(Continued from Part 1)

  ■ ■ ■ ■

  After finishing his lunch, Chad was more than ready to return to the castle. He was feeling drained but at the same time energized, and strangely light on his hooves, as though the sadness and frustration that he'd vented to Mylo and Alfonso had had a physical weight that was now lifted.

  The other two agreed that they should be getting back, but Alfonso apparently needed to visit a jeweler to retrieve one of the necessary components to the plan. Mylo insisted that he and Chad would be fine riding back on their own, so they split up, with Chad bundling into the carriage with Mylo while Alfonso headed off in the opposite direction.

  Given his current state, Chad would have preferred to complete the journey in silence but, predictably, Mylo was not having any of that.

  “It occurs to me,” Mylo began, sitting straight up in his seat across from Chad, “that I never finished giving you that explanation you asked for.”

  “Which one?” Chad asked, turning from the window to meet the prince’s gaze.

  “About how I knew to expect you before you arrived,” Mylo said, giving Chad a slight smile.

  Chad's brow furrowed as he rolled back the past several days in his memory, to the first conversation he'd had with Mylo and Alfonso, where the prince alluded to somehow having known to be on the lookout for him, and Chad had immediately jumped to conclusions and how then everything had sort of spiraled out after that.

  “Oh,” Chad said, nodding. “Yeah, that. I suppose this is the point where you tell me my arrival was actually part of some huge eons-old prophecy, that my coming was ‘foretold by the stars,’ and I’m actually here to help you save the world or some bullshit like that, right?”

  Chad was grinning as he spoke, but when Mylo just looked at him without answering, his brow slowly furrowing, he felt the smile slip from his face and he sat forward.

  “No fucking way,” Chad said, throwing a hand up. “I’m right?!”

  “Ah, no, not… not quite, but you’re awfully close, at least about the method,” Mylo said, shaking his head and reaching up to tap his chin. “You really must tell me how you keep doing that… Anyway, no, it was not a grand prophecy which foretold your arrival, but a disciple of the God of Time and Tide, known as a tideseer, capable of ‘peering into the tides of time’ as they say, and divining possible futures.”

  Chad’s jaw hung open as he processed the prince’s words, slumping backwards into his seat again and bringing a hand up to cradle the side of his head.

  “Oh my gooood…” he moaned, rubbing his free hand across his face. He’d heard there were other gods besides the Empire’s favorite, but he’d been too deep in his funk the last few days to remember to ask about them. If this new god’s name was as on-the-nose and self-explanatory as the Goddess of Love and War’s was, then it made perfect sense that he’d have followers who could predict the future.

  “I’m actually surprised you could find someone like that around here,” Chad finally said when he was finished freaking out. “I would’ve thought for sure the Empire wouldn’t put up with people paying any attention to gods other than Love and War.”

  “Well, here in the capital that is closer to the truth, but further out in the surrounding towns you’ll find plenty of people freely and openly paying recognition to the other gods,” Mylo said, turning his head to look out one of the windows. “No one would ever go so far as to say that worshiping the other gods was not allowed, as that would be ludicrous. Love and War may be one of the major deities, but as her name implies, her domain is limited, and there are only so many things one can pray to her for and expect a response. A farmer, for instance, could not ask her to protect his crops from disease and pests, as that falls squarely into the purview of the Goddess of Reap and Sow.”

  “That… makes sense, yeah,” Chad said, nodding. He wasn’t exactly sure what kind of “response” someone usually got for praying in this world, and he wasn’t about to start asking. For all he knew, the gods in this world were real as fuck, and possibly even responsible for his being here in the first place, so he was determined to proceed with caution.

  “To that end,” Mylo continued, “since I required knowledge of events yet to pass, I began making plans to seek out a disciple of the God of Time and Tide, and yet when the time came she found me, during a routine visit to Cinderfield, the town I am ostensibly in charge of. She was a sea dweller, obviously, and said she was only passing through by chance, but I got the impression that she had been waiting there, specifically, for me.”

  “Well, considering the whole ‘seer’ part, yeah, I’d say that’s a safe bet,” Chad said, mildly sarcastically. “So, what did you ask her, then?”

  “I didn’t ask her anything,” Mylo said, cracking a grin at Chad’s dubious expression, before his face became serious again. “I was going to ask her about my plans, albeit obliquely. It was a few weeks before the end of winter, and I had only just come up with the idea of using a demon to stage mine and Alfonso’s deaths, you see, but when I learned of what actually went into the process of forcibly binding a demon to a warlock, I… hesitated. I’d sworn to myself that I would not harm innocents on my path to escape, but we had always been told that demons were, categorically, guilty simply by virtue of being demons. I was torn, and considering swallowing my morals and requesting to have the summoning performed for me, when I encountered the tideseer.” Mylo paused to take a deep breath, tilting his head back.

  “Before I could say anything, she simply smiled, took my hand, and told me ‘Be as placid as the pond, and even the gentlest breeze can cause ripples. Be of keen eye, and open ear, and you will find what you seek,’” Mylo recited, letting out a small chuckle.

  “Okay, bullshit,” Chad said, shaking his head. “That’s a prophecy-ass-prophecy if I’ve ever heard one!”

  “Have you heard many prophecies in your time?” Mylo countered, and Chad was forced to reconsider his words.

  “Well, okay, I mean I’ve seen them come up in stories, but still, they’re always some vague shit like that,” Chad said, crossing his arms.

  “I assure you, I was just as frustrated and confused,” Mylo said, still smiling. “That is, until five days ago. I had stayed up well into the early morning pondering this very conundrum, when the wind blew open the window to my balcony. I went to close it, but I recalled the words of the tideseer, and instead stepped out to see if I could spot anything.” Mylo raised his hand and pointed up towards the ceiling. “That’s when I saw it; a shooting star, pulsing between violet and pink, streaking across the sky to the south. I couldn’t be certain it was the sign I’d been looking for, until I heard of the rogue demon that had appeared from nowhere and was rampaging through the lower districts.”

  Mylo finished by lowering his hand motioning towards Chad, and he frowned, lowering his head, looking at his pink skinned arms.

  So somebody did know I'd be coming? I guess if it was gonna be anybody, a time god makes the most sense, but is he also responsible somehow? How would I even find out something like that?

  “I woke up in a crater,” Chad said, gazing up at the ceiling as well. “In the middle of some dude's farm. I hadn't thought about it since then, but, yeah, it sounds like I just fell out of the sky…” That brought something to mind, and he let out a chuckle before saying, “I wonder if that farmer's name was ‘Kent.’’

  “Shall I assume that is a joke from your world?” Mylo asked, sounding intrigued.

  “Kinda, yeah,” Chad said, smirking. “S’about a story about a guy from another planet who crashes down to Earth, and is taken in by the old couple who find him.”

  “I see…” Mylo said. A second of silence passed, then he tilted his head to the side and smiled. “That's a bit like how Alfonso and I—”

  “No.” Chad cut him off, snorting and shaking his head. “No, trust me, it's different. Way different. For one thing, you two haven't ‘taken me in,’ we’re just helping each other out.”

  “I suppose you would know, having actually read the story,” Mylo said, laughing along with Chad. “I would love to hear it sometime, when we have the time.”

  The prince nodded his head to the side, and Chad could see out the window that they were arriving in the castle courtyard again.

  “Ah, yeah, sure, I can try,” Chad said, nodding vacantly while he gathered up the sides of his cloak in preparation to exit the carriage. “There's probably a ton of stories I could tell you.”

  The door was opened, and they were let out, Prince Mylo leading the way while Chad followed with his hood drawn. They returned to Mylo’s bedchambers, where they waited patiently for Alfonso, Mylo scurrying here and there doing last-minute checks on everything they'd be bringing along, while Chad watched from the couch.

  “It truly is a shame I will have to leave most of my equipment and materials behind,” Mylo said, emerging from his lab after going to grab the last of what he was sure they could take without arousing suspicion.

  “Yeah, it is kind of a bummer,” Chad said, looking up at the shelves of books he'd never bothered to touch. “But, hey, it's just stuff, right? S'long as you and Alfonso got each other, you should be fine.”

