Page 23 of The Demon's Discovery
“Alright, I swear I’ll find a place for it. But I’m covering it up between uses.”
“Do as you like, brother, but get it off the books and onto a wall somewhere.”
“Yes, yes. Are you and Magnus getting along alright?”
“Magnus and I are fine. He won’t have had a chance to tell you, but we also took care of the men responsible for Grace’s capture.” Rylan blinked once, then sat forward with his elbows on his knees. I heard Calla inhale, and his eyes flashed red as he processed what I’d said. “They were taken to the camp.”
“When?”
“Shortly after you left.”
“Good,” Calla bit the word out.
Rylan ground his teeth together but nodded. Calla put her hand on his shoulder, and he covered it with his own. “I’m glad it’s handled, and they are where they belong. Is Grace alright?”
“She seems relieved, as expected. Magnus was insistent she get an apology.” My lips curled at the memory of them all begging for mercy that would never be given. “Also, I’m fairly certain she and Magnus finally figured themselves out.”
Calla made a squeak of a noise and clapped her hands together. “Good for them!”
Rylan sighed, a smile forming on his mouth as he relaxed. “Thank the saints for that.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
“That’s quite the report,” he said, giving a heavy sigh.
“I’m sorry to bring so much to you at once, but I have one more request. Would you mind showing me Calla’s necklace? I’ve got a lead I’m following for the one I’m searching for, but I think seeing hers may help.”
“Her necklace?” My brother frowned at me.
“The one I’m seeking is very similar.”
“I’ll get it,” Calla offered.
“So, is this woman a chemist or an alchemist?” Rylan asked while his wife was away.
“Both. She’s demonstrated a significant skill in chemistry, though I believe her current employers may have stifled her growth. She’s opening up the more she’s allowed to enjoy what she’s doing.”
“Maybe they didn’t understand it.” Rylan shrugged.
“Likely.” I nodded, knowing that Henrik and Lara wouldn’t know a good bit of science if it was right in front of them. The only thing they seemed interested in was gold. Something tickled at my mind, at that thought, but never fully formed.
“If you see her talent, then I’m happy to have her, in any case. And alchemy?”
“She’s got interest, and with her skill in chemistry I’m convinced she’ll figure it out. We’ll try some things soon.” I swallowed the acid that crept up and pushed forward. “She’d liketo speak to you when you return. Your talents overlap in many ways.”
“Of course. What about Lilith’s book? If you’re still taking the tincture, I assume you haven’t found what you hoped inside.”
“I’m making my way through as I can, but it’s denser than I remember it being.”
“A couple centuries and several new contributors will do that. Have you managed to get it fully into your possession yet?”
“No. And having to go to the manor to see it is not optimal. But this necklace thing may solve that for me as well. I do worry that Greta saw me…” I shook my head.
“Saw you?”
“After the horde. There were stragglers, inside the city gates.”
Rylan sat forward urgency in his expression. “Inside?”
