Ylva tilted her chin up. She stayed posed like that for a minute before she looked back down. “No. We will do this task.”
“Excellent,” Eva said. She let out a short breath of relief. “So you’ve agreed to my conditions, I agree to your request.”
Another light nod from the hel.
The three headed back across the compound and into the women’s ward. Ylva walked confidently, each step exuding grace and nobility. In comparison, Arachne sauntered. She carried Eva, but her gait barely changed from her usual lazy walk.
Ylva stepped outside her building and into the late February sun. The moment she did, her circulatory system vanished. Ambient blood wards allowed Eva to see her in her skeletal form. A long dress clung to her bones.
Even though the dress probably shaded her legs, her transformation into a skeleton seemed to be an all or nothing thing. Eva had never seen the hel in a state of transition.
“You should still be keyed into the wards. I’ve not removed you since November.”
The hel stopped in her step. She turned her skull and nodded. “We appreciate that.”
Her brief pause gave Arachne the chance to speed up ahead. She carried Eva into the women’s ward and set her down in the barber chair.
“Would you go retrieve my dagger? I think it is on the couch.”
Ylva stood to one side, frozen circulation system back now that she stood indoors. She tilted her head to one side as Arachne took off to the back of the room.
“Have you become incapable of walking on your own?”
“Just tired today.”
“This tiredness causes you to be incapable of walking?” The way she said ‘tiredness’ made Eva wonder if the demon had ever experienced the feeling.
She probably hadn’t. Arachne never appeared tired. Even in November after she lost all her limbs, Arachne still carried Eva around with no issue and no complaints.
“I can walk. I’d rather rest.”
“We understand.”
Eva wasn’t so sure she did. Either way, Eva didn’t argue.
Arachne returned with the golden dagger. The three bloodstones gleamed in Eva’s vision. She tried to offer it to Eva. Eva shook her off and gestured towards Ylva.
If Arachne could, Eva felt certain she would be rolling her eyes. She had the unmistakable air of annoyance around her. Still, she walked over and handed the dagger to the hel. Arachne avoided touching the hel even though Eva was almost certain that she could control her death touch.
Prudent, Eva supposed.
Ylva accepted the dagger. She unsheathed it and turned it over in her hands. Her inspection seemed thorough. The still blood in her fingertips traced over the fine engravings on both the dagger and the sheath.
“These are the implements you wish to be turned into void metal?”
“They are,” Eva nodded.
“Tell me, why did you not have your familiar do so?”
Arachne’s face twisted into a sneer. Her claws flexed outwards. For a moment, Eva thought she was going to strike the hel. The moment passed and Arachne seemed to calm down.
After a glance at Eva, she turned her gaze towards Ylva. “I am not her familiar.”
Arachne’s voice was soft. It lacked the usual harsh edge so common in her daily speech. Something to ask about later.
“We assumed. You follow her orders without question.”
“It is the nature of our contract.”
“Does your contract prevent you from forming void metal?”
Arachne’s teeth ground into each other and her fingers clenched again. The harsh grating in her voice returned full force when she spoke. “I can’t make void metal.”
“No?” Ylva’s head tilted up. There might have been a hint of a smile on her face. “We could teach. For a price.”
A low growl emerged from Arachne’s throat.
“Five hundred years of service to Ourself.”
“Not a chance.”
“It is a fair deal. You will be hard pressed to find a better one. We would not mistreat Our property so long as our property does not become dead weight.”
“I’ve gotten along for ten thousand years. I’m sure I’ll be fine for another ten.”
“Our offer stands in the future.” There was the lightest of shrugs before her head tilted back towards Eva. “We will perform this task after We have observed your… treatment.”
“I have no problem with that.”
Ylva nodded. With all the grace of a queen, she moved to the corner of the room. She didn’t move a muscle once she settled in. The way her blood didn’t flow made her look somewhat like a statue.
Eva slouched in the barber chair. Being able to see her own face at any time made it far easier to keep her emotions from showing so plainly. She exercised this ability to its fullest extent as she thought.
Arachne still glared at the hel even as she moved to her own chair. Eva didn’t miss the occasional half-snarl on the spider-demon’s mouth. Her fingers drummed on the armrest, poking small holes into the worn leather.
The fact that being called a familiar rattled Arachne so much was worrying. Did she think Eva wasn’t aware of the concept? Her master might not have a familiar, but he would probably tear off his other arm before he bound himself to a demon.
