Ch 44 – My stubbornness has always been one of my better qualities, really. Right? Right!?

It took a moment before I was able to get my wits about me. Both Lilis and I were soaking wet, her hair far darker than the normal lighter brown it usually was. I managed to get to my feet and eyed the lush cavern I once again found myself in. It was exactly the same as it was before we stepped into the pool, except for one detail: the flowers along the roots of the tree were all gone.

“What was that?” I asked, scowling. “Was that all just a dream? Some kind of weird hallucination?”

I couldn’t accept that I’d somehow just randomly passed out. The thought was silly. But did Lilis even know of what I was referring to? Had she gone through the same thing I did?

“It was a trial,” she responded, meeting my gaze. “That was the thing I was forgetting earlier. The flowers are magical, of course. Both rare and quite potent. They give off spores that fill the air above the water, first causing hallucinations before bringing you fully unconscious. If I remember right, there’s conjecture that one of the gods created them, forcing anyone who seeks to acquire one to go through a trial of sorts in order to protect their creation.” She shrugged. “I’d have to read up on them more if we wanted to know further. That’s all I can recall off the top of my head.”

In truth, the fact that she could remember even that much about some random magical flower she’d never encountered before said a lot about just how studious the girl was. I couldn’t help but feel a tad impressed. Though it would have been far more helpful if she’d remembered all this before we strode into the water. It also somewhat explained why the healer wasn’t keen to gather them herself, instead sending me on the task.

As though reading my mind, Lilis continued, “Of course, we would have known all of this if we’d taken a little time to research them instead of foolishly rushing straight down here.” My roommate shook her head.

Right. Best to keep my thoughts to myself on this one.

“So what happened after you woke up? Were the flowers gone, or did you collect them?” I asked.

“My trial was quick, thankfully, or I might have drowned. You were lucky enough to fall on your back, so I was able to pull you out of the water. Then while I was waiting, I collected them.” She paused, apparently hesitant to say what was next. “You…didn’t wake up. Shaking you didn’t do anything at all, and after an hour, I was wondering if you were going to wake up at all. I wasn’t sure if I was up to pulling you up all those stairs out of here,” she admitted.

My brows creased. “How long was I out?”

“At least two hours, I think. Possibly as many as four. I’m not the best at estimating that sort of thing. I just know it's been quite a while.”

It hadn’t felt like it’d been that long at all, though dreams could be strange like that. Not to mention, fake Ruby was a right prick and had really dragged things out.

“If you’re feeling alright, we should get out of here before something else finds us down here,” Lilis said, and I wholeheartedly agreed.

I stared down at the pool of water one last time, getting a last glance at my reflection in it.

I couldn’t be sure, but I’d have sworn it winked.

Then we left. I had a lot to think about. Had I been truthful when I’d admitted to preferring being a woman over a man? As much as it pained me, I couldn’t deny that I enjoyed the change. And just the thought of choosing to stay a girl made my cheeks warm and my chest flutter in a way that being Gellin never did. I still wanted to become human again, but given the option, perhaps I could at least consider womanhood.

Of course, that was far easier said than done. The idea of asking the healer to help me stay a girl had my stomach sinking. And I dreaded what my father would think of the idea.

No, the fact was, staying a woman was probably out of the question, as enticing a thought as it was. I doubted that I could admit it to Lilis, even, despite her likely support.

“There’s something I need to tell you later,” the girl said, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I met her gaze and could see the reluctance and conflict in her eyes. I wasn’t the only one struggling with something, it seemed.

‘There’s also something we should speak about,’ whispered the demon’s voice in my mind.

I heard the thin and barely disguised layer of annoyance within her words and wondered what had caused it. Perhaps she was finally becoming fed up with me.

— — —

The forest around me teemed with life, still loud despite the presence of myself and several other “demons,” as many in our realm now called ourselves. The word had been taken from humans centuries ago, long before I was born. If you believed the older generations, it had been done as a laugh, yet had somehow lasted over the years as a simple way to refer to the many varying races of our realm. A week ago I would have considered the way humans viewed demons as a whole quite amusing, perhaps even cute. To them, we were all the monsters beneath their bed. Something to fear, and for those bold enough, use for their own purposes.

It was the crux of the problem I was facing. Not that humans were necessarily wrong to fear us, especially those of our realm who dared to defy the laws and cross between the realms through the crude holes that humans so enjoyed creating.

