Page 17 of Witch’s Ruin

A pair of guards materialized. “You there! Stop!”

Mina raced right past them. He didn’t bother to say a word, just ran right by. Their shouts followed, as did the sound of their boots, keeping pace, block after block. At last, Mina came to a stop, her hands falling to her knees, breathing hard as she looked between two different directions.

The guards caught up. “The crime for—”

He straightened. “I am well aware of the crime for flouting curfew,” he drawled. Then he removed his glove and held up his hand. It would save time.

Their eyes widened. “King said the curfew applies to all. Even witches and wielders.”

Now that was interesting. He filed the information away for later, when he had time to analyze the implications of it.

“The king can go fuck himself,” he growled. One of them gasped. The other reached for his sword.

“Oh for the gods’ sake!” Mina cried, turning towards them. “He’s the king’s son, you idiots. Your crown prince. He’s allowed to talk about his father however he wishes. Put your weapons away, there are demons loose in the city, and I intend to find them before they do irreversible damage. You louts may come along, if you wish. Otherwise, sod off.”

The grumble of his laughter was impossible to stop. “As you can see, my lady witch doesn’t have patience for you tonight.” He disregarded them, turning to Mina. “Which way?”

She pointed. “There,” and took off at a run. Feet pounded after them. Despite what Mina had said, the guards weren’t interested in sodding off.

A frenzied barking rent the air, sending chills over his skin. “Xastors,” Mina hissed. Their demonic yips echoed off buildings several blocks away. Behind him, the two guards swore, picking up their pace.

He saw the creatures before they saw him, slamming their bodies against a door, clawing at it, trying to break through. There were three of them. It was a poor district, where the homes hugged the street, with just a narrow strip of walking path before them. He heard shouts behind doors, saw faces in windows. The demons were frenzied—

Suddenly, they stopped.

One of them lifted its head, sniffed the air, then howled. The hairs on his neck prickled. As a unit, they turned their red eyes upon Mina. Demons preferred witch blood. But it was more than that. Something lived inside her. Something…other. They sensed it, too.

He blinked—

“Rixon!” she commanded, not bothering to draw her twin blades. He pulled his sword free.

Three Xastors would be nothing. She could have left them entirely to him, not bothered to lift a finger, and he would have managed without breaking a sweat. But instead, she subdued at the same speed as he swung. The dog-like demons fell still with Mina’s magic. He removed three heads successively with the kind of precision others could only admire.

Muddled curses echoed behind him. The guards.

Mina made quick word of incinerating the leftovers. Windows swung open, heads popped out, as people regarded her, curious looks upon their faces. Several things began to add up, but he didn’t mention them. Instead, he turned to the guards. “Unless you have something useful to add, you’d best be on your way.” His voice left no room for argument. They were breathing hard, clearly not in the same kind of shape he and Mina were.

Demon hunting had its perks.

They nodded, still eyeing him with uncertain scrutinization. He didn’t take their lack of address personally. Didn’t give two shits that they weren’t bowing and simpering.

“Are you all right, Lady Witch?” He kept his voice low. She nodded, studying the place the demons had ceased to exist. When at last she looked up, most of the prying faces had found somewhere else to be.

He waited until they walked out of earshot to say, “The curfew. The king isn’t allowing witches to roam the streets at night. The guards at the gate scorned us. It can’t be coincidental, none of it.”

Her brow furrowed.

They turned down a side street, slowing their pace. “No. I don’t suppose it is,” she said, her voice sounding far away. “But, we will get to the bottom of it, one way or another. I have a job to do, Rixon. And I intend to do it.”

He merely nodded, and they continued their hunt.

Chapter 7

Mina

I nestled deeper into the warmth of my wielder, pressing my hips against Rixon’s thigh. Sleep pulled me under again, in fits and starts, a tug of war, until I came alert. Against me, the steady rise and fall of Rixon’s chest told me he slept on.

There’d been more dreams of the winged creature. I’d only seen a mere glimpse of it, seconds amidst the chaos of the rift, months ago. And yet, when I dreamt of it, I saw it perfectly. The details of its membranous wings, the claws at the tips, its naked body, skin so gray it was nearly black. There hadn’t been anything to tell it apart from male or female. In my dreams, I’d never spied any reproductive genitalia.