Visiting those lands had been educational and depressing in some ways. Kanae’s personal belief that the war between the heavens and hells was pointless had only been reinforced by the trip, but upon returning, she’d realized how insurmountable the divide between the two factions truly was. So instead of throwing herself back into the horrific morass, she’d chosen to find someplace quiet to live. Somewhere that she could make a difference.
It had gone well, too. Until Hellmount had thrown a helpless, wingless angel at her.
“I wonder if the mountain is sentient? It would explain a few things… though that would cause other problems,” Kanae muttered to herself, then sighed.
Regardless, it didn’t solve the problem of an attractive woman who was in Kanae’s home. If it weren’t for Isalla’s injuries, Kanae might have an even harder time controlling herself. As it was, the beautiful blonde-haired, blue-eyed angel looked almost doll-like, in an emaciated sort of way. Once she was fit again, though…
Kanae shuddered at the thought and firmly put it out of her mind. It wasn’t something she was willing to consider, not right now. Instead, she continued working on the elixir. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t attracted to Isalla, but Kanae had enough self-control that she knew she wouldn’t give in to her instincts. Maybe, just maybe, she’d approach Isalla when she was healed, though.
Chapter 6
When Isalla woke, she was startled to see that Kanae was in the kitchen again, especially considering how long she’d waited the previous night. Kanae looked about how she usually did as she worked on the porridge, though there was also a large pot on the grate next to the one she was stirring.
“Your elixir is sitting on the table. One dose per month should help you recover quite quickly, but I should warn that it will taste terrible,” Kanae said, lifting the spoon to taste the porridge. “I’ve yet to encounter an elixir of that type that didn’t taste horrendous.”
“Um, alright,” Isalla replied, looking at the table to see a small vial of red fluid. It was somewhat transparent, which made it obvious that the substance wasn’t blood, but she couldn’t say that she was unconcerned. Approaching the table, Isalla slowly sat, hesitating before she spoke, still feeling a little guilty. “I… stayed up a while last night, waiting for you.”
“You shouldn’t have bothered. I was deliberately keeping my distance and decided that the safest thing to do was to start on the alchemy early,” Kanae replied promptly. “It seemed like the logical thing to do, since the alchemy would take the entire night to finish.”
“You stayed up all night?” Isalla asked, both surprised and feeling faintly ashamed, since she’d slept like the dead.
“No, only half the night. Once it was properly situated, I went to bed,” Kanae explained, pulling the second pot off the grate. Finishing the porridge as well, she pulled it off and quickly filled two bowls, adding a spoon to each before bringing them over to the table.
“Thank you for doing that. Also, I wanted to apologize for… well, for making it necessary,” Isalla said, picking up the vial and looking at it for a moment.
“It’s fine, Isalla. I chose to do so of my own volition,” Kanae replied, sliding a bowl in front of Isalla. “Here you are.”
“Should I drink it before eating? I know some elixirs have requirements like that,” Isalla asked, feeling even more nervous.
“I would. While it might partially ruin your appetite, at least the food will clean the taste from your mouth, and you won’t risk throwing up your meal after drinking it,” Kanae replied, causing Isalla to stare at her.
“Is it really that bad?” the angel asked hesitantly, her desire to drink the elixir fading along with her appetite, despite her wish to recover her strength.
“Unfortunately, yes. I’ve had to drink one once, and while it isn’t the worst thing I’ve ever had, it’ll turn your stomach,” Kanae explained, beginning to eat her food slowly. “If it weren’t for how useful the elixir was, I wouldn’t even bother making it.”
It wasn’t a comforting confirmation, but Isalla didn’t exactly see another choice. Grimacing, she uncorked the vial and did her best to avoid smelling it. Instead, she quickly drained the vial… and instantly regretted it.
The taste was indescribable, in her opinion. It wasn’t quite as horrifically foul as some of the things she’d had the misfortune of smelling during the wars against demons, but it was bad enough that Isalla’s stomach churned and revolted at the taste of it. She forced herself to swallow, her eyes watering as she did. Gasping as she forced the liquid down, the angel quickly grabbed a spoonful of porridge and swallowed it to try and remove the worst of the aftertaste from her mouth.
“That’s… that’s just… ugh, I thought you might have been exaggerating, but that was horrible,” Isalla gasped, her stomach feeling like it was twisting inside her. She’d almost rather vomit than drink something like the elixir, though it was a near thing.
“That it is. Still, it’ll have relatively fast results, especially with as weak as you currently are,” Kanae agreed, smiling thinly. “I’m not certain exactly how long it will take, but I’m sure you’ll manage until then.”
“If you say so,” Isalla said, eating more of her porridge to help cleanse her mouth. After a minute, she nodded at the other pot and asked, deliberately trying not to think about the subject of the previous night or the taste of the elixir. “What’s that for?”
“Hmm? Oh, I boil my water before adding it to the tank for drinking water. It’s a bit safer than drinking it directly,” Kanae replied, waving her spoon at the copper keg as she added, “It’ll require refilling a bit more often with company, but I regularly have guests like you. I’m not worried about it.”
