(The Woman’s POV)

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Thus, we continued to walk away from the cave that served me and the turncloak scum as a temporary shelter for the last few days. We walked for the better part of the morning through the dense and misty forest. Although it was almost summer, the forest was as cool as an early spring day. The trail we were taking provided an easy walk but it was still hard to keep walking on the uneven forest floor with my hands tied.

All along the walk, just like the damned thing said, I tried to school my mind and organize my thoughts constantly in the fear of thinking something that may offend it unintentionally. At first, I tried meditation but it proved to be a futile endeavor during a walk on the treacherous forest floor. Then I tried to visualize the images of erk and recite the words of erk but it only served me to think more and more about the thing that was walking on my back. Later, I tried to recite the names of the sixty-five thousand five hundred and thirty-six celestial bodies from memory to occupy my mind. Not that I could recall more than thirty or so. Well… Maybe twenty… All my efforts lasted just a little bit more than the better part of the morning until embarrassingly, all devolved into counting rhymes and lullabies. At last, I was praying to every god and goddess, bright and dark, high and low alike to help me, and save me from my predicament.

But whatever I did, I always thought of either something that the damn thing shouldn’t learn or something that I shouldn’t have known in the first place. In the end, I just gave up trying. The more time we spent together the more it would learn anyway and there was absolutely nothing I could do to prevent it. I really had no idea about the things it was doing in my head and its limits, but I couldn’t help feeling absolutely defeated. Thus, guilt and regret…

I was greedy, too greedy in the first place. Why try to capture something that can blast someone with a single glance and even can use purple flames in the first place? Was I that desperate? Well, apparently I was… Sadly, I was still that desperate, even more so but only this time I was desperate to live instead of gaining merits by trying to contract an actual demon.

‘The betrayal of the scum really did a number on me, isn't it? I would have never tried to pull something like that in my right mind. I simply should have left the damn thing for dead in the first place.’

During the walk, I thought about the daggers inside my undergarments many times. But each time, I removed the idea in utter despair and defeat. They were bandaged with gauze, one to the upper front, the other to the lower back. One in my fork and the other in my crack… So, as long as it doesn’t keep its eyes on me I could get the one on my back even if my hands were still tied on the back. But I didn’t think that the damn thing would be that naive even just for a moment.

‘What about when we stopped?’ I thought again for the umpteenth time involuntarily. ‘It may untie me and even if it doesn’t, I can easily get a hold on both of the daggers. But then what? Fighting against a mind-reading demon in human skin with only two mundane stilettos?’ There was only a slim chance that it could work. ‘If only I could lead it to some sort of trap or an ambush.’

'There goes not thinking something that can get me killed again I guess.' I was the guide thus I was the one leading, taking it anywhere I want as long as it was high ground. ‘So what?’ I removed that idea too as quickly as it came into my mind for the third time just in the last ten steps.

I had no one in this damned place anyway. Not anymore... The only way to pull it was to rule the thing towards some remote village or encampment and incite locals against it, hoping that it was not strong enough to slaughter dozens if not hundreds, including me. Alas… Although not showing any form of reaction, I was absolutely sure that it was still reading my thoughts even now. How did I know? Well, that would have been what I was doing if I were in its place. There was simply no way. At least for now…

After a while, my stomach started to grumble, which reminded me of the breakfast that I have skipped. Knowing that the damn thing couldn’t have been better than me, at least made me feel good somehow. It was unconscious from the late afternoon yesterday to the morning today and didn’t have any breakfast just like me. ‘ It must have been starving now.’ I thought, then a single question blasted my mind.

‘What does a demon in human skin eat?’ The answer was obviously… Young and tender girls!’ Thus, I lost it all over again. ‘Did it spare me only to keep as fresh travel rations? Oh my…’ Again there was the guilt and regret, this time with absolute terror all the way. Apologizing over and over in my mind in case it was listening my thoughts. 'With this, it must have been at least ten apologies.'

After an unknown amount of time spent in terror and silence, I finally heard its icy voice in my mind again. ‘What happened to Ponytail?’

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The question was so abrupt that I couldn't adapt at first. My mind froze as I missed my step only for it to grab and hold me to spare me from another fall.

'Ponytail?’ I thought for a moment after collecting myself. ‘Is it talking about the Coquet? Why does it call him Ponytail? Is it spiteful because its hair is short? Wait! Do demons care about honor in the first place?’ was only the first couple of things that came to my mind and it only spiraled for the worse after that. Thus I cursed myself again. ‘Yeah, just cuss the damned thing over and over again so that it eats you alive not later but right now, idiot.’

