S he was curvy and tall, draped in lilac silk.
A jeweled collar was clamped around her throat, the clusters of gems glittering in the candlelight. Her long, brown hair was nearly to her hips.
The smile she gave me was all seduction.
There was something about her that was familiar. I’d never seen her before, but I could swear that she felt like a person I’d meet in the Underworld.
Another demon kin, perhaps?
It was unlikely. But potentially possible.
The woman sauntered toward us slowly. “What can I help you two with today?” Her dark eyes flashed with interest as she surveyed me.
“I’m interested in your services regarding mana connections,” I said.
For a moment, her eyes widened in surprise. But then, she took on the seductive persona once more. “I provide a number of… services. Regarding mana connections, of course,” she said with a soft chuckle. “Which one do you desire?”
Her gaze fell on Clove, still pressed against my side. “Interested in dispelling pests?”
Clove tensed. I could feel her anger growing.
“I didn’t think this was the place for insect repellent, madam, nor am I searching for one. I seem to be missing a vital connection with my mana. One that is stopping me from controlling my output. What is your name?”
“You may call me Barrow,” she said with a wink.
“That’s all you need to know about me. But I must admit, I’m intrigued. I don’t ask questions of my clients. Respect for privacy is tantamount in my industry. But I’m very curious as to why such a powerful mage needs help from my humble self?”
How can she tell that I am powerful? This woman is much more than she appears.
“If you don’t ask questions of your clients, why am I the exception? I’m not here to explain myself to you, Barrow. Help me or admit that you cannot. That’s all I ask.”
Her seductive smirk faded just for a second. It was replaced by something a touch more cold. “Very well. I’ll help you. For a fee, of course.”
“Your price?”
“For you? Answer my question.”
I suppressed a groan. “I have coin.” I didn’t. Not enough for her, likely, but it felt important to put up a fight. At least to feel like I tried.
Her laugh was sultry and full of victory. “I’m afraid I won’t accept any other form of payment from you.”
I crossed my arms and took my time observing the room. “What’s your question?”
She replied, “Oh, it’s very simple. Why do you have a demonic aura?”
Whatever she was expecting, it wasn’t a laugh.
Her brow furrowed. “The question was serious.”
Clove had let go of me when I’d begun to negotiate with Barrow, and she was now glancing between the two of us, nervous.
I said, “Now I know why you seemed so familiar. You’re carrying a demon curse, aren’t you?”
Barrow managed to keep her expression the same. But her cheeks flushed. Just slightly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I had to speak carefully, especially with Clove here. Barrow could obviously see auras, so there was no use lying about mine. I just had to be strategic in my explanation.
“And here I thought we were about to be honest with one another,” I said.
“Where did you get it? Family member? Direct hit? Oh gods, I know there are a dozen ways to pick up a curse. But sometimes the stories are just too fascinating not to hear.”
Her fist clenched. The seductress now looked more like a furious assassin.
There we have it.
“How would you know?” she hissed. “Get out of my shop.”
I leaned lazily against one of her display cabinets. “I don’t think I will.”
“Then I’ll —”
“I might not know much about Amarantha, but I imagine the citizens won’t take kindly to a cursed person living among them. Touching their mana. You really shouldn’t have pried into my business, otherwise I might not have put it together.”
Clove groaned. “Dear gods, Luc. Just explain yourself! You’re torturing her!”
Ria was still a mysterious land. But I knew more than enough about demons and how their curses affected mortals.
“There are two ways people can see auras. One, you can be born with a gift. Usually passed down through family members.”
I held up two fingers.
“The second comes if you’ve been touched by a demonic curse. This can also be passed through family members, but it fades after a few generations.
“If I were to guess, Barrow either got the curse directly from someone close to her. A parent. No further than a grandparent.”
Considering the fact that she was still alive and mentally sound.
By the end of my speculation, Barrow was deflated.
She walked behind the counter and pulled out a dark bottle from beneath.
She poured herself a shot of dark amber liquid, tossing it all back at once.
Grimacing, she said, “Fine. You win. My father was an adventurer. He fought a demon infestation in a nearby town and got hit by a demon’s spell.
“Little did he know, it was a curse. Three years later, my mother gave birth to me. It took about seven years for the curse to rear its ugly head, but of course, Father noticed my cursed energy from the moment I was born.
“By the time I was ten, he’d gone completely, irrevocably mad.”
She examined the dark bottle and then poured herself another glass.
“Mother put him down herself. I helped her dig the grave. Had to be quiet business or our neighbors would have burned our whole farm. Peasants are so fucking superstitious, after all.”
Her words were light and matter-of-fact, but bitterness clogged every syllable.
I looked over to see Clove’s hand held over her heart. There were tears in her eyes. “That’s awful,” she whispered.
Barrow gave her a humorless smile.
“Not as awful as I’ll feel when I’m the one raging around threatening to murder people or slice myself open. Not everyone’s so lucky as me.”
“My curse isn’t quite the same,” I told her, which was the understatement of the century. “I cannot see auras, but I felt yours the moment I walked into your store. It’s comforting, to be honest.”
Barrow gave me one wild, wide-eyed look and then snorted.
She covered her mouth and nose, giggling.
“That was the last thing I expected to hear. Oh my gods… comforting, he says to me. That is rich, handsome stranger man. Tell me your name.”
“Luc Vale. I might add that there’s no guarantee you’ll go mad like your father. All curses are different, and unless you can find the exact demon who gave it to you, I can’t tell you anything more.”
“I’ve been told the same by several people,” she said, completely blasé.
“In any case, I can assume you won’t go spreading the rumor around town? Amarantha isn’t as superstitious as the country folk, but there are always those few who will cause a stink if they want.”
“That depends,” I said. I let her feel the weight of the threat as I paused. Then, when it looked like she was ready to squirm, I finished, “Will you help me today?”
She let out a small breath of relief. She walked to the front of the shop, closed and locked the door, then strode past me through a doorway in the back of the room. “Come with me, please.”
Clove laced her fingers into mine and squeezed. She wore a strange, pained expression. “I’m sorry you were cursed.”
“It’s not yours to apologize for.”
She fell silent as we entered the back room. It was simple. There was a mat on the floor and a shelf with a line of crystals.
Barrow was touching the crystals. Just a tap of her finger on each. “Lay down,” she said. “Tell me as much as you can about your mana problem.”
“I already explained,” I said, laying my back down on the mat.
“I expel too much mana. It maxes out certain spells and makes them dangerous. I believe I lack a proper connection with my own mana.”
“That’s likely the problem,” she said, still touching her crystals. Finally, she plucked a light blue one and tossed it to me.
I caught it. It was cool in my fingers. “What’s this?”
“Centering stone. Filled with light mana. It’s going to help the process a little more.”
“What will you be doing?”
“If you can’t naturally feel the connection to your mana, something is blocking your way. The same power that allows me to see your aura will help me sense what’s blocking you.”
“Do it,” I ordered.
She knelt beside me and placed a hand on my chest. “On the count of three. One, two —”
Mana poured into me. Slicing. Cutting.
I gritted my teeth and grunted. “You… said… three. ”
She smirked. “Did I? Now, shut up, pretty boy. I’m working.”