By everyone's surprise at seeing a demon, I knew the Prophet had not let people in on the secret of his little shadow army. He'd kept his use of demons quiet. I twisted, not bothering to take out my weapons like most of my comrades did. She darted across tree limbs in a flash.

“Don’t stand there!” One of the Prophet’s warriors pointed. “Subdue her!”

Daring if she wasn't supposed to show her face. The Prophet clearly didn't want his cooperation with demons to be public knowledge.

The torch flames erupted, spewing smoke into the night sky. The guards cried out and aimed their weapons aimlessly, trying to follow the rustle of leaves.

Chief Kaid held up her hand, signaling for our warriors not to engage. I swallowed hard.

The woman they called demon leapt into view, jumping from branch to branch, gracefully bouncing on the balls of her feet. Leaves rattled behind her like maracas. As she circled the courtyard, the smoke danced with her motions, swirling about us.

A harmless trick. Enough to frighten and distract. Demons needed their tricks around the Prophet, though. People said the gods gave power to the Prophets and that the demons stole it for themselves. In reality, they were both the same. They both had been given the technology at birth to use their powers. The only difference was who the world accepted and who the world rejected. Prophets trained at the Sacred School and were honored. Demons were outcasts. The gap in power came from Prophets having the best training. That was all.

Nash called out from the center of the courtyard. “Ignore her. She’s harmless.” He looked through the cloud of smoke with a steady stare. It said a lot about a person to see them react to power. He was more experienced than a common warrior. And the others listened to him, warily looking at one another as they lowered their weapons.

Had he been involved with the demons who captured my people? Hate coiled around my heart. This woman might have been at the village during the attack. And what about Nash?

He waved his hand at her. “Come down before the arrows start to fly.”

The leaves clashed. She jumped from the branch and flipped on her way down, landing on her fingertips and toes like a cat. Smoke rose from her as if something deep within her burned. And when I looked at her dusty ash eyes, so darkly red as to verge on black, I thought something really might be.

She waltzed to Nash, clearing the air between them with the flick of her hand. Anger flashed in her eyes and rippled to the torches that beat like a heart.

With the attention on her, I eased closer to Nash, not wanting to miss any exchange between them.

A snarl curled her lips. “I’m not here to play with you, Nash.”

“Sure.” He tilted his head. “This isn't you playing."

“I hadn’t even noticed you were here.”

“I told you not to make a scene again. The Prophet won’t be happy.”

Her gaze wandered down him, her lips forming a pout. “You’ll take care of him for me, won’t you?”

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

I raised my brows.

Nash shook his head. “What are you up to?”

“I heard about all the fun you’re about to have with the Flatlanders and your captors. Couldn’t miss it.”

If the Prophet wanted her to be discreet, why had she put on this big show?

“This is taking it too far, Flare. We can talk in private.”

She backed away. “Well, I’m really not here for you. Calm down.”

When Flare turned, her eyes locked on mine through the gaps in the crowd. The flames of her stare burned through me. A little smirk crossed her face. My heart froze.

Then she moved on, waltzing straight through the smoke toward the temple.

I couldn't move. Did she know who I was? What I was? Was that why she’d put on this big performance? She wanted to get my attention. Tell me I couldn’t hide, even. Maybe it was a threat to reveal the truth about me. Or she was calling me weak for not having my power when she pranced about openly using hers.

I wouldn’t let her insult me, much less threaten me. “Calm down,” I whispered to myself, touching my chest. My thoughts swam. I had to find out more about her, immediately.

Huffing, I cut through the last of the crowd for Nash. He watched Flare as she ascended the temple stairs.

“You have interesting friends,” I said, struggling to keep my voice calm. Alienating him wouldn't benefit me.

“She stops by from time to time, usually in the shadows.”

“The Prophet rendezvousing with a demon. Imagine that.”

“Officially, the Prophet executes every demon he gets his hands on.” Nash lowered his voice. “But he shows mercy to our spies.”

Anger rose within me. Of course. The demons were his spies. If they were adept at suppressing their power, they would be able to hide among normal people like me. They could be anywhere. No telling how long they had been doing this work for the Prophet. That didn't explain why Flare was flaunting her presence, though. "Doesn't seem like a good idea to make the boss mad."

"Flare is unpredictable."

He knew more. I could see it in his eyes. He understood why she would do something that seemed to make no sense.

I narrowed my eyes at Nash. A woman with power who worked for a demon-hunting Prophet was about as low as a person could get on my list. And Nash seemed to be the only one in the courtyard who knew Flare. He was involved in the Prophet’s shady dealings somehow. Maybe even helped capture my people.

This man was dangerous.

“Unknown,” I said, voice as icy as Flare was bright.

His attention turned to me fully now, eyes serious.

“Don’t play games with a Sharpshooter.” I eased closer, so the others wouldn’t hear my threat. “There’s nothing more dangerous you could do.”

“I already told you.” He leaned in too, voice so quiet I could hardly hear him. “I know better than to lie to you.”

“What you should know is I’m not easy prey.” My lips curled in anger. “I’m the fucking hunter.”

“That’s what I’m counting on.”

What was that supposed to mean?

I backed away, eyes narrowed to slits. I felt trapped.

Flare hadn’t picked me out of the crowd by accident. She saw through me. What I was choosing to hold back. Nash saw something in me too. What if they both knew my secret? My plan felt impossible as it was. Failure wasn’t an option. I couldn’t let the Prophet kill our innocent.

Heat flashed through my palms. Had to calm down. Had to before I slipped. The air around me turned cooler, thinner, like a fall day back on the Mountain. My breathing came in short spurts. The harder I tried to catch myself, the more I lost myself.

Hands gripped my shoulders. A voice in my ear. Leif. "Lean on me." He held me up. "You're having another spell. It's okay, Max. I'm here."

What if I slipped to the Eclipse again? A timeless, inescapable prison.

The heat zipped down my spine and Leif slipped through my fingers. It all slipped through my fingers. The Prophet's village melted from my sight and then my memory.

I stood outside my dorm in the Sacred School on the Mountain of the Gods.