Page 8 of Red Demon

“So why won’t she come out?” I asked, loud enough to echo.

Iden rocked his knees against his body. “One of the louder ones says that when you look into her eyes, you know when it’s your time.”

“Who?”

He gestured to the surrounding air, his jaw clenching. A crow cawed and flew off before he turned back, staring past me over my shoulder.

“Iden...” My voice trembled in the cold.

Iden stood up, his face resolute. “Get out of here. Take the bag and go.”

His words were like a punch to the gut. I couldn’t speak.

“Keep going north. Stick to the woods,” he said in a rush, watching the trees behind me. “Stay away from the Asri towns. Get help from a Chaeten colony with lots of Z’har, or a military barrack. You got that?”

The Z’har were those who pledged their lives to keep the empire safe, serving Queen Azara and General Alexander as priests, soldiers, or scholars. They hadn’t kept us safe.

“You could book passage to the Inner Empire after. There’s more of us there.” A flicker of warmth. Iden had dreamed of seeing the shining city lights in Thebos or the palace in Ea Shadohe, but I watched those dreams die behind his eyes.

“C’mon, Iden,” I said, shaking. I couldn’t make myself understand.

“Jesse.” He turned, his voice so fucking calm. “Don’t—” his voice choked off, he put his fist in his hand.

The wind tinkled in the frozen branches. I didn’t move. Iden stepped closer.

His hand on my cheek stopped my head from shaking. His gloved palm felt warm against the biting wind. “Jesse,” he whispered, the grit in his voice chafing my hope. “Don’t watch me die.”

Wet eyes blurring the image of a resolve I didn’t have the strength to crack.

“Come with me, Iden.” My voice felt strangled. “Keep it together. Just get through today.”

Iden shook his head. “Don’t watch me die,” he pleaded, his gaze flicking to the dark line of trees behind me.

A rustle, soft as a sigh in the wind, a last breath of fear. I spun, my heart pounding on the doors of my chest, and there she was, looking straight at Iden.

She stalked from the trees, one slow step, then another. Her long scarlet hair cascaded down her back, with dawn glowing on her face. I analyzed every ragged scrap of that antique, studded armor. I memorized every scar I could see on her lean muscled frame, her golden skin stretched over high cheekbones. Her piercing yellow-green eyes met mine.

I stood taller, too angry to be afraid. “What do you want?”

The slow, deliberate way she unsheathed her twin swords, the glint of cold steel catching the sunlight, was her only reply. I didn’t bother to go for my pocket knife, not after how I saw her move against Mal. I had neither the skills nor the weapons to make a difference.

“What do you want with us?!” I repeated, putting my body in front of Iden. She cocked her head at me, curious.

“Go, Jesse,” Iden said, resolute, past all fear.

The Red Demon took another measured step forward, her boots crunching on the frozen ground. Her gaze brushed past me, fixed on Iden. At that moment, I believed my brother was right. I could see my fate in her eyes: she’d marked him; I was inconsequential.

“Pick up the bag, Jesse. Go!” Iden drew his hunting knife from his belt with a shaking hand.

He didn’t draw on her. He drew on me.

I watched him, stunned, as he took a second hand to pry the knife from his own grip, flipping the hilt toward me instead of the blade.

I clasped the handle, which he struggled to let go of. Confusion disrupted any lingering excuses. The Red Demon waited in silence as I picked up that bag with shaking hands. I clasped Iden’s shoulder one last time, thinking about pulling him with me, but his muscles tensed under my hand.

“Go!” he roared at me.

With a choked sob, I forced my legs to move ahead of my mind, carrying me away from the stream, away from the last person alive who knew my name. I crashed through undergrowth, pushing icy air through my lungs, the forest a blur of ice and pine.