A Scent of Chaos | ONC 2024

Chapter Four

While my attention was meant to be on the scrawled notes in my hands, trying to read the words that held the secrets to Corvin's plans, my gaze traced the workshop. My mind wandered, imagining what it would be like for the room to be mine.

Instead of the insects in display cases on the wall, I would have a shelf to arrange my favourite perfumes I had made through the years. Where packed boxes had been shoved into the corner in an attempt to make the area look a little tidier, I would have couches so I could talk to my clients without needing to travel elsewhere.

Corvin had made a start on unpacking amongst his preparation for the Miracles Festival, so I had to give him credit for it. A new selection of items had been stacked onto the desk. It included a pot with gold stars etched into the clear ceramic to hold feather quills and a plastic cube with components that could be pulled and prodded to fiddle with. In the entrance, a rug of ocean blue had been rolled out to cover the emptiness of the floor, bringing in a burst of much-needed colour.

The Head Perfumer paced back and forth in front of the desk, watching me where I sat with anxiously twitching hands, until he stopped. "So? What do you think?"

"Is there a secret cipher I'm supposed to use to read these notes?" I asked, squinting at what could have either been a word or a scribble to test the ink of a feather quill. "I can't read your handwriting."

"What?" He scowled. "It's not that bad." He circled around to my side of the desk and leaned over my shoulder to read the notes. Wrapping his arm around my side he pointed at the words he spoke aloud. "Floral and woody scent to help envelop the guests in the forest scenery. Hallucination-based magic that needs to be reached over a large area."

As he rested his elbow on the wood, bringing himself even closer to me, I breathed in the heavenly scent of vanilla and lavender once more. I was tempted to ask him what perfume he wore as I could have inhaled it for days on end, but we had more important things to discuss.

"Is this even legal? You're going to make hundreds of people hallucinate without their consent." If this was all a scheme destined for ruin, he could keep the workshop. I wouldn't risk my whole job over it.

"Don't worry about the finer details. I have this all under control." His hair tickled my neck as he turned to the next page — the one adorned with sketches of forests and food. "Do you think you'll be able to help?"

It would definitely be a challenge, but I was willing to give it my best attempt if it meant the workshop would be mine.

"It's not my usual perfume, but I'll help."

Corvin's face lit up with a smile as if he were a child receiving the gift he always wanted for his birthday. "Thank you so much. You don't understand how important this is."

"Though," I began as I crossed my arms over my chest. "I will be making my own notes instead of referring to yours all the time."

"I can live with that." The Head Perfumer collected some extra perfume bottles and placed them on the desk in front of me. Each one had a tag tied around the neck, the royal insignia burned into the parchment.

The emblem of the royal family was a lone crown floating above ancient symbols — letters from a language that had long since been forgotten. Linguists throughout the centuries had a few guesses as to what it might say, but there wasn't a definite answer.

"What type of perfume do you usually make? I'm used to making environmental magic like this," Corvin asked as he gathered more components for us to use.

"I focus on perfumes with perks. Ones that give the wear exponential luck or make them seem more alluring and attractive to everyone around them." I even had one client who wanted to change the shape of their nose through the scent of perfume alone. It was a barrage of endless attempts trying to get the perfect look, but they were pleased in the end.