Page 105 of Serpent and Shadow

“Probably,” he made himself answer.

Neither of them spoke as they stared at the fox.

The fox continued to sit there, looking at them, its face serene, its aura rippling around it along with the fire. Its fur and features changed a few times as Bones watched, from black to grey, from grey to white, from white to red with a black face and paws, to a tawny gold, and back to black. The fox’s tail continued to flame through all of the changes.

All at once, the fox trotted over to them, and climbed up on Caelum’s thigh. It walked in a circle, curling into a ball, and leaned into both of them as it made itself comfortable. Caelum couldn’t feel it really, not with the collar, but his leg felt strangely warm.

After a few seconds, Caelum’s bone dragon climbed down to look at it. After examining it with black and gold eyes, the dragon lied down next to it, stretching its long neck and head out next to the fox’s fur.

The fox closed its eyes, its nose tucked under its flaming tail.

“It’s not a spy,” Arcturus commented, sleepily.

Caelum looked over at him. He wanted to argue with the kid, but didn’t.

He went back to watching the fox, unable to tear his eyes away.

Caelum was still sitting there, staring down at the ball of fluff made of light, watching its body move in regular breaths, as the kid fell asleep against him.

22

Dark Divinity

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” he asked, his voice hollow, verging on indifferent. “You must realize it will likely only distress you. My talents are not here for the purpose of your self-flagellation… or your masochism.”

Blackstone didn’t look up as he spoke, but continued to hunch over his work station, tying a thin, silver thread around a fragile-looking bone, a clump of what I guessed to be drakai hair, a crow’s skull, a large butterfly, and part of a snakeskin.

Once he had the thread exactly where he wanted it, he tied it off carefully, and stepped back, surveying the work critically with his pale eyes.

That one will do harm, a voice hissed softly in my mind. Much harm.

Not Bones.

It was a different voice that time. I’d heard it a few times now, but I couldn’t pinpoint where it came from. It definitely wasn’t Bones, but something about it resonated with him.

It wasn’t Malefic, at least I didn’t think it was.

“It’s not,” Blackstone said, his voice back to annoyed.

It will do harm, the voice repeated.

If it felt any of my thoughts or questions about what it was, or where it came from, it had no interest in answering me. It didn’t respond to Blackstone’s comment, either. It remained focused on the talisman.

Sickness. Bad dreams. No sleep. An endless nightmare of waking. Insanity.

Curiosity sparked in me.

Who is it for? I asked tentatively.

Does not know, the voice hissed, quieter. Does not wish to know. Cleaner. Less uncomfortable. He fulfills the order, and does not ask.

He could just not make them, I thought back with a scoff.

Blackstone’s eyes rose to mine.

The look there was so sharp, so knowing, I questioned briefly whether the voice was actually him, which was an unnerving thought.

“No,” the magical objects master said flatly.