“Does that suffice?” Vir asked the demon guards, who nodded back.
“We hear and accept your oath. We shall record this in our tomes, along with the names of all who have served as witnesses here today.”
The lift began to descend, plunging them into darkness. Maiya subconsciously huddled closer to Vir—something she’d always done when she was afraid.
“The Order would defend me,” Vir said softly, mainly to keep Maiya distracted from the darkness, “but they’d lose a lot of lives doing so. That’s equally true if it came to blows in Kin’jal. A Balar 700 warrior is going to cause death. Lots of it.”
“That would be hard to live with, I suppose. But at least it’s Kin’jal. You don’t even like them.”
“Sure. Still…”
Fleeing would just delay the inevitable, bringing innocent people into his pursuers’ crosshairs.
That had always been true, but Vir had hoped he could deal with whoever Mina sent on his own. Now, that was starting to feel like a pipe dream.
“Perhaps when you see this,” Vir said, gesturing at the dizzying array of lights that suddenly appeared under them, “maybe you’ll understand why I like the Pagan Order so much.”
Maiya stood stock still, staring at the underground city that loomed below them. She stumbled, but Vir caught her before she fell.
“Maiya? Welcome to the Undercity. The true face of the Pagan Order.”
51DESTINY
“What is this?” Maiya said in wonder, prompting Vir to chuckle.
“That was my exact reaction,” Vir said. “This is the real Pagan Order. Apparently, most other royals know that the country’s a demon sanctuary, but few know of the Undercity.”
“But there’s so much light here! Magic isn’t supposed to work. What’s going on!” Maiya said, practically jumping off the lift as it touched down.
“That is electricity. A form of non-magical lighting the demons here developed. They say it can have a myriad of other uses, but they’re keeping its invention a tightly guarded secret. Needless to say, none of this can reach Kin’jal’s ears.”
“Of course. I have no intention of betraying anyone you consider a friend. This is just…” Maiya laughed softly. “Just when you think you’ve figured the world out, it throws you a surprise like this, huh?”
“Right? It’s miraculous. Although magic does actually work down here. But I don’t think the Order would like me to divulge any more without gaining permission.”
Vir’s eyes lingered over the electricity, admiring the flow of prana. It reminded him of Prana Channeling—the way prana flowed in an endless cycle along a pathway was similar.
At the same time, electricity felt like something more. Its ability to decouple prana from the carrier medium was something Parai hadn’t been able to accomplish. Vir couldn’t explain why, but it felt superior to him. More elegant.
“I understand, Vir. I really do,” Maiya replied. “But this is so… unique,” she said in wonder, eyeing the variety of demons who ambled about contentedly. “This truly is a demon sanctuary, isn’t it? A place where they can exist without hiding who they are.”
“Exactly. C’mon. Let me show you around.”
Vir led Maiya through the streets, showing her the analogues to the shops and homes aboveground. To his surprise, hardly anyone gave her dirty looks, despite being the only human around. Very few humans were privy to the Undercity, which meant seeing one down here was quite rare.
Maybe it’s Neel, he thought. The bandy bounded up to nearly everyone, wagging his tail and looking up at them adorably. His efforts always paid off, resulting in pets and the occasional treat.
Or maybe they’re just mistaking her for a demon in disguise?
The Undercity’s checkpoints required demons to remove enough face paint to confirm their identities, so most opted to go without it in the Undercity. That said, demons exiting the Undercity sometimes applied their makeup in the comfort of their homes. Either way, their tour proceeded unmolested until Vir brought Maiya to the passage that led to his home.
“There’s more? This place is massive,” Maiya said, looking off into the distance. Her eyes had been bulging the entire time, just like Vir when he’d discovered the Imperium outpost of Valaka Amara.
Vir unlocked the door with his iron key, taking a moment to appreciate its non-magical nature, and showed Maiya inside.
“Welcome to my abode,” Vir said, ushering Maiya to a seat by the simple wooden table, taking his place across her. “Nothing like Riyan’s place, but better than Brij, at least.”
Neel promptly took his place on the floor next to the chairs.
“You bought this?” Maiya asked, looking around the small space with fascination. While the bed was in a room of its own, the living and cooking areas were part of the same medium-sized space, so there wasn’t much to explore.
“The Order gave it to me. Seems they give homes to all demons they bring in.”
“Oh wow. Incredibly generous. Y’know, for most of my life, I’d thought the Order was a bunch of savages living primitive lives. This non-magical lighting is simply incredible. And they even came up with it themselves? That puts them ahead of Kin’jali magical Thaumaturges. They just copy the inscriptions handed down from the Age of Gods. Not like they invented magic.”
Vir had always wondered about that. He figured sooner or later, someone would’ve had the itch to experiment, despite the risk. Which likely meant there was something preventing them. Some secret to the workings of magic that humans weren’t privy to.
“The Order’s medical technology is quite impressive too,” Vir replied. “Even if a bunch of it seems dubious. They’ve found workarounds for a lot of what magic does. It might not be as effective, but it works. Usually.”
“I feel like the rest of the world could stand to gain by learning from them.”
“Agreed.”
The conversation drifted off, and a silence descended upon them. A comfortable silence. Vir had never felt awkward just being near Maiya. At least, not until recently.
“You’re thinking of leaving, aren’t you?” Maiya said at last.
“I… am. How’d you know?”
Maiya rolled her eyes. “C’mon, Vir. I’ve known you a long time. You always frown and stare at the ground when you’re worried about something. But why, though? I can protect you!”
“I’m afraid you can’t, Maiya.” He raised his hands when she was about to retort. “It’s not your strength I’m worried about. I have every faith in that. It’s just…”
“I don’t understand. You worry for the demon lives that would be lost, so you don’t want to stay. You don’t think you can hide, so you don’t want to escape with me. What else can you do? Give yourself up to Mina?”
“What? No, of course not.”
There’s another option, he thought. Though, you’re not going to like that one much better.
“Okay, good,” Maiya said, visibly relieved. “Because then I’d have to slap some sense into you.”
Vir winced. “There’s… something I never told you. About those voices in my head. You remember that?”
“Back at Riyan’s place, yeah. Wait, you’re still hearing them? The demons that possess you?”
“They’re not demons. Well, they are, but not the sort that want to possess you. Well, uh, not usually. They come out when I’m in mortal danger, and… they’re not all that reliable.”
Maiya’s look of concern only grew deeper at his confusing explanation.
“They’re my prior incarnations, Maiya. Past versions of myself. We’d suspected as much before, but now I have proof. And… they want me to go to the Ashen Realm. At all costs.”