under an ebony bodice, and her skirt flowed in delicate shades of green that barely grazed the ground.

A gentle light settled over the two green gems as she finished her incantation. She placed them on a table, and breathed out a sigh.

"Varix." A smile spread across her face. "I'm happy to see you."

I tried to chase the butterflies away, but they stubbornly refused to leave my stomach. "Hey. Um. Sorry to stare."

She shrugged lightly and moved toward me. We embraced without hesitation. I held her tightly, realizing how much I had missed her company. "It's so good to see you, too," I murmured into her hair.

She pulled back slightly, her hands still resting on my arms. She hit me with a full smile. "I have some news regarding the thing. Let's go in the back."

"Okay.” I nodded.

Seraphina placed a sign outside on her door, and locked it. She led me into the back room with the desk and ornate chests. Her hand dug into the small wooden box on the desk and came up with the gem she'd used a few days ago. Seraphina muttered a few words over it. The room became utterly still, and her words became muted, like she was speaking underwater.

"What a busy day. I've had to do some work for one of The Baron's, um, girls. He has a few. Don't ask. They needed some stones to help keep the rats at bay. I don't know what they're doing over there, but he's been inundated with them."

"Maybe they were all chased out of my tavern by Lady Churl, and they found a new home at his house. I'm guessing he lives in the big house at the end of town?"

"He calls it a mansion, but it's just a two-story house. He has indoor plumbing, which is still a bit of a novelty here, and four bedrooms, but I'd hardly call that a mansion. I've been to Silverlight Aerie, the capital. Now, that place has some palatial mansions. Oddly, the king lives in a house smaller than The Baron's. He seems like a humble and likable guy. I've only met him once, and it was in passing. I was doing work near one of his holds a few years ago."

"Why do they call him The Pale King? Urzan and some of the goblins used the term."

"He does appear to have a condition, and his skin is fair, that's for sure. Piercing blue eyes. Powerfully built, but yeah. Kind of sickly. I was impressed with the speed at which he worked out a peace deal with the green skins after Big M was taken care of."

"The orcs didn't have a lot of love for that guy," I said. "Urzan told me they'd been enthralled. Once the spell was broken, they all started questioning their life choices."

"You remind me of the king, in a way. You came to an easy peace with the orcs in a naive way. Don't take that the wrong way, Varix. You're new here and don't know what we've been through. The town has seen its fair share of the war. Things were not always as they appear now.

"But here comes Varix, all smiles and easy charisma, convincing orcs, goblins, and humans they can co-exist." She moved closer to me. "Talking young half-elven women into dating him."

"You make me sound like a way more interesting person than I really am." I closed the distance and pulled her into my arms again.

"Really Varix? You're more than interesting."

"I can say the same about you."

"Go ahead."

"You're more than a little interesting." I laughed and pulled her tightly against me.

"I may have a solution for the little pendant problem."

"I knew we were going to have to talk about it."

She pulled back slightly. "You don't want to?"

"I know we must. I was very much enjoying holding you."

Her cheeks flushed and she broke away gently. "Then let's hurry and get this over with. I hope you didn't forget out plans."

"I wouldn't dream of forgetting our date."

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

It wasn't much of a date. We were going to hit the market and do a little shopping. Seraphina wanted to help me find some more cooking goods for the tavern.

"Oh, I went to the bank."

Seraphina's eyes widened. "Uh. Did you open an account?"

"Yeah."

"The card. Which image appeared?"

I withdrew the peculiar, thin stone and metal bank card and turned it over to show the image. She blew out a breath. "If the Heart of Shadows is as powerful as I'd suspected. It was able to mask your alter ego from the image creator."

"Is that a good thing?" I scratched the back of my head.

"Would you rather it had picked up your other face?"

I blanched. "Point taken."

Seraphina moved around the desk and opened a book to a location marked by a strip of ribbon. She showed me the page, and the curious image drawn therein. It looked like The Heart of Shadows, but it was mounted on a thin headband with delicate arches worked about the metal. The writing around it was in a runish script I couldn't understand.

"That's the gem?"

"I think so. This is from a book that was a copy of an old book that was a copy of an even older book. I'm sure some liberties were taken. The language will be gibberish to you. It's written in a dead language, but one that certain enchanters follow. I'm one of those."

Seraphina pointed at the page. "The story goes that a woman named Nyx, who may or may not have been a fallen minor goddess before the cataclysm, created the stone to sneak into the courts of kings, possibly to bed them, and most certainly for spy work. Big M must have known some powerful stuff, because this thing is not a joke. It would have required immense power and concentration to attune it to his body."

