Chapter 42: The Day After
Morning in the Slave Quarters was always a hectic time. Slaves scurried about in the narrow hallways, getting about their tasks or preparing to head up and serve within the upper levels of the Divine Throne. Despite the abundance of slaves, there were no taskmasters or supervisors. Every slave had their orders, and would be severely punished by the slave crest if they were tardy or disobedient.
I had things much easier than the typical slave, bound only by Father Ithris’ schedule. Fortunately, he had a tendency to sleep in, which gave me some leisure time each day. The morning after Soltair left, I awoke feeling clear and refreshed. Lying in bed, I hummed softly, recalling our conversation from before. I took a deep breath, inhaling what little remained of his scent and rose to prepare for the day.
My soul had recovered significantly, and the weakness threatening my body at least allowed me to move around, if slowly. As I laced up the back of my dress, my gaze fell on the nightstand, which was a luxury item Soltair smuggled in for me. There was a thin tome, one I scarcely remembered getting from the library. What was that for again? Curious, I walked over, taking care the movement didn’t incite anything from my injured soul, and picked it up. It was a spell, Life Dew. Why was that he-
My eyes widened as I recalled Selena’s request. The spell was fairly decent, as far as optimization went, which made her query rather strange. But, I’d promised her I could improve it within a few days, and hadn’t even started. I knew the spell by heart now, even used it during the duel, but there was still a lot of work to do.
A little flustered, I opened the tome and immersed myself in its contents. Lost in thought, I carelessly reached out for my mana, only to be jolted back by a searing pain in my soul. I scanned the spell again, and shook my head. Without seeing the spell in motion, I’d never be able to modify it, but perhaps-
I jumped as a loud knock reverberated around the room, causing my heart to race. I limped over to the door, holding onto the wall for support, and eased it open. Father Ithris stood in the doorway, looking as grumpy as ever.
"You’re here early," I said.
He glanced at me from head to toe. "You look terrible. Worse than usual, I mean."
I nodded, used to his bluster and held up the tome. "I’ve got to get to the training fields. Would you accompany me?"