Winterfall

"I'll be there in an hour." Marcel's voice rang through my mind. Sending chills down my spine. I had one hour. One hour to myself until the devil returned.

I felt a sheer rush of panic course through my veins. I hadn't seen Marcel since the festival and that did not go over well.

I can be there with a snap of a finger. Theo reminded me through the bond. Just say the words.

No. Please remain on guard duty for today.

As you wish.

The bond went silent, and I was alone again. Well, I was never truly alone. Theo, I'm sorry.

It's OK, Maria. I understand why you don't want me near him right now. He is an enemy coming onto my turf.

I honestly didn't know if he was joking right now or not.

We need to figure out how to monitor your anger. Especially now with the layer up.

I may need a mood ring, too.

I knew it was a joke. But perhaps he was onto something. If we figured out how my father crafted my ring, I could have one for him. Regardless of the matter, it was an idea we could look into.

You think I need a ring like yours, don't you?

It wouldn't hurt to look into it.

Fair. I have had my fair share of mood swings lately.

You think?

Okay, okay, I get it. I get territorial, okay? It's the dragon in me.

I laughed. I knew he meant well. At least, his was just a burst of anger and jealousy. I had the full spectrum of emotions.

Do you have the necklace I got you?

I pulled the drawer open to my father's desk and pulled out the long black box. Inside was a black chain with three blue pearls hanging on it. The pearls were the primary source of magic to fight against mind manipulation. Each pearl performed a specific task at hand. Theo was particular to our enchantress and what he wanted them to do. I'll admit the necklace was a bit too much, but Theo insisted, as it ensured my safety when he couldn't act on the mind compulsion.

I do.

Use the hour to attune to the necklace.

To which I did. I spent the hour relaxing in my office, attuning to the beautiful piece of jewelry. Besides this, the ring of protection against divination magics was about the only jewelry I would allow Theo to buy me. Since I refused jewelry often, he found other ways to buy me gifts. Often in the form of fabrics for Caroline to make my clothes, imported sweets from nearby kingdoms, and a few other trinkets I have allowed him to gift. It's not that I am against gift-giving; I hated him spending his money on me when I already had so much.

I knew he had one other piece of jewelry waiting to give me, a ring I had yet to see, but I had no idea what it looked like.

And you won't, Not for a while.

I sighed. I so badly wanted to know what the ring I would wear for the rest of my life would look like, but I got that he wanted to keep it secret. I had even tried to dig through some of his mind whenever I brought up the ring and failed to get a visual. This was something he was genuinely hiding from me and doing a damn good job.

Do you have it tuned?

He asked as the hour was up.

Yes. I feel the magic taking hold.

Hopefully, this works. If not, I will have to resort to other measures.

A knock jolted me out of my conversation. "Princess? The chef told me I would find you here." Marcel's voice rattled through the door. Every word sent a shiver up my spine. I could already start to smell his odor of brimstone.

Best get this over with now.

I got up from my chair and opened the door. To my surprise, he was wearing a shirt half tucked in and smelled heavily of alcohol. The smell was so strong that it was overtaking his natural scent. Something that I surprisingly welcomed.

"Did you party too hard?"

"Maybe a little." His words were well put together for someone being this hammered.

"Go get cleaned up if you want to talk with me."

"But princess."

"No butts. Go shower and utilize magic to get rid of that overwhelming sensation of booze."

He leaned against the door frame and flashed a grin, "You want to come with me?"

I sighed heavily. "Not a chance, Marcel."

"Are you sure?" He stared at me intently. To the point, I saw the flash of magic in his eye as he tried to utilize his abilities.

"Again, Marcel, not a chance. I have a bit more respect for myself than to shower with a drunken man."

His face fell, and his eyes narrowed. He was trying to figure out why his ability did not take hold. Thankfully for me, the necklace had a property that did not allow detection. "Suite yourself. See you downstairs in an hour?"

"You need more than an hour to clean up your act, Marcel." I crossed my arms, glaring at him.

"Two hours tops. I may have been drunk all week."

"I'd say. Clean up. And I will see you in two hours in the grand hall."

He studied me one more time before he left. I knew he was trying to figure out how I could avoid his command.

Once he was out of sight, I closed the door, went back to my chair, and sat back down.

I felt his magic. I'm happy that the enchanted pearls are working. Theo spoke once I was alone.

I saw it. He tried to decipher it, but he couldn't figure it out with the enchantments in place. I'm sure he won't stop trying.

If we know Marcel, we know that he won't stop trying.

Hopefully, he gets his act cleaned up. Come back drunk like that, please.

Are you surprised?

A little. Then again, we have no idea how much alcohol a devil can intake. Let alone if he can withstand the elven wines and whiskies.

At least I built a tolerance for them over the years. When I first drank them, they almost knocked me out cold. And that is coming from a dragon.

You also have an immunity to most poisons in general. Weekening the alcohol's effects on you.

True. I still get affected, though, just not as much as I used to. That's the downside of having that immunity.

I wouldn't call it a downside. But at least you can keep your composure.

Fair. There are no arguments there.

Can I watch you for the next two hours? It'll keep me occupied.

He thought about it before responding. Sure, I have a round I have to do with Jasper. It's his first one back since his near-death experience.

Thanks, dear.

Mhm.

I sat back in my chair and got comfortable as I was about to watch him for the next two hours. Slipping into his vision, I saw Jasper just arrived at his office.