Page 10 of Demonic Division

She shivers. “That’s… nice. But you never answered my question.”

I sigh, looking out over the barren landscape in the direction of a dark and imposing castle hidden in the distance. “I’m taking you home, little one.Myhome.”

She doesn’t respond, but another shock of fear travels down the bond, causing my skin to crawl.

I hope I’m doing the right thing.

5

Dagny

We flyfor several more hours—or what my body believes to be hours—when my stomach finally decides to make itself known with a deep gurgle that has Cyprien looking down in alarm. I look toward the silver sun, still in the same spot in the sky as it was when we first began our journey.

“What time is it?” I ask, just as my stomach rumbles again.

Cyprien looks over his shoulder, an easy smile on his face. “Light.”

I roll my eyes, sure he’s making fun of me. “I can see that. I meant thehour.”

Cyprien laughs. “Hours don’t matter in The Far Place. Time ceases to move here, unlike the living realm. There is only light and dark.”

My eyes widen in horror, prompting Cyprien to stop dead in his tracks. “Little one? What’s wrong?”

“Do you mean to tell me it’salwaysgoing to be Tuesday while I’m here?” I ask, my voice shaking. “That can’t be true.”

“I’m not sure what aTuesdayis, but if there’s a way to get rid of it, I’d gladly do so.”

Despite everything, a genuine laugh bubbles in my chest. “No, no, that’s okay… I’m just being dramatic.”Fucking Tuesdays…

We continue traversing the same barren landscape until there’s finally a break in the snowy dunes. The hills fall away to flat, frozen ground, the only signs of life seeming to be several large willow-esque trees dotting the horizon. String-like leaves the color of freshly fallen snow drape from the gnarled limbs of the massive tree, unmoving despite the blizzard plowing through the land. Multicolored light hangs above the canopy, weaving and twisting through the air in a beautiful dance. It casts a rainbow onto the ground beneath the trees, adding to their allure.

“What are those?” I whisper, pointing toward the mighty trees.

Cyprien follows the line of my finger, and his shoulders tense. “Those are Welwig. Possibly the oldest being in The Far Place. You mustnevergo near them.”

“Cool. I think I’ll just stay far away from everything here as a rule of thumb.”

His shoulders shake with a laugh. “Except me and my familiar, of course.”

“Your familiar?”

He nods. “The rabbit. The one you bond—the one you fixed up,” he corrects, his tone strained. “You are safe with the two of us, but that’s all.”

I gaze around, my chest seizing when I fail to locate the little creature. “Where did he go?”

Cyprien shrugs. “To hunt, probably. Your canine friend cut it short in the human realm, I’m afraid. And now thatyou’re stuck in The Far Place, he’s more comfortable being away from you.”

“Why would he want to be near me in the first place?”

Cyprien opens his mouth to respond, but before any words come out, an ear-piercing screech echoes across the landscape. It rattles and scrapes the inside of my skull, eliciting such a strong flight response that I’m worried my heart will burst.

Despite that, my gaze darts to the source, finding a four-legged creature walking beneath one of the Welwigs. Its skin is pale—helping it blend in with its surroundings—and stretched thin over every inch of protruding bone. Oozing sores pepper its limbs, dripping blue-black liquid down to its rounded, stump-like feet. Worst of all is the horrible sucking pit that sits at the center of its oval-shaped head, lined with rows of razor-sharp teeth that rotate around its lipless mouth like a table saw.

Cyprien turns his head over his shoulder, smirking at my wide-eyed expression. “That’s a Kleptak. You should?—”

“Stay away. Got it,” I murmur, never taking my eyes from the creature. “Maybe we could fly a little faster?”

With a laugh, Cyprien obliges. “I was going to say you should let me take you down to pet it. Kleptaks are actually pretty friendly.”

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