Demoness 2 - Chapter 44 - At the Watch (Patreon)

Yolani let out a weak groan as consciousness returned to her slowly.

A scent of cinnamon infiltrated her senses. Her head and ears were cradled on something soft and warm.

Her whole body felt light, like she was on a cloud, and waking up felt like the last thing in the world she wanted to do.

Recent memories caught up to her quickly, though, and she cracked an eye open.

The sleeping angel was a sight to behold. Little lines of glittering light trailed out of her hair and down to reach the protective wings that were wrapped around the entire bed.

She realized the soft, warm thing she was laying her head on was Elania’s lap.

The rhythmic breathing told her that the other girl was fast asleep, and she didn’t want to wake her, so she stayed still and enjoyed the moment.

Somehow she nodded off again to sleep a little longer...

Until the urge to pee interrupted and she didn’t have a choice.

Elania’s eyes came open the moment she moved, and she pulled back her wings. “Feeling better?”

Yolani nodded. “Yeah. I think so.”

“You were out for a while,” Elania said. “The medic said it was soul exhaustion. You were healed multiple times in quick succession.”

Yolani winced. They had figured out what Lightbringer West had done to her. “I’m sorry.”

Light flared in the room as Elania’s eyes lit up like golden lamps while her wings flickered out. “You’re sorry for what they did? I’d kill them, but I can’t a second time...”

Yolani shivered at the intensity of the declaration. She wasn’t sorry for what they did, but for the worry and trouble she caused... but maybe that was the same thing.

The anger in Elania’s eyes evaporated into something more vulnerable, and then she leaned in to crush her in a hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay, Lani.”

Yolani hugged her back.

They stayed like that for a moment before Elania pulled back and wiped her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m not supposed to be like this.”

“What do you mean?” Yolani asked.

“Emotional. It weakens this form for some reason. I’m not sure why,” Elania said. “And right now, I’m worried about returning back to human.”

Yolani stood up. “Sorry, I need to...” She made a gesture to the corner of the room and Elania nodded and turned her back.

That didn’t stop the explanation for what had happened during the last day or so since she had passed out.

The Watch had been in a state of chaos when they had arrived, and the guards had been in the process of fortifying the Watch’s Citadel and administrative buildings when they had arrived. The Lightbringers had secured the noble district somehow, and Magister Roland was dead.

Magister Keswick wanted them transferred to the Magistry immediately, for Elania’s divinity. Gaston had informed Bannon of what she’d discovered about consuming the monks, and the three remaining Magisters had been very interested in that.

The Monks seemed to be attempting to re-bridge across the chasm to their district from their fortress, but several cannon attacks had put a stop to any bridge building.

There had been no progress in restoring the Guards’ telepathy channels, and the Lightstones were definitely stuck on their daylight setting for the duration.

It was a lot to take in, and it was impossible to not feel a little overwhelmed.

Finished, Yolani turned around. “All that, and they have you locked in here with me?” She gestured toward the window, which had bars instead of glass.

Elania’s eyes slid to the window, a small frown appearing. “We’re not prisoners. I think those are more for our protection, rather than to keep me from flying out... Like, what if ninja monks or something climbed up here? The bars might help.”

Yolani blinked. She was never sure what was going on in the Earth girl’s head. But thinking about it a little harder, she was probably right. If Elania had wanted out, she probably could just remove the wall.

“Besides, I told Magister Bannon to stick his boot up his ass and that I was staying with you until you were better,” Elania added.

A slight heat filled her cheeks, and Yolani looked away. Sometimes the things her friend said made her feel good, but they were very, very wrong.

Wait. No. There was nothing wrong with her friend wanting to make sure she was fine. Friends did that, right? Just friends. Good friends.

Her eyes slid down to Elania’s legs, and the memory of how nice it was to sleep on her lap made her cheeks heat back up. Okay, still nothing wrong with that either.

Like sharing a bedroll on a cavern run. Totally platonic and normal.

The flick on her forehead hurt. “Owh! What was that for?”

“Are you sure you’re okay? Did you hear what I asked?” Elania said.

