Page 17 of The Demon's Discovery
My curse dragged me through dozens of demons without flagging. When I finally regained some of my wits, I found I’d freed three separate groups of cornered stone kin soldiers and allowed them to regain dominance over the situation.
Breath heaved in and out of my lungs, and my arms moved almost of their own accord until suddenly, there were no more bottom-feeder demons to slay, and we were alone.
After what seemed like an awkwardly long silence where everyone stared between me and the absolute carnage around us in awed silence, Rylan grinned and clapped me on the shoulder.
“I’m glad I said something,” Magnus chuffed with a grin, looking at several minor wounds on his arms. “You have my thanks.”
A growly cheer went up through the lines of stone kin, but I couldn’t rouse my excitement. The soldiers began to pile bodies for incineration, and after lending his power to expedite the process, Rylan left, wasting no time getting back to his wife and the peace of his manor.
Gaius approached, scowling. “Thank you,” he said, voice tight. “There was a moment there…” His mouth curled in disgust and he shook his head. “I appreciate you saving my men and protecting Ophelia.”
I said nothing but offered a slight bow, one hand wiping at the mess around my mouth.
Magnus gave a half smile as the other man stiffly walked away. “He’ll learn.”
“Ophelia?”
Magnus smiled. “Yes, one of the oldest of us left.”
“She lives nearby?”
“Very. But her land is well warded and far enough inside the trees she was safe from danger.” Magnus shook his head, mouth thinned as he glanced around, deep in thought. “This attack was too close both to her and Revalia proper for my comfort. They are getting bolder.”
I followed his gaze to find several of the young stone kin men throwing glances at me over their shoulders, surprised gratitude on many of their faces.
“They see you,” Magnus said. “Both of you. Helping us. For most, hearing that upper-level demons—princes at that—are aligned with our causes is laughable. But they’ve seen it now. They’ll start to understand that not much is as it seems, and we have allies in unexpected places.”
“Is that what I am?” I teased, fatigue beginning to make itself known as an ache in my muscles. “An ally?”
“Something like that,” Magnus snorted, one of his massive hands patting me roughly on the back.
“I suppose that’s not so bad, stone man.”
I went back through the city gate on foot, needing some time to shake off the lingering sensations succumbing to the curse left behind. One of the soldiers loaned me a cloak to cover myself with so I wouldn’t scare the wits out of anyone who saw me, covered in blood as I was.
I’d crossed into the neighborhoods full of large estates when a noise drew my attention. I paused, scanning the thin forest that lined the side of the road. As I sniffed, my guard went up as I found the faint scent of sulfur.
Just as I pulled the blade from my belt, three lower-level demons surged from the shadows. “How did you manage to get all the way in here?” I cursed, slashing out with my borrowed sword. One of the little troublemakers fell, but the other two were intent on taking me to the ground, both pulling on the cloak I now regretted wearing.
The grating screech they let out roused my rage, and I was able to fell the second with a quick stab through the heart as the third climbed on my back. He yanked back the hood on the cloak, causing my hair to spill out as I turned my head to the side. He leaned forward over my shoulder, but before he could so much as lift his blade, I opened my mouth wide and crushed through his throat, tossing him to the ground as a flash of his memories passed over me.
I was huddled over his body, his blood fresh on my mouth when a carriage drove by. I stayed there, hoping to have been disguised by the shadowy tree line. When I thought enough time had passed, I turned to be sure I hadn’t drawn any attention.
My heart clenched as wide, intelligent hazel eyes met mine through the small window on the back of d’Arcan’s carriage.
Chapter 8
Greta
Dressed in a worn linen shirt and some hand-me-down men’s trousers, I climbed into the carriage Thursday to discover Grace waiting inside. I was a mess of nerves as I took my seat, the days at the manor having crawled by as I waited for my next visit.
“Right on time!” She smiled at me and tapped on the ceiling with her knuckle to alert the driver we were ready to go once I got seated. “I must admit, I may make this a new part of my routine. Usually, I walk into the market on shopping days. I might get spoiled having Clem drive me around.” She winked at me, my gaze pulled out the back window over Grace’s shoulder as the carriage began to move down the road. “It’s very nice to see you again, Greta.”
Shock turned my blood to ice as ruby eyes stared back at me through the window. On the side of the road stood a man dressed in a heavy cloak. His face was largely obscured by the blood smeared across his skin, but he reminded me, unmistakably, of Vassago. And what were those creatures on the road near his feet?
“You too,” I replied, feeling numb.
“Everything alright?” Grace’s eyebrows pulled together. “You look pale.”