“Died!” I answered without wasting any more time. “You killed him.” I followed and couldn't help but think ‘Not that I don't appreciate. Only if I didn't save you just to be get eaten later.’

In the end, I was my own worst enemy. Even now, when my life depends on it I just couldn't help but think about the things that are guaranteed to enrage the only thing in the immediate vicinity that can grant me a long and painful death.

‘Why were you fighting with him yesterday?’ It asked again with a nonchalant tone only a few moments after we have resumed walking as if my suffering has nothing to do with it.

‘I was only defending myself. He and his dogs were the ones that attacked us first.’ I thought my answer, lying through my teeth without any shame. ‘Is it lying through my teeth or my mind when I am not even talking in the first place?’ However, my real thoughts were more honest. ‘We were greedy, too greedy, and bit more than we can chew even before my stupid attempt on you.’

Even if it did care, it didn't show any sign of it. Its focus was on somewhere else completely. It only asked ‘You?’ but the meaning was obvious. It was still vigilant for the nonexisting pursuit of my party members. Maybe that was the reason why I was still alive. It may be thinking to use me as a hostage just in case.

‘Me and my former comrades.’ I answered truthfully this time, then added ‘Two young men.’ before it even asked. There was simply no way that it wasn't going to ask anyway.

It remained silent for a few moments then asked ‘Why did you attack them?’ coldly again. I don't know why it felt cold in the first place but it was simply like that. Whenever he talked to my mind I just felt cold inside my head.

Everyone always told me that I was too naive to give too much detail back in the okul but I always thought that it was my way of showing sincerity to tell those things and here I was, being interrogated by something that can take everything out of my mind even when I lied. It felt cold. Cold and vulnerable like being all naked, out in the open on a white winter day.

‘Their okul and ours are on bad terms.’ I answered simply but it remained silent. Thus I gave the necessary details. ‘We are more than rivals but less than enemies. It is like there is an undeclared war between the two okuls.’

It didn't ask why. But even if it did I couldn't have answered. ‘Why were we killing each other if not for the resources and merits?' I thought. It was not like they were the only okul that we were competing for resources anyway. But only with them, we were this hostile.

But one more time, its focus was on something entirely else. ‘What is that word you repeat over and over again?’ It asked catching me completely off guard.

Its way of thinking was simply too alien to me. It didn't care about me openly lying to its face, or talking about killing each other for resources or merits. It didn't care when I thought about escaping or even killing it, but here it was, asking about my choice of words instead. ‘Which word?’ I asked in anxiety. ‘The last one.’ it answered. “Okul?” I asked aloud this time, puzzled, and ‘Yes. What does that mean?’ it confirmed.

Now, I have no idea what should one expect from an otherwordly demon but this was not one of them. ‘Sect, order, or simply school depending on the context.’ I answered its question without thinking further.

It didn’t ask anything about that later. Instead, it asked other things from time to time during the long walk. It asked about the terrain, weather, and wildlife first then plants and animals. It asked about nearby hills, lakes and rivers, settlements, communities, and roads towards them. It asked what is edible and what is not, which water sources are safe to drink and which are not.

It asked about the trade. ‘How do you trade?’

‘Using money?’

Then it asked about money. ‘What kind of money is there?’

‘Coins?’

Naturally, it asked about coins too. ‘What kind of coins are there?’

‘There are crowns and scepters and swords.’ I answered groaning inside.

It asked about anything and everything it saw and then some more. ‘Is it close? Is it common? Is it clean?’ Even vermin didn't escape from its curiosity ‘Is it dangerous? Is it poisonous? Can it fly?’ and more often than not, it wanted me to answer those questions aloud.

When it started to ask about the head and hand gestures though, I was convinced that it knew absolutely nothing, completely alien. It was trying to learn through me so that it can blend better within this world and its people.

‘May Yaren forgive me for helping a demon to spread its carnage and felony due to my cowardice.’

Some of the things it asked were easier to understand and reason, some were harder and some of them were simply crazy. One thing though, it never talked aloud, almost making me question my own sanity for answering phantom sounds in my head. More importantly, it never answered any questions. Not even let me ask them. Everything was crystal.

It was the one asking questions and it was adamant about that.