"Which is now occupied by me. Meaning, if I took this off and gave it to you, you might not be able to use it."

Her eyes narrowed. "I most certainly would not be able to use it. It might burn me to the bone if I attempted it. Or it might be inert. I'd prefer not to tempt fate. I can touch the stone, and you know I've probed it, looking for its source of power, but that was as far as I was willing to go."

I looked up from the page and met Seraphina's eyes. "Are you saying you can't mask it?"

"I cannot. There is only one person who can."

"Oh?"

"Yes. You. The other you. I have an idea. It's going to be dangerous, and we'll need help."

"Me? What sort of help?"

She stepped from around the desk and moved to me again. Seraphina put a hand on my arm. "Um. Help of the undead kind."

"But, I don't know how to summon them the way…"

She stared at me.

"Oh. You mean them."

"Mainly her. Your ex. Do you think she'll assist you?"

I turned away and paced with my hand on my chin. Using Morthisal's powers with Ophelia's help seemed like a risky proposition.

"How dangerous is this?"

Seraphina looked down. "There are…risks."

"Care to elaborate?"

"What I have in mind will require some prep work, the Star of Luminas you so kindly sold to me, Big M's staff, and the help of Lady Ophelia Nightshade." Seraphina pursed her lips and tapped them with a finger.

"I'm assuming I'll have to remove the amulet to do this?"

"You will. But that's not the really dangerous part."

"What is?"

She locked eyes with me. "There is a chance that Ophelia could take possession of your body."

I stopped in my tracks. "Well… Shit! I'm sure Lady Ophelia would be more than happy to take over my body and start up a new evil empire."

"I hadn't thought of that. We won't let that happen."

We spent the next hour going over the plan. I didn't like it, but I also didn't know what would happen if I didn't mask the amulet from the relic hunters. Seraphina wanted to perform the spell the next night. I would need to bring Ophelia, Morthisal's staff and the other ghosts. I figured that where one went, so went the others, and hopefully Garin and Zyn would stop Ophelia from doing anything too rash. The intervening hours would give me time to think about what we were about to attempt, in case I wanted to back out. There was a chance I could have Zyn perform his trick every couple of days, but the first time had taken a lot out of him. He had warned me that the mask wouldn't last much longer.

As we talked, we held each other a few times, exchanged a few kisses, and then she surprised me with a gift of a thick apron she'd had made for me in town. The seamstress had created it to her specifications, and when I saw it, I blinked several times in shock.

It was black, and a few runes were etched into the sides. "This is beautiful! You didn't have to do this."

"I wanted to. A chef needs a good apron. There are a few pockets, and I had it enhanced to help prevent small burns like splatters. It won't save you in a fire, but it will go a long way toward preventing you from getting your face or hands seared by hot oil."

"Seraphina. This is such an amazing gift!"

"I'm glad you like it," she said and hugged me.

"You'll have to tell me where you got it made. I'll need to get matching aprons for Lady Churl and Milo."

"Milo? The kid from The Whistling Kettle?"

"I guess he's my apprentice now." I laughed.

"Is he good?"

"He has potential. And a lot of heart. He'll learn."

Seraphina removed the spell from the room, took my hand, and led me to the front door.

"Time for our date."

"It's not much of a date. We're just going to the market."

She rounded on me, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed my lips. "It's time I get to spend with you. Let's go."

We set out for the market, walking hand in hand. The air was filled with the chatter of merchants and shoppers and the smell of fresh produce and spices. The beautiful lavender fields surrounding the town provided an extra lovely aroma.

Seraphina stopped as we browsed the stalls and pointed at a weathered table with a pile of rough, uncut gems. Her eyes scanned the collection with an expert's gaze. She handled some, put others back, and came up with three she liked. After some haggling, she walked away with a small pouch and a self-satisfied smile.

She wasn't the only one who scored something nice. Nestled between various pans was a metal stock pot large enough to make a batch of chili. "This is perfect for the tavern," I muttered, hefting it experimentally. I paid the vendor for it with a gold and two silvers. He wasn't in the mood to haggle over the well-worn pot and took my lowball offer.

We continued our stroll, our hands finding each other again. The hour flew by, filled with laughter, shared observations, and the simple joy of each other's company. As the sun began to dip, it was almost time to call it a night. I walked her back to her shop. She opened the door and stood in the doorway.

Seraphina turned to face me, her eyes soft. "I'll see you tomorrow," she said, leaning in for a kiss. As our lips met, there was a flutter in my chest, but a gnawing anxiety about the upcoming ritual overshadowed my joy.