"That would be far too easy and sensible, though." She smirked. "Could you imagine every mage stopping and needing to shake hands with one another just to tell whether they were in a specific group? It would be just as obvious as the skin paint."

She was careful to school her face into a careful mask of neutrality, though the smile faltered. "There are sometimes greater fears than those for a mage." Her father, for all that he understood the plight of mages, seemed far more afraid of what would happen to Bethany and their family should they ever be discovered. "But I don't think any of those other horrors would ever be as prevalent as demons themselves. Or temptation, I suppose." She and Carver had been lucky.

"And fail spectacularly and probably tumble after you. And where would that leave us?" She offered him the bottle when she had one last sip, a small slip of a grin on her features as she settled her chin in her hand.