Yolani blinked. “Uhh, no. I was just, uhh, thinking about things.”

“Magister Bannon asked us to come see him and help with things once you woke up. If you’re feeling up to it, we can get ready and go see what’s happened in the meantime,” Elania explained.

Yolani nodded and then looked at the folded clothes. Then herself. She wasn’t dirty at all despite all the debris and... stuff they’d climbed through. Now that she noticed, Elania wasn’t dirty either. “Did you wash us up?”

Elania’s face turned red, and her wings disappeared completely. “Uh. Not exactly. The seraph aura thing just tends to... clean things. On its own. I think. Uhh... your body is a temple and all that.”

What? Yolani blinked. The first part made sense, but she didn’t follow the rest of it. Another Earth thing? She nodded anyway. “Okay. I’ll get dressed and we can go.”

Elania shot up and headed for the door. “I’ll give you some privacy!”

Yolani stifled a giggle and rolled her eyes at the how fast Elania had moved. Really, she didn’t get it at all. She was just changing her clothes.

The way she was acting was cute, though.

Like an embarssed boy who liked her.

Her hand froze halfway to the pile of clean clothes.

Like a boy who liked her.

No. That was definitely impossible. She’d seen Elania naked before; and there had been more than a few times they’d been pressed together in a tight spot. Elania was definitely a woman.

Why did she feel a little disappointed at that?

It took her twice as long as it should have to get the clothes on. They weren’t anything really special, a unisex shirt and pants that needed a belt to stay up. Perfect for general Guard use, but not really tailored or fit for her.

What they needed was to get back to the shop and get their own things. When she stepped out of the room, Elania was waiting with her wings back in existence and fitted around her like a cloak.

That was probably the only way they really fit in the hallway, now that she thought about it.

“All good?” Elania asked.

Yolani nodded. “Let’s go see the Magister. I want to know what’s going on. Do you... do you think the shop is alright?”

Elania frowned. “There is a lot of damage in the Artisan district, but from what I could see, I don’t think it touched Artifice Row. I think it’s okay.”

Yolani nodded. “Good. I hope so.”

“You want to go back there?” Elania asked.

“We need to get some things for sure... I need my wands. Do we have any mana shards left?” Yolani asked.

Elania winced. “I... used all of them up in the rescue. Also... A bunch of those wands might be destroyed. Or, well, sitting in the abyssal lake now.”

Yolani’s heart sank, but only for a second. There were so many things that she’d still be able to use, and it was very unlikely Elania had lost all her wands; they wouldn’t have fit in a single pack.

“There is one mana shard I got from Magister Bannon. It’s a medium-strength one. It’s enough for me to use as a repository for excess [Power], but it’s almost empty,” Elania continued.

“I don’t think we’ll be getting shipments of chickens for a while. I should set your essence draw higher,” Yolani said.

Elania glanced at her and nodded as they continued down the empty hallway. “That’s a good idea. I have been churning through [Power] really fast. This form is using at least ten times as much just to maintain itself.”

Yolani eyed the glowing cloak around Elania’s shoulders. “Well, it’s pretty showy.”

A guard on patrol turned the corner and came to a surprised halt when he spotted them. It looked like he was frozen with indecision, not knowing whether or not to raise an alarm.

“Don’t I know it,” Elania muttered.

It took a few words before the guard calmed down and then confirmed that the Magister was in his office with several other officers organizing the defenses. They continued that way, and Yolani couldn’t help but think they were out of their depths.

That wasn’t anything new...

When the door to the Magister’s office opened, and Keswick and Bannon dropped their conversation with several other men to focus on Elania, that feeling only intensified.

“So, have you figured out what’s going on in the Noble district yet?” Elania asked.

Yolani tensed at the question. Here were two people who had been essentially the supreme rulers of the city for longer than she had been alive.

Maybe they hadn’t done a great job, but it wasn’t too long ago that their word was essentially law.

And Elania was the one asking them questions. Demanding them.

The thing that surprised her the most, though, was that they actually answered her.