Chapter 19
Tsan’s yellow smoke floated before my face, a feat which would have demanded every bit of his control and strength. I opened a portal to the archives. He waved excitedly, then shoved through two books, and a rolled piece of paper.
“See you soon,” he mouthed.
I waved with equal enthusiasm before closing the portal.
Having a friend was fun. Like a secret.
While I waited for Tsan to arrive, I scanned the rolled paper.
A list of demon names. I only recognized three as names of previous victors in Tiers.
This had to be a list of victors since Tiers started.
There weren’t enough victors to date back to the disappearance of white-scaled demons, but I doubted demon society was organized enough back then to build an arena and sit through four rounds of Tiers each year.
At some point, white magic had entered the Crave Arena and taken root in the sand. I was willing to bet that had happened during Carmine’s reign.
The other books were the two titles I’d seen on Carmine’s dream bedside table.
A Demon Healer’s Guide—Should He Want It.
I chuckled at the title. In all seriousness, I hoped to never require a demon healer. They’d heal you, and also feed on your pain, which they’d draw out for as long as possible without killing you.
The second title was Methods of Execution.
Lovely. That may prove illuminating, though. I stuffed the books in the depths of my wardrobe.
Tsan knocked soon after. Axel trotted in behind him.
I wondered if Gratia had noticed that a yellow demon had successfully kept track of a child she’d lost in twenty minutes.
“Good morning?” I murmured.
“So far, so good,” Tsan said.
We smirked at each other. Yep, friends were cool.
Axel flopped onto the bed. “I’m bored.”
“Want to dig in the dirt?” I asked him.
He sat bolt upright. “Yes!”
“Come with me.”
Tsan walked beside me as Axel raced ahead.
He said, “I got this last night.”
Tsan passed over a letter, and I opened it to find the paper blank. Dammit. I forgot to warn him that Owu’s mother might get in touch this way.
“Owu,” I mouthed at him.
She’d seen her son or been in contact with him.
I stopped in the hall and checked for company. Some servants were close, but no one of power. Carmine was in war council, just where I liked him. Too far away to overhear whatever I was doing.
I cleared my throat. “It occurs to me that you won’t enjoy raking dirt, though I had looked forward to your company for the next two hours.”
Tsan pulled a face. “Raking dirt?”
“You won’t believe it until you see it. Perhaps another time.” I stepped closer and lowered my voice. “The grandparents. Don’t get too close. Just scope out if he’s been there. Do you need a way back?”
Tsan shook his head. “I’ll find my way.”
I really wished Carmine didn’t track my every move out of the fortress.
I opened a portal, and Tsan wasted no time walking through.
I hustled after Axel and barely dodged in time when he barreled out of a branching hall. I laughed and side-stepped the young Luther. “Come on. This way.”
My heart was relieved to see him forget his situation, even for five seconds.
We walked to the dirt garden and those I’d invited were already seated and waiting. Two were intentional guests. The rest were fillers, though they’d play an important role.
They rose to curtsey or bow, Raes included.
He was one of my intentional guests.
“Mate-intended,” said Cyz, the second intentional guest.
I smiled at her. “Cyz, are you ready for battle?”
“Always. Thank you for the invitation to rake.”
I repressed a shudder.
The seven demons looked to where Axel had already transformed to his werewolf form and was rabidly digging at the manicured dirt patch. If I had to guess, not a single part of the dirt garden would be left untouched by the boy.
I was okay with that. The sooner demons stopped raking fucking dirt, the better.
“Raes,” I said. “Tsan had hoped to make it, but something in the realm called him away.”
My future brother-in-law looked like he wanted the realm to call him away too. Now he was the only man here. And coincidentally every female aside from myself was single.
How remiss of me.
I clapped my hands. “I have called you here because I’m throwing Raes a party for his one-hundredth birthday. I’ve never been to one and need your help. Raes can tell us what he particularly likes, and I have made an entry in the event planner for the day after tomorrow.”
Gratia had taken up royal event planning again after the joining ritual while I was unconscious. She hadn’t mentioned returning the task to me since, so sometime today she would check the planner and see Raes’s Birthday Party written in my handwriting.
Raes was watching me through narrowed eyes, and when I grinned, he shook his head. But he didn’t march off. Perhaps the purple was desperate enough to let me interfere.
“What about a blacksmith theme?” said Cyz.
