“You won’t!” I blurt out. “Please make yourself comfortable. This is your home now too.”
Shyly, she nods her head.
“Uhm, can you show me the rest of the house?”
“Of course! Follow me.”
She walks behind me as I explain that everything in the house is rune-operated. Heating, water and electricity all run on magical runes that were etched in the foundation of the house from its inception—the only magical artifact I have left from my father.
“The third door leads to another bedroom,” I explain. “And this,” I point to the door opposite, “is the library. You’re welcome to read any of the books inside, though I should warn you most of them are historical chronicles and instruction manuals. There are some fiction books that I’ve bought over the years, but they are not nearly as many as the others.”
Opening the library door, I motion for her to go in.
All four walls are adorned with bookshelves filled with precious ancient tomes. When my father had prepared this house for me, he’d gathered as many books as he thought would be useful for me. Unfortunately, he did not have a lot of time to gathereverythingI would have needed in my development. Still, his regard for me and his thorough preparation for my future never ceases to amaze me.
She walks around the shelves, looking reverently at all the gilded spines, all of them weathered by time and use. My heart warms as I see her appreciate my treasures.
“The first wall contains the history of Tartareia, legends about the Seven, maps of cities and information on the ruling Houses. The second wall is focused on runes, but it’s mostly basic information.” I take a deep breath before I continue in a self-deprecating voice, “Unfortunately, I am unable to use any of the runes due to my low spiritual energy.”
She whips her head toward me, her brows going up. “But, today, you…”
“This is not a normal for me,” I admit with great reluctance. “I took something to enhance my abilities, but that is only temporary.”
Though I did not want this conversation to happen so quickly, I knew that sooner or later she would be curious about it—especially if she sees me devolve into a useless mess.
“Why?” She asks suddenly, her gaze fixed on me.
“Uhm,” I stammer. “I…” I gulp down. “I would not have been able to make it past the guards without some sort of abilities.”
She narrows her eyes at me now. “Really? And how would you know that?”
“I tried and—” I stop as I realize what I just blurted out.
She comes toward me, her lips spreading into a smile. “So you went there without abilities at first.”
I swallow drily. “Yes.”
“And so you decided to take something to enhance your abilities.”
“Yes.”
“To save me.”
It’s not a question. It’s a statement.
“Yes.” I nod.
“Thank you,” she murmurs. My eyes are glued to her as I try to commit all the details of her features to mind—her smile, the way her eyes crinkle with pleasure, the slight flush of her cheeks. Before I realize it, she raises herself on the tips of her toes and presses her lips against my cheek.
My eyes widen. My heart stops beating in my chest for a full second. Then it thuds against my chest as if it seeks to break out of its cage. Heat travels up my neck.
“Y-y-you’re w-welcome,” I stutter as heat ravages my body and my stomach twists painfully.
Her features turn pensive then. “But is it safe to enhance your abilities like that?”
“I… I don’t know. But I’m fine so far,” I admit honestly. I’d heard about the side effects for mortals, but for immortals it is different. Even the owner of that spiritual essence I consumed knew that. Both the potency of the essence and the aftermath would be different for someone whose biology was compatible with the potion.
She purses her lips. “Please let me know if you feel ill in any way, all right?”
