“I’d like to learn more about this elixir,” his father said.
This was as close to a yes as his father was likely to give at the moment. Once he saw how talented Raphael was with his oils, he was sure to grant his approval for them to stay.
Ari looked at Jasmine who at that very moment had shifted her eyes to his.
“Don’t worry,” he said to her. “You won’t be forced from the palace until you’re ready to leave.”
“Let’s see what this boy can do before we make any promises,” said Ari’s father, frowning at him. “Shall we take this meeting to the perfumery?”
“With respect,” said Jasmine. “May we please have a few days to prepare the elixir to demonstrate properly? There’s very little we can show you right now. The perfumery is bare. We’ll need to make the oils from scratch.”
“Very well. I’ll give you three days.” His father smoothed down his robe and held his hand out toward the door.
Jasmine and Raphael nodded their thanks and slipped from the room, leaving Ari wondering if there was such an elixir that could mend an aching heart.
Ari’s mother returned from the window and sat down, shaking her head. “Ana’s dead. She’s really dead.”
“We don’t know that,” said Ari’s father, his words having no effect at soothing her pain.
This only made Ari more determined to find Ana. Knowing what had become of her was the only elixir that would ever help his mother. She’d suffered in the dark long enough.
“I’ll go and help them,” said Ari, going to the door. “Three days isn’t very long.”
“No, you won’t,” said his father. “You’ll wait with me. It’s about time you learned to obey instructions. Leave them to do their work alone.”
“Father, you’ve been preparing me my whole life to succeed you as King, have you not?”
His father nodded slowly, waiting for him to continue.
“Does the King obey instructions?” Ari asked.
“No,” his father said, grimacing, as he realized he’d trapped himself.
“That’s what I thought,” said Ari. “If you need me, I’ll be in the perfumery.”
He needed to go after Jasmine, just as he should have done the last time she’d left his side.
JASMINE
THE NOW
Jasmine was more confused than ever. But the meeting with Ari and his parents hadn’t been to satisfy her questions. It had been for the royal family to satisfy theirs. Only she wasn’t sure that Raph had been able to help them. His words seemed to have harmed rather than healed, raising more questions than they filled in any gaps.
“You okay?” she asked, as she hurried with Raph back to the perfumery. Three days wasn’t a long time. They’d need to work quickly.
Raph nodded.
“I’m proud of you,” she said, tucking her arm in his. “You did so well in there.”
It wasn’t so much Raph who’d confused Jasmine. Or the King. Or Queen. It was Ari. He’d been so kind to Raph, seeming to be able to sense how nervous he was and putting him at ease. And the way he’d looked at her. She’d felt herself being pulled in by him. If it weren’t for the fact that the King and Queen of the entire kingdom were sitting right there in front of her, she’d have run to him and kissed him in the way she should have that first time. She was certain that her feelings were real now. So, perhaps Ari hadn’t confused her. Instead, he’d cleared her head at last.
But the cool reception she’d had from the Queen made it obvious that someone like Jasmine would never be accepted in their lives.
She pushed open the perfumery door and held it for Raph. This was his first time here and his eyes were wide as he took it all in.
“Wow,” he said, looking around. “This workshop could be just as good as the one at home if we get it set up right.”
Jasmine nodded. He was right. It was a little smaller than their apothecary, but with more sophisticated equipment. The only problem was that the shelves were empty. Everything was going to need to be made from scratch. If they were to deliver the King his elixir in three days, they needed to get to work immediately.
“Why don’t we head straight out to the garden and get started?” suggested Jasmine.
They chose themselves a basket each and Jasmine looked for a sharp knife to cut branches with, if needed. They went out into the garden, walking in the direction of the orchard.
“So, what did you put in the elixir exactly?” she asked. “I can tell there’s lemongrass and cypress in there, but what else?”
“Umm, it was pretty simple actually. Bergamot and lemongrass to rebalance emotions, cardamom and cypress to clear the breathing passages, lemon and peppermint for energy. Then I put in three special ingredients… they were kind of a fluke.”
Jasmine smiled. “No such thing as a fluke. You were using your intuition, just like Mother taught us to. What were the special ingredients?”
“I added some wintergreen because I wanted to bring you home.”
“I love that.” Jasmine’s smile became a beam. “And what were the other two?”
“Can I leave them as a surprise?” He grinned. “I’ll show you. They’re extra special ones.”
“Okay.” She laughed, happy to see this lighthearted side of his personality return.
“And we should add some of that stuff from the tree you saw the Alchemist stealing from,” said Raph.
Jasmine had told Raph about this when they’d been making their way through the palace to see the King, as a way to distract him and settle his nerves. He’d been fascinated with the idea that they might have found their father’s mythical boswellia tree, although it seemed to have done little to help with his nerves.
“Definitely,” said Jasmine. “We’ll add some frankincense.”
“That’s a lot of work to do… we don’t even know if the palace has all the plants we need.”
“I’ve seen most of them. Come on. It’ll be like a treasure hunt. We’ll make a game of it.” He was still a child. It was about time he had a little fun in his life.
