Page 1 of The Demon Prince

ChapterOne

When had the scent of blood in the evening become so comforting?

Katherine sat with a bag of ice pressed against her hip, leaning against the outside wall of the almshouse. They mostly treated the wounded who had gotten in Gluttony’s way. Whether their patients had angered him or sparked his insatiable appetite, every victim ended up in the same place. Here.

She was covered in grime from the day. Sweat had slithered down her back as she worked to close wounds and heal injuries. And then there were the various—and copious—amounts of blood that she hadn’t scrubbed completely off.

Though today, they had a bit of a reprieve from their illustrious leader. A mining operation from another town had encountered a rather large hiccup. Three kelpies and twin vodyanoy had attacked their camp. Katherine expected they might have been fine if it had only been the vodyanoy. Sixteen men could easily fight a few water spirits who looked like overgrown toads. But kelpies? No one could fight them.

The water horses were wily and cruel. She still shuddered when she thought of the men’s injuries. So many broken limbs, flesh chewed through by sharp teeth that had scissored through muscle with ease. Deep furrows showed how wide the kelpie’s jaw could open. Some large enough to sink a man’s head into the darkness while they chewed his chest and shoulders. She’d had to remove so many limbs today, and there were still more in there. Each of them hoped someone would have time to save their lives, and few would receive that help.

Most of her crew were getting ready to leave. The second shift had arrived and that meant her coworkers were all about to stagger home through the muck and the fog. The safe planks were marked with yellow paint so no one would fall through rotting wood. Soon they would get to their floating town that was already sinking back into the swamplands. But for now, they were safe as long as they stayed on the path.

She nodded as three of them walked by her, everyone with dark hollows under their eyes and a staggering gait that suggested they might already be asleep on their feet.

One of them paused beside her seat outside, staring into the fog for a few moments before her eyes slanted down. “Do you need help getting home?”

Grace was a lovely young woman with blonde hair, a slight frame, and surprising strength at holding someone down by the shoulders while someone sawed through their mangled leg. She was also one of the most thoughtful companions Katherine had ever met.

However, she wasn’t in the habit of taking help from her friends. So she smiled tightly and shook her head. “Just have to rest it for a few moments, and then I’ll be on my way. Get started or I’ll catch up to you.”

It was meant to be a joke, but Grace just winced.

They all knew Katherine was at a disadvantage. Her hip couldn’t take long hours like today. Standing was one of the many things that exacerbated the fused bone that gave her a rather awkward limp and made her slower than the others. It didn’t help that Grace and Katherine lived in the same boarding house in town, and Grace had likely seen the scars that covered Katherine’s side.

Her cheeks flushed bright red with embarrassment, but she still flashed a grin at her friend. Hoping, please, don’t mention it.

Grace gave her another tight nod and moved on.

So it went with the few others who were still inside the almshouse. The ones who lingered were always the ones who offered their help. And Katherine appreciated it. She really did. But also she wanted them to see her as a woman who could take care of herself.

She’d lived with this injury for fifteen years just fine. They didn’t have to look at her with that pity anymore. She knew what her life was. She’d made it better through practice and...

She had to get going.

The moors were no place to walk after dark. Will-o’-the-wisps were very convincing when they wanted to be, and all manner of swamp creatures unearthed themselves from the muck. Awkwardly getting to her feet, she reached for the railing.

The worn wooden railing fit into the palm of her hand like an old friend. When she was little, she’d pretended it was a hand she held to get from place to place, and those memories still lingered as warmth bloomed in her chest. The walk home would be long, but maybe it would get rid of the stiffness that plagued her.

She started off, ignoring the creaking wood beneath her and the echoing moans that always filled the air around the building. It was why they’d built the almshouse so far from the town. No one enjoyed hearing the sick and the dying.

These walkways extended all throughout their kingdom. Wood that constantly had to be replaced because the ever prevalent rot would sink in. But this was a well-maintained path, considering the injuries that happened in this kingdom, so she knew the boards were steady under her feet.

Katherine let her gaze wander over the moors themselves. So pretty. So deceiving. As night settled in, everything came to life around her. The willow trees, with their long hanging tendrils, made a hushed sound as the wind blew through them. The bog water smelled like peat and greenery, decorated with lily pads, bright flowers, and emerald patches of algae that suddenly glowed in the darkness. Fireflies burst to life, swirling around her and blinking in every direction. Will-o’-the-wisps hid among them, but one would never know.

If her eyes cast downward, she might see the souls of the fallen. Those who had died in the mud always stayed where they were. Their ghostly features glowed a sickly green in the nighttime as they waited for someone to fall into the depths.

There were, of course, creatures to fear other than the kelpie and the vodyanoy. Rusalki with their beautiful calls, loup garou who haunted the land, näkki who only hunted children brave enough to stray from their mother’s sides. They were all there.

But Katherine had never been afraid in the moors. Not once. She’d always seen the beauty in the wild.

Her shuffling steps were uneven, the clunking sounds followed by silent footsteps until she saw the town reveal itself in the mist. She hadn’t realized how swallowed she’d been by the swamp until she could see civilization again. Home, and it was pretty, although some didn’t agree with her.

They had to wash the walls constantly to get rid of mold and algae, but it had given the entire town a soft green hue. Vines grew from the rooftops, burying the buildings into the swamp. None were over two stories, and even that was rare. Small walkways reached out to each house, all the individual homes spread out across the water and blinking fireflies. Quaint. Quiet. It was a beautiful little town full of people that were kind in their own way.

The boarding house was the largest building in her town and had good reason to be. A monolith of its own, and one of the few two-story buildings, she lived on one side with all the other women and the men lived on the opposite end. Rather archaic, considering they were all in the boarding house for the same reason. If they couldn’t afford a home on their own, how could they afford marriage?

Sighing, she walked up to the front door and headed in. Her room was on the first floor, which meant she was frequently woken by people passing by. Tonight? She was so tired that she doubted she would wake for anything. Even a fire wouldn’t get her to leave the dreaming realm.

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