Early in the morning, Jadis disentangled herself from Damia, telling her she would return soon. Damia did not open her eyes, and her murmured words did not make it entirely obvious if she understood what Jadis had told her, but she did not rise to stop Jadis or ask questions.
Jadis dressed quickly, donning her finest tunic, purple with black threading, and strapping on her sword. She walked to the opposite end of the room, but before she could even touch that mental link to Dua Pria, the world imploded around her, fluctuating and twisting in strips of darkness and beige light. A tunnel formed, long and bright, racing past at an uncomfortable speed. It’s pace grew faster and faster until the image of the glade that housed Dua Pria’s home solidified into reality.
There was a small building nearby and a pond not too far beyond it. A garden rimmed the house, filled with all sorts of vibrant plants. Standing stoically before the doorway, Dua Pria measured Jadis with a heavy stare.
The Witch looked as she had before, unchanged in this timeless place. Medium height with dark, curly hair tucked in a bun behind her head. Her body was slight and thin, garbed in loose, wine red robes. Her skin was dark and warm, as if blessed by the sun itself, and so smooth that it did not betray her vast age. She was not adorned in any way, the severe cut of her facial features served as decoration enough.
“You slept in,” Dua Pria said. Unlike through the mental bond, her speaking voice had a richness to it that evoked memories of Jadis’ time in the village classroom. Most notably though was the raspy edge. Jadis was sure it came from the pipeweed she sometimes smoked at night.
“It is not even dawn in the Mortal Plane,” Jadis replied, annoyance clear in her voice. Then, as if her body wanted to accent the point, she yawned.
“Hmm, well… we will keep the Lord waiting no longer.” She motioned to her house and led Jadis inside. It had been months since she had been there, but everything looked the same.
Everything except for their Lord sitting at the table in the tea room. The black robes that covered his body were embroidered with white thread patterns and images of death, as well as the three pronged visage of the Black Trident. His face was covered with the mask of a white human skull, six white blades protruding straight up from the brow in an imitation of a crown, and long white hair cascaded down over his shoulders, great rivulets bound by silver links. His hands were gloved in black, and no skin was visible on his body.
In an instant, Jadis bowed her gaze, stepping forward to give the Lord a formal bow. He held up a hand before she had even gotten to her knees, saying with his deep, smooth voice, “That is not necessary.”
Jadis nodded, slowly coming back up to her full height. “It is good to see you, Lord.”
“And you as well, Jadis. You have come a long way.” Despite his quiet tone, there was a terrible power beyond his words, a shimmer in the air that fluttered with the sound of his voice.
Jadis nodded and was ushered forward to come sit with the Lord. Dua Pria left the room and returned in only a few moments with a tray. It had a teapot and a plate of cakes, glazed as black as the night sky. Dua Pria set it down on the table between them, knelt beside it to serve them each tea, then stood once more and left the room without a word.
A cold sense of foreboding filled Jadis. She had assumed that Dua Pria had already heard the message, but that she was leaving meant that she was not to be privy to whatever knowledge he had for Jadis. While some part of that was exciting, another part of her felt wary at the idea of secrets among them. Then again, her own ignorance pointed to the fact that secrets were already all around her.
The Lord motioned to the tea. “Eat, drink, and listen.”
Jadis nodded and picked up her cup, sipping the tea. It was the same type that Dua Pria had served her in her training, spicy and herbal with a hint of something earthy underneath the other flavors. There was a grittiness to it that had taken weeks for her to get used to, but sipping it now brought her a strange sense of comfort.
The Master picked up his cup and held it, but did not sip. Jadis had never seen him eat or drink anything. “There are many things that I wish I could tell you directly. As you have likely come to learn from your cambion friend, Primordial Demons are different from the rest of them.”
A hard chill ran through Jadis. It was bad enough that he might be watching her as Dua Pria did, but to know that he was both aware of Damia and her words…
He continued speaking, though he paused long enough for Jadis to wonder if he noticed her emotional response. It was an unsettling idea to consider. “My kind have existed since before the Heavens and Hells were carved up into their current shapes. The Cosmos was once vast, an endless amalgam.” He sighed, shifting his hands on the small cup. “Myself, the Spider Queen, and the other Primordials know of this universe, and are still bound by some of the rules within them. As such, there are things that I cannot tell you.”
The Lord lapsed into silence. She considered why he would bring this up, but when considering the wide arc of her goal, the reasoning was obvious. Jadis took this as an opportunity to speak. “Damia had said you were bound by traditions and forms. One of these traditions, I take it, concerns speaking on knowledge about the gates between dimensions.”
