Page 112 of Red Demon

A soldier with straight black hair contorted his face into a sneer as I destroyed his comm, relishing the expensive crunch. The soldier spat. My lecture had done nothing to change his mind. There was no more time for words, no chance of reasoning with him. I stared into his Chaeten green eyes, deciding what to do.

“Jesse. Time to go,” Faruhar said.

I didn’t look away from the black-haired soldier. He imagined my end. He’d forfeit this battle, but he wouldn’t stop until my friends and I were dead. Dread froze my chest. I should kill him too; get ahead of the risk.

I felt Far’s hand on my shoulder. “He did what we asked. It’s enough.”

As we ran away, I wasn’t sure if I agreed. I swallowed the bile rising in my throat. Weeks ago, I’d looked at her the same way that soldier looked at me.

I cleared my head.

There was something about the synchronicity of our pace that made my heart flutter. We’d dodge around a tree to meet with our limbs aligned mid-motion and jumped a log in step. She bounded like a deer over the ground beside me, and I knew by her smile that she took joy in that same tacit rhythm.

In awe of her, I took a branch to the face.

We set our path in an arc, jogging and light foraging, both to throw off pursuers and give Ash and Mira a little time to themselves. When we found them, Mira was ready to give me a proper hello. She ran to me grinning, and my arms engulfed her.

When I turned back, Faruhar shot her gaze away. I meandered over to hug her too.

Her eyes warmed to mine. “Why are you hugging me?”

“Dunno. You looked like you could use one,” I said, with a self-conscious chuckle.

“I see what you mean, Ash,” Mira whispered.

“I heard that. What did you mean, Ash?” I asked.

Asher’s eyes darted away, then he pointed to an enclave of rocks with an overhang. “Looks like a good spot for lunch.”

Smoke swirled from the frost-damp wood that we coaxed to burn, the scent of smoke mingling with the aroma of fire-baked wild tubers. Far contributed a meaty-textured yellow mushroom we dipped in shortgrain flour before roasting, and Mira supplied a couple of wrapped fruit and nut bars we split in half.

Mira perched on a flat rock across from me, her hand possessive on Asher’s leg. “All right.” She cleared her throat, her eyes flitting between Faruhar and me. “I said I had a lot to tell you. Easy conversations first. About the cafe—”

“Someone was listening, huh?” I said, finishing a bite.

“Yeah, my Academy Mother was sitting at the next table over.” Her voice softened at Asher. “She was relieved by my explanation that you were an old flame who wouldn’t leave me alone.”

I choked on a sip of water. “Accurate enough.”

“Well, I omitted my true feelings on the subject.” Mira patted Ash’s knee as they shared a smile.

Faruhar scanned the perimeter of the clearing, barely listening. I leaned closer. “Are we clear?”

“No one for kilometers,” she told me. We both turned back to Mira.

“Anyway, most of the people I worked with were trained in the newer academies, the ones Queen Azara founded. The Academy I attended established itself decades before the war.” Mira bit her lip. “The difference was … notable. Most of the leadership had a very narrow area of expertise, with no broader curiosity. They’d take anything the empire said on faith rather than apply a scientific mindset. So…” She paused, smirking at Asher and me. “Let’s just say their security was also lacking a proper education. They had some equipment and resources I was able to use, off the record.”

Faruhar’s lips quirked up. “Good for you.”

Mira gave a hesitant smile back.

“So,” I leaned forward, “what did you find out?”

“Remember that segment in your code with fifty-three repetitions?” Mira asked.

“Yeah, I should be dead. I remember.”

Faruhar’s head whipped to me.