The next morning, we shared a breakfast of fruit with our hosts. I wore my dress again, wrinkles be damned. I liked the way my claws clacked on the cool sandstone floors, but still dreamed of shoes to complete the look. Heels would be fun, but I already had to duck a little under doorways—not counting my horns.

“Isidore?” I asked between bites. “What happens to the souls that don’t break into demons? The Church of Dhias always taught that heaven awaited the righteous, but so long as you were not truly evil, you would be reincarnated. Evil souls went to hell, which I guess isn’t entirely wrong? How much of that is true?”

Isidore looked up from his notes and adjusted his glasses. “That is an interpretation of what I believe happens. I know precious little of angels compared to demons, but I do presume that, under certain circumstances, a soul may move on to the angelic realm to become an angel. The others I believe are reincarnated through a method only the gods know.”

“That really doesn’t sound that far from the truth. Like an absolute interpretation.” I glanced out the window at the idyllic country scene of farm fields and neat houses.

“Indeed.” Isidore followed my gaze.

“Why do demonic and angelic bloodlines exist if demons and angels are born of the souls of the departed outside the material plane?” Seyari asked.

“That’s something I’ve been trying to find an answer to for decades,” Isidore replied with a sigh.

“Some demons can have kids with mortals, and some can’t,” Lilly chimed in. “Usually only greater demons can.”

“What about when traits show up in families that don’t otherwise have them?” I thought far, far back to the child with demonic traits from my neighborhood when I was young.

“That, I do know,” Isidore replied with a hint of pride. “Demonic traits are not only hereditary, but are often atavistic. You may see unusual eyes, horns, or even something like a tail, generations down the line.”

“These traits have no effect on the individual’s mindset, right?” Seyari asked.

“That depends on your understanding of innate versus learned behavior. I’m no psychologist, but how we are treated as we grow and mature certainly affects how we view the world—”

“You’re being pedantic again, love,” Lilly cut off her husband. “What he’s trying to say is that, no, mortals with demonic or angelic blood don’t act like demons or angels any more than anyone else. But they do often have affinities for magic commonly associated with their bloodline’s aspect.”

I thought back to the Church’s treatment of those with demonic traits. Placed under suspicion for something that had nothing to do with them. I hadn’t ever heard of demonic magic users. Did the Church hide them or something?

“Lilly?” I asked. “Are there people with demonic magic? What even is pure demonic magic?”

“Demonic mana changes other kinds of aspected mana. It doesn’t have a pure form on its own outside the background mana of the demonic plane. Angelic mana, however, can be used purely. And no, dear, I have no idea why that is.”

I looked to Isidore, but he shook his head. “I used to teach magic theory, but I moved to demonology and haven’t looked back. I probably have a basic book you could read, if you really want to.”

“I do!” I replied excitedly.

“I’ll look for it then. If I don’t find it on my shelf, it should be in the room you two are sharing.”

I nodded. Talking about magic made me think of demon summoning. “Isidore, how do mages summon demons?”

Isidore took a moment to reply. “That’s… complicated. There are many theories for how demons end up in the material plane, and various summoning rituals seem to make use of disparate and conflicting ideas. If I had to pick a common method, I’d say find a location where the demonic plane is, hmm, ‘close’ is an acceptable word, to the material plane and try to bridge that gap somehow.”

“Bridge that gap how?” I asked.

“Well, you see—”

“Darling, don’t bore our guests with theory!” Lilly cut him off.

Seyari eyed Lilly suspiciously at her sudden insistence.

“I’m fine hearing the theory!” I interjected excitedly.

Unfortunately for all of us (except Isidore), Lilly really seemed to have been trying to protect us. Tedious demonic and planar theory consumed the rest of the morning.

I won’t claim to have understood anything, but Isidore’s favorite theory was that when the planes got close enough, some unknown effect allowed demons to just sort of “tunnel” from one plane to the other. What type of tunnel this was apparently defied definition. At least a definition I could understand.

I did learn a few more useful things, however.  Demonic bodies are created from mana and while they are flesh and blood, their origin is one reason for their regenerative abilities. Magic in general disrupts this, and holy magic severely disrupts this, hence their weakness.

Additionally, I found out not all demons required food and drink, and could feed on ambient mana, or emotions instead. Isidore talked about emotions generating mana that wasn’t mana but was also mana and at that point I lost the plot. All I knew was that I wasn’t from hell and needed to eat.

