She collapsed onto her bed as she fell from the shadows. The cheap mattress springy enough to make her bounce slightly before she settled in place.
Outside the town was silent as the grave. The area had been evacuated as the authorities tried to search for the origin of the light that had illuminated half the globe. She’d remained, hidden by a simple but powerful ritual that had used up much of her remaining resources, so her presence was being overlooked, slipping away from the minds of those that observed her, but still she had to be careful. The Hallowed Sanctuary would ensure that the farmstead would appear uninhabited, but her own protection was far less assured.
Thinking of her actions made her lips curl. Infiltrating it had been more difficult than she had expected. And her expectations had been high indeed.
The Hallowed Sanctuary was not a spell to be taken lightly under the best of circumstances, and as things stood she was far from her best. Certainly, she had been able to slip into it using her intimate knowledge of some of its hidden flaws, but it had been taxing, taxing in the extreme.
Still, it had been worth it! And not simply because it finally let her talk to Adam face to face. A small smile spread across her face as she thought about how the young man that she was placing so much hope on had changed. Yes, his Awakening might have been flawed, but it had certainly treated him kindly in other ways. She doubted he knew just how much his looks had been changed by his divine blood, but she imagined it might be fun to watch as he learnt.
Her smile grew less kind and more playful as she remembered the sight of him leaning back on his bed, his white wings half spread around him, and all those delicious new muscles of his all clearly on display for any to see. Lust might never have been her principal sin, but even so she’d found her pulse beginning to hasten at the sight before her. She hoped that the young demigod would prove to be as powerful as she hoped he would be, for mortals of such beauty who lacked the power to determine their own courses in life often found themselves helpless at the whims of the gods whose eyes they caught.
She knew he’d be strong, but how strong . . . ? That thought started to grow but was overshadowed as she shifted her weight and her muscles screamed in protest. The pain was a reminder that her body was still protesting the payment her magic had demanded of it, she should really do something about that. Biting back another wince of pain she rolled over onto her back and reached out to the bag that she’d put on the chair next to the bed. Sharp aches ran along her arm, but after a bit of groping about inside the bag she found the small vial she was looking for. Sitting up, she gingerly opened the small bottle and poured a small measure into her free hand, then started to rub the oil onto her aching limbs.
Relief came quickly as the oil was absorbed into her skin and muscles, its ingredients serving to alleviate the strain of having had to channel so much of her magic through her flesh. As she stripped her clothes off, so she could work on her bare arms and shoulders, she couldn’t help but be amused at her predicament. The amount of magic that she could call upon was pathetically paltry compared to what she had once wielded, and yet even such a small quantity was still too much for her flesh since she was unable to channel it in the correct manner. It was just one obstacle after another.
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Having completed her arms and shoulders she slipped off her trousers and began to work on her legs. As she did so her fingers reached the makeshift bandage that covered a certain spot on her upper thigh, and her movements slowed a bit. Carefully avoiding the bandage, she finished massaging her legs before laying back on her bed again. She stayed like that for a moment, then with a sigh sat up once more. A small wince crossed her face at the sharp ache that the motion caused, but she ignored it as she carefully undid the cloth wrap.
The last of her good humour drained out of her as she inspected the revealed patch of scales that had taken the place of her skin. The skin about the patch was reddened and slightly inflamed, even though it wasn’t causing her pain, but the redness highlighted the snow-white scales. Even worse was that the patch had grown in size since the last time she’d examined it. What had once been the size of her little fingernail was now the size of the first joint of her thumb.
Biting back the curses that sprung to mind she reached back into her backpack and pulled out a small, wrapped package barely larger than a small cigar. Carefully undoing the silk cords that bound it shut she unfolded it to reveal a glittering white powder, one just as white as the scales that now marred her skin. Taking a small pinch, she gritted her teeth and forcefully rubbed the powder onto the scales.
There was an audible sizzling sound as the scales seemed to dry up and crack under the powder. The edges of the patch grew brittle and broke, leaving skinless flesh behind, from which a steady flow of blood began to trickle. Rubbing the last of the powder in she reached down and picked up the discarded bandage, using it to dab at the trickle of blood until it finally stopped. As she did so more and more of the scales broke off and flaked away until the size of the patch was reduced to barely half of what it had been, the patch now surrounded by bloody and bare flesh.
Taking out a fresh set of bandages that she’d bought earlier she started to wrap the wounded area up again. As she did so she couldn’t help but glance over at the open package and note how there wasn’t much of the powder left. Assuming she used the same amount each time, then she had enough for four or five more uses, at the very most.
“Damn it!”
She couldn’t help but allow the curse to slip out as she tied the ends of the bandages together, wincing slightly as it put pressure on the injury. She should have expected this, she should not have been caught by surprise. With the amount of magic she’d used to meet Adam it should have been perfectly expected for this to act up. With all the constraints she was being forced to function under, was it any wonder that their growth had begun to exceed her ability to control it?
She was walking a tightrope, that was the simple truth. But did she have any choice in the matter? Adam was her only chance to make her plan work, but she couldn’t gain access to him without taking the very steps that were endangering her.
Suddenly, she felt tired, the whole situation bearing down on her as she was reminded of how precarious her position was. All she could do was keep on advancing and hope that she would be able to achieve her ends before things came crashing down upon her.
She hoped that Adam would not require further aid with sparking his magic. As things stood, she wasn’t sure she could afford to circumvent the Hallowed Sanctuary any time soon.