In the resulting silence, she winced. “My family has purchased Raes’s weapons before, and they are highly regarded. I did not intend any insult. I simply meant there is much we could do with a blacksmith theme. Metal. Fire. Molten weapons.”
Raes grunted his surprise. “Which weapon did your family purchase?”
“Many,” Cyz admitted.
They fell into conversation about a flail and a mace. I hadn’t seen Raes so animated in his entire time here. Watch out, Gratia.
Soon the conversation returned to planning his birthday celebration, and as the time dragged on, my attention drifted.
I murmured my approval at intervals while watching Axel destroy the entire “garden.” Interfere in Gratia’s mating and destroy the notion of dirt raking? I called that two birds and one stone.
If Tsan could find Owu, then that would remove another great worry from my shoulders. Though I had no idea where to put the young boy after. The desert shack was compromised, and I didn’t want him left alone out there anyway. Athira had proven an unreliable carer for anyone but her grandson.
Ugh.
Finding Owu safe and sound was the most important task.
He knew of the danger from Carmine’s direction.
His grandparents were bad news too. They’d bargained with Carmine for their son’s execution.
That was fucked up. Plus they’d made the lives of Owu’s parents a misery since the red and yellow dared to obey the call of their uneven mating.
More than that, I worried how the grandparents might bargain their very powerful grandson away to gain more favor with Carmine.
“They would do that too,” I muttered. If Tsan and I didn’t locate Owu soon, then his life could be shortened to hours.
“They would what, Syera?” asked Raes.
I looked at the quiet table, who all awaited my response. “Humans. They would make a cake for the celebration. That’s what they do at their birthdays.”
Great. What an answer. Just when I was starting to shift my human status.
Raes arranged his purple-scaled features in polite interest. “Oh.”
“We will have a cake,” I declared grandly. “Cyz, can I rely on you to pass on the final details to the kitchens and relevant staff? They can source and set up whatever decorations you require too.”
This future queen refused to event plan. Cyz could do that for me. I liked her more than most in this place.
I said on a whim, “The organizers of this celebration will all have new garments made. Once the party orders are given, please visit my personal tailor, Yiti, on the lower level.”
Excited babble broke out. Out of the six women here, I would say that only Cyz gathered my intentions weren’t pure. Yes, I intended Gratia to know exactly who had helped organize this birthday bash. And that they were all single.
I’d send Yiti specific tailoring instructions to make their assets pop. Not that demons required encouragement in that department. I’d have a harder time trying to cover them up.
Raes remained behind when the others dissipated. Thankfully the whole meeting had only taken two hours.
I shot him a look. “Might as well get it off your chest.”
He glanced down at his chest.
I blew out a breath. “Say what you’re thinking.”
“I regret that my mating has come to this.”
I could empathize with him on that one. “I have often wished for a mate with a normal occupation. If that helps. I would have greatly preferred a blacksmith.” Most days a demon healer seemed like a step up.
“It does help, thank you. I don’t feel entirely alone.”
Axel disappeared in the crater he’d dug, and Raes followed my focus. “Is it okay for him to do that?”
“He was taken from his mother and his pack. He can do what he likes.” I arched a brow. “Speaking of mothers, I rather like yours. Tell her I’d love to meet up sometime.”
Raes arched a brow. “To know my mother better, or to bait Gratia.”
“Why do a thing for just one reason?” Two birds, one stone was my new motto.
Footsteps sounded. I took one look at Tsan’s grim expression. “A moment alone, please, Raes.”
He bowed. “Of course. I have an audience with the king. Something about a position as weapons trainer in the army. Know anything about that?”
I only felt glee at his dry comment. Gratia must’ve heard too.
Tsan sat and leaned forward over the small table. “Saw him.”
He’d seen Owu. “Safe?”
“Covered in the blood of his dead grandparents.”
My brows shot up. Oh. “Unexpected.”
“They gave him details on Tiers.”
My heart sank. Owu hadn’t known that I’d killed his father, and I bet his grandparents hadn’t hesitated to spin the story in a cruel way. “Shit.”
“Shit,” echoed Tsan.
I scanned the area. Axel had exhausted himself and was flopped over a dirt pile in his werewolf form. “How?”
“They’d purchased a sword of unique power,” he said.
My jaw dropped. They were the ones to buy my father’s sword?
Tsan continued. “Our friend got hold of it and lost control. There wasn’t… much left. I talked him down, but he’s angry.”
“I need to see him.” I straightened at the sudden slackening of the thread connecting me to Carmine. “Talk later.”