136 - Detection

Vittoria got back to her home late.

It was dark out, the moon merely winking between drifting clouds. She stopped and surveyed her environment, sensing a distinct shift from when she left.

Something or someone had been here.

She sniffed the air a few times, then sent her magic scouring around the entire place. Her spells were untouched, except for a single detector and ward underground that had stopped the advance of some kind of worm creature.

Or was it?

An underground sandworm shouldn’t have gotten this far without help. It had been stopped by one of her wards, but it had gone farther than she’d anticipated.

Was something else using the appearance of a worm to come at them? Perhaps a demon that was here for Arielle.

She would need to look into it later. Whatever was here wasn't here anymore, so she would need to set a trap for it, capture it, and then evaluate it.

Vittoria walked forward and opened the door, viewing a scene that was unfamiliar but oddly relaxing. Arielle was on her sleeping couch, reading a thick leatherbound book that she had gotten from Yseult's home. Inara was on the floor close by, kneeling by the dragon and using her brush on his back while he kicked his leg in pure bliss.

Then Sir Spendulon bolted up and suddenly dashed in Arielle’s direction. Without looking up, she shot out a blast of air at him, making him skid back on the floor. He stopped right before he slammed into the wall, and chortled, wiggling his hands, rolling back on his feet. He ran for Arielle again, and she used another controlled blast of air to send him back.

After two more times, Vittoria realized that it was some kind of game they were playing.

“Having fun?” Vittoria said, alerting the group to her presence.

It broke the cozy ambiance.

Inara’s tension returned with a snap, and she jerked to her feet, standing straight.

“Oh, come now, don’t do that," Vittoria said, feeling instantly frustrated. “You were just having fun, Inara, and now that you see me, it’s like your spine is going to break.”

"Lady Vittoria…” Inara stammered.

“Vittoria,” Vittoria snapped, and remembered the one thing that she hadn’t managed to do today with all her work. She would have to push finding a mindhealer for Inara near the top of her list.

“Vittoria,” Inara said. “I apologize.”

“For what?”

"For upsetting you.”

Vittoria felt her irritation bleed away, giving way to shame. “No, I’m sorry. I’m just irritated from my meeting and took it out on you. You didn’t deserve that.”

Inara opened her mouth and closed it again, struggling to figure out what to say. Vittoria, however, decided to change the subject.

“It seems Sir Spendulon has recovered his energy,” she mentioned, walking into the room. “How did you two discover this game, Arielle?"

“It's not a game,” Ari responded, flipping a page. “He keeps trying to burrow under me, and I keep having to shove him off."

"It seems like he's having fun with it."

"He's easy to please," Arielle said.

"Do you want Inara to take him to the other room so you can read in peace?"

“It’s fine. Blasting him helps my concentration.”

Vittoria smirked, then asked Inara. “Have you girls eaten?”

“Yes," Inara said, which Vittoria took as a win. "Would you like me to start on your dinner?"

“No. It’s getting late. You should probably get to bed.”

"Yes La–yes, Vittoria.”

Inara immediately took Sir Spendulon's hand and began to drag him to the bedroom, while Arielle sat up.

A pout was forming on her face.

“I still haven’t managed to sense the demon's soul,” Ari told Vittoria. “I was hoping to continue after my food was done digesting.”

Vittoria shook her head.

“Why not?” Ari asked.

“Because you need sleep.”

“You don’t sleep.”

“I’m not a growing child. If you don’t rest, you'll get groggy and exhausted. Facing the demon when you’re groggy and exhausted isn’t a good idea.”

“I’m not groggy or exhausted,” Arielle said. “I’m perfectly capable of–”

"No, Arielle." Vittoria was already shaking her head. “The answer is no. Now go to bed.” To make the point, she held out her hand for the book that Arielle was just reading.

Arielle’s pout deepened, and her fingers clung possessively to the tome for a few seconds. Vittoria didn't budge, gesturing with her hand again.

Finally, Arielle let her have it, and Vittoria tucked it under her armpit.

"Thank you," she said. However, she also reminded herself to lock the basement up today just in case Arielle got the bright idea to go there anyway.

Although recalling the way Ari had dismantled Yseult’s locks without problem, Vittoria doubted that hers would do any good. Arielle had a scary ability, one that Vittoria might not even know had been utilized unless Arielle wanted her to know.

She would be seriously worried, except for the fact that Arielle had one major weakness.

