Page 90 of The Demon's Delight
“We’re getting such a wonderful array of healers in Revalia! I’m the main one for the conclave, that’s the stone kin settlement. It’s outside the city, but not far from it. I run the infirmary there. I hope to be able to see your skill in action one day. I’ve seen Rylan work, his wife, Calla, as well. And Greta is a marvel, she’s quite gifted with elixirs and the like.”
“I’m not sure my ability is anything to look at, honestly, but I’m happy to demonstrate.”
“I’m much the same. I’m skilled with the healing part, but my gift is more about being able to remove the fear and anxiety people feel while injured. It’s terribly helpful in some situations. May I?” She extended her hand.
“It probably won’t work,” I apologized in advance but stretched my hand to meet hers.
The woman’s fingers were warm as her hand closed around mine, but I felt no different. My insides were still half-twisted and my pulse a little elevated thanks to the bond being upset and unusual situation I found myself in.
She frowned. “Can’t say I’m not a little disappointed. I’ve never met anyone it didn’t work on before.”
“May I?”
“Sure.” Her eyes were bright as she clutched my hand.
I pushed my magic out, checking for anything that needed fixing. Lovette was healthy, and the stone-kin physiology was as close to human as Seir’s demon makeup was. All I found were a few nicks and cuts on her hands. But my healing touch was powerful enough that she noticed and looked down when I repaired the little imperfections.
“Marvelous! Thank you. Those little cuts are always terribly painful when I apply antiseptic to patients.” She pulled a package of cookies from her pocket, offering me one. “They also mentioned Coltor suggested you might be a null.” She chewed her own cookie, eyes narrowed as she looked at me. “I think he might have been on to something.”
“Do you know anything about nulls?” I savored the spice in the gingersnap she’d given me, appreciating the way it burned in my nose.
“Not much, unfortunately, mostly that they are very rare. My father tried to find some information in our archives, but there’s simply not much on record. Their—your—existence is kept as hidden as possible. That kind of power is deeply coveted, andusually by the wrong kind of people. It’s not very safe to be a null.”
“Mmm.”
“Hopefully Ophelia will know more.”
“Ophelia?”
Lovette’s smile returned. “She’s one of the oldest of our kind, a sorceress. Most of us have trained under her at one time or another. She knows much that the rest of the world has forgotten. A bit temperamental, perhaps, but mostly wonderful.”
Lovette took over the conversation for quite a while, chattering about daily life at the stone kin conclave. It seemed that both of Seir’s brothers had mated and married women with some stone kin heritage as well, and there had been quite a bit of tension and trials in all their lives for the last year or so. Then she changed topics and left my head spinning.
“My father is better at recognizing kin than I am, but it feels like you may have some blood as well.”
“Stone kin blood? Really?” That was quite possibly one of the last things I’d ever expected her to say.
“Yes, it’s a very particular sound. I’m not sure how else to describe it. It’s like an extra tone in your heartbeat, the way the blood moves. It’s a resonance that other kin can hear. It’s a good way to recognize one another in sticky situations.”
“And you can hear that in me?”
She nodded. “It’s faint, and there’s other noise mixed in there too, but yes.” That was truly unexpected. “Can I say, your eyes are just stunning, and the white hair suits you.”
“Oh. Thank you.” I blushed, painfully unused to genuine flattery from other women.
Lovette leaned forward to get a better look. “I’ve never seen anyone have four colors before. And not ever where two colors were top and bottom.” Her head tilted as she inspected my face.
“That’s all new, actually,” I confessed. “My hair started turning white shortly into our travels. As for my eye… the color is vertical as recent as the last day or so. The blue used to be on the left.”
“Oh.” Lovette sat back, thoughtful. “Well, perhaps Ophelia can help explain that as well.”
I didn’t know what else to say, but the compliments were very sweet.
We stopped after a while to water and rest the horses, stretch our legs, and get a quick bite to eat. Lovette swapped out with her sister for the next part of the ride, as Magnus refused to give up his vantage point in the sky.
Imogen was not nearly as keen on conversation as Lovette was, which I didn’t mind at all. My brain felt mushy from all the information I’d taken in, not to mention everything that had happened. The rocking of the carriage was also doing an excellent job of lulling me to sleep.
“Thank you,” I muttered, resting my head against the wall, “for coming to meet us. It took Seir and I two weeks to get from Olinbourg to Ravenglen. I was not looking forward to that much more walking. Especially with how the weather is turning colder.”
