Chapter 11

“Where is he?” Sam snapped a sword in half and sent the demon holding it flying with her fist. “Bring me the Demon King!” she shouted to the circle of soldiers surrounding her.

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When Sam arrived at the Demon King’s gold castle on the edge of the Deadland Forest, she paused. She was surprised the soldiers had given her good directions. Looking at the high walls and the fortifications across the top, she realized it would be impossible to breach it alone. Several demons walked the high walls. She’d be a target before she even reached the front gate. Without Ayasse, they wouldn’t have gotten in the last time.

“I’m not going to break down the gate,” she told Nadia. “Maybe if I try talking to them like the soldiers in the forest they’ll let me see Kale.”

Nadia rolled on the ground, pounding the dirt with her fist.

Sam glared at the vision and hoped it wouldn’t go as badly.

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“Excuse me, sir,” she yelled to the gate guard after coming within bowshot of the walls. “I’d like to request an audience with Demon King Kale. I was told I could come back any time. My name is Samantha Morningshire,”

She approached from far in the open and kept her hands out to show she wasn’t carrying anything. Soldiers ran along the stone wall, scrambling for position, arrows pointed at her. She had no protection beyond the one horse which she kept between her and the wall. She’d released the second one into the forest two days ago, near a Relancia patrol to throw them off the trail and started carrying the supplies herself. Everything to show she came in peace.

The first arrow hit the ground next to her foot. The second hit the horse in the flank. It screamed and ran off in the other direction, away from the gate entrance.

“What the hell? That was my horse!” She raised her fist at the guards, fury filling her voice. “I’m being polite here!”

Sam jumped forward, landing next to the smaller wooden door. She gripped the wood and ripped the door off the gates, wincing as the wood sliced into her hand. She stomped past several pig-snouted demons, cowering in each other’s arms, stepping into the courtyard behind. She still held what was left of the door, just in case some other string-happy fool decided to take another shot at her. It wasn’t her shield, but it would do.

“I just wanted to speak with your king, Kale. Please bring me to him,” she yelled to the young demon soldiers, about twenty in total, all clad in black leather armour and shaking. They were holding long thin wooden clubs and what looked like blunt swords. Useful in policing people without killing them. Scoffing, she stared them down. There was no way that armour would stop her. She would send them flying and they knew it.

She dismissed them as a threat and stepped into the courtyard.

“Human, what are you doing here?” one of the guards shouted. “You are not welcome in our kingdom. Our king let you leave before. Why have you returned?”

“That’s my business. I have to speak with the Demon King immediately. He said I could come back here and I have!” she yelled. “I was all nice and friendly. Why’d you have to attack me?” His leather was coloured with red trim and he had pads on his shoulders. In addition, he had a helmet, so maybe he was a general or something like that.

She crouched behind the makeshift shield, not trusting that Kale would come. Her arms started to shake. The rough wood bit into her palms and she could feel the blood dripping down her hand where the door had cut into it, making it slippery to hold. Sleep had been difficult. She’d been feeling a little woozy since yesterday, couldn’t stand without tipping over and wasn’t in the mood for banter. The last time she had a proper rest was before Ayasse left. Sam blinked her eyes to get the sleep out.

She grimaced. Last week, she could take down a stone wall or toss a tree as if it were nothing. Now, she wanted to kneel and rest here. Forget about her makeshift shield. It was getting too heavy.

Two more thunks hit the door, one driving through and poking out the other side.

“Stop shooting arrows at me!” Sam spat at the archer. First, she had to deal with this.

A burst of fire hit the door, the heat driving Sam to her knees, forcing her to drop the useless wood. “Dammit, magic’s not fair either.” Falling back, she snatched the nearest club from one of the gate guards and jumped into the middle of the group of soldiers. Sam hoped the mages here were nicer than Mel. That woman didn’t care who was hit, as long as she got her target.

“Get her! She’s trying to kill Lord Kale!” Sam heard the shout from the red-trimmed guard and gritted her teeth. Why didn’t people listen to her? She just wanted to meet the man. Violence was easy. When she pushed her way into places, people listened. Being polite was harder.

“I told you. Use honey, not your fists. You big gorilla.”

“Not now, Nadia,” Sam said to the apparition on the stairs, dodging another arrow. “I’m busy!”

This morning Sam was fighting with Lord Robert. He’d accused her of stealing her parent’s work and, for some reason, white rabbits. It had become so much harder to tell what was real and what wasn’t. Blinking, she cleared Nadia’s image from her eyes and grabbed a soldier. She used him to block another’s sword, knocking him out. She must have interrupted a training drill. They were using blunt practice swords. Even if they didn’t open any wounds, those things still hurt.

“Come on! I don’t want to hurt you. Just bring me to Kale.” She dropped the soldier and held up her hands only to get another arrow through her left shoulder. The impact forced her to the ground, a sharp pain shooting through her arm. “Dammit! Who keeps doing that?”

