Chapter Twenty-Six

“That is an awful idea,” Alissa said to him seriously as she sat at a small table in front of a tall window, sipping a cup of freshly brewed tea. Marcus was standing off to the side and against the paisley-colored wall. He was dressed in full ceremonial armor, including his crimson cape, but sans hammer. He would have liked not to be wearing it, but as he was technically on duty, it was one of the many requirements.

“But you didn’t even give me a chance to explain.” He protested quietly, not wanting to be overheard by the maids periodically entering and exiting the small sitting room they were in.

“There is nothing to explain.” She said as she sat her cup down gently. “You cannot go exploring the mountain. It is not possible.”

“I’m not saying I’d leave you behind. We would go together.” He tried to convince her it was a good idea, but her face remained skeptical.

Alissa glanced around the sitting room, making entirely sure that they were alone before she spoke. “Dear, you are as big as the mountain this manor rests upon. Although that is something I find desirable in you, it impedes your ability to sneak about. To think that we could get away without you being spotted is nothing short of wishful thinking.”

“Are you calling me fat?” Marcus couldn’t help himself.

“Oh, shut up,” Alissa said with a playful smile.

“Fine, I won’t try and sneak out to find a big ol’ pile of dragon gold.” Marcus relented with an exaggerated huff. “You never let me have any fun.”

“You are a child.” She ribbed back good-naturedly before rolling her eyes and getting to her feet. She hurriedly swept over to him, wanting to beat any maids that might decide to enter. By the time she made it to him, Marcus had already removed his helmet and had bent down for her to wrap her arms around his neck. She gave him a passionate and wanting kiss, her sweet tongue eagerly relaying how much she craved his touch.

She pulled back, leaving Marcus with a dumb grin as he fumbled to put his helmet back over his head. “Do you think tonight?” He asked cryptically.

Alissa shook her head, “Marquis Draconis has many more guards and servants than Marquis Mayweather; there are too many eyes and ears.”

“Yeah,” he agreed in resignation before changing the subject. “What is with his name, anyway? I think it’s a little bit too on the nose to be real.”

Alissa let out a peel of giggles as she brushed some of her golden hair behind her ear. “You would be correct. The story of the dragon’s burial ground predates the city’s founding. So, when the monarch of the time gifted Marquis Draconis’ family the area, they decided to lean into the theme… heavily.”

“What was their name before?”

“I do not rightly know,” Alissa admitted, scrunching up her adorable face in thought. “It has been lost over the years but was most likely something rather bland.”

“Like Smith? Or Jones?” Marcus contributed with a chuckle. “I guess I’d change it to if it was one of those. But maybe not to something so stupid.”

“It is rather self-aggrandizing, I agree. Still, his family has built the city and the surrounding area into an indispensable economic and defensive powerhouse. Many say they have lived up to their self-given name.”

“So, he’s pretty important, huh?” He stated the obvious.

Alissa nodded and patted his armored chest. “He is. Although he holds the same rank as the overseer of Kilnfire, Marquis Draconis has more personal power than some of the dukes in Pol Trulant.”

“Okay,” Marcus nodded in understanding. “But how did they get so powerful? Other than having a good spot to build a city.”

“The mountain might not conceal a long-forgotten dragon’s hoard, but it does contain a vast deposit of mana crystals.” She told him hushedly, almost as if what she told him was a secret.

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“Huh.” That was all Marcus said. He didn’t really know what mana crystals were but could infer they were probably like the mana cores found in people and beasts. “I bet those are worth quite a bit.”

“That is putting it lightly. Mana crystals hold neutral mana and are vital to many enchantments and spellwork.”

“But you can use mana cores for all that, right?”

“Yes, but with mana cores, one must bleed the tainted mana from the core and then let it refill naturally with neutral mana. It is a very time-consuming process.”

“Well, the more you know, I guess.” Marcus laughed a little too loudly. His baritone voice filled the small room before he could stop himself, earning a look of exasperation from the blonde woman before him.

Almost as in reaction to his jovial outburst, another maid came into the room with a small platter held aloft. If she was bothered by his and Alissa’s proximity, she didn’t show it. She gave them both a small smile and a nod before depositing the tray of treats onto the small table underneath the window. Then, just as quickly as she arrived, the maid absconded.

“I wish they would at least knock,” Marcus quipped once the maid quietly closed the door behind her.

“It is something you will grow used to,” Alissa told him as she walked over to inspect the pastries left behind. “I do not care for these; would you like them?”

Marcus stomped over to peer over her shoulder. Half a dozen light and fluffy, cream-filled pastries returned his hungry gaze. They reminded him of eclairs, except they were shaped like croissants and didn’t have nearly as much cream. Still, they looked delicious, and his stomach growled in agreement. “If you don’t want them, sure.”

Marcus popped off his helmet and popped one of the pastries into his mouth. He immediately pulled a face. Alissa looked at him with a smirk, “Are they not to your liking either?”

Marcus forced the pastry down so as not to spit it back up. “Something’s… off with it. I don’t know what it is. Maybe the cream they used was bad?” Needless to say, he didn’t go for another one.

He returned to standing against the wall as they continued talking about anything and everything. It was a pleasant enough time until it wasn’t. Suddenly, Marcus’ stomach twinged with a sharp pain, nearly taking his breath away. He really didn’t want to get food poisoning from those turned pastries.

He tried to rough it out, but it only worsened with every passing moment. Then his vision started to swim, and a slight ringing grew in volume that came from all around him. Marcus shook his head and let out a disgusting belch.

“Are you alright?” Alissa asked him as she saw him sway on his feet.

“I… don’t think so,” Marcus mumbled just before he lost his balance and fell backward against the wall. The strength in his legs left him, and he slid down the wall until the floor caught him in a clinking metal racket. “Oh shit…”

“Marcus!” Alissa cried as she rushed to his side and pulled his helmet off. His face was stark white, and his lips had become sickly purple. She cupped his face with her petite hands and grimaced at how cold and clammy his skin felt beneath her. “My gods, Marcus. What is wrong with you?”

He knew what was wrong. He wasn’t so stupid to mistake food poisoning with the much more intentional kind. But the pain and disorientation were making it difficult to keep his muddled mind together. It was getting hard for him to breathe, but he could barely lift his arms to loosen his armor. He struggled to take a deep enough breath to speak. “…my room… the water skin. Bring it to me… hurry…”

His voice was a ragged whisper, but Alissa didn’t question the words as she jumped to her feet and rushed out of the room. There must have been an attendant outside because he could make out her shouting for a healer even over the incessant ringing plaguing his ears. He must have blacked out for a moment because the next thing he knew, Alissa was shaking him with one hand while holding out the water skin in the other.

“Marcus! Please!” Alissa screamed at him, drawing his unfocused and bloodshot eyes to hers. Once she had his attention, she brought the water skin to his lips.

He truly loved how smart she was. Alissa knew exactly what he wanted without him saying anything. He guzzled the mana-infused water inside the skin as quickly as possible; whatever didn’t make it into his mouth ran down his chin and fell onto his fancy armor. “The… stones too…” He huffed out once the water was gone.

Alissa questioned him this time as she poured one of the pea-sized mana stones into her palm. “No, Marcus. These will kill you.”

Marcus could barely keep his head up as everything in the room spun around him like he was in the middle of a whirlpool. “…the… stones.”

Alissa gave him one more terrified look before pushing his head back and shaking the contents of the water skin into his open mouth. It hurt to swallow, and the muscles in his neck spasmed, but the mana stones were small enough to slide down his throat without much assistance. Marcus could only hope that whatever it was that mana did to his body was enough to keep him alive.