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Page 5 of Once Upon a Demon’s Heart

Chapter Three

ALIRA

Korin shakes out the last bed sheet before laying it flat on the table to fold the edges together. It’s her week for laundry duty. It has been since my loop started so I have no clue who’s turn it is next, but I’m glad that it was my week off from all chores around the barracks.

“Are you okay?” Korin sets the folded sheet in the storage hamper.

“Because you look like you’ve just seen a demon running through the castle,” she jests with a slight smirk.

Her expression quickly deflates into worry when she sees the dread only grow heavier on my face. “Oh gods, did you actually see one?”

I shake my head. “No, but I need to tell you something.”

Korin sits with her legs crossed on the opposite side of my bed as I explain the peace deal to her and what will happen in a few short hours.

“You’re giving yourself to them as a bride? But we can win, Alira! You don’t need to do this.” Angry tears well in her eyes. I understand her belief in the demigod’s abilities to thwart the demons, but she doesn’t know how wrong she is.

I’ve seen every outcome of the battle that takes place tonight. In every single one, we all die.

I press my lips together as I set my hand on hers. “Korin, we won’t win. This is the only way to have peace between the kingdoms. I’m honored to take this role.” I wish I sounded as confident as my words are.

Her expression twists with pain. “There’s no way I can talk you out of this, is there?”

“I’m afraid not,” I murmur sadly.

She sits with the information for a moment. “I’ll see you again someday, though, right?”

“I hope so.” I give her a reassuring smile that doesn’t meet my eyes.

She swipes her sleeve across her face before shifting off the bed and retrieving a necklace from her nightstand. Korin extends her hand out to me.

I stand and offer my palm. She cups the bottom of my hand and places the jewelry with a burdensome weight pulling on her frown.

“Always keep it close. I’ll be with you,” she mutters softly.

I clutch the silver heart-shaped pendant and wrap my arms over her shoulders in a tight embrace. “Thank you, Korin.”

The chapel bells ring, indicating that the sun is setting in five minutes. In the past, it was used to signal the departure of the sun god and to send our prayers and thanks to him for another day. Now we just use it as a way to keep track of patrol changes.

I set to packing anything that might be of use to me. It doesn’t take long because I don’t have much. Being an orphan who grew up to become a knight isn’t exactly a life that comes with luxuries, or belongings for that matter.

I don’t even have a last name. None of the orphaned demigods do.

I sheath the dagger that I’ve carried with me since I could walk. It’s the only gift my mother ever left for me, according to the house mother. From what I can tell, there are no enhancements to the blade, but the gods certainly aren’t known for being forthcoming.

I have no formal clothes to wear besides my armor, so I find the cleanest set of long sleeve leathers and pants I have and tug them on before getting into my armor.

I tuck my helmet beneath my arm, frowning as I take one last look at my bed. It wasn’t much, but it was all I ever had. My fellow knights were all I’d ever known.

Korin walks silently beside me as we return to the inner castle.

She’s wearing the beige prayer robes adorned with gold beads and slips of red around the cowl.

As is everyone else in our kingdom who is not positioned at a post right now is, ordered by the king.

He really does intend to send me off properly with the song of the gods.

I huff at the thought. Why stick to our old ways now?

The gods won’t hear us. They never have before.

I glance at the walls, memorizing them in case the demons decide to lock me up in a dark chamber for the rest of my long life.

The old paintings are of the deities. Some depict peaceful settings of them interacting with humans and demigods, while others show their violent nature. The wrath they so unconcerningly would take out upon the mortals and demons just for existing.

Statues made of ivory marble line the curved walls that lead into the foyer. I keep my eyes from trailing to Venus. She’s no mother to me. I’m only a discarded object to her, but if being her heir will bring peace to the last of the demigods and the merciless demons, then so be it.

I will accept my fate.

Korin grabs my hand tightly and offers a wounded grin that tells me she’s as heartbroken as I am about this. She’s like a sister to me. The only person who’s shown me an ounce of empathy and care throughout my life.

“You’ll be okay. I know we’ll meet again.” She throws her arms over my shoulders and hugs me tightly.

