Chapter Twenty-Seven

Once they were far enough away from the site of the battle for her liking, Lusya stopped. After passing the parts of the woods she had destroyed, she had veered into the forest and walked deep within it. That would throw off pursuers and she thought it best to avoid even incidental encounters on the road for the time being. With the ample evidence of the fight left behind, such meetings could be trouble.

She had even left the corpse behind for anyone to find. With the scorched earth surrounding, there had seemed little point in hiding or destroying it and she had not wanted to waste any time. Regardless of what Kadel had told his subordinates, they were sure to come looking eventually and would surmise he had been killed in a fight anyway. It would have been inconvenient if they had shown up while she was trying to clean up. In her current state, they may have even been a mild threat. She could not know if they had enough information to know she had been his opponent, but his body would not offer any extra evidence in that regard, since none of them had known she had Miudofay before he had confronted her.

Lusya placed down her pack—which she had carried in her free hand, there being no good way to put it on while carrying the child—knelt, and placed Ariya on the ground on her feet. The child’s weeping had weakened into soft sobs and a steady stream of tears. With her hands now free, she tried to wipe them away as she fell, though her face was red and wet from those that had already fallen.

Lusya did a quick examination of what she could see of Ariya’s body. There were some scratches and pricks, but nothing major. Lusya had some of those too. The vines’ thorns had seemed to pierce her enhanced durability more than their capacity for damage would normally imply. That was not unusual for a Sacred or Demon Blade. Regardless, the cuts would heal soon enough. Most had already stopped bleeding or scabbed over.

There was a distinct possibility they would both soon be facing bruises from the vines striking or binding them that had yet to form. Even considering that, it seemed Ariya did not have any major injuries. Neither did Lusya, for that matter. It would still be wise to tend to those open wounds.

“You may open your eyes, Ariya,” Lusya said.

Ariya nodded and her eyes slowly pried open. She blinked several times to adjust to the light, then she hung her head, eyes fixed on the dirt.

“Are you well?” Lusya asked. The child was fine physically for the moment, but it had become clear that that was not an absolute indicator of her overall condition.

Ariya nodded. “I think so.” She grabbed a fistful of her dress and began fiddling with the fabric. “My dress got ruined again. I’m sorry.”

It was true that the garment had been damaged where thorns had pierced it, but to say it was ruined was hyperbole. The holes and tears were tiny. Many could not even be seen through, and it would not have surprised Lusya if others failed to notice them at all. The dress would still need to be repaired, but it was usable in the meantime. Lusya would have to take stock of her own clothing later to assess its state.

“You are not at fault and no action of yours led to this,” Lusya said. “You do not need to apologize.”

Ariya made a vague grunting sound and nodded.

Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. “If it will make you feel better, I accept your unnecessary apology.”

Ariya nodded again, this time with a hint of a smile, but she still refused to look at Lusya.

“And I am sorry that I could not protect you completely.”

Ariya’s gaze rose to meet Lusya’s for an instant before returning to the ground. “It’s okay. You did your best. And you still saved me.”

If there was any way to lift the child’s spirits, Lusya was at a loss for what it was. Ariya’s Malice was still stable—it had grown, but less so than during the Clearwood incident and it was already shrinking again—but she remained upset. Lusya understood neither what was keeping the Malice’s growth at bay nor why the child was upset. Perhaps it was remaining fear or shock, but it did not look like either of those things.

Granted, as long as the Malice was not an issue it would not have any impact on Ariya’s usefulness. Still, there was no guarantee it would stay like that. And Lusya did not want to leave Ariya in this state. If she could feel pain, physical or otherwise, without it affecting her Malice, then it was Lusya’s job, by her word, to soothe that pain. If only she knew how.

“Is it true what that man said?” Ariya asked, her voice little more than a whisper.

“You will need to be more specific,” Lusya replied, although she was confident she knew what the child was speaking about. She just hoped she was wrong.

Alas, that was not the case. Ariya raised her gaze with slow, deliberate movements until she had met Lusya’s eyes. “Are you a demon?”

Lusya nodded. “I am.” She did not know how to tell such a blatant lie as denying it. Even if she had, if that deception were discovered later, it may have been harmful. “Does that upset you?”

For the first time since the fight had begun, a true smile graced Ariya’s lips.

