The other two demon exchanged a look, but neither made any attempt to answer. With a frown, Taiken closed his eyes and mentally pushed magic into the knife. He felt it warm up under the pressure of his push, greedily devouring the magic he fed it.

When he opened his eyes, he saw that the runes had lit up. Eerily lighting the room to almost daylight bright. Then the light faded, and it was just a sharpened, stone knife again.

Aridon snatched it eagerly from Taiken’s hands. Running his fingers over it and grinning.

“Now to test it,” he breathed.

“Later,” said Diana curtly. “Human, escort Master Taiken outside.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

Lita got up so fast that she lost hold of the wine, spilling it on the table and herself. She froze, holding her breath as she turned frightened eyes on Aridon.

Who didn’t notice.

The other male demon muttered something to himself as he distractedly hurried to an inner room, the curtain swishing closed behind him.

Lita breathed out in a whoosh and Taiken hurried to her, grabbing her arm.

“Stay out of trouble, boy,” Diana called after him as he pulled Lita through the doorway he’d just opened. “And close the door behind you.”

“Let me go.” Lita, after she’d had a couple of breaths and half a hallway to recover, tried to tug her arm out of his hold but he didn’t budge. “You’re going to trip me.”

Taiken wasn’t paying attention.

“You were a distraction.”

“Taiken-”

“I don’t like it. Light a knife? They don’t need special weapons to kill goblins,” he muttered to himself. Still walking brisk enough that Lita was having trouble keeping up. “What was he trying to keep me distracted from? Voids!”

He was only vaguely aware of Lita still talking at him until his fast pace finally tripped her.

“Ahh!”

She went down hard on her knees and he let go. Voids it! He hadn’t meant to do that. With an effort, he mentally pushed aside his worries and crouched, offering a hand.

“Sorry, sorry. Let me help-”

“You’ve helped enough!” She pushed away his offered hand and rubbed one knee.

“Here, let me-”

“No. I don’t want your help. Since you seem to know your way, you can escort yourself out.”

Again, she pushed his hand away and used the wall to stand up. Then took a limping step back.

“At least let me trade your injury.” She scowled and he pressed on more gently. “Since I’m the one who injured you.”

“It’s only a bruise.”

“It still hurts.”

She frowned and tested the knee. And couldn’t hide a wince. With a sigh, she nodded.

Cautiously, afraid she’d change her mind if he moved too fast and scared her, he stepped closer and put a hand against the side of her neck. He could feel her heartbeat pulsing under his fingers and a fresh wave of anger sent his teeth on edge.

How dare Aridon use her like that!

Bastard!

His knees, especially the left one, throbbed and he limped back a step.

“I’m not going to thank you.”

“You’re welcome, anyway. Piece of advice, stay away from Aridon.”

She gave him an exasperated look. “I’m not an idiot. Anyway, his wife is my mistress, I can’t avoid him entirely.” Before Taiken could say anything, she ran onto another rant. “And what is it to you? How many times do I have to tell you, you’re not my master, for you to finally get it?”

“Lita, you’d be safer if you left this place.”

“You’re. Not. My. Master. Butt out.”

Tiredly, he rubbed his face. He wanted to smack her. But he couldn’t. For multiple reasons.

“I’ll escort myself from here,” he said politely. Then bowed to her. “Thank you, miss Lita, for your help today.”

***

Day Three - Diana Veran - Plot continuation

There were… too many things on her mind.

There were the rebels. Always the rebels. What had started out as a minor nuisance ten years ago had become a growing problem.

Just that morning, as she was leaving before dawn, she’d gotten a private report from Harv that he’d found activity near Havenholme. Havenholme was the community on the east side of the lake that he oversaw.

The sort of things he’d found were signs that people had been there and was poking around. Even evidence that they were trying to dig into Havenholme’s cliff side buildings from the back.

If there was somewhere they did not want humans to be, rebel or otherwise, it was Havenholme.

Even if it weren’t obvious, the intruders were leaving other signs but not scent. No-smell. And in two hundred years only those looking for demon weakness had ever tried to penetrate Havenholme. She could only conclude that it had to be the rebels.

And here she was. Sitting on the edge of a cliff, so close to the boundary that she could see it’s shimmering, bubble-like surface like an enormous wall between her and the Outside.

She rubbed her forehead.

At least she could trust Lloyd to look into the stall owners quietly and without her supervising ever step. She smiled tiredly. One less thing for her to worry about.

Then there were the meetings.

They starting in the morning and even though there was only one subject she had an active role in, she still went over all the reports. The more she knew, the more prepared she’d be for human protests.

If she had had a more active role, maybe she wouldn’t be here. She could’ve refused Aridon’s request and waited longer.

“I need you to find Eric.”

It hadn’t been so much a request as a demand. The prize he held hostage was another night where she’d be welcomed to his rooms. Where he’d hold her and whisper words of empty love.

She rubbed her forehead and looked out along the small valley between cliffs. Searching for signs of the rogue.

Why do I do these things for him?

It was a question that haunted her. Followed her like a tiger on the hunt.

Why did she torture herself like this? She sighed and pulled off her pants. Her skin rippled, turning scaley, knitting her lower limbs together, and elongating. Until what sat at the edge of the cliff was a large snake with arms and wearing a tunic.

She carefully began the crawl down the side of the cliff.

“I’m doing this because this is why I agreed to the whole experiment in the first place,” she reasoned aloud to herself as she went. “For the sake of demons like Eric.”

Once at the bottom, she tasted the air by slithering her tongue in and out, eyes half closed.

There was no movement to disturb her ears and alert her to vibrations. At least, nothing bigger than a few mice.

However, she scented demon.

Humans would be surprised to learn that to a demon, another demon’s scent was sweet. Sweet as honey. Sweeter than honey.

She followed this demon’s scent. Slithering through the underbrush. Pleased that he was exactly where she’d expected to find him.

Eric.

Nearly naked except for a ragged kilt, he was crouched over a small stream. Periodically reaching in and picking out a fish and putting it back. Over and over. Diana came to a stop and morphed back to human. Then remained crouched to seem less threatening to the other demon.

Eric couldn’t control his forms at all. He jerked and his form shifted to and from something like a crawdad when he noticed Diana. It was so rapid that Diana didn’t have time to blink.

It was a good thing he couldn’t take on an early form. If he’d become an element whenever he startled, neither she nor anyone would’ve been able to catch him.

He might slip away into air before recognizing friend from foe.

“Hello, Eric,” she whispered. “Do you remember me?”

The demon crouched low. His body language was threatening as he bared fangs and sniffed. Sniff. Sniff. Suddenly, he relaxed.

“Snake, sewers gone, Diana name.”

“Yes. I’m a snake. I lived in the sewers a long time ago but the smell is gone. I am Diana Veran.”

“Jerky. Meat. Alligator?”

“Jerky and meat I have.” She reached for the pouch strapped around the outside of her tunic and pulled out three thick pieces of jerky. “Not alligator.”

Cautiously, the creature moved toward her and reached for the treat. He snatched it and retreated, fangs bared.

“As though I’d take them back from you,” she whispered with sad fondness.