Page 65 of Daughter of the Darkened City

Were those witches the ones blessed by Evoleen? Had there been a rivalry between the two? Perhaps Hevena would know. She tucked the knowledge away, determined to ask the head witch later. For now, she needed to focus on getting information to help with the spells.

She continued reading, finally getting to the section with spells. Vasu said he’d been unable to translate them, and she had to admit they were tricky. She thought perhaps it was a different dialect of Entailish than she’d been used to. Which would be another amazing discovery if true.

Judging by the placing of words, there was a set way to write spells, and both were written that way. That was a good start. It had the rhythm of a poem. She took out a piece of paper and quill. All the letters were the same, save for a few with lines over the top, or two circles on the left side of it. Easy enough, something had to be similar then.

Avenay went to work, writing down possibilities, then scratching them out. But it was no use. She didn’t think she’d ever find the answer. Flipping through, she came to a set of spells where the pages were damaged.

Odd.

The rest of the book was pristine, no hint of the smoke and fire damage to any other part of it. Which made sense, most important books were enchanted to protect against that. Except these few pages.

She sat up, rubbing her eyes. Sitting at the desk in the center of the room was a librarian, staring at her with an unnerving intensity. The satyr looked quickly down at the book in her hands, though, when Avenay caught her. It hadn’t been flirtatious like the nymph. No, it had been too keen and seeing. Avenay’s skin pebbled, and she tucked the book in her satchel, suddenly feeling that perhaps she shouldn’t have been looking at it. But now that she had, she had a strong feeling she was onto something important here. She would take it home for later.

Avenay settled into her room, carefully shutting the door and keeping her hearing honed for anyone approaching. She was being silly. Whatever that look had been from the satyr had probably had more to do with her having never been there before and less to do with the book. And yet…

She looked at the pages that were damaged again. That had been intentional. There were only a few words left, the title and a letter were missing. What had been destroyed so they wouldn’t know? She wrote the words down, going through her own notes on Entailish. The first word washejin. That meant life.

But wait. Hadn’t Vasu had a different interpretation for it? One that was used in the scriptures? Energy or power?

She wrote down both definitions and went to work on the second one. There were a few options, depending on the missing letter. She wrote them down, crossing them out as she felt they didn’t make sense.

Green.

Running.

Gathering.

She hovered her quill over the last word to cross it out but stopped. Could it mean harvest? Could this be a spell, similar to the acolytes’ desire for sex that harvested power?

She wrote the word harvest next to it and sat back. It was late now, and she’d been reading this for ages. Her eyes ached and her limbs were stiff from sitting for so long. And the smell of the day lingered on her. She needed a bath. She’d been told there were hot springs at the end of the hall, but she hadn’t been brave enough to try yet, as it was open to anyone. But it was so late. Surely no one would be there?

She grabbed a change of clothes, slipping out of her own and pulling on a robe, grabbing a towel and sandals, then headed to the room. Heat and steam welcomed her the moment she opened the door, mist wafting about her as she entered, her skin sweating and becoming damp. She set her items on a bench and slipped off her shoes, then turned to the pool and gasped.

Enid sat encased in the steam, arms up, the top of her bare breasts coming right over the water, a devilish smirk on her face.

“You’re always seeking me out when I’m naked, Little Bird,” she said, her voice a sultry hum that skittered along Avenay’s skin to her lower belly, down, down…

She crossed her arms, training her eyes to the demon’s face. “I was not seeking you out. I thought this room would be empty at this time of day.”

Enid made it sound like Avenay alone felt this chemistry between them. As if she were the cog in the wheel that kept whatever this was between them going.

Enid made a hum that sounded unconvinced. “Well, I just finished practicing in the training hall. If you want to wait, I only need to soak for ten more minutes.” Enid stared up at her coyly through her lashes, that grin still there. “Or you could join me.”

Avenay raised her chin as her blood hummed, and her mind went blank. Enid always managed to knock her off balance. A small voice whispered that it was just Enid’s bravado, that engaging would just open her up for more disappointment… but by the Mother, she couldn’t help the draw she felt. And maybe, for once, she wanted to be the one to shock and surprise Enid.

Keeping eye contact with the demon, she smiled her sweetest smile, untying the cord of her robe, then let it fall to the ground.

Enid’s face went slack, eyes trailing down Avenay’s body with a slow perusal of appreciation. Avenay found herself standing taller, her feathers ruffling in excitement, her core moistening from the passion she saw in Enid’s eyes. She stepped forward, dipping her toe delicately in the water, then walked in, glancing up to find Enid still observing her, the look of desire and wonder so strong that Avenay almost stumbled a step. No one had ever looked at her that way. No lover, no admirer. Lust, yes. Appreciation, yes. Desire, yes. But wonder?

She moved before she knew herself, coming to Enid, who gazed up, a vulnerability there so deep that Avenay knew she needed to tread carefully. There was a wound in Enid’s eyes, one that seemed to bleed out each time Avenay came close, making Enid jerk away in pain. What was that wound? Why did Avenay’s presence press on it so?

She nudged her knee between Enid’s, and the demon let them fall open. Avenay came close, bringing her hand up to brush against Enid’s face, and the demon closed her eyes, following the movement.

Enid’s hands floated up and rested on Avenay’s hips, gently pulling her in. Avenay was keenly aware of Enid’s lips only a breath away from her breasts, Enid’s eyes taking in her nipples, erect despite the warmthof the room. Enid’s hand slid up her waist, the soft movement making her draw in a gasp. Enid started to pull her hand back, her brow furrowed in worry, but Avenay caught it, placing it back and shaking her head.

“I like how you touch me, though I wouldn’t mind firmer strokes.”

Enid smiled. “I can do that.”

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