Page 86 of Red Demon

“Bria doesn’t kill,” Faruhar said between heaving breaths. “She’s mad enough at you without you calling her a demon.”

The footsteps behind me drew closer. The world blurred as I spun around, my blood pounding in my ears, drowning everything out except Asher, his face moonlit with fear as he chased after us.

“Slow down!” Asher wheezed, trying to catch up.

“I need better ideas than that, Ash,” I turned back around, beaming.

Time wore on. Asher’s panting breaths grew ragged.

I slowed, letting him sidle up next to me. “Give me your bag, and keep running.”

Ash slid it off, slowing for the exchange. I pulled him along once I had settled into the weight.

“Not tired?” he pushed out.

“He is. There’s poison in his sweat,” Faruhar said between gasps of air. “At least two kinds.”

That ration bar. I’d felt ill that last day in quarantine too. “I didn’t think Mahakal would go that far.”

“So confused,” Asher panted.

“Last poison dose must have been a few hours ago. I’ve been getting better,” I said.

We pushed past our exhaustion and fear. When the bolts stopped coming, we slowed to a jog. While we had the lead, she would twist to run backward in mud, throw a rock to gash into a tree down a deer path, leave subtle signs to mislead.

Finally, as the moon climbed higher in the inky sky, she led us inside a crumbling stone structure, its once tall walls half-swallowed by the forest, with no roof between us and the stars.

“I’m hoping they’ll think I have friends to ambush; wait until dawn,” Faruhar rasped between breaths. “Bria will warn us if they come closer.” She gestured to the air beside her, where I saw no one.

“Who’s Bria?” Asher asked.

“Her ghost sister. One who doesn’t kill,” I said, as if that wasn’t the extent of my knowledge on the subject. I turned to Faruhar. “That was her with the shiny lights, right? Confusing the soldiers before your attack?”

She nodded, eyes closed against the wall.

Asher frowned. “I’ll get some water from that river.”

Faruhar breathed ragged and deep, leaning against a degraded fresco, her armor stained dark red. “Far, can I help you to the water to drink?”

She blinked, listening. “Bria thinks you should fill my canteen. This was my camp last night.” She gestured toward the far wall, arm shaking.

“Sure.” I dove to find her bag hidden behind some rubble, buried in leaves.

Faruhar hesitated. “Thank you—Jesse.”

“How’d you remember?”

“Your brother said your name in battle; it clicked,” she said through lidded eyes.

I couldn’t help but smile. I dug around in her bag until I found a canteen.

Asher knelt beside the gurgling stream that snaked through the clearing. He glared at me as I washed out the canteen, drinking deep, refilling again. I moved to go back to Far, but he grabbed me by the arm.

“What the fuck, Brother,” Asher said.

“Can you be more specific? My brain’s a mess right now.”

“What the fuck seems most appropriate. That’s the fucking Red Demon back there.”