Page 31 of Demon Bound

“This man has nothing of value to offer us,” Azreth said. “We should kill him now. He will shoot us as soon as we turn our backs on him.”

Adamus blanched. “I won’t.”

Even Raiya doubted him.

“Paladius commands his Paladins never to fight dishonorably,” Adamus said, putting his hand over his heart. “I will not betray an opponent who has shown me mercy. You have my word.”

“Then he will return later with more Paladins,” Azreth said. “And we will have to fight him again. If we kill him now, there will be one less for us to fight later.”

Adamus looked regretful, but gave another little bow. “That, I cannot deny. I have a responsibility to protect the people of Frosthaven and beyond. But I hope this can be resolved without bloodshed.”

Azreth looked down at Raiya. He was deferring to her.

So she addressed Adamus. “I suggest you start walking the other way and don’t turn back until you reach Frosthaven. Go quickly, before anyone changes their minds.”

Adamus’s eyes widened. Then he quickly dipped into another, lower, bow. “Wise advice. I remain at your service, should you need me.”

She and Azreth watched him hurry down the road. Azreth watched him closely until they could no longer see him.

“Is this normal on your plane, to simply release enemies just because they ask for it?” he asked.

“Sometimes, if they’ve surrendered. It’s considered dishonorable to execute someone after they throw down their weapons. There are certain rules for conflict.”

He frowned. “Rules? Who makes the rules?”

“No one, I suppose. It’s about honor, like I said.”

Azreth was silent. After a few beats, one of the behelgi caught his attention. Stepping over a dead Paladin, he approached it. The behelgi raised its head, eyeing him suspiciously.

“I suppose it’s different in the hells,” Raiya said.

“In the hells, no one would bother to ask for mercy,” Azreth said, “because no one would ever grant it.” He slowly reached toward the behelgi, as if to pet it. But as soon as he came near, it sprinted away. It seemed that animals were not immune to the frightening aura he exuded.

Azreth lowered his hand and resigned himself to watching the animals from a distance—a scene which struck Raiya as quite sad. She came to stand beside him.

“Do you… like animals?” she asked, wondering whether they had any domesticated animals in the hells. Somehow, she doubted it.

He glanced down at her, then up at the behelgi again. She got the impression he was confused by the question.

“Are they in danger here without their riders?” he asked. “Will something kill them if they’re left alone?”

“Possibly.”

He watched them, frowning. All except the one he’d startled were grazing placidly, unaware of any dangers.

“You want to protect them,” Raiya guessed, surprised.

He hesitated to answer, as if he was reluctant to admit it. “Yes.”

“Why?”

“They’re peaceful.”

She gave a decisive nod. “We’ll take care of them.”

It took her some time to round up all the behelgi. While Azreth stood back, she tied them end to end and made a little train, held the reins of the one in front to guide it, and then they were on their way.

“Thank you,” she said. “For defending me.”

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