Page 34 of Demon's Beauty

He did say something about getting me water, didn’t he?

I take the canteen he offers wordlessly, and though I used a couple of mouthfuls of stream water to rinse out my mouth, being able to actually drink some helps settle the lingering nausea.

When I’m done, I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and pretend I don’t notice Finn’s eyes lingering there.

“Thanks,” I say, handing it back to him.

He shakes his head. “Keep it. We brought a few spares.”

That’s good, because I’m beginning to realize I’m woefully under-supplied for a camping trip.

He seems to be about to say something else when another guard calls out to him from the other side of camp, waving him over to help set up the outdoor kitchen.

Finn gives me a rueful look before he goes, and I’d like to pretend I’m not painfully relieved not to have to make more small talk.

It probably makes me a coward.

It’s probably just one more thing I can’t deal with, one more thing to overwhelm me when I feel like I’m barely treading water here.

Vayla has said nothing through the entire awkward exchange, but as soon as Finn goes, she lets out the soft snort of a laugh.

“Do you want to talk about—”

“Nope. Absolutely not. I’d rather do anything else.”

Another laugh, and she nods back to the tent where we’ll be sleeping. “If you need time to rest, everything should be ready.”

Part of me is tempted, if only because it would give me the opportunity to hide away.

But I’ve played the coward one too many times over the past couple of days.

Time to put on my big-girl pants and stop being such a wimp.

“It’s alright,” I tell Vayla. “I’m good.”

“Well,” she says, considering. “If you’re feeling up to it, there might be a few things you could help me out with in the—”

“Please,” I say, desperately grateful for the suggestion. “Put me to work. Anything you need.”

Anything to keep me away from my own thoughts and the demon I absolutely can’t face right now.

Give my hands something to do, and I’ll be able to ignore my head and the nagging thread of magick near my heart.

Turns out that even in a different realm, work is still my escape.

Vayla’s gone off to partner with the guards on scouting fields where we’ll search for the stellarin flowers, leaving me alone to prepare the other ingredients we’ll use to brew the fever remedy. The blooms have an incredibly short shelf-life once they’re harvested, and since the brew itself takes several days to complete, we’ll have to field-process the flowers.

It’s tedious work, making sure all the brewing equipment is set up, that we have enough jars and vials to bottle the extract, that everything is organized and ready for work to begin.

It’s the kind of chore I’d probably give to a first or second-year coven student while I was busy… I don’t know. Ideally studying, reading over the brew recipe, doing some theory work to ensure the potion was completely successful.

In reality, I’d probably be off doing something annoying for one of the priestesses. Hardly in a better place than that student, completely at the disposal of those higher in the Crescent Coven food chain.

It’s one reason I’ve been so determined to Ascend.

Once I sit the council, things are going to change. At least in so far as I’m able to change them.

Unlike a student I might assign to brew prep—a boring chore, yes, but one that would teach an important lesson about good work habits—most of the priestesses are accustomed to using their underlings as personal assistants.