Chapter 14
Raiya and Azreth passed through the gate to Ontag-ul without issue, though the watchman on the wall gave them a very curious look.
The town was fortified by a great wall all around its borders. The roads were paved with interlocking stones, the buildings constructed with neatly cut wood and topped with tiered, gabled roofs of dark tile. Night was quickly falling, and dark clouds were moving in to cover the moons, but flickering lanterns hung beside buildings and along bridges over the river that ran through the town.
Like much of Uulantaava, it was dark and mostly colorless, but it was beautiful in its own simple way. It gave the impression of being a part of nature, as if the landscape here had just happened to grow into the shape of a city.
“This city is not very defensible aside from the wall,” Azreth commented. “These buildings are all wood. I could knock down their walls easily. And they would all burn with a single stray spark.”
Raiya raised an eyebrow. “I hope you’re not planning on setting anything aflame, Azreth.”
“I’m not.”
“Most cities have mages or sun elves who are responsible for dealing with fires.” She kept her voice low as they passed other people on the narrow streets and paths. “I think it’s very pretty.”
“Pretty?”
“Yes. The architecture. The plants.” She looked up at him. “Do you have artists in the hells?”
“What is an artist?”
She suddenly felt pity for him. She seemed to end up feeling that way whenever he talked about his plane. “It’s a person who makes beautiful things for a living.” She pointed to the elegant, curving slopes of the roofs and the intricate wooden lattices that covered some of the windows and doors. “These details serve no defensive purpose. They exist just to be beautiful. Because they’re nice to look at, and they make you feel at home. Things like that are made by artists and artisans.”
Azreth looked closely at the building she’d pointed to. He reached out and touched the latticework.
“Demons don’t think about the beauty of things,” he said quietly.
“What about you?”
He looked down at her blankly.
“Do you think about beauty?” she asked.
He thought for a long time.
“Sometimes,” he said finally.
Rain began to fall.
They’d arrived in the evening, so they opted to stop at an inn for the night and find the Temple of Moratha in the morning. After speaking with a few locals—most of whom stared nervously over her shoulder at Azreth the entire time—Raiya located an acceptable establishment. The inn was busy enough that even someone as strange as Azreth would not attract too much attention, she hoped.
As they stepped through the front door and into the common room, she wiped rain droplets from her face. It was loud, bright, and warm, heavy with the scent of hot food and close bodies. It was not the classiest of places. Nirlan wouldn’t have been caught dead here, which she supposed was a plus. All in all, it was a stark difference from the cold, empty halls of the castle. She and Azreth stopped at the edge of the room.
“There are armed people here,” Azreth said tightly.
He was right. She could see a few people carrying swords. One group had a pile of quivers and bows leaning on the wall beside them, as if they’d just come back from a hunting trip. They were normal people. Many civilians carried weapons in Heilune. None of them looked like they would cause trouble.
“It’s all right,” she said. “Come on.”
The innkeeper behind the counter was an older man, thickly built, wearing a large apron.
“We’re looking for a room,” Raiya said. Azreth stood like a statue behind her.
The innkeeper raised an eyebrow at Azreth. “It’s half a mark for the night. But there’s only one open. One bed.”
She fished around in her bag for her small coin purse. People wouldn’t think it proper for them to be sharing a bed when they weren’t married, but that was the least of her concerns at the moment. “That’s fine.”
The innkeeper chuckled as he took the payment. He sounded like he’d dipped into his supply of ale a few times that night, and he eyed her for a little too long. “What? A fancy little lady like you with that big thing?”
Raiya stiffened. She held out her hand. “My change?”
He grinned lopsidedly at the other men drinking at the counter. The coins were in his hand, but he didn’t hand them over yet. “Don’t be coy. It’s an inn. You’re a traveler. Give us a story. Are you and him really an item?”
“Yes,” Azreth said. Raiya looked up at him in surprise. She didn’t know if he’d said it because he didn’t know what it meant, or simply because he was trying to get through the interaction faster. The innkeeper and the other drunks laughed. One of the men clapped Azreth on the back in a congratulatory way, and Azreth gave him the most murderous look Raiya had ever seen, which went unnoticed by the other men. She found herself trying to become smaller.
“By the Five, I’d pay to see that,” the innkeeper said. “Tell you what. I’ll rent you the room for free if you give us a peek at you with the giant-spawn tonight.”
Raiya glared at him, her face hot. The men laughed harder.
Azreth reached over her shoulder and took hold of the innkeeper’s apron. He jerked the man up against the bar. Raiya held her breath. If he started a fight here, it would end badly.
“Be quiet,” Azreth said. It was clear that he expected the command to be followed without further prompting. The innkeeper went a little pale. When Azreth released him, Raiya let out her breath.