Oh, and when Lilly managed to sneak a word in on the side, I learned that my human transformation was very uncommon among wrath demons as they usually abandoned humanoid forms entirely, let alone have a dynamic transformation like a lust demon. Although mine was limited to a single form. Y’know, me.

Lilly also told me what I had now was a transformation as opposed to a glamour. The lack of pressure I felt from trapped limbs wasn’t purely mental. The Sovereign of Lust also warned me that certain beings and magics could tell I was transformed, or even force me to revert to my normal form.

Thinking more about wrath demons, I thought back to how Verrux looked. He’d looked pretty humanoid. I wondered what his story was, and lamented that I’d never know. I didn’t bring this up with Lilly. As nice as she seemed to be, I really didn’t want to trust her too much.

Eventually, the conversation ended. Isidore had gotten very involved in his passion and Lilly had seemingly used her own abilities to direct that energy… elsewhere. The end result was an apologetic lust demon dragging her husband off to their room.

Seyari and I excused ourselves quickly and took the chance to get out of the house and explore the town of Sandmeadow.

I asked the first person we saw if the town was really called “Sandmeadow”.

To my immense disappointment, it was. Then, I asked them how the town got its name. They shrugged the question off, and seemed confused when I pressed the issue.

I probably would have overlooked a small detail like that had the situation I found myself in been anything other than normal. Here, however, I worried Lilly may not have been entirely honest about the extent the people of Sandmeadow were manipulated.

We wound our way to the small market square. We both received a lot of smiles and waves, which lifted my mood immensely, but the worry at the back of my mind grew. Seyari too, looked nervous by the time we decided to put together a late lunch from the market’s food.

There was a surprising variety on sale. We asked about the origins and received noncommittal answers about ‘importing’. We asked a few more people about the town’s origins and its location. Those answers, at least in a general sense, seemed to match what Lilly said. The people of Sandmeadow understood they were in the southern desert of Navanaea. However, no one seemed willing to talk about details.

Seyari and I shared a look and moved to quickly finish our shopping.

“Do you know Lilly?” A stall owner asked me after we purchased some sausages.

“Why do you ask?” I countered as politely as I could. I wanted to dig for information.

“Oh! I didn’t mean to offend you, miss. It’s just, well, you share certain similarities with Lilly, so I wondered if you might know her from outside Sandmeadow.”

“No offense taken. I’m her guest, not a relative, so I guess that’s true? What’s similar about us?”

“Nothing, I suppose. Just that we don’t see many folk like you, and the ones we do see tend to work for Lilly. Sorry for presuming.”

“Folk like me?” I asked.

“Demonkin, right?” The woman replied, confused

“…Yes. And I accept your apology,” I replied, then turned to leave.

The woman looked confused for a moment before she waved us off. Seyari and I walked to a well-maintained park and sat at an outdoor table to eat. The ground of the park was rocky, but carefully cultivated desert shrubs and small trees created enough greenery to cheer up the atmosphere.

This also meant the table was partially shaded. Seyari sat on the cooler side. Instead of moving opposite her, I plopped down next to her and looked over with a smile. She returned it after a moment.

“I’m surprised the bench can take your weight,” she commented while unpacking our lunch.

“Hey!” I replied with fake indignance. The bench had creaked in protest when I sat down.

“So, what do you think about the people here?” Seyari asked.

“I’m worried they’re more manipulated than Lilly said they were. I’d bet Lilly told them about ‘demonkin’.” I paused to think for a moment. “But they could also just be secretive to outsiders.”

Seyari bit into a bright desert fruit I didn’t recognize. “Hmm. I’d bet they’re under more charm magic, too.”

I almost asked what we should do about it, but I stopped myself. Lilly invited me here. I could make the decision. “I think we can trust Lilly to help us as long as it helps her. If she can do magic like this, I know I personally have no idea how to combat it. I don’t like everything she’s done here, but the people don’t seem totally out of sorts and I can’t say the illusions and wards wouldn’t keep them safe.”

“Do you think they need all this protection?” Seyari asked.

“I—” I paused to think about what Lilly said with regard to her and the other Sovereigns. “I don’t think they need protection from Navanaea. I think she’s hiding from the other Sovereigns, or at least one of them.”

Seyari nodded. “I think so too. Do you think it’s worth the risk to associate or ally with someone like Lilly who may have enemies more powerful than she is?”