  “That’s… true,” Mylo said after a moment, and when Chad looked he was practically beaming at him. “And also surprisingly sweet of you, Chad. Thank you for reminding me.”

  Chad felt his cheeks flush at that, and pressed himself further down into the couch beneath him in an attempt to hide it. “Eh, well, y’know… I didn’t read all those books for nothing.”

  “Clearly,” Mylo said, before sighing and reaching up to rub at one of his shoulders. “Though, speaking of things I’m going to have to leave behind, I think I shall help myself to one last hot bath while I still have the chance.”

  “Bath?” Chad said, raising his head back up and blinking. “Oh, yeah, I guess it would figure you’ve got your own private bath. I could probably use one too, after you’re done.” Chad glanced down at his body and frowned. “Then again, maybe not…”

  “Oh, there’s no need to wait,” Mylo said cheerily. “My bath is quite large, more than large enough for only two people.”

  Chad stared at Mylo, unblinking, for several seconds, before it became clear the prince was not going to catch on on his own, and he let out a groan.

  “Mylo…” Chad said, patiently. “Do you remember when I talked about how uncomfortable the idea of getting naked around strangers makes me?”

  “Well, yes,” Mylo said, reaching up to tap his chin. “But surely we aren't strangers any longer?”

  “That's not…” Chad trailed off, sighing and draping an arm across his face. Honestly, no matter from which direction he tried to rationalize it, Mylo had a point. Even from a sheer numbers standpoint, Chad had showered opposite his teammates for four years, so really, making such a big deal about one guy was a little ridiculous.

  Except he's not just one guy, he's a literal prince, who also happens to look like a girl… Then again, I do too, right now, so, wouldn’t that mean…

  “Ugh, this is starting to hurt my brain,” Chad said, sitting upright suddenly. “Fine,” he said, turning and pointing a threatening finger in Mylo’s direction. “But when I tell you not to peek, I mean it!”

  “Certainly,” Mylo agreed with a smile and a nod. “I am glad, in any case. If you truly hadn’t wished to accompany me, you likely wouldn't get another chance, as there's no way I could explain to the servants my allowing you to bathe unsupervised.”

  “Oh,” Chad said, rising from the couch and frowning. “Yeah, I guess I didn't think of that. Whatever, let's just get this over with.”

  With the adamantite cuffs once again in place, Chad followed Mylo through the halls of his personal wing of the castle, coming upon a large door with a distinctive copper handle. Along the way, Mylo spoke with the first of the servants they encountered, giving them instructions to spread the word that Prince Mylo was taking his demon for a bath, and was not to be disturbed. Chad was fortunate he'd insisted on wearing his cloak, even though they were only going a short distance, because he was sure the expression on his face would have given him away.

  Inside the baths, Chad discovered just how much he'd been underestimating the kind of facilities Mylo would have at his disposal, even adjusting for him being a prince. The walls, floor, and ceiling were entirely made of large slabs of smooth, cream-colored marble, and every fixture that Chad could see were made of polished copper. The room was divided in half, between a row of alcoves with honest-to-god shower heads, and a massive square pit that Chad realized was the actual bath.

  “Holy shit,” Chad said, gaping in awe at the sheer size of the room alone. There were also two rows of bench seats against the walls on either side of the bath, like those found inside a sauna, and even a few decorative pillars and statues occupying the far corners of the room.

  “This is just… excessive,” Chad said, turning in a slow circle. “All of this, just for you?”

  “It is a bit much, isn’t it?” Mylo said behind him, and when Chad turned he nearly jumped out of his skin, as the prince was already undressing. Thankfully, he’d only removed his shirt, and Chad was able to turn away again in time, but he was suddenly reconsidering this whole thing.

  “In theory,” Mylo continued, and Chad could hear him moving behind him, crossing the room. “This would be here for not just myself, but my various guests, consorts, and family, were I ever to have any of those.”

  There was a creak, and a hiss, and suddenly the sound of flowing water filled the room. Chad chanced another glance over his shoulder, and saw Mylo fiddling with two oversized valves attached to a large pipe that jutted out over one edge of the pit, one hand in the stream of steaming water that was pouring forth.

  “Right,” Chad said, turning away. It probably wasn’t too late for him to back out, but, honestly, he really wanted that bath. In a few scant hours, they’d be paying a fatal visit to the temple to take out the Archbishop, and after that, fleeing the city, so Chad felt he was almost obligated to take this one last chance at a moment of comfort.

  “I’m going to undress now,” Chad announced, already unslinging his cloak from his shoulders. “If I catch you looking, I will kill you.”

  “Very well,” Mylo replied. “There are towels and washcloths in that cabinet over there. Just be sure you shower off thoroughly.”

  Chad couldn’t see if Mylo was pointing, but there was only one cabinet in the room, made of a strange-looking turquoise-colored wood. Chad went over and quickly retrieved one of the large, red towels, and also noticed a sheer overabundance of glass bottles and colorful bars of soap.

  “Is this… shampoo?” Chad asked, incredulous.

  “The top shelf is, yes,” Mylo answered, suddenly appearing beside Chad, causing him to jump again. “The second shelf is conditioning oils, if you wish to make use.” Mylo reached for a towel himself, then grabbed one of the bottles and a bar of soap, disappearing into one of the alcoves. Shaking his head, Chad followed suit, stepping quickly to the farthest alcove from the one Mylo had chosen, quickly shedding the rest of his clothes, leaving them on a little shelf on the outside of one of the dividing walls.

  The sheer mundanity of the shower setup actually gave him some small amount of comfort, while he tried to keep his neck as straight and stiff as possible to avoid getting distracted by his own body, which was not a problem he ever thought he’d have. Using the two knobs to dial in the water until it was appropriately hot without being scalding, he took several deep breaths, then set to work lathering up and scrubbing down. Despite his nerves, he couldn’t help but start to actually feel better as he went through his usual routines, the hot water and fragrant, sweet-scented soap working in tandem to soothe his muscles and wipe away what felt like much more than just five days worth of dirt and grime. Even the unfamiliar parts, like his hooves and tail, didn’t seem to bother him as much anymore as he scrubbed and scraped and rinsed himself clean.

  He was finished before he could realize, at which point small threads of doubt and discomfort began to worm their way back in. Turning off the water, he stood in the little alcove, leaning slightly against the wall and just breathing in the steam-filled air for several long moments.

  Turning around, he found that not only had Mylo finished before him, but he was already in the bath, his back to the showers.

  “I’m… I’m coming over now,” Chad called out, stepping out and grabbing for the towel he’d left on the shelf, wrapping it around himself, then cursing under his breath and re-wrapping it much higher up.

  “Shall I close my eyes?” Mylo asked, and Chad grimaced. God, he was being such a fucking wuss about this, he—

  No. No, no more of that. Not now, he lectured himself.

  “Yes…” Chad called out, then, in a weaker voice, “please.”

  “As you wish,” Mylo said, a note of faint amusement in his voice. “Just tell me once you’re comfortably submerged.”

  Swallowing, Chad nodded to himself and stepped out of the alcove, the clip-clop of his hooves on the marble echoing inside the ridiculously spacious bathroom. He inched around the outer edge of the pool, craning his neck to see Mylo’s face, to see if he really did have his eyes closed. He did, but the prince smiled and turned his head in Chad’s direction as he watched.

  “I told you I would,” Mylo said, and Chad felt his cheeks, already warm from the shower, somehow get hotter.

  Right… right, he can sense where I am even with his eyes closed.

  “Sorry,” Chad muttered, quickly crossing the rest of the distance to the opposite side of the pit. “I just…”

  “I understand,” Mylo said, when Chad couldn’t manage to finish his thought.

  With another deep breath, he slipped off his towel and dipped his hoof into the water to test it. Then, when he realized he couldn’t actually feel anything through his hoof, he drew it back out and turned slightly, dipping the tip of his tail into the water instead. It was hot, like, hot tub hot, but that seemed like exactly what Chad needed. Moving slowly, and carefully, Chad eased himself into the water, a protracted groan of relief all but forcing its way out of his mouth as he sunk up to his shoulders.

