Amma’s hand was taken up by Damien’s, and he squeezed it. “For the record,” he said grimly, “I don’t think I’ve ever liked anything less than doing this with you, Shadowhart.”
Xander chuckled and backed through the portal, gesturingfor them all to follow. “Oh, I’m sure you can think ofsomethingworse.”
CHAPTER 25
THE SUBTLE MAGIC OF THE RIGHT WORDS
This. This is significantly worse.” Damien’s arms were crossed tightly over his chest as he glared at the small room and the single bed therein. It would have been fine if it were just Amma—amazing even—but he had no interest in sleeping in the same cramped quarters with Xander and his priestess minion.
Of course, Damien never had any intention of bringing Xander there at all, there was just no getting away from the other blood mage. He’d not even been sure he would ever use the translocation scroll he’d stolen from the storage closet at Yvlcon.
But Orrinshire was, indeed, ateeny, tiny, little villageas the vampire dame Lycoris had said, and it had only a single inn. As a popular resting point before one entered Eirengaard proper half a day’s travel northward, there was just the one room available.
They had shared an awkward meal, during which Damien and Amma explained everything they knew about E’nloc to Xander and Pippa, one of whom listened intently while the other did exactly as expected and rolled his eyes every chance he got. Damien then insisted Amma sleep, intending to stay up and keep an eye on the other blood mage. She, of course, would have none of that, and they came to an agreement that he would wake her in a few hours so that they could take turns recuperating. This convinced Xander into doing the same with Pippa, and Damien was eventually left staring across a dark bed chamber into Xander’s eyes once the rest of the tavern had fallen quiet.
They sat there for hours, glaring through the shadows at oneanother until Xander finally broke the silence. “You’re not going to do it, are you?” He gestured in the dark to Amma’s sleeping form but kept his voice low.
She was curled up on the ground next to Damien as he leaned against the wall, a hand on her head just to be sure she was there. He didn’t answer because they both knew the truth already: he wasn’t going to kill her, and, really, had that ever been the plan?
“Well, you were successful in tricking her at least,” Xander said, covering up a yawn. “She’s completely enamored of you, scar and all, the poor, stupid thing, and probably thinks you actually love her back.”
Damien’s fingers curled into her hair, and she moved slightly beneath his hand.
His features were obscured, but in the dark, Xander’s voice changed, the biting antagonism falling away. “Do you…do you really believe it’s possible?”
“I want to,” Damien told him, and for once did not expect a pithy remark back.
Xander woke Pippa then, grumbling about being exhausted. Though Damien’s eyelids were heavy, there was one more thing he needed to do. When he was sure Xander was actually asleep, he went into his pouch and pulled out the Lux Codex translations and notes he’d cobbled together, passing a sheet to Pippa.
“You’re still in your goddess’s good graces, yes?” he whispered.
She shrugged. “I think so.”
“Can you imbue a weapon with this spell?”
The woman squinted in the dark, moving the parchment so that moonlight fell over the words. As she read them, her brows lifted just as he expected they would, and then her eyes found his. “Won’t this kill—”
“Can you do it?”
When she nodded, he glanced down at Amma’s sleeping form. She hadn’t removed any of her clothing or belongings to sleep, but she was curled up on her side so that it was easy for him to slide her dagger from the holster on her thigh. She barely stirred—he supposed he learned a little something extra from her.
A few hours later when the spell was done and the dagger replaced, he woke Amma, and she allowed him to sleep until well into the next morning. Xander tarried for far too long when he woke, and it was midday before he was finally ready to leave. Damien and Amma walked the two to the edge of town, and Xander reiterated the entire time that he expected Damien to come find him in Eirengaard in two days.
“Because Iwillfind you if you have a change of, well,you know.” Xander laid a hand over his chest.
“Yes, I know, now fuck off.”
Xander grinned at that, and he and the priestess continued along the road northward to Eirengaard.
It was quiet for perhaps the first time when the two walked away, the roadway not busy for the moment. Even in coming winter, there was color in Orrinshire, trees with red and maroon leaves, evergreen bushes dotting the edge of the wood, and golden banners for the realm’s capital hanging from posts to mark the way. Too peaceful was the moment for what had happened and what was to come.
Finally alone, Damien turned to Amma. She’d been very quiet since waking him that morning. He could see she had a hundred questions pinging around her mind but kept them locked tight inside. Unfortunately, those questions would have to wait a few moments longer.
He led her away from the road to a hollow nestled into the trees, shielded in case anyone might pass by. “Amma,” he said,resolute in the decision he had made, eyes flicking down to her dagger to be sure she still had it, “do you think you could take about twenty paces in that direction, turn around, and stick your fingers in your ears?”
She scrunched up her nose. “You do know I’ve heard you pee like a hundred times at this point, so there’s really no reason to—”
“No, not that. Just, please, do this for me, all right?”
