Page 57 of Red Demon (Oria #1)

Nine

A fter midnight, Asher creaked open the door to our room at the inn. I sat up in bed.

“She’s fine,” Asher said, sitting on the bed beside mine and removing his shoes.

“Are you?” I rubbed my eyes.

“Yeah, fine.” He stared at the stucco wall. “The night market has some good food, just like Mira said. I brought Faruhar a sticky rice and shiitake thing.” He bit his lip. “Then I went back and wandered the night market until it closed, hoping Mira was leaving us a clue. She didn’t show up.”

“What else did you buy?” I said, trying to bring him back from wherever his thoughts were going.

“Coffee, don’t worry.” He leaned back. “Did one of the Disciples of Reic check in?”

“Yeah. Soren.” I tried to catch him up, but his eyes glazed over as soon as I started talking. “You know what? Sleep on it.”

He nodded, making his way to the shower first.

In the morning we settled our bill with the innkeeper, a laugh-lined, fast-moving Asri woman who reminded me of my mom in spirit even though they looked nothing alike.

“Safe travels to you friends, and here—this was delivered this morning.” The innkeeper handed us a tight folded square of paper, sealed. Unfolding the note, I read the single, typed sentence: “ I want my last gift back, please. -Mira”

Asher leaned in, his brow furrowed as he scrutinized the note.

“I don’t get it,” I said. “Do you?”

“It might not be her. Anyone could type a message…” he trailed off, then his eyes sparked to flame. “The code sequencer.”

“What?”

He paced, frowning. “When I traveled here with her before we took our posts, she gave me the code sequencer. But it wasn’t like either of us could take it where we were going next.

We buried it together in the woods.” He gave me a wistful smile.

“It’s near a moss-covered rock in the woods that looks like a sleeping fawn. ”

“That reminds me, I buried your century robe and sword in the training clearing outside Nunbiren. You’re welcome.”

“Focus, Jesse,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m still not sure what to make of this. Why would she ask for the code sequencer back? She knows where it is.”

I shook my head when I came up blank. “Let’s get Far first. Bria can scope the area before we check it out.”

The smell of street food and horse dung carried on the chilled air as we stepped onto the cobblestone.

Turning back down the street, my breath hitched when I saw two figures half a block behind us.

They were out of uniform, but I recognized their gaits, the ponytail, the disproportionate heights.

Riverhawk and Eight. I hadn’t had my coffee yet. Adrenaline would do.

I nudged Asher, keeping my voice low. “Mahakal’s spies. Behind us.”

Asher looked back with a fake yawn, cursing under his breath. “We still got the Chout glamors up, though.”

“Well, they’re following us.”

We quickened our pace, taking a detour through the night market, closed down, but providing enough cover between stalls. We ducked through a couple of stores and cut through an apartment building to shake our spies. By the time we got to a minor side gate, they were nowhere to be seen.

“See anyone else you recognize?” I said as we meandered through a line of travelers on the road. He’d know the faces in Mahakal’s battalion best.

“No.”

When the road curved, we dove into the dense woods, the canopy closing overhead and swallowing us in a cool, green embrace.

We hiked to Faruhar’s camp, silent on the path.

I smelled the fire, saw the smoke rising dark from the damp wood.

Relief washed over me as I recognized Faruhar’s vivid red hair, bright as childhood memories, and met those wing-shaped cat-green eyes that trusted me.

There was a subtle shift in her posture, but since we weren’t already dead, I knew not to be afraid.

“Far.” My smile bloomed. “You’re safe. It’s me, Jesse.”

She dove into my arms, taking my breath away with the force of her hug. I held her just as tight, stroking her hair.

Something between a cough and a laugh escaped Asher’s lips. “It’s only been one night. Voids.”

“Good morning, Ash.” She pulled back to give him an Asri salute, but did not let me go. Fine with me.

Faruhar’s lips curved into a playful smirk, her eyes twinkling with amusement as she ran a finger over my face. “It’s good to see your not-ugly face again,” she whispered. Her words sparked a flame in me.

