Page 61 of Maneater

“He’s wicked, and vile, and vengeful,” Hadeon murmured. “Isn’t he?”

The demigod had returned, like a shadow seeping through a crack in the wall. I was still trapped, tied down, and staring out the window at a world I couldn’t reach. The pendants at my hip were too heavy to bear, and this time, Hadeon hadn’t come to lift their weight.

No, this time, he came to bask in the moment.

“I told the prince about the stone,” he mentioned, casually.

“When he found me, consumed by Vengeance, I simply gave him what he asked for. And that’s what we are, Odessa, dealmakers.

You understand that, don’t you? It’s in our blood, our design.

We chase bargains the way others chase salvation.

There are no rules. No limits. No lines we wouldn’t cross.

And if your godhood had awakened sooner, I know you would have done the same. ”

Hadeon drifted to the window, leaned into the stone frame, one shoulder pressed lazily against the wall. His golden eyes swept over me, bound to the chair, and searched my face like he was waiting to see it fall apart .

“Perhaps your sanity was simply a casualty of the bargain,” he went on.

“I don’t care whether you live or die, not truly.

Life, death, it’s all noise. If your ossiraen crumbles, I’ll simply find another vessel.

Another demigod to serve my purpose. So long as the bargains of Vengeance continue to flow, that’s all that matters. ”

Hadeon rested a finger on his chin, thoughtful.

“Still, there’s an alternate path, isn’t there?

If the prince draws on your Wrath, and you grow strong enough to resist the stone’s will, maybe you survive.

Perhaps your ossiraen thrives. Even from here, reaching back to Torhiel.

If you defy the odds and escape this fate, that would be something to see. I wonder which version of you wins.”

The demigod of Vengeance looked out the window once more, letting the sun crown him in light. For a moment, he wore the face of someone gentle. Someone kind.

“It’s begun, Odessa,” Hadeon said softly, a smile faint on his lips. “The first debt come due.”

The sound of trumpets broke my attention from Hadeon, pulling my eyes toward the window and down to the courtyard below. On the raised stone platform, I saw Gadriel step into view. The platform stood above a wide staircase, high enough for him to look out over the crowd and address them clearly.

“Citizens of Hyrall,” Gadriel proclaimed, his voice strong and clear, “I, the crown prince, the heir to the throne, and the future of the realm, have gathered you here today to witness a moment in history.”

The Hyrallean prince’s voice carried easily through the open window before me, even from this height. The towers flanking the platform acted as natural amplifiers, projecting his voice.

“I’ve come to speak with you, to share news that will shape the future of our kingdom.

Let it now be known that I was sent to Torhiel as the king’s envoy, entrusted with renewing the treaty between our realm and the devil realm.

For generations, this pact has helped keep peace.

But I have returned with troubling news.

A grave offense has been committed against us. ”

Gadriel stepped closer to the edge of the platform, and I saw the crowd lean in, those nearest edging toward the steps beneath him, their full attention captured.

“A betrayal most dire,” he went on. “Every fifth year, fear grips our realm as the veil between our world and the devil realm grows thin. It is that very treaty that preserves the fragile peace that protects our people, but I must reveal what has not yet been told.” He paused.

“Falhurst, one of our own cities, was struck by a devil.

The people were terrorized. Good men fell that day.

Men who served the crown, men who gave their lives to defend this kingdom.

“The truce between Torhiel and Hyrall was broken then.

But what we did not know was that the treaty had already been neglected for years.

We were offered a false sense of security.

And I, your prince, could not stand by and let our kingdom be deceived.

I could not watch as we lived in fear, while our sons and daughters remained vulnerable to such brutality.

“As I investigated and uncovered each piece of damning evidence, it became clear. The treaty was duplicitous, but that alone didn’t shake me. No, the true horror lay in what I uncovered next that rattled me to the core.”

Gadriel turned his head slightly, eyes closing as though the memory still weighed heavily on him. He drew a steady breath.

“It pains me deeply to say this, but I must speak the truth. Your king has betrayed you.”

A ripple moved through the crowd, startled gasps, shocked murmurs rising all at once.

