Page 11 of The Demon Mark

The two shapeshifters went with him, but not before they each cast a pitying glance at her splayed across the cold floor.

5

Envy was loath to admit her memory stuck with him after that night at the bathhouse. It was more than Orphe’s mutterings at leaving someone so powerful just out of their reach. That woman had stared into his soul as though she wanted him to save her.

Which was ridiculous. Envy didn’t save anyone in this kingdom. He dealt in power and power alone. That was the only way that he knew how to function. If she was looking at him to save her, then she would be sorely disappointed quickly. He was the villain in everyone’s story, but a necessary evil to keep their kingdom functioning as it was.

He could bestow power onto others. And sometimes did. That was the reason all his people stayed here. Because if they were lucky, their king would enchant armor or a blade or jewelry that would give them incredible powers.

It was unlikely, but he had done it many times before.

But that woman. Lilith. The oracle who had been living right under his nose, she had looked at him with the slightest bit of hope in her eyes. Almost like she wanted to see what would happen if she pushed. Like she wanted to know what would happen if he took her away from that world, and what he would show her.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Orphe squawked, her wings flapping behind his head and stirring his hair in the breeze she made.

“No, I shouldn’t.”

“Yet, we are here.”

“We are here, Ambition.” He only used her real name when he was upset with her. She quieted down and tucked her wings tightly against her back.

At least now he knew she wouldn’t interrupt him while he walked into the circus full of people who likely wished to kill him.

Even the thought made him snort. They wouldn’t succeed anymore than an arrow would. They had no idea what monster walked amongst them, but some primal part of their brain made them flinch away in fear. They didn’t want to know what he could do.

He slipped his mask back on, walking through the crowd in the bath house like he had never been here before. The fire eater was right where she’d been before. The billowing light of her fire consumed so much of the shadows in this place. Tonight the two shapeshifters were out as well, each of them corralled into a corner where it looked like they might fight later.

What he did not see was a crowd around the pool. Instead, there were just people milling around. Doing nothing. They weren’t even talking about the oracle, which already made him suspicious.

“Is she not here?” Orphe asked, her croaking crow voice sounding at least a little intrigued. “I thought she was their main attraction.”

As did he.

So Envy waited. And waited. He stayed until there were fewer people than usual and he waited until the very last moment. There was still a crowd here, although they seemed to be switching over from the fire breathers to those priestesses. The women wearing the pale garments were wearing a lot less now than they had been before.

Frowning, he caught the fire breathing woman before she ducked through one of those hidden walls.

“Where is she?” he asked, keeping his voice pitched low.

“I’m not supposed to talk to you.”

“I just want to know if she’s still alive.”

He’d learned a long time ago that people were more likely to give him information if he pretended to be a good person. He could see it working. She softened around the eyes, that expression of suspicion turning into something like regret. If he pushed a little harder, just said the right few words, she’d tell him everything he wanted to know.

Until the man who had lifted boulders stepped between them. “Let her be on her way.”

“I’m not bothering the lady,” Envy replied.

“I’m afraid you are, friend. You’re not supposed to even be here.”

He wasn’t entirely without his tricks. He could see the fire breather’s eyes darting around them, afraid she was about to be in the middle of a fight. But that wasn’t who he needed her to think he was. So instead of getting angry, as he very much wanted to do, Envy took a step back and lifted his hands.

“Like I said, I just want to make sure the oracle is all right. She suffered quite the attack last night, and was obviously upset after I healed her. It’s my job to make sure everyone in this kingdom remains safe.” He glanced over at the fire breather one more time. She was staring at him with wide eyes, but a spark of interest flared in them.

A romantic, perhaps? She seemed to soften every time he was kind about the oracle.

Sighing, he let his hands drop to his sides. “I’d be lying if I didn’t admit she wasn’t the strongest woman I’ve ever met. I’ve never seen someone be cut across their face and remain so deep under the spell of her own power. I only wish to offer my help, perhaps in tutelage, to help control her power, and make sure she is well.”

---