Chapter 37: The Queen of Quartz
"So what you're saying is..?" Quartz flicked his tongue, blue eyes gleaming hungrily, like the sapphires Querida was sure he held somewhere within his fortune. The coatl was pacing around Querida, who stood meeting his gaze evenly. Tess lay at her feet in a docile heap, seemingly entranced by the ornate rug beneath their feet.
"What I'm saying is that you are right. My destiny is too important to waste on lower dragons." Querida said boldly. "I am glad to have finally met a dragon of my caliber, someone to be my equal once the training is complete. My days as a wanderer are over. I have found my place and it is by your side."
"Well, I am glad to see you have made the right choice, lioness." Quartz said. "But you still need to prove yourself to me."
"I would expect nothing less." Querida said, keeping her sudden jolt of fear hidden deep within. What would he ask her to do?
"You and I are very much alike, you know. Both estranged from our families and friends, making a place for ourselves in this world." Quartz flicked his tongue again. "Ah, but I am getting ahead of myself. Here, there is something you must sign, to bind your position in place. A precaution I have set up after... recent betrayals. I am sure you understand."
The coatl made his way over to his desk and pulled out a small scroll, handing it to Querida, along with a vibrant pink quill. Querida unrolled it and tried to make out the handwriting, only to find it was in runes she did not understand.
"Is this written in coatl?" Querida asked, shocked. She hadn't ever seen coatl written before, but that didn't mean tehy didn't have a written language.
"Not coatl. A different language you will, in time, learn." Quartz confessed. "Do not worry, my dear, I mean you know harm as long as you stay on my side."
"This is quite a big leap of faith you are asking me to make." Querida said, heart pounding. "Is it out of my place to ask you to do the same? If we are to someday be partners, we must both trust one another."
The coatl cracked a sly smile, a strange gleam in his eyes. "You have a very good point. Perhaps we can agree on a different sort of contract."
Quartz took the scroll and tossed it into the crackling hearth. The flames turned pink with arcane energy as the contract and the spell upon it curled into a charred black heap of ashes, breaking apart and lifting into the air. Once reduced to embers, Quartz pulled out a pair of tongs gleaming with runes and pulled something out of the fire. He set it down and dusted it off, revealing it to be two perfectly formed chunks of rose quartz. Querida could not tear her gaze away from them.
"What is that?" Querida could not keep the awe out of her voice and Quartz smirked.
"A very special form of magic I have perfected, to place a spell within a single gemstone. Rose Quartz is my favourite, though I may perhaps be a bit biased." Quartz explained, a hint of excitement in his voice.
"And the spell?" Querida asked, raising her eyes to meet Quartz's.
"Neither of us may harm one another in any way." Quartz explained. "We will be physically prevented from doing anything to one another, and if the spell is broken, a curse will be released upon whoever intended to break it."
"Sounds like an even deal." Querida said, with a grin. She did not dare look at Tess. She was sure the manticore would be horrified, but the thrill of it all excited her. So what if it was risky? Play the game right, and the rewards would be great, and she would keep Windkeep Tower safe. A secret guardian, she liked the sound of that.
Quartz wordlessly passed one of the stones to Querida, and held the others in his own hands. The two quartz pieces glowed faintly for a moment, and Querida suddenly felt compelled to put it near her chest. The moment it touched her skin, it grew warm and turned to pure light, entering her skin and settling around her heart. Suddenly horrified, Querida looked up to see Quartz's chest glowing where his heart should be. The spell was in place, and whatever came next, their fates were bound together. It was only then that she met Tess's gaze. Querida could see genuine fear flooding her face. When Tess met her dragon's gaze, the manticore swallowed and gave a small nod. Whatever happened, they were in this together.
"You did a Binding of the Hearts? Are you completely insane?" Tess hissed once they were alone in Querida's new quarters. As she had decided to stay in the mansion in minimize impact on Windkeep Tower, Quartz had granted her a small wing of the mansion, complete with her own suite. Here she and Tess could talk without being overheard.
"He can't hurt me? Did you hear that? As long as I don't hurt him, I'm safe!" Querida pointed out. "I can do what I like!"
"You don't understand. A Binding of the Hearts is an ancient, volatile magic, belonging to the dieties themselves!" Tess explained. "According to legend, the deities granted it to couples they deemed worthy as a reward. It's meant to be benevolent, only possible with consent on both ends of the binding, meant to ensure that both will remain loyal to one another and what they care about. It's a sacred relationship, more binding than marriage! If Quartz did it wrong, the consequences could be disastrous, and if he did it right, there is no way to break the bond without cursing everything you love. Only a great power can sever the bond without consequences and no mortal being on Sornieth is in any way capable of that!"
"Well, I'll just be careful then." Querida shrugged, trying to pretend it didn't scare her as much as she did. "Look, you said you'd be with me through anything, right?"
Tess sighed. "Yes, I did. But you are making this very difficult."
"Look, we'll figure it out." Querida said. "Quartz is in just as much hot water as I am in this. He's clearly out of his depth too."
"Well, just know that your bond is now so strong, not even death will properly separate you." Tess said with a yawn. "How do you think all the great legends of love got started?"
Love. Querida snorted. This was not a love story, and it never would be. Yet even as she said that, she felt her heart thrum twice as strongly, as if the spell was syncing and amplifying their heartbeats. What had she gotten herself into? And where would it end?
Quartz paced his bedroom, wondering what on earth had compelled him to perform a Binding of Hearts. There was just something about Querida that spurred him on, made his desperate to prove himself. His old mentor had said something about his downfall coming from overstepping his power, but that was surely just mentorly advice, wasn't it? Not an actual prophecy?
Regardless, Quartz was scared. Properly scared. He hadn't been this terrified for a very long time. Actually, come to think of it, he didn't think he'd been this scared ever! He had always been so smooth and suave and under control. Now he had to play his cards right with Querida, or else destruction could reign down upon them all.
All this he told himself as he felt Querida's heartbeat against his own, a reminder that would never leave. Just what had he been trying to prove and would it really be worth it?
@CleverDual @Alwaid @zzzhorses @Skyeset @ScrivenerRook @Kizzan @clarax @lilastar @tigressRising @Disillusionist @Aetherstorm
Man, today's update is the hardest I've ever had to write and it turned out completely different than I expected. That's the thing about actually writing ideas out, it takes a lot longer to make things happen than it seems it will take. I had a schedule for updates this week balancing out each character's 'screentime' but I don't know how well I'll be able to stick to that. We'll have to see.
There was a very big plot point that was supposed to happen today but I just couldn't find a way to make it work today. I'm going to try to make it work this week, but we'll have to see how it goes because I currently have no idea how this will actually work... Wish me luck!
(Oh, one more thing! Fun fact! The title for today's chapter is a reference to the title of the first chapter in this arc: King of Diamonds, King of Pearls.)
