Pavon Plumewing's Arc

Chapter 3 of 2

The invitations had flown, and now Pavon waited below in Luxe for his first rich guests. But Damien found him first. The little incubus leaned against the crystal rod, tracing one horn with a lazy finger. "You called me your jewel," Damien said. "A jewel has a price, peacock. I think tonight is a good night to talk about your debt." Pavon fanned his tail wide, a bright wall of rainbow feathers. "We open in three days. Ask me after the rich men come." "No." Damien pushed off the rod and stepped close. His red eyes did not blink. "I want a taste now. Something to hold. Or I walk up your hatch and out, and your hall stays a cellar with a peacock in it." Pavon's throat went tight. Without Damien, no wealthy man would sail across the water. The whole seduction he had planned depended on this beautiful face staying in the room. He needed to give Damien something real, and he needed to give it fast. He thought of the far tunnel, the one the mushroom boy had shown him. "There's a spring back there," Pavon said. "Down the dark passage. I'll show you what this place truly holds. Come." He led Damien past the shelves into the black end of the bunker. The floor sloped down. Then the passage opened, and Damien stopped. A white geyser burst from the stone. Thick, foamy liquid rose in a shimmering plume and fell in creamy sheets. It pooled across the rock and glowed faintly. The whole cave smelled sweet. Damien stepped forward, and his lazy face changed. He looked hungry. "Moonmilk," Damien breathed. He crouched and dipped one finger into the pool. He tasted it, and his shoulders shook. "This feeds me. Do you know what this is worth?" "It's yours," Pavon said. He kept his voice steady, though his heart slammed. "That's your first payment. Drink from it whenever you like. The debt shrinks by that much." Damien knelt at the geyser and drank deep. When he rose, the sharp edge had left him. He wiped his mouth and laughed low. "Clever peacock. You found the one thing that keeps an incubus loyal." He touched Pavon's cheek. "I'll stay. The jewel stays in your hall." Pavon let out his breath. He had kept his face for Luxe. The rich men would come, and Damien would be waiting to make them want to return. But Damien turned back to the geyser and drank again, and again, faster now. His eyes stayed hungry even as he swallowed. Pavon watched the plume shrink, just slightly, and understood. He had not paid off a debt. He had fed something that would only want more, and the spring would not last forever.