“It was a joke,” the innkeeper said. “Get a sense of humor, friend.” He flopped a few coins into Raiya’s hand, then gave her a key.
Raiya looked sidelong at Azreth as they went down the hall to their room. He stared ahead.
“Thank you,” she said.
His gaze slid toward her. He held out his hand, showing her the runes still faintly glowing on his skin. “Tomorrow, you will fix this,” he reminded her.
She nodded. “I will.” She opened the door for him, peering inside to make sure everything was as expected. There was indeed a single bed. Raiya’s mind was briefly filled with images of Azreth and herself on it together, doing exactly what the innkeeper had described. She cleared her throat. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
“Where are you going?”
“Just to order some hot food and a bath. It won’t take long.”
“I will go with you.”
“I think it’s best if you stay here. You attract more attention than I’d like.”
He considered that, frowning. Then he nodded. “Return quickly.”
She made her way back down the hall to the crowded common room. She spoke to the innkeeper again, ignoring the cold way he addressed her, then stepped back to wait for the food she’d ordered, rather than having it delivered to her room. She wasn’t keen on the possibility of some maid popping her head into the room at an inopportune time and witnessing Azreth in all his demonic glory.
She leaned against the bar, surveying the crowd as she waited, and thought about that bed. Gods, she was looking forward to it, wasn’t she? But how could she not? Those hands were surprisingly generous.
As she looked out at the crowd of mortals happily clinking glasses and laughing with each other, her stomach turned in circles. None of them would understand, if they knew. They’d happily kill Azreth and hang her for aiding him.
“What has you looking so unhappy, my dear?” came a smooth voice that made her freeze in place. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” An arm curled around her waist, holding her against a slim body.
Nirlan smiled bleakly at her, the expression not reaching his eyes. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
She should have run. She should have called for help. She should have done something. But she couldn’t move.
“Don’t you have anything to say for yourself? Didn’t you think you’d get caught? Don’t you ever think ahead?” His lips curled with contempt, but his voice remained soft.
Raiya’s heart pounded in her ears. She couldn’t move. He was right—she was stupid. She was too cowardly and foolish to even speak.
Nirlan looked like he wanted to say more about what he thought of her, but he seemed to realize that this wasn’t the place for it. He was good at controlling himself sometimes—when he was in public, and people might be watching. Raiya watched his expression smooth over.
“Where is he?” he demanded.
So he didn’t realize Azreth was in the other room. He must not have seen him earlier. Perhaps he’d only just arrived at the inn. Perhaps Nirlan hadn’t even guessed she’d made a glamour for him. As far as Nirlan was concerned, she was probably too stupid or lazy to think of something like that.
“I don’t know,” she said.
He reached toward her face, and she winced, but he only flicked a lock of hair out of her face.
“Who else aided you?” he asked quietly. “Did the Roamers shelter you?”
“No.”
“The Paladins?”
“He killed the Paladins,” she replied, deciding not to bring up the one he’d let go.
Nirlan cursed under his breath.
There were several other Paladins in the crowd, she realized. She caught glimpses of silver armor and scarlet cloaks. They were quietly searching the room, trying not to attract attention.
“You went to the Paladins for help dealing with the demon?” she asked. “What happens when they realize you were the one who summoned him?”
“There’s no point in tattling on me, wife. They work for me.”
That gave her a chill. “The Paladins are a religious order, not mercenaries for hire.”
“There’s not a man or woman alive who won’t sell themselves for the right price. You should know that.” He shifted, and something prodded her in the side. He had a knife, and he was casually bumping the blade against her ribs.
Her heart stuttered, leaping into a panic. Gods help her. He was going to kill her.
“I’d prefer not to make a scene,” he said. “And don’t you dare touch that baton in your belt.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Come with me without making a fuss, and I won’t have to do anything at all.”
Raiya didn’t move. If she called for Azreth, he would come, and then all hells would break loose. Either he would end up dead, or everyone else would, or both.
Trembling, she pushed away from the counter.
Nirlan smiled. “Good girl,” he said, like she was a dog. He slowly guided her through the crowd toward the door.
“What are you going to do?” she asked again.
“Don’t sound so pathetic. You’re not fooling anyone. This is all your own doing. If you weren’t so impulsive, none of this would have happened, and we’d both still be sitting comfortably at home. You’ve forced me to go through a lot of trouble.”
“What are you going to do, Nirlan?” she asked firmly.
“I’m taking you home. And after that, I’ll do whatever I wish with you. You’re mine.”
