The iron trivet clinked as Sera Thorne set the copper kettle directly onto the coals.
She pulled a pinch of dried mint leaves from a pouch at her hip, dropping them into the cold mountain water.
“Water takes three minutes to reach a rolling boil,” Sera said, her voice completely even. “That gives you two minutes to clean up your mess.”
“Two minutes is plenty of time,” Kaelen Vance said. “A man could finish an entire cup in two minutes.”
He stepped off the stone path and walked directly into the center of the jade basin, sitting down cross-legged on the golden pile.
Beneath his robes, millions of Sovereign Jade Cores shifted and clattered like polished river stones.
The ambient starlight radiating from the coins bathed his pale face in a warm, golden glow.
He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a small, unadorned box carved from aged peach-wood.
