Page 34 of To Hunt a Demon King

“Balance?” Hunt asked, raising a brow at me.

“A give and take,” I clarified. “All witch magic has a cost, so the Goddess can keep the balance between life and death. There is no cost to this magic.”

“I think you’ll find that there is,” Hunt said, still looking at me appraisingly. “But only an expert will be able to tell you for sure.”

“So who is an expert on demon magic?” I asked, looking up to check on Akela. He had dozed off and was snuggling sweetly, like a giant furry baby.

“Probably the Demon King,” Hunt said with a shrug. “Or one of his scholars.” I sighed, feeling at least a little vindicated that I was going in the right direction.

“Who is the Horned God?” I asked suddenly, remembering that Hunt had never answered this question. Mama had told me to invoke the God’s protection, but I still had no idea who he was.

“He is one of the gods that demons revere,” Hunt said. “The partner of the Triple Goddess.”

“Partner?” I asked, sounding skeptical.

Hunt grinned wickedly. “Lover,” he clarified. “Consort. Husband. Mate.”

“Okay, I get it,” I said, scrunching my nose in distaste. “I have never heard of this Horned God.”

“I forgot,” Hunt said. He didn’t even seem winded while carrying the giant prone wolf, and I was already huffing and puffing trying to keep up. “I’m guessing witches stopped worshiping the Horned God when they divided the realms.”

“You mean when the demons divided the realms?” I clarified. Hunt let out an unamused laugh.

“Sure,” he said. “If that’s what you want to believe.”

“What doesthatmean?” I asked irritably.

“Look, Red,” Hunt said, stopping to turn and frown down at me. “There’s clearly a lot you don’t know about the history between demons and witches, and I get that you want answers. But I’ve had a very long morning and I just watched my best friend die and come back to life. Could you maybe save your thousands of questions for when we stop?”

I pursed my lips. Truthfully, Hunt did look tired, and he was probably shaken from losing Akela and from me revealing my magic.

I sighed. “Fine,” I said. “But you owe me a truth.”

“And how is that?” Hunt asked, exasperated.

“I showed you my demon magic,” I said simply. “That was the biggest secret I had. So think of a good one.” I gave him a smirk and continued on the course he had set, hoping we would reach the border of the Bloodwood before nightfall.

???

The Goddess must have been smiling down on me, because we reached the edge of the Bloodwood as the sun was setting.

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting when we reached the Darklands. Maybe a wall, or some pillars, or a twisted, blackened gate. I expected at least something that announced our arrival. I did not expect to find a quaint village, and houses with neatly thatched roofs scattered around a little square, with a fountain tinkling at its center.

It was the eve before Beltane, and flower garlands already decorated the little houses and shops, dressing everything in pastel hues. I looked around, utterly bewildered.

“This is the Darklands?” I asked, searching for the Demons or the pyres or the pits of fire mortals were burned in. “It looks so…”

“Normal?” Hunt asked, smirking at me. “I told you, you’ve been lied to about a lot of things.”

In the distance, mountains rose up over the horizon, white peaks capped with snow. They seemed to stretch across the land, and I wondered if that was the edge of the Darklands.

“There are no demons here,” I said, looking around at the few people still milling about in the dying light of the day.

“No, there are a few,” Hunt said, looking at me skeptically. “But they look like mortals most of the time.”

“Most of the time?” I asked.

“Demons tend to glamour themselves around mortals,” Hunt said, looking down at me. “As much as I’d love to satisfy your curiosity about all things demonic, Red, I’m afraid you will need to get your demon wisdom from someone else.” Hunt put Akela down carefully, and the wolf prowled to my side, pressing his head against my waist.

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