Malik winced at his terrible pun, but Vir’s mind was elsewhere.
What the Human Realm would give for this…
Vir thought back to Mina Hiranya. To how Maiya said the princess had become disfigured, likely during her battle with Riyan. Was she still that way? Thinking of the Human Realm struck Vir with a pang of longing. It’d been days since he’d last spoken with Maiya.
Two years apart… and now I can hardly go two weeks, Vir thought in exasperation. It would be some time before he could take the communication orb back from Cirayus. At least she’d have Cirayus to keep her company.
I gotta talk to her once we return to Garrison Atnu. A couple of hours of privacy would be difficult to swing, though Vir thought he could manage it. He felt like he had to.
“What you said back there?” Balagra asked quietly. “Did you mean it?”
Vir nodded. “Every word. We’re going to come out of this together. Say, I hate to ask anything of you while you are injured…”
Balagra scoffed. “I’ll be good as new by the morrow. I know you need someone to train the troops and keep them in line. Malik runs a tight camp, but maintaining morale and training up troops requires a different set of skills. I assure you, the camp will be in capable hands while you’re gone.”
“Thanks,” Vir said with a small smile. “I really mean it. Can’t really say this has all gone according to plan. We’re in a precarious situation right now.”
“I’ll say,” Balagra replied. “Without weapons, armor, and training, we’re dead meat. Still, do you truly plan to have everyone return after this? Freedom is an infectious thing. Might have trouble corking that nectar now that it’s out.”
“I have to agree with the Naga on that one,” Malik said. “The soldiers are already whispering about overthrowing the Garrison and claiming it for their own.”
“Suicide, is what it is,” Balagra said. “I’ll have to smack some sense into those louts.”
Vir just barely suppressed a smirk. “Since when did you care so much about this? A few hours ago, you were plotting how to kill off half of our number.”
“Thank the gods I no longer am,” Balagra sighed. “Don’t get me wrong. What you’re planning is more likely to get us all killed than just obeying the Chits. But, well, if you do succeed, I suppose there might be a life for us after all.”
“We will succeed. But only when the time is right,” Vir said. “What we need now is order and discipline. I’m trusting you two to handle that. Recruit as many trustworthy officers as you need. Get them trained as well.”
“Not that I have any issues with this, but what is your plan?” Malik asked. “Even if we convince these prisoners to return, what of the Chitran guards? Do we kill them as well? Returning with no escort will appear extremely suspicious. The secret is bound to come out.”
“I don’t doubt that it will,” Vir said. “But we’re not killing the guards. They’re under heavy guard right now, but I was hoping Balagra could put them under.”
“Already on it,” Balagra said, holding up a vial. “I can make more. The supply Ash’va had all the ingredients I needed, and Malik was kind enough to fetch them for me.”
Vir exhaled in relief. It’s so nice having capable help.
“Good,” he said. “Let’s deal with returning to Atnu after I return. I have a plan for that.”
“I’m sure you do,” Malik said. “Though you still haven’t answered my question about what we do with the guards when we return.”
“I’ll think of something.”
“I pray that you do,” Malik replied.
“I’ll have to, if we don’t want to be put on the chopping block when we return,” Vir said. “Trust me, I am fully aware of importance of this decision.”
“You are planning to leave, then?” Balagra said. “Right now? Alone?”
Vir shrugged. “I can move faster than anyone here.”
“What of the gear you’ll need to haul back? Surely, you don’t plan to make trips to and fro?”
“I intended to take some of the supply Ash’va,” Vir replied.
“I’d recommend at least a few demons to tend to them. You’ll be able to take more if you do,” Malik said.
Vir hesitated.
“I’ll be delving into the city,” he said. “It’d leave them unprotected.”
Balagra pinched the bridge of his nose and grunted. “Look, I won’t tell you what to do with your powers, but it looks to me like you’ve been trying to keep a low profile. I know you feel that your secret has been exposed now, but trust me, the more people see something, the harder it becomes to ignore. I’d wager most of the camp is struggling to ignore the seemingly impossible feats you pulled out of your hair. The last thing you want is to show it off again. With luck, many will have forgotten about that by the time we return.”
“You really think so?” Vir asked, skeptical. “I figured the first thing they’d do was gossip about my powers.”
“They’ll gossip, yes,” the Naga replied, shifting to a more comfortable lying position. “What they will not do is tell the Chitran guards. Because right now, they see you as a strong, capable demon. Not as something… more.”
Malik frowned. “What do you mean?”
Balagra locked eyes with Vir, who nodded.
“Neel here, if that’s his real name, managed to not only slay the strongest Chitran here, he pulled off all manner of feats that ought to have been impossible without centuries of training.”
“So, he’s a powerful demon in disguise,” Malik said. “Is that what you’re saying?”
“Well, he might’ve been, except he didn’t succumb to the collar, either. More than that, he broke mine and somehow disabled the collars of every prisoner present. Tell me, do you know of any demon who could pull that off?”
Malik fell silent, and Vir felt the demon edge away from him ever so slightly, before clearing his throat and standing straight to attention.
“It’s fine, Malik,” Vir said. “You don’t have to hide it. It’s true. I am… not who I claim to be. I am a rebel, that much is true. And I meant everything I said about returning alive. Can we leave it at that for now? When the time is right, I promise, you two will be the first to know.”
Balagra nodded, followed shortly by Malik.
“Everyone has their secrets. I can work with that,” Balagra said.
“Good. Then I have preparations to make,” Vir said, then paused before Malik could interject. “I’m assuming you have a list of who I should take along?”
“Oh yes. A few,” Malik replied, a glint in his eyes.
46
OF REBELS AND KINGS (PART ONE) (MAIYA)
Riyan had once said that to Vir, the passage of time heals all wounds. For Maiya, it seemed to be that the opposite was far truer. Each passing day brought with it mounting anxiety, and it certainly wasn’t helped by the predicament she was in the midst of dealing with.
“We wish for you to kill the Blessed Chosen,” the woman seated across from Maiya said. Dressed in an unassuming robe, the middle-aged leader of the Sisters of Gray had somehow wrangled a one-on-one session with Maiya, guard-free. That one act alone spoke volumes about her power, even if her bland appearance didn’t.
“Why?” Maiya asked. Not you, too? she thought.
It felt like everyone and their mother wanted the Blessed Chosen dead, and Maiya couldn’t help but wonder if there really was some mysterious force at work, guiding events with an invisible hand.