12. Dezoth
12
DEZOTH
I 've just gotten to my office at the guard station - actually leaving my house for once - when I take in the stack waiting for me. But the morning patrol reports sit untouched on my desk when Rolfo bursts through my office door without knocking. His silver eyes gleam with an intensity that makes my muscles tense.
"Another one." Rolfo's jaw clenches as he spreads a map across my desk, scattering the reports. His finger jabs at a spot marked in red ink. "Four streets from your sister's house."
Ice forms in my veins. Four streets from where the twins live, then. Anger heats my veins. "When?"
"Last night. Half-demon girl, age seven. Mother found the bedroom window shattered, traces of sleeping powder on the sill." Rolfo runs a hand through his jet-black hair. "That makes six in just as many weeks."
I rise from my chair, my full height forcing Rolfo to look up. "They're moving in a pattern, and we still can't figure out who they are or what they want with the kids."
They're either enslaving, trafficking, or killing them. Most likely all three, and I can't stomach the thought of any of it.
He gives me a look that tells me we both know what they are doing. Most demons do not take kindly to humans being anything more than whores and slaves. "I heard that there's a demand for mixed-blood children in the dark market now."
The thought of Rose, with her violet eyes and innocent trust, makes my body tense with violence. These hunters are circling closer to what's mine to protect. I trace the pattern of abductions on the map, my ritual markings stark against the parchment.
"Have you told anyone else?"
"Not yet. Came straight to you." Rolfo's expression darkens. "But you know how it is. If they aren't from a prominent family…"
Then no one cares. That's exactly what these people are banking on I'm sure.
After Rolfo leaves to look more into the disappearance of the most recent victim, I decide to go home. I need to see Rose and Ada, need to know they are alright.
I stride into the dining room, my thoughts still churning with the morning's dark revelations, when a tiny blur of honey-blonde curls launches at my legs.
"Cappy Dez!" Rose beams up at me, her violet eyes sparkling. "You came for lunch!"
My chest tightens at her innocent joy. Without thinking, I scoop her up and settle her on my lap as I take my seat. She's so small, even for a four-year-old, that my hand spans her entire back.
I'm not sure where Ada is, but I know she can't be too far off. It's odd that I automatically start to look for her.
"Did you catch any bad guys today?" She wiggles to face me, completely unfazed by my formal guard attire or the weapons at my belt.
"A few." I adjust her so she won't tumble off. "But they weren't very smart ones."
"Tell me! Please?" She bounces, her curls dancing. "Was it like the time you caught the jewel thieves in the big fountain?"
My lips twitch. "Not quite that exciting. Though there was one who tried hiding in a barrel of fish."
Rose wrinkles her nose. "Eww! Did he smell super stinky?"
"Worse than those veggies you hated last week."
Her giggle lights up the room. She leans against my chest, tiny fingers tracing the silver cord holding back my hair. "I like when you tell stories. You never say I'm too little to hear."
"I thought you were big and strong? You're in training, after all." I catch her hand before she can tug the cord loose. "But perhaps we should eat first?"
"Only if you tell me about the fish barrel man while we eat." She gives me that look that could melt stone. "Pretty please, Cappy?"
The nickname, so innocent and trusting, warms something deep in me. My arms tighten around her instinctively, knowing what dangers lurk beyond these walls. But here, in this moment, I can keep her safe. Can be the protector she sees me as.
"Very well, little flower. But you have to eat all your vegetables."
"Even the purple ones?"
"Especially the purple ones."
Ada comes in then, holding a platter, and she stops when she sees me and Rose. I wait to see if her eyes narrow, but her expression softens, and she smiles at me. "Home for lunch?"
I nod, hesitant to set her off. "If that's alright."
She shrugs as she sets down the platter and takes a seat. "It is your home."
I try to ignore the way my heart sinks at that response. It's progress, I know. But I want to hear that she wants me here.
Rose chatters through lunch about her morning adventures with a little suru she saw in the garden, but my attention keeps drifting to the windows. Mine and Rolfo's conversation burns in my mind.
I don't live far from my sister. And now kids are going missing just a few streets away…
I shift in my chair, angling myself between Rose and the large bay window. The movement catches her attention.
"Are you looking for birds again?" She peers over her shoulder. "I saw a big blue one earlier!"
"Just keeping watch, little one." I scan the tree line beyond my property. Nothing moves except shadows cast by branches.
"For bad guys?" Her voice drops to a whisper, violet eyes wide.
"Something like that." I tap her plate. "Finish your meal."
I don't leave after lunch. Ada takes Rose for her nap, and I consider seeking her out. But I don't want to worry her. I'll find whoever is taking these children before anyone gets too close to Rose.
Through my study window, movement in the garden catches my eye. The setting sun casts long shadows across the flower beds where Ada kneels beside Rose, demonstrating how to break free from a grip on her wrist.
