Merula accepted her terms and Dune smiled, the look grim as ever, even though she was satisfied. In silence, she watched him hop down from the wall and when he paused, she realized he wanted it to be binding. Too conscious of her curse and the binding nature of oaths, she’d managed to avoid any careless promises, so this would be her first.
She nodded, and then cleared her throat, unconsciously straightening to attention as she said, “In exchange for this man’s eyeball, I promise you, Merula, my blood for a feeding as well as a favor, to be fulfilled at a time and place of your choosing, so long as it does not compromise my work.”
The oath wasn’t without its loopholes but it was as airtight as she could make it with the time she had on hand. She found she did trust Merula—he was a dangerous, monstrous entity, yes, but he was consistent, and, she liked to think, a friend.
Dune felt the oath as a twinge in her arm, like she’d just knocked her funny bone, but not quite painful. Glancing down at it, she flexed her metal fingers and then shook them out as the sensation settled over the rest of her body, an intangible weight that slowly ebbed away.
She nodded, and then cleared her throat, unconsciously straightening to attention as she said, “In exchange for this man’s eyeball, I promise you, Merula, my blood for a feeding as well as a favor, to be fulfilled at a time and place of your choosing, so long as it does not compromise my work.”
The oath wasn’t without its loopholes but it was as airtight as she could make it with the time she had on hand. She found she did trust Merula—he was a dangerous, monstrous entity, yes, but he was consistent, and, she liked to think, a friend.
Dune felt the oath as a twinge in her arm, like she’d just knocked her funny bone, but not quite painful. Glancing down at it, she flexed her metal fingers and then shook them out as the sensation settled over the rest of her body, an intangible weight that slowly ebbed away.