Page 22 of Fated to the Demon Lord

Thoughts of Gerand filled me—his light sandy hair, his crooked smile, and contagious laugh. Finding him never seemed so far away. “They sold him. To whom I don’t know.”

“And you imagined you’d poison a whole army, then disappear into demon lands, and not get caught?”

I lowered the cloth and stared at him, a fierceness rising in me. “I would have risked anything to find my brother.”

His lips pressed together as he watched me, displeased about something. “If you have questions, ask.”

I sat up straighter, the questions I’d been suppressing suddenly surging to the forefront of my mind, but wariness held me back. Was this part of his plan to toy with me? After what happened in the hall, I questioned whether I possessed the endurance to handle whatever he had devised. “Questions are disrespectful, my lord.”

“And yet I can see the curiosity in your eyes, and I am giving you permission. I’d advise not to throw away this opportunity.”

I took in his body language, trying to gauge what this was about. Fine then, I’d bite. “Why did you attempt to hire the mercenary army?”

He leaned back, his gaze sparking dangerously. “You go right for the throat, don’t you?”

“I thought it was a pretty innocent question.”

He stared at me as if considering whether to answer. “My intention in hiring them was to launch an attack on Kingdom Misophae.”

“Why Kingdom Misophae?”

“Because they are unguarded, politically isolated, and rich in resources. I intended to work with my brother Lanzin to conquer Misophae and trade the land to reclaim my rightful place within the court of Kingdom Aeria.”

Lord Vaelor was an outcast from his government. I watched him, unsure whether to trust any of his answers, but I had no reason not to take his words at face value—and yet my distrust remained.

“How did you get banished from court?”

“Next question.”

“But you didn’t answer⁠—”

“Next. Question.”

I huffed. So much for asking whatever I wanted. “Would the demon arch king allow you to take over an entire kingdom?” During my time as a slave, I’d picked up some knowledge about demon politics. The demon arch king united all five kingdoms of the demon alliance under his rule.

Vaelor chuckled. “Arch King Muratoth, cares little for such disputes—and hails from my people, anyway. He’d welcome Aeria expanding its borders.”

“And you’d condemn an entire kingdom to violence just to trade their suffering for power and position?”

His gaze sharpened. “You killed an entire army simply to escape.”

“It’s not the same.”

“Isn’t it? Can you claim one deserves freedom more than a stable government without knowing Aeria or Misophae?”

“Is that how you justify it? Stable government?” But he was right. When it came to demon politics, I was out of my depth. I switched tracks. “Someone told me that you made a deal with Throk to allow Spiritu Malignos and the spirits to stay here. But couldn’t Throk just command you to permit their presence?”

“That has to do with the inheritance magic.”

It seemed as if this inheritance magic did a lot. If any possibility of escape existed, I needed to understand how this power worked. “The same magic that keeps the spirits from entering the manor?”

He nodded. “Demons are not stupid. We know there is a chance that Spiritu Malignos may take our spirits, and then we’d have no choice but to do as commanded. That might allow Spiritu Malignos to claim territory in other kingdoms, which would be disastrous. Inheritance magic is a way to counter that. If Spiritu Malignos had demanded that I allow them on the land, then the magic would lock them out. There was nothing they could do to force me to give them the land. The only way they might come here without starting a war is if I voluntarily agreed to let them stay temporarily. And I did, with payment, of course.” He gave me a wicked smile.

I swallowed. I was the one who paid. “And the manor?”

“The manor has added protections. They remain in place as long as I am in residence.”

I still didn’t fully trust his words, but I had no other source of information. Maybe he was lying—I certainly couldn’t see how any of this might help me escape. I logged it away and moved on to the next question that lingered on the tip of my tongue.