"Remember, sweetheart - twist toward the thumb. That's the weak point." Ada's voice carries clearly in the evening air. She gently holds Rose's tiny wrist, showing her the motion.
"Like this?" Rose twists with more force than necessary, nearly toppling herself.
"Careful." Ada steadies her. "You don't need that much power. It's about the direction, not strength."
I slip outside, my footsteps silent on the garden path. Ada's showing Rose how to stomp on an attacker's foot when I speak. "Aim for the arch, not the toes."
Ada startles, but Rose beams. "Cappy Dez! Will you help teach me too?"
Instead of the wariness I expect, Ada meets my gaze with determined focus. "You probably know more effective techniques than I do."
"Some." I crouch beside them, my ceremonial guard markings catching the fading light. "But you've got the basics right. Show me that wrist escape again, Rose."
Rose demonstrates, her honey-blonde curls bouncing with concentration. Her grip is clumsy but the movement is correct.
"Good." I glance at Ada. "Have you shown her pressure points?"
"Not yet. I wasn't sure which ones would be safe to practice."
I hold out my arm. "Here. The nerve cluster in the forearm is perfect for small hands." I guide Rose's fingers to the spot. "Press here, little flower. Not too hard."
Rose giggles when my fingers twitch involuntarily. "It made your hand jump!"
"Exactly." I shift to show Ada the precise location. "Even a child's strength can be effective there."
Our fingers brush as she finds the pressure point. Her touch is hesitant but precise, betraying years of careful movement around demons. But there's steel in her warm brown eyes when she meets mine.
"Thank you." Her voice is soft but steady. "For teaching her. For everything."
I nod, understanding all she isn't saying. We both know why a four-year-old needs these lessons. Why Ada's hands shake slightly as she guides Rose through another practice motion. And I am more than willing to help them with anything that will keep them safe.
"Again," I tell Rose, settling in to watch them practice. "This time, show me how you'd combine the wrist escape with the pressure point."
We practice until it's dark and then we have dinner together. Ada seems even more relaxed around me today, as if, little by little, I'm chipping away at her defenses.
I return to my office to pour over maps and reports, trying to pinpoint who exactly could be behind these abductions. There are no clues anywhere, though, and it's driving me mad. Eventually, I have to take a break, deciding to go make some tea.
Light spills from the kitchen doorway. I find Ada at the counter, crushing herbs with methodical precision. Her braid has come loose, honey-blonde strands falling around her face. My hands ache to touch it, but I keep them at my side. It's been hitting me more and more how beautiful she is, like with every piece of her walls that come down, I get to see more of her - and I'm savoring it.
I shouldn't be. I know she's going to leave me. But I can't stop myself.
"You should rest," I say, keeping my distance to avoid startling her.
Her hands pause, but she doesn't look up. "So should you."
"I prefer knowing my house is secure."
"If it helps, I just checked everything. All the exits are locked. No one's lurking outside." She sets down the mortar and pestle. "I'm sure you could sense if something was off with your wards."
She's right. But that doesn't ease my restlessness.
I move closer. "You're…thorough."
"I have to be." Her fingers trace patterns in spilled herbs. "Had to learn to be, after... after everything."
Something in her voice makes me step closer. "You know if you ever want to talk about what you've been through…I'm here. It can't be easy to never have anyone to rely on."
Ada's shoulders tense, then drop. "His name was Arzollon. He was kind, gentle – everything his father wasn't." Her laugh holds no humor. "I thought we were so clever, keeping our love secret. But demons always smell lies, don't they?"
My chest tightens at the pain in her voice. I know that he has passed, but it doesn't seem to be something that was unavoidable." "What happened?"
"I was technically his father's servant. Which meant he could do whatever he wanted with me. And when his father found out about Rose the day after she was born, he found where Arzollon had hidden me away on their property. Her violet eyes set him off..." She swallows hard. "He killed his own son in front of me. Said no son of his would taint their bloodline with human filth. But Arzollon bought me enough time to take Rose and run."
My hands fist. "He's who you are running from."
"For four years." She finally meets my gaze, and the steel in her brown eyes reminds me why she's survived this long. "The day in the market, I was supposed to be getting away from this continent. But my contact fell through. I'm always scared he'll find us, that someone will tell him…" Her words cut off on a choked sob. "I can't let him near my daughter."
"Ada." I step closer, close enough to catch her scent of herbs and quiet strength. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because the last demon I trusted with my heart got killed for it." Her voice cracks. "And I can't – I won't let Rose lose anyone else she loves. Or put her at risk."
It crushes me to see her look so shaken, and suddenly, everything about her demeanor makes sense. I reach out for her hesitantly, and she lets me wrap an arm around her, leaning against me. I brush the hair out of her face, letting my large frame block out everything else.
"If there's one thing you should know about me, Ada, it's that I will protect you. I promise you that."
And now, more than ever, I want to prove that to her.