There was a long moment of silence before Raxx spoke again.
“In his last letter, Cirro requested to meet Zelrus in person. I’m not sure what has changed, but they meet to begin planning an uprising.”
Faye’s body stiffened with fear. She stared blankly up at the cracked tiles. “What does that mean for you?”
“War.”
The princess swallowed. “Will the rest of the demons fight?”
“Those that are fit and well enough, yes.” Raxx nodded.
“Surely you all know how outnumbered and overpowered you are? They believe in King Zelrus that much? Why?”
“Believe me when I say your experience of King Zelrus thus far has been an unusual one, princess. He is known throughout demonkind, as being exceedingly level headed, fair and just. He has done a great amount of work that has vastly improved the lives of demons across the realm.” Raxx paused. “But even if he weren’t so well respected, there is really very little to hold on to here. Many of the demon people are suffering due to the conditions they are being forced to live in. Fighting for independence with a blade in hand is at least an honourable death.”
“You sound like you have given this a lot of thought.” Faye’s mouth was dry.
“It’s difficult not to.”
“But you’re not exactly a foot soldier, are you? I mean, you’re high up in the ranks and—”
“I will stand and fight beside my king, regardless,” Raxx stated.
“Even if you know it will be certain death?”
“Yes.”
Faye was suddenly overwhelmed with feelings of grief and guilt. Her vision wavered and she sprang up, leaping over Raxx to stand by the side of the bed. She bent down to pick up her breeches and began tugging them back on.
The shadow demon didn’t speak, but she felt his gaze on her.
“Enough talk of war and death. I think it’s about time to head to Tabitha’s, don’t you?” Faye asked, forcing a cheery note into her voice.
Why did the idea of Raxx dying bother her so? She could accept she had forged a sort of relationship with the demon over the short time they had known one another and, especially now they had been intimate, she cared for him. Why did her chest feel like it had a hole carved from it at the mere suggestion that, should the demons go to war, Raxx would be beside his king on the battlefront?
With a deep breath, Faye pushed the thoughts from her mind and focussed on lacing up her leather tunic.
From her peripheral vision, she watched Raxx get to his feet. He wandered to the far side of the room and grabbed a fresh shirt from a pile of identical black undershirts and began to fasten it.
“I know the thought of going to war against your father frightens you,” Raxx said, his voice eerily calm.
Faye snorted. “Who wouldn’t it frighten?”
“That’s why I need you to understand the importance of learning as much as you can from Tabitha. I still believe Zelrus will come around, and when he does, I want you to be ready to show him what a powerful asset you can be.”
Stunned for a moment, Faye stared at the shadow demon. “What about Lori?”
“Let Lephas worry about Lori. He got himself into that mess, he can get himself out. Your sister is more of a political bargaining chip, but you?” Raxx paused, his dark eyes gleaming. “You are something far more valuable.”
“O-oh.”
Still reeling, Faye allowed Raxx to grasp her arm and moments later, they stood in the witch’s office.
“I’ll be with you both in a moment,” Tabitha cooed from across the room. The biggest book Faye had ever seen lay open in front of the witch, her yellow eyes fixed on the pages with a disturbing intensity.
Faye shivered as she caught sight of the demoness, still wearing Indi’s body. The kind faerie girl, though present in physical form, was absent in all other respects.
Faye had seen the written agreement first hand. She knew Indi had willingly allowed the witch to take control of her body, but it still didn’t sit right with her. Despite the princess’ disquiet about the situation, her curiosity as to why there was so much secrecy ate at her.
