A few hours later, after a nap and finishing her ration bar, Keshiema returned to the City Center. Luckily, the evening guards kept to the same routes as the day shift. Grounding herself, she reached out to the first guard she sensed. The first several guards held memories not much different from the day shift watchmen. The only difference was that the aura increased steadily each night. 'It has to be the sunstones causing the fall in power every dawn.' She thought. Praying she could still reach Ipos in time, she listened to her surroundings. One by one, she searched the minds of every guard she could sense. When she eliminated every possibility, she moved to situate herself nearer to the third high-rise, once again navigating through the treacherous bowels of the city.

  Once on the opposite side of the castle, she reached out again, but nothing changed. The guards on ground level knew nothing. This made sense, since they were mostly there to keep watch for intruders. The presence of a prince meant little more than having to watch their posture and words or remember their place. Their day-to-day was hardly affected by the presence of a royal, other than, of course, the king.

  Keshiema grew frustrated, nearing the end of soldiers she could find from her current position. Reaching as far as she could, she struggled to locate a fresh mind. One soldier stood guard at the entrance of one of the three buildings. As she tried to enter his mind, a mental wall blocked her path.

  'Of course I’d run into that.' As she waited for a safe chance to change locations, with the sun sitting only a few inches over the Trinity Alps, a thought crossed her mind. 'If I stay near Castle District tonight, I might get to see this rise in aura everyone's been experiencing. Maybe I can pinpoint it.' With that in mind, she changed her course of action to obtaining the highest vantage point she could find.

  As she climbed higher on the tower, staying hidden became more challenging. The evening sunlight reflected off the glass towers, creating a strong golden glow. She had no choice but to stick to the southernmost building, carefully climbing the faux brick cornerstones. The buildings facing her position capped out at less than ten stories, making it less likely for someone to see her looking out of a window. Still, she kept a close eye on the rooftops below her, watching for guards outside of the usual posts. When she reached the top of the building, she held her breath as she peered over. A solitary guard watched over Castle District. From his position, seeing all three of the towers she was interested in would be easy.

  Quietly, she lifted herself onto the rooftop. Swiftly crouching behind an a/c unit, she listened for movement. After several minutes, she peeked out to see the guard still watching the North. Closing her eyes, she reached out for his thoughts. A mental wall blocked her path. Opening her eyes, she saw the guard now standing in front of her, with his sword at her throat. “State your business here, child!” His mask covered his face well, leaving his deep magenta eyes with a scar crossing over the left one, his only distinguishing feature.

  'I know I’m young, but child?' Her feet ached, telling her to run, her fingers itched, imploring her to draw her swords, her entire body tensed, begging her to do something. “er…tesk?” she asked, feigning ignorance of the language.

  “Dra kio sabreav akere human sekara?” asking her if she knew any other languages marked his discomfort with Demon, telling her he was probably fairly young.

  “Kay. I crowl etas Arouras.” She swallowed a lump in her throat. 'Hopefully, he buys it.' Not knowing his speed, she did not test her luck by trying to escape.

  “Unmask yourself!” The edge of his blade pressed harder against her neck as he barked the order. She slid the mask away from her face and let down her hood. The soldier's eyes widened. “Keshiema, you filthy half-blood. Do you know the punishment for lying to a district guard?”

  The realization of his identity hit her full force. “Tommy…” Unable to breathe from the shock, she stared at his scarred left eye. How could she fail to see it?

  “Bingo!” He tore the mask from his face and smiled wickedly. “I see you're off Academy grounds. Looks like I finally get to fully pay you back for marring my face.”

  Panic clipped her thoughts. With his blade against her throat and her back against the a/c unit, she had no escape. “Tommy, please. Do you really want to kill me? I know we had our differences, but we're on the same side.”

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “I’ve wanted to kill you since we were kids, Rainbow. If you hadn’t gotten so fast, I’d have done it a long time ago.” He pressed the blade down on her neck, drawing a small amount of blood.

  “Sheath your weapon, soldier!” A deep voice growled from somewhere behind her.”

  The color drained from Tommy's face. Taking a step back, he sheathed his sword and took a knee. “Prince Ayperos, sir, this mixed-blood was-“

  “This Hell-Child was doing her job.” Tommy stared in astonishment as Ayperos walked over and offered Keshiema a hand. “You would do best not to use such offensive phrases, young demon.” Of all the Elders, Ayperos was the only one who was not a pure-blooded demon. She felt relief knowing they sort of had something in common, though his status as a demi-god slightly dulled her sense of camaraderie.