“No, it’s okay,” she said with a shake of her head. “I know you’re a good demon!” She stepped closer and wrapped her arms around Lusya in an embrace. “Thank you for saving me.”

Lusya was not sure if she was supposed to return the gesture, so she simply waited. After a moment, Ariya released her and stepped back, still beaming.

“You are welcome,” Lusya said.

Ariya twirled about, flailing her arms and making wet, guttural sounds with her mouth. Lusya tilted her head at the display and blinked twice.

“You were so awesome,” she said. “Is that what it always looks like when you’re fighting?”

Lusya nodded. It occurred to her that Ariya had never seen her in a proper fight before. There had been no opportunity to stop her from watching during the early portion of the struggle. “When the battle demands my full effort, yes, more or less.”

“It was pretty.” Ariya repeated her prior outburst. “It was like you were dancing and fighting at the same time.”

“So I have been told,” Lusya replied. Ariya was hardly the first to remark that Lusya’s agile, flowing fighting style resembled a sort of dance. “Was that…thrashing supposed to be an imitation of me?”

“Yeah!” Ariya pumped both fists in the air to coincide with that declaration, then frowned. “Did I not do a good job?”

“There is room for improvement,” Lusya said.

Ariya giggled. “Well, you can teach me to do it better.”

“I suppose I can do that.”

A brief silence settled over them. Then Ariya furrowed her brow and put her hands on her hips, standing as tall as she could.

“But why didn’t you tell me you were a demon?” Ariya asked. “I thought you were a reltus all this time!”

“You may have believed that,” Lusya said. “But I never claimed as much.”

“Yes you did!” Ariya exclaimed, almost before Lusya had finished speaking. Then Ariya went silent for a moment and frowned. Her attempted authoritative posture fell apart as she shrunk in on herself for a moment, as though admonished. “Oh, no, I guess you’re right.”

Lusya nodded. “As for your first question, I thought it would frighten you and impede our journey. I did not think you would agree to come with me if you knew, so I allowed your assumption to continue.”

Ariya huffed and stomped a foot as if she was about to protest, then paused and made a contemplative humming sound. “You were probably right. But it was still kind of lying and mean and I don’t like it!”

“I see. Then I am sorry.”

Ariya’s expression remained upset for a moment, though a series of twitches ran through it. Then she let out a sigh and broke into a smile once more.

“That’s okay,” she said. “I forgive you. And now that I know you’re a good demon, everything’s fine.”

“Then the matter is resolved,” Lusya said.

Ariya nodded. “I think I see why you don’t like Sacred Knights now too.” Her tone and face stayed cheerful despite that proclamation. “Are they all that mean?”

“I do not know every Sacred Knight,” Lusya replied. “We must move on. I will tend to your wounds to prevent infection, then we will continue onward.”

Ariya groaned. “Do we have to? I’m so tired.”

“We do,” Lusya said as she retrieved her poultices. “Remove your—”

Ariya was already undressing to grant access to her injuries.

“Good girl,” Lusya told her. Such proactive action demanded praise and Ariya beamed at it. “Hold still.”

Lusya applied the poultices and some bandages, then put her supplies away and allowed Ariya to dress.

“Are you sure we can’t stay here tonight?” she asked as she smoothed out her dress.

“I am sure,” Lusya said. “If you do not think you can walk, I will continue to carry you.”

Ariya’s face lit up. “Really? Yay!”

She leaped forward at Lusya. Lusya caught her and tilted her head, blinking twice.

“You seem rather energetic,” Lusya said.

Ariya shook her head. “I just got excited, I’m still tired.”

As if to emphasize her point, she yawned and leaned her head against Lusya. Ariya had not done much during the fight, but it was easy to believe the stress and fear of the incident had translated into exhaustion. And if the prospect of being carried was so appealing to her, it could serve as a reward for her good behavior.

“Then we will go,” Lusya said.

She put down Ariya long enough to sling on her pack and picked the child back up. Now that Lusya was not catching Ariya from a fall, Lusya could carry the child in a more natural, comfortable position, more centered as opposed to having the child half-hanging off her neck. Lusya stood and continued walking, sticking to the forest until she was confident it was safe to return to the road. Ariya was sound asleep well before that happened.