Page 34 of Taken By the Shadow Prince

He chuckles. “Yes, I have.”

My head snaps over to the side, eyes wide as I ask, “Youhave? When?”

He merely winks at me. “Doesn’t matter when. Just trust me when I say we’ll make it on time, alright?”

Trust me, Armin said. As if trusting a demon was as easy as that, as if they weren’t cruel and cunning things.

But, well, I did. At least in this. If he could shiftstep to the castle, then I was sure wewouldmake it on time.

So I say, “Okay. When we get to the castle, your name is... Alexander, alright? Armin is too recognizable. It might raise questions for anyone who suspects your species’ existence.”

He nods. “Fine. I’ll be Alexander, a perfectly ordinary witch with wonderful specialties that you recruited for the battle. How does that sound?”

I shrug. “Believable.”

“This is Alexander,” I say to Ellis as soon as he’s finished squeezing the air out of my lungs. “He’s a powerful witch. He’ll make a great addition to our soldiers.” From over his shoulder, I meet Mair’s eyes. She watches me warily, questions building in her eyes. We probably won’t have a chance to talk to each other in private until late tonight, but I give her a nod. Yes, I’ve found the demon witches.

Armin’s supposed to go get the ones from Atheya tomorrow, and the ones we recruited from all around Aligris will arrive when they arrive, I suppose.

Mair’s eyes fill with relief, and she gives me a grateful smile before pushing past Ellis. She says, “It’s my turn. I’ve missed you, Mavey.”

I let her hug me, even going so far as to wrap my arms around her, too. I can feel that this is more than a welcome home. It’s a thank-you.

When she pulls away, she says, “There’s a few people I want to introduce you to.”

First, she gestures to a tall, stocky man with scarred hands and soft features that are sort of at odds with the rest of him. “This is Lee,” she says. “He’s a very talented blacksmith I met a while ago. We’ve got him set up downstairs with a few apprentices, making quality weapons for us. I’m hoping you might find the time to eventually make some elixirs or spells he can enhance the weapons with, to make them that much more powerful?”

Already, ideas for what we might do flitter through my brain. I nod. “Sure.”

She beams. “Great. And this is Joula and Kell. They’re—”

I feel Armin’s presence beside me before I even see him. I look up in time to see him hold his hand out to Joula, and say, “I’m Alexander. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Kell and Joula’s faces morph into wide-eyed expressions of shock—and perhaps a little fear. Do... do they know who he is?

Yesterday, Armin said he’d been to the castle before—which meant he’d likely been here making a bargain before. Was it with them? Is that why they look at him like this?

Joula reaches a shaky hand out to meet the one he has stretched toward her, giving it a limp shake. She says, her voice weak, “I hope you and I will have the chance to talk, Alexander.”

He nods. “Whenever you’d like.”

Yes. The coded way they talk... there’s definitely a history there. What kind? What is the price that Joula paid—and did Kell pay it, too? He certainly seems to recognize the demon at my side, too.

Joula turns to me. She says, “I’m feeling sort of ill, Mavey. Could you make a tonic for me?”

I nod, excuse myself, and make for the exit. I can feel Joula behind me, and I understand what this is. She’s got something to say to me.

When we’re out in the hall, the doors to the large entry room closed behind us, Joula grabs my wrist and pulls me to a stop. I can tell, by the sudden hushed tones that mute the noises coming from inside those doors, that she’s wrapped her magic around us, probably to disguise our words. She says, “What are you doing here with him? With—with that demon prince?”

“I’m surprised you know him.”

Her eyes flash. “Answer the question.”

I huff out a breath and decide that, with her, I can share this information. It’s not like she’s learning anything she doesn’t already know of. “Mair asked me to find demon witches to fight for us. Armin was my best bet at getting them.”

Her eyes widen. “What did you give him?”

I pull my hand out of hers when those fingers tighten on my flesh. “It doesn’t matter,” I say softly. “It’s already done.”

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