“Yes,” Gadriel confirmed. “The king has committed high treason.

Folk of Hyrall, hear me now, I do not make such a claim without cause.

While fulfilling my duties in Torhiel, I uncovered evidence of his crimes.

The man who sits on the throne has known for years that devils have walked among us, and he did nothing.

“I believe the gods led me here for this very purpose, to uncover the truth, and to stand before you now, prepared to confront it. My father did nothing to stop these creatures. He allowed them to take root in our lands. And if he had acted, if he had faced this threat, perhaps the bloodshed in Falhurst could have been prevented. Maybe the fear and senseless violence spreading across this kingdom could have been spared.”

He stepped back and paced the platform, his voice steady but burning with conviction.

“I have learned that devils wear the faces of men. They blend into our cities, our homes, waiting for the moment to strike and sow chaos. I have heard your cries, your grief, your rage, your fear. And I promise you this, I will find every one of them. I will root them out, and I will deliver justice.”

The crowd’s disbelief began to slowly shift, it morphed into something close to faith. Faces turned toward Gadriel with a look that bordered on deference, as if he were the answer they’d been waiting for. The one who might make sense of their suffering.

“Bring the traitor forward!” Gadriel bellowed.

Two knights emerged, dragging a man with a stout frame across the courtyard.

A burlap sack covered his head, and his feet scraped the ground as he was pulled toward the platform.

One of the knights hauled him forward to the platform’s edge, then struck him hard in the leg, forcing the man to collapse to his knees. Still, they didn’t reveal his face.

Gadriel turned back to the crowd. “And if this is the path the gods have laid before me, then I will not hide from it. I must speak my full truth. And so, I must confess that, I too, was once deceived by a devil. But that only deepens my resolve to purge them from this world.”

A few gasps of mistrust rang out. Murmurs swelled into restless noise. One voice cried out, then another, and soon, a dozen more followed. The guards posted among the crowd had to step in, pushing people back to keep order as the unrest grew.

Gadriel raised his hands, shaking his head, grief carved into his face.

“I understand,” he declared, voice unshaken.

“I know where your doubt comes from. The depth of your fear, your anger. I feel it just the same. I’m not proud to have been fooled, but I ask you to consider this: I have faced a devil and lived.

I’ve seen through their lies, their manipulations.

And that makes me more prepared than anyone to lead us into a new era, one of vigilance, and true peace.

“To atone for my failure, I make you this vow: I will bring down the very devil responsible for the devastation in Falhurst. I will see justice delivered to the creature who cut down our men without mercy, and I will show none in return. There can be no forgiveness for such savagery.” He drew a breath.

“I have already led the charge to hunt this assailant. Even now, as we speak, the protectors of this realm work tirelessly, day and night, to find her and bring her to justice.”

That single word, her , rippled through the crowd. Someone shouted from among them, confused, shocked, “Her?”

“Indeed,” Gadriel acknowledged calmly. “The devil in question is female, and she lived within these very walls for the past year. She wore a woman’s face.

Regretfully, it was here, within this castle, that she gained the knowledge that made such a betrayal on our kingdom possible.

She wormed her way into the role of royal consort, earning trust with lies and deception.

I knew her well. Too well. And now, I will be the one to end her wickedness. ”

Gadriel’s voice deepened, pain flashing behind his eyes.

“It was in that moment I swore to never allow such evil to take root in this kingdom again. I am burdened with guilt, wracked with regret over what I allowed to happen. I have lost sleep… lost peace of mind. And still, I will continue to give of myself, whatever it takes, until our kingdom is safe. ”

Gadriel stepped toward the edge of the platform, descending a few steps to draw closer to the crowd.

“But even in the midst of this darkness, there is still light,” he declared. “Justice can still be delivered on this day. I have captured two more traitors to the crown, and I will make certain they are held accountable for their crimes.”

He turned sharply and ascended the steps once more, rising back to the top of the platform.

“Bring forth the other accused!” he commanded.

That’s when I saw Sir Karst and Sir Regis dragging Mag and my mother onto the platform. Their faces were still hidden beneath burlap sacks, but I knew, without a trace of doubt, who they were.