Page 27 of The Demon's Fire
Horach guided Skyler to a throne next to his. Dropping into his gold seat of honor, he directed Kole to the other side of the room.
“With all due respect, I remain with Chief Maxwell at all times.” Kole moved to stand beside Skyler’s chair. He didn’t wait for his uncle’s approval because he didn’t give a shit whether he got it or not.
Before she challenged his decision, he lifted his brows in warning. She pressed her lips together. Tight.
Good girl.
“As you wish.” Horach’s disapproval was evident when uncontrolled sparks bounced on his fingertips. Like Kole, he was an animus demon who called fire.
Once Skyler settled into place, the remaining members of the Directorate did the same. A boring discussion of business interests—breweries, distilleries, wineries—followed. Skyler listened, asking questions at times. She chitchatted about a few contracts she could set up to support the rising construction industry in Knife’s Edge, pleasing the leaders who were eager to bring more wealth into the region.
When the give-and-take ended, hundreds of demons poured through the doorways lining the great rotunda, the pounding of their boots deafening. Before Skyler could flinch, Kole rested a hand on her shoulder, letting his palm heat, sending reassurances through her. Her muscles relaxed so quickly, he doubted Horach or the others noticed her moment of nerves.
With the crowd settled along the edge of the chamber in sections by tribe, Horach rose, his bold stance as full of false pride as he was. “Today we welcome the Alliance’s Chief Legal Officer Maxwell. She honors us with the request for the Genesis Rite.Neka ceremon pocetak.” He bent toward Skyler to whisper. “Let the ceremony begin.” Horach raised his arm and chopped it downward.
Twenty bare-chested males entered the hall, boots laced to their knees, pelts tied to their waists by colorful sashes indicating their tribes. Each strode in front of Skyler, banging his weapon on a shield or the floor while dipping a chin to honor her. With the greeting out of the way, they faced off in pairs.
Skyler turned a wide-eyed look toward Kole, understanding creeping into her baby blues but not showing in her expression.
Her courage under fire surprised Kole. Nothing seemed to rattle her.On the outside.But he was beginning to recognize the subtle signs of her caged emotions.
The battle began. An evenly matched pair, their shields raised, faced off in front of Skyler. The combatant wearing a red sash lunged, his short blade thrust forward. Though the male with an orange sash brushed the weapon aside with his shield, he was too late. His opponent had slashed his upper arm.
Injured, the hedon demon wearing his tribe’s orange lost momentary control. His beast flickered, its larger body encasing him like a mirage, claws extending from fingers and fangs piercing gums. Then suddenly, he returned to normal. Skyler rubbed her eyelids.
Horach shouted to the combatants. “Warriors. We have a guest.”
Kole leaned close to Skyler’s ear. “He doesn’t want the fighters to scare you. Our beasts can be … imposing to a human.”
Skyler nodded, her cool gaze returning to the violence on the floor of the rotunda. Inhaling a deep breath, she maintained a passive expression.
Kole judged she wasn’t about to show disbelief. As he had suspected, Skyler knew fuck-all about the Genesis Rite. She’d find out soon enough. He patted the blades in his holster, hoping he wouldn’t need them.
Being the better fighter, the red-sashed carnal demon played with his opponent. He crouched low to slice his combatant’s leg. Ducking left, he poked the tip of his knife into his opponent’s chest. With a grim smile on his lips, he drove the blade deep.
Clutching his wound, the injured contestant howled, falling to the ground.
With a thumbs-up from Kole’s uncle, the victor wiped his weapon on his pelt, casting his battle-heated eyes around until he found another victim.
Horach twisted in his throne toward Skyler. “Once was the day we fought to the death. Do not worry, though. Now, a healer will mend the fallen warrior.”
Kole was certain his uncle would love to see bloodied dead bodies dragged from the hall rather than this newer, kinder approach.
“Hmm.” Skyler nodded while she stared at the fighter writhing on the white tile floor. Deafening cheers, along with scattered boos, rolled through the audience like waves, the sounds bouncing off the walls, echoing throughout the chamber, ramping up the potential danger.
Another two adversaries faced off near Skyler, her gaze tracking their motions. A yellow-sashed avarice demon swung a flail in a circle above his head.
The other contestant gripped a battle axe, his shield high to block attacks. But when the deadly spiked balls on a chain whipped toward him, the blow to his shield sent him to his knees.
Before he could rise, the avarice demon kicked him to the floor, a foot on the fallen male’s neck. Horach cast a thumb up, gesturing the end to their battle. The defeated warrior slunk from the rotunda while the superior fighter sought another opponent.
Kole eyed the two largest fighters in the arena, each topping his own six-foot-eight height. He recognized Dermott with the axe, warding off his opponent’s blows with a metal shield. Runes covered nearly his entire body, a roadmap of his ancestry, while scars showed he was a seasoned warrior.
His opponent wielded a long blade in one hand, a shorter dagger in the other. No shield. Like all the breed, he bore heritage markings. A healed wound running from his forehead to his chin suggested he had seen battle.
“Ah.” Horach touched his palm to Skyler’s arm. “Dermott in the green sash is from the envy tribe. Azamat, who wears purple, is a pride demon. They are our best fighters, formidable soldiers during the Insurrection.”
When he mentioned the war, he glared at Kole, who gave as good as he got, never blinking, never glancing away, showing no shame. It was the traitorous uncle who should hang his head.
