"Oh," said Calibri, gaze floating between father and son. Ultimately, it settled on the latch of the metal box, deferring and polite, which was a good thing, considering what he said was, "That is indeed unfortunate."

The bow opened to reveal an interior lined with black velvet, dark as night. There were grooves and comartments carved into the solid insides, where vials of suspicious-looking liquids and clear cases of equally suspicious powders lay at rest, some thick and opaque, moving about their containers like mercury, and some so transparent and light, it looked like their containers held nothing but air at all. Calibri sucked in a breath, eyes widening.