The Vessel of Ra

Chapter 8: The Accord

Alone in the ruined apothecary, Lucy sat on a mice-nibbled tuffet. The dust had given her a slight sniffle. She hunched over copies of Champollion's Demotic notes, reading in French, taking notes, and looking up words. Lucy might have been a weak Binder, but she was a strong researcher. Madame Dantes had given her many assignments for their own sake to teach her discipline. Lucy continued the laborious translation and silently thanked her tutor.

The gist of the scroll was she could separate from Ra without undertaking a Trial. Most Binders survived their Trial, and most demons became servants during the Trial, or Binders Banished their demons to the Abyss if their relationship was hostile or unpleasant. Lucy envied Octavia, whose demon had always seemed loyal and who cared about her. Ra had taken opportunities to bite and scratch her until Mother showed her how to protect herself. If Lucy weren't such a weak Binder, she would Banish Ra to the Abyss, but she did not have such knowledge.

This scroll seemed like an ideal solution, but Lucy had to ask herself why Paolo Borgia was being so altruistic in sharing it with her. He was inscrutable. He had some familiarity with demons, which was obvious from books, the scroll, and the notes crammed in margins in cramped handwriting. He had summoned demons before. Who would willingly summon a demon?

The Solomon Scroll made the alliance with demons different for Binders. If another magician summoned a demon, the demon exacted a price. If the demon didn't kill you outright, it would burn through your body like a log in a fire until all that was left of you were embers. The instant deaths from summoning were more merciful.

Roosting on the skylight above, Ra plunged his surgical beak into another bloody pigeon carcass, a gobbet of flesh dangling. Was he tiring of the taste of pigeons? Ra gulped in short bursts, his head undulating like a cobra's. Lucy rubbed dust off her nose, at the same time smudging it with dirt. "At least you're getting enough to eat."

Ra's voice creaked in her mind. What is in this scroll? What do you hope to do here? Why are you trying to escape me?

What should she say to him? They hadn't talked since her suicide attempt and there was no way to misinterpret such an action, a sure way to tell your demon you no longer wanted to spend time with him. "Do you remember telling me Octavia would fail her Trial and we would get the scroll?" It was Ra's constant message during her childhood.

The impression from Ra was a dark one. Octavia and Khun do not deserve the Solomon Scroll. I am more powerful. It must be mine.

"I know you're going to defeat me. Everyone knows it."

Yes. Together we will be amazing. We will rule the demons and bring them up from the Abyss.

Lucy closed the dictionary, imagining Ra squashed between its pages. "You need someone to be your vessel. I know you don't want to be saddled with me any more than I want to be subsumed by you. You deserve a more powerful magician."

His mental laugh sounded like autumn leaves rustling. You are the least of my concerns. You will be happy to be my vessel. I care for you in ways no one else does.

"Thank you. We're being honest with each other. It's a refreshing change."

Ra dived toward her. Lucy waved a delicate hand, and the air above Ra sparked as he crashed into a red magic globe. His feathers smoked. "I decided long ago there would be no more of that. I may not be able to defeat you in the end, but I can protect myself now."

You are not using Binder magic.

"No."

Ra flew back to the rafters and sulked. I have better things to do. I am hunting. He climbed into the air, out the broken dome and into the wet Venice night.