Page 22 of Red Demon

Galen looked bewildered at whatever he saw in my face.

“You’re working with us,” Asher explained. “This is home.”

A lump formed in my throat when he met my gaze. “Chaeten jobs don’t work like that. I… I didn’t know.”

“You thought,” Galen growled, “after a day like that, we’d send a dirty, half-starved boy back to the frozen wild?”

“How long have you been living in the woods?” Asher asked.

“Since the week before Solstice.”

The thin music in the air changed from string to flute.

My confidence built, and I cleared my throat. “Have you heard of the Red Demon? Have you seen her around here?”

Galen’s gaze sharpened; Asher’s grin faded. They both put down their spoons.

“He’s not working for the Z’har, Taam,” Asher said.

“Ae, Istaran trusts him, so will I.” Galen let out a breath.

“I don’t understand,” I said.

“Major Mahakal doesn’t like people spreading … rumors about her,” Asher said, and when Galen coughed at the word “rumors,” he added, “Talking about her at all, really.”

Galen grunted, taking another bite of his stew. “When I first met you, I thought you might be looking for trouble. Z’har hire beggars and desperate people to spy around towns, reporting back things that no one will say to a priest or a soldier’s face. They check in on any empire contractors from time to time, making sure we are following the law.”

“Oh.” I thought back to how Galen reacted when I entered his shop. “Well, I’m not a Z’har spy.”

“No.” Galen chuckled. “Most of them are academy born, unable to do a hard day’s work if their life depended on it. Clearly not you.”

I sat up straighter at the praise. “So you’ve heard of the Red Demon?”

Galen and Asher shared a look.

“Major Mahakal’s unit is looking for a Chaeten-sa, one with scars on her face,” Asher said. “But the weird thing is, the temple doesn’t have posters up or anything, like with other criminals. They’ve pulled people aside and asked about her though. That’s who you mean, right? The scarred woman?”

I described her as well as I could, the long straight hair that seemed to drink red light, the worn-out armor, how fast she could move. Then I slipped into telling them about Mal outside the mine, and when I saw their faces, it looked like they both actually cared.

“Is that what happened to your mother, then?” Galen asked.

So I told them about the rest of my family and my town. I tried to keep it factual, brief, but the memories still clawed at my throat on the way out.

When I finished with Iden’s fate, a heavy silence hung across the table. Asher looked as wounded as I felt.

“I’m very sorry for what you’ve survived, boy.” Galen spoke with finality, his voice rough but kind.

The pity his gaze exuded was more than I could bear. I looked away. “It’s going to happen again, to someone else, unless I stop her.”

“You? Stop her?” Asher said, more confused than disapproving.

Galen took that in with a nod. “I’ve discussed her with the elders from other towns. More rumors than not, as there aren’t many who’ve gotten as close as you.” He paused for a moment, his dark and gold-flecked eyes boring into mine. “She’s attacked Asri too. Not whole towns like the Chaeten in the Bend, but she’s in the crossroads and wilds, picking off people as far as Baren Golkhi. Until now, I didn’t know Mahakal wanted her for what’s happening in the Bend. Never would have thought a Chaeten-sa would kill her own.”

I looked at him, bewildered.

Galen sighed. “You should tell Major Mahakal everything you told me. He’s your best chance to do something about it all.”

“Taam,” Asher said, in warning.