“How many of us?” Vir asked as they ascended a ramp.
“With you? We’ll be fifteen. Need space on the Acira to bring our brothers and sisters home. Having someone with your skillset would be a huge boon, if I’m honest.”
Vir’s skills would be valuable here. Dance of the Shadow Demon could get him into places inaccessible to most, and his other abilities ensured he could hold his own if it came to combat.
“Well, here we are,” Badal said, opening a door that led out to the castle grounds. “Sleep on it. And explore the city. Both parts. I’m here if you need me.”
The demon left Vir at a small room adjoining the grounds, where he took a few minutes to reapply his face paint.
Soon, he found himself on the Promontory west of the castle grounds, at a park that overlooked the Runean Ocean. The same park his guide had taken him to just hours earlier.
Here, he’d hoped to find solitude but found the park filled with people, despite the late hour.
And among them was a group of three. A man and two women. A blonde and a brunette that looked all too familiar.
Vir approached them from behind.
“Uh, Tia? In Adinat’s name, what are you doing here?”
41UNEXPECTED COMPANY
“O-Oh hi, Apra! Fancy seeing you around here!” Tia said, waving energetically.
Does she know? was Vir’s first reaction. It seemed unlikely. Haymi hadn’t given him up when she’d healed him. Why would she now? Besides, Tia was much too friendly for having learned he was a demon. He’d have expected her to level her spear at him if she did.
“Tia, you’re not gonna convince me that this is a coincidence. Why are you here?”
“Well, you won’t believe it. Haymi missed you dearly. Nearly bit my ear off with all her begging. What’s a party leader to do? Gotta make my crew happy, don’t I?”
Normally, Vir would’ve expected Haymi to admonish Tia, maybe even kick her shin. Instead, the mejai averted her eyes, a look of guilt etched on her face.
A knot formed in Vir’s stomach. No way! Did she really tell her?
He’d deferred chatting with Haymi for too long. He had to speak to her. In private, and as soon as possible.
Vir narrowed his eyes. “You’re right. I don’t believe it. Haymi wouldn’t do something like that. How’d you even get here, anyway? It’d have taken you far longer to ride an Ash’va.”
“Ah-ha-ha! Well, y’know?” Tia said, standing up and dusting off her skirt. “If I’m honest, it wasn’t just Haymi who was worried about you. Vason here got all sulky. He does that when he’s worried.”
“Hey!” Vason shouted. “There’s a limit to how much you can lie, Tia. Apramor, pay no attention to her words. She came here despite us discouraging her. I can only apologize on behalf of our overly nosy leader here.”
“It’s not just nosiness!” Tia said. “We’re here to make sure you’re safe. And don’t worry. Bumpy’s being well-cared for. No issues there.”
“You have an Acira, don’t you? It’s the only way you could’ve come here this quickly.”
“We promise not to get in the way, Apra,” Tia replied, patting Vir’s shoulder. Though even as she did, she stared deeply into Vir’s eyes. As if searching for something. “Just think of us as moral support.”
“You shouldn’t be here, Tia.”
Vir could tell she cared for his safety and was honestly touched she followed him. He was also disappointed. She was poking her head into matters she had no business with. Then again, it was exactly like the reckless warrior to pull something like this.
“Well, I could say the same for you? This place is full of crazies! Haven’t you walked through the streets? Though I gotta say it’s nicer here than everyone says it is.”
Crazy? That wasn’t even close to the impression Vir had gotten. Though, Reth had mentioned they planted bigots among the humans living in the Upper City to maintain the ruse.
“C’mon, why don’t you have a seat?” Tia said, sitting and patting the ground next to her. “The way the waves reflect the moonlight is really something, isn’t it? Matali’s southern coast has a few beaches, but hardly anyone ever goes there anymore. Too dangerous with all the Ash Beasts flooding past our wall.”
Promontory Hill did have a commanding view of the ocean below, but Vir knew she was just trying to change the topic. He wasn’t going to get anything further by pressing the point, though. Once Tia made up her mind, few things could change it. She was here now, and he doubted she’d be easily convinced to leave. The best he could do was learn what he could.
“Why do the beasts get past your wall? Isn’t that what the wall’s for?”
“Well, sure, but it’s not that simple,” she replied.
“Our section of the wall has gone under-manned for decades,” Vason said, gazing out at the ocean. “Some beasts vault right over it, while others pound their way through. When holes open up, it can be years before they’re fixed.”
“Not enough funding for that,” Haymi said softly. “But even the Kin’jals deal with this issue, and they have no issues with funding. The Ash Boundary is… not what one might expect. It looks like an enormous opaque barrier that stretches all the way to the sky, but in reality, Ash Beasts may pop out anywhere near the barrier. Sometimes, even a mile or more away, behind the wall. Nobody understands why.”
That sounds awfully inconvenient. And dangerous.
“Why don’t they just build the wall farther back?”
“They keep rebuilding it every several decades,” Vason said. “Incredible expense. But there are homes, fields, and people living there. Relocation can get complicated. They’re forced to build the wall as close to the Boundary as possible, even if it does mean needless deaths.”
Long ago, the Ashen Realm was merely a source of myths and campfire stories for Vir. Now, it felt more real than it ever had.
But do I really need to go now?
Vir allowed the soothing sound of waves to carry away his thoughts. The gentle nighttime breeze completed the picture. With few city lights to ruin the darkness, the Pagan Order’s buildings shone under the moonlight in a way few other cities did.
Vir had never fit in at Brij. He’d worn a hood wherever he went, and even then, he was an outcast, with only Maiya and Neel to call friends.
Then he’d found Spear’s Edge, and while he enjoyed his time with them, he could never truly belong.
He glanced at Tia. Not when Tia hates demons as much as she does. Not while I keep my true identity a secret.
Haymi might be alright with it, but he doubted Tia would be so open-minded. Vir longed to tell Tia. To come clean. But he knew full well what it would mean. In the best scenario, he’d never see her again. At worst… he might very well make an enemy out of her. The last thing he needed was more people chasing him.
Was it so wrong to cling to what they had? True, he might not adventure with them in the future, but they’d at least still be on good terms. Maybe it wouldn’t ever be a deep friendship, but why rock the boat? Why threaten what they had going?
Vir’s guilt at not telling her warred with his desire to belong. That meant a lot. For Vir, it meant more than it did for most people. They were the only friends he’d had, other than Maiya.
And now, he’d found the Pagan Order. So much had happened in just a few short hours. He’d scarcely had the time to digest it all.