He held out the money, assuming Samkiel would take it. Instead, Samkiel offered him a kind smile and said, “Keep it. I don’t need your coin or anything for that matter.”
“But,” the man started, and the crowd gathered behind him began to mutter.
“But,” I cut in, and everyone held their breath in anticipation, “can we get something to eat or drink? Maybe both?”
The silence was oppressive, and the old man blinked at us as if I’d asked for the impossible. Had she stripped them so bare that they didn’t even have food here?
Samkiel looked at me, and I shrugged. “What? The monster that has been terrorizing the town is dead. No more slaughtered livestock or missing people. I say we party.”
“Pa-party?” the man echoed, his face scrunching in confusion as he looked at Samkiel.
“Yeah,” I said. “You know, music and dancing? Celebration? That usually happens after a stressful event is resolved.” I tossed a look at Samkiel. “Do they not party? Is that the wrong word?”
I had been learning many languages since Jade City, and I’d even progressed enough to know the different dialects within some of the realms, but I still slipped up from time to time.
Everyone shifted uncomfortably and began to whisper in urgent tones.
“What? What am I missing?” I asked Samkiel.
The man swallowed, sweat beading his brow. “We cannot do that,” he said, his voice choked with trepidation.
“Cannot do what? Have fun?” My head swiveled to Samkiel. “Did your bitch sister outlaw fun?”
Samkiel’s shoulders lifted in a slight shrug, and I turned back to the townspeople. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she had. Every town we had ventured into that didn’t proudly display her banner was run down or forgotten. Even here, the buildings were missing stones, and the roads were cracked and overgrown. Most signs and fixtures looked handmade, using what they could forage from the surrounding forest, and I didn’t even want to start on the subject of their clothes. Keep the poor poorer and the rich richer, it seemed, but then I guess we shouldn’t expect anything else from a power-hungry tyrant. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she spoon-fed her fucking loyalists.
“Okay, well, we’re going to. Tonight. So if you truly want to repay this glorious, heroic man who single-handedly saved you and your town from rampant death and destruction,” I felt Samkiel groan as I patted the chest plate of his armor, “you don’t need coins, but music and liquor. Everyone, change into your best-looking clothes. The whole town.”
“But …” The man looked damn near terrified. “What about the legion?”
“If the legion shows up, I’ll burn them alive.” I stepped forward and clasped a hand on the man’s shoulder. His muscles were so tight they felt like they could tear with the smallest movement. “Now, where’s the biggest tavern you have?”
The man gulped and glanced at Samkiel before looking back at me. Finding the reassurance he sought, he nodded and turned toward the townspeople, repeating what I’d said. A few people nearly bounced with glee while others seemed to cower into themselves, checking the sky. How brutal and cruel had her reign been that places like this, far beyond her reach, shook with fear at the possibility of her arrival?
A flicker of movement to my right caught my attention. Reggie stood near a dirt path, and I nudged Samkiel with my elbow since the town seemed to respond better to his words than mine.
“If you would kindly prepare, we will meet you soon.”
The man nodded once and shoved the coins into his pocket. He hurried toward the center of town, waving his arms wildly and barking out commands. The townspeople cleared out, a few dragging the head of the creature with them. The whole town began to buzz as people prepared for the party. Samkiel and I walked toward Reggie, meeting him in the clearing.
“Glad you weren’t monster bits,” I said.
Reggie smirked slightly before his face cooled, and he looked at Samkiel. “I believe I found something that may explain the recent attacks.”
“Show me.”
Reggie turned, and we followed after him. He led us a distance through the underbrush to a disheveled clearing heaped with upturned dirt and scattered limbs. The debris was not natural. It had not fallen from the trees or been blown here by a storm or strong winds. No, the ground looked as if it had been seared in a circular pattern, almost like it was branded. I stepped forward to inspect the edges. The circle at the center was as wide as two grown men, and when I looked closer, I could see the marks carved deeply into the ground. They looked like words, but I didn’t recognize the language if that was what it was. Samkiel crouched and ran his fingers over what looked like claw marks, tracing the lines gouged into the forest floor. He raised the dirt to his nose and inhaled deeply before wiping his hands and standing. His gaze focused on the fate. Reggie nodded as if he knew.
“What?” I asked, looking between the two of them.
“I know why we’ve been seeing an uptick in Otherworld creatures,” Samkiel said.
“Please, enlighten me,” I said, folding my arms.
“That pattern carved into the ground means they are being summoned, and from the smell of it, they are being summoned by a Prince of the Otherworld.”
My eyes fell to the ground once more. “A prince? What does that mean? Does Nismera control the princes?”
Samkiel shook his head. “No one controls the Otherworld but the rulers of the Otherworld. If you think my ego is bad, the Princes and their mother have me beat.”
