“We should head back tomorrow,” he said, voice steady but low. “We’ve seen enough. There’s no army here, no activity besides some that one temptation demon. We report it and bring a larger force if command insists on a full sweep.”
Eve nodded sharply. “Agreed, we got lucky with that thing earlier. But if there’s a group of temptation demons, we won’t.”
Across the flames of a makeshift firepit, Ashley frowned, fingers picking absently at the bandages on her wrist. “Lucky? That thing got in my head.” Her gaze hardened. “If there’s more out there, weneedto find them. Not just walk away and let them move on to someone else.”
Jaden shifted where he sat by himself, nodding. “She’s right, we’ve come all this way. One dead demon doesn’tprove the area’s empty, what if the real threat’s further south? We’ll have wasted a week just to come back and start again.”
“That’s how you get killed,” Eve shot back.
“Or how you finish the job,” Jaden countered, trying for a grin that didn’t quite land.
Lionel’s hand tightened on his rifle. “We don’t have the numbers to ‘finish the job’. If we push south and hit a pack, or Gods forbid, the Demon King’s stronghold, we’ll be dead before command even realises we’re overdue.”
Faelin shifted uneasily near the doorway, arms wrapped around herself. Her hair wasn’t as vividly ginger as it used to be in this dim light. “I don’t think we should stay at all.”
Her voice trembled slightly, but her eyes were hard. “This village isn’t empty, it’s wrong. The air, the shadows… something’s still here. You all feel it too.”
Ashley snorted. “You’re jumpy because you’re scared ofanydemon.”
Faelin’s eyes flashed. “No, I’m cautious because I want to live. There’s a difference.”
Malakai leaned against the wall beside me, silent until now, his expression unreadable. “Both of you have a point,” he said at last. “But if there was a cluster of demons nearby, I would feel it. The land would reek of blood and something rotten. This place is… hollow, dead. Not a camp.”
“Then it’s a grave,” Faelin muttered.
The words hung in the air.
Nate, sitting beside Ashley, gave a small shrug. “If it’s a grave, at least it’s quiet. Beats marching through hell.” He smiled faintly, but even he couldn’t break the tension.
All eyes turned to me.
I stared into the fire, its embers dancing before my eyes, calming, soothing. The flames crackled softly, curling like thoughts I couldn’t quite catch.
If we left now, we’d be safe, but empty-handed. Command would call it a waste of time.
If we pressed on, we might find the truth, or we might all end up dead, possibly both.
The responsibility sat heavy in my chest.
“We’ll finish the sweep tomorrow,” I said finally. “One last circle through the outskirts. Then we decide whether to report or move south.”
Lionel nodded, though his jaw tightened. Eve didn’t look convinced.
Ashley leaned back, satisfied. “Good. Maybe we’ll find something worth the trip.”
Faelin shivered, staring towards the open doorway. “I hope not.”
Silence lingered, heavy and uneasy. Nate leaned back, stretching his injured shoulder with a wince and that familiar, crooked grin. “Well,” he said lightly, glancing at Ashley. “If there are more demons out there, I’ll save my next heroic kiss for when they attack. Seems to work pretty well.”
Ashley’s head snapped towards him. “You only did it to break the spell, you idiot!”
He grinned wider. “And it worked, didn’t it? I’m not hearing any complaints.”
She was on the verge of exploding. “Because I wasn’t in my right mind! That doesn’t count!”
Jaden chuckled. “Oh, it counts, that was a real kiss. We all saw it, almost had me rooting for the demon just to see the sequel.”
Eve snorted, trying not to smile. “Please, it’s about time, if you ask me. The tension between you two was getting painful.”
