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“No,” I say. “No. The magick was already breaking down before Emilia ever came here to the court. She told me it started a long time before then.”

Vayla nods, though she still doesn’t look quite convinced. “Once she left… it broke something in me. I’ve missed her every day since.”

My anger and sorrow spike even more acutely.

Emilia gave her commitment to this realm. She accepted the command of the Goddess and followed it freely. Her magick was meant to sustain it and her sacrifice was meant to be good faith payment.

Whatever she did when she got here, whoever she chose to love? It shouldn’t matter.

Magick stirs and pulses beneath the barrier of my skin, like it’s reaching out and reacting to Vayla’s words.

“I’m sorry,” I tell her, truly meaning it. “I can’t imagine how difficult that must be.”

“Can’t you?” she asks with a sad, watery smile. “You’re facing the same, aren’t you? Being separated from Eren? You must know exactly what’s at stake.”

Something tight and sharp clenches in the center of my chest. “I’ve only known him for a few days.”

Even as I say the words, I immediately want to reach out and snatch them back.

Another smile from Vayla, this one filled with kindness and understanding. “Demon’s are a little faster with these things than humans are. I knew I loved Emilia the moment I saw her. And seeing you and Eren together? I have no doubts the affection runs just as deep. Or it will, given time.”

Given time.

A guarantee we certainly don’t have.

Impulsively, I walk over and lean against the workbench right beside her, resting my hands on either side of me. She surprises me again when she reaches a hand out to clutch mine.

“I’m sorry,” she says. “I’ve been needlessly unkind.”

“Apology more than accepted,” I tell her. And truly, there’s no reason for me not to accept. I could use as many demon allies as possible.

We stand in silence for a couple minutes, letting some of the tension and heightened emotion drain from the air. Vayla seems eager to change the subject when she speaks again.

“What’s with the book?” she asks, nodding toward the grimoire.

I grimace a little. Giving her a brief rundown of our trip back to the human realm and the vision I saw when I touched the book, she listens intently. When I’m finished, she moves from the workbench and walks over to it, hovering a hand above its cover.

“May I?” she asks.

I hesitate, not sure how the book’s power might manifest itself on her and unsure how I’d be able to pull her back if it tugged her into the same vision it showed me.

She reads the hesitation on my face. “Maybe better with a glove.”

Picking one up off the table, she flips the cover open and scans the page, brow furrowing.

“It’s the same language, right?” she asks. “The same as the books you were studying the other day?”

“It is. But I can read it now.”

Her eyes widen. “How?”

“Your guess is as good as mine. After it pulled me into whatever vision or realm or whatever the hell it was that it showed me, I can somehow understand the text now. It was a little fragmented at first, but I’m getting the hang of it.”

Vayla looks thoughtful. “This is part of your gift? Your book magick?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” I say, shaking my head. “Never thought it would come in handy like this.”

We spend the next hour flipping through the book. Vayla’s especially interested in the portions on potion brewing and herbology, and I make a mental note to translate them for her if I have the time and security to do so.