The elf leaned forward, his pale hair falling over his shoulder as he tried to get a good look at the stone in the dim light.
Eventually, his brows arched and he smiled. “Ahhh, yes, I remember this stone! A woman with a little girl who had a head full of bouncing curls.”
Torrell laughed. “Yes, that would be Renaya.”
The elvin man straightened and cleared his throat, turning his attention to Jahrra now. “What do you wish to sacrifice in order to make this stone?”
Jahrra blanched at his word choice, but finally said, “My blood,” as she offered the index finger of her right hand.
The man nodded and took out a small lancet from one of his many pockets.
He paused then looked up at her, his brow wrinkling. “Do you favor your right or left hand?”
“Right,” Jahrra answered, wondering why it mattered.
“Best give me your left hand, then. Your finger might be sore for a day or two and I wouldn’t want it to hinder you in any way.”
Jahrra obeyed then watched him prick her finger. The pain was sharp but over quickly. A thick bead of blood formed on her fingertip and she watched as it began to drip down the length of her finger.
“Allow some of it to fall in here,” the elf held out a small glass tube.
He watched as the tube filled halfway, then handed Jahrra a bandage to bind her finger with.
He eyed the blood carefully then smiled. “This shall do.”
Stoppering the tube and placing it carefully on the table beside the cauldron, the elf addressed Jahrra again, “Now, what I will be doing shortly might seem strange to you, so I’ll explain it. The potion in this cauldron stays constant, unless awakened by magic, so I will be speaking a few words of power over it. The liquid will seem to speed up and will grow clearer. I will need to add a few things to it to help with the binding of the stone, then I will pour in your blood.”
He paused to make sure Jahrra was listening. Jahrra nodded.
“It will take the stone about an hour to form and there is no guarantee on what it will look like when it comes out. Once formed, my wife and daughter will set it in a ring for you. As soon as they return, you’ll have the opportunity to pick out a design and metal you wish to use. That is when we can discuss pricing.”
At that moment, the women returned with two velvet boxes. The light in the room was improved with a few spoken words and soon Jahrra was looking at several sample rings and the designs on each. She automatically brushed aside the rings with ornate etchings of flowers and vines. Jaax would never wear something so fancy and she would not want to see him doing so. Such frivolous decorations didn’t match his personality in the least. No, she needed to find a ring that represented his stubborn, well-controlled spirit. After looking at most of the rings, Jahrra was getting worried. They were all beautiful but too boastful in their opulence. There were a few very plain rings but she wanted there to be some sort of etched design on the final product.
“If you have your own idea, you could sketch it out for us,” the shop owner’s daughter said.
Jahrra nodded and smiled. She wasn’t sure what she would come up with but she followed the girl out into the main room again where she was supplied with a sketch book. It took her some time but she finally came up with a design she could imagine Jaax wearing. It was a simple knotted pattern with two dragon heads facing each other at the top of the ring, exactly where the stone would sit.
“The stone could go here,” Jahrra pointed where the two mouths stood slightly open.
The elvin girl nodded. “I know exactly how we can make this. It shouldn’t be a problem.”
Jahrra felt suddenly better, as if having a hand in the design would make the final product more pleasing to her guardian. The girl led her back into the cauldron room where Torrell was peering into the glowing potion while the jeweler tried to explain the process to her.
“Do we have a design?” the woman asked.
Her daughter grinned and passed over the sketching.
“Ah, very nice. Your dragon should like this. Now,” she continued, tucking the paper away, “what type of metal would you like to use?”
Jahrra moved forward as the ring samples were presented again. She liked gold, but gold was a soft metal and a bit too rich. She thought silver might do, but another metal caught her eye instead. It looked like a nice blend of silver and gold; not too yellow, not too bright.
“What metal is this?” she asked, pointing down at the centermost ring.
The elvin woman smiled. “It is a rare metal that holds a hint of magic.”
“Oh.” Magic metal meant more expensive. Jahrra sighed in disappointment and looked back towards the silver rings.
“It’s called augrim and it is mined exclusively in the Great Hrunahn Mountains. The elves are given special permission by the Creecemind dragons to do so.”
Which meant the metal was even more expensive than Jahrra had previously thought. And the amount of metal it would take to cast a ring that would fit a dragon’s finger? She shuddered despite her disappointment. The silvery gold augrim was quite beautiful, but not crucial.
“The silver is nice, how much would it cost to have the stone set in silver?”
The elvin man smiled. “If the ring is a gift for who we suspect, then we would be willing to offer you a very special price on the augrim.”
Jahrra blinked up in surprise. What was he talking about? She looked quizzically at his wife and daughter, both smiling shyly as if they were afraid to displease her. How had she not noticed their careful behavior before? Jahrra looked back at Torrell. Her friend simply shrugged, obviously as confused as Jahrra.
“I’m sorry,” Jahrra said, straightening up from admiring the rings, “have we met before? I’m terrible at remembering names, I apologize if–”
The elvin woman cut her off. “Oh no, you would not know us, but we know your guardian. The Tanaan dragon Raejaaxorix, correct?”
Jahrra shouldn’t have been surprised but it didn’t keep her from staring dumbfounded at the trio of elves. Nearly everyone in the city knew of Jaax and the Coalition and through him Jahrra herself, and although people acknowledged her as someone to be respected, no one, thank Ethoes, had ever gone out of their way to make special accommodations for them. Why now? Why this family?
“N-No, that isn’t necessary,” Jahrra stammered, holding her hands up in front of her, her bandaged finger looking larger than the rest. “Please, I want to pay full price just like everyone else.”
Jahrra could feel Torrell behind her, fighting back laughter. She gritted her teeth.
“We insist, Lady,” the elvin man said. “Raejaaxorix did us a great service several years back.”
His smile faded and he looked at his daughter. Not a lingering look but just long enough for Jahrra to come to the conclusion that Jaax had somehow aided their daughter at some point in time. The way the girl’s hand moved subconsciously towards the scar on her neck was further evidence. Something traumatic had happened to this family and Jaax had helped. Jahrra sighed.
“He never allowed us to do anything to show our appreciation, but we would like very much to thank him in some way and this seems like a wonderful way to do it,” the woman said, the entreaty in her voice strong and hopeful.
Jahrra felt her shoulders droop and she cast a look at her friend once again. Torrell just shrugged her shoulders but the arch of her eyebrow suggested Jahrra take advantage of her good fortune.
Scrunching up her mouth and making a decision against her better judgment, Jahrra gave in. “Very well, if you insist, but I must be allowed to pay full price for the stone.”