Warning: May contain abuse and cruelty triggers.

She noticed that the visiting human dignitaries and their assistants were also there. Which made sense to her. The demons would’ve wanted to banish even their human guests to the segregated areas of the Palace when possible.

Briefly, she caught Dalius’ eye and felt her face flush with pleasure when he winked.

At one end of the hall someone pulled out a flute, which was followed by laughter and cat calls erupting as three people took turns trying to outdo each other in a ditty.

More like a party than the stiff dinner happening upstairs.

One Lita rarely got the chance to join because she was usually cleaning up after the demons’ meal.

“Lita, catch!”

She didn’t see who threw it, but she caught a corn dumpling before it could hit her in the nose. Promptly, she stuck it in her mouth and stretched her sore shoulder muscles. With her eyes closed, she didn’t see right away what caused the sudden hush.

Aridon.

What the Voids is he doing here?, she thought. Stiffening with everyone else.

Glances were exchanged and the room became deathly quiet.

The demon strode in and stood in the middle of the room. The people who were unfortunate enough to be close to where he stood, leaned back from him. Some of them moving to shield a neighbor.

“Pull the tables back,” he ordered.

Instantly the nearest people jumped to their feet and readily tugged tables away, widening the central space further. And putting distance between themselves and the unwanted visitor.

In the doorway were several other demons. None of them attempted to come in further than to stand along the wall.

One of them was Diana Veran. Mouth pinched into a thin line.

Lita looked back and forth between her mistress and Aridon. Trying to guess what was happening.

“Now, let's play a game. I want you to tell me what your job is.”

Lita exchanged looks with everyone else.

“Clophas.”

The demon stepped forward. As though they’d coordinated the details beforehand, he simply walked straight up to a random person and grabbed the man by the shirt. Yanking him forward.

“Answer the question,” said Clophas.

“I- I clean the asses stalls,” sputtered the confused victim.

“Wrong.”

Clophas shoved the man hard to the side, where he crashed into a table and several of its occupants.

“You!”

Clophas yanked a woman forward by the arm. She stumbled to her knees at Aridon’s feet, tears already coming.

“What is your job?”

“I- I clean rooms and work in the laundry.”

“Wrong!”

She was also tossed aside and her neighbors quickly pulled around her protectively. Such helpless, useless protection.

Three more times people were pulled at random from the crowd and three times they were barked at that they were ‘wrong.’

Just tell us the answer you want to hear already, thought Lita. Her stomach rolled with nerves and anger. She glanced at Diana Veran.

Who, of course, did nothing but watch.

What else did Lita expect?

“What exactly is this about?” She was startled, like everyone else, when Dalius stood up and leaned on his table.

Aridon narrowed his eyes at the man.

“Unless you can answer the question, rat, sit. Down.”

There was a tense silence for about three breaths. Dalius, just do what he says, thought Lita. Her hands trembled and she gripped her shirt in her fists.

Then, slowly, with open glares, Dalius sat down. Lita let out a sigh of relief.

Aridon smirked.

“Pity. None of you, not even that one,” he looked pointedly at Dalius, “seem to know what your job is.” Aridon turned in a slow circle and like magic the people under his gaze shuddered and shrank as he looked at them. “Let me educate you.”

He snapped his fingers.

There was a rustling of sound from the entrance and then people stepped through the curtained doorway.

Not demons.

Lita half stood up in surprise when Lloyd and a couple other human enforcers entered. Dragging between them… Nakos. The man she’d left upstairs to finish serving the demons their meal.

What happened?

Had he done something wrong because she’d left?

Her hands were now also sweaty.

No one said anything as Nakos was dragged to the middle of the room. No one dared. But there were plenty of looks passed around. The few parents in the room, getting the intuitive feeling that something horrible was about to happen, carefully gathered their children closer and attempted to cover them.

Nakos was forced to his knees in the middle of the room, right next to Aridon.

The demon raised a lip in disgust at Nakos. Like he was a piece of dung left near his boot.

“All of you know this man?”

No one said anything.

“I said,” Aridon snarled, “all of you know this man? Speak if you think you’re not too animal to do so!”

Uncomfortable murmurs of ‘yes’ or something similar echoed around the room.

“Good. Now, after giving it some thought, I believe the easiest way to make you remember what your job is is to show you what your job is not.”

Aridon abruptly grabbed Nakos by the hair and yanked his head back.

“This rat was caught spying.”

Spying.

It was an electrifying word that caused more than one person’s insides to seize up with fear. Lita didn’t dare to look around, her hand shaking violently as she clutched her shirt harder.

“Your job is not?” He looked around and pointed.

“To spy?” the man he pointed at squeaked.

“And?”

“I-” the man looked around. Bewildered.

“Be disloyal,” someone from the other side of the room supplied. To save the first man from scrutiny.

Other answers, now that Aridon had allowed an answer or two pass without reprimand, were said in strangled tones.

Stay out of demon possessions. Keep your mouth shut. Stay away from rebels.

Lita glanced toward Dalius. Saw his face contorting as he struggled not to sneer and glare. She wished he’d look at her. But what was he going to do? Offer comfort?

Comfort for another spy who could end up just like Nakos?

Bile rose up her throat and she almost threw up.

Keep it together, Lita. No one knows. No one knows.

“Very good. It’s good to hear you know what your job is not.”

During the entire ordeal, Aridon had kept his fingers clenched cruelly in Nakos’ hair and kept the man’s head pulled back. Now he let go and took a couple of steps back behind the man. While he moved, he loosened the whip on his belt.

“Lord of the Void,” Lita whispered. Then slapped her hands over her mouth.

Fortunately, the demons weren’t paying attention to her.

At first, Nakos made no sound. But as the whip cracked and echoed through the silent room, he abruptly moaned. Then screamed.

Lita looked desperately at the enforcers standing to the side. Someone. Please, someone, do something. The enforcers stared in frozen silence straight ahead. Lloyd didn’t even glance around the room.

Diana Veran did nothing except watch without expression.

Nakos stopped moving. She could hear his ragged breathing but he’d long ago passed out. Somewhere, a child whimpered but even the few little ones seemed to sense danger and kept quiet.

“Enough!”

Her breath whooshed out in terror and relief as someone stood up. Dalius.

“Enough. Unless you intend to kill him, stop.”

To her surprise, Aridon did stop. But it was to stare at Dalius with narrowed eyes until the human was forced to look down and clench his fists on the table. Forced to bow his head while his body trembled.

“What a good idea. You.” Aridon pointed at Lloyd. “Sword.”