Page 72 of The Noldrin Witch

Fabian, already looking more like himself, called everyone to attention and began giving instructions.

“You have a week to show me a potion that can help with the wicked illness the army is dealing with. The king wants no excuses.” He glanced at Elise. “You as well, darling. Don’t think you’ll have any more special treatment.”

Chapter 30

Elise sat at the edge of her bed with a bittersweet feeling. Kurt’s words still lingered in her mind, and it was proving difficult to regain her enthusiasm even with the more promising situation in the workshop. Still, she had to remind herself of the true purpose of her presence in the castle. That night, she was determined to go to the gardens and continue her search for the Stone of Raj.

As soon as the last candles in the hall went out, she slipped out of bed. She was only wearing her chemise. After the exhausting day, she had already removed her brown dress and leather bodice. The days were warming up, and she didn’t need much to feel comfortable at night.

Had Elise had a larger mirror in her room, she would have seen how much of a temptation she looked. The fine fabric did little to conceal her shapely form, and with the heat of the night, the garment seemed determined to cling to her more pronounced curves.

With only Bruno as her witness, Elise remained blissfully unaware of her alluring appearance. She was completely focused on leaving the fairies’ apartments without being seen until a soft caw from Bruno made her jolt.

He was looking at her warily, dancing on the small table with a strange urgency.

“What is it, Bruno?” she asked, but the crow continued hopping.

She knew this meant trouble. She had seen it often enough by now not to ignore the sign. It seemed sensible to wait until the bird calmed down rather than risk waking everyone with a loud caw.

But she didn’t have to wait long, as a rap at the door interrupted her thoughts.

A quick prayer escaped her lips as she jumped to the bed. Her mind started to imagine who might dare come looking for her at this blasphemous time of the night.

Kurt?

Her heart skipped a beat as the thought crossed her mind that perhaps he had reconsidered his feelings and come to look for her. She sighed and gathered the courage to approach the door.

“Is it you, Kurt?” she asked.

To her deep disappointment, instead of the duke’s measured voice, another brisk knock sounded from the other side of the door.

“Open the door,” an infernal voice called.

Elise gasped in horror. How had Seth managed to find her?

“What do you want?” she muttered.

No answer came, but the door began to rattle like a snake ready to snap.

Before the demon could wake everyone up with his delicate methods, Elise opened the door.

Then, among the thick fog or whatever hellish vapor had covered the entire hall, Seth stepped forward. His hard expression sat upon an impiously handsome face. His tan skin was a shade darker than she remembered. Had she not known this diabolical being spent his days in Hell, she might have guessed he had just returned from a weekend in the country.

“What are you doing here?” she whispered, desperately urging him into her room.

To her relief, the demon didn’t oppose her, and as soon as he was inside, she closed the door. She hoped no one had seen him, though judging by the silence in the hall, she figured everyone was already asleep.

Much like Kurt, Seth was a man of few words. Although, with him no words were needed to understand what he was thinking. His lowered eyelids paired with his pressed lips were quite telling about the displeasure he felt by being there.

The demon was bothered enough with the visit that he had barely glanced her way. It was not until the door rested shut that Seth was benevolent enough to grant her some attention. Elise looked him in the eye, poised to defend her right to remain free.

It was there, eye to eye, that the demon’s entire countenance shifted. His lips parted slightly, and his eyes widened. He traced her figure before returning to her face. He blinked and brought a hand to his throat.

“Why are you almost naked?”

Elise stumbled, looking down at her chemise. The small candle in the corner of the room did little to help her see what he was talking about.

She suspected, however, that true to his fiendish nature, Seth might possess unnatural eyesight, like that of a hawk, only in his case potent enough to see through thin fabric. In any case, she quickly brought her hands up to protect her modesty.