Page 73 of Fate Promised

The demon straightened. “No, but my father is king of our people and knows of the guardian. I’m Rordan, second in line.” He turned to Juri and gave the same brief bow. He gestured toward the bloody water, stains of black floating in the waves behind him. “I’m sorry. The vodnik never have had much to recommend them.”

“Thank you for helping,” Triska said, her voice weak. She turned to Juri. “I can walk.”

He cradled her in his arms more snuggly. “Just rest.” He let out a small, secret purr, and she murmured and sank farther into him.

Rordan watched them without expression. His irises were a golden-red color, and they flickered in the gray light. “The vodnik hunt in the dark, where they can sneak around and grab people unawares. They don’t normally attack like this.”

Juri searched the beach. In his time in Ulterra, he’d noticed monsters and spawn seemed to sense rifts when they formed. Perhaps the vodnik had as well. Perhaps Rordan had. Even if this demon had helped them, he wasn’t letting anyone else cross back up to Ulterra. “We need to get back to the palace.”

Triska jerked in his arms and peered up at the sky. “Al’s gone.”

He sighed. “I know.” The rift was most likely gone as well, but he didn’t tell her that. He started back down the beach, not waiting for the others. Triska needed new clothes and warmth. Now.

“Come with us to the palace,” Koschei said to the demon. “I was always on good terms with the warriors of your kind, and I’d like to hear the news of the lands down here.” He glanced at Juri. “It could help us.”

Juri growled low in his throat. “Koschei that’s not a good idea.”

Koschei’s chin jerked up. “Which one of us used to live down here? I know these demons.”

“Things have changed.” Should he let the demon stay with them? “What do you want? Why did you help us?”

Rordan stared at him. “The vodnik are the enemies of my kind. Any who fight them, I consider allies.” He glanced at Koschei. “And I’d like to resume our alliance with the guardian.”

Triska shivered again, the chills racking her entire body. Time to go. The demon had slaughtered two of the vodnik. “Fine.”

The demon kept pace with him easily, his wings completely gone now. Juri wanted to ask him how wings worked—the vae had secret wings he’d always been curious about—but he didn’t. Instead, he only watched him. One wrong move toward Triska, and this demon would feel what a vulk could do.

The clawing inside his chest was like shards of ice ripping into him. Triska wasn’t all right. And she was so cold. He needed to fix it, fix her, as soon as possible.

“What is a fenix demon?” she asked.

Juri opened his mouth to tell her to just rest, but she’d gotten a little spark back in her eyes, and he bit back his words. Triska always wanted stories when she was ill. He never got sick, not even when the entire class had the flu one year, so he’d bring Triska soup and tell her tales or read to her. Although he always embellished the stories in books to make them better.

Rordan’s stern expression softened as he glanced at Triska. “The easiest way to describe us is to call us a fire demon because we have the power of scorch.”

“Scorch?”

“They can call fire when they want to,” Juri said. “But they have trouble controlling it.”

Rordan stiffened and his gait became more stilted. Fenix demons were one scourge of the Deciding War. Not because they fought with the leshaks in the battle against the vulk, but because they couldn’t control their power of flame, and they’d burned large swaths of Ulterra.

Koschei stepped between them. “That was in the past. The fenix demons were always courteous guests of mine, and they never set anything on fire.” He turned to Rordan. “What have you seen flying overhead? Any unusual activity?”

“The boroughs have been quiet. There’s peace right now. Although, with the vodnik here near my lands, there must be something brewing.”

Triska stirred in his arms, sitting up a bit more. “Boroughs? Koschei called this area the forgotten borough last week. What does that mean?”

Rordan’s shoulders relaxed. “The underworld is divided into boroughs, with the deceptive lands in the middle.” He waved his hand. “This area is the forgotten borough because it’s never been claimed.”

Koschei nodded. “When we return, I’d like to look at the map together so you can tell me about any changes.” Koschei had drawn a map of the underworld for them, and they’d poured over it in the parlor many times in the past weeks.

“Do you remember the faint lines on the map?” Juri asked Triska. “I should have pointed them out to you. They showed the different areas of Peklo. Down here, they’re called boroughs.” Zann had told him about living in one of the northern boroughs for most of his time in Peklo.

Rordan’s shoulders tightened again. “I may be the second son of the king, but I’m a fenix warrior and I’ve lived most of my life on the battle plains. The mudri of my people are the ones who rule and keep counsel with the lords of the boroughs. So I won’t have as much information for you as you’d like.”

Triska shifted farther up in his arms, holding onto his shoulders better. “The mudri?”

Rordan nodded curtly. “There are two classes of fenix demons, the mudri and the warriors.”

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