Pepper and Rakel’s horses, Conis and Yule, are waiting for us when we get back to the campsite.
I can’t get the bad taste out of my mouth. The situation was resolved. We’d all gotten out of the lizard village.
Why did the envoy kill them? What purpose did it serve?
“What did you do?” Olexandrya had demanded moments after the envoy fired off his spell.
“Oh,” he’d said. “Don’t worry. That should’ve been enough to destroy everything within that strange subspace they had.”
“Why?”
“They’re demons. They eat humans. Should I have allowed more people to be killed?” With that, he’d walked away.
I suppose he’s right. But I still don’t like it. Maybe it's because I'm a demon and I'm biased.
Rakel and Pepper weren’t too fussed. Probably had to do with their extended fight with said demons. But Olexandrya was and is angry.
Pepper collapses onto her bedroll, the arrow in her back wobbling.
Rakel plops down next to her, talking about pulling the arrow out.
I wonder if Pepper is in any danger, considering she's a slime. Can she even be killed by normal means? The snake had impaled her and I saw no follow-up. No healing or anything.
Olexandrya dismounts Crusch, once again leaving me alone on its back.
Our bedrolls are effectively right next to each other. This is only so Olexandrya can share the light I use to read at night.
I decide to hop off before she can return the horse from beneath me. I land on one foot and stagger.
Olexandrya catches the back of my blouse and holds me up.
“Crush, return.”
The horse transforms back into the figurine.
I consider starting up a new tirade of questions about the horse. Such as: does it eat? If it has to shit, does it come out of the figurine? Does it get tired?
But Olexandrya isn't paying me any mind. She glares at the envoy across the camp as he settles next to the dead campfire.
“When will we be ready to leave?” He asks.
“We'll stay the night,” Olexandrya says. “I don't feel like traveling.”
The envoy scowls.
“It isn't even noon,” he complains. “To waste an entire day… Over a few lizards. I'll be sure the Queen hears of this silly delay.”
Olexandrya turns and sits on her bedroll, facing away from him. Then, she drops onto her face.
I stand there for a moment, watching the back of her head. Curiosity wins and I turn to approach the campfire.
This man occupies a strange place in my mind. On one hand, it's difficult for me to take him seriously after seeing him made a fool of by Olexandrya and Rakel. On the other hand, he has the power to wipe out towns with a thought.
Did he not deem us enough of a threat for use that power? It was he not permitted to attack us?
The envoy hardly looks up from a cigar while I approach.
“Olexandrya is upset with you,” I say, dropping and folding my legs beneath me.
“I hadn't noticed,” the envoy says, chewing on the cigar.
I would offer to light the cigar; but I think I hate this man.
Pepper whines.
I turn my head, finding Rakel sitting on Pepper's back and pulling the arrow out.
“Don't he a child!” Rakel snaps.
“It's an arrow! In my spine!”
“It isn't in your spine. Is it?”
I decide not to engage with that.
“Why did you kill those lizards?” I ask, returning my attention to the envoy.
The cigar bobs between the envoy’s teeth.
“I told all of you,” he says. “They were actively hunting and eating humans that traveled through these woods.”
“They have to eat to survive.”
“And I won't tolerate the deaths of humans.”
We're at an impasse. I'm not going to argue with this man.
The envoy produces a deck of cards from thin air.
“Do you play?” he asks.
I look at the cards before meeting his eyes.
“I'm quite good,” I lie.
He smiles.
“If Drya doesn't mind sharing you,” he says. “I could use some entertainment. It's been too long since I've felt the touch of a woman. Human or… otherwise.”
Like a rock landing on thick ice; it takes a moment for his meaning to get through my head. I turn, looking at Olexandrya face down on her bedroll. Then, I look at Rakel patching up Pepper.
The envoy chews on his cigar.
“Why would you want that?” I ask.
“You don't have a body I find very appealing. Too few objects of interest. But I suppose you could have experience, despite your… appearance. Do you have any knowledge about using your mouth?”
“Even if I did,” I say flatly. “I don't think my 'master' would approve.”
This seems to please him. For some reason.
“Well, we mustn't blindly obey our masters,” he says. “I could extend this barrier of mine and give us privacy from the others.”
He's committed. He really thinks this is going to happen. Does he speak to all women this way? Even his precious Queen?
I let my mind wander while he blabbers on about how he'd rather penetrate me from behind so he wouldn't have to endure my judgmental gaze.
