"Then what would be?"
The archmage's blind eyes seemed to focus on me, though I knew that was impossible. Still, the weight of his attention pressed against my skin.
He tapped his cane once. Twice. Three times.
"Just like she offered, entertain me," he said again, but differently this time. Less a demand, more an invitation. "Not with violence. Not with your magic tricks or your borrowed demon. I've seen a thousand fire mages. I've watched a hundred demonic contracts play out. You think any of that is new to me?"
Evelina's fingers tightened on my arm. "Then what do you want?"
"A story."
I blinked. "A story?"
"Surely you have one. Everyone does. The boy who wields strange flames and commands a false hydra. The noblewoman who carries a succubus in her collar and wears her power like a second skin."
He spread his hands, and for a moment, he looked almost kind.
