No matter how hard she thought about it, she couldn't grasp why he would make such a promise to her. Why would a stranger be so willing to protect her? They shared no familial bond whatsoever. They had never before met to call themselves acquaintances. So why?
His actions towards her had always been a puzzle to her, but this…This is on an entirely different scale. To make it even more complicated, she wanted to believe him —she actually believed he would.
"Why would you do that?" Edith asked. She stepped away to put a little distance between them. She didn't regret getting emotional with him. His presence was comforting. His words were reassuring, but still, she couldn't help questioning him and his motives. "Why would you go to such lengths for a total stranger?"
"Do I need a reason?" Davion replied with a shrug.But despite the nonchalance he convincingly displayed, Edith could tell there was something else to it, but she just couldn't put a finger on it.
"The truth is that I do not know either. But I want to protect you. All you ought to know is that I have decided to protect as one of my own," he continued, his voice halting her thoughts momentarily. "And I never go back on my promises, Greta."
Edith wanted to speak, but she didn't. Arguing with about what his reason for wanting to protect her didn't matter. She needed to know what happened to her mother. It was pathetic of her to break down like that rather than seeking answers. But now that she has calm and clear-headed, she knows what to prioritize over the other.
Turning, she looked out the window again, her gaze determined, and fists clenched at her sides. "I would like to go home," she said. Her voice was soft but carried an unspoken conviction. "I need to know what happened to my parents. To my people. I don't want to imagine the worst had already happened." she continued still holding unto the little hope that her connection to her father was still there, albeit faint.
She would rather go back and what was really happening than to believe that her mother had passed on to the afterlife. She couldn't believe that until she saw it with her own eyes.
"I will not stop you from leaving. But…" he stepped closer while she clenched her fists even tighter, thinking he was still giving her conditions.
"I would like to accompany you. I can hit protect you if I am not there," Davion stated, and her tensed shoulders relaxed a bit.
"I do not require anyone's protection. I am going back home, not to an enemy's territory," she turned to look at him, gave a curt bow, and then continued, "But I am grateful for your offer and care."
"Hiw are you certain what you call home now has not become the enemy's territory? Do not forget that they made you leave home before. Going alone and unprepared would only leave you vulnerable. You will surely be walking right into their hands."
The more he spoke, the more she gritted her teeth. Nit because he was wrong but because it was true. Facts thay she chose to ignore because she just wanted to see her family again.
"Don't be hasty about it. I know it is an emergency, but going unprepared would only render you powerless and defenseless," he walked to stand by her side before continuing. "If you feel uncomfortable with me accompanying you, then take someone else with you. Evans should fit in just fine amongst your people."
Edith looked at him. He didn't sound like someone who was guessing, which meant he knew all along who Evans was.
"Besides, how can you be certain that your mother is no more?" He asked, and she glared at him. "Perhaps there is another force in play that severed your connection. Or she might have done it herself to protect you. Would you go against her wishes and ruin her efforts to keep you safe?"
Edith was taken aback by his words. Knowing her mother, she wouldn't put it past her to do something like that. There was a high possibility that that was what happened, but she was still feeling restless about it all.
It shouldn't matter whether her mother cut off their bond. Her spell should have still been in effect. She shouldn't have reverted back like this all of a sudden, and that was what made her fear for the worst.
"All right," Edith said after much thought. "I won't rush over there without the much needed preparations. And… I'll be careful so you do not have to worry about it. If there is nothing of concern happening, I won't leave because I know they wouldn't want me to return too soon."
Davion gave her a nod, and silence dawned on them, but it was not uncomfortable. Rather, it was exactly what she needed. He was there but never distracted her and allowed her to her thoughts, his presence providing the needed comfort and company.
After several minutes had passed, Davion asked, "Do you still require assistance? Or have you decided to stay this way?"
"I would like to learn the spell. I never learned it, and that is why I require assistance for something as simple as disguising oneself. Mother forbade me to ever do it. But now, I have no other choice but to use the disguise," she said and turned, tilting her head, and she met his gaze. "Will you teach me?"
***
Inside the library, Evans flipped through pages of books, some even from hidden archives. On the side was a drawing of the tattoo he had seen and Davion's body. Although he had said he would wait for Davion to tell him himself about the sudden transformation, he wanted to be about that image.
It was not something common, but he had come across something similar sometime in the past once and knew what it meant.
After emptying all the books in the archives, he almost gave up when he finally saw it on the middle page of the last book.