Page 98 of Red Demon

I lowered Istaran a fraction. “I’m not your enemy—if you haven’t noticed,” I said in Asri, nodding my head at my glowing blade. “If Oria doesn’t want me dead, why should you?”

The woman lowered her hood. I saw olive skin and a lock of white-braided-into-dark hair. She narrowed hazel eyes. “Who are you?”

“We’re Jesse and Asher Eirini, son of Galen Eirini, late elder of Nunbiren.” I saluted with a smile, relishing her blink at the Asri surname. “And that’s the Red Demon behind me.” I swallowed.

She nodded, unperturbed as the rebels whispered. “You may call me Master Telesilla. What tech are you using to escape judgment by Oria, and to tether that sword?”

I scoffed. “Escape judgment? Because of the Chaeten eyes? Do I need to glow blue to be human enough for you bigots?”

“That’s blood on your empire uniform, Chaeten. Whose do you wear?” Telesilla said.

A man stepped forward, removing his hood to show eyes like mine, but sporting long Asri braids over dark skin. “We do not deserve your disrespect,” he said, voice tight with anger. “Anyone who can live by Niire Mai is welcome among the disciples of Reic.”

“Cool,” I said. “Tell your guy to leave us alone, and we’ll do the same for him.”

“Master Soren,” Telesilla warned. The man stepped back. She gestured to another rebel. “Search their belongings, please.”

The rebels dug through our bags, laying everything out in the chamber. They swore at Faruhar’s venison jerky and handled her leather journal through the fabric of their cloaks.

“What’s this?” a gruff voice demanded, flipping through the pages of Faruhar’s scrawling illegible text.

I bristled. “None of your fucking business.”

“You bound it in flesh,” the rebel said. “This had a mind once.”

Telesilla cut in. “Set it aside for Reic, Kagan.”

“You won’t be taking anything.” I brandished my sword again.

Their magic hit me quick. I saw lights explode behind my eyes, felt my legs give way, my ears ringing and head pounding. I almost gashed Faruhar and myself with Istaran as I fell onto the mossy platform, tearing my cloak instead.

When my head cleared and I found strength to raise my bruised body up, the rebels jeered around me.

“Not so tough around Chout Attiq-ka, are you Chaeten?”

Attiq-ka discipline, they said. They didn’t call it magic, but it was.

“May I have the honor of executing the Asri-sa soldier? I saw that man kill Eliona with my own eyes,” a rebel accused. The crowd murmured. Angry. Asher looked sluggish, confused.

“Let the man speak first,” Telesilla said.

Someone shoved Asher forward, the ground underneath him rippling with light. Asher took a few breaths, probably clearing his head of magic to come back to himself. Then he bowed his head before Telesilla, offering a deep Asri salute of heart and mind. I shuttered away my anger at the deference.

Telesilla cleared her throat. “Oria knows you. You are a soldier for Queen Azara, a member of Major Mahakal’s battalion. You killed several loyal to Oria. You slaughtered the Attiq-ka elder Eliona, and injured Sategca, both members of the Council.”

I frowned at that. What council?

“You killed Barille, Neolin, Kandalanu—our friends, innocent of malice, minds who live by the principles of Niire Mai. Do you deny this?”

Asher flinched through the accusations, his head hanging lower with each word. “I also live by Niire Mai. I do not know the names of all I killed, but it is true I killed an Attiq-ka and at least three other rebels, believing they were demons.” Shame laced his words as he spoke. “I no longer serve the empire, nor Major Mahakal.”

“Why did your master dismiss you?” Telesilla asked.

While Asher gathered his words, I said, “I don’t think Mahakal took it well when the Red Demon and I tried to kill him.”

Asher gave me a desperate look, an order to let him do the talking. “My brother and the Chaeten-sa helped me understand Mahakal is lying to the people of the empire, including his soldiers. Mahakal is now hunting the three of us. It’s why we risked coming down here.”

“Then we should give you right back to your master, na?” a voice said.