Prolly after you finish with
Harry, actually, there will be a gentle tap
on your door.
She'll wrap the mirror
back up, put it back under the bed, and go
answer the door.
It's Ilie. "Cecily? May I
come in for a moment?"
"Sure, Ilie." She
gestures him inside.
He comes in, and stands
hesitantly by the door.
"Why don't you come in and
sit down?"
"Ah, no thank you. The chair
has a back. I'll stand."
"Right. So what's
up?"
"I wished to ask about your
safety from this demon-master who took you
earlier."
She goes over and sits on
the edge of her bed. "If we keep
moving, and Harry can effectively ward us, we should be okay." She
shrugs. "It depends on how badly this Kazor wants my brother to
reanimate
this Brand. He needs me as leverage against Harry."
He looks agitated by this. "I
think we are best away from here as soon as
possible."
She gives him an odd look,
but nods. "I agree. I want to get
everyone moving come dawn. I think Kazor was watching us using an
artifact, but Harry and I fixed that. So hoefully once we're on the
road,
he won't be able to track us, at least not so easily. Now we'll just
need
to keep my brother out of his way..."
Ilie nods, but its clear his
thoughts are not on Harry. "I will be right
outside your door tonight."
"Ilie, is everything
okay?"
"Of course not. I would not
have been called upon to leave my Eyrie were
everything ok."
"Right. Well, don't feel
the need to keep an eye on me, Ilie. I
think you've got enough to do keeping an eye on Stark."
"Stark is perfectly safe. No
one is after Stark, except Dragos." He goes
toward the door, but turns at the last moment. "I understand that you are
a very strong warrior, but it is clear that your enemies will rarely turn
to give you a straight fight."
Cecily gives him a long
look. "Point taken."
He returns it (inscrutably).
"It is not how I'm used to fighting either,"
he says after a moment. "Not that I have ever truly fought. War has not
come to my people since Dragos and I were children."
"It's not so much that,
Ilie. I'm used to the unfairness.
Demons don't fight fair as a matter of course. But Kazor, he's made it
personal. I mean, how am I supposed to protect Harry if I'm the very
thing that can be used against him? It's that part I don't deal with
well." She frowns.
"I meant magic, mostly. I don't understand that at all. But I see your
point..." He looks hesitant. "Perhaps we will have to think about this
problem with more treachery in our hearts."
"That won't be too hard,
the way Kazor is pissing me off," she
mutters.
He smiles suddenly. "Yes. I
will leave you to it."
She gives him another odd
look, but just shakes her head, smiling
slightly in return.. "'Night, Ilie."
"Good night, lady."