Demon Queened Ch. 08

"Understood." I did as Abigail instructed, channeling my magic through one of the new foreign imprints I had found within me. As the arcane energy flowed through me, it took on an unfamiliar shape; A form of wild magic that I never would have been able to cast before. It was a little thrilling.

There was something about the process I found peculiar, though. When I'd consumed Bailey's hairs, I'd more or less absorbed a tiny bit of her essence. I understood now that running my magic power through her essence, instead of my own, was what would allow me to duplicate the effects of her wild magic, at least to a limited degree. But the strange thing was, the essence itself was not arcane, or even mortal in nature. It was actually divine.

Of course, that isn't to say that it was holy magic. In the mortal realm, only the heroine and I could wield that, and even then, the heroine could only channel it, requiring an angel to actually generate it. The heroine simply used what my aunts in heaven provided.

So what was it that I was feeling? It was almost like a great power had passed through the core of Bailey's being, leaving an indelible mark in its wake.

Was that why wild magic could do what normal spells could not, despite using the same base energy? Was it really just arcane magic, shaped and empowered by this divine residue? And if so, was it perhaps possible to use the holy magic within me in order to achieve the same effect? I couldn't channel holy magic into the world without knowing the right words, but perhaps if I used it internally, I could convert my arcane energies into wild magic.

I wanted to experiment, but not with Bailey. This was magic to connect our minds, after all; if I tried homebrewing it, there was no telling what the effects might be. I'd have to experiment with potions at a later date.

For now, I pulled back on my magic and channeled it through the second node I'd discovered. Although it worked much the same way, it gave me a very different result. It wasn't just the shape of the magic that formed, but the feeling that it gave off. The first time I'd done this, it had felt warm and soft. This time it felt destructive. Perhaps this was the power found within her horn? I'd have to test it out later. For now, I channeled more of my magic through the first imprint, allowing a tendril of my power to slip out into the world.

"Now what?"

"Just press your magic against her head. If she lets you in, you'll know."

I nodded, doing as Abigail said. When I pressed my magic against Bailey's skull, I felt something pressing back; Another magic, probing mine. I didn't probe back, instead choosing to wait. After a moment, I felt a faint spark of energy running through my tendril of power.

Bailey? I thought, as loudly as I could. Can you hear me?

The response was almost instantaneous. I wasn't sure what Abigail meant about her being distant, as the signal I received was loud and clear. It wasn't actual words that flowed into my mind, though. It was a mix of sensations, emotions, and raw concepts. I felt her joy at being able to communicate with me and her desire for more head pats. I could also sense a deep wish to serve me.

Why? I asked, trying to convey the feelings of 'curiosity' and 'uncertainty'.

The response I got confused me, at first. Even after I managed to parse through the flood of images, feelings, and concepts, I wasn't sure how to respond. Bailey's image of me was simply too bizarre.

She saw me as strong. That much was true. She saw me as a leader - not technically incorrect. But she also saw me as being of mercy and kindness, at least if I was interpreting her messages right. Her "word" for mercy was a gentle, soothing sensation that chased away the pain, while kindness was conveyed through the pleasent sensations of a hand running through one's hair.

I took out your whole pack. I sent her images of the battlefield, and all that I had done.

But according to her, it was her pack's fault for attacking someone as strong as me. It was only natural, in her mind, that they had all been wiped out. A mistake on their part, nothing more, but in the wild a mistake was all it took to end a life. The fact that I'd spared even one of them showed my mercy. On top of that, I had taken the time to heal and wash her. She wanted to serve the strong leader who'd shown her such kindness.

How did you even get in that state, anyway?

Bailey whimpered faintly in response, and I could feel her hesitation. When I pressed though, she gave me her reluctant answer.

Apparently, the other wolves hadn't liked her very much. In fact, they'd abused her pretty heavily. They nipped at her whenever she took human form, forcing her to stay as a wolf. They wouldn't let her sleep with them, because she always changed in her slumber. They gave her only the barest scraps of food to eat, keeping her weak and dependant on the pack.

If they hated you so much, why did they even keep you around? The thought flashed through my mind, too quick to stop. I paled when I realized what I'd just transmitted, but Bailey didn't seem to mind. She simply responded with an image of an older wolf.

Who is that?

That elicited a stream of heavy emotions. Love, anger, sadness, and grief. Then came a stream of images, memories. A baby wolf, drinking from her mother's teat. That same wolf, older now, hiding behind her mother's legs as she growled at their leader. The mother sleeping with the leader, and bearing more children. The loss of that mother to the stress of birthing.

Without a word, I wrapped my arms around Bailey and pressed her head against my chest. She stiffened in surprise for a moment, but then leaned into the hug.

Perhaps it was for the best that Bailey's mother left this world before I took on the pack, but it was clear that Bailey still grieved her loss. It was a feeling I knew all too well.

But there was still one question I absolutely had to ask.

"Your mother... wasn't like us, was she?" I asked, speaking out loud for Abigail's benefit even as I conveyed the question to Bailey through our mental link. "She was a normal horned wolf?"

