Light of the Heavens

XLIII. Ink Promises

For the first time in a long time, Vassa woke up late. It was hard to tell at first with the windows covered, but the tolling of a bell in the distance marked the hour as almost midday. There was a second of panic when she felt limbs wound around her own, but just as quickly she remembered who was holding her.

Seben.

It was strange that even a name could make her feel safe, like a magic charm.

Currently, the fire-speaker was asleep as well, face pushed into her pillow, breathing deep and even. She twitched slightly every time Vassa ran fingers across her arm, but gave no sign of waking. With the hour, they would need to rise soon.

The thought of her plan to deal with Userkare's magic hit her, twisting like a knife in her stomach. She'd pushed it so far out of her mind before, but now with Seben vulnerable in her arms, she knew what she had to do. Lysaerys's ritual to drain the ward would be her guide, as gruesome as the cost might be. She'd altered and improved the glyphs where needed, but there was no guarantee of success without destructive risk. Still, it was worth it if she kept Seben safe. Vassa turned her head, brushing covered lips across Seben's neck. She needed the fire-speaker's help.

The young woman made a soft sound and shifted, eyes fluttering open. "That felt good," she mumbled, half awake.

Vassa's eyes shone with regret. "It is time to get up."

Seben pressed her face back into the pillow. "No." The words were muffled by fabric and padding.

It was adorable enough that Vassa forgot some of the heaviness as she propped herself up on one arm. She slid fingers down Seben's ribs and around to her back, drawing lazy patterns there with just a hint of her nails. There was no way the young woman would sleep through the touch on bare skin, not with little sparks of sensation sent by the magic flowing through Vassa's hand.

The young woman rolled over to face Vassa. "That's cheating." There was more heat than annoyance in her voice, eyes darker than they had been a moment before.

"It works," Vassa said innocently. "But if you are so intent upon sleeping, I suppose I shall just have to take my bath alone." As she spoke, her hand stayed in motion, now trailing a circle around Seben's navel.

"I can get up." Seben spoke so quickly that her words almost ran together. She sighed and shifted in the bed. "Though I suppose we'll have to be quick, if we're meeting with Masaharta this morning."

Vassa's lips tugged into a smile beneath her mask. "Perhaps."

Seben pursed her lips to hide a grin as she sat up. "Vassa, I feel like you have some very unchaste thoughts in mind. Aren't you supposed to be the responsible one?"

"Is that a no?" Vassa murmured beside Seben's ear even as she shifted to get out of bed, using the exact tone of voice she had applied to great effect over the course of the night. She felt the heat in Seben's cheek when she pressed a kiss there to punctuate her thought.

Seben tried to rally her composure. "You know I want everything with you."

Vassa slipped out of bed. "You might want to hurry, then. As you say, we have to speak with Masaharta."

The masked elf wasn't used to sharing a bath with anyone. Lysaerys had left her alone at such times, perhaps disinterested in that level of intimacy. Both she and Seben were very quickly distracted. The water was cold by the time they departed the bath, a dozen new memories of closeness etched into Vassa's perfect recall.

A knock on the door to Seben's quarters broke the reverie. It was still warded, so no one would be getting through without Vassa's consent.

They dressed quickly. Vassa borrowed one of Seben's shirts, which was big on her slim frame. The moment she had it on, Seben's arms circled around her from behind. "You look good in my shirt," Seben mumbed into her shoulder.