The Lord nodded. “Precisely. I am not bound in any way that prevents me from making you aware of these limitations, thankfully. But as you struggle to fulfill the task set before you, please remember that if I could do this myself, I would.” He tilted his head for a moment and though his eyes were hidden by the mask, Jadis could sense them roaming over her face. “Unfortunately, my hands,” he raised them up, showing off the gloves, “have already born the punishment of my direct interference once. Another infraction will take far more.”
Jadis nodded. “I understand, Lord.” She did not know exactly to what he referred, but it was easy enough for her to guess that it had been when he claimed the Maelstrom Gem. It was reassuring to think that if he was willing to take such damage to put the Gem in the hands of a human, he must truly be committed to his course of action.
He nodded again and put down his cup, crossing his fingers in his lap. “While I cannot tell you where you must go exactly, I can direct you with tertiary knowledge that will reveal the meanings to you. But first, tell me, what is your expectation for your next journey?”
A wave of relief coursed through the Huntress and she relaxed into her chair, sipping at her tea. When he asked his question, she sat up straight once more and said, “Dua Pria and I have discussed entering the Second Hell to search for more answers.”
The Lord looked for a moment before tilting his head down, as if looking at the table. “Dua Pria does have a straightforward way of thinking. Without information, it is a good choice.” He looked back up to Jadis. “But you will listen to a story, and this story will tell you where you need to go.”
Jadis straightened her posture, nodded, and said, “I am ready to listen.”
The Lord nodded his head, crown tipping momentarily towards her. Then he began, speaking calmly. “In the City of Ghargaso, a demon stronghold, three scholars met to argue over the cosmos. Within Ciemnos, one could not see beyond the fog and darkness, so they wished to build a device that could see through the body of the world. They traveled from Heaven to Hell in search of all the components necessary.
“After years of toiling, these scholars were able to finish their mystical device. It read the Anima and created an otherworldly sight that could pierce the walls between dimensions. Through it they saw many things. In Mwangaz they saw great plumes of magical light that helped them understand Angelic song. In Cieni, they witness frozen moments and beings of darkness. In Wakat, they saw moments running backwards and flowers unbudding each night. In Plomie, they saw the great rivers of fire and the fish who lived in them. In the Dhahab, there was only the golden wheat.
“At last they looked to the Furah and saw the visages of those long passed. And in Bol, the faces of those who had not perished soon enough. Enamored with the cosmos, they had forgotten to search for the stars. So they brought themselves to Sluga, and then the Lieges beyond it to seek answers, wondering where the stars were. The Demons had no answer. So they went to Mtumish, and then the Lieges beyond it, and Angels had no answer. So the Scholars, a Human, a Nephalim, and a Cambion, returned to the mortal world to look at the stars above they had known so well. But this device, unimaginably powerful in the Anima-rich web of the Heavens and Hells, was no more than a spy glass upon returning to their home.” After a long, drawn out pause, he asked, “Do you understand?”
As the Lord spoke, his words had lulled Jadis into a semi-trance. Unlike when he spoke normally, his storytelling voice was richer, fuller, and contained some semblance of passion or emotion in it. There was a rhythmic quality to his words that narrowed her focus to them and them alone. Magic perhaps? Or simply the result of great practice? It was an interesting story, if not a bit simple, but the information embedded in it made it the best story she had ever heard. It was not simply the story about ambitious scholars, but a keymap to exactly where she would need to go. Though the names for the dimensions were not familiar to her, she had no doubts that she would find a translation.
Jadis nodded, committing the story to her memory as clearly as she could. The names would give her the most trouble, but she felt certain she would remember them well enough to find guidance. She did not need to ask if she could write this down or take notes, it would have been provided to her in writing otherwise. This was a secret and she would not betray the Lord in this regard. “I will remember, Lord.”
“I do not fear forgetfulness from you.” The Lord spoke softly and gently, so at odds with the terrifying power he possessed. Then he hummed low in his throat. “The other information I can tell you is about how to ensure you can unlock the entrance to the Red Flame Root. The Primordials leave marks in all of the planes of existence that they have visited. Each of them begets an imprint upon the world, sometimes physical and sometimes spiritual. Destroying this essence will act as an offering to the Gateway. When offerings are made from within each dimension in the proper order, the gateway will awaken. Each of the Primordial Beings must make a sacrifice to this offering, none can be avoided. Additionally, using the Primordial Flame to kill one of these Demons will also count as a sacrifice. Just make sure it is done in the proper order or all is for naught.”
