Page 10 of Their World

Ah, he was definitely talking about Mason.

“Even he would have stopped if you’d come out with hands raised and spoken. All this time, we thought you couldn’t speak our language. We thought your people couldn’t communicate or didn’t want to, and your only goal was killing us.”

“You may think highly of your people, but we have lost hundreds of our own by sending them,” Grand Advisor said.

“Was it you I spoke to before I was teleported?” I asked him instead of reacting to the taunt.

His eyes widened a moment and then he nodded and his lip twitched, but he refrained from smiling.

“What is a goddess to you? What did you mean by that?” Now that I knew our language was not their first, I hoped to get an explanation to help me better understand what he meant.

“Goddess?” Jol asked, looking between us. “What are you talking about?”

“That is something we can discuss in private,” Grand Advisor said and smiled softly.

Red flags sprang up in my mind. This man was dangerous and definitely up to something. He was keeping things from Jol, which was the largest red flag of all.

“I wouldn’t think you would keep something so important from your king,” I said with a sweet smile. If I could sow seeds of uncertainty amongst them, perhaps I could delay the battle and have more time to find a solution. I wasn’t the best when it came to politics, but I had tried to pay attention to all the discussions and arguments that were had.

Grand Advisor waved his hand dismissively. “It’s not something our king needs to worry over. He is busy enough preparing for the upcoming war.”

“You speak of the war as though it is definite, but what if there is another way?”

“I have seen it,” Grand Advisor said and looked at his fingernails as though bored. “It will happen.”

“Ah, so you have premonitions as well,” I said with a nod of understanding.

His head jerked up. “‘As well?’”

“It is one of my powers,” I said and copied him, looked at my fingernails and rubbed them on my shirt before raising my head again.

He looked furious.

“You have the power of sight?” Jol asked, eyes wide.

Looking around, I realized every demon there was shocked.

“Among others,” I said nonchalantly, with a shrug.

“And you are not an advisor to your people?” Jol asked.

“I advise them if I need to,” I explained.

“And you have not seen our war?” Grand Advisor asked, a brow arched. “Perhaps that means your premonition powers are not as strong.”

“It could also mean that it is not a certainty. The decisions of many will affect the future.”

He sighed and shook his head. “You are very young. It seems you do not have the sight as I have it.”

Shrugging, I said, “I don’t know what your powers are like to compare them to mine. Just as you don’t know what my powers are like. Though, I find it curious that you advised me to accept the shadow powers so willingly. Did you know what they were? Did it come from this necklace?” I reached up, pulled the necklace from beneath my shirt, and stroked a finger down the gem.

Grand Advisor scowled and looked, uncertain. Had it not been him who communicated with me after all?

“Shadow powers?” Jol asked, looking back and forth between the Grand Advisor and me.

Holding my arm out, I summoned the power and the shadow snake with ruby eyes swirled out from my chest and coiled around my arm, resting its head in the palm of my hand.

Jol stood from his seat, nearly knocking the chair over in his haste. “What is this?” he growled. “Did you know she has this power?”

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