I shook my head, once more trying to distract myself from what I knew I had to do. I was too angry to have any kind of productive conversation right now.

Asphodel, the capital city, was much as I remembered it when I arrived the day before. Busy, noisy, and far too often, violent. I’d wasted no time in going right to the Sanctum, the priestess Hestia just behind me, while Nhlia found a place to settle for the night. Things didn’t go as well as I’d hoped.

They’d initially turned us down. I had to reveal my identity for them to even consider the summoning ritual. These things weren’t done often—not legally, at least. And despite now being a vyxa, Ruby wasn’t native to this realm. The discussion would have gone smoother if I had lied, though that would have presented its own set of problems.

Using my name and status to get my way wasn’t ideal. While I asked them to keep my presence here a secret, I doubted it would last. It was only a matter of time before my family eventually located me. I wasn’t ready to see my clan again. Just the thought of it filled my stomach with knots. I hoped to get this done as soon as possible: summon the vyxa and sever our mental connection, then leave.

High Priestess Hetkala had other ideas.

She insisted that the nearby forest must be cleared of dangers first, as that was where the ritual would be taking place. I couldn’t truly argue with her. If we were somehow swarmed on the way back to the city after the ritual, defending the little vyxa’s life might prove challenging if not impossible. Not to mention the additional dangers of the ritual itself. This was a safety measure that I knew the Sanctum Eternal members would insist on, no matter my status.

It was far too dangerous to do in the city, after all. There was always a chance that something would slip through from another realm, especially as the space between continued to thin over time. I was just glad a high priestess was overseeing this, rather than the arch priestess. It was certain to have complicated things even more.

I was covered in blood after a long day of scouting the forest around us and helping to slaughter anything remotely dangerous when the next bit of news was dropped on me. If I was annoyed before, now I was furious.

It took Nhlia barely a minute before she was there trying to console me with soothing words.

I yelled back, two arms on my hips and my wings flared up as my voice hissed and clicked out, “You don’t understand. You’re not the one who’s had the misfortune of dealing with her. This vyxa is stubborn. Far too stubborn for her own good. Nothing I can say will make her agree to it. Giving her a choice will make this whole thing a complete waste of time!” All four of my eyes glared deep into her.

When the high priestess casually mentioned that the vyxa would need to walk through the portal, I nearly came undone. No matter how much I argued with her, she refused to see reason, saying that she wouldn’t force the vyxa here against her will.

The portal would open, but Ruby would have to go through it by her own choice. Then once it closed, regardless of which side she was on, the rest of the ritual would activate and the mental link tying us together would unweave.

My heart sank at the thought of the little vyxa stuck in the human realm with me no longer able to help or locate her. She would be truly alone then.

I almost wanted to call off the latter part of the ritual. Almost. But keeping the link binding us together would only drive me mad.

Ruby would have to make her choice.

“Aren’t you usually one of the few in support of vyxa having more choices and independence?”

I hated that she had a point. “Yes,” I hissed. “But this time is different. Ruby is lacking the knowledge she needs to make a real decision here. She knows nothing about what would await her on the other side of the portal, only the silly stories that humans tell one another.”

“You’ve grown to care for her.”

My eyes narrowed. “I have not. I merely do not wish for all of this to be a waste. And regardless of my feelings, she does not deserve what the humans will eventually do to her.”

The meddling lizard shrugged. “Then you will have to find a way to convince her, I suppose.”

“It wasn’t that long ago that you were insisting a few whispers in her head would do little to change her mind.”

Nhlia grinned. “I’ve been known to be wrong from time to time. Surely you can make her understand that coming here is in her best interest.”

“I cannot,” I stated bluntly.

“If anyone can, I’m certain it is you, Flauri.”

I stared down at the impudent lizard, as though to impress upon her the sheer immensity and impossibility of such a task.

“Best of luck!” she cheered before giving me a pat. Then Nhlia slithered away, leaving me to somehow do the impossible on my own.

Feeling mired in frustration, I finally took off into the air. I needed to stretch my wings and think. It wasn’t normal for me to become so cross. I was typically quite cool-headed. Growing up, I had to be. Perhaps Nhlia was right and I was becoming far too attached to her. All of the vyxa’s thoughts and emotions bleeding through our link certainly wasn’t helping.

Only several hours later did my bitterness fade enough for me to land and speak with Ruby through our link. I could only hope that somehow, against all the odds, she would listen.