She broke off the arrow shaft so she could still move her shoulder. Ignoring the throbbing, she stepped forward, grabbed the unconscious soldier by his leg and threw him at his friends. Picking up his sword with her right hand, she ran her finger across the edge to confirm it wasn’t sharp. She didn’t want to kill anybody. They already didn’t like her and deserved a few broken bones—ignoring her politeness—and this thing was perfect. Crouching down in the dirt, she raised the sword overhead. “Bring it!”

Four more soldiers rushed her position. She ducked behind a hitching post, allowing it to block the sword. Parrying one sword, a second soldier smashed her right thigh. Grunting, she took his sword by the blade and wrenched it out of his hands. Her shoulder twinging with each movement. She thrust the hilt back into his face, breaking his snout and forcing him out of the fight. A huge smile blossomed on her face. She was dying and fighting for her life, but this was fun.

Dropping the second weapon, she whipped her sword across the next demon’s helmet and he went down. There was no time to rest as a third soldier jumped up behind him. His sword strikes forced Sam back against the wall, attacking first her right side then going for the same thigh, then feinting to her left side. He was never in the same place twice, which meant Sam could only rely on her strength.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

When she fought with Akira, he’d do the same thing and it always ended with her losing. “Stand still,” she yelled at the demon. Grimacing, Sam sliced through the air, missing the soldier as he danced away.

“Slow down!” She tried to grab his weapon, but he drew it back and hit her injured left shoulder. “Dammit! That hurt!” Sam jumped forward and trapped the beast-man in a bear hug, pinning both arms to his side. She knocked him out with her forehead, sending stars shooting through her head as well. Dropping him, she rubbed her head and turned to look for the next guard. Across the courtyard, another twenty or so soldiers rushed in wearing proper armour. Unlike the ones by the gate, they had real swords. Sam could tell the difference just from the shine and the red-trimmed armour they wore. The dull metal swords they had been using reflected nothing. These new ones were polished by people who cared for them. They wouldn’t be as easy to take down.

“Come on, guys! I’m a fighter, not a killer. I don’t want this. Just bring me to Kale. I give up! Don’t shoot me again.” Sam dropped the weapon and held out her hands again in surrender. She’d already made her point and there was no need to continue. She needed to end this now before she got any more injured.

The demon army faced her across the small courtyard. The fancy soldier from earlier with the red trim to his armour was still there, although he’d lost his helmet. Sam could see him giving orders to the new arrivals, but all Sam could hear was a whooshing noise. She stuck her finger in her ears trying to clear them. Nothing seemed to work. The world started spinning. The pain from her injuries hit her all at once like a tax bill.

Her eyes fought to close. First, there was the rush of the battle, now this lull, combined with her lack of sleep over the last week, exhaustion hit harder than a bag of anvils. Her eyes started to close and she felt ready to pass out. She’d heard about men who’d fallen asleep after a fight when the rush of battle had left them. To experience it herself was something new. Especially now. She tried to pinch herself, but her left arm was no longer moving.

“Surrender, demon! There is no escape for you!” That was loud enough to make it through the whoosh. Sam had to read his lips to follow along, but the tusks kept getting in the way.

“Demon? I thought you were the demons?” Sam slurred just before she fell over into the mud. “Oh, this feels nice. Can I stay here?”

“Silly girl. Why didn’t you do this in the beginning? It would have been so much easier,” Nadia shook her head as she knelt next to Sam. “Now you can just sleep.”

“You’re getting your dress dirty,” Sam whispered, slipping into unconsciousness. The last thing she saw was some thin tree-like thing running toward her with a knife in its hand. “I wish I’d listen to Ayasse. Goodbye, Nadia. I loved you.”

“Goodbye, Sam. See you.”

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“We caught him trying to sneak through the lines towards the Demon King’s castle, sir. If it wasn’t for the mana detection traps, we had placed around the perimeter, he would have gotten through.” The soldier saluted Akira as he gave his report. In front of him was a man in a black cloak, covered in old dirt stains. He reeked of sweat. The guards had tied him up and thrown him to the ground.

“Thank you, soldier. You can go back to your post,” Akira dismissed him with a wave of his hand. He was sitting down for dinner with Mel when the soldier came in. After she had come to his tent a few nights ago and he rejected her, she returned to his side for their daily dinner as if nothing had happened. Akira wasn’t sure what to make of this Mel, but if she was still willing to assist him in the upcoming battle, he could use her.

What are you planning?

His head was pounding and he didn’t want to deal with a prisoner now. The human coalition army was getting ready to invade the demon lands and take down the king, once and for all. The battle would begin in six days and scouts were patrolling the forest. Akira had standing orders to notify him if anybody tried to sneak into the camp, or out of it. But they didn’t have to bring them here. “Hey, you forgot the prisoner, you useless piece of wood.” He would have to get one of the guards to take him, and punish the first one for his laziness. Akira ground his teeth and winced.