As soon as they stepped over the threshold, Raiya grabbed her baton. Without drawing it out of her belt, she jabbed the handle backward into Nirlan’s crotch. He shouted and doubled over, and she jerked out of his grasp. A sharp pain sliced through her hand. His knife had cut her. A rivulet of blood ran from the cut, but she didn’t have time to examine it further. She drew her baton and sprinted down an unfamiliar path.
The rain had made the town muddy and slick. Raiya leapt onto the wooden boardwalk that curved through a maze of buildings, ducking under eaves as she ran. She flew by the entrance to another lively tavern, dodging through a group of people standing on the boardwalk in front of it. She didn’t bother to ask anyone for help. Nirlan would find a way to spin it so they ended up turning on her.
It wasn’t long before she heard his footsteps hitting the ground, rapidly gaining on her. She stopped in the middle of the walkway and whirled around, pointing the baton at him. “Don’t come any closer!”
He stopped a dozen paces from her, but he was smiling. Two more men came running around the corner and stopped beside him. Paladins. The bystanders by the entrance of the tavern had looked up when she’d yelled. She realized how bad this looked for her. Paladins didn’t chase innocent people. Everyone would assume she’d done something wrong.
She backed away from them, her feet slipping slightly in the mud. Drizzling rain was making her hair and clothes cold and heavy. The baton wouldn’t do much good here. She didn’t know how many shots it had left before it ran out of magic, but it wasn’t many.
“Put down the weapon, Raiya,” Nirlan said. He was still smiling. He knew he had her trapped. Raiya took a step back, but then she heard footsteps behind her. More Paladins had appeared at the other end of the path. She was surrounded. The people by the tavern backed away, huddling in the doorway as they watched the confrontation unfold.
“You’re being foolish,” Nirlan said, coming closer. “You’ve had your fun. It’s time to come home now.”
“I told you, we’re done,” she snarled.
“We’re married.”
With a frustrated roar, she discharged the baton. Sending a tendril of her will into the metal in her hand, the enchantment activated. The runes along the shaft glowed bright. Violent energy surged from the tip and shot outward in a beam of blinding light. It blasted into Nirlan’s chest, and he shot backward. The baton’s runes went dark as they lost power. It was out of magic.
A mass of metal hit her from behind, and then she was on the ground. A gauntleted fist struck her cheek. Something else hit her stomach. Someone grabbed her braid and yanked her head back, and then something heavy dropped on her, and she couldn’t breathe.
“Azreth!” she cried, though he was much too far away to hear her strained voice.
One of the Paladins ripped her baton out of her hand. Another one took hold of her arms from behind her and hauled her to her feet. She struggled to pull away from him, knowing perfectly well that there was no point. People on the sides of the boardwalk were staring.
Another Paladin was helping Nirlan to his feet. He wasn’t dead, but he looked much worse for wear. He remained doubled over for a long time before pushing away from the Paladin and coming toward her. There was a large burn mark on the chest of his overcoat, the fabric blackened and fraying at the edges.
He stopped in front of her. “It’s a good thing the gods saw fit to bless you with beauty,” he said. “Otherwise, no one would be willing to put up with you.” With that, he leaned in and forced his mouth against hers. Raiya flinched away, but Nirlan followed her, grabbing the back of her head to hold her against him. He smashed his lips joylessly against her, just to show her that he could do as he wished with her. By the time he pulled away from her, she was crying.
“Tell me where the demon is,” he said.
“Go to each and every hell and find him yourself.”
Nirlan’s eyes glinted with anger. Before he could respond, there was a rush of air above them. Everyone looked up.
A massive shape dove down from above. It collided with one of the Paladins, smashing him to the ground.
It was Azreth. An enormous pair of vibrant magenta wings, shaped like those of a dragon, had sprouted from his back, and the glow of his eyes lit his face in the darkness. He was snarling as he drove his fist through the Paladin’s cuirass.
The Paladin holding Raiya released her, shoving her away as he drew an iron blade. Azreth whirled toward him, grabbing the man’s arm before he could swing the sword. He yanked, twisting the Paladin’s elbow at a stomach-turning angle before tossing him aside. The Paladin went flying across the path and sprawled against the side of a building, groaning in agony.
Chaos erupted. Bystanders screamed and ran. The Paladins backed away, scrambling for iron weapons. One of them threw a spear, which Azreth narrowly dodged. Another drew a bow and started to aim an arrow at him. Azreth simply picked up one of the other Paladins and threw him into the archer.
The remaining Paladins seemed to think better of facing him. They began to run.
Azreth turned to Raiya. Someone else’s blood spattered his body, though the rain was already washing it away. Not long ago, she would have thought him a terrifying sight. But right then, she’d never been happier to see someone.