  “Fuuuuuuuck…” Chad moaned, letting his head rest on the edge of the pool. “Oh this is… fuck, you have no idea how much I needed this.”

  “I could perhaps wager a guess,” Mylo said, chuckling softly. “Will you be alright if I open my eyes now?”

  Chad lifted his head and, sure enough, Mylo’s eyes were still shut tight. He opened his mouth to agree, but hesitated, suddenly curious.

  “What if I said ‘no?’” he asked, and Mylo cocked his head to the side.

  “Mmmh, then I suppose I would just have to enjoy this bath in the dark,” he said, and Chad felt his chest tighten, bringing a hand up to his face.

  “Fuckin hell, dude,” Chad said, shaking his head. “Alright, fine, you can open them. Don’t even know why I’m bothering. Like you said the other day, you’ve already fuckin’ seen ‘em.”

  Opening his eyes, Mylo met Chad’s gaze and smiled. “I was not going to bring that up, but, yes. And, similar to what Ambroise said, I have seen a naked woman before.”

  “Really?” Chad asked, raising an eyebrow. “I thought you were gay? And… with Alfonso?”

  “Ah, yes, I’ve been meaning to come back to that,” Mylo said brightly, getting that enthusiastic gleam in his eye that Chad was starting to recognize . “I don’t recall if you ever finished explaining what exactly that word you kept using means. I believe you said it referred to men who only prefer the company of other men?”

  “Yeah?” Chad said, and Mylo let out a small titter.

  “Then I was correct, and you are mistaken,” Mylo said, and Chad felt his eyes widen slightly. “I can certainly understand people who have preferences, but I myself have never favored any one gender over another.”

  “Wh… what?” Chad asked, blinking, feeling like a spike of ice was traveling down his spine. “You mean… okay, well, I guess I was just assuming because you and Alfonoso… but he told me you two have been like, paired up together since you were way young, so haven’t you been together for like, that whole time?”

  “Well, that’s a bit of a simplification of the events,” Mylo said, looking up towards the ceiling wistfully before shaking his head. “But even then, I’m still not sure I understand what you mean. It sounds as though you think Alfonso and I being partners precludes either of us from having physical relations with anyone else.”

  “I… well, yeah, doesn’t it?” Chad stammered sitting up suddenly, before realizing what he was doing and sinking back into the water with a splash.

  “Not at all?” Mylo said, bemusedly. “Why would it?”

  “Because that’s cheating otherwise!” Chad shouted again, unsure why he was letting himself get so worked up over this. He was supposed to be relaxing, damnit!

  “Cheating?” Mylo said, his brow furrowing even further. Reaching a hand out of the water, he tapped his chin, repeating the word several times. “Cheating, cheating, cheating… Oh, are you referring to the concept of infidelity? As in, engaging in intercourse with someone in secret, without consulting your partner or spouse first?” When Chad, too worked up to respond just nodded, Mylo frowned.

  “Why would I ever do something like that?” Mylo asked, and the way he seemed genuinely hurt made Chad’s chest ache again. “Alfonso and I are partners, in all things. We have both always strove to be open and honest with one another about our wants and needs, including where intimacy is concerned, and I can’t imagine concealing anything like that from him, or him doing the same to me.”

  Geez, rub it in why don’t you…

  “So you… so neither of you has a problem with the other sleeping with someone else?” Chad asked, feeling his motivation to continue this line of questioning running out of steam. “You don’t… get jealous or anything?”

  “Oh…” Mylo said, moving his hand from his chin to his mouth, his eyes on Chad suddenly sad. “Oh, no, Chad, no. Oh, I’ve done it again, I’ve forgotten that you aren’t from this world…” Shaking his head, Mylo’s eyes drifted towards the ceiling again. “I know you might not feel much warmth towards the goddess, due to your circumstances, but I would like to share some of her teachings with you.”

  Mylo paused, and Chad realized he was waiting for him to actually choose if he wanted to hear this.

  Eh… what the hell. I already listened to Ambroise's mystical elf wisdom, I’m sure this won’t be any more confusing.

  “Sure,” Chad said, sinking down further into the bath, until the water was up to his chin.

  Mylo gave a slight smile and nodded, then straightened his back slightly, and spoke, sounding almost like he was delivering a sermon. “The goddess tells us that one's capacity for love cannot, and indeed, should not be considered a finite resource. It cannot be depleted, divided, or exhausted, as long as one keeps their heart open. And it certainly cannot be diminished by simply sharing a bed with another, for love is also multifaceted.” Mylo placed a hand on his chest. “The overflowing love I feel in my heart for Alfonso is different from the love, however scant, I feel for my family, which is different from the love I feel for myself, which in turn is different from the love, and affection, I feel towards a companion I’ve opted to invite into my bed, for however short a time. Even if Alfonso were to tell me, for example, he has found himself falling for another, I would not take that to mean not that his capacity for love has been suddenly halved, but that it has been multiplied, and if I were ever in doubt, I know I could speak to him about my fears, and be reassured of that fact.”

  Mylo paused to catch his breath, sliding back down into the water as well, trying to sit eye level with Chad, who had continued to slink further and further into the water, his mouth and the bottom half of his face now covered as well. “So, no,” he said softly, giving Chad a wan smile. “I have been fortunate to never feel the cruel sting of jealousy, and I am more sorry than I can say if you ever have.”

  Chad stared back at the prince for several long, drawn out seconds, only the very top of his head poking out of the water like a crocodile laying in wait. Rising up just enough that he’d be able to speak, Chad tried to organize his thoughts into words.

  “I… you… that is…” With a growl of frustration, he gave up, and instead said. “I’ll be right back.”

  Saying this, Chad sucked in a deep breath of air, and sank beneath the water, screwing his eyes shut and clutching the sides of his head, like it was about to split open, which honestly it felt like it was. There were many things he could choose to focus on from the prince’s words, from their discussion over the last few minutes, but there was only one takeaway that his brain seemed intent on repeatedly circling around, like a hungry shark.

  And that was the revelation that, despite the fact that the pair were “together,” they were not “taken,” as Chad would think of it. That both of them were not just hypothetically open to the idea of screwing around, but that they seemingly semi-regularly engaged in exactly that behavior. Chad didn’t even know why that was the part his mind insisted on honing in on. There was so much more he could choose to focus on, like the question of what a belief system like that meant for the rest of the general population, or how the Empire had managed to go from something like that to declaring the one who said it somehow cared about one group over all the myriad others. But, no, all he could think about was that Mylo and Alfonso apparently were attracted to both—

  Feeling his chest finally starting to burn, Chad emerged from the water, gasping for air and coughing.

  “Fuck…” he sputtered, shaking his head, thankful for once for his horns as they helped keep his hair out of his face. “Fuck…”

  “Welcome back,” Alfonso’s voice greeted him, and his eyes flew open, finding the other man standing over the edge of the pool behind Mylo, who was tilting his head back to smile up at him.

  “W-where the—!” Chad started to ask, but it was obvious. Alfonso must have knocked, and entered, while he was freaking out under the water. Even more keenly aware of how far he was above the water line, Chad sat back down and cleared his throat. “H-hey… man. How, uh, how’d it go with the, uh… thing.”

  Alfonso looked at Chad, one eyebrow arching, then glanced down at Mylo before answering. “It went well. I have the ring.”

  “Splendid,” Mylo said, beaming. “Then once we are finished here, all that remains is to wait until nightfall.”

  “Indeed,” Alfonso said, nodding and walking away from the pool, and—oh god he’s taking off his shirt too—asking, “So, have I missed anything? I haven’t interrupted, have I?”

  “No!” Chad shouted before immediately biting his tongue, continuing at more measured volume. “N-no. No, you missed absolutely goddamn nothing.” Chad shot Mylo a glare as he spoke, willing the prince to get his message.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  “Yes,” Mylo said calmly, still smiling. “We were just discussing some minor differences between Chad’s world and ours, nothing important.”

