A dark form plummeted from the castle’s tallest tower, massive wings beating furiously, and hurtling through the sky.
The creature from the library.
Gods, please be an ally and not a foe.
It swooped between Elizabeth and her attacker and landed with a thud.
Stay.The mental command from the creature from the library was so powerful that it made her knees buckle.
She risked a look. The two demons circled each other, sizing each other up. One red and one dark blue, both monsters of the highest order. The red onelunged, and then the two collided in a whirlwind of fists and claws. A crackling sound filled the air, and billowing black smoke engulfed the fighting demons, shielding them from view.
The smoke turned into a pillar of red smoke that stretched up into the sky.
Whirling around, she ran.
A roar of pain rent the air, spurring her on.
Elizabeth made it to the castle and flung the doors open wide. She closed them behind her, her hands fumbling with the handle.
Her hair lay in tatters, shorn off by sharp claws, now barely brushing her shoulders.
Iago found her in the entryway, covered in cold sweat and trembling.
She stood, dusting off her torn gown, and was met with Iago’s beetle-black stare. The same eyes as the monster in the field. “Lady,” Iago said, clearing his throat. “Perhaps it’s best for you to wait in the sitting room for the Master.”
Feeling anxious, she perched on a sofa and waited. She crossed a leg over her knee, and then uncrossed it, fidgeting nervously in her seat. Her hands were still shaking.
She’d almost died.
And if it weren’t for the demons in the castle, she would have.
A while later, Caspian strode in, wearing a wrathful expression. She started at his arrival, and then looked at her hands. She deserved his condescension tonight; she didn’t know how she could have been so stupid.
He sniffed, turned on his heel, and left.
Confused, she sniffed her underarms. She didn’t think she smelled bad. If anything, she smelled like sweat but didn’t smell offensive.
Caspian returned moments later with a bucket and some bandages. In a voice dripping with disdain, he said, “I cannot think with you bleeding like that. I’m going to clean and wrap your wounds before you throw this household of good-natured demons into a feeding frenzy. Unless you object?”
She quickly shook her head.
“Good. Then you have at least an ounce of sense, though your actions tonight would strongly indicate otherwise.” He dipped a cloth in a bucket of water and wrung it out until it was damp. Caspian opened a jar of a healing solution that smelled strongly of herbs. “Did I not tell you to avoid venturing beyond the castle grounds at night?”
Paralyzed with fear, embarrassment, and exhaustion, she said nothing, her face hot with shame. Though he looked angry, the hand cleaning her wounds was gentle. He dabbed green paste on her wounds that stung on contact. A sharp intake of air was all the discomfort she allowed herself to show.
His expression was dark as he wrapped her arm with gauze.
“All finished.” He patted her arm. “I’d appreciate it if you refrained from venturing out after dark again. I have made an oath to ensure your protection while you are with me, and while I can condescend to clean your wounds tonight … I do have better things to do.”
She blinked. His kindness to her right now was only because of his oath. An obligation, nothing more.
“Thank you,” she swallowed her pride enough to say. If it weren’t for him and the demons in his household, she wouldn’t have survived the night. “Is your friend who came to save me alright?”
A strange look crossed over Caspian’s face. “Yes. He’s alright,” he said softly. “Please tell me why you went out after dark.”
Elizabeth spiraled into the story of how the red demon had come up behind her, and Caspian listened, his face impassive. He was silent for a moment. Finally, he said, “You should know that we are not the only demons that dwell in these lands.”
“What do you mean? I never saw anything like that ... thatthingin Rhodea … like thatmonster.”
