“Think of it as a pet,” she suggested when it became clear that I would not grow accustomed to the daeva. It tried to lay its head on her lap like it was a puppy, though its snout was as large as all of her. She stroked its ridged head, and it closed its eyes in bliss. It paid little attention to me, and I was thankful.

“With all due respect, Mistress, few people would take the undead for a pet.”

“And why not? They’re not as bad as you think. They like to play, and they do not attack unless they feel threatened. But stray too close to their lair—well, that is a different story. They only wish to be left alone. I share that much in common with them.”

“Do you control them?” I asked. The girl had found a rock as large as my hand, perfectly round and polished smooth from the waves. It sailed through the air to land some distance away. The daeva let out a playful bark. Soon it was scampering across the sands in eager pursuit.

“Of course,” she said. “I know everything it feels. To a lesser extent, it knows everything I sense. That’s how I know that it means no harm. It has a mind like a child’s.”

“But its grave was in Odalia, near Murkwick.”

“Where it lies buried is no longer of any importance. All it requires is its bezoar and a spellshifted heartsglass. The bones of the dead creatures on this beach are enough to suit my purpose, to bend and form into a daeva’s shape. It is easier to weave the spells this way, quicker than to start from nothing.”

“It is no magic I have ever heard of before.”

“It is not magic most asha know, one that even the Faceless only recently discovered.”

“Then why did you kill that first daeva the day I met you?”

“I would not have been able to control it completely the way I can this taurvi. I must first build it up myself, with the proper rituals, as I have done here.”

“But why? Why are you raising it from the dead? Why won’t you return it to its grave, like the other daeva you killed?”

The taurvi trotted proudly back to us with its prize. Its sharp teeth scored ridges against the sides of the rock. Its purr was strangely compelling.

She smiled. “Because daeva make for good armies.”