  Chad had never felt so relieved. It lasted exactly as long as it took for Alfonso to shower and join them in the bath, at which point Chad was the one keeping his eyes closed, letting his head rest on the edge of the pool and trying to slow his racing mind and his pounding heartbeat. Thankfully, he was successful. While the heat had diminished slightly, it was still hot enough that Chad’s muscles felt like they were melting the longer he sat still and stewed rather than thrashing about getting worked up over nothing. He laid there, listening to Alfonso and Mylo chatter quietly, and found himself nearly drifting off several times, until a hand gently shook him awake.

  It was Alfonso, looming over him, thankfully wrapped in a towel.

  “I am sorry, Chad,” Alfonso said. “But we must be heading back now.”

  “R-right,” Chad stammered, starting to sit up, but stopping to point up at Alfonso. “Close your eyes!”

  With both Mylo and Alfonso sufficiently blinded, Chad climbed out of the water and moved on shaky, noodly legs to the other side of the room to dry himself off, the other pair doing the same in their far corner of the bathroom. Chad felt a small pang at the realization that he hadn’t brought any of his clean clothes to change into, when he found an extra set neatly folded on top of the stack of his old clothes. Casting a wary glance towards Mylo and Alfoso, he figured that one of them was responsible, and reached up to run a hand down his face.

  He couldn’t wait to get out of here.

  With the three of them dressed, and Chad shackled again, they returned to Mylo’s bedroom to wait out the rest of the evening. They went over the plan one more time, and Mylo ordered them a fantastically satisfying dinner, and then they settled in, the hours seeming to stretch on like taffy, until finally Mylo declared it was time to go.

  As they left Mylo’s room, Chad was shackled by the adamantite cuffs, for what he knew—or maybe just hoped—would be the last time. There were fewer servants to encounter, but that didn’t mean there were none, and just like on their way to the bath, Mylo caught the attention of the first one they encountered and informed her that he and Alfonso were heading out of the castle for the night, to visit the temple and see the archbishop.

  The carriage was waiting for them in the courtyard, as was one of the castle guards, a man Chad was certain he must have encountered before, but could not name. He tried to ask Mylo if he wouldn’t prefer to bring a larger escort, but the prince just laughed and waved him off, insisting that Alfonso would be enough, and then remarking that after tonight, he would have all the protection he could ever need, looking pointedly in Chad’s direction. The guard's eyes lingered very obviously on Chad, and the shackles he made sure were visible outside of his cloak, and he made no further protests.

  The ride towards the temple was quiet, and tense.

  “Are you sure the Archbishop is going to buy it?” Chad asked as he swapped the adamantite cuffs out for a second, much more crude iron bangle that matched the one he had on his right wrist, the one he’d arrived in this world wearing; his tether, as Ruby had called it.

  “He would have no reason not to,” Mylo reassured him, raising his own right hand, showing off the large and ostentatious ring he now wore there: a thick gold band, dotted with large purple stones. The prince touched his thumb to the side of the ring, and the largest stone in the center began to glow faintly. “All demon pacts take a physical form, the shape and composition of which is determined by the perception of the parties involved. Between this ring, and your extra bindings, he should see exactly what I have led him to believe he will see; a successfully bound demon, while all my servants and guards will attest that you were unbound when we left the castle.”

  “Right, right,” Chad said, nodding. Ruby had explained the way pacts worked, in the cell he temporarily shared with her, and Mylo had gone over this part of plan twice now. He was just being nervous. He slipped his hands inside his pocket, feeling the adamantite cuffs he had stashed there, and tried to relax again.

  All too soon, they were pulling up outside the temple. The streets of the city were lit by street lamps filled with bouncing, glowing orbs, and on any other day Chad would have gladly asked Mylo to explain everything about them, but he had to focus. They climbed the steps to the grand double doors, which were closed, and instead diverted to a smaller, more reasonably sized door next to the main entrance. There was a young woman in white and red robes to meet them, who told them the Archbishop would be there shortly.

  Remembering at the last second that he had to be in character, Chad pasted a scowl onto his face, which became a very real scowl at the sight of the older bespectacled blond man making his leisurely way towards the three of them with Ruby in tow.

  “Your Highness!” the archbishop said, beaming like a proud uncle. “A delight, as always, to see you again. I see my advice has paid off, and the ritual was a success.”

  “Indeed,” Mylo said, holding up his right hand and perfunctorily examining his ring. “I have you to thank for this. Your teachings over the last few days on the best methods of breaking down a demon’s resistance proved most invaluable, and the ritual went off without a hitch.”

  “I told you there was no room for such things as soft words and sweet bargains,” the archbishop said with a chuckle, shaking his head. “You must be as firm and unyielding as steel, to make them understand. The only gift they need, the only one they deserve, is to be given the opportunity to serve the goddess’s will, in order to atone for the grievous sin of their existence.”

  Chad was practically grinding his teeth by the time the man finished, letting out a hearty belly laugh. Beside him, Ruby’s eyes were fixed on Chad, her brow furrowed and her mouth turned down into a deep, sorrowful frown.

  “Hmm, though I can’t help but marvel at what you’ve done,” the archbishop said as he turned to actually look at Chad, his head this way and that, appraising him in a way that made him feel like his skin was about to crawl all the way off his body. “I can tell this is the same demon by that petulant face, but how have you managed to alter its appearance so drastically in so short a time.”

  “That is actually one of the things I came to discuss with you,” Mylo said, taking a step towards the archbishop and lowering his voice. “You see, once I had the demon bound, I began to interrogate it, and it told me something that I found rather interesting. It mentioned that you had some rather interesting facilities beneath the temple? Some sort of holding cells?”

  “Ah.” The warmth that had suffused the archbishop’s tone was blown out like a candle, and he lowered his voice. “It told you that, did it?” he asked, shooting Chad an undisguised look of contempt.

  What’re you lookin’ at me for, asshole? Like I would’ve had a choice?

  “It did, yes,” Mylo said, nodding and waving his hand. “I would very much like to take a look at these facilities for myself, as I may wish to commission something of a similar design for myself back at the castle. I must admit, after seeing how easy it was to handle this demon, I find myself curious about the prospect of acquiring more, and I’ll need someplace practical to store them all.”

  “Oh,” the archbishop said, looking momentarily nonplussed, before smiling brightly again. “Oh, of course Your Highness. Yes, I believe I can assist you there.” Turning with a whirl of his robes, the archbishop began to lead them through the rows of benches, towards the far right side of the temple’s main floor. Chad couldn’t help but glance up at the huge, looming statue of the Goddess of Love and War as they passed underneath the shadow of her outstretched sword. Producing a key, the archbishop opened the iron-banded door that Chad had passed through only five days ago, when he was certain he was about to be forcibly magically enslaved by this very same man. He wanted to pull his cloak around himself and curl in on himself, but he needed to focus.

  It would be his turn to act, soon.

  Taking the stairs down, and down, until they were once again in the lightless, cold stone halls of the archbishop’s personal dungeon, Chad found himself falling behind. Mylo and the archbishop walked beside each other, the latter putting on an excellent show of appearing to be interested in the former's twisted interior design tips. Alfonso hovered close to Mylo, but at a distance, and he glanced back over his shoulder periodically. Ruby, who had continued to follow, appeared at Chad’s side, speaking just above a whisper.

  “Are you allowed to speak?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” Chad said, trying to keep his head forward, and not meet her three eyed gaze.

  “I’m… sorry, about what has happened to you,” she said hesitantly. “I know this was the last thing you wanted to happen.”

  “Eh,” Chad said, shrugging and looking down at himself. “I know I freaked out about it earlier, but… I don’t actually hate looking like this as much as I thought I would.”

  Ruby’s head turned, slowly, and she stared at Chad for several seconds, before saying, “no, no, I meant… I mean being forced into a pact?”

  “Oh…” Chad said, cursing internally. He lifted his wrists, looking at the matching cuffs, one “real” and one “fake,” and nodded. “Yeah, no, that… that part sucks more than anything, but… what could I do, eh?”

  Ruby continued to stare at him, and he lowered his arms again, tucking them into the folds of his cloak lest she try to examine his bindings closer. Up ahead, Mylo turned back, calling out loudly and obviously, “Alfonso? Come here, tell me, what do you think of this size of cell?”

