Chapter Text
Animating a skeleton is quite simple once you understand the basics of it. All it requires is to know the proper incantation which reverses the flow of negative energy from the Shadowfell back into the material plane. The skeleton simply acts as a vessel for negative energy. That isn’t even the most impressive thing I can do. I can bring the recently deceased back to life, temporarily sever a mage’s connection to their magic, and even manipulate gravity itself. But for the life of me, I can’t make sense of this ritual.
I shuffle between infernal scrolls, Courtney’s translation, and my own notes, attempting to synthesize a cure for Malygris’s curse. I’ve been agonizing over the details for the past week, but I am failing to see the bigger picture. Over the centuries there have been dozens of attempts to purge the curse from the descendants, but each one has failed. The notes detail exorcisms, alchemical solutions, and crude surgical attempts, none of which were successful. Maybe necromancy is the key, I just don’t know how to apply it here.
My train of thought is interrupted when I see a light emanating at the entrance of the tomb. For a second, I panic, if one of the teachers found out what I was doing down here… I don’t even know what will happen to me. The light draws closer revealing the lantern bearer: Courtney. I let out a slight sigh of relief, but my shoulders remain slightly tense. I raise my hand up and offer her a polite wave. She returns the greeting with a blank expression. I don’t understand the reason for her unexpected visit. Not knowing what to say I simply stare at her, examining her features, waiting for her to make the first move. Her green eyes catch the light in such a way that they look like emeralds. I’ve never noticed that before.
“Another late night?” Courtney asks, bringing me back to reality. I must have forgotten how long I’ve been down here. It is hard to keep track of time in a dungeon with no windows. I shrug my shoulders. There was work that needed to be done and someone had to do it. Courtny stares at me. She looks confused. She can’t read my thoughts. That would make things much less painful.
“There is a lot of material to go through.” Great. That sounds like a thing a normal person would say, right? Courtney glanced over to the desk, illuminated by several candles scattered throughout the room.
“Well good thing I am here to help,” Courtney said moving into the room with my workstation. She hung the lantern up on a post and turned to me. I noticed that in her free hand she held a zarf containing two cups of coffee. She caught my gaze as she handed me a cup.
“In my experience, nothing helps fuel an all nighter like coffee.” In an attempt to not look rude, I took the cup she offered and sipped. The extremely bitter drink causes me to wince a little.
“Oh sorry,” Courtney says upon noticing my overreaction, “I take my coffee black. I should have asked for your order first.” I place the cup down on the table, a good distance away from all the important parchment.
“It’s fine,” I say while shuffling my feet. I wish Sera was here. She knows how to talk to her. I motion to my cluttered workstation. “Feel free to take a look at what I have so far.”
Courtney nods and takes a seat at the desk, which just so happened to be the only chair in the tomb. I feel like an idiot just standing here. Should I kneel next to her? Or would that be too awkward? Hufhhh. This would be much easier if she just let me be.
“Eva? Have you read this,” Courtney said, motioning to a bit of parchment. I lean in closer to read it, but I get distracted by a familiar scent. Courtney smells sweet? I sniff the air again and instantly recognize it as cinnamon. My memories become flooded with my mother’s homemade honey cake. I must have looked like a Drow in the sunlight because Courtney nudged me to make sure I was focusing.
“Something bothering you?” Courtney asked.
“It's nothing. You… smell good,” she smiled at my complement.
“Thank you. It’s a new perfume. Sera bought it for me.”
I smiled. That was a nice gesture. Maybe I should buy something for Conn? Does he even like perfume? Now is not the time. I turned my attention to whatever Courtney wanted to show me. She was talking about the logistics of pacts and the possibilities of a loophole. The minutiae of interplanar law weren’t exactly a thrilling conversation so my mind began to wander. I began to think of Sera and all those long nights we shared where she would bare her heart out to me about her feelings for Courtney. I need to make sure the ritual is a success for her.
“I got it!” I shouted, interrupting Courtney. She furrowed her brow at me, waiting for an explanation. I grabbed a quill and started hashing out a rough diagram on a blank piece of parchment.
“When Sera became a werewolf, she underwent a ritual where her blood was drained and replaced with lycanthropic blood,” I drew a crude figure surrounded by needles, tubes, and basins. “So, I think our best shot is to do a similar ritual but in a reverse order. We remove your cursed blood and replace it with purified blood.”
Courtney’s eyes darted back and forth examining every detail of the diagram I drew. It wasn’t perfect but this could work.
“Okay”, Courtney said, placing the parchment back on the table. “Let’s do this.”
She smiled at me with a radiance and warmth I didn’t know she was capable of. I think I am beginning to understand why Sera likes her so much.