Page 7 of Fated to the Demon Lord

“In an hour?” The pitch of her voice rose with incredulity. “Denara, what did you do?”

The sound of hacking reached our ears, and I couldn’t help but stop and look behind. A miniature imp bent double, a hand on his throat, the other on his abdomen. He stumbled and fell to his knees next to his empty wooden bowl.

Their size. Demons came in large and small sizes. I’d only calculated the time for the poison to work for someone close to my size or bigger. Poisoning a demon much smaller was similar to poisoning a child. Damn it. I hadn’t considered that.

A few demons in the camp laughed. “What’s wrong, little one? Choking on your spoon?” A random voice shouted. I let out a slow breath.

But they’d become alarmed when he didn’t get better.

“Let’s go,” I whispered.

Mira nodded, her eyes wide. “Yes, let’s.”

Now all we had to do was slip past the sentries. This was the changing of the guard, when those coming off duty were relieved and headed for food. I'd spent the past week watching their routine, making sure I knew the timing well enough to escape.

There was still a chance they'd spot us. And if they noticed our absence, even if we made it beyond the camp, demons could track prey for miles with their superior sense of smell. They’d hunt us down within hours.

But not today.

Now that they'd been poisoned, their greatest advantage was gone.

We passed where the sentries patrolled without a problem and pushed deeper into the forest. The black-barked trees stood farther apart here than in the crowded woods of the human kingdom, yet somehow appeared larger. They loomed over us as we staggered between them, our shoes sinking into slick layers of wet leaves that clung to our feet with every step.

Dried crimson sap smeared down the side of one trunk. At least I told myself it was sap.

Mira looked ‌at me in awe as we departed the camp. “How long have you been planning this?”

“I began thinking about it the night they took us, but I didn’t decide to act on it until they sold Gerand.”

Mira nodded, understanding crossing her face. “Thanks for not leaving me behind.”

“Never. We’re in the clear now.” The trees encircling me appeared entirely new, like a virgin forest. My plan had worked, and we’d finally escaped our demon tormentors. I scarcely believed it. I drew a breath that was life itself after months of captivity.

“Clear to do what?” Mira asked. “We’re still in demon territory.”

Clear to find my brother. But I was uncertain whether Mira wanted to accompany me on that journey. “We’ll discuss that once we locate a secure spot away from here.”

“Yes,” she agreed, her steps labored, but her jaw tightened with determination. “One step at a time.”

Behind us shouts and groans and movement in the brush drifted on the air. “Where are they? Where are they? Those bitches, those ugly humans—” Tricken snarled, followed by growls and more shouts. Coughing and moaning broke off his words.

Fear flashed across Mira’s face. “They’re going to find us. They’re going to find us!”

“We won’t be found. They’re too occupied with dying,” I said, even as a trickle of apprehension took root in the back of my mind.

“What if everyone didn’t eat the stew? They are going to realize⁠—”

“Keep moving.”

Despite her pale face and her breath coming a little raspy, she didn’t complain when we quickened our pace—the trees grew even larger, their trunks closer together. We continued forward, the sounds chasing us for longer than I thought possible. What if the poison had become too diluted? What if I had misjudged the readiness of the venenum plant?

Mist slithered between the trees, its gray tendrils creeping toward us before coiling about our ankles. The deeper we went, the thicker it grew—hungry, possessive—seeping up our legs until it swallowed us whole. As it closed around me, I struggled to breathe, unsure whether it was the fog or the fear of our pursuers.

The sounds behind us gradually faded into nothing. But the mist seemed to cling to my heart, constricting it in a pulsing net of worry.

“We did it.” Mira released a small sob.

I wiped the sweat from my brow and gave her a weary smile, trying to push away my unease. “Did you doubt me?”