I blink slowly and think about Olexandrya's Heaven Ascent. I was confused as to why the word murder was in the name. It's difficult for me to imagine Olexandrya killing anyone in such a manner, especially when she couldn't let me die in front of her.
But this man. Was what he did murder? I suppose objectively not. I wonder if that’s how Olexandrya views killing.
“I won’t watch anyone else die. Not when I can do something.” Olexandrya’s words near the end of our battle ring in my ears. This is it. This is important to her. Life is important to her. Even the life of a demon.
I get it now. She thinks she's like this man. She thinks that every life she's taken is equal to this man's thoughtless annihilation.
It annoys me.
The envoy is still talking.
“We could do that if I win,” he says, shuffling the cards. “Or you could tell me how you're able to see her majesty's magic.”
I stare. I'm not sure what I expected by coming over here. I suppose I expected aid in understanding what led this man to annihilate those lizards. In a way, I got my answer. It's just the sort of man he is.
“Aerida!” Olexandrya yells from her bedroll. She's sitting up now. “Get away from him!”
I'm taken aback for a moment before I stand up.
“Wait!” the envoy stands as well. “I take it back! We can just play cards. Nothing on the line. Please!”
Instead of replying, I walk over to Olexandrya. I feel like a scolded child. Why is she angry with me?
“I don't want you around that man,” Olexandrya hisses. “What did he say to you?”
I purse my lips, assessing this new face of hers. Worry? Anger? Selfishness? All of them at once? So, I go for the throat, just to see what happens.
“He wants to fuck me,” I say, dropping into my bedroll. “But he assumes that my ‘master' is willing to share.”
Olexandrya stiffens and her eyes land on mine. I sort of like her reaction when I call her that. I'm not sure if it's prudishness or annoyance, but it amuses me.
She stares at me, frozen with the wooden brush in her hair.
“What did you say?”
“Isn’t that strange?” I push hair out of my face.
But Olexandrya is already standing, jaw clenched. The hairbrush lands on her bedroll.
I watch as she marches up to the campfire.
Whoops.
“Hey, now,” the envoy says, standing. “What did that demon tell you? I just made an offer I didn't—”
Olexandrya stomps on his chest, hard enough that the ground splits beneath him.
He's unaffected, though, the magic of the Queen’s barrier shimmering around him.
“What's going on?” Rakel demands, hurrying over to me.
I glance up at her and shrug.
“If I see you speaking to her again, I will gut you!” Olexandrya yells. “Do you hear me?”
“Did he hurt you?” Rakel asks, looking down at me.
I give a faint shrug.
Olexandrya raises her foot and stomps on the envoy again. The ground craters around them.
“Why can’t we kill him?” I ask. “Is he important?”
“We don’t just kill people,” Rakel says, sitting next to me. Her eyes are stern. “Did he hurt you?” She asks again.
“You’re so concerned,” I say. “Why? He’s just a man. I’m not afraid of him.”
“Do you not understand how demons are seen in this country?” Rakel asks.
I tilt my head, unsure what she means.
“A demon isn’t treated as a person,” Rakel says. “Especially further inland. A demon there is killed on sight or…” she shakes her head.
I stare at her.
“Or what?”
“Or they’re used,” Rakel snaps. “In every way you can think of.”
I furrow my brow, holding her gaze.
“These people would kill you on a whim,” Rakel says. “And they’re just as likely to…” her words grow distant.
I feel it an instant before it hits. The air stopping. The trees going still. The world has lost its color, and everything feels light around me.
He’s standing there, just beyond the edge of the camp. His head is that of a wolf with two twisted horns sprouting just above his brow. His fur is thick and gray, and his eyes are black pools. Red robes shift as he takes a step forward.
The strongest of the Demon Lord’s generals. Jeremias.
My mind scrambles. I can’t process what I’m seeing. What’s wrong with me? No one else reacts. Do they not see him?
He’s gone.
“They haven’t noticed my arrival.” The rough voice comes from behind me. “We have five minutes before the time seal wears off.”
I look around, finding everyone else frozen. Then, I raise my head. This isn’t like the seal my master used against Olexandrya. This is more precise.
Jeremias stands over me, snout in my face. His breath is hot and rotten. He extends a furry hand. His fingers and claws are covered with dried blood.
I’ve heard of Jeremias. Master has spoken of him as his ‘will manifest.’ He considers him his greatest asset. He kills and consumes humans like a fishing bird kills fish. Almost passively.
Why is he here? Is he going to kill me? Will he kill the others as well before the time seal wears off?