  Chad’s ears perked up, and he picked up his pace, because that was the first signal, telling him and Alfonso it was time to move into position and get ready. He tucked his hands into his pockets, feeling the items he held there, and sidled up closer to Ruby, while Mylo gripped one of the bars of the cell to give it an experimental tug and the archbishop droned on about the composition of the metal and the construction of the cells.

  “I’m… glad you’re here, Ruby,” Chad said, stopping and turning towards the demon woman. “And not one of your sisters. I… I don’t know how many more chances we’ll get to see each other after this, so I wanted to thank you, for… keeping me company, in that cell.”

  Saying this, Chad held out his hand, as though for a handshake. Ruby arched an eyebrow, looking from his outstretched hand, to his face, and he tried his best to plead with her through his eyes, to beg her to take his hand. Slowly, she raised her arm, her brow furrowing and her face scrunching up into a pained grimace, until he was able to grasp her four-fingered hand with his own.

  Thank you, Chad sighed wordlessly, then sprang into motion as quickly and quietly as he could, pulling off the maneuver he’d practiced with Mylo for at least an hour every day for the last three days. He yanked Ruby towards him, twisting her arm and shoving her as quietly and as gently as he could up against the bars of the cell beside them, whipping out the adamantite cuffs. Tugging the wrist he still held over her head, he snapped the first cuff closed around it, then deftly threaded the chain through one bar of the cell while wrestling her other arm over her head as well. All the while, Ruby bit down on her lips so hard she was actually beginning to bleed, until Chad had managed to close the second cuff, leaving her chained to the door of the cell and unable to use her magic. Only then did she gasp out and open her mouth to shout.

  “L-Look—!” was as far as she got, before Chad clapped a hand over her mouth. The archbishop, already turning at the sound of their struggle, let out a startled bark.

  “What in the name of—!” He was also unable to finish, as Mylo’s hand fell onto his shoulder, sending a cascade of sparks dancing over the man’s form, causing his body to jerk and spasm while he screamed in pain. Three achingly long seconds passed, and Mylo withdrew his hand, sending the older man crumpling to the floor, his spear-staff clattering against the stone beside him.

  “By… by the abyss,” Ruby panted, sliding down the bar until she was slumped on her knees, turning to spit out a mouthful of blood. “You… you did it. You killed him.”

  “No, we haven’t,” Mylo said smoothly, his voice somehow managing to be soothing despite how cool his tone was.

  “R-right,” Ruby said, looking down, kicking one of her legs out. “My vows are still in place… So… so are you going to kill him?”

  It was her turn to beg with her eyes, and like they’d planned, Mylo continued to deny the obvious facts, to avoid alarming Ruby, to allow her to willfully believe the lie as long as she could to avoid tripping whatever defensive impulses her pact imposed on her.

  “No,” Mylo said, stepping over the archbishop’s prone form to hand Chad a key: the key to the adamantite cuffs. “He will be perfectly alright. I simply need to have a very important talk with him, and I wanted to be sure I had his attention. But it appears as though I have overdone it; I should go gather your sisters to help him.”

  “By the gods…” Ruby said, letting her head thunk against the bars behind her, squeezing her eyes shut. “Y-yes, you should hurry, in case anyone heard that commotion… It would be best to find Emerald first, she… she will be willing to help, and you’ll need both of us to… to convince Sapphire. Emerald should be in the training hall, and Sapphire was in the archbishop’s laboratory, last I saw.”

  “Good. Alfonso and I shall locate them at once,” Mylo said, then turned to Chad. “He should remain unconscious for several minutes, but should he wake before we return…” he trailed off as Chad shook his head in Ruby’s direction.

  “I got it,” Chad said, his mouth dry and his tongue feeling clumsy. He realized his hands were shaking and hid them inside his cloak, nodding to Mylo. “I’ll take care of it.”

  Without another word, Mylo and Alfonso took off down the corridor towards the stairs that led back up to the temple proper. Taking a deep breath, Chad turned, and knelt over the collapsed archbishop.

  “He keeps the keys to these cells on him, right?” Chad asked mechanically.

  “Y-yes,” Ruby said, still visibly shaken up from their tussle. “It should be in the left side inner pocket of his robes.” Chad checked there and, sure enough, found a small ring of keys, plucking it out while Ruby continued. “I… I don’t know what the prince is up to, but… but is it possible you could… let me go? Or were you ordered not to let me escape?”

  “Psh,” Chad said, reaching up and pressing the clasp on his second cuff, popping it open and slipping it into his pocket. “Ain’t got no orders.”

  All three of Ruby’s eyes snapped open, and she gaped at Chad in naked disbelief, as he bent down and used the key Mylo had given him to unlock the adamantite cuffs from Ruby’s wrists. She just as quickly squeezed them shut again, moving to the far corner of the row of cells while Chad turned and dragged the archbishop over, locking him into the same position she had been, with his wrists bound over his head and the chain looped through one of the bars.

  “I’ll be right back,” Chad said, and Ruby turned her head in his direction, worry evident on her face. He stood up and stepped out into the corridor, heading in the opposite direction that Mylo and Alfonso had run.

  “W-wait, where are you going?” Ruby called after him.

  Looking back over his shoulder, Chad tried to smirk, but it felt weak and crooked. “I have to go get something.”

  Then, he took off, praying silently to anyone who cared to listen that he was making the right decision.

  He arrived at the final fork in the corridor, at the last short hallway of cells, the one he’d woken up in. His cell, the last one on the right, was right where he’d left it, and in the cell next to it was the hunched girl with bone white skin and mismatched eyes.

  “Hey,” Chad said, but the girl continued to squat against the wall with her head buried in her arms. “Hey,” he repeated, more insistently, as he pulled out the ring of keys, and at that she did look up, blinking in confusion. There were only four keys on the ring, so thankfully it didn’t take Chad long to find the correct one and twist the lock, pulling the cell open with a harsh squeal of metal.

  “Come on, I’m getting you out of here,” Chad said, motioning for the girl to follow him. When she just continued to sit and stare at him, he let out light huff and hurried into the cell, kicking small piles of bones out of his way as he went. “Come on!” he insisted again, holding his hand out towards her.

  The girl cocked her head to the side slowly, like a confused dog, but did eventually reach out and place her hand in his. It was cold, and clammy, but Chad gripped it firmly and pulled her to her feet, turning and racing out of the cell. He hadn’t told Mylo about the girl, or about this part of the plan, because he wasn’t sure if the prince would still agree, but there was no way Chad was leaving her behind.

  He could already tell something was wrong as he approached the junction where he’d left Ruby and the archbishop, because he heard two voices, one of which was the archbishop’s.

  “—care if you have to sever my hands, you infernal whore, just get over here and help me!”

  “I-I-I can’t!” Ruby gasped out, her voice strained. “You… you set the conditions of my pact so that I could never harm you, under any circumstances! I’ll die if I try!”

  “Then die trying, you—!” The archbishop was awake, obviously, and his head whipped around as Chad rounded the corner, glaring daggers at him and yanking on the chain of the shackles that held him.

  “You!” the man hissed. Across from him, Ruby stood, with one of her arms looped through the bars of an empty cell, her free hand clutching her head in pain. It looked like she was fighting with her own body to stop herself from rushing towards the archbishop and carrying out his orders. “Did that fool of a prince you now call a master honestly believe I would be foolish enough not to invest in lightning resistant enchantments?”

  “Oh, shut the fuck up, dude,” Chad said, rolling his eyes and motioning towards Ruby with his free hand. “And whatever you’re doing to her, stop it, I don’t want to have to kill you before they find the other two, but I will.”

  The ruse was pretty much up at this point, Chad figured, and beside him Ruby let out a pained hiss, clinging even tighter to the bars she used to anchor herself.

  “Ha! As if you could! Ruby, I order you to kill—” the archbishop had started to turn his head to issue his next command, but froze, eyes practically bulging out of his head as he noticed the conspicuous presence of the pale girl beside Chad.

