No. It wasn’t fine.
Remember what he called us, that he hates us, stupid heart.
We rounded the last corner and I saw Michlael standing with Nicron and a few other armored soldiers at the gate. They all had silvery shoulderpads and leg guards, while the clothing on top of their chest pieces differed in color depending on their element, blue for water, green for earth, white for air.
“Ah, there they are,” Michlael called out as he saw us, a polite smile stretching across his lips. He snapped with his fingers and one of the soldiers stretched something out towards him, but Michlael simply waved for me to pick it up instead.
Slowly, I stepped forward and saw red cloth in the guard’s hand and my brows furrowed. I looked up confused at Michlael who still smiled brightly.
“For our fire mage, of course, you’ll be the only one wearing the color.”
I wasn’t sure if I felt honored that he had arranged it for me this quickly, or if I felt as if he was placing a target onmy back. In any case, I picked it up and began pulling it over my leathers.
“Now, for your trial today,” he continued, his smile evaporated as he looked out through the gates. “We’ve had troubles with demons close by… I want you, and your squad to take care of them.”
“Kill demons?” I echoed, to make sure what he asked of us.
Slowly, his eyes found their way back to mine. “I want you to bring one backalive.”
My eyes widened and the air felt instantly colder. His eyes weren’t lying. Killing demons wasn’t the trial, it was only a bonus in his eyes. Had they ever caught a demon before? Was it even possible?
“No?” Michlael asked daringly.
“We’ll do it,” I confirmed, my resolve rock-solid.
CHAPTER
28
“Out of curiosity, how the heck does one capture a demon?” Nate asked loudly as we reached the forest and were out of earshot of the Aetherion.
“I’ve never heard of such a ridiculous idea,” Eve snorted, holding her rifle tightly.
“Perhaps it’s possible with magic?” Mey suggested. “We wouldn’t really know unless we try.”
“So we just put a leash on a demon and tell it that it’s a good boy?” Nate scoffed.
“I mean, that’s how we domesticated wolves to get dogs,” Ashley shrugged with a teasing smile.
“Let’s just… focus,” I grunted.
We tried looking for clues, any tracks left by the demons, perhaps dried blood from victims. But it was clean, nothing but a warm autumn day.
After walking for at least an hour, I stopped.
“What? Did you see one?” Lionel asked, grabbing his weapon.
“No,” I said, looking up at the trees. “But… it’s too quiet.”
As my voice died off, they all felt it—the heavy silence. No birds singing, no crickets chirping, nothing. Complete stillness.
“Is it a trap?” Ashley asked, her fingers slowly sliding into her pouch, ready to let hell loose if needed.
I glanced over at Malakai, remembering that he had been able to smell the magical energies of the mages before they attacked, but would that work on demons too?
“No,” Malakai said with a lowered voice, careful. Then his eyes slid towards me. “Flames, sweetie. Let’s make some noise.”
I furrowed my brows. “Excuse me?”
