Chapter 14

Although the man looked startled, at first, to see Sophia standing at the door, he quickly recovered. He bent at the waist and shelled out for a deferential bow, his left arm set formally across his midriff. His right one remained stiffly by his side, and Samael noticed how thickly bandaged that hand was. She could not judge for the rest of his arm, as it disappeared inside a long sleeve.

“Your Grace,” he said.

“Oh, no. This can’t continue.” Sophia sighed exasperatedly, the blush still on her cheeks. “How many times need I remind you to call me Sophia, like you used to?”

“I’m afraid at least once more, Your Grace.”

“Ugh. You’re as stubborn as ever. But you see, Sam, this is what I mean when I talk about showing a sense of propriety.” Lecturing the demon, she shot a mock glare at the man. “Though Mr Elmas here takes it a notch to far!”

Before Lucian could answer, he was elbowed out of the way by a stout older woman who wasted no time snatching Sophia into a bear hug. “My baby! I was so worried since those Temple riders told me you’d been attacked! Even after the Goddess reassured me herself, I could not sleep!”

“Ow, ow, ow… Grandma! I can’t… breathe!”

“Oh my. I’m so sorry.” Meredith pulled back, but she still held Sophia firmly at arms’ length. Her eagle eyes roamed over the younger woman, searching for any sign of injury.

“I’m fine, grandma. I’m a healer, remember?”

“So am I, even without your freakish talent for healing magic. Not all wounds are of the flesh, girl.” Meredith stared sharply into Sophia’s troubled eyes. “We’ll talk inside. I have a tisane kettle on the stove. And are you going to introduce me to your friend?” she added, with a pointed look at the tall black stranger standing next to her granddaughter.

“Yes. I’m curious as well,” Lucian interjected, rubbing his side where Meredith had shoved him. His golden eyes narrowed at Samael, who returned the glare.

“Ah… this is Sam. She’s… a warrior mage from Koatia. She helped fight back the bandits. Sam, this is my grandmother, Meredith. And Lucian… a friend.”

“Koatia?” Lucian repeated flatly. “You’re quite far from home, ogre.”

“Oh, I heard she did quite a bit more than that!” Meredith exclaimed and switched hug victims—or she tried to. Her plump arms could not quite reach around the demon’s muscled trunk. She did not let it bother her. “Thank you so much for saving my baby! She’s all the family I have left. Bless you.” Startled by the sudden act of affection, and unused to it, Sam could only pat the woman’s back awkwardly while moisture pearled in Meredith’s eyes. “Bless you,” she repeated. “Bless you.”

Now also tearing up, Sophia rubbed gentle circles in the small of the old woman’s back. “I’m alright, grandma. Everything’s fine.”

“Yes, I supposed thanks are in order.” Lucian offered his bandaged hand for a shake. Samael was of a mind to ignore him. But then a wicked smile hooked up her lips, and she went to crush his knuckles—just a little.

But when his fingers brushed against hers, a curious sensation tickled Samael’s skin and gave her pause. She tilted her head, confused by the familiarity of it. Meanwhile, Lucian’s eyes narrowed to hostile slits. He yanked his arm back as if burned.

The moment passed without any of the two priestesses noticing.

“I really need to get going,” Lucian said. “Mrs Hale, Your Grace, it was a pleasure.”

“Ah, Mr Elmas!” Meredith straightened and brusquely brushed her tears off. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay? You and Sophia haven’t seen each other in years.” Her intentions were written all over her face. They could not have been clearer had she penned them down on a placard in the town square. Not for the first time, Sophia flushed at her grandmother’s brazenness.

But Lucian bowed out rigidly. “I’m truly sorry, but my business can’t be delayed any longer.” He turned to leave.

“Wait!” Sophia called out. “Did you come on the Beatrice? Will you be leaving with it?”

“I did, and I will. Why?”

“We’ll be onboard the ship as well. Maybe we can catch up during the trip?”

“You are?” He looked surprised. “Pardon my frankness, but I never figured you one to travel off the island.”

“Yes, well…” Sophia grimaced. “My goddess decided the Fair Isle Temple would send a representative to the Synod this decade. I had the honour to be chosen.”

“Indeed…” Lucian’s golden eyes flickered to Sam before returning to Sophia. The ghost of a smile flickered on his face. “I’d be glad to.”

“Great! I’ll look forwards to see you there, then!” Beside her, Meredith nodded approvingly, while Samael’s glare would have curdled new milk. With a final parting nod, Lucian spun and hurried out of the courtyard. The tail of his leather coat fanned grandiosely behind him.

“O Goddess, I can’t believe I just said that!” As soon as he walked out of sight, Sophia erupted in redness and dropped to a crouch, hiding her face in her hands. “He’ll misunderstand! I only want to know how he’s been doing!”

