She nodded, hurrying to stand beside him and assess the bird.
He unraveled the small parchment, eyes flicking over the writing. Amma squinted at it, but it definitely wasn’t Laurel’s messy handwriting, it wasn’t even in Key. Damien groaned. “Is it time again? Seems we just had one.” He rolled it back up and stuck it in a pocket.
“Wait, what is that?”
“Just a…well, it’s sort of an invitation, or perhaps more like a summons.”
“To?”
“Yvlcon,” he said simply like she should know what that meant. “Parchment’s enchanted though, so it may come in handy. Corben’s return to us was at least partially deterred fetching that. Now, are you ready?”
He held out a hand, and she took it, and with his other, he ran fingers through the raven’s feathers. A familiar tingling sensation ran up her arm and into her mind, and Amma had the distinct feeling of walking back through the doors of Faebarrow keep as words followed in Laurel’s bright but sharp voice.
Well, I hope this is how this is supposed to work, but you should know I’ve never talked to a crow like this before but—oh, okay! A raven, yes, so sorry, sir. What was I—oh, Amma! I am so upset I missed your exit! The drama of it all, my gods, I am going to need all the details when we see one another next! I, of course, never doubted for a moment that you were completely fine, but I didn’t let on. I even faked a quite convincing swoon at the news, and you can guess who I made catch me.
Laurel’s laughter lit up Amma’s mind, and both she and Damien snorted out, “Tia,” simultaneously.
But anyway, things here are actually going shockingly well. Those skeletons cleaned out almost every single Brineberth bastard, and get this—they’d kill one of the soldiers, and then the body would just stand up and join the hoard. It was amazing! Cedric did unfortunately figure out how to get out of the city without getting stabbed in the dick, the rotten, fucking asshole, but a lot of them didn’t. Small victories, you know? All of the undead soldiers are still here, by the way, but without anybody left to fight, they were just kind of hanging around. It was weird at first, and a little spooky too, but they do whatever Tia says, and she just started giving them mundane jobs, and turns out they’re a lot of help, not just watching the wall, but with everything. I even taught one to sew for me, and it’s hard to tell when they don’t have skin or anything, but I think he’s enjoying it.
Damien’s brow pinched like he wasn’t sure whether to be pleased on not.
Tia’s pretty good at bossing people around, as you know, and it doesn’t seem to matter if they’re dead or not, and with the added help, Faebarrow’s doing okay except for, ya know, the no-trees thing. I got that sapling to Nicholas after we got him out of prison, and I told him I’d kill him if he didn’t take really good care of it, but I didn’t tell him how, so he’s extra anxious, but the baby tree is doing great. Your mother and father are predictably flustered and flaky, and they’re a total mess about you being gone again, but I know I can’t tell them you’re safe, which is, like, really eating away at me or whatever, as you can imagine. I’m fine, I just miss you! And so does Perry, of course. He’s hemming and hawing about the Osurehm exams, but you know I’ll get him there one way or another. Anyway, I think that’s everything.
Damien sighed and opened his mouth, but Amma held up a finger for him to wait.
Oh, right, one more thing! Tell Sir Scary-Surname that someone got into Cedric’s quarters before me and practically cleaned the whole place out. I only found this half a parchment with writing on it I can’t read, but I’ve got it, so don’t worry. And tell him I know he’s not going to do anything nefarious to you, but you better do something nefarious to him and remember every detail because I hear blood mages use their tongues to—
“Oh, by Sestoth, Laurel!” Amma squeaked, covering up whatever profane thing she had said. Damien’s eyes didn’t leave the bird, but his smirk only grew.
Well, I think that’s actually everything. Bring me home something exciting next time, okay?
Amma chuckled, heat leeching out of her face. “They’re all fine,” she said in a breath, “I thought—”
Laurel’s voice broke into Amma’s mind again.You’re still here? Go on, go back to Amma! Bring her my message!
Damien clicked his tongue. “Hmm, I suppose I forgot that it takes some arcana to actually send Corben on his way.”
Still here?Laurel’s voice groaned.You’ve got to be getting hungry, huh? Here, have some of this. Oh, you like sweet rolls? I have plenty!
Corben’s feathers fluffed, his chunkiness making a bit more sense.
Well, it’s not that I don’t like you here, but this is Perry, and he’s going to send you on your way.
Amma giggled, and then there was Perry’s voice, quiet and questioning,I-I am?
At this, Corben shook his head and croaked as if to signal there was no more to be heard.
“It seems your acolyte indeed figured things out. Maybe he’ll make a better priest than I imagined,” said Damien, removing his hand from the raven. It shook its thick neck and hopped in place.
“Perry used infernal arcana? Wait, no, you said Corben’s actually divine, didn’t you?” She reached down to scratch along his fluffy neck and he gently nibbled at her finger.
“He’s not really any one thing.” Damien ran his thumb up Corben’s chest to reveal the one white feather nestled in and hidden by the others. Then the raven actually pecked at his hand. “Excuse you, that was not meant to be an insult.”
Corben hopped closer to Damien and snapped at the pouch on his hip.
“What? What could you possibly want?”
Amma went to a small cabinet and pulled out the remains of a loaf of bread she hadn’t finished. “Probably food, he worked so hard.”