“I’ll try to help,” Isalla said quickly, relieved at the thought of something she could do. “It’s the least I can do with everything you’ve done for me.”
“Maybe once you’re strong enough to hold more than an empty bowl as you cross the room.” Kanae agreed, another smile flickering across her face. “As much as I appreciate the offer, until that point, you’re not going to be much help.”
“True,” Isalla admitted, feeling slightly dismayed, despite herself. She did find herself happier now that Kanae wasn’t outright ignoring her, though.
The next few days progressed more simply than the previous ones had. Isalla found that her strength began to improve rapidly, and by the third day, she was allowed to leave the house, though not without a warning to be prepared to get back inside quickly.
That said, the exterior of the building was a surprise, because Kanae’s home was built inside a hill in the middle of a forest. The trees were the ones she’d seen in her fall, with black bark like ebony and with broad red leaves. Nearby, a few dozen yards away, were a couple of other buildings, each widely separated from one another, and there was a stream where the hot spring exited the hillside. A wood pile rested against one of the outbuildings, along with an axe and splitting wedge, giving an oddly normal feel to the clearing. A path led into the forest, winding among the trees, and it was surprisingly peaceful despite the looming black expanse of Hellmount in the near distance and the way the sky was lit by a red sun and shone through looming black clouds.
The grass was the same dark color of the bark, and Isalla simply looked around for a while before asking, her voice a bit soft due to the oppressive surroundings and how it made her mood less upbeat, “Is everything down here so dark? I’ve never thought to ask before, but…”
“For the most part. I’ve often wondered why myself, but for the most part, the plants and animals in the hells are much darker than in the mortal world,” Kanae confirmed, standing nearby with her hands crossed in front of her, looking around calmly. “It’s also more dangerous, but that’s simply how it is. There are also more predators, including many plants.”
“Plants are predators here?” Isalla asked, disbelief surging through her even as her eyes widened. “I’d heard some were dangerous in th
e hells, but…”
“Only some, and not many nearby. No coming outside without company until you’re able to defend yourself, hm?” Kanae replied with a smile that warmed Isalla’s heart. “Now, go ahead and look around. I’m going to take care of some weeding, then I’m going to have to go into town for a house call, and you’ll need to stay inside while I’m away.”
“There’s no chance of me coming along, is there?” Isalla asked, letting out an unhappy sigh. “I’m hating being cooped up all the time.”
“Maybe next week, once I’m sure you can make the trip, and after we figure out a good cover story for you,” Kanae replied in a thoughtful tone. “We could always pretend you were a merchant, and that someone dosed you with warrior’s end when robbing you, then abandoned you in the woods. It would make things relatively easy to explain and has the advantage of being at least somewhat true.”
“That sounds decent to me,” Isalla agreed, perking up at the thought. “Still, go ahead and do your, um, weeding. I’ll just… walk around the house.”
Kanae nodded and headed down toward a patch of vegetation that, now that Isalla looked at it, wasn’t wild grass at all. It struck her as slightly funny, watching the demon doing weeding, but she tried to relax. The grove was pleasant enough, considering her circumstances, and she wanted to enjoy her time outdoors. Even if it was darker, fresh air was nice. She barely noticed the sulfur in the air, too.
Chapter 7
The next few days passed relatively calmly, which was a relief for Isalla. Her strength didn’t come back nearly as easily as she hoped, but even in the few days since she’d taken the elixir, she’d noticeably improved.
The biggest thing that Isalla had learned was that when Kanae was feeling particularly uncomfortable, the demoness would wait until Isalla’s back was turned, then simply vanish. It happened twice in the few days, which was somewhat eerie. Isalla may not have been quite as observant as some of the scouts in the legion, but it shouldn’t have been that easy for a demon to escape her notice.
Regardless of how startling it was, Kanae had managed it several times and had worried Isalla by doing so, though she was slowly growing used to the demoness’s habits. That morning, Isalla had been kept inside for about half an hour while Kanae had gone out with a sword, and when she’d finally been allowed out, Isalla had seen that there was a horse-sized, two-headed lizard with dark red scales lying dead on the hillside. Isalla had been even more startled when Kanae had started butchering the beast for meat, but she hadn’t said anything as Kanae had taken several slabs of meat into the hut with the axe near it. It made her slightly uncomfortable, but she didn’t really know what made good meat in the hells.
Eventually Kanae had hauled the remains of the lizard into the woods and returned to clean off the blood and offal, bringing Isalla inside with her just to be safe. Afterward, she’d gone back to the shed to treat the meat for preservation. It took several hours, but Isalla had noticed the look of happiness on Kanae’s face, which helped assuage her fears.
It was after they’d started relaxing in the house for the evening that there was a sudden, quick knock on the door.
As Isalla jumped slightly, just about to attempt another sit-up despite her exhaustion, a man’s voice echoed through the door. “Kanae! Are you in? Please, I hope to the lords of the Iron Circle you’re here…”
“Enkax? What are you doing here at this time? It’s almost dark, you old fool,” Kanae said, quickly standing up and heading for the door. She opened it to reveal a man just as Isalla climbed to her feet.