Then I froze, looking at Ash’s face: his original unglamored face, changed from just a moment ago. Fuck.

A whooshing sound. Faruhar jerked away from me, but still too slow. With a sickening thud, a crossbow bolt jutted from her shoulder. Red blood bloomed as her mouth gaped open. She stumbled back as I turned.

Another bolt whizzed past my ear as I whirled around, adrenaline coursing through me. Riverhawk and Eight stood about twenty meters away, clicking the lever to reload the next bolt into the crossbow’s chamber.

“Backup, now,” Riverhawk screamed into her headset, ponytail swinging. She looked to Ash, charging. “Why the fuck isn’t he down?! Backup!”

He?

A primal roar tore from Faruhar’s throat. She lunged toward Riverhawk, her own movements a blur of fury as she ducked below their shot. Asher got to Eight, disarming him with a blade thrust and swift kick that sent the crossbow clattering across the forest floor.

“Don’t kill them!” I yelled, retrieving Istaran by the campfire. I’d left it with Faruhar for safekeeping while in the city.

Riverhawk lay prone on the ground under Faruhar’s blade, but she turned over to face me when I approached, defiant.

Eight, however, furrowed his brows at me, uncertain. “Biohazard?”

“Jesse is fine, asshole.”

Riverhawk whipped her head toward me, wincing as that movement earned a shallow cut from Faruhar’s blade. “Any engagement might rile him, Eight.”

Eight shifted uncomfortably, his gaze flickering between me and Riverhawk. “Eirini should already be down from the blocker, though.”

I kept my anger contained. “Is that how Mahakal tried to spin this? Not only am I supposed to be an SBO-crazed monster after testing negative, Ash is now a trained Chout mage you can immobilize using a magic blocker? Because if the lies aren’t adding up anymore, welcome to the club.”

“They attacked us. We should kill them,” Faruhar said. “We need to move fast.”

Riverhawk accepted that with a proud tilt of her chin. Eight swallowed, his eyes going distant.

“No,” I said. “Because if they use the brains I know they both have, they’ll realize someone with SBO wouldn’t be doling out acts of mercy like we’re about to do now. Do I look like a raving lunatic to you?”

Riverhawk’s eyes narrowed.

Eight blinked. “Mahakal said Asher is using his magic to keep you under control between battles.”

Ash tilted his head at me with a raised eyebrow, letting out one burst of laughter.

“He wishes.” I gestured to a rugged-cased gadget about the size of a small coffee machine.

Straps snaked out from the sides, designed to be worn like a backpack.

“You cleared our glamors with that magic blocker, so you know your machine works. Ash isn’t shaking on the ground from a seizure. Do the math from there.”

“What about her?” Riverhawk asked, gesturing to Faruhar.

“We need to go,” Faruhar hissed to me.

“Call off command, and you both live,” I said. “Riverhawk, please.”

She stared back, unreadable. With a groan, she touched the device in her ear. “They’re evading south, moving fast.” She winced at whatever she heard next. “Because we’re injured.”

I nodded to Faruhar once she released the audio. “You heard her. They need a reason why they can’t pursue.”

With a nod, Faruhar sliced through Eight’s Achilles tendon while simultaneously stomping her knifed boot into the bone of Riverhawk’s lower leg.

“Nine, scream quieter. She went easier on you,” I said.

He squinted his eyes at me through the pain. “Eight.”

“Ninth time you almost died.” I ticked a finger up.

He chuckled into another gasp of pain.

“You have about five minutes. They’re sending medics to our location,” Riverhawk said through her teeth.

“You look about my size. That’s enough time,” Faruhar said.

“For what?” Riverhawk said.

“Your Chaeten leather, please.” Faruhar ripped the crossbow bolt from her shoulder with a grunt. “Can all decent ka turn around while I help her out of her pants?”

“Couldn’t you have broken my leg af—” Then Riverhawk screamed.

Three minutes later, we raced through the forest with a magic blocker, Faruhar’s new set of armor, and two top-of-the-line crossbows.