“Do not go to the dungeon tonight," Vittoria said. "I hope you're not thinking of sneaking in there after I go to my room."

She gave the order mostly to see where Arielle’s mind was at. It was quite obvious when she lied, and if she was planning to disobey her, Vittoria would know instantly.

“Of course not,” Arielle said, and Vittoria relaxed. It was total honesty.

"Good." She paused mid-spin, rotating back into place. "Did something happen tonight? Were there any attacks?"

"No," Arielle said. "But Sir Spendulon was fussy earlier in the evening. He kept scratching at the door like he wanted to go out."

"I see." Vittoria narrowed her eyes. Dragons were sensitive to magical activity, and Sir Spendulon in particular would be extra sensitive to demonic activity.

“Did the demon wake up?”

Arielle nodded. “He spoke to me.”

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“He did?”

“Yes. He told me that my technique was terrible and that I would never detect his soul that way.”

“Rubbish,” Vittoria said. “I’m teaching you the way my father taught me, and every other necromancer before him has learned this technique.”

“Yes. I figured he was lying.”

“He’s definitely lying,” Vittoria said. “Do not let him talk next time, alright? Just shut him up immediately.”

“I did, after some time.”

“Good. There might have been something that approached the cabin, but my wards caught it before it came close. I'll set a trap for it tonight in case it comes back. Then we can study what it is."

"Okay," Arielle said. "Do you need my help?"

Vittoria smirked. "I think I can handle it. Good night."

"Good night," Ari said, and Vittoria went into her room.

While there, she finally released her breath. It had not been a stressful day, but it had been long and fairly busy. She’d given her preliminary report to the council, and everything had gone over smoothly, with them accepting her version of events without much trouble. She might get called in for an additional report if more information came to light, but after their endless questions, it seemed the elders were finally satisfied.

She had also managed to place doors on each of the Pyronis clans involved. They were likely destroying all evidence of their involvement right now, but Vittoria had split her consciousness and snuck into important places to find out the hidden details. She'd also visited the factory and had stolen one of the magical flame swords to assess it. She had it in her inventory, and she planned on eventually showing Arielle when she was done.

Her investigation was still ongoing. She sat and closed her eyes, getting information from all those sources, sifting through them, getting rid of the extraneous stuff, and focusing on the important ones.

After about an hour had passed, she came back out to check on the children.

Arielle was in the living room, fast asleep, on her back as usual with her hands at her sides.

Inara was in her room, curled up against Sir Spendulon, who had stuck his nose underneath her stomach.

Vittoria closed her door silently, standing in the middle of her home, wondering at the changes.

So much of her life was different from a few months ago, when she was alone and free from the council's nonsense.

Now, she was back in the fold and was also responsible for two children who were in no way related to her.

How she had ended up in this position, she wasn't sure...but it wasn't all bad.

She’d never thought of starting a family before, had never even dreamed of that at any point in her life. Apart from her work, which was dangerous and kept her away for long campaigns, she was also a naturally self-centered person. She liked having time to herself. She liked engaging in her hobbies whenever she wanted to and didn't relish the thought of running around after snot-nosed brats who drove her crazy, but she was obliged to love and care for them anyway.

She was also a creature of solitude, or at least she had become one in her old age. She had few friends left alive, but preferred to keep them at an arm's length, enjoying their company once in a while, but only in between long stretches of alone time.

Which was part of the thing that made relationships so complicated. Even with those she loved, she never wanted to be around them for very long. She never wanted any strong attachments and didn’t want anyone depending on her presence.

Every once in a while, she liked to disappear without telling anyone where she was going, and she liked to throw herself into strange adventures without considering the repercussions or seeking permission from anyone else.

A family, especially one with children, would hold her back.

But she imagined if it was a family like this, it wouldn’t feel so bad.

Sure, Arielle was stubborn and arrogant and bizarre in ways she was still discovering. Inara was irritating in her own way too. Both were high-maintenance, and even if Vittoria wanted children, they would be the last two she would choose.

Yet, there was something about them...

Maybe because she was getting very used to their presence nevertheless. Maybe even enjoying it.

She didn't want to. Neither did she want to get too fond of them. In her experience, the moment she started getting fond of things, she was set on track to lose them. And she was so tired of losing.

But there was nothing to do, because she couldn't kick them out, and they would both be in danger without her. So she had no choice. She was stuck with them.

The notion should make her angry or resentful.

Instead, she walked away with a smile on her face and warmth kindling in her heart.

