Page 127 of Paladin's Faith

Two archers stepped forward, bows drawn. The demon let out a very human sigh. “There are at least a dozen things that I could threaten your friends with that will force you to obey me. I know it. You know it. Must we really go through the motions?”

Shane swallowed. He did not want to accommodate a demon. Once you agreed to anything, no matter how innocuous, you were on a slope that wasn’t just slippery, it was glazed with ice.

On the other hand, it was right.

He looked at Marguerite, who shrugged helplessly. “I’m afraid she’s negotiating from a position of strength here.” Wisdom chuckled softly.

It would probably try to possess him. Whether or not it could succeed, he truly did not know. He was, most likely, going to his death. But if nothing else, it would be forced to kill him well away from the others, and however long that took was time they might use to work up a plan.

I must keep it focused on me for as long as possible. Whatever that takes.

“Wren,” he said, lowering his head, “it’s your responsibility now.”

Wren gulped, knowing what he didn’t say aloud. She rushed forward, hugged him fiercely, and then turned away, straightening her shoulders.

And if I come back with a demon behind my eyes, sister, I hope that you will be able to kill me quickly.

And then, because he was going to die or worse and all his fears no longer mattered, he turned to Marguerite, put his hand beneath her chin, and kissed her.

Perhaps it would have been wiser not to. If it knew that he loved her, the demon could control him using Marguerite. But it could control him using Wren as well, and in Shane’s heart of hearts, he could not believe that anyone looking at him could not tell that he was in love. Surely it was branded across his face for all the world to see.

It was not the time or place for a passionate kiss, but he put as much of that love into it as he had to give. Marguerite’s fingers curled around his wrists as she responded.

He heard, faintly, the sound of the guard saying something, but Wisdom’s voice was sharper overriding it. “Let the man say his goodbyes as he wishes, Erlick. We’re not monsters.”

And then, reluctantly, he felt the end come. He stepped back and let his hand slip away from her cheek. Marguerite blinked up at him, then turned away, wiping at her eyes.

“Brother—” Wren barreled into him and he caught her reflexively.

“Take care of them,” he whispered, and kissed her on top of the head. She clung to him tight enough to make his ribs creak, but he ignored the stab of pain. “I have to go.”

“Dammit,” she said, her face against the dusty fabric of his tabard. “Oh, dammit all to hell.”

“I know.”

She let him go and she too turned away, scrubbing angrily at her face. Shane nodded to Davith, who grimaced, then stepped up to the door and let the guards lead him away.

They took him, not to the great hall, but to a room in the keep’s single tower. The stairs formed a tight spiral upward, with slits in the stone to let air through. Halfway up, a door opened into a wide, welcoming room, with whitewashed walls and a floor strewn with sweet rushes.

To his mild surprise, the demon waved the guards off and they went, closing the door behind. If they’re leaving us alone, they must not be worried that I’ll attack. Or more likely, they’re not worried that I’ll be able to do any damage.

“Well, well, well,” said the demon. “A paladin delivered to my doorstep. Truly fate moves in mysterious ways.”

“What is it you want?” Shane asked, folding his arms.

Wisdom met his eyes, clear and forthright. “It’s very simple. I want to become a god.”

FORTY-FOUR

“A god,” said Shane.

“That’s right.” The demon chuckled. “No need to look like that. Most demons would quite like to be gods, I imagine. It’s just that most of us are terribly bad at it. I don’t blame your priests for doing away with so many of us. I probably would too. We’re dreadful nuisances when we’re young and ignorant and haven’t learned to share a body politely.”

“Politely,” Shane said, in disbelief, thinking of demon victims he had seen, their bones broken in unnatural ways, teeth splintered from trying to eat rocks as the alien intelligence controlling them tried desperately to answer the body’s need for food.

“The young of your race aren’t known for their courtesy either,” Wisdom said. It picked up a carafe of water on the table and poured out a cup, then lifted it to its lips. “But we both grow older and learn civilized behavior. I would not judge you for what sins you may have committed as a toddler.”

Shane shook his head, saying nothing.