A creature of darkness. "No wonder we get along so well," Erskine muttered, under his breath yet easily loud enough for Valdis to hear. The revelation was not wholly a surprise. If he hadn't been able to guess some of it by her actions, the whole "Queen of Hell" thing was a pretty big hint.

It hadn't stopped them from being friends, and it was unlikely to change anything now.

"Is that why I felt sick trying to lift it?" He'd managed well enough, overall, though there had been a distinct case of nausea that accompanied gripping the hilt of the sword. That the weapon was magical was obvious; he simply hadn't known how.