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He’s justIt wouldn’t be our knee he licked if he were serious

“Gross Why can’t I just ride on his back like normal people?”

What normal people?

“Well, me for a start”

At the edge of the wood, he didn’t cross the threshold toward the castle He veered left instead, putting on a burst of speed and rushing through the trees We crested a large knoll, and then he clih The land leveled out on top, the trees not growing on such rocky terrain There he changed, dropping me from the sky I fell withhe’d catch me

Strong aravetoward a little bench at the edge of the rise Finally, he put ive us a clear view of the horizon

I lowered beside hi the fresh, chilled air

We sat for a h the blues and violets in the sky

“I often co,” he said, his voice subdued to match the hush of the dawn “When I’m not hurt too badly”

“Speaking of” I stood and walked around to his back The four slashes fro nothing but jagged pink lines through his flesh They looked si the healing ointave you I can make some more, too, if you’ve run out”

“I’ve had to have Hadriel or Lena apply it I wonder if you would do the over…”

He let the words trail off, as though he wasn’t sure I’d say yes

“Of course I will” I slid e to touch his heated skin, alarm despite the chill

“Youelixir I was able to replicate it—I had to; I didn’t want to be thought dense—but it is ti, and time is my most important resource I wouldn’t trust any of the staff with it” He paused “Truth be told, until they stop fornicating with the demons, I don’t want any of them to know about it I want to keep this fro would not look favorably on losing one of his torture devices”

“I’ll have nothing but ti, I’m incredibly proficient at it I canelixir? What can we do about that?”