“Aye,” the Keeper says as a flurry of what sounds like slicing knives and squawking streaks across the room towards the kitchen. “Rook is like most mythical birds in that his patience is very limited. They are given the powers of elemental magic and it makes them short-tempered like those elements. It’s best to allow them to be what and who they are—something that is actually common in familiars.”
Jasper huffs an irritated breath as his eyes cut to the kinkajou still sitting in Arces’s hand. “I haven’t forgotten, even if the little rat is asking for it.”
“Hey! Dottie isnota rat. It’s not her fault that you take such joy in berating me and she has to defend my honor.”
The little demon glares at the prince and I have to stifle the snickers threatening to break free. He gives my best friend such impassioned sass that I can’t help enjoying Jasper’s discomfort. No one in our long lives has done such a good job of calling him on his shit, and I respect it immensely. Plus, the princeneedssomeone to force him to curb the learned behavior from his shitty parents. We all do in this caliphate and I have noticed that our newest member balances that perfectly.
I will let no one screw up that new equilibrium, for any reason, even someone as venerated as The Keeper.
“Let’s not argue, children. I’d prefer to discuss dangerous and forbidden topics that apply to the situation you find yourselves inright now. Is the field complete? If not, your magicals need more training, Prince. They are too slow for the field of battle the new Games will be and you will die waiting for them to help you.”
Xerxes looks ruffled as fuck, and Anton’s eyes shine with pride of his lineage as he glows even more brightly. The peacock shifter’s voice is dark as he shoots back, “We are not moving slowly, and this is not battle. This is a safe place that we are reinforcing, with no preparation or supplies. Our efforts are to ensure the privacy needed.”
“Are you finally done, then?”
Kit reaches out, putting his hand on X’s bouncing knees when the red-haired ancient questions them again. “I don’t think he’s being a jerk as much as hereallywants to talk about this stuff. The face he’s making appears to be eagerness, not condescension.”
“I’m with KK,” Oriel says and I snort.
“Shocker.” The crow glares at me, but he and Salem are easily the closest to Kit. They often take his side in disagreements—none of us expect either of them to desert him.
“I’m not with KK just to be contrary, Slash. My agreement is because I am more gifted at reading other beings than anyone in this room, other than Xerxes. The two of us have roles that require us to observe others and act based on those thoughts. They do it in the light and I do it in the shadows, but notice that Anton is more irritable than his slithery companion.”
The gloomy bird is right, but that doesn’t mean their allegiance isn’t obvious.
“I see your point.” I nod, turning back to the Keeper. “Your bird is not the only one who has such spirit. Ours do as well.”
“That they do, Scrum,” the demon says as he grabs one of the cookies from the plate and shoves it in his mouth. Once he chews, he tilts his head. “Now, are we ready? Your young initiate was accurate about my excitement to finally discuss this with someone other than the grumpy royal.”
“We’re good,” X confirms as they let go of Annie’s hand. “Or as good as we can manage with the time and tools available. Go on, Keeper. Tell us what you and Jas have been hiding under a bushel for such a long time.”
Jasper rolls his eyes. “We haven’t been hiding everything he’s spinning, X. Obviously, there are recent developments that have sent Arces into a tailspin. I’m just as confused by this extinction talk as you are.”
I arch a brow. The Prince rarely admits when he’s mistaken, and even less often, that he’s surprised. This theory and whatever they’ve been sitting on is significant. In fact, it must be vital for him to have kept this association a secret even from me. I’m the only person Jasper Eversore has confided in since childhood, and despite his love for Zavida, I’m still number one.
Or I thought so until he brought us out here to No-man's-land to meet this weird ass animal whisperer.
“As I was saying before,the current court staged their coup in the name of making Hell a better place. However, that noble vision disappeared quickly once they were in charge and realized that it is more difficult to hold on to that level of power than they assumed.” Arces leans back again, and his oddly dramatic bird flies in to perch behind him. “Theirnoble aims flew out the window and instead of replacing the exhausted indifference with enthusiastic change, they settled on an iron fisted dictatorship.”
Kit frowns, looking at us, and I shrug. “Before we were a twinkle in their eyes, little demon. We have to take him at his word.”
“Right you are. Now, let’s see… oh, yes. They put harsh laws in place, and with a single edict, they sent their most loyal and elite assassins and mercenaries to hunt down the rarest demons. No one is certain what the reason was; that was never explained, only dodged by every single court leader when asked. In fact, it became illegal to ask or discuss those lines soon after they were declared extinct. Certain power sets became non-existent, and others were regulated to working solely for the crown.”
Oriel tilts his head, looking thoughtful. “Which ones? That seems arbitrary given the amount of inter-mingling the demon types have done over the millennia. Both species and lineage have melded in ways that force us to define ourselves very young, so I don’t understand how they could just… blink some skills out of existence in that fashion.”
Arces grins, tapping his nose. “Exactly, thief! So what do you believe happened, then?”
“People stopped talking about the types the crown said were extinct because it was illegal. So anyone who might have shown traits or powers hid them. They didn’t want to be executed,” Anton says thoughtfully. “Which means those demon species probably weren’t completely eradicated.”
“Exactly.” The Keeper looks smug as he lets Dottie scamper onto the table again, so she can snitch a treat. “This coincided with alotof other things that, separately, did not seem important. However, I have a theory that they were.”
“Like what?” Jasper asks.
“Hell pulled further away from the other realms, and became more isolated. The mishmash of reasons wasn’t satisfactory to anyone with half a brain. Also, the rise in disgust for hybrids got its footing. If you all weren’t heirs, you’d have far more trouble with your peers, you know.”
Kit snorts. “I’ve been trying to tell them that. Everyone at that school hates me because they think I’m human or some weird combo, and it’s worse since these guys jumped me into their boy band.”
“Not surprising, Kit. Your admission was late and probably controversial, then the Royal Caliphate adopts you instead of destroying you. You havemade more waves than Discordia has seen in a very long time,” he muses as he strokes his beard.
