Page 26 of Chained to the Devil's Daughter

“Markel.” He held up two fingers. “I’m three.”

I stifled a giggle and reached for the mew, who sniffed my fingers before nuzzling into my hand. “We’re only here to nudge the wild ones back to their homes. Your mew is free to do as she pleases. Take her with you when you walk the ring.”

“Walk the ring?” a woman stepped in front of the boy, nudging him back. “You’re asking us to walk?”

Still kneeling, I held the mew close to the ground. It hesitated to crawl from my arms, so I smiled up at the woman. “Only a one-mile-long chunk.”

Extracting the mew’s claws from my plain black chemise, I stood, nearly tripping on the crate someone had sat down for me to use as a podium. “Everyone who can walk is asked to walk the ring. It’s for your safety.” I glanced at the sheets and sticks they called home. Not a single one would guard against scared Firefolk. “You’ll follow behind my friends as they clear the way to the checkpoints. The Firefolk will be guided to the northern gate, to a landslide in Ring Ten where they’ll make their escape.”

Murmurs broke out amongst the crowd. I raised my voice, rushing to state more before their attention was lost. “Calm,please! It’s humane and effective. Oh, and all those who cannot walk will be taken by carriage. Please, trust me!”

The sea of faces became even more standoffish. Some adults hid children behind them while some fretted over nearby comrades who had difficulty standing. Still, most of the population followed orders and hushed, though I had the distinct feeling it wasn’t out of gratitude or unearned trust. Most of them were offspring of the original indentured servants, strangers from distant worlds who were ripped from the portal and forced into servitude for survival. They knew nothing but tyranny.

Markel tugged on my clothing. I looked down to see tears welled up. Glancing around, his mother appeared nowhere to be found. I dropped to my knees and gave him my full attention.

“Yes, Markel?”

“It’s my pa. He’ll die.”

My heart broke. “There’s space for him in our wagons, don’t worry!”

“No, no!” the kid blubbered. “He’s not a demon. His feet are broken.”

The child cut off with a sob, his soaked eyes pleading with me to understand. Brow furrowing, I searched the sand for clues.

“Your Highness!” a deep bellow came from behind. Fuegis. “You’re needed.”

“No!” Markel wailed. I took his hands in mine. I had no intention of leaving until I’d done something useful. “Please.”

From the height of a child, I surveyed my surroundings. Though I hadn’t thought it possible, my heart broke even more.

I saw hocked ankles of demons with paw-like feet and straight-legged humans, some being somewhere in-between. Many bore dirty scraps of fabric, none of which were the bright white color of fresh gauze. Scar tissue peaked from above wornstraps, blood stains, and exposed bone. Some scraps barely clung to the skin anymore while some looked like skin had grown through the fabric, searing it to flesh. A handful of afflicted limbs weren’t wrapped at all and were barely sinew on bone. The majority of the victims were human or mostly-human, but there were some distinctly canine paws affected among the group.

“Phantom burns.” A hand dropped onto the child’s shoulder and squeezed. I looked up at Ash’ren, horrified. “Also known as the rot. Human feet are unable to withstand the black sands. That your pa has survived this long tells me he is very strong. Let’s go get him, what do you say?”

Flaming pits, if a single piece of my heart remained unshattered, it was lost now. Ash’ren scooped Markel up and situated the child on his broad shoulders. Markel beamed through sniffles. It was the first smile I’d seen since arriving in Ring Seven.

Tearful, I hid my quivering lips behind a smile in return. Ash’ren reached for my shoulder. His hand lingered in the air between us before dropping. Flame-fucking decorum, I wanted to crawl into his arms and hide, but at least one of us had restraint.

“You didn’t know. Your father sheltered you from the worst.”

“I-I should have known.” I bit my lip to keep it from trembling, but he was calm and collected, as always. The things he must’ve seen while digging the tenth ring. . . My heart panged like an arrow sliced through my chest, and I wanted to cradle his head in my hands. The people surrounding me, including my beloved, had known more pain in their lives than anyone deserved.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, planning to don my royal mask again. “Flames curse it,” I muttered. Closing my fist,I stepped back onto the podium and faced my people. Keynotes and planned speeches be burned.

“What you’ve gone through is awful. No one deserves to be treated like this. I won’t ask for your trust, but I plan to earn it. During my reign, I swear never to do anything without thinking of how it will affect you.” They didn’t know it, but they were all my babies now, and I would never hurt my babies. “Take your injured to the carriages and wagons first. We’ll await more vehicles before setting off. I’m not leaving anyone behind.”

Surprise rippled over the features of Ring Seven’s inhabitants. To my caravan, I demanded, “Send for more carriages at once.”

“Come on, gentle-demon,” Ash’ren’s voice, soft and promising adventure, drew my attention to him and the boy. “First, your pa. Then you’ll help me with the rest.”

Ash’ren made a silly noise, like a gryffion scratching at the bit. He poised one foot behind the other, rocking as though gearing up to launch them forward. Markel’s giggles were magic to my ears.

A weird sensation stirred in my belly. I suddenly became keenly aware of my womb and its cavernous emptiness. Watching the finest ass in the four territories saunter away with a random kid on his shoulders, I narrowly managed not to grab Ash’ren by the horn, drag him to my room, and tie him to the bed until he put a baby in me.

14

Ash’ren

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