The other important conversation had to wait on Eubexa getting a small dose of anesthetic herbs. She needed to be alert, but her foot was throbbing too fiercely to fully ignore, even with her long experience. Once the pain had been reduced to a manageable level, all of the elves crowded into Eubexa's room to discuss plans for the future.

Eubexa faithfully relayed everything Master had told her to tell them. Then she added, “I'm sure that Master didn't tell me everything, so it's up to you whether to fill me in on the rest. I'm not offended—you people haven't even known me a day, yet. I'd certainly like to make an informed decision, though, if I can.”

The elves looked at each other. Diavla took a deep breath. “You should not tell anyone else about this, Eubexa. It might get Tom in a lot of trouble with the Lord of the City.”

“Of course.” This ought to be good.

“Apparently, that cargo Tom had a human spirit-touched inspect? It is a load of crystals, that apparently have demons trapped inside of them.”

There was silence for a moment as Eubexa echoed that in her head. It didn't make any more sense the second time. “I'm sorry, could you please repeat that?”

“We have no idea how, but someone, very long ago, managed to capture demons instead of destroying or banishing them. And not in a host, either—in a crystal. Forty-eight crystals, in fact.”

Eubexa still was having trouble, but didn't want to appear slow in front of the others. “All right, so…you were traveling around with forty-eight demons?”

“Until a few of them got loose, yeah,” Varga put in. “They tested all for us demonic possession while we were at their City Temple.”

All of us? Oh, they don't mean me. I wasn't traveling with them. Who knows? While I was unconscious they probably tested me as well, just because I'm another elf.

Wait. Eubexa echoed Varga's comment in her head. She blinked. “Saa…you don't mean…demons, right? This is a metaphor?”

“Nope.”

“How many demons—!?” Eubexa forced herself to lower her voice, even though almost no one in the city could possibly understand her words. “How many demons got loose? Where and when? Where are they now?”

“Our best guess is that thirteen days ago—the same night Tom found us—the bandits broke the magic containment on one of the cases, and at least two of them got possessed and ran off into the woods. A third crystal has broken, probably more recently, which is why they were worried that one of us had gotten possessed. But apparently, we're clear. Either there was another bandit we missed, or the demon settled for a wild animal or a monster for as a starting host.”

“And people found this out this morning. Was Tom tested?”

“Yes.”

“And all of you?”

“Yes. Apparently, we were lucky.”

Eubexa turned that over in her soul. “And the city just found this out this morning… This is bad.”

“Yes. Tom says humans will have to fight a war to stop the demons, and many will die.”

“Well.” Eubexa shook her head, thinking hard for a few moments. “So. My first option is, get sold to someone who might be a kind Master, and stay in Rivermarch, while a demon war rages out in the forest. Then, I have to hope that the war doesn't spread into the city, if they get powerful enough wards ready in time.”

“Yes.”

“And my second option is to travel through that forest where the demons were last seen, and stay in Oak Mill, surrounded by that forest, while Master goes demon hunting.”

“Yes.”

“That's crazy. Is there an option where we get our asses out of here, immediately? And go somewhere far, far away?”

“We're going to discuss it with Tom, with your help, but we probably won't be able to dissuade him from searching.”

Eubexa squeezed her eyes shut a moment. “Why would he do this? I thought he felt protective of us.”

“He does! That's exactly why he's doing this,” Varga declared.

“That doesn't make any sense.”

“There's another reason,” Diavla said, then stopped.

Here it is. Eubexa latched onto it. “What aren't you telling me?”

The other elves exchanged looks.

Eubexa growled in frustration in the privacy of her mind. All right, no idea what their secret is. Can I figure it out, though? They just came out of that forest, and are going right back into it. And it's not just because demons are out there. It might even be despite there being demons out there, if Master is actually protective of us.

She couldn't remember the exact wording of what Master had told her, but suspected that she had missed a clue somewhere. What could possibly make Master want to go back into a demon-infested forest? You don't run back into a burning building once you've made it out!

