Page 67 of Fated to the Demon Lord

“He has.” Her gaze was earnest. “So you see why you need to let him go.”

I clutched the finger around my neck as something inside automatically threw a wall up against her words. “No, I don’t see.”

The others had gathered ahead of us, and I realized we were in position. “We are here. Keep it down,” Mother said.

I moved closer, but Erlinen caught my arm. “You can’t be with him in the end. If the master loses someone else, I—I am unsure of what he will do.”

Gods, she was talking about my death if I chose to stay with Vaelor. But was staying with Vaelor even an option?

And yet, deep down, every part of me rebelled at her words. I bit my lip, my own pain magnifying. “There has to be a way to save his people.”

Erlinen’s eyes grew wider. “But there is more you don’t under⁠—”

I extricated myself from her grip and moved up next to my mother, if only to keep Erlinen from insisting again that leaving Vaelor was the only way. I refused to hear any more of her explanations.

“Is everything all right, dear?” Mother asked.

“Everything is fine,” I lied.

We waited quietly until one of the others pointed out, “There is Feron. He is giving the signal.”

I looked, and there he was, hidden in the trees, waving. As if on cue, the guards at the gate switched out to some smaller demons.

“Now, Bargoth,” my mother whispered.

Shouts came from the far side of the field. One guard went to check it out. He turned to face the other. “Bandits!”

The other guard shouted into the compound, and a second later, twenty demons with weapons poured out. That was more than the mere ten that Bargoth had with him. “They’re outnumbered,” I muttered.

“He’ll be fine. Bargoth knows how to keep them there without engaging.” But still, Mother twisted her hands. Her jaw clenched with determination, and she motioned to the others. “Let’s go,” she mouthed.

We hurried across the open ground and slid in through the wide side door. Despite the new urgency of the task, I couldn’t get Erlinen’s words out of my mind. I grit my teeth. I was getting Gerand back and then I’d figure out what to do with Vaelor.

As soon as we went through the door into the outdoor compound, we split up into groups of two. Mother and I headed off toward the structures beyond the barn. They were long buildings made of wood, and the roofs were cracked, no doubt leaking in several places as if nobody had time for repairs.

As we rounded the corner, a demon shouted, “Hey, what are you doing here?” We froze, and Mother shoved me behind her. Then I realized a pair of guards had discovered two of our comrades a few paces away. They hadn't seen us… yet.

“Oh, we are new servants here.” Two of our friends bowed their heads. If the guards looked over their shoulder, they’d see us as well. Mother gave me a small push, and we crept backward.

“You must come with us,” one guard said, gripping the pommel of his sword.

Our friends protested as the guards dragged them away.

Shit. They were caught. I swallowed, but my throat stayed stubbornly dry. Any second we’d be seen and everything would be for nothing. I’d have failed Gerand again.

Mother grabbed my arm and tugged me around the corner and through the closest open doorway.

It was full of empty beds.

“Damn it,” Mother muttered. She pulled the necklace from her pocket and began chanting.

“Vaelor said that if you do that, you’ll pull the demons to us,” I mentioned nervously.

“We are out of time, Denara. I left my son once. I’m not leaving him again. Now keep a lookout.”

Determination hardened her features, though it couldn't quite mask the pain in her eyes. She would do whatever it took to find Gerand, no matter the danger. In that moment, the years of resentment I had carried seemed insignificant beside the fierce devotion driving her forward.

She continued to chant, and I moved to the door, pressing my ear to it, hoping to hear any approaching demon before they came.