PRESENT

When the morning came, the sun had risen high and inconveniently bright, and Devarion's special friends still hadn't arrived I figured that something wasn't quite right.

By all my calculations Devarion's friends should have arrived to rescue her last night when Devarion had been eating the soup. If not then, then at least when I had been showing Devarion to her room. But they hadn't arrived, and now it was morning, they still weren't here and I had two big problems.

One, I had supposedly overestimated my mathematic abilities, if not then the power of chivalry and friendship. I wasn't sure yet which of the two was more concerning, but I was leaning on the latter. I had always said that friendship was over-rated. Chivalry, not-so-much. But Vino had sworn by friendship, as did Sinum, and now I had a massive problem on my hands. Which led to problem number two.

I had my mortal enemy's best friend in my spare room and I had no idea what to do with the girl.

I had many plans. I had rooms filled to the ceilings with plans, that was how I had got Devarion over here. But none of my plans had accounted for the event that Devarion would still be in my spare room the next day.

I thought about it as I got dressed the next morning, as I bathed and brushed my hair, and as I ordered Vino to get the dining room ready for the first meal of the day, reminding him to set two places, not one. Once I was ready to face the day, smoothening out a crease in my dress I stepped into the draughty hallway and proceeded to Devarion's room.

I waited a moment. It was quiet inside, there wasn't a sound. So I knocked lightly on the door rapping my knuckles twice. "Devarion?" I called.

The silence stretched for a moment, just the wind twisting down the hallway, and then a muffled noise and a loud thump. I frowned. "Devarion? I'm coming in."

I opened the door and stepped inside catching a flurry of movement. Devarion stood in the middle of the floor, her eyes were red and her clothes were creased. I glanced to the bed which was exactly as it had been last night.

"Sleep well?"

She rubbed her eyes. "Yes."

"Good. Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes, you can make yourself presentable. Vino will be waiting outside to show you to the dining room." I said, glancing over at the ajar door of the wardrobe and the grey dress laid out on the dresser.

"Alright."

She didn't say anything else.

I shut the door quietly behind me. Once I reached the dining room I sat down in the chair opposite the door, at the head of the table.

It was a polite sort of room, modest but still inherently over-the-top just like the rest of the manor. The table was polished ebony wood, with matching chairs padded with emerald velvet. Several large portraits hung on the walls, cold imposing figures looking down onto me, it filled me with a grim sort of satisfaction. That their empty eyes looked down on me, forever immortalised in canvas and oil. Yet very much bereft of life. That was where them and I differed. I was very comprehensively alive, I breathed and moved, I slept and waked, and laughed and cried. There wasn't anything worth envying more than being alive.

I glanced to the portrait slightly to my left. A more recent one, a dark haired man dressed in velvet robes, wearing a silver pendant meant to ward off evil. I scoffed, it was pathetic. I had always said that those pendants didn't work, and I had only proved it when I had watched the life drain from his eyes and the blood from his body. The silver pendant that had laid on his chest hadn't done anything to help him then, and it certainly wouldn't help him now that he was buried six feet under in his own back garden.

As I waited for Devarion I pondered on my next move. In my original plan to gain revenge she would have been several leagues away by now, tucked nice and cosy in Malton's palace. I needed to find out where her friends were, why they hadn't arrived to rescue her yet.

Then, I needed to move onto phase two. Somehow, with her still here. I had her completely at my mercy, she was officially stuck here found by the adamantine deal that she had made. She was bound by my magic to remain in my care unless her friends were to come save her. There had to be some advantage to this.

A ransom? I couldn't kill her, I needed her for this to work. I could fake her death?

My train of thought was cut short when the door was pushed open and Devarion walked in. She looked more put together than she had earlier. Her hair was tamed somewhat, and she was wearing a new grey shirt. She sat down at the place set at my side, looking only slightly troubled.

She made an effort to keep her expression polite and clean put couldn't quite hide the furrow of her eyebrows. "How are your wounds today?" I asked her.

She looked surprised for a moment. "Better. Thank you."

The door was pushed open a second time and Vino and Lesione came in carrying the food in with steaming white porcelain dishes. They placed the dishes in front of us and left the room silently.

Devarion's eyes widened fractionally when she saw the pastries and tea. "Help yourself." I said as I poured tea into her cup and my own. "Do you want milk?"

"Uh." She picked up two pastries and put them on her plate before looking up, caught off guard. "No thanks."

I poured myself a dash of milk and chose a scone. Devarion ate slowly, picking at the food and nibbling it. I would have thought that she didn't enjoy it if it were not for her wide eyes and the ever so slight tilt of her mouth. She sipped the tea delicately in between bites and scrunched her nose as if the taste was unpleasant, but then proceeded to take another sip.