Raph grinned. “I like treasure hunts.”
“Do you feel well enough to do it? You can head back to the perfumery and wait for me there if you like?” He looked so frail after his illness, despite the color in his face. Walking around the gardens looking for ingredients for their elixir would be tiring for even the healthiest person.
He rolled his eyes. “I’m fine, Jazz.”
“You did so well back there with the King,” Jasmine told him again. “I really am proud of you and the way you spoke. I know it wasn’t an easy story for you to tell.”
“The Queen seemed upset with me.” He looked ahead as he spoke, his eyes scanning for treasure.
“She wasn’t upset with you.” Jasmine put a hand on his shoulder as they walked. “She was just upset at what you told her. It was difficult news for her to hear.”
Raph seemed to consider this for a moment. “Does she think the Alchemist’s wife is her daughter? The one we were told died.” His eyes were wide as he waited for her answer.
“Yes.” Jasmine marveled at her brother’s ability to put things together. “Do you think it was her?”
Raph shook his head. “Definitely not. No way.”
“Why not?” Jasmine was surprised at how adamant he was. “How can you be so sure? It’s the only thing that seems to make any sense.”
“Well, because… oh Jazz, you’re going to think I’m crazy if I tell you.” He stopped walking and turned to her, setting his basket on the ground.
“Then you’d better tell me. I already think you’re crazy, so it can’t get any worse.” She poked out her tongue at him, trying to lighten his suddenly morose mood.
“Well, because the Alchemist’s wife was…” Raph kicked at a stone, avoiding her eye.
“She was what?”
“She wasn’t a she, Jazz. I can’t believe I didn’t realize earlier. When I took the chain and her hair fell off, it was s
o obvious straight away. The Alchemist’s wife was a man!”
“Are you certain?”
Raph nodded. “What do you think that means?”
“I don’t know.” This was as honest as she could be. She truly didn’t know. How could the Alchemist’s wife have been a man? It was possible, she supposed. Nobody had ever seen her up close and they’d all been walking around in a dream state anyway.
If the Alchemist’s wife had been a man, then that didn’t answer any questions. It only raised a thousand more. For it meant that she couldn’t possibly have been Princess Ana. So, where was she? And who was the Alchemist if not the perfumer the Princess had run away with?
“There’s something else I didn’t tell you,” said Raph. “I forgot about it until now.”
Jasmine had no idea what this could be. She nodded, waiting for him to speak.
“There was a knocking inside the house before the Alchemist came in. It couldn’t have been Ari. There was someone else in there, Jazz. In the next room.”
“Really? Who? Nobody else lives in that house.”
“Do you think it could be the princess?” he asked. “The real one.”
Jasmine shrugged. She really didn’t know. Could it have been Princess Ana, locked inside the house? It was possible… Ari really needed to know about this. This was an important detail.
“I need to find Ari,” said Jasmine, setting down her basket beside Raph’s.
“I shouldn’t have said anything,” Raph wailed.
“No! I’m so glad you did. It’s just that Ari needs to know about this. It’s very important that he finds his sister. I have to tell him straight away. Come with me.”
Raph shook his head. “We only have three days to make the elixir. I’ll be fine here. I can start finding the treasure while I wait.”
“You just want to win the hunt!” She laughed. He must be starting to feel better if he cared about the game so much.
“Scared you’ll lose?” he asked, grinning.
“Just a little.” She ruffled his hair.
“Go, Jazz! I’ll be fine.”
“Okay,” she said, deciding she’d be able to move faster without him. He really didn’t have the strength to be running about any more than necessary. “Keep looking for treasure. One point for every ingredient you find. I won’t be long. Don’t go far.”
Locked gazes with Ari could no longer suffice. They needed to speak some real words to piece this puzzle together. And they needed to do it now. They were so close to figuring it all out.
ARI
THE NOW
How could Ari’s father have possibly expected him not to help Jasmine? There was absolutely no reason for keeping them apart, which was why he’d had to stand up to him. Was his father jealous? Did he not want Ari to have something that he himself had been unable to secure for himself? Perhaps he was just being influenced by Ari’s mother.
Queen Rose of Forte Cadence had announced her intention to take a commoner as her husband recently. She’d even invited the royal families of all the other kingdoms to attend her wedding. A peace offering like this was unheard of and Ari’s father had laughed to receive such an invitation. But if the King could see a happy union between a Queen and a commoner, then maybe… there would be hope.
When Ari had stood up to his father about helping Jasmine, his mother had gone directly to her bedchamber and locked herself inside.
His father had retreated to his desk, pretending to be busy, clearly not wanting to discuss the matter with Ari any further.
Communication had never been this family’s strong point. Ari vowed never to put his own children through this kind of upbringing. He also vowed to change the law about sons outranking daughters in the line to the throne. It wasn’t so much that he believed Ana would have made a better ruler than him, more that he’d seen how such a grossly unfair law had torn his family apart. This part of history wouldn’t repeat itself with his own children.
