Chapter 15
Wooden beams made up the frame of the modest hut Saer chose as his base of operations, held together by sturdy pieces of woven bark.
A handful of windows allowed early morning sunlight to stream across a bed stacked with thick piles of soft, leafy branches covered in supple animal hides.
On the opposite end stood a makeshift table and chair with several flattened, yellow pieces of papyrus strewn onto its work surface.
Scrawled ink marked them with no apparent pattern, and a quill rested next to the pages.
A jutting torch affixed to the beam above the table, unlit during daylight hours.
Saer leaned over the table, counting names and plucking up the quill to scratch some out and scribble them elsewhere while comparing notes between one document to the next. The frustration increased as it became apparent that the list he worked on was all but useless—he’d have to start over.
“Great Hells.” Saer scowled and snagged another leaflet. He kept meticulous lists of the villagers whose support he’d garnered, strategizing ways he could collect the pledges of their souls. All had gone according to plan, his momentum strong and sure—until Ahraan showed up.
Saer had all but teed up this oasis for harvest. He’d had them!
A handful of days had passed since the last counsel meeting, and now, Ahraan made his presence well known amongst the villagers.
They talked about him, his stance versus Saer’s, behind closed doors.
Some of the counsel members had even talked about him replacing Saer as head of the meetings.
They’d begun to approach him for important decisions before coming to Saer.
Each tiny insurrection chipped at his leadership, his chances of success.
Hellsfire, it infuriated him.
Now, every time Saer saw Ahraan, he wanted to strangle him—especially when the bastard persistently called him “cousin,” a ploy no doubt. Just another head game.
Saer wanted the whole village for himself. He just needed time to regather and think, to convince them.
Voices rose from outside, easy to disregard at the start, but increasing in both volume and intensity. Saer gritted his teeth and willed the distraction away, determined to ignore it so he could complete his current task. He needed a fresh list to find his staunchest supporters, to campaign—
The commotion escalated.
Saer scribbled another quick note.
More voices joined the original ones, coming closer to his quarters rather than further away.
Growling, he reached for more ink.
One woman’s tone rose above the rest, and Saer froze.
No.
He’d waited for one or more of the Daemoenica to arrive, as always. Any, except one.
She wouldn’t.
A mixture of dread, terror, and anticipation had Saer throwing the quill down and crossing to thrust his door open.
Ten paces away, a gathering of curious villagers peered. Between them, two of the settlement’s soldiers flanked a pair of women wearing veils.
Ahraan also stood present.
The hooded man gestured at the warriors with lithe fingers, coercing them to step away from the female newcomers. As always, his cowled face remained mostly in shadow.
“Ahraan!”
Pride’s shout carried over the huddled crowd, hushing them and drawing everyone’s attention.
Although the women’s faces were partially covered by veils, Saer would have known them anywhere.
The shorter, rounder female’s earth-brown eyes were cast down, dappled freckles splashed across her olive-hued button nose.
Kalia.
The other, the one whose voice Saer recognized from his hut, met his gaze, and his world spun on its axis. Pearlescent skin and oceans-deep blue eyes were all he could see—but it was enough.
She spoke his name as a quiet, exhaled promise, “Saer.”
Neyu.
Glacial fear crawled up his spine as that same memory of Lucifer threatening to unmake her played double-time behind his mind’s eye.
He swallowed, resolve cracking, but tore his eyes away from the duo.
She shouldn’t be here! How dare she? How dare both of them?
He’d never wavered in the orders he gave Kalia …
Saer focused his confounded rage on Ahraan.
The enigmatic man offered his solemn smile to Saer, then leaned towards Neyu to whisper something in her ear. His long-fingered hand curled along her wrist, squeezing.
Saer’s heart thudded, the pounding echoing in his ears.
One of the soldiers stepped towards Ahraan. “We found them at the edge of the oasis. We tried to explain they’re to be brought to you to determine if they are accepted in our village, but they don’t speak our language—”
Another growl escaped Saer’s lips before he could tether it. “You bring them to me for such decisions.”
“But—”
“Enough!” His shout was unquestionable. “Leave them and be gone.”
The guards drew breath to argue, and perhaps would have if Ahraan hadn’t stepped up with an infuriatingly calming air. “My friends, come, we’ll leave my cousins to their discussions.”
“We are not family,” Saer hissed, realizing too late he’d taken the bait. Ahraan offered him a blithe, unbothered smile, then guided the soldiers away.
Saer balled his hands into fists to keep from lashing out at every one of them.