The excitement she felt at having some manner of guidance going forward flipped upside down into pure, unadulterated terror. She froze in place, staring at the Lord and felt her mouth open in shock as her control buckled. The idea of facing Kurzo seemed an insurmountable task and the fear of such an encounter plagued her mind. To have to face all of the Primoridals, or the remnants of their essence… Her lungs tried to rear out of control and it was only that she had stopped breathing entirely that she did not start hyperventilating.
She did not know when the Lord had stood, but suddenly he was beside her. His grip on her arm was firm and commanding, yet gentle enough she felt no pain or fear from it. He moved her back to the pad she had been sitting on and pulled her to the floor, kneeling beside her as she sat.
“Dua Pria has told me of your doubts. I will alleviate them.” His hand came up, fingers splayed out and thumb pointed at her face. It moved forward, touching her forehead, and a searing pain shocked Jadis’ mind.
And then she remembered.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Jadis and Dua Pria sat together in the tea room, silently sharing the evening meal after a long day of spell work. Runic magic was not Jadis’ strong-suit, she preferred the more intuitive and unstructured magic that came from the Maelstrom Gem. Yet Dua Pria did not relent in teaching her day in and day out how to prepare the paper strips which, somehow, channeled Anima. Dua Pria claimed that the technology of writing was a tool of demons first before humans, and that to recreate their writings would be to recreate their magic.
Then the shadows came.
Night was still two hours away, so both of them had came to their feet immediately and exited outside. Looking up, they could make out a field of darkness and white, shimmering veins of light suspended above them, blotting out the evening sky. It twisted and curved, then sharpened as eight long, pointed spears poked through the blackness and descended towards them. Jadis was absolutely frozen as the spears were revealed to be legs, topped by a spider-like carapace and the abdomen of a women. The sight became clearer as she descended, her thorax pulsing with power, the skin of her abdoment slick and shiny with black ichor staining her night-dark purple skin. The Spider Queen came down on a thread of mangled, bloody web extending up into the darkness, and as she raised her arm, a long, stinger-like spear appeared in her hand.
But her descent stopped abruptly and the sneering smile of victory on her face curdled, turning to anger, and she looked back up towards the sky. Above her was the Lord of the Black Trident, robes billowing as he stared down upon her.
“Kurzo, Cursed Spider of the Web. You tread where you do not belong.” He held up his hand and the Black Trident appeared. Instantly the air thrummed with its malicious presence, the sickening hunger within it pressing into Jadis with the force of a heatwave.
“The Gemstone will be mine. When I destroy the Wielder and the Intruder, all that will remain is collecting your pretty skull for my trophy pit.” Her voice was both beautifully ethereal and crawling with a hateful gravity that nearly cut apart the air with its aggression.
The Lord did not respond, instead pointing the Black Trident at Kurzo. The vibrating ring of its power only intensified as it was pointed at the three of them and Dua Pria grabbed Jadis before running as fast as she could to the side. A dark line shot out from the trident, piercing through Kurzo, and a scream of agony roared through the world. The ground shook with its power, the trees fluttering and dropping their leaves. Then it was gone, and so were the Lord and the Spider Queen.
The two of them stood and Jadis put her hand on Dua Pria’s shoulder, a wordless thanks for pulling her from the proximity of the attack. Whatever the Lord had done, it likely would have splattered her frail human form all across the ground.
“This bodes ill,” the Witch said dryly. “We must complete your training as quickly as possible before Kurzo destroys the timeless shroud we lay within.”
Jadis looked around, the sky still blackened and swirling with the power of Kurzo. Something about it gave the air a different feel, a charge that set her ill at ease. “Something is wrong, teacher.”
Dua Pria was silent for a long moment, eyes closed as she followed the sense of her attunement. She cursed, eyes flying open and filled with rage. “Time flows once more. Kurzo has left a splinter of her web inside the shell and we cannot close the firmament.”
Jadis focused on her breathing, trying to control the involuntary clench of her muscles as stress flooded her body. She let the waves of it roll over her, dismantling the overwhelming nature of the anxiety piece by piece with her breaths. When she felt calm, heart beating slow and the nausea that had threatened to rise locked firmly in place, she turned to Dua Pria. “I have to go out there.”
Dua Pria stared, eyes wide in shock. “You are barely trained.”