  “Of course, sir.” Tommy replied through clenched teeth.

  “I trust you will not tell anyone you have seen my scout or me.” Ayperos stepped between them.

  “Yes, sir.” Tommy glared at Keshiema. His eyes spoke volumes. Rage, bloodlust, vehement disgust.

  “Let's go, Kesh. We have a mission to complete.” Ayperos put his hand on her shoulder, and they started to walk away.

  Tommy muttered under his breath. “It would be a Friskalia the incubus takes as his Serisha.”

  Keshiema told herself to ignore it, but Ayperos spun around and tackled Tommy to the ground. “I’ll have you apologize to my friend, and then I might let you live,” Ayperos growled the words more than spoke them, his fangs growing with his anger. Incubi rarely drank blood, but it was never completely off the table, especially when enraged, and as weak as he felt, the power gained from draining another demon sounded delectable.

  With Ayperos’s hand squeezing his throat, Tommy's words came out wheezy and weak, “I'm…sor…ry.”

  Ayperos ever so slightly tightened his grip, nearly crushing the young demon's windpipe. “You need to learn your place, child. Most are not as merciful as I.” His claws scraped Tommy's neck as he stood.

  Dusting himself off, Ayperos frowned down at the young man, “If I find out you spoke of what you saw here today, you’ll wish I'd killed you. My powers are not as limited as a traditional incubus.” Ayperos picked Keshiema up and took flight, leaving Tommy huddled on the ground in shame.

  “Where do we go from here, Keshiema?” Ayperos' voice returned to its normal, calm tone. “Did you have a chance to find out where Ipos is being held?”

  “As soon as the sun sets, I think we'll know." She watched the three buildings, full of dreadful suspense.

  “That’s only a few moments away now.” Ayperos hovered high above the towers, waiting for the sun to dip below the Trinity Alps. Just as the last ray of sunlight disappeared, a soft glow formed at the top of one of the towers. The glow faded quickly, but neither of them could deny the aura it contained. “We know where he is now. We should go back home and get reinforcements.”

  “Ayperos, there’s no time. Nergal promised Damien would be killed before the next full moon. I know you can’t help because of the sunstones. If you fly back home alone, you can get help from the others faster. I can’t leave knowing I’m this close. please." This high above the ground, she had no control over his choice, so she held her breath, praying to her lucky stars that he would choose to let her stay.

  Landing in a nearby alleyway, Ayperos set Keshiema back on her feet but held onto her arm, lest she run away. “I cannot leave you here. If you truly wish to proceed, I will accompany you as far as the sunstones will allow. The moon is near full and I have recovered well. I should be able to get you most of the way there.” Ayperos whistled softly, startling Keshiema. A nearby raven cawed and fluttered down to the street from somewhere above. “I apologize for waking you, friend, but I need to send word to my brothers - whichever one you find first. I am at the Wuhan Tower with Kesh.” The bird nodded once and took flight.

  “Kesh, If we get separated, you’re going to need this more than I will.” Ayperos took out a dagger. “It's Alex's. The blade is white gold; one of the few metals that can harm a Mist-Daemon. Alex injured one recently, if it was from here, then you might need it.”

  She attached the unassuming blade and leather sheath to her belt. A Mist-Daemon. Her chest tightened. Sonneillon proved to be a great friend, but she had to admit that, in the beginning, it took an immense amount of effort not to see him as a threat. The thought of running into a strange Mist-Daemon deep within enemy territory frightened her more than anything. “Thank you.” she managed weakly.

  "It's alright, Keshiema. I can protect you if it comes down to that. As a guardian, I can at least do that much."

  "I know. It's just...well you know..." She did not want to talk about the past. Even with her memories fragmented, it was painful and heartwrenching, like a knife twisting in her chest.

  "Have you thought about how you’re gaining entry?” Ayperos looked up at the tower.

  Relieved he had taken the hint, she breathed easier. “I had planned on breaking in through a window a few stories up, but since you’re here, I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”

  “Are you suggesting we walk in through the front doors?” He cocked his head, looking at her quizically.

  Keshiema smiled as she put her hood up and covered her face with her mask. “Just a prince and his servant.”

  Tesk = What

  Dra kio sabreav akere human sekara = Do you speak any human language

  Kay. I crowl etas Arouras. = No. I hail from the Arctic Circle

  Serisha = Concubine