Chapter 1
” Two hundred and eighty seven, two hundred and eighty eight, two hundred and eighty nine. Alright, I have collected payment in full. ” Pierre wiped off the sweat from his brow as he finally finished counting the coins on the counter. He swept them all into the coin drawer before turning back to meet the golden-haired noblewoman sitting in front of him. She smiled at him patiently, fiddling with the multiple gemstones adorning her fingers. Bowing slightly, he took out the case beneath the counter, gently opening it and presenting it to her. Within the case was a beautiful diamond necklace, strings of diamonds and pearls bound together by chains of platinum. He gulped hoping that she would like it. The noblewoman, the Countess of Artois, squealed in delight when she saw the jewelled masterpiece. She eagerly snatched it from the cushioned case and clasped it around her neck.
” Oh, Pierre. I love it!”
Pierre bowed his head slightly, a show of humility and forced a smile, wanting the Countess to leave as soon as possible. He had always felt uncomfortable around beholders. With their divine instruments that could smite him at any moment, it always felt like being around them was like tempting fate. Even the Countess who was a frequent customer, made him feel anxious. Fortunately, the Countess did not seem to notice his disquiet and stretched out her hand. The air around her fingers began to shimmer, a sign that she was reaching into the ether to summon her artifact, the Mirror Reverend. The mirror materialised in her hand, it’s sleek silver handle fit nicely in her gloved hand. The back of the mirror faced Pierre as the Countess inspected herself making sounds of approval. Pierre inspected the mirrors behind, the mother-of-pearl casing seemed to ripple under the shop’s lighting, contorting into strange shapes. And then, it happened, the Countess used the power of her mirror: Analysis. She called out, like a king decreeing his will,
" Mirror, is this necklace authentic?”
Pierre tensed. He knew it was an irrational fear, the diamonds and pearls on the necklace were real after all, yet his mind continued to whisper horrible thoughts, concretizing those horrible fears. If the mirror declared that he was selling a fake the Countess, who was both a noble and a beholder, would have him executed.
The mirror flashed a response and the Countess seemed satisfied at it. She placed it gingerly on the table and smiled at Pierre, fondly. ” Stunning work as usual, my dear. You are indeed one of my favourite jewellers.”
Pierre smiled back at her, the tension dissipating. He had served the Parisian nobility since he was 7, helping his father present jewels to their aristocratic clients. Yet, he was always wary of them, especially those who had magical objects. They always seemed so otherworldly, using those divine instruments to perform small miracles. Whenever they used their artifact’s abilities, it made the difference between them seem ever more apparent. He stood and was about to usher the Countess out to her carriage when he felt a strange feeling in his chest. It was like someone had taken a feather and was tickling his insides. He began to giggle spontaneously, drawing the attention of the Countess. She turned and stared at him, her blue eyes wide with concern.
” Are you alright?”
Pierre wanted to reply, to claim that he was perfectly fine, but the feeling got stronger. It felt like his whole body was becoming lighter, he opened his mouth to try to form a reply but no sound came out. Then, as he stretched out his hands in an attempt to show the Countess that she should not worry, he noticed that his hands were glowing. They sparkled just like the Countess did when she called her mirror from the ether. Could this mean...? He grabbed one of the mirrors on the table and stared at his own reflection, hardly recognising himself. He looked so similar yet so different. The same pale green eyes, dark wavy hair and sharp face stared back at him yet it was different. His skin was sparkling as if miniature fireworks were bursting across the surface of his skin, literally sparkling.
” Mon dieu! Pierre, you’re being gifted by God! Ahhh! ” The Countess squealed. Pierre stared at her in confusion. He was going to be bestowed a divine instrument, an object made of a mystical medium? He was about to open his mouth to protest when the sparkles around his fingers intensified, light burst from his palm. Pierre stared at it in awe, hurriedly kneeling and praising the Ethereal One for choosing him. He made a fist around the light, surprised when he felt something solid beneath the bright glow. As his fingers closed around the object, the brightness faded and Pierre was left staring at a pocket watch. It was beautiful. The pocket watch was entirely transparent so one could see the inner workings of the golden gears. The hour markings and the hands of the watch seemed to float in mid-air made out of nothing but golden light.
” It’s beautiful,” the Countess whispered. Pierre nodded, his mind blank, unable to form the right words to describe his emotions now. Certainly, he was overjoyed, he was gifted with an ethereal object. Yet, he was equally befuddled, the divine instruments were objects created from pure ether, a numinous medium that imbued these creations with incredible power. They were bestowed onto people randomly and those that were chosen to receive such a gift were called beholders as they had been allowed to behold such miraculous objects. The Church said that only those deemed worthy by divine forces would be gifted such things so why had he been given this honour?
“That watch can reverse an object’s timeline.” The Countess declared. Pierre looked at her, uncomprehending. She shrugged, ” that’s what my mirror says, I don’t always understand the analysis.” She pursed her lips as if she wanted to add on but at that moment a customer walked in. It was the Baron de Lambel, Pierre bowed instinctively, putting the watch aside. The Baron was in his mid-thirties, with a corpulent figure covered by a black, velvet coat. He seemed startled to see the Countess but quickly recovered and inclined his head towards the higher ranked noble.
“Boy! Is my order ready?” The Baron’s question sounded more like a demand. Pierre cursed internally, his last appointment of the day was the Baron and he still had not prepared his order. He scrambled anxiously, pawing through the cabinets when the Countess interjected.
” Lambel, Pierre won’t be able to serve you today. He has just received his heavenly gift. He must go to the archives for documentation of the soul form and then to the Academy for training.“. Pierre blinked, in his haste to fulfill the Baron’s order he had forgotten about his ether construct or as the aristocrats called it ” soul form ” because they believed that these magical objects were the physical forms of their souls ergo the preternatural abilities. He hurriedly grabbed the golden pocket watch, checking that it was still there. He liked the feel of it around his hands, a constant reminder that he had been given a divine instrument.
The Baron stared at him incredulously. “You? Gifted by the divine?”
” Indeed he was Baron, I saw it myself. And now if you excuse us, we must go register. You’ll have to come back another day.” The Countess said stretching her arm out protectively in front of Pierre. Under normal circumstances, Pierre would have found this situation ridiculous. A noblewoman protecting him? But mind still reeling in shock from the most recent developments, Pierre just nodded along dumbly, following as the Countess dragged him out of his family’s jewellery shop, leaving the Baron staring at them, his moustache quivering in indignation. As he left the shop, Pierre pitied his younger brother Jack who would have to deal with the Baron in his terrible mood.
