Choice.

Choice was a problem, wasn’t it?

Everything that happened to a person, in life, was based on an action. An action, that had a choice behind it. Indeed, there were many who were doomed from the start, with no way out of their hole.

But they had only been forced into such a situation because of the choices of others.

Ehajdon had offered Mai a choice. She could either die, or die, and save the lives of thousands of people.

Some choice.

Starkly, the answer was obvious. If Mai was doomed anyway, why not just do what Ehajdon said, and save countless others?

She sat on the floor, cross-legged, in the room Ehajdon had provided to her, and endlessly pondered the answer to that question.

Five days had passed, since Ehajdon had given her his ultimatum. Each day, he had entered her room, and asked her what her answer was.

And each day, Mai had said she needed more time to think.

Today was the fifth day. The middle of the fifth day. Ehajdon had come today, and Ehajdon had left, and Mai had given him no answer.

Suddenly, she heard a tapping coming from the wall by her bed. Curious, Mai came over, and leaned against the wall.

She definitely heard tapping, coming from what seemed to be the far side.

And then, combined with the tapping, she heard voices.

“I think we’re in the right place, Devin,” came a voice, from the far side of the wall. It sounded strangely familiar.

“Shush,” came a second voice, even more familiar.

“He said there’d be a door here,” said the first voice. “I think we found the right peek-hole.”

“Shush, man.”

“Who’s going to hear us?” asked the first voice. “The girl we are supposed to be rescuing? Calm down, Devin.”

Then, as Mai backed away from the wall, a portion of it swung backwards and open, like a door. Not like a door. It was a door.

And from that door, out from a dark, torch-lit passageway, two men entered Mai’s room. They looked as familiar as they sounded, but still, Mai couldn’t place them.

One spoke, with a flourish of his short, black cape. “My name is Devin, Princess,” he said. “And this is my associate, Rai. But I am sure you remember us.”

And suddenly, Mai did. They were two of the thieves in the cave, the cave she and Broken had visited, on their second night away from the Occluded City.

The thieves Broken had befriended. The thieves Casari had befriended.

And this all begged a question: What were they doing here?

“What are you doing here?” Mai asked.

“Playing our part in this little fairy tale,” said the Thief-Lord Devin, with another flourish of his cape. “We are here to rescue you.”

“But what are you doing here?” asked Mai. “How did you get here? What possessed you to come through what are apparently secret passageways of the Minsu Palace, to try and rescue me? Aren’t you supposed to be somewhere, reclaiming your throne?”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“That didn’t work out as well as I planned,” said Devin, “even with all your jewels. But Broken found me and Rai, and promised a lot of gold if we went into the Minsu Palace, and rescued you.”

“Broken?” Mai asked again, as the word sunk in. Apparently the demon really had escaped from the Makini. She paused. “Don’t you know what he is?”

“A demon,” said Devin, matter-of-factly. “The demon Casari, in fact. But he paid us a substantial amount up front, enough for us to do the job. He even was kind enough to point out that these secret passageways existed, thus making our job possible.”

“But, he’s a demon!” stuttered Mai. “How can you work for a demon?”

“He seemed honorable enough when we met in the cave,” said Devin.

“He paid some of our reward up front, too,” added Rai.

Mai just looked at them.

“Why can’t Casari come himself?” she asked, at last.

“Because he says he has business to attend to, this night, so that the escape can be affected,” said Devin.

Mai couldn’t believe that the Thief-Lord or his associate would do the bidding of a demon. But they were thieves. Mai supposed it was to be expected.

“All right,” said Mai. “I’m coming.”

“Thought so,” said Devin, with a smile. He extended a hand to her, as a perfect gentleman.

Mai took it.

She was making a decision then, one to choose her own destiny, one to deliver her out of the hands of evil. Casari had thought her to think for herself, to not flow to the whims of fate, and so she would not.

And so, Mai kicked Devin in the fork of his legs.

He made a tiny noise, and his hand dropped from hers. He seemed to not entirely comprehend what was happening.

And while Devin stood there, enduring his agony, Mai side kicked Rai.

Her powerful blow caught him off guard, as well, and sent him tumbling backwards, through the secret door, into the passageway.

As Mai advanced after him, Rai quickly recovered, setting himself into a fighting stance.

“We were told to bring you in, Princess,” said Rai, beckoning her, with one hand. “And so we will, one way or another.”

Mai came ever forward.

Rai tried for a round kick, but Mai hooked it with an arm, threw him off balance, tripped him, and slammed him in the gut with her heel.

And then she turned, just in time to see Devin entering the secret passageway, after her.

Mai wasn’t about to let herself get caught between the two men. She raced at Devin, surprising him. He tried for a punch, but was still somewhat winded from Mai’s previous assault.

Mai blocked, twisted around him, so that she was back in her room again, and nailed him with a hook punch, from behind. She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and threw him backwards onto her bed, which groaned from the sudden weight.

Back the dark hallway, Mai knew Rai was recovering, so she leapt upon the bed, pinning Devin.

Mai chanced a quick look back, behind her, and saw that Rai was reentering the room. He was a big man, Mai realized, and he did not look happy.

She looked back at Devin, who hung loosely under her pin, with the hint of a smile on his face.

“It’s not every day that a woman forces a man to bed,” he said.

And Mai kneed him in the groin, again. She released her grip, allowing him to double over, in pain, and then jumped from the bed, and faced Rai, her hands balled into fists.

“Where did you learn how to fight like that, princess?” Rai asked, guarded, cautious, as Mai pivoted, so that she could look at Devin, on the bed, and Rai, at the same time.

Mai realized that Rai was afraid of her.

“How did you learn to fight like that?” Rai asked, carefully.

“Casari taught me,” Mai responded.

Devin rolled out of the bed, and retreated to beside the larger Rai. All fight was clearly drained from him, and he looked weak.

“Why are you doing this, Princess?” he asked. “All we were trying to do was help you.”

“Help me how?” asked Mai. “Help me, by delivering me to Casari, the demon?”

“He…he cares about you,” said Devin. “He might be a demon, but there’s good in him. I never would have taken this job, if I thought he was going to hurt you.”

“Demons lie,” said Mai. “Demons lie. I will not turn myself over to his whims.”

“But what can you possibly do by staying here?” asked Devin.

“Save the lives of thousands,” said Mai. “And that’s something you could never even dream of doing.”

She paused, to make sure she had the apt attentions of the two thieves. “Now,” said Mai. “If the two of you do not back through that door, and close it behind you, and then leave here, I will scream. And if I scream, guards will arrive, and they will kill you.”

There was silence. The look on the two men’s faces, as they realized that Mai didn’t want their help, was either priceless, or incredibly sad.

“All right,” said Devin. “Don’t scream. We’ll leave.”

And then, he and Rai backed through the door in the wall, and closed it behind them.

Mai listened at the wall for some time, to see if they were waiting for her to fall asleep, or waiting to enact another ploy, but, from the far side of the wall, she heard nothing.

She was alone.

And Mai knew what her answer was going to be, when Ehajdon came to ask his inevitable question, tomorrow.

Mai was going to say yes.