  “You let that thing out?!” he gasped, suddenly beginning to yank desperately on the shackles that bound him in place. “What have you done?! You’ve killed us all! R-Release me, I’m the only one who—”

  He never got the chance to finish, as the girl’s hand slipped from Chad’s grasp, and she lunged forward before he could even think to try and stop her. Chad watched, mouth agape, as scaled flesh blossomed like goosebumps up the girl’s arms, and her fingers, held out like claws, began to melt together, new skin growing between the gaps, each of her palms forming a wet, red opening that Chad realized was a mouth, from which a pair of ivory fangs sprouted like a pair of spring-loaded needles. Before he knew it, the girl’s arms had transformed into two enormous snakes, their mouths open and hissing as she descended on the now screaming archbishop. One sank its fangs into the man’s shoulder, holding him in place, while the other coiled around his neck, reducing his cries to strangled choking. The girl’s own mouth opened now, and continued opening, growing impossibly wide as her entire face popped and cracked and elongated until it resembled the head of a massive wolf, complete with pale white fur and slavering jaws full of razor sharp fangs.

  In one motion, the girl-turned-monster snapped forward, engulfing the archbishop’s entire head in her jaws. With a stomach turning ripping sound, the pale girl twisted to the side, wrenching the man’s head from his body. Chad watched, numb with horror, as she tilted her wolf-like head back, swallowing her prize whole. The archbishop’s body, what was left of it, slumped against the cuffs that held it to the cell door, sending an ocean of blood surging out onto the stones of the dungeon.

  Chad was frozen. Beside him, Ruby held her hands to her mouth, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. The pale creature turned towards them, and with a sound like sandpaper rubbing together, and several more pops, her body began to revert to normal. The scales receded down her arms, and the snake’s heads split apart, reforming into fingers. The massive wolf’s head sunk in on itself, the fur retracting, and her features returning to that of an ordinary girl, albeit one with her mouth and the entire front of her body coated in blood. She took a step forward, then another, and Chad felt his back come into contact with the bars behind him, unaware that he’d been backing up until he ran out of room to do so. The girl continued to approach, until she was standing right in front of him, looking up at him with her mismatched, green-and-blue eyes.

  Wordlessly, she reached out and slotted her hand back into Chad’s, returning to his side while she slowly and clumsily tried to lick her lips clean.

  “Wh… What… What the fuck…” Chad stammered, looking to Ruby for answers, but she had none. As he watched, the quartet of shackles on her wrists and ankles cracked, and crumbled to dust, but the metal collar remained, shrinking down until it was less than half of its original thickness.

  Holding up her suddenly bare wrists, Ruby’s eyes somehow widened even more, and she whispered, “Oh… oh no…”

  Then, the screaming started.

  A shrill, pained wail echoed through the stone corridors, coming from somewhere above them. Exchanging a glance with Ruby, Chad sighed, and gripped the blood covered girl’s hand tighter.

  “Fuck it,” Chad said, reaching into his pocket, pulling out a small glass orb full of a bright orange liquid, turning to Ruby and jerking his head towards the corridor. “Go. You don’t want to be here when this goes off.” Granted, Chad himself didn’t know exactly what was going to happen when he used the orb himself, but Mylo had been very clear that after he threw it he was to vacate the area as quickly as possible. Thankfully, Ruby steeled herself, wiped her face and her eyes, and took off running. Glancing down at the girl, Chad sighed, and hucked the glass orb at the ground in front of the archbishop’s corpse. The glass shattered, spilling the orange liquid onto the stones, where it immediately began to steam and hiss. Chad broke into a sprint, pulling the girl with him, joining up with Ruby at the base of the stairs just as a roaring explosion shook the dungeon, the entire corridor behind him filling with flames.

  Chad spared a single second to make a mental note to yell at Mylo later for making him carry those in his pocket, then hustled up the stairs with Ruby and the pale girl in tow.

  Bursting out into the temple floor, the sound of screaming grew louder, to the point that Chad used his free hand to cover one of his ears. Around him, people in robes were panicking, rushing around like decapitated chickens. With a frustrated grunt, Chad pulled his hand away from his head, holding it out in front of him.

  “Hey!” he shouted over the constant screaming, and every head turned in his direction. With a mental flex, he summoned a sphere of ice into his hand, which grew into a long, lumpy, vaguely pointed icicle, which he pointed at the closest terrified acolyte, and then the doors. “What’re you running around for? Get the fuck out of here!” When the young man didn’t move, Chad roared, and chucked the ice spike towards him, where it struck the ground a few feet in front of him and shattered.

  Adding their screams to the noise, they all began to flee towards the temple doors. Satisfied, Chad turned, wondering how he was supposed to figure out which direction the god-awful shrieking was coming from, when Alfonso came running out from a passage behind the central altar, followed moments after by Emerald.

  “What happened?” Alfonso yelled, then did a double take as he took in the appearance of the pale girl at Chad’s side, pointing. “And who is that?!”

  “No time to explain!” Chad shouted back. “We have to find Mylo and Sapphire and get out of here!”

  “We’ll be lucky if Sapphire doesn’t bring this whole fucking building down on us first!” Emerald roared, confirming what Chad was afraid he’d already figured out: that she was the source of the screaming. Exchanging a glance with Ruby, the larger demon nodded and turned, waving for them to follow. “This way! She’s probably still in the lab!”

  Their group raced through the halls, with Chad falling behind, both because he had to ensure the girl didn’t lag, and because any time he encountered a door he endeavored to kick it open, and shout at any people he found inside to get out of the building. He couldn’t hang around to ensure that they did, but he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if he didn’t try.

  Rounding one final corridor, they found Mylo, crouched down against the wall beside an empty door frame, the door having been blown clean off its hinges and lying in the middle of the hallway. To make matters worse, there was a powerful stream of wind blowing out from the open doorway, into the hall, making everyone have to brace themselves against the wall and struggle to advance. In the room beyond, Chad could see what looked like an indoor tornado, the air thick with clouds and debris that swirled around a central point, from which the constant shrieking was emanating.

  When Chad finally managed to drag himself up next to Alfonso, who was hunched protectively over Mylo, he called out, “What the fuck do we do now?!”

  “I’m not certain I can hit her from here without a clear line of sight!” Mylo yelled, lifting his head up to peer at Chad. He very clearly and very obviously glanced at the pale girl, who was by now clinging to Chad’s side, and said nothing. For some reason, that alone scared Chad almost as much as watching the archbishop get beheaded.

  “We’ll stop her!” Emerald thundered, turning to Ruby and placing a slablike hand on her shoulder. Ruby, who looked much less confident than Emerald, nodded nonetheless, and swallowed.

  Rising to her feet and struggling to step in front of the open door frame, Ruby held her hands out in front of her, and suddenly a wall of translucent blue energy covered the opening, muffling the banshee wailing from the other side.

  “I’ll get you as close as I can,” Ruby said with determination, belied by the way her knees continued to shake. With one last glance in Chad’s direction, she took a deep breath, and began to walk forward. The barrier she was projecting expanded as she did, going from blocking just the door, to sealing off her side of the room entirely, from floor to ceiling. Emerald squeezed in behind her, one hand on Ruby’s back for support, the other held out at her side. As Chad watched, the color began to drain from Emerald’s body, and her impressive height began to diminish, like she was melting into the floor. Or, rather, into Ruby’s shadow, causing it to darken until it was as black as ink.

  Chad looked on in amazement as Ruby pushed her way further and further into the room, causing the raging storm on the other side of her barrier to be compressed further and further, until he was certain he could make out a figure through the dust and wind.

  “G-go! Hurry!” Ruby shouted, and the living oil slick that was her shadow extended, slipping under her barrier and into the half of the room where the tornado swirled. A dark shape exploded out of the floor, engulfing the smaller figure, and Ruby gasped, turning her arms and cupping her hands like she was holding a ball, causing her barrier in turn to curve inward on itself, surrounding the two struggling figures in a cylinder of light which slowly shrank. Debris, including books, papers, bits of glass and wooden splinters, all rained down onto the laboratory floor as the wind that had been carrying them was suddenly cut off and contained.