I shut my eyes and hug her just as desperately. “I hope so,” I murmur, and pray that she can’t hear the dismay in my tone. Because I doubt I’ll ever be returning, and I don’t want her to see what becomes of me even if we do get the chance to meet again.

She slowly releases me, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Best of luck, Alira.” I place the helmet over my head as I watch her leave to join the rest of the knights off duty and waiting along the balconies for the sendoff.

I keep my eyes to the ground as I stand beside the king and his personal guards at the bottom of the steps leading into the front doors of the castle.

King Borlin notices the necklace around my neck and narrows his eyes.

I flinch as he reaches for it and brushes his thumb slowly over the pendant.

“A gift you’ll be keeping with you I hope?

” he asks and keeps his thumb over the pendant for a second longer before moving away.

I nod and press my lips together in a sad smile.

How odd of the king to notice such a simple necklace as this.

We wait.

Golden brown leaves drag across the ground with the cold winter breeze. Snow will fall soon, perhaps later tonight even, which will make traveling across the wastelands more unbearable than it already will be. I stifle the miserable groan that dares to leave my lips.

King Borlin stiffens at my side. I don’t need to look up to know why, but I do anyway.

My stomach curls into itself at the sight of the army walking straight through our gates. Their armor as white as snow, tinted gold in some areas with the blood of our own. Demigods are coveted by all for our gilded blood, but to us it is just that, our life force.

The demon at the head of the army is wearing a crimson cape.

Half of which is pulled over one of his shoulders and affixed to his neck guard with a medallion.

The back is splayed out behind him like a wave of blood.

It’s stark against everything around him.

Of all the demons, he alone stands out. Even the air around him is ominous.

It’s him.

The Blood Knight.

Chills erupt over my skin, and I have to force my eyes back down to my feet. Why is he here?

My fellow demigods must be experiencing the same dread, because other than the slight jingling of the golden chains that connect the cuff earrings on my right side, it’s deadly silent apart from the approaching army’s clanking armor.

I secure my hand on the hilt of my sword.

One can never be too trusting of the demons.

There’s still a chance they could be after the king’s head for what he did.

No one so much as whispers. My nerves dance with anxiety up until the distinct scent of smoke and crisp alder wood wash over my senses and the loud metal clanking of armor comes to a halt.

The Blood Knight dismounts from the largest black stallion I’ve ever seen.

It whinnies as my eyes scour over the beast.

Gods, even the horses from Devicit are enormous.

Then the Blood Knight approaches us on foot. Every cell in my body ignites as if his presence alone is enough to be my undoing.

The demons behind him are shadowed by his size, even though every single one of them are taller than me.

His ivory helmet is sharp and smoothed at every angle.

The jaw latch is held together with a gilded bolt on each side and a gold metal wreath halos his head.

If I were ignorant, I would think he was one of the gods himself.

My eyes lower down to the crystal sword sheathed at his side. I know its power all too well. The sword of the Blood Knight can cut through the bones of a forest spirit—a creature all metal blades are useless against. It certainly had no trouble slaying me time and time again.

I clench my hands into tight fists and try to keep my fear in check. Some say demons can smell fear like wolves do prey.

King Borlin extends his hand to the knight as a gesture of good will, but the knight only turns his head to me. The muscles in my jaw flex. Don’t look at him. He doesn’t know who you are. I reassure myself. I’m the only one who remembers the time loops.

“ You .” The Blood Knight’s voice is cold, and draws a gasp from the king’s guards that he’d ignore the hand of royalty and speak with a knight such as myself instead.

“I’ve watched you slaughter many of my comrades, little godling.

I watched you reign ruin upon the innocent villagers of Thornhall, burn cottages and forests to the ground, take and take and take…

Now you will know what it is to suffer at my hand.

I swear to you it will be far worse than a vile being such as yourself can fathom.

” His voice is thunderous as he lowers to my level.

My stomach falls into a pit of despair as I fight the urge to unsheathe the sword at my hip to protect myself from him. His voice alone is as frigid as ice and makes every hair on the back of my neck stand. Any hope I had of having a swift death is cast to the wayside.