They say Infernals are made of ash and ruin. Masters of manipulation, wielding power like a second skin. They are predators among prey, hiding in plain sight. In Darsineka, we grew up on legends of Infernals, born of desperation, orchestrating destruction like it was second nature. Most famously, a fae woman joined together with a Goddess to create an Infernal to put an end to a decade long God war. Thousands of innocent lives lost, even Gods weren’t spared from the wrath. And yet, the only thing that ever stopped them… Was their anchor.

Their creator.

Their leash.

I never thought a day would come where one would stand in front of me, like a nightmare come to life. There in the throne room of my grandfather, stood two men. They could have been mirrors if not for the stark contrast of their presence. One stood, hunched and unsure, while the other stared down the room like he was hunting us. It made every hair on my body stand on end. When his eyes shifted to mine, I could feel fear crawl up my throat. My fingers curled around the hilt of my sword as a sense of comfort, but deep down I knew if he decided to strike it would not be a fight I would win. 

I tried my best to size him up, pretending I was more confident than I was, but I felt more like a mouse in front of a deadly snake. His gaze felt like it was peeling back my layers, like he already knew what it would take to break me. I swallowed hard and looked away first. Heat rising in my cheeks from shame.

“Wilder I must admit… Your request surprises me. And your timing, now of all times with the rising stakes between us and Finoria… Is interesting.” My grandfather finally spoke up. He leaned back onto his throne. His hands clasped together on the hilt of his own blade that was planted in front of his throne. He was old and weary but a King well respected by his people. “A century has passed. You could have come forward sooner. Or you could have gone to any Kingdom of your choosing. Archmire for example, your Gods used to mingle with theirs once. I’m sure they would have taken you in.” He glanced Wilder up and down. His eyes lowered, his resolve weak before the King. “Yet you are here. It’s curious. And forgive my caution, but with you bringing your Infernal right into my throne room, I have to say I am nervous of your true intentions. Is shelter truly all you seek? Or do you see a frail King on his throne and think to yourself how easy it would be to overthrow my rule?”

Grandfather had watched cities fall, Gods take a knee, and allies betray one another in the name of peace. But peace was only borrowed time to him. A thousand years was a long time to live and learn what humanity had to offer. He was right to be cautious.

The Infernal bristled, eyes narrowing, but he didn’t respond for Wilder, choosing to let his anchor speak instead. Wilder looked up between my grandfather and I with a forlorn look. His hand to his chest in earnest. “King Aldous Dashkov, I assure you, that is far off from what we seek. We mean you no harm. I would never ask Wren to use his powers for such an evil.” There was a quiet murmur among the knights that lined the wall. Their darting glances as we all silently agreed, we didn’t know how much we believed those words.

My grandfather hummed, tapping his fingers against the blade’s hilt. “I do not have the greatest confidence in that answer.” Luckily for him he was much better at hiding it than I was. He maintained his authority over the room. A bead of sweat ran down the back of my neck.

Wilder looked conflicted. “I understand. We expected this reaction. And I wouldn’t say I haven’t agonized over how I could prove to you that we have no ill intentions towards you or your people.” He looked at Wren briefly, who returned his look with a softness that I didn’t expect from such a fierce figure. “The only thing I could think of was laying anything out in the open for you. Whatever you wish to know, I swear I will speak only the truth.”

My grandfather tilted his chin up slightly, he was curious. “Then you have already heard my greatest concern. Why now?”

“As you might have noticed, we are from the Renascent Bramble. As a Child of the Yew who survived the genocide of my people, I did what I could to survive.” He looked pained when he spoke. The Children of the Yew hadn’t been seen in almost a century, almost thought to be lost to time had Wilder not shown up now. “It wasn’t enough. I learned a lot, but I lost so much by hiding for as long as I have. And there comes a time when community is the only way to survive. Finoria is rising in fire power, it will be only a matter of time before I must face them again. Wren and I, we haven’t trusted anyone, relying on only each other, because it was the safest option for us. We feared what would happen if we ever revealed ourselves… But we can’t run away from our problems forever. We are exhausted.”

“It doesn’t please me that whatever you’re fleeing from will now find its way here. Danger looms behind you.” Wilder hung his head. “You will bring that danger with you and I’m not sure if it’s worth my time to take the risk to take you on. Even though it is a tempting offer. I acknowledge how my relationship with your people used to be, but I must err on the side of caution to avoid the fate that you suffered. Surely you must understand.”

“This was a mistake Wren, lets-” Wilder looked ready to accept that answer, he began to turn away. Then everyone was caught off guard when Wren approached my Grandfather. Quickly I drew my sword and stepped between them, pointing the blade right at Wren’s chest, my trembling hands already betraying me. He gazed down at me with sharp golden eyes, and I felt frozen. My heart caught in my throat, and the roaring of blood in my ears drowned out all sound. All I could think was: don’t take a step closer. I don’t care that you wear the skin of a man, I see exactly what you are. 

It was just him and I, the room held its breath with me. I could already feel the tension radiating off the knights. They shifted in their armor, one lowering a spear, only to freeze again, unsure what command to follow. So, none of them dared step forward, possibly just as afraid as I was. The pressure Wren gave off was staggering.

I didn’t want to die here.

Then the unimaginable happened.

Wren took a knee before me. The room felt like it was tilting, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Infernals were all mighty and feared, they did not need to submit to anyone.

Yet here he was. Wren’s head bent and his fist planted itself on his chest as a sign of surrender. Even Wilder seemed to be holding his breath from shock, hand weakly reaching for Wren. Staggering back, I looked back at my grandfather to see if he was seeing what I was seeing.

“King Dashkov, please do not turn us away. We have so much to offer you and your Kingdom. You will not be displeased with what we can do. The danger you speak of that chases us does not scare me. But what does scare me is losing my anchor. He is the only thing that matters to me. And I will do whatever it takes to protect him.” He raised his head; his expression was decided and certain. He was willing to lay whatever it took on the line to make this happen. “And in turn I will become a tool for you to see fit. I know you understand exactly what I am capable of, I intend no harm upon you or your people. We will leave quietly if you truly do not want us here.”

Something flipped inside my stomach, I hadn’t considered an Infernal could act and sound exactly like a person. And now he just wanted to give himself up? Did he not understand that he was supposed to be the one with power here? He could demand anything he wanted, and yet he was placing himself barely above a tool.

He was supposed to be a monster, right?

Grandfather didn’t answer right away. Just looked at Wren like he was testing a blade for how sharp it was. Then the corners of my grandfather’s lips curved into a smile. He strummed his fingers on the hilt of the blade with an excited cadence. A lighthearted chuckle filling his chest. 

I couldn’t believe he was laughing in a situation like this. My mouth all but fell open at how ridiculous it seemed.