“Who’s that weak-looking guy anyway?” Samael growled. If she were to be honest, Lucian actually did not look weak at all—for a human, that was. His eyes were hard, and the way he moved alluded to a skilled fighter. But Samael was not in a very honest mood right now.

“He’s my friend Eleonore’s grandson,” Meredith replied, a fond smile creasing her wrinkled face. “He and Sophia used to play together all the time as children. Everyone expected them to be betrothed before long, but then…” She shook her head sadly. “It’s a tragedy what happened to his parents.”

“I don’t like him.” The growl had not disappeared from the demon’s voice. The elderly woman looked at her strangely. Sam’s expression was a picture of discontent.

Then an understanding flickered in Meredith’s eyes. Leaning back, she considered the imposing woman in a new light. “Hah!” A throaty laugh burst from her lips, and she roughly patted her mortified granddaughter’s head. “Hahaha. Sophie dear, if that’s where your preference lies, you should have told me! How was I supposed to catch anything worthwhile if I was fishing in the wrong pool this entire time?”

Sophia looked up, at first confused, until her blush shifted a shade darker. “Grandma! It’s not like that!”

“Hahaha! It’s fine. It’s fine! I know people around here are a close-minded bunch. It’s to be expected, living in this arse end of nowhere. But I’ve told you about my travels, and I assure you this is quite common in many areas of the continent. Why, even I—”

“Grandma! I don’t want to know!”

“Hahahaha!”

Meredith Hale had never made a secret of her wild early life. Even though she was born at the Fair Isle Temple, nobody ever thought she would end up a priestess. And when she stowed away on a merchant ship at the still-tender age of fifteen springs, nobody was too surprised either—alarmed, yes, but not surprised.

The islanders were more shocked to see her return, twenty years later, and with a son in tow, to boot! Of the lad’s father, no one ever saw as much as a shadow—much to the affected dismay of every respectable wife in town.

For years to come, the speculations fuelled Landing’s gossip circles. Some tall tales made him the prince of a distant kingdom, or a bandit lord terrorising the land, or an ancient immortal mage, or even a pagan spirit who had taken the shape of a man. Although, many agreed Meredith most probably got knocked up by some random drunk in a bar after a night of unspeakable debauchery.

The talks died down, eventually. The lad grew up into an upright but boring man, with no outstanding qualities other than an uncommonly pretty face. They did resurface when he unexpectedly married the high priestess, but not for long—as one simply did not gossip about the high priestess on Fair Isle.

Meredith never told anyone the full story of what happened during those two decades. She did, however, delight in dropping allusions that were as vague as they were scandalous—much to the continued embarrassment of her respectable granddaughter.

Once again, Sophia was hiding her face in her hands. “I’m not– I mean, I’m not attracted to…” Her protests quickly devolved into unintelligible mumbles. Unwelcomed memories of this very morning invaded her mind, of waking up on top of an indecent monster; the warmth of her; the hardness of her body; that strangely enticing smell of pinewood and smoke.

Sophia shook her head, energetically. “I’m not! That’s it. And certainly not to her.” She pointed angrily at the buff demon, who tilted her head in absolute confusion, having lost the thread ever since Meredith started laughing.

“If you say so. If you say so…” The grandmother nodded wisely, but mirth still danced in her eyes. “Come on, let’s get inside. The tisane should be just right.”

“Grandma! I told you it’s not like that!” Sophia stomped after her.

“And I believe you. I’m just saying, if it were me who got rescued by a dashing exotic warrior from distant lands… Ahhh. If I were ten years younger.”

“GRANDMA!!”

Left behind in the courtyard, Samael stood scratching her head, trying to piece together the reasons behind the two humans’ behaviour.

Eventually, she just shrugged, dropped her pack by the door, and followed them inside.

Mortals are weird.

The interior of Meredith’s apartment was roughly identical to Sophia’s home at the Temple, except the walls were wood instead of white stone. The old woman’s abode was also a lot more cluttered, filled with the knickknacks one amassed over the course of a life. Samael preferred it this way. When she had called Sophia’s home “clean”, her words were not meant strictly as a compliment.

Sophia and her grandmother were already sitting at a small table by an open window, three fuming cups in front of them.

Samael took one look at the flimsy chairs and elected to stand. She snatched the cup closest to her and leaned against the wall. After sniffing the fuming beverage, she took a tentative sip. The taste did not convince her, but she enjoyed the scalding heat and continued drinking with a contented smile while listening to the bickering women.

“I’m still going to want grandchildren. There are enough orphans around. Just pick one that doesn’t look to daft.”

“Grandma! You can’t speak like that! And I told you, there’s nothing like that!”

“I’m old! I speak however the heck I want, girl. Who’s going to spank me? …Well, maybe that handsome Sim lad. He’s got quite a—”

“GRANDMAAAAA!!!” Sophia whined. “Ugh, why are you so… so… you.”

