Page 9 of A Hunt Bound in Blood
When for me, it was my entire life.
It was justice and vengeance wrapped up in one beautiful package, all sitting in the spymaster’s office waiting for me to comply. I didn’t bother wondering why the king had ordered Segrew to dig up my dirty history. Of course he’d wanted to know why a demon had set up an estate in his country. I would have been shocked if he hadn’t done his research. But they had more than the knowledge of why I was here. They had what I needed to take my life back. All I had to do was obey the command of some other country’s king and I could reveal my traitorous siblings’ involvement in their attempted coup, prove to my father I’d had nothing to do with it, and end my exile after ten long years.
My heart’s desire in exchange for four weeks of work.
Four weeks of adventuring at that. Yes, I’d looked forward to a few weeks’ break—had enjoyed the thought of shoving the king’s request in his face to show him I had no need of him—but he’d gone right for the gut with his bribe.
It had been a good few years since I’d journeyed close to dragon territory. A thrilling prospect. The greatest drawback I could see to the venture was that I’d be sharing my travels with an unpleasant shrew of a mage. Pretty, I’d give her that, but my admiration didn’t extend much further. The woman was wound up tighter than a clock. The way her dark brown hair had been pulled into a bun so tight I was surprised the woman had enough flexibility in her face to close her eyes. The way her shirt had been buttoned up to her chin as though she were afraid that showing a hint of skin in this house would lead her to strip down and hang from my chandelier.
I leaned into that thought to see if it did anything to soften her in my imagination, but I struggled to picture anything except her sitting ramrod-straight on top of the black iron. Perhaps armed with a metre stick. Definitely not my preferred company.
But for what I’d get in return…
I flipped open the letter and read it through one more time, as though I expected the words to have changed in the past few seconds.
I’d just finished skimming it again when the doors opened and Sy loped across the carpet and dropped into the chair Gloria had ignored.
“So?”
I chewed on the inside of my bottom lip, mulling over my predicament. I’d been waiting years for another opportunity to go after my siblings, but for it to come in this combination package had to be the universe laughing at me. There were treasures across the continent that intrigued me far more than some mythical miracle. Going after it would mean weeks of hiking through treacherous woods, stuck with a woman whose muscles were so locked up I doubted she’d ever experienced a moment of fun in her life.
Regardless, I filled Sy in on Gloria’s proposition, and his eyebrows shot up. “You’re not actually considering it, are you? You just told me you had no interest in a new job. Not to mention, the Cammon I know only places sure bets, and that woman… well, she doesn’t look like she could fight her way out of a library.”
I snorted, agreeing wholeheartedly with his assessment, but to answer his question, I handed him the king’s letter. He reached across the desk to take it, and I closed my eyes as he read, seeing the words for myself on the insides of my eyelids.
“Well, shit,” Sy breathed. “This king really does have eyes and ears everywhere, doesn’t he? I kind of thought that was a rumour, but nope, here it is, proof in my hand.”
I shrugged. “I might not reveal who I am to every person who passes by my home, but you know I’ve done nothing to hide my past. I’m a demon who came into a large fortune and gained a degree of fame after moving into Evaniel’s borders. It would have been irresponsible of him to ignore me. As for the rest of it… Well, it’s not so hard to learn what happened once you know where to look. The fact that he’s dug up all these details makes me believe he has what I need.”
Evaniel had more than done his research, though. He’d learned exactly what buttons to press to guarantee my cooperation. My name cleared. My crown returned. My reputation restored. Everything I’d fought for since leaving Karhasan for this human country.
After my exile, I’d refused to hide, daring my siblings to come after me, taking steps to make myself known and recognizable, hoping they’d try. But over the past ten years, my information had taken me as far as it could, my siblings had kept their distance, and I’d been stuck in a lull. Never moving forward, passing time, waiting until the next opportunity.
The opportunity had finally arrived.
Sy cleared his throat. “Still…”
I opened my eyes. “Still?”
He shrugged and set the letter on the desk. “It sounds like a great deal, but what can this spymaster have found that you haven’t? You’ve been trying to dig up proof against your siblings for a decade. No one knows them better than you do. What makes you think some random guy in the king’s service has uncovered more secrets from demon country than you could?”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I know, but you said it yourself, Sy. It’s been ten years. All my resources have dried up. If this spymaster has contacts in Karhasan willing to tell him what they know, he could have opened doors I can’t access because of my exile. I can’t pass up the chance just because this woman makes me want to double-check I don’t have any overdue books hiding somewhere.”
Sy met my gaze, the golden flecks in his deep brown eyes shifting as his dragon half assessed me with deeper insight. Then he shrugged. “I think it’s a stupid idea, but I’m just your business partner. If you do find this amulet, it’ll make for a great story. More press, more clients, more rumours coming your way of bigger treasure. If you fail, you’ll probably die and I’ll be free to move into your estate and continue investing your fortunes for my own benefit. Win-win for me.”
“This is why I appreciate your company. You have such a healthy perspective on my irrelevance.”
He grinned. “Someone has to keep your ego in check, Your Highness. Otherwise, it’ll outgrow the estate and you won’t have room to keep adding to these shelves.”
I scowled, grabbed a paper from my desktop, crumpled it up, and chucked it at his head.
He laughed as he caught it, then he dunked it into the trash can on the floor and settled back in his chair. “This is a horrible choice of mission, though. You’re going to spend half your time keeping that mage out of trouble.”
The corner of my mouth slid upwards. “I’m out for myself, Sy. Always am. If Evaniel has the information I need, I’ll do what he wants, but there’s nothing in that letter that says I need to keep the scholar alive. Woman better hope she has enough magic to keep her own damned self out of trouble because I won’t bend over backwards to help her.” I scanned the map Gloria had left me to help prepare our route. “Besides, an amulet that can save the king’s betrothed from a deadly curse? It could be the find of my career.”
Glory
V