Abigail, gasped but I ignored her. My focus was entirely on Bailey. If my suspicions were true, it certainly answered my original question. She was with the horned wolves because she'd been born among them. But then there was the question of how? No demon had been born to a monster since ancient times. Since there weren't any written records of it, the very concept was still nothing more than a theory.

"Nor... mal..." Bailey whispered.

My eyes went wide. Not at the agreement, which was coming in clearly through our mental link, but at the word. It was likely the first such utterance Bailey had ever made. Her very first word. And from what I could sense, the wary look in her eyes was her trying to gauge my reaction.

"That's right," I confirmed, giving Bailey a gentle squeeze of encouragement. I smiled too, though I was careful not to show my teeth. I could only imagine that she'd interpret it as a wolf might: a sign of aggression. "Normal. Is that your first word?"

"Normal..." Bailey repeated, with increasing eagerness. "Normal. Normal! Normal!"

"Wait," Abigail interjected, kneeling down beside me and Bailey. The wolf girl glowered at Abigail for the interruption, but I stroked Bailey's hair encouraging her to calm down. "Was that a yes? Her mother was really a monster?"

"It would seem so," I affirmed. "It's quite the discovery if you think about it. Though I do wonder how it came about..." I shook my head, dismissing the thought. There were certainly demons who would love to study Bailey, but I had no intention of putting her through such scrutiny. Perhaps once she was able to speak for herself, and could establish proper boundaries, I would ask her if she'd mind an examination. For now, it would just have to remain an enigma.

"Oh, well. I suppose it's enough for now that we've settled the mystery. Who's hungry for breakfast?"

Abigail stared at me, mouth slightly open, black eyes wide with disbelief. "You want to eat breakfast? You just proved the origin of your people, and all you want to do is eat?"

"Unless you have a better idea, yes." I released Bailey as I spoke, standing upright. "I suppose I'll have Bailey shift back into wolf form for now. I'm really not looking forward to explaining the necessity of clothes to her..."

A thought on the subject was all it took. Instantly, fur began to sprout across Bailey's flesh, and her body started to shift. Her mouth pressed out into a snout, her chest turned broad and cylindrical, while her legs began to shrink inward and her fingers and toes melted into paws. Within moments I was staring not at a naked girl, but at a horned wolf.

"Aren't you at least going to tell someone?" Abigail demanded.

"I suppose I can tell Sylvanna when next we meet. Though I'm hoping to put that off for a while, now that I don't have to ask after the possibility of a horned wolf population in the tower..."

"Ah..." Abigail tensed with those words, letting slip a small noise before rapidly covering her mouth with a hand and turning her head away from me.

"...Abigail. Please tell me that reaction doesn't mean what I think it does."

"Well..." Abigail hesitated, before reluctantly turning her eyes toward mine. "Remember how I said Mifa and I were running around like crazy, trying to keep anyone from realizing you were gone?"

"I vaguely recall something of that nature, yes," I pushed aside the twinge of guilt I felt at that. I didn't expect to be gone so long, and I really hadn't thought it would be that big a deal. I'd have to be more careful on future excursions.

"Well, there miiiiight have been one person who figured it out," Abigail confessed. "By which I mean that there was definitely someone who figured it out."

"Sylvanna." I pressed my fingertips against my forehead, sighing loudly. I had never actually experienced a headache in this lifetime. I was fairly certain I was immune to such ailments in my current body, but today it seemed I'd be putting that to the test.

"She said she wanted to meet you as soon as you got back," Abigail continued "I put it off last night, considering... Well, everything. But if we don't go meet her soon, she'll probably force the issue."

"Fine. I'll go meet with her - after breakfast." Abigail opened her mouth to protest, but I raised a hand to stop her. "There's a dish from my past life that I've been dying to recreate, and I refuse to put it off a minute longer. Sylvanna can wait an hour, surely."

"She's not going to like it," Abigail warned me, shaking her head.

"Then we can both be unhappy about the meeting. Just like always." I walked past Abigail as I spoke, heading toward my closet. I knew that I was being contrary, irresponsible, and spoiled. It was obvious that I needed to meet Sylvanna as soon as possible. But I honestly didn't appreciate the way Sylvanna always talked down to me, and I had no intention of dealing with it on an empty stomach.

I heard Abigail sighing as I opened the closet door, but she still followed after me, helping me strip off clothes I'd been wearing for far too long. I desperately wanted a bath actually, but my stomach was demanding attention first. So I simply used a little magic to dispel all the dirt on me.

After that, I wasted no time heading out of the room. Bailey bounded forward, too, taking her place beside me even as I walked down the hall. Usually, I'd be headed to Abigail's house at that point. Her mother's kitchen was well stocked, and it was of a decent size. More than adequate for my cooking lessons. Fries took a lot of oil though, and I didn't wish to waste theirs. And I wanted a nice, thick tomato sauce besides. As such, it was in the royal kitchen that I would be making, and tasting, my fries.