“Des should go with you,” Daisy said, before he could form a response. His initial instinct was to glare at her, but then he realized that he wanted to go to the post office with Aurelie. Anything if it meant more time with her.
“Oh, I’m perfectly capable—” Aurelie stopped herself, shook her head as if to clear it, and then nodded. “Yes, that would be nice.”
Des thought he saw Jasper roll his eyes, but he couldn’t blame him. He’d have done the same thing if anyone else was acting this moony.
While Des redonned his tunic and breastplate, Aurelie was telling Daisy something about the metal plates, and he watched in astonishment as the tiny demon, Mephisto, circled Daisy’s ankle like a cat. A small, bizarre, entirely deranged cat. He had hated the creature on impulse, but if he hadn’t known what it was, he might have found it... cute? And it didn’t behave like any demon he’d ever seen. It was curious, almost playful, deceptively innocent. But he’d seen what its seeds produced. It was dangerous. And if it fell into the hands of Everard, they were all in serious trouble.
When he was ready, he and Aurelie walked into the chill afternoon. They had to leave tonight for their shift. They all did. But gods he liked the way she pressed into him as they crossed the maincourtyard toward the front gates. As brave as she was, he had the impression she felt safe in his presence. That she knew intrinsically he would take care of her, no matter what. And she was right.
“So, the post office?” he asked.
“It’s the runes,” she said. “I think I have the correct sequencing, but there are still several I haven’t translated yet.” She opened the unsealed envelope and showed the piece of parchment within to Des. He read the words, but they meant little to him:
Spill ancient___,___the fated thorn,
A quest for balance, through___reborn.
One___to extinguish destiny’s might,
Renewal through___, one soul to make right.
In the shadows lies the ancient___,
Transformation,___, to set___free.
At___dark, the portal will___,
Creation from___, the bond we shall break.
“What is a fated thorn?” he asked when he finished reading.
“I have no idea. The portal willwhat? It could be anything. I don’t want to bother Professor Sheldrake on his holiday, but he might be the only person who can help.” She pointed to a cluster of runes at the bottom. “I haven’t translated these yet.”
“Do you need to translate the runes to make the portal work?”
She bit her lip, distracting Des briefly. “I don’t think so. But Professor Sheldrake said I’d be an utter fool not to translate them before activating the portal, and with everything Everard may be lying about... I may be irresponsible, but I’m not a total fool.”
“When will your letter get to him?”
“Tomorrow, if we’re lucky. But I’m afraid even if he responds right away, there will be no mail for the holiday. I should have written sooner.”
“You’re doing the best you can, Aurelie.”
She turned to gaze up at him as they crossed the street to the post office. “It’s not good enough.I’mnot good enough.”
Des had said the same thing about himself a thousand times, but to hear Aurelie say it about herself made something clench in his chest. “You are the smartest person I’ve ever met. You can do this.”
Her eyes glittered when she looked up at him, as though he’d given her the greatest compliment imaginable. Truly, he’d never met anyone like her. If someone had asked him to design the perfect woman, he would have never been able to dream her up. And yet she was the most delightful thing he’d ever beheld. If only she weren’t so cozy with demons.
They mailed the letter and stopped at the grocer’s to buy carrots, potatoes, onions, and mushrooms for a stew Aurelie was fairly certain she knew how to make.
“Have you ever cooked?” he asked her as they headed back to campus.
“Not exactly. But I’ve watched our cook make stew at least a dozen times. How difficult can it be?”
Rather difficult, as it turned out. Fortunately, Daisy had learned to cook from her cousin, and she was able to salvage the stew into something semi-edible, though the carrots were hard, the potatoes were mushy, and the mushrooms had been abandoned entirely.
It was the first time Des had ever eaten in a proper home, at an actual dining table with real silver and crystal. Aurelie had insisted on serving, and as she’d ladled stew into his bowl, her hands trembling a little, he couldn’t help smiling at her and whisperinggood girlunder his breath just to watch the flush creep up her neck.