Voids it! Later he’d have to apologize to her, too.

“We came to discuss taxes. Not your bloated egos.”

“700 blue pebbles,” Taiken spat. “Even in my best years, I wouldn’t have been able to afford that.”

“I’m sure if you allowed yourself to be butchered more than a couple times a moon, you could do it.” Aridon grinned with fangs. “I’d find it entertaining. Maybe enough to spend my own pebbles. Oh, wait.” He paused with a smirk. “You stopped doing that, didn’t you?”

Lita came with the wine on a tray. Thus destroying Taiken’s attempts to keep all attention off of her. At least she seemed to have calmed down a bit, making her scent less obvious.

But, of course, the viper wouldn’t allow him to relax. Taiken snarled when Aridon abruptly grabbed Lita’s wrist before she could start distributing the cups.

“You forgot yours, rat.”

The girl opened her mouth and stared at him, bewildered. Then looked to Diana. Diana calmly reached for a cup and took a sip.

“Sit. Have mine.”

Aridon yanked her into the chair closest to himself, still gripping her wrist while he reached for another cup. Her receding fear scent suddenly came back like a punch to the nose.

“Aridon!”

Taiken jumped to his feet, snarling and unable to hold back his fangs.

“Tsk. Look how touchy the boy is,” said Aridon. “I only want to give the human rat a drink.”

Taiken forced himself to take a few deep breaths. Diana was right. Giving Aridon a reaction was exactly what the viper wanted. Slowly, he forced himself to sit down again and reached for a cup.

“That’s better,” Aridon crooned.

He finally let Lita go and put the cup in front of her. She didn’t touch it.

“I’m sure there are other things you can do to raise the pebbles. For example, Harv has told me that a number of demons in his care would like more colorful luxuries.”

“Cut the bull, Aridon,” Taiken growled. “If you really wanted the pebbles, you would’ve given me a later due date. What is it you really want?”

Aridon slowly rubbed his chin. Letting the tension build with his silence.

“Maybe I want you to finally sign the Oath. If you do, you’ll receive all the perks the rest of us enjoy.” Aridon smirked. “Such as receiving tax proceeds instead of paying them.”

Taiken snarled and clenched his fists as he leaned forward.

“If it were Leo asking, I’d believe you really wanted that,” he said coldly. “But you and I both know that you’d rather lose the power advantage than make me part of the Oath.”

“And you’d rather be buried alive than accept. So there’s no danger in offering.” Aridon shrugged. “I did my duty as a Brethren. Now, for payment…” He pretended to muse. “You could always spare your lighters.”

“No.”

As though Taiken hadn’t flatly refused, Aridon continued.

“Everyone knows your lighters are the best in the Separation.”

They should be, thought Taiken irritably. I trained them.

“You’d only have to spare them a few times a week-”

Taiken slammed a fist on the table. “No!”

Aridon laughed quietly. “Temper, boy. I might start thinking you really are Cheryl’s son. Tell me, are your lighters engaging in illegal activities? Is that why you wish to keep them out of my sight?”

A headache was beginning behind his eyes. Tiredly, Taiken rubbed his forehead. “What is it you really want?”

To Taiken’s relief, Aridon's smile turned satisfied. It was the signal that this pointless interview was about to finally move forward.

Without a word, the other male stood up. From a cubby in the wall, which he revealed by demon touching away the cover, he retrieved a thin bundle half the length of a forearm. Then returned and offered it to Taiken.

Cautiously, Taiken took the offered bundle.

“I want you to light it.”

Taiken blinked at him, then opened the bundle to get a look at the item.

It was a knife. A long, blackened knife. He ran a finger along the edge, testing its sharpness. Then tilted it so the runes would catch the light and make them visible.

He’d never been properly educated in runes. His father had taught him a few, practical runes used in lighting and heating items, but that was it. And he’d given up many years ago trying to get the other demons to show him more.

And since leaving the Separation was a risk he was unwilling to take, he continued to use the less efficient magics of forcing his will and imagination instead.

“What’s it supposed to do?”

“That’s not your concern.”

“It is my concern.” Taiken put the thing down on the table with a clunk. “Weapons are meant for killing. If I light an item you mean to use against my people-”

“It won’t be used against any human.” Diana put down her cup with a sigh. “Its part of an ongoing experiment for dealing with goblins. The deeper we go, the more they’ve been invading the Mines at Ronda.”

“Then what does it do?”

“Kills on a knuckle’s worth of penetration.” Aridon smiled nastily.

Taiken shivered. “That is a lot of runes for one simple command.”

“Is it?” Aridon snorted. He pushed the cup closer to Lita again. His way of reminding Taiken that he hadn’t forgotten the girl’s present. “Do you know how many things you must tell a body to stop working before it complies?”

“Yes. One.” Taiken tapped the middle of his chest. “Tell one organ to stop working and nothing else will.”

“Tsk. And how many runes does that take?”

Taiken opened his mouth and shut it with a snap.

“That’s right. You don’t know.” Aridon motioned to the knife still sitting in front of Taiken. “Now you do.”

Taiken glanced at Lita. She’d finally picked up the cup but wasn’t drinking. Just holding it in her lap and staring down at it.

“If I do it, you’ll wipe out the taxes?”

“Of course.”

“I want a Contract.”

Aridon frowned while Taiken leaned over the table. Taiken looked the other demon firmly in the eye.

“I want a Contract, held by the Oath, that this thing won’t be used against any human.”

“Your distrust hurts,” said Aridon. Amused.

“But is predictable.” Diana moved around, gaining Taiken’s attention as she retrieved and placed a piece of parchment on the table. It was already written on.

With a frown, he picked it up and read through it. Twice. Taking his time on the short clauses, looking for loopholes and technicalities.

It made him even more nervous not to find them.

“Satisfied?”

Taiken scowled at Aridon. “No.”

“900.”

“What?” Taiken straightened up. Confused.

“If you don’t take this deal, the taxes will now be 900 blue pebbles.”

Taiken jumped to his feet, snarling and fanged.

“Enough! Both of you, stop.” Diana stood up and leaned on the table, almost coming between the two of them. “Taiken, you have my word. This thing is not meant for humans. And even though it wasn’t written by Leo, I went over that Contract myself. To make sure he,” she nodded to Aridon, “didn’t slip in anything that you would object to. Do you trust me?”

Taiken gritted his teeth.

One lighting and no taxes this year?

“I’ll do it. But only if there are no taxes next year either.”

“Done,” said Aridon promptly.

Diana pushed a bottle of ink his way but Aridon ignored it. Instead, he bit his finger and pressed it to the document. Demon touch used his blood and ink from the original clause to form the new addition. 

If anything, Aridon’s immediate willingness only made Taiken more anxious. With a sigh, Diana turned to hand Taiken the bottle. But Taiken, worried he’d change his mind if he did, didn’t wait for her ink bottle either. He bit his thumb and pressed blood into the document.

“Barbarians,” said Diana dryly.

“Not my lineage,” said Taiken.

“I have ink.”

“This is faster.”

Diana shrugged and collected the document, folding it while Taiken picked up the knife.

“If it isn’t for humans, why didn’t you get a human lighter to do it?"