The Lady Alchemist by Samantha Vitale

Author:Samantha Vitale [Vitale, Samantha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fantasy, magic, historical, science, adventure, romance, STEM, fairytale, adaptation, BISAC YAF019040
ISBN: 9781951710187
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC
Published: 2020-05-26T07:00:00+00:00

The wind’s cool kiss woke Sepha the next morning. It had gotten warm last night, with the two of them nestled together on Sepha’s narrow bed like a two-piece jigsaw puzzle, so they’d cracked open one of the windows to let in the cold wind and the sound of the sea.

Sepha felt warm and comfortable and—awake. There was a strange, crystalline quality to the light, as if last night’s storm had polished it. Now, it was new and gleaming bright.

Last night’s storm.

The library. The undead magician. Ruhen. Destry. Ruhen!

Sepha rolled over with nearly violent speed and saw Ruhen, a wall of Ruhen. He was already awake.

There was a beat of silence as they stared at each other. Ruhen’s eyes were steely gray in the brightness, his body warm against hers. Nothing had happened last night—nothing beyond sleeping beside each other, that is—but something felt new. Something felt different. Something felt right.

“Morning,” Sepha said, covering her mouth with her hand.

Ruhen smiled a closed-lip smile. “Morning,” he said, hiding his mouth too. “How do you feel?”

He could mean any number of things by that question, so Sepha answered the way she felt like answering. “Awake,” she said, smiling. “And you talk in your sleep.”

She rolled over and sat up, putting her bare feet on the cool floor.

“I do?” Ruhen sounded surprised and not at all pleased. “What did I say?”

“Just nonsense words,” Sepha said, tugging on some socks and shoving her feet into her boots.

Ruhen sat up. “Oh? Well, you are weirdly silent while you sleep, so.”

Still feeling strange and new and somehow more real than before, Sepha took her comb from the top of her dresser. She tugged it through her long, rain-tangled hair, picking out the snarls.

“Sepha.”

Sepha stopped combing. Ruhen, bare-footed and broad-shouldered, was sitting on the edge of her bed. He seemed to take up the whole room. There was a strange and almost fearful determination in his eyes. “There’s something I want to tell you,” he said.

He’s been keeping secrets! barked the snide voice.

Sepha frowned. “What is it?”

Ruhen opened his mouth to respond but stopped when Destry burst into the room.

For a moment, Destry stared at the two of them. Then her mouth quirked into a smirk. “Well! Whatever this is,” she said, waving her hand at them, “needs to wait. Thuban wants you to help clean up out there. I couldn’t dissuade him, and with the state things are in, it might be best to let him have his way today.”

“Oh,” Sepha said. She licked her lips and asked, “What do they know?”

“They know it was the homunculus magician,” Destry said, frowning a little. “There wasn’t a way around that part. But as far as his connection to you goes, they’re in the dark.”

Sepha heaved a relieved sigh. “Thank you.”

Destry shrugged and looked at Ruhen. “You should go help, too. If you don’t mind.”

Ruhen twisted his mouth to the side, but nodded. He looked at Sepha. “Come find me after you’re done,” he said. “Don’t forget.”

Sepha nodded and watched as Ruhen strode shoeless out of the room.

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