Page 5 of Potion of Deception (Potion of Deception #1)

BINDING SPELL

I t was dark and lonely on Sorcery Road. The moonlight dimly lit the tree where Violette stood. Usually she wasn't very scared, not of the darkness, not of the empty streets, but the whole idea of meeting someone at midnight was still making her doubt her decisions.

You did the right thing, Violette. It's for your father, her inner voice chimed.

She was wearing a dark purple dress with a tiered skirt adorned with black frills on the last layer.

The underbust corset was tied with ribbons in a shade matching the ones on her wrists over the long sheer black puff sleeves and her tall black boots.

Meanwhile, the seashell cups of her bodice were revealing a bit of cleavage, leaving her collarbone fully exposed.

The amethyst on her neck was glimmering where her patterned cloak began, flowing down her back to her thighs.

Her fingers pitter-pattered on her wand, hidden under her cloak in its sheath. What did she have to fear? She was a skilled enough magical being to resist whatever danger might be lurking in the darkness, she should've just relaxed.

“Waiting for someone?” A male voice altered the air, his tone twisted in amusement.

A coldness pricked her neck and her head snapped in his direction as she swiftly unsheathed her wand.

Dante stood leaning against the tree with his arms crossed over his chest .

“I'm warning you, if you try to scare me, I'll introduce you to my magic wand,” her eyes flashed in the light of the street lantern.

“I advise you to save your magic for later. We’ll need it.”

Violette shoved the wand back in the sheath.

“Well, what now? Midnight, a full moon. Are you a witch in disguise, trying to make some ritual?” she let out sarcastically, her hands folded over her chest.

“I believe in the idea that the sooner you start, the sooner it'll be finished,” he said airily, stalking closer.

“Fine. So are we going to the cave?”

“I'm glad you have a good memory.”

“And how will we get there?” Violette looked around but didn't notice any transportation, but then something glistened in the golden light of the lantern as Dante took it out of his cloak. An old rusted locket with a broken hinged lid.

Her heart skipped a beat.

“Is that…” Astonishment aroused on her face, she couldn't believe her eyes.

“A portal, yes. It belonged in the cave a long time ago, so it will bring us right there.”

“That's an incredibly rare thing to have,” she said suspiciously. She'd never seen a portal in real life – only in pictures in books.

There weren't many portals left since the government of the Magic Lands decided they were not really safe things to use.

They could lead to some side effects while using but most importantly – a portal was a dangerous thing when used by bad people.

Soon the Magic Council sealed the majority of the portal gates and prohibited pocket portals (which could be any object), leaving only a few to use.

The primary was the Stone Arch located on the south side of the capital – a portal to another continent, left to make traveling easier, instead of embarking on a voyage for days or even weeks on end.

“Why would I be interested in something ordinary?” Dante’s face turned stoic.

Violette’s gaze dropped to the locket again.

Objects usually didn’t reveal the magic itself so others could know it was enchanted, but such a strong magic couldn't be hidden.

She felt it pulsating in this little thing.

The soft blue light it emitted was beguiling with almost invisible sparks floating around it that shimmered in and out of existence.

He sensed her hesitation. “Did you change your mind?”

“No,” she blurted. “I've just never used a portal before.”

“Then I suggest you get used to it because it's not the only portal we'll use for our adventure.”

She raised her eyes to him in question. It was both exciting and worrying – traveling by portal was described as quite an unpleasant feeling.

“Chickening out?” He shot her a smirk.

She snorted and put her hand on the magic object.

The ground seemed to move, Violette staggered.

A strange feeling curled up in her stomach, making her sick.

Her mouth went dry, something came down her throat that she couldn't swallow or spit out.

Her head began to spin and she would have lost her balance, but the sudden sensation of a motionless surface under her feet brought her back to reality.

She blinked a few times and shook her head to regain clear vision.

The air was thick with the pungent smell of the salty sea.

The wind tickled her back; the light rustling of the leaves was the only noise interfering with the absolute peace.

Everything around was quiet and dark, just like a few minutes ago, but instead of high buildings and elegant street lamps, there were only deciduous trees, furze bushes and an immense, tall cave.