The onlookers dispersed before Kalia’s shoulders dropped. “Hells.”
Saer snapped his focus back to them.
Neyu met Saer’s heated gaze with eyes as captivating as a rare sapphire, exactly as he remembered. That same, out-of-body surreality threatened, icy fingers sliding along his nerve endings. Neyu was here.
Neyu was right in front of him.
Neyu…
Her chin lifted in defiance, and Kalia shrank behind her.
Saer unleashed a wordless noise of frustration and turned to stalk back into his hut. He flung open the door and wished with all his being that he could slam it behind him without bringing down the whole hut, but left it wide open instead.
Once out of the morning sunlight, Saer halted, panting. A high-pitched ringing sounded in his ears while denial warred with reality.
Neyu. Neyu was here.
He turned a half step as though to go back. He stopped again. Snarling, Saer pinched his nose between his thumb and forefinger, drawing a long, careful breath.
Shuffling footsteps drew nearer, echoing the pounding of his heart.
One of them inhaled as though to speak, but hesitated.
Neyu is here.
He lowered his hand, swallowed, and forced hard steel into his tone. “Get in here, you two.”
Lust and Sloth entered with caution—the elder calm, and the younger far less so. Saer busied himself covering windows with various skins. His eyes focused on the task at hand, addressing neither Daemoenica, even as he stole small glances at Neyu out of the corner of his eye.
Like she might disappear at any moment.
She was in his hut. Not a beautiful, forbidden mirage, but right in front of him. Unhooking her veil with slow and practiced movements as though it were just another day, drawing his eyes to her long fingers, remembering how they’d grazed over his skin…
He’d imagined reuniting with her and feared it all the same.
Did she not remember he stayed away for her safety?
That their maker could snap Its fingers and destroy them in less than a heartbeat?
He separated himself from her so they could each live, and she defied him.
As long as he stayed angry, there was no room for anything else.
He held onto his bitterness like a drowning man clinging to a boat.
“By your command, we are here.” Neyu’s detached tone grated at him and, at the same time, confused him. The skin around Saer’s eyes tightened. If she didn’t want to come to him, she should have gone elsewhere.
The air in the room thickened, threatening to suffocate him.
Kalia moved half a step towards the door when Saer found his voice. “By my command?”
“We came to help you.” Neyu’s forcibly calm tone matched his.
Saer’s shoulders tensed as his gaze warred with hers. “Then someone else could have been sent.”
Neyu glanced towards Kalia—who stared at the ground. Lust allowed a small growl to slip, sliding her focus back to Saer. “I insisted on coming.”
He hated that hope and fear bubbled in his chest at her words.
Decades spent cutting himself off from Neyu, Hellsbent on forgetting the way she made him feel, following Lucifer’s orders to the letter—all to keep her safe—only to have her throw his efforts away. Why didn’t she see?
He couldn’t allow her to get under his skin.
“You insisted. Because of me?” His tone blended rage and irony.
Neyu straightened her sleeves and shook her head. “Don’t flatter yourself. You’ve been gone from the Hells for too long. If your ego wasn’t so massive, I’d have been the first you called for help.”
“Not the first. And I don’t need help, especially not yours.”
Neyu frowned. Saer fought to ignore the shape of her mouth, a perfect cupid’s bow.
“Kalia, please wait outside so Saer and I may speak.”
Kalia didn’t hesitate, stumbling out and shutting the door behind her.
Alone. With Neyu.
Again.
Saer’s fingers curled into fists, his nails digging into his palms.
The demoness stepped towards him and Saer stiffened. She sighed and halted. “Why do you treat me like this?”
“You know why.” Being alone with her was bad enough. Watching her move closer, the curves under her clothes whimpering for his fingers to glide along them, was almost unbearable. Her imploring eyes, framed by cascading ebony and silver tresses, were a temptation he couldn’t resist forever.
Neyu took another cautious step forward, something softening in her eyes. “Then you are still as affected by the sight of me as I am of you.”
Every muscle in Saer’s body screamed, the tendons in his neck straining even against the loose shirt he wore, but he didn’t speak.
Neyu glided closer. “You can only hide it so long, Saer.”
Saer’s face darkened as he backed away from her, holding up a hand to ward her off. “Is Kalia responsible for this?”
Her feet slowed to a stop. “She didn’t request that I join her, no.”
“Only she could have led you here.” Accusation scalded his words, but Neyu showed no fear. The others all took caution with his temper, but it only seemed to harden her resolve. He hated it.
