He recognized that silent voice. It was the thing, the same thing that the Grandmother had summoned and bound to her supply room.
It should be gone now. He'd destroyed the enchantment that had bound it in place, freeing it to return to its home. If it was somehow still bound to try to kill him... Then it should have done so while I was still asleep after the Grandmother adjusted my initiations. Perhaps it hadn't been able to; perhaps it had needed time to recover too?
"Because I thought that would send you back to your home, or at least release you from an unwanted burden so that you could depart."
Why didn't you kill me?
Pallian blinked. I don't have time for this. "What would have been the point? Listen, I need to get to the carriage. If you're going to attack me, do it now. If you want to have a dialogue, follow me while I run to get there on time."
This carriage? A swirl of fire and darkness surrounded Pallian briefly, and when it receded he was looking at the carriage. They were in the readying-room of the stable.
"That was... actually... helpful," Pallian admitted. "Climb in behind me if you're coming along." He had no idea what he was doing with a demonic companion; that was an area of enchantments and initiations that he'd avoided completely and deliberately. Clearly the Grandmother had had other ideas. Either that, or she'd intended for him to prove his worth by killing it, and he'd released it instead...
The thing was a shadowy presence at his back as he climbed inside. The armor sensed it and marked it as a threat, but Pallian forced the armor into quiescence by an act of will.
It seated itself on the bench across from him. It was humanoid, though its arms were long enough for its talons to touch the ground when it stood erect at its full seven-foot height. Folded into the carriage, it looked a bit cramped, though not uncomfortable.
They waited as the carriage began to move, the invisible horses drawing it out of the crypt and up into the air.
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