Page 109 of Red Demon

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.