The plan, as it turned out, was insane.
Aurelia spread a map across the war table and pointed to a spot just south of the Holy Capital. The map was old, the ink faded, but I recognized the location. A small fishing village called Merrow's Rest, built on the cliffs overlooking the Silver Sea.
"There's a tunnel," she said. "Beneath the old chapel in Merrow's Rest. It runs under the mountains and comes out in the crypts beneath the Cathedral of Saint Lumen."
I stared at her. "A secret tunnel into the most fortified city in the human world."
"Yes."
"And you know about this how?"
She hesitated. "When I was initiated as a Saintess candidate, the High Priestess showed me. She said it was for emergencies. If the city ever fell, the clergy could escape through the tunnels."
"And you never thought to mention this before?"
"I didn't know I'd be sneaking the Demon Queen into the Holy Capital."
Fair point.
"How long is the tunnel?" I asked.
"Twelve miles. It takes about six hours on foot if you move quickly."
"And the exit? The crypts beneath the Cathedral. Won't they be guarded?"
She shook her head. "The crypts are sacred ground. Only the High Priestess and the Saintess are allowed to enter. The guards stay outside."
"So we walk into the crypts and just... climb up into the Cathedral?"
"There's a hidden staircase behind the altar of Saint Lumen. It leads to a storage room in the vestry. From there, we can access the dormitories where my sister is being held."
I studied the map. The plan was risky, but it was better than anything I'd come up with. And if Aurelia was right about the tunnel, we could bypass the walls entirely.
"What about the holy wards?" I asked. "The Cathedral is the most sacred place in the human world. The moment I set foot inside, every priest in the city will feel it."
Aurelia frowned. "The wards are powerful, but they're designed to detect demonic intent. If you're not actively using dark magic, they might not trigger."
"Might not?"
"I said might."
I sighed. "This plan gets better and better."
"Do you have a better idea?"
"No."
"Then we leave at dawn."
She turned and walked out of the war room without waiting for my response.
I spent the rest of the night preparing.
Not that there was much to prepare. I packed a bag with supplies. Food, water, a change of clothes, a few enchanted items that might come in handy. I chose a dark cloak to cover my silver hair and horns. It wouldn't fool anyone who looked too closely, but it would buy us time in the shadows.
Vex found me in my chambers just before sunrise.
"Your Majesty. I must protest."
"I know."
"The Holy Capital is the heart of the enemy's power. If you're captured..."
"I won't be."
"You can't know that. The Saintess could be leading you into a trap. This entire thing could be a plot to deliver you to the Church."
I turned to face him. "Vex. Do you trust me?"
He hesitated. "Of course, Your Majesty."
"Then trust me now. I know what I'm doing."
He didn't look convinced. But he bowed his head.
"I'll keep the castle secure while you're gone."
"Good. And if Malrik's contacts come looking for him, let them think he's still in command. I don't want the Church to know we caught their spy."
"Understood."
He turned to leave, then paused.
"Your Majesty. The Saintess. Is she... can we trust her?"
I thought about Aurelia. The way she'd grabbed my arm in the corridor. The way she'd sat beside me in the moonlight. The way she'd looked at me when I told her I'd learned her magic from watching her die.
"I don't know," I admitted. "But for now, we're on the same side."
Vex nodded slowly. "I hope you're right."
He left.
I stood alone in my chambers, watching the first light of dawn creep through the window.
Alright, Seraphina. Let's go walk into the most dangerous place in the world with the woman who killed you ninety-nine times.
This is fine.
We met at the castle gates.
Aurelia was already there, dressed in a simple traveler's cloak with her hood pulled up. Her sword was hidden beneath the fabric, but I could see the outline of the hilt. She looked tired but determined.
"You're late," she said.
"I'm never late. You're early."
She didn't smile.
We set out into the predawn darkness. The path from the castle wound through the black mountains, a narrow trail that hugged the cliffs and dropped into steep ravines. It was dangerous even in daylight. In the dark, it was deadly.
Aurelia moved like a ghost, her footsteps silent on the stone. I followed close behind, letting my demon senses guide me through the shadows. The world was sharper at night. The smells were stronger. The sounds were clearer. I could feel the pulse of the earth beneath my feet, the whisper of the wind through the rocks.
"Your senses are different," Aurelia said quietly. "Aren't they?"
"Demon thing."
"I can feel it. The way you move. The way you see."
"I can smell the sea," I said. "It's about forty miles south. The air changes when you get close. Saltier. Wetter."
She glanced back at me. "That's useful."
"It has its moments."
We walked in silence for a while.
Then she said, "My sister's name is Clara. She's seventeen. She's been living in the Cathedral dormitories since I took my vows."
"I know."
"You know everything."
"Not everything. But I know Clara. I've seen her in the loops. She's kind. Smart. She doesn't trust the Church as much as you do."