The demon on the other side of the door stood on hooved feet, and a pair of ram’s horns curled on either side of his face. With black skin, as well as a fringe of white hair around his skull and a ragged, thin beard, the golden-eyed demon was a bit startling to Isalla, especially since he was wringing a hat between his clawed hands. His clothing was relatively normal as well, Isalla noticed belatedly, almost looking like that of a common farmer… if a farmer wore silk, anyway. How anxious and… well, normal he looked startled Isalla, as well as making her relax a bit.
He caught sight of Isalla, and a startled expression crossed Enkax’s face, but he spoke quickly. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t an emergency, not this late! Qirress went into labor just a bit ago, and it’s looking, um, worrisome.”
“What, already?” Kanae demanded, paling slightly. “Damn it, I told her that a minotaur could lead to a premature birth, but… one moment, I’ll get my things together and we can go.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Enkax replied, his worry appearing to ease slightly as Kanae almost ran for her room.
“Isalla, I’m likely going to be gone for the entire night, possibly longer. You’re going to have to fend for yourself where food is concerned,” Kanae called out from her room, the sound of cloth rustling audible. “I’ll leave a key by the door, but don’t go far. As weak as you currently are, there are dozens of creatures in the woods that could and would eat you.”
“Um, alright. I could always come help if you wanted,” Isalla offered, frowning slightly. She didn’t like the idea of being alone. Even if Kanae was a demon, Isalla liked having her nearby.
“No. You don’t have the endurance for the trip and staying up yet,” Kanae said firmly, looking up and smiling thinly as she stepped out of the bedroom with a satchel at her side and a sword hanging from her belt. “Besides, this… will likely be unpleasant. I don’t think you’d enjoy coming along.”
“Alright,” Isalla conceded, a little surprised at how out of sorts she felt. “I suppose I’ll see you when you’re back, then.”
“That’s the hope. Come on, Enkax, let’s get going. The sooner we go, the less likely something nasty will have woken up,” Kanae said, and the man nodded, looking relieved.
“Of course, Kanae. Thank you so much!” he replied quickly, promptly putting his hat on and stepping outside. Isalla watched them, opening her mouth, but by the time she thought of what to say, it was too late.
Kanae dropped a key on the table, and then she was gone, the door closing firmly behind her, then locking.
Isalla watched her go, a bit dazed and uncertain of what had just happened. She blinked several times, then murmured, “That… was startling.”
She also found herself oddly lonely, more so than when Kanae had chosen to up and vanish.
“I have to… to ask…” Enkax puffed, his breathing heavy as it interrupted his words. “Who was… was that, Kanae? I haven’t…”
“Save your breath, Enkax. Of course you haven’t seen Isalla before,” Kanae interrupted, jogging down the path with far more ease than the tanner did. Her own emotions were complex, since this wasn’t how she’d have chosen to reveal Isalla’s presence to the townsfolk.
They were heading back toward town, and while the trip was usually relatively safe, Kanae knew better than to assume that would be the case. The nearby Fungal Abyss was far too prone to spitting out monsters, and their proximity to Hellmount meant that occasionally soldiers would decide that they could raid the locals with impunity. They left the towns alone, but those traveling at night were vulnerable to ambush. Kanae wasn’t worried about herself, but Enkax couldn’t handle something like that.
“Where, then?” Enkax asked, keeping his inquiry short.
“She’s a traveler from above,” Kanae replied simply, ignoring her desires as they whispered in the back of her mind. “I’m not sure if she was ambushed by bandits or someone specifically trying to kill her, but they dosed her with warrior’s end and left her naked and dying in the forest. I found her and have been nursing her back to health.”
“Ah! Makes… sense.” Enkax puffed, his gait heavy. “I was… just startled.”
“I’m sure news will be across town by tomorrow. I’ll bring her into town soon, I promise,” Kanae replied, her eyes narrowing at a particular shadow, then relaxing as she realized it was one of the spiders Ikka kept for silk. The gigantic spider shuffled away from the path, and she passed
, continuing in a calm tone, her anxiety heightening as she thought about what awaited her. “For now, we need to make sure Qirress survives. I told her a minotaur child would be too much for her!”
“She… loves him…” Enkax huffed, and she glanced back to see his helpless shrug.
“I know. No matter how bad of an idea it is, I know,” Kanae replied quickly, then her thoughts grew a little more jumbled. Qirress’s relationship was one thing, but it also brought to mind Isalla. Kanae shoved the thought of the angel aside as she shook her head. She didn’t have time for that.
They turned the corner to see the town, and Kanae picked up the pace as she saw the gates were open. Obviously, they were expecting her, and that was a bad sign.
Chapter 8
The night went by almost agonizingly slowly for Isalla. She wouldn’t have thought that Kanae’s absence would have that much of an effect on her, but it had. The house felt empty in many ways, and the angel had used the time to exercise and try to get into better shape, at least at first. It helped to mitigate the feeling of loneliness.
She’d grown used to the bandages on her back, while Kanae had removed the ones on her arms, legs, and neck the day before. There were still angry red lines where she’d been injured, but even those were fading now, and Isalla had to marvel at the amount of healing that the demoness’s herbs could manage in such a short time.
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