“So, I realize,” Talia said as the carriage bore her and her ‘wife’ back to Fallmire, “I don’t yet have a clear enough picture of what you can do.”
The rain had lessened since their meeting with Cleft, though perhaps it was hitting Black Harbor more fiercely than the road north. Outside, the sun pierced through the clouds every ten minutes or so, throwing the shadows of trees against the drawn carriage curtains.
Lucia was surprised at Talia’s interest. She was still riding a little high from their meeting with Cleft. “That … wait. Wasn’t your father an expert on the subject?”
“Of course; I’ve been told he was a genius by far too many well-wishers.”
Talia was not lost in her papers, unlike during the morning’s journey south; rather, she was giving Lucia her full attention. Which was not helping the demon remain calm in the slightest.
“But to be honest, I’m not the most well-read on the subject of demonology myself; I’ve had to piece together the scraps of what my father taught with secondhand, unreliable sources I’ve picked up on my, ah, travels.”
“Mmm,” Lucia looked away from the Duke, which made things easier. “Well, what do you know? Your ritual did seem somewhat old-fashioned, now that I think on it.”
“The book I consulted to piece it together is nearly two hundred years old.” Talia gave a little laugh. “And written entirely in Paradisi.”
Lucia whistled. “Not an easy language to learn, I’m told.”
“Not a whit. In any case—your abilities. As you said when first we met, you are an Eccubus, a demon who can inflame or dampen the passions of those around you, and are thereby second-to-none in manipulative skill. But to what extent, over what distance, over what time period, and so on, I don’t have a clear idea.”
“That’s accurate enough,” Lucia said. “Distance is a factor—I could stoke Cleft’s heart nearly to bursting simply because I took his hand, but even if I was merely in the same room, I could exhaust him—or depress his mind into nothingness. Still, he’d know immediately something strange was happening. Usually I need to act more sub-tully.”
“Subtly,” the Duke pronounced, keeping the ‘b’ silent, but she thankfully didn’t dwell on Lucia’s mistake. “Though before, he could still tell when you were merely observing his emotions.”
“How—?”
“The tell was his,” Talia said. “But it was obvious. He didn’t spare you a second glance until the latter half of our conversation, when he suddenly only had eyes for you.”
“Right. So, yeah, uh, I can also sense people’s emotions, but the surface level is the easiest to see without people noticing. Still, there are those who have trained their mind to resist even that.”
“What can you see in me?”
Lucia opened her mouth, then closed it. The one thing she was trying not to look at. The demon closed her eyes, reaching out a tendril of awareness toward Talia.
A certain satisfaction bubbled within the Duke, no doubt rooted in pride in how well the two of them dealt with Cleft. The hatred, a small rumble, was still ever present, but considerably muted at the moment. After far too long looking upon the woman’s heart, Lucia broke away.
The demon summarized what she found, and Talia nodded.
“And what could you do to me, if you wished?”
Lucia paused at the question, realizing something. “You do know your summoning ritual warded you against my influence, right?”
Talia blinked. “Well, I do now.”
“How much of the ritual did you understand?”
“Honestly?” Talia snorted. The demon developed goosebumps at the sound. “Practically none of it. Your true name, plus a few of the easier chants, were fairly obvious to translate even for a neophyte. But—”
“Not my true name.” Lucia shook her head. “No, most rituals these days have a placeholder, one that attaches to any demon of a particular description as defined by the ritual. Nowhere in your ritual did I hear my true name.”
“Hm. Well, it seems I have more research to do.”
“I’d recommend it. Also, why are we stopping? Are we being robbed again?”
“No.” Talia gave Lucia a curious look, as if she were appraising a particularly fine Eldam porcelain dish. Then, a slight smile showed itself on her face for the briefest moment. Lucia failed to quiet her own heart.
Then, to make matters even worse for the succubus, Talia took Lucia’s hand. “I’ve decided. We’re to meet with a couple associates of Cleft in an hour or so. How would you feel about taking a little hike with them? We probably won’t be back until morning.”
Lucia did her best to shrug casually. “What’s the plan?”
“Well, speaking of that robbery, I’ve been pondering how to use your idea. Let us pursue the great and mysterious Sable Prince.”