  Chad could now see inside the cylinder, as Emerald wrestled Sapphire to the ground, shouting words at her that were muffled by the barrier. Every time the smaller demon screamed back at her, Emerald jerked as if she’d been struck, and Ruby’s barrier shuddered and flickered. Ruby was panting, and Chad was pretty sure she was bleeding again, from somewhere. Turning her head and looking through the barrier, Chad saw the defeat in Emerald’s posture. Ruby’s head nodded, and Emerald’s shoulders heaved, and she cocked her fist back, slamming it into Sapphire’s chest so hard she bounced off the floorboards. While she was dazed, Emerald placed one hand on Sapphire’s shoulder, the other one her chest, and again said something Chad couldn’t hear, before something began to spread from Emerald’s hand, dark and green and growing like a moss, until Sapphire was completely encased.

  With a soft pop, Ruby’s barrier disappeared, and she fell to her knees, gasping. Chad rushed into the room, followed by Mylo and Alfonso, kneeling over the three demons.

  “Are you alright?!” he asked, urgently. Ruby looked up at him. Blood was trailing from her nose and the corner of her mouth. Emerald seemed shaken, and rattled, but otherwise unharmed. Without the barrier obscuring Sapphire, Chad could see that she had been encased in a large green translucent crystal, inside which she had curled up into a ball.

  “Been better,” Emerald grunted, rising to her feet and cracking her knuckles. “Now, which of you do I have to beat some answers out of?”

  “There’s no time,” Mylo said, shaking his head, and Emerald lunged for him, but Alfonso interposed himself, one hand raised, fingers splayed.

  “I do not wish to fight you, demon,” Alfonso said evenly. “We have accomplished what we came here for, and we are leaving. I suggest you do the same, while you still have a chance.”

  “Tsh…” Emerald scoffed, stepping back with a growl. Her eye fell onto Chad, and then, the pale girl, and scowled. “Nevermind. I see what happened. You let that thing out, and it killed the old bastard.”

  Mylo glanced towards Chad again, but quickly looked away, staring down the demon who was several heads taller than him fearlessly.

  “Had she not, I or Alfonso or Chad would have. That was our goal. As my companion has stated, we are vacating this building.” Mylo reached into his jacket, producing a case which held five more of those glowing orange orbs. “And we’re not going to leave it standing when we do.”

  “They’re coming with us,” Chad said, causing every eye in the room to turn on him at once. He met them all, and squared his shoulders, locking eyes with Mylo, daring him to try and contradict him.

  “That was not—”

  “Part of our agreement, I know,” Chad cut him off, raising the pale girl’s hand. “Neither was she. I don’t care. I’m not leaving any of them behind to get captured and re-enslaved, or locked up, or killed.” Chad took a step forward. “They’re. Coming. With us.”

  The prince's eyes bore into him, searchingly. Chad had no idea what they found in his gaze, but it must have satisfied Mylo, because his shoulders rose, and fell, and he nodded.

  “Very well,” Mylo said, shrugging. “But I really must insist we get moving.”

  “Who says we—” Emerald started to say, and Chad reached out, grabbing one of the glass orbs from the case Mylo held. Turning, he hurled it at the far wall. Emerald stared at him, incredulous, then stooped and grabbed up the crystal containing Sapphire, barreling towards the door. Chad used his free hand to loop Ruby’s arm over his shoulder, dragging her and the pale girl along, and together they all fled as the archbishop’s laboratory was engulfed in flames.

  They moved through the building together, tossing more of the fire bombs, leaving more and more of the temple burning behind them, until they reached the end of one corridor, where, instead of turning to continue running, Mylo pulled them up short and pointed at the corner of the wall.

  “Here,” he said. “This leads to the alleys behind the temple and the surrounding buildings.”

  “I can punch through that if you give me a minute,” Emerald said, shifting the mass of crystals on her shoulder.

  “No need,” Alfonso said, stepping forward, placing the tips of his fingers on the point where the two walls met, he rolled his shoulders, and when he spoke next, his voice thrummed in Chad’s ears.

  “Shatter!” Alfonso said, stepping quickly backwards as cracks radiated out from the point he’d been touching , the wall and floorboards groaning ominously. Stepping forward to take his place, Mylo threw his hand out, and unleashed a bolt of lightning that disintegrated the compromised corner of the building, allowing fresh, cold night air to wash in on them.

  Everyone scrambled out of the opening, and Mylo turned, using the last glass orb to fill the hallway behind them with crackling fire. They all stood, staring, collectively transfixed for a moment, before Mylo broke the spell, telling them they needed to hurry or they would miss their chance. They raced through the back alleys of the city, while behind them, the sounds of shouts and alarm bells began to grow louder and more numerous. At one point, they were poised to cross through a gap between two buildings, when a sudden gust of wind blew through the alley, as strong as the wind tunnel outside the laboratory had been. Everyone paused, and turned to Emerald, but when she peered into the lump of crystal she carried she shook her head.

  A second later, a small cluster of armored guards ran through the gap, rushing too much to pause and notice the lot of them. That was, Chad remarked as they started to run again, extraordinarily lucky, in a way that made goosebumps crawl up his arm.

  Eventually, they had put enough distance between them and the site of the incident that Mylo determined that they could slow down to catch their breath, and walk the rest of the way, at which point Emerald rounded on him.

  “Alright, I’m not finished with you, pinky,” she said, stepping forward to menace him, but stopping when the pale girl moved to put herself in the way, letting out an animalistic growl that caused everyone in the alley to stiffen, Chad and Ruby most of all.

  “Hey, no,” Chad said harshly, feeling a bit bad for continuously talking to the girl like he would a misbehaving dog. He pulled her back by her arm, causing her to turn and peer up at him in confusion with her large, off-color eyes. “They’re… they’re friends,” Chad admonished her, shaking his head slowly. “We don’t growl at friends.” He had no idea how well she could actually understand him, but she did return to his side, and he nodded at Emerald, who took a few hesitant steps towards him again, seeming to need a moment to regain her rhythm.

  “Alright, for starters, why in the Abyss did you let that thing out of its cell?” Emerald asked, pointing down at the girl, who let out another, much quieter growl. “I’ve seen what that thing can do; it’s a monster.”

  “Do you hear yourself?” Ruby demanded, causing Emerald to turn on her and furrow her brow. “You’re talking like him.”

  It was obvious who she meant, and Emerald recoiled like she’d been struck, opening her mouth to respond before closing it again. Bringing her free hand up, she ran her fingers through her black hair and let out a sound that was half sigh, half growl.

  “Fucking… bastard…” Emerald spat, shaking her head. “I still can’t believe he’s fucking dead…” Looking at the girl out of the corner of her eye, Emerald muttered a quick “Sorry…” before continuing to turn, leveling her single large eye on Mylo. “So, what’s next? We follow you back to the castle? Become your pets now, huh?”

  “Not at all,” Mylo said, smiling, which seemed to have the opposite effect on Emerald than he wanted. “As my partner has alluded to, we are leaving.”

  “Leaving? What, the city?” Emerald asked.

  “The Empire,” Mylo replied.

  That got the larger demon’s attention. Emerald turned her head, exchanging a glance with Ruby, then adjusted her grip on Sapphire’s crystal container, narrowing her eye at Mylo.

  “All of us?” she asked.

  Mylo brought a hand to his chin, stroking it slowly. “It will… be more difficult to account for the presence of four, or perhaps five, demons instead of just one, but by no means impossible.”

  Seconds passed while Emerald considered that, the wind once again whistling through the alleyway, playing around Chad’s hooves and making a few stray leaves dance.

  “Fine,” Emerald said. “We’ll stick with you as long as it takes to get off of this gods cursed island, but no further.” Mylo started to smile, but Emerald thrust a finger in his direction. “And if you so much as whisper the word ‘pact’ to any of us, I will end you, little prince.”

  “I find these conditions acceptable,” Mylo said, reaching up to pat Alfonso’s shoulder, who looked like he couldn’t decide who to keep his eye on; Emerald, or the pale girl. “We should continue moving soon, in any case.”