He looked her up and down, then turned to Nirlan, who had been surreptitiously backing away. Azreth strode after him, unhurried.
Nirlan made a desperate swipe toward him with his knife. As the point of the blade crunched against Azreth’s skin, Nirlan slipped in the mud and fell. Cringing, he twisted to look toward Raiya. His perfect hair was soaked with rain, and his elegant cloak was twisted beneath him and covered in road muck. “Raiya! Help me!”
Azreth paused, glancing in Raiya’s direction, almost as if asking her for permission. She raised her eyebrows. He was allowing her to decide Nirlan’s fate.
Nirlan smiled nervously, as if they were old friends and this was all a simple misunderstanding. “For the love of Astra, call him off!”
She didn’t even stop to consider the possible consequences, because she was furious and frightened and her blood was running hot.
Raiya looked at Azreth, and she nodded her approval.
Though he didn’t quite smile, Azreth seemed pleased. He bent toward Nirlan.
Nirlan bared his teeth in fury. “You traitorous—”
Azreth’s hand made contact with Nirlan’s throat. And then, something went wrong.Azreth shouted and recoiled as if he’d been burned. He fell to his knees and clasped his own neck. Nirlan scrambled away.
Raiya ran to Azreth’s side. When he pulled his hand away from his throat, there was a black mark in the shape of a hand in the same place he’d touched Nirlan. The runes on his palm glowed a violent red, and steam wafted off them.
Raiya could see Nirlan slowly gaining confidence as he came to the same realization she was coming to: the binding, even only half-made, prevented Azreth from harming him.
Nirlan ran to one of the dead Paladins and picked up the man’s iron sword.
Raiya’s hand clenched in Azreth’s cloak. “Azreth—”
He picked her up by her waist and tucked her against his chest, raising his enormous wings behind him. He paused long enough to pick up her fallen baton and press it into her hand as Nirlan approached with the sword. Then he flapped his wings, bent his knees, jumped, and suddenly they were airborne.
Raiya wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as the ground fell away. Wind rushed in her ears and rain pelted her as they shot into the sky. Below them, a crowd was staring up in awe and terror. She could see Nirlan at the center of it, sword in his hand as he watched them escape. He motioned to a few of the Paladins that were still nearby, and they started following in the direction Azreth was flying.
Raiya turned her gaze toward Azreth. His long arms held her close against his chest, and she felt surprisingly secure.
“You have wings,” she said breathlessly.
“Yes.”
She guessed it took a lot of magic to maintain them, otherwise he would have summoned them more often. “For how long?”
“Not long.”
He flew in silence for a minute, his wings beating softly as he scanned the town. Then he tipped downward, speeding up and then slowing as he gracefully descended. They landed gently on the roof of a tall building. He set her on her feet, then studied her. The mark on his neck was already fading, but the runes on his hand were still inflamed.
When he found the cut on her hand, he frowned. Raiya’s eyes widened as he lifted her hand and put his mouth over the wound. He sucked gently, his rough tongue dragging over the cut, stinging and then soothing. It was not exactly like when he’d licked her blood before, when he’d been starved and desperate. This time, it reminded her more of a dog licking a wound. Like an animal instinct. It was a sensual act, but also a caring one. She was surprised to find that it didn’t disgust her.
Azreth seemed to realize what he was doing, and he paused, looking like he’d been caught in an embarrassing act.
Raiya swallowed. “Thank you. Again.”
He covered her cut with his hand, casting a short spell that transformed the raw, red slice into a clean, pink line. Almost at the same time, his wings and right arm both disappeared as he abruptly ran out of magic. His entire body drooped, and his eyes were dim.
She held his massive shoulders, worried he would tilt sideways and fall off the roof. “Are you all right?”
“I am still strong.”
She glanced over the edge of the roof. It was dark, but she could make out shapes on the street below, illuminated in torchlight. Paladins and other townspeople were searching the city for them. It wouldn’t be long before they found them.
“How are we going to get down?” she wondered aloud.
Azreth didn’t have an answer.
Trying to stay out of sight, she leaned close to a pillar beside them. Looking up, she realized it looked a bit like a steeple.
“Hello there!” someone whispered.
Azreth stepped in front of Raiya to put himself between her and the whisperer. Peering around his side, she saw a hooded figure beckoning them from a small window in the roof.
The person grinned, holding a hand above her face to keep the rain off. “The lady of darkness welcomes you,” she said. “You are being pursued by the Paladins, yes? Come inside the temple. Hurry.”
Azreth gave Raiya a questioning glance.
“Moratha cultists,” Raiya whispered. “Like Eunaios.”
Azreth frowned.
She took his hand, pulling him toward the open window. “Come on.”