***

Arielle kept up her routine for the next few days, training for as many waking moments as she could afford.

She only took breaks because Vittoria told her she had to, and every night, she would talk to her family on the messaging scroll, telling them she would come home soon. She planned to spend the next eight days at Vittoria’s home, and at the end of it, she would meet Lyra the day before her birthday and then heal her. After that, she would go home and spend the rest of her break with her family, while visiting Vittoria often.

It was a nice, elegant plan.

But as the days passed by, more and more doubt was injected into Arielle’s mind.

She didn’t feel it. No matter what happened, she just could not feel the thing she was supposed to feel from the demon's soul. It didn’t matter how she adjusted her cores or even how long she sat until her bones ached.

She did not sense a single thing.

Vittoria assured her that she was making normal progress and it was something she would get with time.

But Ari didn’t have that much time.

The days continued to pass, her worry continued to grow.

A terrible weight continued to sink onto her shoulders, one that she could not get relief from.

She didn't plan on talking to the demon again. She usually visited it alone, as Vittoria was busy with her investigation, both of the ritual and the creature that had gotten close to her wards. It hadn't returned, which seemed to concern her more for some reason.

Nevertheless, Ari was left to her devices, and usually when she got there, she first sealed the demon's lips shut, so that it could not even mouth words to her at all.

She would sit and pray for luck and listen to him living and dying and living and dying and try to prevent her frustration from ruining her concentration.

Yet there was nothing.

Until the fifth day.

It was close to the end of her session that she finally felt something. That something was hard to describe at first, but the closest thing she could think of was that it was like she'd held her hand behind her and touched an item that she had never touched before.

She couldn't see it, but it felt squishy in her grasp, malleable and light.

She somehow knew exactly what it was.

Elation jumped into her heart.

She had done it!

She didn't know how, but she had finally managed to feel the demon's soul.

And the more she concentrated, the stronger it felt.

"I did it!" she declared, her eyes opening. She was about to run to fetch Vittoria when she noticed something.

The demon, with its sealed lips, was smiling. Awareness glinted in its gaze, and it moved its finger like it was drawing a cross.

Arielle was instantly suspicious, and she narrowed her eyes. "What did you do?"

He curved his hand at his bound wrist, pointing towards his lips.

After a second of hesitation, she unsealed it so he could say, "I helped you."

Ari blinked. "No, you did not."

"I did," he said. "If you don't believe me, try to sense my soul again and see if it works."

Arielle closed her eyes and meditated, trying to hold his soul as she had done before.

Nothing. It was like nothing was there once more. Darn it.

Despair hit her.

The crash was even more bitter because it came after a high. She thought she'd done it. She thought she'd been successful.

Now she just felt stupid.

She opened her eyes and glared at the demon. "I didn't need your help."

"Yes, you do. You don’t have many of those tries left,” the demon told her. “I won’t die many more times. I’m an Overlord, but even I have my limit. Once I die the final death, that'll be it. Your study will be even harder, because the next soul will be different from mine."

Arielle stared at him.

"I helped you," he said. "Don't you want to see more? I can show you how to control the soul in just a few hours."

Instead of answering the question, Arielle said, ”You’re not supposed to be able to use magic.”

“It’s not magic,” he said. “My soul was closed up. Now it’s open. The same way you can open your closed hands. I can show you how to do it for your soul too. I offer you this gift, free of charge.”

“Demons don't make offers free of charge.”

“Well, we both know you’re not going to release me,” he said. “No matter what I do. But what I want is fairly simple. I'm simply curious about you."

"You shouldn't be," she said.

“I am, regardless. Can we not just talk so I can assuage my curiosity? I can’t attack you by talking, after all.”

Ari shook her head. "Don't do that again."

"Alright." He sighed. "I understand. Are you going to tell your guardian what I did? If you tell her, she’ll probably kill me. Or prevent me from speaking to you again. Your soul lessons will be over.”

“There’s another demon I can work with.”

“He won’t be able to help you as I will.”

“I don’t need your help.”

"Yes," the demon said calmly. "You do."

Arielle held up her hand and sealed his lips shut again. She continued her meditation sessions, her frustration growing, especially because she didn't so much as skim the demon's soul again.

She didn't ask for his help, though. She convinced herself she didn't need it, and she didn't want it.

But also, when Arielle went upstairs, she did not tell Vittoria what happened, and did not mention the demon's offer.