He had debated for hours as to what was best to do after his meeting with the temple’s new leader. Justice had no desire to face Raven and her assassin without adequate support, but he had accepted that direct confrontation with Siege’s handpicked successor would not go as he wished. Assassins took orders from their leader without question.
Their leader, on the other hand, took orders from Godseekers, and that meant from Justice.
The more he thought about the defiance he’d faced, the more resolved he became. He would have the young nobody replaced once his incompetence was established.
Justice had discovered which route the messenger sent to the other villages had taken and when he was expected to return. He would intercept him and the Godseekers, and convince them to travel to the boundary with him. There was a general uneasiness permeating the temple, and although not unusual considering their long-time leader—whose reputation was almost as fearsome as a demon’s—had been murdered, if questioned, he would use it to infer the young man’s inability to lead.
Justice and Willow met up with the two Godseekers and the assassin messenger in the early afternoon. The three men traveled on foot but maintained a steady pace as they navigated the secret mountain path that led to the temple. Strewn with crumbled rock falls and partially overgrown in places by mountain scrub, the path was rough. One needed to know the actual route in order to find it.
Justice recognized one of the Godseekers. The man had a bald head and a large belly, and his name, if Justice recalled it correctly, was Seeker. He maintained a zealous belief in his right to speak on behalf of the goddesses and as a seeker of signs of their return, hence his name. Although never a goddess’s favorite himself, Seeker staunchly supported their elevated position within the Godseeker ranks. Under ordinary circumstances Justice would unlikely have deigned to speak to him.
Today he nodded to him while tipping his hat in greeting to all three men. He thought Seeker in particular would welcome an opportunity to visit the boundary again, which would have been forbidden to him after initiation.
Seeker’s eyes, animated and curious, skated past Justice to Willow, seated on the hross behind him. The cape she wore concealed much of her face and draped around her legs so that she was protected from scrutiny.
She shifted in the saddle, repositioning her knees, her impatience with the discussion clearly commuted to Justice. He, too, was anxious to get moving. He had no idea what she might do once she regained her demon strength, but he doubted it would be good. All that kept her with him was the opportunity to kill without fear of retribution.
Once that fear was gone, so was she.
“We heard rumors there are spawn in the mountains,” Seeker said. “Female spawn.”
Justice rested his arms on his saddle’s pommel. “They aren’t rumors. Siege has been murdered by them, and I intend to find the ones responsible and hold them accountable.” He related the same story he’d told at the temple.
The assassin messenger, whose name was Gauntlet, said nothing at the end of the recitation, but Justice knew he was weighing all he heard, searching for the truth in it. He would be loyal to Siege and Siege’s young successor, and therefore bear watching.
“You would confront them alone, after being attacked by them?” Seeker asked. “Why weren’t assassins sent against them? This is what they’re trained for, isn’t it?”
“The new leader is young and uncertain of his role.” The hross sidestepped, forcing Justice to bring it under control. It did not like having a spawn on its back. “The temple is chaotic at the moment. He has his hands full and waits for guidance from you. In the meantime, the spawn and her companion escape. What choice do I have but to go after them?” Justice asked. “The spawn is my stepdaughter and my responsibility. I can’t let this go unanswered. Siege died for me.”
“How can you be certain you’re traveling in the right direction?”
“Siege seemed convinced they would head to the boundary. I know her and how bold she is, and I think he was right.”
The second Godseeker spoke. “And the woman with you?”
“Siege met with her and found no signs of demon in her. My stepdaughter, on the other hand, is undeniably demon. She can raise them and used one to burn the entire population of one village to death. I saw the devastation with my own eyes. She enslaves men and controls them, and has a former assassin by the name of Blade with her.”
The Godseekers traded looks of disbelief intermingled with caution. Good. They had heard of him, then.
“Blade left these mountains at least ten years ago. From what we heard, he became crippled after trying to cross through demon territory without protection,” Seeker said.
Justice had not heard that particular story, but he knew it could not be accurate. “The man with her limps but is no cripple.”
“This could be a different man.”
“Big. Long black hair. Narrow face. Dark eyes. Looks like he could kill his own grandmother in her sleep, then eat a full breakfast.”
The second Godseeker smiled, revealing slightly crooked teeth. “That description could match half the men from here to the Borderlands.”
Justice pinned him with an unfriendly stare. “He also carried an unusual number of knives concealed in his clothing. You couldn’t see them, but you could tell by the way he moved and how he held his hands, if you knew what to look for.”
“If it’s true, and that’s who he is, then it’s foolish for you to go on with no one to protect you,” Seeker interrupted. “The priority right now is to stop this spawn and the rebel assassin with her, regardless of who he is, from murdering more innocent people.” He turned to his companions and addressed the assassin. “Gauntlet, you and I will go with Justice. Crevice can go on to the temple alone and lend guidance to Siege’s replacement. Once the situation has been brought under control, have Armor send reinforcements.”
Gauntlet made no protest, but took the second hross’s lead and helped Seeker mount.
While Justice had wanted all three men with him, two were enough for now. He would soon have his numbers.
And Armor would learn who was truly in charge.
Chapter Eighteen
Raven was not yet used to the sounds of her new home—the sighs and groans it made as the building settled, and the scratching of the mice that had been dislodged from their nests during cleaning. It kept her on edge and alert. When she did finally drift off to sleep, it was with Blade’s arm around her to ward off any ventures into the demon boundary without him.
So, when her father summoned her, she faced a dilemma. She did not want Blade to know of it, let alone come with her. He had become distant with her of late, and he didn’t understand this connection she had to her demon father. It was not something she wanted, but it existed and she couldn’t ignore it. Her father was far stronger than she.
She eased from beneath Blade’s arm and out of bed. Clad only in one of his shirts and a thick pair of woolen stockings, she allowed her father to draw her into the demon boundary.
At once its heat embraced her. Flutters of warm air curled around her bare legs and tugged at the hem of the shirt she wore. She faced her father at the side of the molten lake, with lightning ripping the sky, as she had the first time he’d approached her. This was his place in the boundary and he had again chosen mortal form to speak with her here.
“A female spawn summons demons into your world,” he said. “She follows you. Do you want to know why?”
Not enough to be indebted to him for an answer, so she evaded his question. “Why do you care if she does?”
“Perhaps you don’t want to know why she follows you, then,” he said, his eyes cold. “But do you want to know with whom she travels?”