She studied me, her gaze unwavering. “I’ll translate the books for you,” she offered suddenly. “If that’s what it takes to get access to them.”
I raised an eyebrow, surprised by her boldness. “You’re offering to help me?”
She nodded, her eyes shining with determination. “Yes. Will you help me in turn?”
For a long moment, I considered her. She was clearly desperate, but she didn’t seem reckless. If anything, she seemed cautious and calculating.
I sighed. “Yes,” I said finally. “I’ll give you access to the books if you agree to translate them for me.” I grimaced. “I can read them, but making sense of them is another thing altogether.” I raised an eyebrow at her. “Do we have a deal?”
Seranni nodded, her eyes shining. “Deal.”
Relief flickered across her face, and I found myself relaxing despite myself.
“You can start with the books in the shelf over there,” I said, pointing at the stack near the dead fireplace, where my candle still burned on the mantle. I had no need of a fire, my altered body kept me warm enough, but it was the only place where I could stretch out in one of the chairs and read.
With a final wary look at me, Seranni went over to the books. Her cloak billowed behind her, revealing the simple dress beneath—a deep burgundy that contrasted beautifully with her dusky skin. Her hair was tied back in a braid, though a few stubborn curls had escaped to frame her face.
I watched as she selected a book. She opened it with care, her fingers lightly brushing the edges of the pages.
“You can take the chair,” I said, dusting off one of the stools scattered around the fireplace. “I’ll sit here.”
A few moments later, the night was silent except for the turning of the pages. When Seranni’s teeth began to chatter for the second time in ten minutes, I sighed.
“Do you want me to light the fire?”
She looked up. “Won’t the smoke alert the villagers?” she asked through clenched teeth.
“The fireplace vents open out into the forest,” I said. “And the wind is blowing away from town. No one will see the smoke.
She nodded, and I moved to light the fire. The warmth spread quickly, casting a golden glow over the room.
In the six months that I had been free, I had been to spy on the town only thrice. Once, when I had just escaped the dungeon, and I had thought I could ask the townspeople for help. Seeing the soldiers stationed in the town inn had put paid to that idea. If the army found out that the mage’s experiment was still alive, I would never escape.
The second time had been a month ago, when winter had arrived. I had stolen firewood and some supplies, striking homes and businesses like a thief in the night. Which was what I was, when I thought about it.
And the third time had been just last night, when I had escorted Seranni to her home.
I looked over at her. Her curly hair was in a braid today, one curl hanging over her forehead. Her black hair looked untidy and mussed, as if she had woken from her bed and come directly to the tower. She was dressed warmly, but now that I had a passable fire going, my superior hearing made out her sigh of relief.
“Feeling warmer?”
She nodded, and smiled. “Yes, thank you, Kael.”
Clearing my throat, I sat on the stool, opening a book to hide the tears that had sprung to my eyes. Such a simple thing—a smile, genuine gratitude, the calling of one’s name—all things I had taken for granted for all the twenty-six years of my life. Only now, when my humanity had been stolen from me, and I had been without human contact for eighteen months, did I understand their value.
An hour passed by in silence, the only sounds the crackle of the fire and the rustle of pages. I found myself glancing at her more often than I intended, watching the way her brow furrowed in concentration, the way her lips moved faintly as she read.
When my eyes started to close despite myself, I shook myself awake, only to see that Seranni was dozing with the book open on her lap. Standing, I went over to her, and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
She came awake with a start, scrabbling for her dagger, and I stepped back with my hands up. “I think it’s time you called it a night,” I said softly. “You need to rest.”
She nodded, even as her shoulders slumped. “You can come back tomorrow,” I said consolingly, and she looked up with a wry smile.
“If only there was some way I could read these without having to sacrifice my sleep.” She looked at me hopefully. “Can I take just one of these books home?”
I sighed, torn with indecision. The thought of those books leaving the tower unsettled me, but the earnestness in her gaze made it difficult to refuse. On the one hand, it wouldn’t hurt to have a witch on my side. On the other hand, if there was something in that book about what had happened to me, I couldn’t let Seranni learn such a dangerous secret.
“I promise I’ll bring it back tomorrow night,” Seranni said, and I finally nodded.
