Page 99 of Demon Touched

“He tried to fight Seraph Orelle,” I say, ducking my head. “He lost, and Orelle killed him. I’m sorry.”

She exhales shakily, her hands twisting knots into her dress.

“It was his own doing. He always struggled with getting older, especially after he left the Brigade. He couldn’t stand the idea of meeting his end quietly and comfortably in his bed. This will at least have given him a death he’d want.”

I don’t bother pointing out it’s come at the cost of a lot of people’s safety. Ghola seems like a woman who’s well aware of her father’s flaws.

“I’ll bring something to clean that,” she says, nodding at Viz’s bloody head. “Along with some bandages, and food and water for all of you. But I need the demons out of this house by sunrise.” I open my mouth, about to protest, but she cuts me off. “I’ll stick my neck out for you, Leah. You are still an Illidore after all, regardless of the company you keep. But I owe no such allegiance to Infernum.”

She turns to Syrus, and I’m rather impressed at her nerve, even as her hands still clutch the fabric of her skirts tightly. She’s afraid, but she won’t back down. “I trust you have plans to leave Aradis before morning?”

Syrus and I exchange a look, then he nods at my aunt. “We will be gone by sunrise, as you ask.”

She disappears for a few minutes, and Syrus and I try to get Viz comfortable while she returns with the medical supplies—the kind of rudimentary items ephilium keep in their homes in place of actual healers—and food too. I wait until she’s gone again before speaking.

“You shouldn’t have agreed to leaving so soon,” I say to Syrus. “I think we could’ve bought ourselves more time here if we pressed her.”

“We don’t need it,” Syrus says, starting to clean Viz’s wound. The chamberlain stirs a little under the cold, stinging touch of the alcohol. A good sign, I think. “Once we’ve bandaged him up, you can take Viz to Strata and get him the help he needs⁠—”

“Syrus,” I say in warning, even as I know it’s a warning he won’t heed. It’s time for us to have the argument we’ve been avoiding since the Seraph Seat. I go to sit down beside him, where he’s knelt next to Viz. When I cross my legs, my knee touches his thigh. I try not to dwell on the way the closeness feels like a relief—a touch of comfort across the yawning emptiness where our bond used to be.

“I’ll find somewhere else to wait out my time in Aradis,” he continues. “Once you’re in Strata, you can get a message to Aster, and she and Quill can work on opening another rift from Infernum to here.”

“Syrus,” I say again. “That is the stupidest fucking plan I’ve ever heard.”

His hand stills for a moment, and I think he’s going to be angry, but I spot the way his mouth is pressed into a tight line as he tries not laugh.

“This isn’t funny!” I say, appalled.

He shakes his head, the smile cracking through. “It’s absolutely not,” he says, sounding sincere. “I’m just…Really? The stupidest plan you’ve ever heard? Because I can think of stupider things.”

“Nothing is stupider than leaving you behind in Aradis,” I say quietly. Because that’s it—the huge dermison in the room we’ve been avoiding. Syrus is physically barred from going to Strata, so if we can’t open a rift to Infernum, he’s trapped.

“I’ll be fine,” he says, throwing the bloody cloth aside now he’s done cleaning. “It’s not like you’re abandoning a lost little kitten, Leah. The ephilium won’t be able to catch up to me. And even if they did, they’re not going to execute a demon lord on a peace mission without proof of his crimes.”

My muscles tense, every part of me rejecting the idea of leaving Syrus to fend for himself in a realm full of people who probably want him dead. Maybe it’s ridiculous to feel protective of a man with his level of power, his incredible strength and ability to heal, but I simply can’t imagine abandoning him to face this threat alone.

But I have to make him see that threat clearly if he’s going to listen to me.

“You really think so?” I ask skeptically. “After this coup, the seraphim might be pissed off enough to throw the whole Sola Morator thing out the window.”

“You’re the one who’s been living with the pale-bloods for months,” he says, far too casually for my liking as he starts measuring out bandages. “Do you think breaking a vow of honor is something they would do?”

“No,” I say automatically, then think of the way I’ve seen some ephilium bend, or completely break, the rules when it suited them. “Though, actually…Yes. Maybe. Garion must’ve broken twenty vows today, attacking the Seraph Seat.”

“But your grandfather is not the seraphim,” Syrus says, winding the cloth around Viz’s head. The demon stirs again, and I see in Syrus’s eyes how much it comforts him to see these signs of consciousness returning. “There’s a reason they’re this realm’s leaders. They embody what Aradis is meant to be—strong, yes, but honorable too.”

I sit with that for a moment, wondering where this generous view of the ephilium is coming from. Syrus has always talked about how arrogant they are, hating the way their culture glorifies war, yet it sounds like there’s a hint of respect there.

“There’s a lot of things the seraphs are meant to be,” I point out, testing his reaction. “I don’t know how much of it is true. I mean, everyone talks about their foresight, but how valuable is that second set of eyes if they didn’t see this coming?”

“Maybe they caught glimpses of it but not enough to tell exactly what direction the attack was going to come from,” he says, still concentrating on Viz. “Or maybe they did know and made preparations we’re not aware of. They seemed confident of their victory today. Perhaps they sensed the threat and deliberately let it play out, so their enemies would be exposed. Sometimes, the only way to deal with a viper is to draw it out of its nest.”

I shut my eyes, remembering the way Orelle let Garion get his hands around Orelle’s throat before killing him, and the expert way Wyvier dispatched Roryn…

Shit. Roryn. This will kill Rowan when he finds out.

Unless…did Rowan know about my grandfather’s plan? If Ghola didn’t, then I have hope my friend was also in the dark. I don’t hold any love for the seraphim, but it’s unsettling to think the person I always thought of as being open and sincere could be part of a conspiracy like this.