Unless…

“There's someone in the forest he wants to rescue, isn't there?” Eubexa declared. “Someone he has to search for.” The pause before anyone replied told her that she was right.

“Yes,” Diavla admitted. “That was well-reasoned.”

“And you don't want to tell me who?”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Not yet.”

Eubexa sighed. “How long do you think it will take him to find this person?”

“We're not sure. Depends on how many of us go out searching, I suppose. I'm hoping it will be a matter of days. After that, we will exit the forest to the south, and keep going south, until we are well away from here. At least, that's what I think will happen.”

Diavla looked around at the others. “Varga and I want to go with Tom. Kervan, Orvan, what do you think?”

Kervan sighed. “Eubexa's right. Staying in Rivermarch isn't really safe. Going with Tom is more dangerous in the short term, but gets us away from the demons, eventually. Plus…well, you know. Sure, I'll come along. Someone has to keep track of the finances, after all. Orvan? What about you?”

Orvan heaved a big sigh. “I could spend a long time in Rivermarch teaching these humans how to cook properly, but not if the city gets overrun. I will stay with the group.”

Diavla looked at Eubexa. “I understand that you barely know us. Tom will back you whichever way you decide.”

Eubexa snorted. “Really? After he poured how much gold into me? He will want to reap a harvest from it.”

“He rescued you because it was the right thing to do, not because he needed a translator,” Diavla told her. Thinking about that made Eubexa uncomfortable, so she stopped arguing the point.

“Still, I'm very sick. I'll be nothing but a liability on the road.”

“Teaching us Western is very useful, you know. Tom understands that you will need help, and still wants you along, if you're willing.”

Eubexa nodded. “Very well.” No point in fighting it. “If we can convince Master to get us away from the demons as soon as possible, that would be best. If Oak Mill is infested with demons, we turn and run, I hope?”

“Yes. Tom has no interest in fighting demons.”

“When do we leave?”

“Possibly as early as tomorrow, but I'm guessing that it will take another day to get everything prepared.”

Eubexa took a deep breath. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Well, for starters…what's the Western word for ‘demon’?”

“Demon.”

“Is there a way to find out what humans actually know about fighting demons? How they fight?” Kervan wondered.

“Something to ask Tom. Oh! Wait a beat.” Diavla hurried across the hall to her room, and returned at once with a bag. She pulled out a book. “Can you read this?”

“Can you cleanse it after I touch it?” Eubexa asked warily.

“Mmm…no, but I can check that your gloves are clean before you handle it, and make sure the book is clean after. If we have to, we can always take the book to the Temple for cleansing before we return it.”

They spent a few minutes sorting out precautions, then with a brighter light, Eubexa examined the book. “Alliances of the Coastal Kingdoms? Why do I need to read this?”

“We want to know where elven embassies are. That's our goal; we want to get on a diplomatic ship back home. Also, if we knew which countries allow free elves, we would prefer to travel through those.”

Eubexa frowned. “This might not have any information on that.”

“I know. It's our best lead at the moment, though.”

Eubexa nodded. “All right, now that I know what I'm looking for, I'll start reading.”

∘ ⛥ ⛯ ⛥ ∘

Knowing that they would be traveling to one of these places made the book more interesting. Eubexa struggled a little with the Western runes; it had been a long time since she had been called upon to read anything, and she was very much out of practice. Still, the book was written neatly, and it quickly started coming back to her.

There were a lot of pages, so Eubexa simply looked at each one, hunting for the words “slave”, “elf”, and “embassy”. Slavery was mentioned occasionally, as it was sometimes a sticking point in treaty negotiations. Eubexa read about different kingdoms.

When she needed a break, she asked for a private conversation with Kervan.

“Hello, Eubexa.” The sandy-haired elf was a bookish sort, not particularly handsome or strong. Of course, humans usually couldn't tell the difference. He looked at her, curious.

“Hello, Kervan. Thank you for speaking with me. I hear that you tried out being a courtesan yesterday.”