I waited for her to get settled, until her shoulders seemed slightly less tense and the crease of worry on her forehead had disappeared until I spoke. "You said that your friends don't know that you're here?" I tried to prod slowly, I needed to find out why they weren't here without letting Devarion know that this wasn't meant to happen.

"They don't."

"You didn't tell them?"

She sipped her tea, staring at the table. "They wouldn't have let me come if they knew that I'd take your deal. They don't trust you, so I didn't tell them. They don't know that I'm here."

"So you abandoned your friends, and came here to save them?"

"...Yes. " For the first time since the food came she wasn't touching any of it. Not even looking at it. She bit her lip, worrying it and her eyebrows came together, her eyes darkening.

"How very noble of you." The compliment didn't seem to ease her mind, whatever was worrying her.

The cutlery clinked as I buttered my scone. Suddenly she looked up, meeting my eyes. She pushed one of the pastries around her plate. "What do you need me for?" She said finally.

I took a bite from my scone while she elaborated. "Last night. You said that I was useful, that's why you didn't tell Si-." She caught herself. "Any of the others to come, you wanted me here. I want to know what you need me for?" She stopped, waiting for answer, looking at me expectantly.

There was a birthmark I hadn't noticed before on her cheek. It was small, three blemishes dotted across her cheek, from her nose to the corner of her mouth. The wound that she had acquired last night when trekking through the Këmanei woods sat right above it on her cheekbone, it seemed a harsh and brusque thing. Red and slightly irritated.

"I can hardly reveal my mastermind plans to you can I?"

"You could at least tell me what part I have in it. I can't exactly tell anyone anyway." She protested.

"At the moment, sure. But I can't have you telling the Patrons all about my evil plans the minute you leave this place." I said.

She opened her mouth to say something, but fell silent. She didn't protest again, she also didn't eat anything else. Once I had finished eating I stood up. "I have some business to attend to. But you are free to explore the manor and the gardens, I will see you again at dinner."

She frowned but nodded pleasantly, pushing back her chair she also stood up. "Okay."

I cast her a lukewarm smile and left the room, the door swinging shut behind me. I proceeded along the hallways until I got to a small wooden door, it was unassuming and could easily be mistaken as a broom cupboard. The only thing that stood out was the fact that the door had no lock, or handle. It was a bland slate of wood. There was no obvious way to open it, bar using magic.

I used a simple charm to open the bolt from where it was locked on the other side and stepped in, closing the door behind me. I proceeded up the small set of rickety stairs, creaking as I went.

In the attic everything was exactly as I had left it last night. The scrolls were I had put them, the herbs still hanging from the rafters, and shelves and jars still crookedly sitting against the walls. The shelves, worn from age and sun were bleached white, and had warped with age so they curved eerily in odd angles, always seeming slightly off.

I walked over to the long counter that covered half of the wall. It wasn't a particularly large space. The ceiling was low, So at times I had to bend down to avoid hitting my head on the rafters, but it was a long and dark space, perfect for brewing spells, and lotions, and practicing all kinds of magic and trouble.

On the counters was a large platter full of something that a first glance appeared to be water. At a second glance though it was actually much paler, almost silver in colour and thicker, with a consistency something akin to milk.

I passed my hand over it, the liquid beginning to ripple outwards. I narrowed my focus thinking of the person I had in mind. Picturing his annoyingly tenacious face, his curling hair, and scarred skin.

I could tell when it had worked, a tugging sensation pulled at my stomach and when I opened my eyes I could see him standing in an open courtyard.

He wasn't alone, there were three other people there with him. Regil, Dei and Hasther. They were standing, looking a bit bruised and bloodied up but more or less okay.

"So she isn't coming back?" Hasther said, her voice was low and sad.

Sinum seemed irritated with the question. "How many times do you want me to repeat? She left, she said that being a part of the Patrons wasn't working out for her. Devarion is not coming back."

I narrowed my eyes. "Do you know where she went?" Regil asked.

"She didn't say, but maybe back to Fisi where we grew up. She liked it there." 

There was silence. "I'm sorry, Sinum." Dei finally said. "You guys were close." He perked up suddenly. "You could still write to her, and she could come visit." He tried softly. But Sinum only seemed more frustrated.

Hasther sighed slowly. "Guys, I don't think Sinum wants to talk about it right now. How about we just cool off for a bit, we can report to Malton later."

Slowly they all filed out until the courtyard was empty. The scrying bowl shimmer, the reflection rippling until it disappeared.

I tapped the wooden counter sharply. Well, this is interesting, I thought. 

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