The law he intended to make would have the ruler selecting which one of their children would take the throne, based not on age or gender, but merit. No doubt it would be a law that would have problems of its own, however, it had to be a better solution than the one they had now.
Ari slipped out of the palace and into the courtyard that housed the kitchen garden. He went past the kitchen and into the perfumery, remembering the day of his sixteenth birthday when he’d done this very same thing. Only then he’d been looking for his sister. Now he was looking for… his love? Was that too extreme a word? It didn’t feel like it. Even his own mother had used it to describe what she’d seen in his face when he looked at Jasmine.
Just like that day of his birthday, he found the perfumery empty. Noticing a collection of baskets on one of the benches at the rear of the room, he suspected Jasmine and Raphael must have gone straight into the garden in search of the plants they needed to make their elixir. He just hoped three days would be enough time for them to prove to his father what Ari was already certain was true. Raphael had figured out how to cure the plague.
The palace garden was enormous. It could take all day to walk around it. He could help them find what they needed much faster. He’d grown up running around these gardens, trailing Ana or just making fun on his own.
He left the perfumery and walked toward the orchard, certain that at least one of the ingredients would be found there.
Winding his way through the trees and flowers, he breathed in, trying to draw in their scent as he passed, while keeping his eyes wide open for any sign of Jasmine or Raphael.
The orchard sat on a hill and as he emerged from the copse of trees, he saw a green blur of movement running down the hill. Jasmine. Where was she going in such a hurry? Had Raphael been hurt?
He picked up his pace, breaking into a run of his own, waving his arms and heading in Jasmine’s direction. His heart pounded as his legs propelled him forward, desperate to close the gap between them as fast as he could.
She altered her course just enough to let him know that she’d seen him and soon they were close enough that he could hear her shouts.
“Ari!” she called. “Ari!”
Each step he took brought him closer. Please let Raphael be okay. They’d come so far to save him. They couldn’t let anything happen to him now.
He reached out his arms as she came close and she ground to a halt, tilting her head instead of running into his arms like he’d hoped.
“Jasmine,” he panted. “What’s wrong? Is Raphael okay?”
She nodded, catching her breath as she bent over and rubbed a stitch in her side. “Why do you ask that?”
“I thought he must be hurt, for you to be in such a hurry.”
“I was looking for you,” she said. “How did you know?”
“I didn’t. I was looking for you.” He grinned widely as a wave of pleasure rushed through him to know that they’d both been looking for each other at the same time.
“I have something to tell you,” she said, gaining control over her breathing. “It’s important. It changes everything.”
“I have things to tell you too. Starting with an apology for not chasing after you when you left the perfumery.”
“Ari, I didn’t want you to chase me. I told you I needed some air. I like that you respected that.”
He let out a breath and nodded. Finally, he seemed to have done the right thing in her eyes, even if it had felt wrong at the time.
“Let’s sit down,” he said, taking her hand and leading her to a tree that would offer them both shade and privacy from prying eyes in the palace.
She sat down beside him, keeping a respectable distance between them, although she didn’t let go of his hand.
“What did you need to tell me so urgently?” he asked.
She bit down gently on her bottom lip and he forced his eyes away from her. Did she have any idea how wild she drove him when she did that?
“Raph just told me something he didn’t tell your parents. It’s�
� a bit shocking.” She let go of his hand and plucked a blade of grass from the ground, twirling it between her fingers.
Ari turned to face her. Was there more information on Ana? Was it possible this mystery would be solved after all?
“You remember that Raph said when he took the necklace from the Alchemist’s wife that her hair fell off?”
Ari nodded. “Of course. Sounds like she must have been dead for quite a while.”
Jasmine shook her head. “I don’t think so. Dead bodies don’t lose hair like that. It was… it was a wig. You see, Raph is certain—he’s positive actually—that, well, that the Alchemist’s wife was a man.”
“What do you mean, a man?” Ari rubbed his brow and winced as a sudden headache took hold.
Jasmine sighed. “I know. It doesn’t make sense even though it’s more than possible. Nobody saw her up close. Ever. Perhaps that’s why she kept to herself. She didn’t want anyone to know. Or maybe the Alchemist didn’t want anyone to know.”
“Raphael must have been mistaken. Women wear wigs, too. How can he be so sure it was a man?” he asked.
Jasmine shrugged. “Ari, he’s certain. And one thing I’ve learned about him lately is that it’s best not to question him. He’s usually right. I believe him.”
“But if she was a man then she couldn’t have been Ana, so how the hell did she have the pendant?” He was asking questions he knew she didn’t have the answers to. “And where is my sister?”
“Maybe she sold the necklace after she left here,” said Jasmine. “Maybe there’s no link between her and the Alchemist at all. Or maybe…”
“Maybe what?” he asked.
“Raph said something else. He said he heard a knocking sound inside the Alchemist’s house. He was sure it was coming from the next room. It was just before the Alchemist came home and grabbed him. He would have told your father, but he forgot about it until now.”
Ari fell silent, a memory of his own coming back to him.
The Kingdoms of Evernow Box Set Page 37