“That's right.” Kervan colored slightly, looking a bit defensive.

“Kervan, I'm not judging. I've been a sex slave for the past nine years, and I was good at it. I'm curious as to how your night went. Did the Jane leave satisfied?”

“Pardon?”

“Ah, sorry, female customers for sex workers are called ‘Jane’ in Western, while male customers are called ‘John’. To preserve their anonymity.”

“I see. Well, yes. Both of the ‘Janes’ were satisfied when I left, I think.”

“Two at once? Impressive.”

“Actually, they took turns. They were splitting the cost.”

“How much did Master charge them?”

“I said, mostly as a joke, that I would be a courtesan for a gold a night. Someone actually took me up on it, but wanted to split the price.” Kervan seemed annoyed at the thought that Master would set the price. Eubexa took note.

“Congratulations, that is a princely sum for your services. It's as much as Madam Louisa herself charges.”

“Well, I'm the first elf in some time to be available.”

“Did you enjoy your work?”

“Of course. It's expected, I should think. It had been quite a while for me, so I was pretty hungry for it.”

“Human males tend to be…larger than elf men, all around. Any problems there?”

“Well, the experienced one looked a little disappointed at first, but I made up for it with skill. She left happy.”

“Good. It sounds as if you had a good experience then.”

“I did. I wouldn't mind doing that again, once in a while.”

“There are downsides, you know.”

“I'm sure there are. But I can always say no, if someone is difficult or unappealing or something.”

Eubexa shook her head. “No. You can't. Not always.”

“I don't think Tom's going to force me.”

“I'm not talking about Master. I'm talking about a John or Jane getting angry and violent. Some people do not take it well when someone tells them ‘no’. This is especially true for people being refused sex service.”

“I suppose that's a bigger problem for female sex workers.”

“True, but you never know when a jealous husband is going to show up. Plus, there are thieves…”

“Well, I'm not going to be doing it all the time.”

“Kervan. You haven't seen what I look like, yet.”

Kervan froze. “No, I haven't. You always wear the veil.”

“There's a reason for that. Brace yourself.” Slowly, giving him a chance to look away or leave, Eubexa reached up and lifted her veil. Kervan seemed reluctant to watch, but curiosity drew him in. His eyes widened in horror. He swore vehemently for a few moments, before calming down enough to speak properly.

“Spirits! What demon fought you?”

“It was a John. One who got pleasure from inflicting pain on others. He paid handsomely for the privilege, I gather. Do you think it was worth it?”

Kervan took a moment to find his voice. “But why? How many gold would he have to pay to make it worth it to your Master to disfigure you and make you unable to work?”

“I was already sick with the red pains, by that point. I was fairly limited in what I could do, that people would pay for. I'm not sure whether Madam Louisa expected the John to kill me. Hoped, probably.”

“But…couldn't they have cured you?”

“Human Healers aren't as good as elven ones, and Madam Louisa didn't want to waste the money.”

Kervan closed his eyes. “Stupid, foolish woman,” he muttered under his breath.

“I quite agree.” Eubexa drew a deep breath as she shifted slightly, feeling a throb of pain from her foot. “At any rate, I wanted to caution you about the dangers of this line of work. I recommend that you avoid it, if at all possible. Eventually, sickness is inevitable. With the way Master spends money, we might reach a point where he wants to cure you, but can't afford it.”

Another wave of pain seemed to travel up her leg for a few seconds. “I'm sorry, Kervan, but I'm about done talking for the moment. I'll be happy to answer questions for you when I am feeling a little better.” The last words came out as a bit of a groan, despite her best efforts.

“Of course. Shall I send Diavla in?”

“In…in a few minutes.” I need to endure as much as I can, reduce the time that I am useless to Master.

Eubexa tried to read more of the book, but there was no mention of slavery for many pages. Eubexa started having trouble concentrating, but pushed on…until her throbbing foot got too distracting to let her focus. Reluctantly, she set the book down. She was about to give in and ask for drugs when Master returned.