Mel looked down at the trussed-up man and raised both eyebrows. “Before you do anything, I think you’ll want to look at him.”

“Why, what’s the point?” Akira leaned forward to get a closer look at the prisoner and raised an eyebrow in surprise. This day kept getting better and better. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t my old friend, Ayasse. How are you doing? I’ve missed you. I haven’t seen you since you ran after Sam like a mother chasing her baby all those weeks ago.” Akira stood up from the table. He bent down, took hold of Ayasse’s mask and pulled it down. “You’ve got such a cute face. Where did you get it from?” He smiled “Why do you want to hide it?”

“What do you want, Akira? I’m in a hurry.”

Akira’s smile grew as he watched Ayasse struggle with his bonds. “Mel, can you make sure he doesn’t get away? I don’t want him slipping through the shadows.”

“Give me a few minutes,” she said, raising her hands and closing her eyes. “I can sense he’s weak or they would never have caught him.” She mouthed a few chants, setting the spell. “However, I can’t hold this for long. A mana-suppressing shield is difficult.”

They had probably searched him and taken most of his knives, except for the ones in his shadows, but that didn’t matter. Akira knew they couldn’t hold him for long. A thief of his skill would have ways to escape. However, every bit of information they could get helped bring Samantha closer to death.

“Do what you can, Mel. I don’t want him to escape through his shadows.” He watched her chant a small spell under her breath and wave her hands in the air. The air around Ayasse changed. It felt more solid.

“He’s been locked here,” she said, letting out her breath. “However, it will only last about four hours. I can’t keep it going indefinitely.”

“We’ll find something to replace it. Thank you.” Akira turned to the trussed-up man. “In fact, why are you here anyway? Did something happen?”

Akira knew the thief’s shadow powers allowed him to move from place to place almost instantly. They were good for a sneak attack and killing someone undetected, like the assassin he was, but not as useful in a direct face-to-face fight, especially during a cloudy day. He looked directly into Ayasse’s face and gave him a friendly smile.

“You’re out of mana, now, are you? Tell you what’s going to happen.” Akira licked his lips. “I want Sam dead. I’ll settle for the Demon King. Barring that, proof you paid Thane the money I owe her. You skipped out on that one before you could settle with her. Any one of those three, and I might let you go.”

Ayasse glared at Akira from the ground. “I’m sorry about Thane. I tried to give her the money, but because you violated my space, she wants you to give it to her. If you untie me, I’ll leave the money with you. She’ll contact you when she’s ready. I can’t help you with Sam or the Demon King now. I’m on an important mission for my Master and can’t spare the time.” He squirmed against the ropes.

“I don’t think so. Thane’s men are breathing down my neck even here, so close to the border. I want this resolved now! Before the next fight.” Akira turned back to the table and took a bite of his rations. Military food was usually just dry, tasteless dirt, but right now he was savouring the flavour. He continued smiling at Ayasse, ignoring the food slipping through his missing teeth.

Ayasse was silent.

“Your leader asked you a question, thief. Your answer was lacking,” Mel slammed the table with her fist. “He could have you killed here, take the money from your corpse, and no one would stop him.” She put her elbows on the table and smiled. “Give a proper response, or would you like me to ask the questions, Akira?” She asked, tilting her head.

Mel’s grin sent more shudders up Akira’s back. It carried the promise a person wouldn’t come back the same from her questions. Even if he wasn’t the one being questioned, Akira didn’t want Ayasse to go through that.

“Could this mission of yours have anything to do with the second man seen with Samantha?” Akira asked, rubbing his chin. “Reports out of the village she was seen in said, the second man was hard to look at, and he was all in black. Ring a bell?” Akira stood back and appraised Ayasse’s clothes. The thief liked to wear dark colours and he used his shadow powers to hide from people.

Ayasse squirmed on the floor but remained silent. Akira raised his arms as if he had no choice. “Very well then. I didn’t want this, but Mel, would you please take him to a private tent? I don’t want to bring up my dinner.”

She gave a cold smile to Akira and called for a guard to take Ayasse outside. “Whatever you say, Lord Akira. I am happy to oblige.”

Akira watched her leave, took a small bite of his rations and grimaced. His teeth still hurt, he was responsible for the invasion of the demon lands, Mel was scaring him more and more, and now somebody was trying to poison him. He didn’t notice a taste before, but if Ayasse was here then it’s the only thing that made sense. The food crunched and smelt like it had been rolled in dirt. Why else would he be getting all these headaches?

“Guard!” he called in the soldier standing outside.

“Yes, sir?” the man saluted.

“Have someone check the rations. See if they’ve been tampered with,” Akira commanded. The soldier nodded and left. Akira sat at his table and spat out the food he was eating. “There’s no way that thief will get one over on me.”