He loved it.
He still loved her.
“She did. Because I asked her to,” she said.
“Why?”
“I’m not going to insult your intelligence by addressing questions you already know the answer to.”
Defiant, through and through. He needed her to leave at the same time his heart screamed for her nearness.
The uncertainty in his expression coerced Neyu to take another small step forward. Panic and desire flared in equal measure, and Saer snarled. “Enough! Help if you want, but we’re not doing this again.”
Neyu didn’t seem convinced, but she ceased her advancement. “If that’s your wish.”
“It is.”
Neyu schooled her features into a neutral expression. “Kalia, join us.”
It took everything in Saer to keep his disappointment from showing.
Kalia returned with stilted caution, and Neyu relayed the events which led them to Saer—a trek through the desert, being found by the scouts, up until the ruckus outside his dwelling. Once she’d finished, Neyu grimaced. “Tell us what we need to know.”
“Straight to business after all that?” Saer muttered under his breath as he stepped towards the paper-laden table.
“You didn’t leave the option for much else,” Neyu sniped.
Saer’s hands fumbled on the leaflets as he shot a cautionary glance towards Neyu, but he otherwise gave no indication that he’d heard the comment. Kalia didn’t appear fazed.
He forced a deep breath. “There’ve been complications.”
“Complications?”
Saer raked a hand through his hair. “You met the root of them on your way in. Ahraan—”
“That man!” Kalia interjected. Neyu and Saer turned towards her, and she shrank. “He said something to Neyu before we came in here.”
Saer’s eyes slid back to the demoness. “I noticed that as well.”
“Only to greet us.”
Saer gauged Lust a heartbeat longer, not believing her but not willing to push it quite yet. “Ahraan is interfering with my plans. I was all but this village’s commander before he showed up—they’re divided, now. He’s winning the lot over at present, and they’re less likely to listen to me.”
“The two who brought us here did what you told them,” Neyu challenged.
Saer leaned his hip against the table. “Not without argument. That hasn’t happened before. I was fortunate when Ahraan backed away from you. No doubt, he’s biding his time or talking to them as we speak.”
“How do we convince them of our ways?” Neyu sank down until she sat upon Saer’s leafy bed.
Again, Saer shook his head. “They won’t come by force. Fewer and weaker join in such a manner. But I’m running out of tricks.”
Kalia picked at her fingernails as she considered Saer’s statement. “They’ve seen the healing? Sealing wounds with fire? That’s usually sufficient.”
Saer hesitated. “Ahraan can do it, too.”
“What?” Neyu and Kalia exclaimed in unison.
“Yes,” he said. “And without pain.”
Kalia’s jaw dropped. She turned towards Neyu’s equally shocked face.
“What is he?” Neyu’s quiet voice broke the tense moment.
“I don’t know,” Saer said with equal softness. “I’ve been trying to figure that out. But he is very, very good.”
“So, we find his weakness and exploit it, or otherwise find a way to discredit him,” Neyu said.
Saer shook his head. “Don’t think I haven’t tried. He’s held in reverence. Verbally attacking him without cause will only weaken my stance. The situation is…” he paused, clenched his fist, and dipped his voice lower. “Delicate.”
“Subtlety was never your strong suit,” Neyu said, a dig that hit Saer in his ribs.
“Nor yours,” he shot back.
The two stared at one another, then turned towards Kalia who unleashed a startled, high-pitched laugh. “I’m here to help, not come up with ideas.”
Neyu sighed and pushed her hair back from her face. “Seems as though it’s up to you and I.”
“Yes,” Saer replied with wariness. “It seems so.” He turned away from the pair, hand trailing off the edge of the table. “We can think about it. The day just started. I recommend the two of you stay inconspicuous, but explore as you must and pick up more of the language.”
“If you don’t mind—” Kalia’s words cut off with her yawn.
“There are smaller quarters of mine several paces towards the lake,” Saer said, not bothering to hide his irritation. “You’ll see a bush blooming with purple flowers outside the door.” He gave Neyu a pointed glance. “You and Neyu will rest there.”
Neyu paused, then squared her shoulders. “Of course.” She stood. “Go on Kalia, I’ll roam the village. Saer, I don’t suppose you’d like to join me?”
Saer clenched his jaw and shook his head. Neyu smiled, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes, then took Kalia’s arm and pulled out of the hut.
The moment his match left his sight, Saer released a harsh breath and slumped against the table.
Hells help me.