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Émilien frowned. Hel noticed the way he tensed and slightly swayed. Moving closer, she reached out and laid her hand on his low back, her other hand gripping his arm, so he wouldn’t fall over in a heap. She couldn’t believe how strong he truly was—for her. To save her. No one had ever done anything so selfless for her.
Except Émilien.
“I have never heard of a demon loyal to anyone,” Émilien said, his heavy weight leaning against her.
“Then you know nothing about demons. There are many who don’t care what happens to anyone and are the worst of our society. I believe the Nine Words have this same problem throughout, do they not?”
“They do. And you are right. I don’t know much about your society, only rumors and hearsay, if what you say is true. I am sorry for misjudging you.” The demon’s eyes widened as he gave him a slight nod. “You swear on the life of your child you will not attack me or my woman?”
“On his life, yes. I would even ask my enemy for help to make sure he is safe.”
Émilien dropped the arm holding the demon in place and took a shaky step back. Through her grip on his other arm and back, she felt the strain his body was under just keeping upright, but it was the building heat searing her hands that worried her most of all.
The demon dropped to the floor and glanced at his brother, still lying motionless on the stones, black blood pooling under him. “My name is Brig. May I heal my brother? I know Tork will also swear fealty to the person who can help save our family.”
Émilien nodded and took a step back, only to go down. It was sheer determination that gave Hel the strength and forethought to create a large chair for him to drop into. As he fell onto the cushion, the wood creaked but, thankfully, held together as she eased away from him.
“Émilien?” she whispered near his ear. “Hold on for Shalendra...and for me.” Placing a light kiss on his forehead, a gentle caress stroked her mind. The soft whisper of his voice reminded her of all she had thrown away so long ago.
She straightened, not wanting the demon to know something was wrong, but her gaze followed his every movement while also keeping an eye on the portal. It would be just their luck to find an ally and at the same time, lose him because more demons showed up.
The demon lifted the strips of hide and laid them over the bloody wound on his brother’s chest. Resting his palm over the injury, he closed his eyes. A soft pink light glowed around him. Her eyes widened as the skin knit together, the same light glowing like a line of burning gunpowder as it raced to the end. The injured demon’s body jerked, his torso rising off the floor before dropping down again.
His eyes opened, and he stared up at his brother. “What have you done?” his gruff voice asked.
“I have done what was necessary to save Drakk’s life.” Holding out his hand, he waited for his brother to take it. Just as he laid his hand in Brig’s, a soft whine filtered through the cave. Brig’s eyes widened. Whistling a soft tune, he was answered with a whimper. Brig’s red eyes glowed as he and his brother turned to face them, fury twisting their features.
“My son is here?” His beady eyes glared at them, hatred boiling in their depths. “What have you done with my son!”
12
Shalendra and Soliana
The dwarf realm of Svartheimr
“Soliana, do you know where we are?” Shalendra shaded her eyes in the bright, late afternoon sun, trying to make out any familiar feature, but found none. The terrain in front of them was narrow and dipped down to where a stream lazily made its way through the thick tufts of grasses. On the opposite side, what seemed like an impenetrable forest fanned out like a wall.
Her gaze narrowed. Something about the valley worried her. They had been so careful on this quest to find her aunt and uncle, but even following what few clues they had found, someone had gotten wind of what they were doing.
In the last town, a bad feeling had settled over her. Much to her best friend’s vexation, she forced them to leave their warm, rented room in the dead of night to continue their journey. She was glad they had. At the next village, she learned the small lodge they had left burned to the ground.
“No, I don’t and, unfortunately, my map is now a pile of ash.”
Shalendra slid a glance at her friend, who was beautiful inside and out. Her only flaw was her sharp tongue, which could cut leather. Soliana’s hair hung down her back in a single, long braid with small ringlets framing each temple. Her silvery green eyes were red from lack of sleep, but, unlike herself, her best friend even wore exhaustion well.
“I can smell myself, and I stink.”
Soliana laughed. “No, you don’t, or I would have already told you. You are always beautiful.” She stopped. With her head tilted to one side, she studied her, her mouth twisted to one side. “You should wear your hair up more often. The long strands around your face are very elegant.”
A loud thudding filled the air, followed by what sounded like a trumpet, making her jump. Grabbing Soliana, she dragged her toward their only cover, which was a few boulders. Glancing up, she noticed a heavy cloudbank roiling toward them and prayed it was dark enough to hide them if this was an advancing enemy.
“What are we going to do?” Soliana asked, peering over the boulder.
Shalendra pushed her back down with a scowl. “We’re going to wait here until whoever made that sound is gone. Then, we’re going to cross the valley under the cover of darkness. Let’s just hope there isn’t a full moon tonight.”
The thudding grew louder and was joined by a strange clanging and clanking. The closer the noise drew to their hiding place, the more Shalendra’s dread returned. “I’m not feeling all warm and fuzzy about this...”
“Me neither. I’m nauseous. The sounds are coming from our left, so what if we edge away from the rocks and try to make it to the trees? I think it’s dark enough, don’t you?”