  The group lapsed back into silence, breaking into small clusters as they finished catching their breaths and set out for the remainder of the journey. Alfonso stuck to Mylo like glue, speaking urgently under his breath, while Emerald and Ruby walked side by side in tense silence. That left Chad, bringing up the rear with…

  “I’m going to have to give you a name, aren’t I?” Chad said, looking down at the pale girl. One green eye and one blue eye stared back at him, reflecting the light from the moon overhead as it peeked through the clouds. Chad let out a sigh, and picked up his pace.

  Their group continued to make its way south and east through the city, leaving behind the business and residential buildings and passing into what was clearly some kind of industrial yard, moving ever closer to their destination, until they spotted it. There, sitting idle on its tracks, was a fucking train, long and massive and made of gleaming dark metal. Chad had absolutely flipped the first time he heard that not only did this train exist in the first place, but that it was powered by electricity, specifically electricity supplied personally by its creator, a man that Mylo referred to as his “Uncle Phineas,” but it was even more amazing seeing it up close. He would have loved to get a look at the engine, but they were down near one of the cargo cars, overlooking the platform from which the cargo was loaded and unloaded.

  There were, as Mylo had assured them, no guards and no workers present at this late hour. There was, however, one lone figure who emerged from the shadow of a stack of crates as Mylo led them closer, the appearance of whom caused Chad’s jaw to drop open.

  “Well, you certainly took your time,” Ambroise said, shuddering and pulling his high-collared coat tighter. “And I see you managed to pick up a few extra strays along the way.”

  “Watch yourself, elf,” Emerald growled, and Ambroise tittered with delight.

  “There were some… last minute adjustments to the plan,” Mylo said sheepishly.

  “I’ll be sure to send word on ahead,” Ambroise said, smirking at the prince.

  “You… You’re involved in all this? How? Why?” Chad stammered, and Ambroise’s smile grew wider.

  “Maybe if we meet again someday, I’ll give you your answers,” Ambroise said, strolling casually over to a small stack of crates, tracing his fingers along the tops of several before pausing, giving one a kick, and lifting the lid, reaching in to produce three large knapsacks. “Suffice it to say, I am not just the best couturier in the Empire. Here, you’ll not want to forget these.”

  The backpacks were passed out to Mylo, Alfonso, and Chad, who, unwilling to release the pale girl’s hand for too long, just slung his over one shoulder. Chad recognized the bags, of course, as the ones they’d packed in Mylo’s room several hours before, which Mylo had had sent off somewhere on the understanding they would retrieve them later before they left, but he never imagined it’d be like this.

  “I cannot thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me, Ambroise,” Mylo said, adjusting the straps that sat over his shoulders.

  “Oh, stop,” Ambroise said, waving his hand and fawning, before chuckling. “But no, really, do stop. We’ve already said our goodbyes, and I’m sure your guests are all eager to be safely hidden away.”

  “Ah, yes, I suppose so,” Mylo said, giving Ambroise one last smile. “Until we meet again then, my friend.”

  “Take care of yourselves, the both of you,” Ambroise said to Mylo and Alfonso. Turning to Chad, he smiled, reaching out and taking his hand, unperturbed by the pale girl’s warning growl. “I wish you good luck on your journey, Chad. May you find yourself along the way.”

  “Ah… thanks,” Chad said awkwardly, looking down at himself. “I… I’m gonna keep thinking about what you told me.”

  “Good,” Ambroise said, nodding firmly and gently patting the back of Chad’s hand. Releasing him, he turned, regarding Emerald and Ruby with a look of mild curiosity. Tilting his head, he touched his fingers to his brow, giving them a lazy salute. “A pleasure meeting you, ladies. I wish you safe travels. Do look after each other out there, yes?”

  With that, Ambroise turned on his heels and began to stroll away from the train platform. Chad watched him leave, right up until a gust of wind swept across the empty trainyard, and Ambroise vanished into it like a pile of dust blowing away.

  At Mylo’s direction, the seven of them walked along the platform until they reached a large boxcar. Alfonso and Emerald worked together to pull the massive doors open, and soon all of them were climbing into the dark compartment, which was only half-filled with large crates, stamped with various emblems. Once inside, the doors were shut again, and Mylo and Alfonso produced a pair of lanterns from their bags, which Alfonso ignited with a spell.

  The empty space inside the cargo car was tight, clearly having been intended to only transport Mylo, Alfonso, and Chad. That meant that there was only so far away from the rest of them the demons could sit, and only so far away from him that Mylo and Alfonso could sit, which meant that none of them could squeeze in a moment of privacy, and nobody seemed to feel like talking much. Time moved at a crawl, until there was a sudden squeal of metal, and the train lurched forward.

  It was only then, as the train finally made its departure from the capital city, that Chad was able to relax. He let out a deep, protracted sigh, slumping over onto his back.

  “That… fuck,” Chad said, breaking the uneasy silence that had gripped the cargo car.

  “You can say that again,” Emerald called from the other side of the car, chuckling gruffly.

  “I’ll be glad to never see this place again,” Ruby said.

  Mylo and Alfonso did not join in the celebration, and Chad turned on his side, finding the pair of them seated shoulder to shoulder, the latter’s arm draped over the former.

  “Hey, no offense,” Chad said, drawing Mylo’s attention.

  “No, no, you are all quite right,” Mylo said, putting on a small smile. “I have been preparing for this moment for over a year now. It may not have turned out exactly as I pictured it…” Mylo’s head turned, towards the pair of demons who sat around the large hunk of crystal, inside which the dark form of Sapphire was still curled up, occasionally twitching and kicking. “But, for once I can honestly say I am pleased that my plans have gone so awry.”

  “You just remember what I said, prince,” Emerald said dangerously. “Me and my… m-me and these two are free now, and we’re gonna stay that way, got it?”

  “I understand,” Mylo said, nodding solemnly. “And, for what it is worth, I hope that your… eh, other companion will be alright.”

  “You and me both…” Emerald said, lowering her eye to continue peering through the surface of the crystal. “I can let in enough air for her to breathe, but she’s going to need to replenish a lot of mana after that fit she threw. I… don’t know if between me and Ruby we’ve got enough.”

  “Well, you’re welcome to the rations we packed, should you need them,” Mylo said, leaning his head against Alfonso’s shoulder. “Or, should those prove insufficient, we could also… go hunting once we’ve disembarked… Will have to ensure we arrive at… proper…”

  The prince continued to slow down, until he eventually trailed off entirely, slumping over into Alfonso’s lap. Alfonso adjusted his position, removing his coat and draping it over Mylo’s form.

  “Thank the goddess,” Alfonso said with a weak chuckle. “He’s been up since probably this time last night.”

  “Oh, geez,” Chad said, unable to help himself as a yawn climbed its way up out of his throat. Alfonso smirked at him, and reached over into his knapsack, withdrawing a rolled up blanket which he offered to Chad.

  “We should all try and get what sleep we can,” Alfonso said, grabbing another blanket from Mylo’s bag and tossing it underhand to Ruby, who fumbled to catch it. “Things are going to get… difficult, from here on out.”

  Chad’s response was swallowed up by another yawn, and he sighed, unfurling the blanket and trying to find some way to use it to both cushion the hard wooden floor of the cargo car, and also have enough left to cover himself. The pale girl, who had finally detached herself from his arm once they were inside, now scooted closer again, kneeling over him and watching curiously. He looked up at her from the floor, unsure of what, if anything, to say to her, when her body rippled again. Thick, white fur sprouted along her arms and legs, up her neck, and over her face, which once again stretched until it resembled some kind of wolf’s snout. She loomed over him, looking like an albino werewolf, and just as he was about to open his mouth again, she flopped down beside him, draping her arm over his body and pulling him close.

  Chad’s exhausted, overworked, over stressed brain made one fleeting attempt to come up with with a valid reason, any reason, why he shouldn’t fall asleep next to the monstrous, girl-shaped creature that he’d seen eat a man’s head straight off his body only an hour before, and failed miserably.

  And so, the seven stowaway passengers dozed off, lulled to sleep by the rhythmic sound of the wheels beneath them as the Grand Imperial Thunderclap bore them swiftly towards their destination, and, or so each of them dared to dream, their freedom.