I thought back to Lilly’s aura. We could be painting a massive target on our backs by doing this. I already knew the Church was after us. Would I want to make enemies of the other Sovereigns? Did I even have the option not to at this point?

I took out the sausages and speared a couple on my claws. With a quick pull on my magic, I cooked them through. I’d had so much practice cooking my catches during my years as a castaway that I knew I wouldn’t burn them. I offered one to Seyari and she took it.

I swallowed a bite and spoke up. “We don’t know very much about Lilly, but I don’t think she’s purely malicious. If what they said about me is true—which I feel like it is—I think I’ll be dragged into demonic politics one way or another. At the same time, she has to understand my own relative weakness. I’ll not ally with her openly yet, but I’m willing to work with her.”

“Hmm,” Seyari replied wordlessly.

“Well, what would you do?” I asked.

“I wouldn’t commit to anything and run far, far away as soon as I could,” Seyari answered easily.

“Wouldn’t that attitude eventually catch up to you?” I finished the sausage and tilted my head.

Seyari shrugged “Yeah.”

I gave her an odd look.

Seyari continued, “I didn’t say what I’d do would be the right thing. My past is finally catching up to me after all these years, anyway. However, I do think we’re in no position to do anything against Lilly right now.”

I sighed. “You’re right about that. Good thing I don’t want to go against Lilly right now. I’m not going to tell her everything, of course.”

Seyari nodded, “I didn’t think you would.”

I thought of my Name. No way I’d ever share that, except maybe with Seyari. At the same time, I burned with a desire to know more about its origin and the history of my island. I’d go back some day. Perhaps I’d take Tania with me.

“We should probably go back,” Seyari said.

I nodded.

We stood up and headed back through town to Lilly and Isidore’s home. We had enough ingredients for a good dinner and I’d a few more things I wanted to ask Lilly. I also wanted to spend some time with that magic book. Self-taught as I was, there’d doubtless be something I could learn from it.

***

The rest of the day was pleasant. Almost unnervingly so, after all I’d been through these past few years. I’d liken it to the night I spent in Port Princely, but the two were really incomparable. Not just because of my newfound acceptance of self, but the half-angel I was growing ever closer to.

Conversation had been mostly light, and Lilly had kept her remaining secrets to herself. Thankfully, she granted me the same courtesy without much prompting.

I had learned a small bit more about my homeland, in what was now the semi-autonomous Kingdom of Edath. Apparently, it was ruled by King Carvalon. I wondered how on Varra that vapid man had managed to make that massive leap from Lord of Linthel to King. Something was off, and I worried he might have had a hand in what happened the night I died. The civil war had started not too long after what was now known as the Great Linthel Fire. Lilly didn’t know anything more specific than that. More than anything, I was worried about Tania.

Then Seyari brought up the Lost Era.

“That was before my time,” Lilly replied evenly. “Before my predecessor’s time. I don’t know much. What I do know is: Lost Era ruins are scattered across Varra, their societies were similarly advanced to our own, and the Navanaean practice of summoning comes from knowledge once hidden in this very desert.”

Lilly ticked the items off on her fingers.

I thought back to the stone cathedral where I had gotten my title and Name. I thought about the figure, statue, and murals. That had to be my predecessor. But what about the other Sovereigns of Wrath between us? The last one Lilly had mentioned clearly wasn’t my predecessor. I felt it dangerous to give any information to Lilly, but I wanted to fish for answers.

“Were Sovereign Demons different during the Lost Era?” I asked a probing question.

Under the table, Seyari deftly stepped on my bare foot with the metal edge of her boot. I coughed to hide my grimace.

Lilly smiled at me, looking for all the world a chipper and excited historian. “Nope!” My heart sank and the Sovereign of Lust held up a finger and leaned in close, pushing her glasses up her nose. “But! There’s a lot we don’t know about that time period.”

“Okay,” I nodded slowly. “Can Sovereigns inherit out of order?”

“What do you mean?” Lilly tilted her head.

Seyari stepped on my foot again. This time hard enough to bend the metal edge of her boot. I grit my teeth.

“Nothing, I guess. Just a random thought.” I did my best to smile.

Lilly’s crimson eyes flashed dangerously for a moment before she beamed a smile back at me. “Okay!”

