Page 68 of Living Legend

We circled down the stairs before we made our way out the door. He didn’t speak to me the entire time. I was trying to put together the words I wanted to say, but it was proving difficult. I followed him as he opened the door to a training room.

“What did you need to talk to me about that you had to take me here to tell me?”

He wrapped his hand around the back of his neck. “I went to speak to Jonah today.”

“Jonah, right. Well, speaking of Jonah, Nicholas, there’s something I need to tell you—.”

He didn’t let me finish. “He wants you to talk to the demon in the Ethereal Bastille.”

“I might have been…wait, what?” I asked, confusion in my voice.

“They found another demon, and they want you to speak to the original one Markus discovered, the one locked in the Ethereal Bastille. They think it will provide some answers, get a lead.” He sounded nervous, like he knew this was something I didn’t want to hear.

I shook my head, not understanding. “Another demon?” I should have said something.

“Last night. It was already dead when they found it. Look, they wouldn’t tell me much more than that, but they wanted me to tell you your skills are needed. The sentries have tried, but they can’t seem to get anything out of it.”

“My skills?” Of course, they needed my skills. “You don’t want me totalkto it. You want me totortureit.”

Nicholas stood there, silent, confirming what I already knew.I could feel my blood boiling. “You want me for the one thing I’m known for, but want to reprimand me for it later, calling me a monster, saying Soul Seether like it’s a fucking disease.”

“Dani, this is what you do. Just do it and get it over with. Don’t make this a big deal. Leave the dramatics to Elise.”

They didn’t know what they were doing. Torturing a demon wasn’t like scolding your child. You give demons two options: a bad option and an even worse one, or you give them no options at all. They could hold out for hours and die with the truth hanging on their tongues. After this, I would be useless if I didn’t provide information they wanted.

I slowly walked over to him. His shoulders were tense as he waited for me to make a move. I didn’t. I just perched on the tips of my toes, just reaching his mouth and speaking against his lips. “No.”

Chapter Twelve

NICK

Earlier

Reese had already gone to bed when the messenger came to tell me I was being summoned. I had tried to sleep, but that proved harder than I anticipated. I had placed my covers over my face, wrapping myself in complete darkness, but my mind still ran a mile a minute.

Eventually, I pushed the covers off and placed a hand to my forehead. I kept trying to make excuses that the reason for Jonah needing to see me was to go over something small, or that they had figured out who had manipulated the portals, and everything could go back to normal. I almost laughed at my own wishful thinking. I knew whatever he wanted to say, or ask, it was something I wasn’t going to be prepared for. I knew myself though, and since sleep evaded me, I spent the rest of my night doing what I do best: spiraling.

I walked slowly towards Jonah’s office, my heart thrumming in my ears the entire way. I leaned against the back wall of the elevator as I watched the numbers go up and took a minute when the doors opened. Maybe he found out about our trip to the Divine Library and wanted to speak to me about yet another unauthorized excursion. That was something I didn’t have the energy to explain.

I almost felt a wave of vertigo wash over me as I stood in front of the doors. I couldn't hear any sound from the other side, but who could with how thick the doors were? I knocked and stood back, swallowing the lump that had developed in my throat. I heard a click and then the sound of the door shifting open. The smell of cinnamon and burning wood entered my nose immediately. I cautiously stepped forward to see Jonah at his desk, leaning back in his chair. He wasn’t alone. As I stepped further into the room, I noticed Markus and Ariel.

“Ah, Nicholas, are you well rested?” Jonah asked, placing his hands on top of his desk.

I cleared my throat nervously. “Yes, I am.”

“Wonderful to hear. Your Animus Seeking was successful?”

“As successful as they normally are. Nothing special,” I said, tapping my foot.

Jonah waved his hand in my direction. “It really isn’t meant to be all too exciting. Standard protocol, really. Anyways, you’re probably wondering why I asked you here today.”

I gave a quick nod, but never moved from my place in the room.Jonah seemed nervous.

“There is likely no easy way to say this --” Jonah started, but Markus finished for him.

“We found one on the grounds this morning. Well, a group of trainees did, which, let me tell you, was not easy to explain away.”

I felt the indent form between my eyebrows in confusion. “You found one? One what?”

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