Velvet kept silent at that. Cornelius didn’t pressure her, choosing to eat cake instead.

“Baraviodos.”

“What? Want me to give you a counteroffer? He is right, the Doyle family can’t give you access to the Mergifari.”

“Did you know they knew about you?”

The demon kept silent for a few seconds. “Yes, killing a mage to obtain their familiar is quite common. Every mage only gets one summoning chant, and some mages get some better than others. Your familiar, for example, is weak, so you shouldn’t worry about being hunted for him. But I’m medium ranked, and that makes me quite the target.”

That confirmed two things. One, Nathaniel was innocent, the murder being caused by possession, and two, the murder wasn’t caused because of the disappeared girl, but because they wanted his familiar.

“And you stuck to me knowing that?!”

“My other option was to wait for them to bring another knowledge mage to force me out. I just picked the choice that didn’t leave me waiting for my executors. Your appearance in the train was lucky for both sides. Just not for you.”

“Because it gave you a way to try to escape and it gave them a faster way to get you out?”

“Yes.”

“So they made me go to Iren’s room and use the spell not for guessing the murder, but for pulling you out?”

“Yes, to get a mage’s familiar, you need a mage of the same paradigm, cause they can sense where it’s hidden.”

“Aren’t I lucky… How can you force someone else’s familiar to join you?”

“You don’t. You eat it.”

Velvet froze for a moment. “What made you think I wouldn’t eat you?”

“I saw you and figured you didn’t know about that.”

And he was right, Velvet cursed.

That meant all previous guesses Velvet had before knowing this were wrong. They didn’t want her, they just wanted the demon, and used her to get it.

And the demon also used her, so she ended up in a mess she didn’t need to be.

“I want a counteroffer.” Velvet resigned herself.

“We have a Devil’s Deal.”

“Don’t talk to me about the deal. Do you really think Cornelius isn’t prepared for that?”

“...”

“If he wants you, it’s because of the spells you know, right? The Doyle family is of the knowledge paradigm.”

“Knowledge and lust. He also wants my memories of the Doyle family and its secrets.”

“Well, I want half of the knowledge spells.”

“Half is too much. A quarter.”

“Half. And now I want fifteen percent of the lust spells. Without counting my previous rewards.”

“Why? You don’t even need those.”

“I can sell them. You can even tell the Doyles my silence for those spells is for sale.”

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

She heard the demon muttering a string of words she didn’t understand. Probably cursing her. “Deal. Let’s see you shake off the Graham now.”

Stopping the talk with Baraviodos, she looked at Cornelius. Velvet knew she would lose in a fight, even without knowing the full extent of his abilities.

Escaping from him, however…

The kitchen was long and narrow, since they were inside a train. Cornelius and Velvet were in the middle, one on each side, but Cornelius was close to the door they entered. There was a door on each side, to give easier access.

“How big is my chance of entering the Mergifari without your help?”

“I won’t talk on absolutes, but close to zero.”

She didn’t trust him at all. You could make a deal with a demon, but humans could lie, and they lied kinda easily.

Fool Velvet once, shame on her, fool her twice, shame on her again, but at least she was a fast learner.

She smiled, filling a glass with cold water and drinking it slowly. “I’ll take those odds.” Then, she threw the glass with a paper figurine inside, which exploded in small crystal pieces.

Velvet rolled forwards on the floor, covering her ears with two sound insulation charms. Something slammed the place she was just a moment before.

“I order you to stop.”

Sucks you showed that spell beforehand, doesn’t it?

“Now is the time for you to assist me.” She told Baraviodos.

Papers started coming out of Iren’s notebook, twisting until becoming tiny lances that launched at Cordelius.

He answered by dragging something on the air. Soon, the metal kitchen utensils close to him levitated, and launched themselves against the paper lances.

Velvet didn’t stare at it, running towards the door.

“There’s people running in this direction,” Baraviodos warned her.

Velvet used some strengthening charms, reinforcing her legs temporally to jump against the wall, and using that strength to push herself out of the door.

“Don’t go to the left!” That was the direction the staff was.

Velvet didn’t want to put them in danger, going to her right.

She couldn’t hear what Cornelius said, but she felt the magic surge, him doing an order. The demon’s could hear him, telling her.

“I order you to find the girl. Kill her if necessary.” The order was directed to the staff, who was entering the kitchen. It was stronger than when he used it before.

“Is he really using normal humans?” Velvet complained. There were five staff members at the exit, some grabbing their heads in confusion, some picking knives.

As she suspected, Cornelius didn’t need consent to order people around.

“Any mage does that. Human lives are expendable for mages.” Baraviodos said.

Gritting her teeth, Velvet opened the door to the next cabin. At much as she hated him, she knew fighting him was suicide.

A sharp knife grazed her shoulder before stabbing itself to the door, opening a deep wound.

Choking back a cry of pain, she crossed and closed the door.

Velvet pulled Iren’s notebook out, opening it.

“What are you doing?”

“I need paper, this has paper.” Ripping out the pages, they started floating, each one of them sticking to the door, closing it shut.

Velvet started taking steps backwards, covering the bleeding cut with the hand that wasn’t holding the notebook.

She couldn’t hear anything, using the charms to protect herself from an order, but she felt the vibrations on the floor.

The staff members Cornelius hypnotized started stabbing, hacking and even clawing at the door.

She had ten seconds at most.

The kitchen was situated in the middle of the train, and Velvet went to the right.

“I need to keep him away from Niko…” She also checked the paper figurine in her room, finding it gone.

From the ten she had made yesterday, only seven remained, with none of them being able to put up a fight against anyone.

Laughing, Velvet wanted to cry. But surrendering wasn’t an option, her life on the line.

Nathaniel and Siberina were unknown variables. She didn’t know where the woman was, and whether Nathaniel was friend or foe was debatable.

Still, she couldn’t keep on going to the right, too many unknowns there. She needed to change direction.

Her gaze moved around the cabin, stopping on the windows.

“... You want us to live, right?” She told Baraviodos, “so start giving me the spells you promised. I need something to get out. Don’t be stingy, our life depends on your generosity. Also, you better start putting in work right now, old man.”