Page 18 of The Demon's Discovery
“I just … I saw something …”
I blinked several times as the carriage turned the corner, removing the man from my view. I instantly doubted my own eyes, my insides warring over how impossible it was to have seen any such thing.
“Oh?” Grace turned and looked out the window herself, but it was too late. “Should we stop?”
“I… I’m not sure. There was a man. Animals, maybe? Blood.” Speaking his name aloud made it too real, too true, so I held it back.
“Ah.” Grace tutted with her tongue and reached forward to pat my leg. “Sadly, there’s been a sickness among the livestock this year, I heard several vendors talking about it at the market. Sudden and brutal. I hate that you saw something so terrible.” Silence weighed heavily between us for several long moments. Finally, Grace cleared her throat. “I don’t mean to be forward, but I owe you an apology. That mess with the rat? I had no idea it would look like…that. Vassago told me what happened, and I’m terribly embarrassed.”
“Thank you,” I said, unsure what else could be said and too distracted to say anything coherent.
“Mr. Feland is a good man, Greta. You’re the very first guest he’s brought to campus since he arrived months ago.” She leaned in conspiratorially. I swallowed and tried to focus on her words as my mind rationalized how it wasn’t possible the man I’d just seen covered in blood was the same Vassago who had brought me a pillow and blanket when I fell asleep on his sofa. “He sees something special in you. And I can understand why.” She winked, and I softened to her kindness, deciding that I’d perhaps seen a hunter perhaps, or… anything, really, except him. “Well then. Tell me, are you tired often?”
Lara may have spent my life making me believe I was lazy, but I knew that wasn’t true. I couldn’t help my need for sleep. “Yes. I nap at least once most days. Doesn’t matter how much I sleep at night, when my energy runs out, it’s just gone—though I never have much to begin with.”
“Hmm.” Grace looked thoughtful, but her interest was lacking the judgment I usually got from others when they found out my requirement for sleep on a daily basis. “I’ll bet that’s frustrating. How is your hand?”
“Fine, thank you.” She held one of hers out and I reluctantly offered mine. She examined the nearly healed burns as we bumped down the road. “Did Vassago tell you about that?”
She clucked her tongue. “It’s best you know up front that there isn’t much that escapes my notice. The archmage—d’Arcan’s headmaster, Rylan—is quite adept at healing, but he’s not always around. I try to be sure I’m well abreast of basic skills, given the students that come through my kitchen.” Grace’s words were firm but kind. She smiled at me again and I thawed a bit further. “I’m sure I have an ointment that he or his wife made up that might help, and I’ll put together some energizing teas. You’ll have to try them all and let me know if there’s one you prefer.”
“You don’t have to go to any special trouble on my behalf, Grace. I’m not sure there’s much to be done about my condition, honestly. I’ve been this way as long as I can remember, no matter the attempted treatment. I need more sleep than most people and more time to heal, that’s all. I appreciate the concern, though.”
“Well, I do like to tinker around with recipes, so it’s no bother. If they help, all the better, if not, then at least we’ve got some new options in the kitchen, yes? Yes.” She slapped her thigh with her palm, settling the matter. “And you’re in luck. Today, we’ll be arriving just in time for lunch. I left the girls tofinish up for me. They’re all adept learners. It’s lovely to watch them flourish.” She smiled, her pride evident in the way she glowed when she spoke of them.
“I can’t wait,” I admitted honestly. I’d been too caught up in moving furniture and shifting around the contents in the set of bedrooms Lara was preparing to refurbish that I’d worked off my simple breakfast in no time, and I knew better than to ask for anything else. As if to punctuate my hunger, my stomach let out an embarrassing noise.
She winked at me. “I’m so glad you’re coming with an appetite.”
I was learning that whatever I thought the response was going to be based on my experience at the manor, I should expect the opposite from these people. It was odd but welcome, to say the very least.
Grace filled the quiet between us with chatter she’d heard in the marketplace. Most of it made no matter to me—these were people and situations I’d never be involved in—but I appreciated her including me as though I had any idea what she was talking about. Almost like we were friends. It was an excellent distraction from what I’d seen, as well.
As we got out of the carriage, the raven flapped down to the fence from high up in a tree.
“Hello again,” I said to him, getting the same close inspection as before. With soft caws, he fluffed his feathers. He let me get several steps closer than I had last time before shuffling a few steps along the top of the fence.
Grace stared at him. “Do you know this bird?”
“He greeted me last visit.”
“Oh. Well, hello, I guess,” she said, tilting her head as she watched him right back.
“Have you never seen him? Vassago said the same.”
She shook her head. “No, but that means little. I’m not outside on the grounds much, and when I am, I’m not terribly observant. Shall we?” She gestured toward the door, and he took flight. A large shadow flitted across the very edge of my vision, disappearing beyond the roof of the observatory as Grace resumed her chatter. She filled the quiet between us all the way up to the moment she left me at the large round table in the dining room.
“I’m sure Vassago will be along momentarily. Make yourself comfortable.”
I hesitated, then offered, “I’m no cook, but I am skilled at washing dishes, if you need any help?”
“Absolutely not! You’re a guest. Though perhaps if you get promoted to resident, I’ll consider taking you up on that offer.” She winked as she strode into the kitchen.
Instead of sitting, I took the opportunity to take a closer look at the animal carvings on the main posts throughout the room. Grace’s mention of me becoming a resident on top of the strange encounter left me restless.
I’d studied the details of the owl and was captivated by the raven when I heard footsteps coming toward me from the hall. Turning as the sound got close, I found Vassago with a bright smile on his mouth.
I argued with myself once again, doubtful that there was any way this polished, well-dressed noble had taken any part of what I’d seen on the side of the road. And yet, when he smiled a certain way… I shivered, trying to shake off the odd sensation fizzing in my veins.