“Five months of intense training is not a paltry amount, especially with the enhancements you have been giving me.” The speed, agility, and strength would have taken years to attain normally, but magic existed to accelerate such grown, costly as it was.
“You will die.”
Jadis opened her mouth to respond, but the gem on her neck flared to life and words filled her, escaping her mouth with a voice that was not her own. “I will not die. Kurzo will meet my flame and be driven into darkness.”
She did not wait for a reply as a spirit of Fire ravaged her flesh, propelling her forward and breaking apart what hold the timeless space had on her. For a moment she was only able to feel the barest resistance, but as she pushed through the substance of the world, it gathered around her like thick fabric, impeding her path. Yet she persisted, driven by the flame, and the tight woven illusion that made up her surroundings burned and frayed until once more she was standing in the forest of her home. It was night like when she had first arrived that summer, and though that had occurred months ago, the night was nearly identical.
The Lord of the Black Trident stood beside her, breathing heavily. His mask was fractured, half of his face and mouth visible through it. His skin was black as an abyss, skin taut against the underlying skull. His one visible eye was fully white, without iris or pupil, yet when it turned on her she could feel its weight.
“Jadis…” the surprise was obvious in his tone.
Words commanded her again. “The Primordial Flame rises. It has chosen this moment for me to wield it. Where is the Spider Demon.”
The Lord straightened from his fatigue in an instant, mouth dropping in what could only be shock. He cooled his features immediately, yet when he spoke there was a subtle hint of reverence. “She withdrew, but will strike again soon if I know her well. You arrived at an opportune time, she has learned some new magics since last I faced off with her.”
Jadis nodded, but she was without the ability to speak any words but those given by the Gem. She drew her sword, a thin blade with a barely-sharpened edge that, while still deadly, was a shabby weapon. The Lord shook his head and reached down, taking the blade from her and tossing it into the forest. He motioned as if drawing a sword from his hip, yet there was nothing strung around his waist. Even still, a handle formed in his hand and he drew out a shining silver blade with a wide tip and curving edge. It’s handle was decorated as if aflame, and the pommel was a black gemstone so shiny she could see her reflection in it.
“You will need something better than a training weapon.” His voice was firm.
Jadis took it, the commands of the Flame in line with her own desire, and she hefted the weapon with ease. It was balanced well, yet the deadly power within its metal was obvious even to her in this state. It was infused with magic and it resonated with the Flame so well she thought her body had begun to sing with the music of it.
She would not have seen the strike coming normally, but the synergy of her awareness told her of the sharp leg spearing out from the forest at her back. Jadis had no need to remember the forms she had been taught, she knew them. She twisted around, blade coming up, and a large gout of fire erupted from it as the chitinous leg deflected off of the flat of the sword. Jadis would have gasped but she was unable to breathe so close to the flame. Kurzo screamed and the dark form, barely visible in the late night, retreated out of sight. Jadis was mostly unphased, though the skin on one half of her face stung sharply from the proximity to the heat. Though she was not wounded, another strike like that would likely lead to a severe burn. She might have told herself to hold back the power, but the reins of control were in the hands of the Flame right then.
The darkness above her shifted and Jadis rolled back. Kurzo crashed down where she had been standing, another scream following the miss, and she reared on Jadis in preparation to charge. The Lord appeared from nothingness in front of the raised belly of Kurzo and stabbed out with the Black Trident. The sight of the accursed weapon sent a buzz of turbulent energy through Jadis. Kurzo jumped back, lifting with unnerving nimbleness and landed in the forest beyond, becoming shrouded by darkness once more.
Jadis lifted her sword, and with two swooping arcs above her head summoned a massive, swirling ring of fire, washing her with an unbearable level of heat. She recklessly slashed at Kurzo and the fire followed the line of her aim, arcing through the space as a spinning wheel of flame. It cut through the trees, felling one after the other until crashing into the Spider Demon. Screeching in pain, the Demon jumped into the canopy of the nearest trees still standing.
The Lord was beside Jadis in an instant. “You must command the Primordial Flame, Jadis, or it will use you as its instrument! You are its master, not the other way around.”
The Fire within her reared back at this idea, but Jadis had needed desperately to hear that she something was wrong. As powerful as the Flame inside of her her was, and how easily it repelled Kurzo, she could feel the damage the heat was doing to her body. Despite the flexibile nature of the magic inside the Gem, and the reactive spellwork tempering its power to her own needs, the process was not fast enough. If she continued summoning flame without thought, driven by the impulses of the Primordial Fire, then she would also be destroyed by the end of the fight.