I can’t breathe. Do I fight? I don’t stand a chance. He isn’t even putting out any mana and I can barely stand his presence before me. My legs feel as though they’ll snap under my own weight.
“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Jeremias says. “Master always had such nice things to say about you.”
I open my mouth and force myself to breathe. I take his hand carefully. It closes like a massive glove around mine. The dried blood presses against my skin.
“Jeremias?” His name is a choked noise in my throat.
“I’m not here to disrupt your mission,” Jeremias says. “Master has explained the situation to me as best as he could before he left the country.”
Mission? I think of my master’s words.
“Remain where you are,” he’d said. “Trust me Aerida. This is the path that leads to my victory. As long as you do as you will.”
“I just wanted to see for myself,” Jeremias adds, letting go of my hand. His hand blurs, grabbing my blouse and tearing it open.
I flinch, too stunned to move as my blouse falls.
He grabs my head and yanks it back, forcing me to stare at the sky while he inspects me. I grab his thick wrist, struggling to stay balanced. His claws press against my skull.
I’m trembling. My eyes are starting to water. I can’t escape the idea that I’m moments away from being torn open.
I can’t think. It’s too much. I’ll die. He’ll kill me.
Jeremias presses a single claw against the scar on my chest. I pull back, gripping his wrist with both hands and trying to twist free.
“The soul. It belongs to her.” He tightens his grip on my head, and I squeeze my eyes shut. With a single flex of his arm, my feet are off the ground. “If I kill you, she dies too.”
He returns to my chest, pressing his claws against the scar.
“Why does master want the hero to live?” Jeremias asks. “It doesn’t make sense. This is the perfect chance for us to win. To kill her.”
“I don’t know.” My voice is small. “I—”
A crack opens in the air above us.
Jeremias flinches.
“That man.” He whips his head around.
The crack explodes, and the world bursts back into color around us.
The envoy is standing over the destroyed campfire, a hand aimed at the sky. Did he disrupt the time seal? How?
“We’ve been had!” The envoy yells. “Demon!”
Jeremias lets go of my head and jerks his claws across my chest. Pain races across my skin in a terrible tearing sensation.
I cry out, falling backward.
Olexandrya appears, hooking an arm around me and yanking me against her.
“Crusch!” she yells, throwing her figurine at Jeremias. “Attack!”
The horse pops into existence, hooves slamming into Jeremias’s chest.
“Ow, damn it!” Olexandrya hisses, inspecting the wound on my chest.
“I didn’t do it!” I grab at Olexandrya, determined to make her understand. I can hardly understand the madness burning in my head. “I didn’t bring him here!”
Jeremias takes a swing at Crusch, but the horse vanishes, becoming a figurine spinning in the air. A moment later, it becomes a horse again and lands on his back.
“You’re okay!” Olexandrya insists. “Calm down.”
I search her face, struggling to make myself focus. My face is wet with tears.
Rakel rushes in, ball of swirling green energy at the ready.
“Crusch, back off!” She yells, lunges for Jeremias.
Crusch vanishes again, and Rakel brings the energy down in a wide arc.
Jeremias kicks off his back and plants a hairy foot in Rakel’s face.
Rakel isn’t fazed. She grabs his foot and swings him to the ground.
White energy races along the ground around them. It snakes around Jeremias, binding his arms and legs.
“Finish him!” The envoy yells. “While I have him contained!”
Rakel lunges again. But I see it, Jeremias’s eyes narrowing.
No.
I pull away from Olexandrya and thrust a hand out. I hit Rakel with a direct blast of mana, knocking her off course.
A sword shot out from within Jeremias’s robes, swiping at the air where Rakel had been.
Jeremias cackles, tearing free of the envoy’s magic.
I fall to my knees, unable to support my own weight.
Rakel crashes to the ground, her spell vanishing.
“Damn it!” Olexandrya stands, staring Jeremias down.
I push off the ground with trembling hands.
“I’ll leave,” Jeremias says. “Don’t want to intrude any further.” His black eyes fall on me. “Goodbye.”
Just like that, he’s gone. As if he were never there.
I look down at my hands. Blood drips onto the ground from my chest.
What does this mean? This visceral fear? I know I don’t want to die. But why did I freeze up? I’ve never felt this way in my life.
I shake my head slowly, feeling the world distance itself from me. Everything is heavy.
“Aerida!” someone yells. I think it’s Rakel. “Is she okay?”
“He hurt her!” Olexandrya.
“She’s in rank with him, most likely.” The envoy. “We ought to kill her.”
“No one asked you!”