Page 28 of Demonic Cage
“We knew this already, we already knew this!” the green gnome screeches, tapping his hammer-tipped staff on the ground, trembling. Who are they at war with? The angels? I mean, okay, sure, demons fight against angels.
“I’ll continue,” Léthé says disdainfully. “They say scouts were seen at the entrance of the Maavica Caves.”
This seems to surprise the gnome, but before he can say anything, Lizander beats him to it.
“On which side?”
“East,” Léthé informs him, while looking at Darya. “We sensed nothing in Gorgóna.” She pauses, then, after a while, adds, “Except for storms.”
Lizander once again outpaces everyone.
“Do you think they flew across the defense line?”
Léthé shrugs.
“How would I know? My job is to map the water, not defend the sky. Unlike yours.”
“Weren’t you persuasive enough?” Lizander smiles knowingly, causing Léthé to gulp.
“Which hell of Diávolo does this mean?” Léthé hisses at Lizander.
“The Kra-raldem reque-requested one ta-task fr-from you,” Hépotis answers, stuttering. “Ma-map Gorgóna, and a-ask Triton for ter-rritory…”
“That’s enough, Hépotis,” Darya says quietly. “I’m sure the River Goddess hasn’t disappointed us. I’m sure she has done everything I asked of her. Isn’t that right, my dear?”
Léthé hardens her gaze and nods slowly.
Darya wraps a strand of my hair around his finger.
“In the sky, we were never superior,” he begins. “Just equal to the herebias. We must control the water. If you experienced storms in Gorgóna, although darkness is on our side, I doubt the wrath of lightning would discriminate. The herebias wouldn’t be foolish enough to cross. But…” He smiles, and his claw glides over my shoulder, making even the smallest hair on me stand on end. I catch myself gazing at him, realizing how captivated I’ve been listening to his words. “Everyone may have hidden tricks if the goal is this valuable.”
Darya’s words make my heart pound. I look into his deep gray eyes, which are watching me with interest. At Léthé’s snort, I tear my gaze away. The woman rolls her eyes and surveys me with pity.
“This?” she says, gesturing casually towards me. “Do you think this walking skeleton will ever be strong enough to lift a dagger without cutting herself?”
Anger and hurt tense my muscles as I glare sharply at the demon. Does she think it was my damn choice to stay this thin?
“Would she really be the one to help us in the war?” Léthé continues. “I could drown her with just one finger…”
“Not everyone needs to be the size of a cow.”
The words spill out of me before I can think, and I’d gladly retract them, along with the lump I’m swallowing in my throat. Of course, I couldn’t remain invisible and endure her mockery. I had to snap back.
Léthé blinks a few times before distorting her face in disdain. I wait with bated breath for a spike from the sky to strike me, too. Instead, I only hear the green gnome’s laughter.
“Wonderful, wonderful!” he cackles. The blue muscular giant tightens his arms and just slightly turns his head, while Sylla continues to stare at Darya and me with an unchanged expression. I can’t make out where her focus lies.
The corner of Lizander’s mouth is upturned in a small smile, and Darya laughs.
“I disagree with you. I think she will become a great champion,” the Demon King declares cheerfully, and he starts stroking my back again, making my muscles tense. My face warms to his touch. A champion?
The demon smiles at me in satisfaction, as if he enjoys the fact that I blushed.
“This is not funny, Darya!” Léthé’s eyes spark, and Darya looks at her with boredom. “This is our only chance – we’ve always dreamed of this!” The mermaid’s voice dwindles to a whisper. “Let me try! Let me try! I could do it, while this weak human would fail. May Diávolo’s fire burn her. Her hands are trembling even now!”
Now it’s my turn to be surprised. I didn’t notice that my left hand is shaking again, like when Darya pointed it out in the coffeehouse. The withdrawal symptoms have apparently caught up with me. The woman is right. I am weak. After my brother’s death, I struggled to keep food down. Although they adjusted mymedication, it only worked for a while, and I was left with the reality that if I wanted to vomit less, I had to consume less.
I try to control my arm, but it keeps shaking. I am too weak. Compared to these beings, I am just a mortal. And I have to be plunged into their war?
