Page 231 of Kingdom of the Two Moons

He, the demon, snarls, and it makes my bones vibrate.

“Yeah, he told me to try,” I say, turning back to the wall.

“Are you trying to tell me that you can fuckingspeakwith Caryan’s demon?”

“Formerly Caryan’s demon,” the demon corrects in my mind. “Now concentrate, Melody.”

I just nod, focusing on the deadly cascade of magic before me, running down in a stream. Something that knows no end and no beginning.

“That’s impossible,” Blair snaps.

“The only impossible thing is her. Tell her that,”the demon growls, and I can feel his fury.

“Demons do not bond with weaklings,” she says into my back. “They incinerate them for fun. Or snack on them.”

My head shoots to her before I can help it, and I find myself glowering. “Are you calling me pathetic?”

Blair shrugs, but I can see her aura belying her nonchalance.Pure, yellow envy shines there like a weird form of beacon in the night. “Weak. Annoying. Helpless. Pathetic. Just stating the obvious.”

“You know what, Blair? Fuck you.”

She wants to jump at me, I can see her muscles tensing, preparing, but a snap of the demon’s teeth makes her change her mind last minute.

He pulls his upper lip back, exposing the full length of teeth the size of my arm. “Tell her I will incinerate her for fun if she doesn’t shut her mouth,”he says to me.

“I think your body language is quite convincing,”I retort, because her amber eyes widen, darting between me and the demon.

She is still slightly crouched, her fingers with her deadly nails spread but frozen in motion. Only her lip curls back, exposing her silver teeth. “If he cares so much for you, tell him that what he’s asking you to do is practically suicide. The wall incinerateseverything. We need to fly west. Then sharp north. Cut over the Emerald Forest and then cross the ocean from there, at the outskirts of Caryan’s kingdom.” The demon snaps his teeth at her in warning.

“Not happening. Witches prowl those territories, and Queen Calianthe will likely try to shoot us down before asking who we are,the demon shoots back.It is a trap. Or the witch is mad. Or both.Ignore the witch and focus on that wall, little one. I know you can do it.”

Blair glowers at the demon, then she says to me. “We’re losing critical time. If we wait here, we lose our advantage. Caryan is an angel. As soon as he’s recovered, he’ll just open up a portal and jump there, wait for us, and we’re doomed. Let’s gonow.”

“Tell the witch that he will be faster regardless. There is no way I can fly fast enough to arrive at the border before him. Breaking through the wall is our only chance.”

“He says that this is our only chance,” I repeat loudly for her.

Her eyes turn to vicious slits as they stay on the demon. “Yeah, maybe he wants you roasted. A late form of revenge against his former master. What a glorious payback.”

“Tell her I will devour her if she says anything like that again.”

“I need to at least try,” is all I retort—to both of them, exasperated—before I turn back to the wall.

I lift my hands. The wall’s magic reaches out to me, while mine desperately tries to find a loose thread. Something to start with.

I think I scream as the magic suddenly seeps into me, so like Caryan’s before, ready to kill me, burn me from the inside.

The next time I blink to my senses, I’m lying on the ground, my mouth tasting like ash.

The demon’s remarkable golden eyes focus on me, and I swear I can feel his relief swamping me. Relief that I’m still breathing.

“That went well. Great you’re still alive. I thought I was going to have to fight that demon over your roasted barbecued corpse,” Blair snarls, and my head jerks up to her. “Let’s get north, whatever your newfound pet says. We’re running out of time.”

My eyes find the demon’s again. “It’s too strong. She’s right.I’m so sorry.”

“Do not be sorry. But try again,”he pushes. “I know you can do it.”

I swallow hard. My arms tremble from the strain as I push myself to my knees. It feels so much like what Caryan did to me… I think that part. I didn’t mean to think itloud, but the demon heard me.

---