“R-Really?” A cautious smile crept across her face. “I can stay here?”
“You are being hunted? We would be derelict in Our duties to allow Our servant to come to harm.”
“S-Servant?” She glanced back at Eva with wide eyes. All of them.
Eva smiled and gave her a shrug.
There was a momentary tinge of guilt. It might not have hurt to prepare Nel better. That tinge of guilt vanished as quick as it came. The girl had been spying on her and it was likely her fault Eva was attacked in the first place. Not to mention that Eva disliked the nuns in general.
It was out of her hands now.
The stifled shaking of Arachne’s chest grinding into Eva’s back was slowly becoming annoying.
“Your first duty: arrive at Our side. We require a closer inspection of Our property. Rid yourself of those robes.”
“Property?” A light hiccup escaped the woman’s throat. Eva couldn’t see her tears, but imagining them wasn’t difficult.
“I’m sure you’ll be fine. At least you’ll be well protected from Sister Cross.”
A tinge of laughter edged Arachne’s voice. “Best not to keep your new master waiting.”
Nel hiccuped again. “Master?”
“Ohhh, it isn’t so bad. Eva is my master and I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have own me.”
The nun quietly, maybe tearfully, shed her clothes.
“Ylva,” Eva called out while Nel undressed, “your new servant mentioned abilities that require reagents to use. Given she is being hunted, it is probably unwise to send her outside. At least in the near future. I don’t know what means you might possess to acquire these reagents.” She paused a moment, just to see if the hel answered that.
She didn’t.
“In exchange for using her on occasion for my own purposes, I would be willing to acquire these reagents. Provided they are nothing impossible for me to acquire.”
There was a slight pause before Ylva’s voice echoed throughout the chamber. This time it lacked the thunderous boom. “We take no issue with your proposal.”
“Excellent. Have her write up a list sometime. We’ll stop by later to pick it up.” Eva patted the chitinous arm around her shoulder and shook her head towards the door.
Ylva spoke before Arachne could move to pick her up. “Eva, there is someone standing outside with whom We wish to speak.”
Eva shrugged. “I’ll see if she wants to come in.” She might give her professor a few more tips than she gave Nel. Just in case. It wouldn’t do to have someone she actually liked bind themselves to Ylva.
— — —
Too long.
They had been in there too long.
Zoe sighed. She should have gone in there with them.
The dagger trembled in her hands. She gripped it tight in an attempt to stop shaking. It didn’t help.
How long had they been in there? Zoe cast a quick spell. Nearly a half hour.
How long had she spent in there with Juliana? Surely not more than five minutes. That had been more than enough in her opinion.
Eva seemed confident. She waltzed right in there without a moment’s hesitation. Or her pet demon did, in any case. Did she actually know what she was doing?
Not a question that Zoe could answer.
Her own foray into diabolist activities consisted of nothing more than reading tomes. Tomes that Eva picked out. They were probably far tamer than others in an attempt to ease Zoe into diablery.
Zoe recognized it as an attempt to do the opposite of what she wanted to do with Eva. She had no idea where to begin easing Eva out of diablery. It was so heavily ingrained in her. Not just her hands, or even heritage if that was the case–that would explain her ability to use spells without a focus–but that Arachne creature as well.
The looks she gave Zoe were downright predatory.
Yet she hung off of Eva like a clingy girlfriend.
Zoe wanted to speak with the creature alone. Without her censoring anything because Eva was around. It would be easy as well. Eva told her she was leaving the demon at the prison while the nuns were in town. Zoe could pop into the prison while she knew Eva was away, pretend she was looking for Eva, and strike up a conversation.
She was afraid. Arachne seemed polite enough while Eva was around. If Eva was gone, would she still be so polite? Or would Zoe end up as lunch for the spider.
Bringing Wayne might not be a bad idea. He wasn’t keyed into the wards, but they could speak outside. Now that he knew about Eva, there wasn’t much point trying to keep more secret from him.
Zoe sighed as she slumped against cell house two. She wasn’t sure she wanted to meet with Wayne so soon after their argument. Argument was putting it lightly.
The door ground open. Zoe jumped to a combat stance.
Eva’s head poked out.
Zoe didn’t drop her guard.
“Ylva wants to speak to you.”
Zoe stared at the black-haired blind girl. What was she supposed to say to that. She wanted to say no. Zoe bit her lip.