From here, Seyari quickly steered the conversation away by asking Isidore about his research. The only time after this where the conversation topic strayed from banter was when I confirmed my intention to maintain a cordial relationship with the Sovereign of Lust. I didn’t intend to get involved in demonic politics.

Lilly didn’t seem to think I had a choice.

That said, the Sovereign of Lust had come to the desert here to escape and at least seemed happy that I intended to lay low and not seek immediate power.

When the sun started to set beyond the rim of the mesa, Seyari and I retreated to our shared guest room after a long bath. We intended to leave late in the morning, and Lilly said she’d arrange Mereneth to take us out of her domain.

Lilly had offered to enchant my dress. Perhaps against my better judgment, I took the offer. Not blindly, of course. Seyari confirmed she’d be able to check at least the basic structure of the enchantment, while Lilly only offered to enhance its durability and allow it to be repaired by feeding it mana.

I didn’t really know what either of those were. Seyari explained that the first effect was basic and vague while the second was difficult to do and typically quite expensive if one was to purchase. All the talk made me more excited than ever to learn some proper magic theory.

As a result, I found myself scanning the bookshelf in the fading light to look for the book Isidore had told me about. Seyari sat on the bed, sharpening the single knife she had as a weapon. Lilly had offered something more, but Seyari had refused outright.

Seyari finished casting something behind me and I felt a thin skein of magic wash over the room. At least part of it was holy if a shiver of my spine was any indication.

“Lilly lied to you.” Seyari spoke softly.

“When?”

“About demons during the Lost Era. She knows something.”

“How could you tell?” I asked, confused. I couldn’t read Lilly to save my life.

“Three-quarters angel, remember? Normally, I can’t read her either, but your question caught her off-guard and she slipped up for a moment. If I wasn’t watching I wouldn’t have noticed.”

“Wait, can angels tell when people are lying?” I was more surprised by that fact than that the Sovereign of Lust had lied to me.

“Not without training,” Seyari replied softly.

“Oh.” I sent an apologetic look her way and resumed trying to find my text.

The magic Seyari had put over the room dissipated and I heard her resume sharpening the knife.

Before I found the text I was looking for, my eyes were drawn to a series of similarly-bound books. Each had a stylized dragon embossed on their red leather spines. The volumes were numbered and some of the older ones showed creases from heavy reading.

My curiosity got the better of me, and I carefully removed the first book. ‘Atagor: the Eternal Flame Vol. 1’ read the title. I flipped to the first page and skimmed. The story started off from the point of view of a young lovelorn human woman in a small farming village.

I skipped ahead a few pages. Something about a dragon, knights, a corrupt duke, and a famine in the region. Interested, but eager to find that book on magic, I decided to skip to about three quarters of the way through the book.

Oh.

Oh my.

Well, the young woman had found the dragon, named Atagor. They got along very well if the act I found myself dropped in the middle of was any indication. Atagor had a humanoid form and he was, uh, well…

My cheeks rapidly heated up. I quickly closed the book and put it back. Honestly, I shouldn’t have been surprised the Sovereign of Lust would have books like that.

At least they definitely had, uh, mutual love.

Without stopping to more than glance at any other books, I quickly scanned the shelves and found the book I was looking for on the bottom shelf in a small section of books that looked to be more technical.

“Find something interesting?” Seyari looked up and asked when she saw my lingering dark crimson blush.

“Uh, you could say that.” I tried to evade the question and sat down next to her.

“What do you mean?”

I looked over at my girlfriend, but I could not read whether she was stringing me along or serious.

I tried to give a polite reply. “I, uh, found the sort of book that you would think the Sovereign of Lust would have.”

Seyari smiled lopsidedly. “Oh? Was it good?”

Yeah, that smile was definitely facetious. I didn’t answer and instead began to read the text on magic.

Seyari put away her sharpened knife and walked over to the shelf I’d been looking at. With a bit of poking around, she found the same book I’d pulled out and took it herself. I was somewhat surprised since I thought she wasn’t into that kind of relationship.

She wasn’t.

I got to spend the rest of the evening trying to decipher a magical text that Isidore somehow had the gall to call ‘beginner friendly’ while Seyari laid on the bed next to me laughing at the antics and explicit scenes of Atagor.

She picked out the cheesiest lines and read them out loud. I ended up spending more time giggling than focusing. Overall, it was a good evening. At the end, a teary-eyed Seyari put the book back and we crawled into bed together.

Sadly, I hadn’t learned much of anything about magic.