Read Part 2.
“But don’t they seem romantic figures?” Remy breathed, eyes bright as he turned a long stemmed glass in his long fingers. “Scores of great magicians with magnificent gifts… I wish such things weren’t lost to us...”
“Lost…. Well, perhaps,” Yurome replied, staring into her glass. “We are born with small gifts of our own still… They can be cultivated.”
“You all take it so casually,” Velvet interrupted, her hands fluttering in irritation. “Those magicians haunt us because they all killed each other, enraged and senseless from The Ruin. It isn’t romantic. It's dangerous. This city doesn't need any more magic feeding that dreadful disease. Not to mention the target it makes the user for the restless undead. And that's assuming that you fly under the radar of the Four Families or that one of them accepts you into their fold. Power in this city is a delicate balance."
"Well, there's no real harm in private practice where you’re only risking yourself," Remy replied amiably, smiling in Yurome's direction. "And the Four Families protect us. Why should they take issue with a single citizen practicing magic?"
"Risking yourself and any lovesick fool that might go along with it, thinking that it's all so harmless," Velvet said pointedly. "Until you have one too many adorants and the Families decide they have a rival on their hands."
I laughed then and she flashed me such a look of irritation that I rushed to soothe her by offering a plate of fine delicacies from the nearby table in a gesture of submission. Fate took pity on me and supported my efforts as the lights dimmed around us.
"Look now," I said, drawing the attention of my companions to the dais as Evony took position behind the display case. "They're starting."
A screen materialized, hovering above the dais to give everyone a magnified view for the auction. The chatter and laughter in the room hushed as Evony directed two small robotic arms inside the case to unlatch the box.
"Now why do you suppose that's necessary," Remy mused. "Surely the thing can't be dangerous."
Velvet glanced at him and her impatience singed the very air between them.
"The display case is for more than just show. It prevents the object from being scanned so that no one can ascertain the particulars of the thing before they're ready," she explained, returning her gaze to the scientist. "Once it's won, it's all fair use. But they want the most profit from tonight's event."
The secrecy and pageantry of the Crescent company served them well as the box was opened inside the display case and the object revealed on screen. The crowd was quite impressed by the loveliness of the opalescent crystal nestled within a bed of black velvet. There were hushed, excited whispers and sharp draws of breath as the guests caught the first glimpse of the exquisite prize.
"Well done," I murmured admiringly. "Function and a luxurious form. This will go quite well for them."
My words rang true as the screen started a countdown. Guests left their seats to swarm the dais and see the crystal up close, bidding token after token on their scrolls. Their initial buys were eaten up quickly and it became a race to see who could purchase or trade for more. Alliances were formed and broken as guests who had no hopes of winning sold and bartered their tokens at exorbitant prices to others still in the running. The timer ticked down with the artificially generated sound effect of an old clock until finally one bidder rose above others to victory. To my surprise, it was the quiet and uncanny Miette who had barely spoken a word all evening that rose from her seat next to Yurome and ascended the dais to retrieve her prize.
We applauded her victory and the good natured grumbling of defeat gave way to a sudden silence as the crystal was removed from its display and immediately started glowing an unmistakable twilight blue.
"It’s here," Velvet gasped, hands still and rigid with sudden anxiety. "Oh... It’s here in this very room!"