“You’re a quarter me too. You just have to discover it.”

“I’d really rather not.”

“Don’t spit it till you’ve tried it. Am I right?” Meredith shot a complicit smirk at Samael, who suddenly wished to be elsewhere.

She was saved from answering by a flutter of feathers and the large blue raven that landed on the windowsill. Its iridescent feathers gleamed in the dim sunlight, its beak looked as if made of solid gold, and a sharp intelligence shone in its glassy eyes. “Caw!” the bird shrieked proudly and presented its foot to Meredith. In its talons, it held a small scroll also tied to its leg.

“Oh! Kora girl, back already?” Meredith wondered out loud. “I guess that old hag is staying somewhat put for once. And she said she’d never go back there… Ah, here, let me take this off you.” She untied the scroll and unfurled it, her eyes pouring over the content.

Her work done, the raven hopped on the table and went to rub her head into Sophia’s palm. The priestess giggled. “Hi, Kora. Grandma still working you hard?”

“Caw caw caw!” The bird ruffled her feathers and raised her comb vexedly.

Samael snorted, amused by the animal’s insolence. At the noise, Kora looked up and tilted her head almost a full half-turn. She hopped off the table and, with a flap of wings, rose to a shelf next to the demon’s head. “Caw!” She pecked at Samael’s scalp.

“Hey!” The devil shielded her head. “Stop that. I didn’t say anything!”

“Caw! Caw! Ca-caw!”

“I’m not apologising!” Samael frowned down at Sophia. “What’s this skinny chicken’s problem?”

“CAW!!”

“Well, you look like one.”

“CA-CA-CAW!?”

“Kora is a messenger raven.” The priestess answered, looking strangely between the two. “Grandma tells me they’re quite common on the mainland, but Kora is the only one I’ve ever seen. It’s not as if anyone in Landing has a need for letters… or would know how to read them, other than Grandma, of course. Though she won’t tell me whom she’s corresponding with.” She followed that last part with a frustrated glare at the old woman.

Meredith waved dismissively, folding the letter and tucking it inside her ample bosom. “Oh, just a few old acquaintances from the continent. People far too disreputable for a good girl like you to bother with, I assure you.” Contrary to her tone, her humorous eyes baited Sophia to ask more.

But the priestess did not bite. She huffed and looked away. “I won’t beg for your dirty secrets, grandma.”

During this little exchange, Kora the messenger raven had stopped trying to poke a hole in Samael’s head, and instead decided to make a nest of the demon’s wild red mane. Samael let her, liking the light scratching of Kora’s talons against her scalp.

Meredith looked at the pair with no small amount of surprise. “Odd. I’ve never seen Kora get used to someone so fast before. She’s usually very distant with strangers.”

Samael shrugged and took a swig of her tisane. She did not have an answer either. Beasts did not behave like this in Tartarus.

The conversation turned surprisingly mundane afterwards. Sophia sought her world-savvy grandmother’s advice on the best route to Benidith, and true to her promise to Alberta, she also inquired about the places of interest along the way. Meredith answered to the best of her knowledge. However, for the most part, her information was twenty years out of date, and she seemed suspiciously more aware of the places to avoid rather than any touristic spot.

And her reasons were confusing at best.

“Never walk into green fog,” she would say. “Those who do never come out.”

“If you have to traverse the Charred Rise, stick to the low passes. Those who climb the mountains never come down.”

“Don’t fall off the boat in the Rocking Loch. Those who swim down never come up.”

“Never gamble against a faun. That’s money you’ll never see again.”

“Don’t drink Musmer beer. It tastes plain awful. Or at least, wait until you’re too drunk to notice.”

“Protection, that’s important. You don’t know what nasty bug people might carry. One day I…”

At some point, Meredith’s advice transformed into a long rambling list of all the bad things they might encounter. The more she listened, the less Samael understood why Sophia seemed to think the Tartarus was a bad place. At least the monster only tried to kill you. You did not need to worry about being robbed, assaulted, or betrayed or catch some weird disease.

The Midworld is very strange.

The devil woman tried to keep up with the talk, but most of it went right over her bumpkin’s head. She found her thoughts drifting more and more and started dozing off.

She was startled awake by a formidable roar.

“Caw! Caw!” Panicked, Kora flew off her perch.

Samael looked around, wondering what creature could have snuck up on her, when she noticed Sophia and her grandmother staring at her with wide eyes. She hurriedly checked her forehead, but she found no horns.

An aftershock rumble lowered her hand to her stomach.

“Oh…” Embarrassed, she scratched her cheek. “Err… I’ll… go ahead and look at that fish on the docks. Just take your time with your grandma.”

“Ah! Wait! You’ll need—”

Samael was out the door and out of earshot before Sophia could finish her sentence.

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