Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 108376 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 434(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108376 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 434(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
“What’s to go over?” Vas asked, still radiating that annoying confidence at me. I preferred him when he was feeling insecure about his magic. “It’s a simple plan, really. I’ll teleport all of you out on the night of the Star Festival ball. There will only be a skeleton crew on duty since lots of demons take time off to attend the festival. We’ll break into a High Demon house and steal some clothes to wear to the ball, while Sven ushers everyone outside the city to where your friend is opening the portal. You and I will teleport into the ball, locate Red Armand, find an opportunity to get him alone, stab him and be on our merry way. One cut from a sepial blade will kill a full-blooded demon within minutes. There won’t be time for anyone to save him.”
“Okay, but what if it doesn’t go as smoothly as all that? What if we can’t get him alone?”
“Then we leave for the portal and hope we can find a very good surgeon in your realm who can remove mine and Sven’s trackers without causing us to bleed out.”
“Why don’t you just do that instead?” Maya suggested. “Honestly, I’m terrified of the thought of you going into that ball. If you’re caught I shudder to think what they’ll do to you.”
“High Demons are rather sadistic and very inventive,” Sven agreed.
“We have to at least try and get him. Red Armand has caused so much suffering, stolen and destroyed so many lives. He deserves to die for that.”
Vas’ voice was low and rumbling, and we all fell into silence. I didn’t think any of us felt particularly guilty to be plotting a murder, not when the target was someone like Red Armand, but it did put us into a contemplative mood. Vas didn’t try any more spells that night, but I was glad he’d managed to teach Ren Oreylian. It was one less thing to worry about, because if we found ourselves separated at any point it would be good for him to understand what people were saying.
A little while later we retreated to our sleeping pods. Ren pulled me in for a hug when we reached the ladder, his kind brown eyes taking me in. “You okay? That was rough today with that poor man in the mine.”
“Yeah, I’m still feeling pretty murderous about the whole thing,” I admitted, speaking quietly as I recalled how much I wanted to hurt the demon who’d shoved the collapsed man over the edge.
“We’ll get through this. We have each other,” he said, pulling me to him again. Over his shoulder I spotted Vas approach, his eyes unreadable.
“Yeah, we do,” I said, hugging Ren tight.
He drew back to take me in again and I suddenly worried about what he was going to say next with Vas within hearing distance. Ren was just one of those people who were able to see right into your soul.
“How are you holding up with the whole Peter thing?” he asked and I hoped Vas hadn’t overheard. I briefly glanced his way and stiffened because his eyes were on me. Great.
“It hurts but that’s only to be expected. Listen, I’m tired. I’m going to try get some sleep.”
With that I climbed the ladder to our pod. I lay on the hard stone, then turned over onto my side and closed my eyes, hoping sleep would come. A few minutes went by before Vas climbed in behind me. I pretended to be asleep and he lay quietly next to me for a while. My back started to ache from holding myself stiff, so I sighed and allowed myself to lean into him, just a little. Unlike last night, he didn’t keep his hand at his side. Instead he rested his palm gently on my hip.
“This okay?” he asked, a low rumble.
“Sure,” I replied quietly.
More silence fell. I felt his warm breath wash over the back of my neck with a sigh when he eventually asked, “What did Ren mean about Peter?”
My heart pounded. Of course he heard, and of course he had to ask. God forbid he just let me sleep and not talk about the thing that was hurting me most. I feigned ignorance. “Pardon?”
“He asked how you’re holding up with the whole Peter thing,” he said then paused before continuing, “And you replied that it hurts. What hurts, Darya?”
He almost sounded protective, like he might punish whoever hurt me.
I considered lying to him but what good would that do? Besides, he was going to find out eventually. Staring at the wall, I exhaled a heavy breath.
“Peter broke up with me the day before I came here.” I spoke quietly and there was a weight to the silence that followed. Vas didn’t say anything for a long time and I wondered why he’d fallen so silent.