16. Just anger
1415 Words
The lightning storm is raging outside the palace for the fourth day in a row. Siobhan caught sight of a few very scared demons down near the kitchen area. She doesn’t understand their language, but she has picked up a few words. Apparently, it’s Nakir’s doing. He’s pissed off about something and he lets his rage out in the form of a storm. Is it the incident with Fenrir that got him so mad? She’s not going anywhere near him, that’s for sure. He doesn’t want her anyway.
“Hiding in the lab?” Naryshka chuckles. The demoness is a bit pale, like her radiant red skin lost some of its glow.
“Yeah. Ereshkigal hasn’t left her room either. She sits by her window and stares at the lightning show. A bit morbid, if you ask me, but whatever makes her happy…” Siobhan answers.
“She’s not happy. It’s the beauty of the lightning and the way it illuminates the landscape outside that draws her in. It gives her peace,” Naryshka tells her.
“The kitchen demons think it’s Nakir’s doing,” she whispers.
“It is. He’s pissed about the whole Fenrir thing. If I’d known it was the pup following you, I’d never have set the trap. Nakir is touchy about his possessions,” Naryshka shakes her head. “I have to lay low for a while. He knows I had a hand in it.”
“He won’t hurt you?” Siobhan is a bit worried about her friend.
“I hope not. I managed to stay under his radar for a few thousand years. Add to that all the time he was absent and we come up to pretty much all my life. I doubt he even knows my name,” Naryshka says quietly.
“Do you know what he did with Fenrir? I’m afraid to go look,” Siobhan inquires. She feels guilty for whatever happened with the puppy.
“Fenrir is chained to the stairs,” Naryshka whispers. “In his demonic form. Nakir probably forbade him to change back.”
“Poor pup. And it’s all my fault,” Siobhan sighs.
“Hellhounds are guardians, it’s what he’s supposed to do. They are not exactly known to be tame. It’s something about you that is different. Nobody has ever petted a Hellhound the way you did,” Naryshka scoffs.
“I just feel sorry for him,” Siobhan understands what Naryshka is telling her, but she doesn’t like it.
“Don’t. Then you will feel sorry for every demon in Irkalla. It can get you seriously hurt. Demons are vicious creatures with close to no morals. Always be on guard,” Naryshka chuckles.
“Even from you?” Siobhan raises an eyebrow when she looks at the demoness.
“Yes. I do like you, but I’m still a demon at heart,” Naryshka nods.
“I see,” Siobhan turns to her work. She’s not letting Naryshka see that her words got to her. Friendship is a foreign concept for the demoness, but they can build a trusting relationship between them. “I trust you until you prove to me otherwise.”
“You really shouldn’t,” Naryshka smiles before she fades out of the room. That ability is starting to become annoying, but Siobhan understands why she did it when the door opens not a moment after.
“What did you feed to Fenrir?” Nakir barges in. His anger is evident.
“Well, hello to you, too,” Siobhan scoffs. Masking her fear with bravado might not be the best action, but she is ready to stand her ground.
“What did you do with my Hellhound?” He glares at her.
“Nothing. Fenrir was stalking me. I caught him and then he cuddled up to me,” Siobhan tells the truth. Omitting is not exactly lying, but she’s not giving Naryshka up if he doesn’t ask: “I never gave him anything.”
“Ugh! Witches!” Nakir exclaims. “Stay away from Fenrir!”
“You keep him away. I didn’t seek him out,” Siobhan scoffs. “Now, get out of here. I’ve got work to do.”
“You’re kicking me out?” He gapes at her. The mask of righteous anger has fallen.
“Yes. Go take your anger out on someone who deserves it. I haven’t done anything wrong,” Siobhan glares at him. She knows she has no pull over him, but she can hope that he’ll stay away from her.
“Right,” his sarcasm in that one word makes her look at him again. “Where is that guardian? I know she’s been hanging out with you.”
“What guardian?” Siobhan asks him. She knows who he’s talking about, but maybe she can play dumb?
“Naryshka. You know her? Tall, red skin, long blond hair. She loves to dress in as little as possible,” Nakir describes her new friend.
“Oh. She’s a guardian?” Siobhan keeps up with pretending.
“Fine!” He throws his hands up: “I’ll find her on my own.”
“OK,” Siobhan nods. She can’t help him find Naryshka anyway, because she doesn’t know where the demoness resides when she’s not with her. Saying nothing is the wisest choice.
“Wow. I’m impressed. No one ever stands up to him,” Naryshka hugs her from behind.
“Were you here the whole time?” Siobhan inquires. “And he didn’t sense you?”
“He wasn’t trying to. Nakir was so focused on you that he didn’t notice there were two snakes and not just one,” Naryshka chuckles.
“Well, we know something now,” Siobhan extracts herself from the hug. “He knows your name and what you look like.”
“Who would have thought that? I guess he’s more observant than I gave him credit for,” Naryshka shrugs. “I have to go. My job never ends.”
“Be careful out there,” Siobhan smiles. She got attached to the demoness, and she doesn’t want to lose her.
Siobhan mixes the venom into the cream carefully. The consistency is just right, but the mixture has to cool down. Will it harden even more? She has to wait and see. For now she is proud that there are no clumps in it. And it looks slightly pinkish. She checks over her notes for reference to the colour. Cleopatra stated that this cream should be pink in appearance, so where did she go wrong? Not enough wolfsbane berries? Was she distracted and missed a step? Siobhan retraces her steps in making this cream. She did everything right, so it comes down to quantity. More berries would give more colour. Would it change anything else? The texture is fine.
“Congratulations!” Ereshkigal chuckles. The goddess managed to surprise her again by just appearing out of thin air.
“My Lady?” Siobhan tilts her head in greeting.
“You pissed off Nakir all on your own. That’s quite a feat for someone who is actively avoiding him,” the goddess smirks. Is she actually enjoying this?
“It was not intentional. I didn’t know it was his Hellhound that was following me around,” Siobhan shrugs. “Besides, the puppy was too cute not to cuddle.”
“You cuddled a Hellhound and he let you?” Ereshkigal wonders. “You’re not completely human, are you?”
“No. Half Elf,” Siobhan answers. There is no harm in Ereshkigal knowing that.
“You have elven blood? How exactly? Who in your family was a full Elf?” Ereshkigal wants to know. The intensity of her whole being just lit up. It looks like the goddess is glowing.
“My maternal grandmother, and my grandfather on my father’s side of the family. Although, my father’s mother had some elven blood, too. She didn’t have any powers, they said she was dormant,” Siobhan explains.
“This gives me a whole new point of view. I get why it was possible for you to get pregnant with Nakir’s child in the first place,” Ereshkigal smiles. But her smile is wicked and it makes Siobhan afraid. “I need a sample of your blood.”
“What?” Siobhan sputters. Why would a goddess need her blood? She’s dead and dead blood is not nourishment, according to Nakir.
- Writer
