Page 64 of Between Soul and Vessel
My eyebrows shifted together. “Which is?”
Victor started, “You are Nockrythiam’s—”
The empress held up her hand, silencing him immediately. “That is of little importance. The fact of the matter is you are the only one who can do this. Now, about those clothes.”
I was Nockrythiam’s what? It was a question I had no answer to.
“Sage,” the empress grated.
Still hesitant, I kept my arms crossed. “I want you to tell me what’s going to happen first.”
She pinned me with her glare. “Stubborn girl. Have you forgotten the deal you made with me? Your compliance ensures your sister’s safety.”
“And I will comply, but I want to know what I’m getting myself into,” I stated, tilting my chin upwards. To her, I might look like some feeble mortal, but I was the daughter of a great chieftain.
“Very well,” she answered, her heels clicking as she began to walk around me, circling like a vulture looking over a carcass, wondering which part it should snap off first. “Nockrythiam is among my husband’s best work; he is a handsome immortal, and you are a plain mortal. If you are going to catch his stubborn eye, we’re going to need to modify your vessel and make you appear immortal.” She stopped in front of me, her lilac orbs meeting mine. “Satisfied?”
“I suppose,” I said, my voice distant as I struggled to come to terms with what was about to happen to me.
“My patience is becoming very thin,” the empresswarned, her voice snapping me from my private thoughts.
With trembling fingers, I began to remove my clothes. First, my tunic, which I slid over my head. I dropped it on the floor and then began to kick off my shoes and remove my trousers. Lastly, my underwear.
I felt the empress’s gaze, as well as Victor’s, rove across my skin, leaving a smear of invisible dirt in their wake—one that made me want to plunge into a bath and scrub it from my flesh.
“The body isn’t half bad, although those scars will have to go,” the empress said as she began to walk around me once more.
Victor stood in front of me, his hand scrubbing his chin as he debated something. “She’s a bit short, is she not?”
“She is.” The empress grew quiet, pondering something for a moment. “If you were to stretch out her bones, how long would it take?”
Stretch my bones? That sounded horrible, something I did not want any part of.
“It can be done, although it is no easy task. There are so many bones in the body. I imagine it would take me three to four weeks at least.”
“We do not have enough time for that. The height will have to remain.” She let out a frustrated breath. “One thing you must do is dispose of her red blood and replace it with ichor. If Nockrythiam sees, he’ll know immediately she is mortal.”
“Very well,” he said, his gaze drifting to my chest. His eyes burned hot, searing into my flesh. “And what of thebreasts?”
I banded my arm over my chest, hating every second of this.
“I’m not worried about them,” she replied. Gently, she clasped my chin, tilting my head from side to side. “The face is agreeable. Smile,” she directed me. Unwillingly, I did. “The teeth are horribly crooked. Those will need to be straightened. Lengthen the canines so they look like the rest of ours.”
“Thoughts on making them retractable?” Victor asked.
She raised a brow. “For what purpose?”
“For convenience and to appease my inventive mind. If the retractable fangs work well, we could try it out on the new god species.”
“Will it take any longer?” the empress asked.
“It shouldn’t.”
“Then go ahead.”
“Very well, Your Majesty. Is there anything else?”
“No,” she replied before she turned to me. “I will return for you in two weeks’ time.”