Forcing all of her concentration on the feat, Jadis drew in a heavy, ragged breath. Then another. She ripped that small sliver of control away from the Gemstone’s possession. A wave of relief followed as the compelling force lessened momentarily. Taking the foothold and demanding every inch of territory she could muster, she pulled back from the Gem with mental claws and shrieks of rage until they were willing, if not aggravated, partners. The power of it flowed through her like a tidal wave of flame and instead of propelling her into motion, it swirled around in wait, seeking the moment it was summoned with great enthusiasm.
The Timeless Fire. The Primordial Flame. Little had remained in the legends of her world about it. Even after her lessons with Dua Pria, she understood little about it. Now that it was coursing through her, ready to leap at her enemy like a dog on a chain, she was certain that no writing or words could ever capture the truth of this power. It was boundless and endless and ready to ignite with unending glee. If she wanted, as destructive as it would be, Jadis was beyond doubt that it was now within her ability to raze the world.
Kurzo kept striking, and Jadis kept repelling her with the Flame. Once or twice the Spider Demon was able to slip behind her and the Lord’s defenses, but Jadis fought on just as he did and bit by bit the Demon’s attacks grew more cautious and restrained. The two of them would not relent, and even as the Lord was struck thrice more, Jadis defended him and allowed him precious moments to recover.
Unfortunately for them, Jadis was not a Demon. Still of mortal flesh, her speed and agility had begun to wane as fatigue wreaked havoc on her body. The heat that had been burning her externally had moved inside her flesh as she gripped onto and commanded the Flame. Sweat coated her skin, her entire form a simmering coal in the night, the only source of light amidst great covers of shadow as hot waves of light rolled off her.
“Lord…” she croaked with a voice dry and cracking. “I am growing weary. I do not know how long I can continue.” She could barely stay on her feet as it was.
The Lord nodded, mask coated in soot and blood, robes singed and cut apart, black ichor flowing over his dark lips. “It is only necessary for you to strike one more time. Make it a big one.”
Without waiting for an answer, the Lord charged at Kurzo. His weapon was nowhere to be seen and with arrogant confidence, The Spider Demon roared and charged at him as well. For a long moment Jadis could barely think as she watched the two of them about to clash. Yet she had been given a direct order, so she reached for whatever reserve of strength still remained and set her sword at a low stance. The image of a flaming wave came to her mind and the heat of that imaginary fire was so real to her that her skin began to steam.
She waited, wondering what the sign would be, and then her eyes grew wide as the Lord faded from sight. In that instant, a black line of power struck from the heavens, piercing through Kurzo’s insectoid thorax to pin her in place.
Served up on a platter, ready to be purged from the world.
Jadis pulled the fire into existence, the tip of her sword the paint brush of the Primordial Flame. Yet she had not been able to gather enough energy and her shoulder threatened to give against the cinders pulling at the edge of her blade like gathering weights. Without questioning it, the power of the Gem once more filled her body and her arm snapped forward, sending the growing wave of heat at the Primordial Spider as a wave of cinders that grew, evolving into undulating cascades of fire. It burned so hot that her skin immediately reddened and the hair on her arms burned away. If she had the energy for it, she might have cried out in pain. But she could not look away from the bright calamity of the Flame rolling over the land, a surging tide of burning orange and white.
Kurzo shrieked in terror, but it was drowned out by the explosive wave of the Flame. Jadis was thrown back by the force of it, and when she recovered enough to sit up and look at where the Spider Demon had been standing, all that remained was a smoking clearing of forest, trees vaporized by the fire, soil reduced to blackened char. It was roughly thirty meters deep and in the shape of a wide triangle from where she stood. Yet Jadis was not convinced that Kurzo was dead. The Primordial seemed beyond the ability to perish.
Her body shook so greatly that she couldn’t have stood if she wanted to, but Kurzo was nowhere to be seen. For a long moment she sat at the edge of the burning underbrush, joined by the Lord, waiting for the Demon to strike. But the Spider Queen did not return. They had seemingly driven her off… for now at least.
Now safe, Jadis collapsed and her vision went dark.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The memory ended and Jadis recoiled, pulling back from the Lord and collapsing. She shuddered with the intensity of the emotions, thoughts, and feelings being forced onto her all at once, but after a long moment it subsided. She slowly came up, sitting on the ground and looking at the Lord. “That really was me…”
He nodded. “You commanded the Flame quite excellently. But the experience was too overwhelming so you were forced to forget by the Gem, either for necessity… or for an ulterior design.”