Violette raised her head – the entrance to the cavern looked more like a huge arch made of stone. She felt the magic coming from within; magic that felt like a warm breeze coming straight from the Grotte de La Foi.

She'd never seen something like this, something as great – a place from ballads, which most considered to be fiction, and the others believed had gone into oblivion forevermore.

Dante walked towards the cave entrance and before following him, she turned against the cool wind. Her gaze followed down the path where the beach led to the endless sea. The cold air brushed her hair, making her shiver, whilst the cave beckoned with a pleasant warmth and a faded golden light.

Violette ran her fingers through a curtain nearly undetectable to the eye. Golden grains of sand floated in the air creating the diaphanous veil, a sign of a spell.

“Is this a barrier?” she questioned, smoothly running her fingers along the invisible wall.

“No,” Dante uttered. “A magic spell for safety reasons. The cave won't let in anyone who has bad intentions. For example, if someone is planning to cheat.” He gave her a skeptical look.

“Well, then I have nothing to be afraid of,” Violette said with ease and drew a step forward. Warmth enveloped her before she found herself on the other side of the entrance. She turned around and waved her hand to her companion with a satisfied smile, inviting him to do the same.

A wide path laid further into the depth of the cave. An echo of their steps resonated from the stone walls.

“So, what did you mean when you said the cave isn't magical?” she finally asked.

“You'll see in a moment,” he aired vaguely.

Violette didn't like when people said that. She was lacking patience for answers, though she didn't say a word as she followed her new acquaintance deeper into the cave.

The darkness receded as a sudden blaze of light lit the place.

Their steps had led them to a spacious hall with carved panels lined with torches, which had ignited the second they entered.

Violette looked around, suppressing a gasp, amazed by the mystery of this place as Dante confidently strode to the most illuminated wall.

Sitting there, on a stone pedestal, was a luxurious golden goblet decorated with rubies, weakly glimmering in the firelight.

“What is this?”

“The Cup of Trust.” Dante's gaze landed on the pedestal.

Violette approached to inspect the enticing vessel. It was truly great. Her eyes followed the openwork pattern on the rim of the cup, forming into symbols and then into words:

I promise to keep the sacred oath.

Dante's deep voice reached her ears.

“The ballad sings about it wrong. The allies didn't just say words and by some magic force it became a promise.” Violette glanced at him as he continued, “The cave is not magical, but the cup is. They placed it here themselves and then cast a spell on the cave to protect this place and the cup. Nobody can take it from here and nobody who has bad intentions can enter the cave either.”

Her eyes looked down the pedestal, tracing inscribed words along the edges:

Et quicumque de hoc calice biberit,

promissionem suam nunquam franget.

Dante followed her gaze.

“And whoever drinks from this cup will never break their promise. It's Latin,” he noted.

“I know,” a caustic tone filled Violette’s voice, her attention lingering on the inscription.

She examined the goblet and then straightened up, locking her gaze with his.

“So, they drank from the cup and it made their vows unbreakable,” she summed up. “But why is there nothing about it in the legend?”

“Who knows.” He shrugged impartially. “You will not find any legend or fairytale which hasn't changed through time. I doubt most of them are even half true.”

He then reached into the pouch on his belt and pulled out a small vial. A red drop fell into the cup and, as if by magic, the drop filled it halfway.

“In this light it looks more like a wedding ceremony,” Violette blurted.

“If I wanted a wife, I wouldn't put in so much effort.”

“Mmm,” she drawled. “A song for women's ears. I bet you would be a dream come true as a husband,” she strained through a fake smile.

Her gaze fell inside the cup – the liquid that Dante poured into it gave off a blood-purple hue, similar to wine, its deep color glinted in the torchlight.

“Don't worry, if I wanted to poison you, I would have done it a while ago. Besides, you won't be of any use to me dead.”

She glanced at him from under her lashes and warily took the cup from his hands.

Maybe it would be smarter to ask him to drink first, but her pride wouldn't admit it. He thinks she is too scared and can't take his challenge? Then she will prove him wrong. She wasn’t a coward and wasn’t scared of him, nor any questionable liquids.

She was perfectly capable of doing all these things, she just tried to be careful.

Once she forgets to think first, it will be over for her.

And she knew how easy this would be – to just stop being cautious and allow her adventurous spirit to take over.