Aurelia stopped walking. "What do you mean?"
I stopped too. "In some loops, when I wasn't killed right away, I had time to gather information. Clara was one of the people I watched. She asked too many questions. The Church didn't like that."
Aurelia's face went pale. "What did they do to her?"
"Nothing. Not in the loops I saw. But she was always under watch. Always controlled. The Church used her as leverage against you. The same way they're using her now."
Aurelia's jaw tightened. "Then we have to get her out."
"We will."
She looked at me for a long moment. Then she turned and kept walking.
The sky was starting to lighten by the time we reached the first village. It was a small demon settlement, a cluster of stone houses built into the side of the mountain. Smoke rose from the chimneys. A few farmers were already in the fields, tending to crops that grew in the volcanic soil.
Aurelia pulled her hood lower.
"They won't hurt you," I said. "You're with me."
"That's not what I'm worried about."
"Then what?"
"The Holy Army. If they're marching south, they might have scouts in the area. If anyone recognizes me..."
"They won't. You look like a traveler. Just keep your head down and let me do the talking."
We passed through the village without incident. The demons bowed as I passed, their eyes wide with reverence. I gave them a small nod and kept moving.
Once we were past the village, Aurelia let out a breath.
"They worship you," she said quietly.
"They respect me. There's a difference."
"Is there?"
I didn't answer.
The sun rose higher. The black mountains gave way to rolling hills, then to forests of twisted trees with leaves like embers. The air grew warmer. The smell of sulfur faded, replaced by the scent of pine and earth.
We walked for hours.
We stopped at midday to rest by a stream. I sat on a rock and pulled out some bread and dried meat from my pack. Aurelia sat across from me, keeping her distance.
"Eat," I said, offering her a piece of bread.
She hesitated, then took it.
We ate in silence.
"You know," I said eventually, "for someone who agreed to work together, you're not very talkative."
"I'm focused."
"On what?"
"On not dying. On not getting you killed. On saving my sister." She looked at me. "What should I be focused on?"
"The mission. Obviously. But that doesn't mean you can't also be human."
"I'm a Saintess. I'm not supposed to be human."
"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."
Her eyes flashed. "Excuse me?"
"Saintess or not, you're still a person. You eat. You sleep. You bleed. You feel." I paused. "I've watched you for six hundred years. I've seen you cry. I've seen you laugh. I've seen you hesitate. That's not weakness. That's humanity."
She stared at me.
"You're very strange for a Demon Queen," she said finally.
"I'm very strange for a lot of things."
A smile flickered at the corner of her mouth. Just barely. But it was there.
The air shimmered.
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
Affection +5
Current Affection: -5
I blinked.
"What?" Aurelia asked.
"Nothing. The System just gave me an update."
"What kind of update?"
"You're warming up to me. Slightly."
She rolled her eyes. "I am not."
"The System disagrees."
"The System can mind its own business."
I laughed.
She almost smiled again.
We kept walking.
By nightfall, we reached the edge of the demon territories.
The forest thinned, and the landscape changed. The twisted, ember-leaved trees gave way to green pines and rolling meadows. In the distance, I could see the lights of a human village. And beyond that, the dark outline of the mountains that surrounded the Holy Capital.
"We'll rest here," Aurelia said. "We can reach Merrow's Rest by tomorrow evening. Then we enter the tunnel at night."
I nodded. "We should find shelter. Something hidden."
"There's a cave about half a mile north. I used it once during a pilgrimage."
I raised an eyebrow. "You know the secret caves too?"
"I know a lot of things."
We found the cave without much trouble. It was small, barely more than a hollow in the rock, but it was dry and hidden from the road. Aurelia gathered wood for a fire while I warded the entrance with a subtle illusion spell. Anyone passing by would see nothing but solid rock.
The fire crackled to life. We sat on opposite sides, the flames casting long shadows on the stone walls.
"Tomorrow," Aurelia said quietly, "we'll be in human territory."
"I know."
"Things will be different there. I won't be able to protect you."
I looked at her. "You think I need protection?"
"I think the moment someone realizes who you are, every knight and priest in the kingdom will try to kill you."
"That's nothing new."
She stared at the fire. "Why are you doing this? Really. You could have let me go alone. You could have stayed in your castle and waited for the loop to reset."
"Because the loop might not reset. Not anymore. And because..." I paused. "Because you're the only person in this world who understands what I'm going through. I'm not letting you walk into the Holy Capital alone."
She looked at me then. The firelight danced in her blue eyes, turning them to molten gold.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
"For what?"
"For trying. For not giving up. For..." She trailed off. "For asking me to marry you. Even if it was insane."
"Maybe it wasn't insane."
She didn't respond.
We sat in silence, watching the fire burn.
And somewhere in the distance, the Holy Army marched.
End of Chapter 10