This made her balk. “Ulterior design? From the Gem?” The incredulity was obvious in her tone.
The Lord didn’t nod this time, but said, “Yes. Kalomare the Red was a tricky creature, the extent of what he might have done with the Gemstone remains to be seen.”
The admission from the Lord brought Jadis up short. She had not thought that there were realms of magic and knowledge beyond his kind. And the tone in his voice when he spoke of Kalomare… for a moment she wondered if it had been longing. “I…” She shook her head, “I do not know much about Kalomare, my Lord. Only that he made the Maelstrom Gem.”
The Lord stood still for a long moment, not answering, not moving, his dark and hollow eyes pressing upon her with the weight of the world. Then, quietly, he said, “That is to be expected. I shall enlighten you in this case, though as with most topics in regard to the true nature of our world, I am bound to silence for anything you will find of use.” He sighed, then spoke so softly it was almost a murmur. “Kalomare the Red created the Primordial Flame, the fire that birthed the cosmos and the creatures who inhabit it. I cannot speak to what came before this, there is no way to know. But it was Kalomare who brought the tide of fire that rendered our universe into form, and it was his hand that bound this flame into the Gemstone around your neck.” As he finished speaking, he pointed at her chest. “I hope you understand the gravity of such a thing.”
Jadis was frozen. She had been rolling with the situation, accepting how feeble she was in comparison to the forces around her and waiting to learn some semblance of truth about her purpose and why she had been chosen. Despite the plethora of information she scoured through to aid her in her journey, there was a surprising lack of substance that pointed to any reasoning why she had to be involved. She had learned how to confront and kill a wide range of creatures, but she did not know know why they had to die.
Even still, with the reveal of this knowledge, she did not know why she had been given the Gem. The question of it bubbled up from her before she could stop it. “Surely you or any other would serve as better masters of the Flame than I? Why have you chosen me?”
The Lord turned away from her, returning to sit on his cushion with an elegant, measured descent. His gloved hands folded in his lap. “It is not for cruelty’s sake that I am vague. Navigating the rites I have been bound to is not always simple. It would be much easier were I able to say what I wanted to, detailing everything you wish to know. But I simply cannot say the words, it is beyond my power.” He picked up his cup again, savoring whatever warmth lingered in the glass. “But I can speak around it to an extent. I can point out that everything I have told you today can demonstrate the fact of why you have been chosen. Beyond this, I have already given you a reason that I believe was justification enough.”
Jadis’ mind was in a swirl, one aspect of her trying to remain attentive, the other reeling against the information that had so quickly been pressed upon her. But his last words caught her attention and she was able to say, “My heart?”
The Lord nodded. “I have looked into your soul and seen that you can be trusted with the Primordial Flame.”
In that, Jadis was rendered silent. Even gratitude did not seem a suitable reaction to such a claim, especially by one so ancient and powerful as the Lord of the Black Trident. His legend spoke of his as an absolute authority with an ability to alter reality as a god. Yet instead of taking the Gem and using it to assert his will, he sought out a human vessel to become master of the world-making fire. Not a King or Queen. Not a Master General or Warrior. A second-year student at a small college on an island in the middle of the ocean. She was, against the backdrop of clashing kingdoms and great thinkers, nobody at all.
Yet now she felt the weight of the universe around her neck. Chosen for no other reason, so far that she could see, than that she could be trusted not to use the Flame for evil.
Despite how trivial the words sounded, she said, “Thank you, my Lord, for trusting me so.”
The Lord gave a short nod. “I searched many hearts. None of them were like yours. Farewell, Jadis. Dua Pria will soon reach out with more information.”
And in an instant, Jadis was back inside of her room, standing in the corner. She looked up and through the tiny slit of a window in the stone, saw that the sun had not yet risen. She turned to look at her bed and sighed at the sight of Damia still sleeping and still beneath the covers. How many moments had passed in that time? Had any time passed at all? No matter how much she asked, Dua Pria was vague on the topic.
With what looked like maybe an hour or so before the sun would start shining into her window, Jadis disrobed and crawled back into bed. She did her best to forget the haunting weight in her heart as she pressed up to the cambion. She pulled her hair out of her face and tucked it back, trying to ignore the sweat that still covered her. For a moment she considered taking off the Gem, but decided to keep it on.
After learning about its true nature, she doubted she would ever take it off again.
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