I glanced down the stairway, no sign of any demons. All this waiting was killing me, I don’t think I’d ever been so tense. Actually risking my life in battle didn’t feel so bad by comparison, at least then I wouldn’t have to think about it. “What do you think is taking them so long?”

Sarinknell sighed. “They’re probably just figuring out the best way to destroy us without causing too much damage to the place. That’s one of the other aspects of the plan, I figured my uncle wouldn’t want to damage the trading post if he could avoid it. Technically them waiting only works in our favour… so long as Tros is still intending on following through with his end of the deal.”

I stood there, tapping my foot. “How likely do you think that is at this stage?”

“There’s no point worrying about it now, all we can do is fight the best we can and hope everything turns out in the end.”

“…you’re more of an optimist than I thought.” That or a fatalist.

“I don’t have a whole lot else left at this stage, may as well be positive. And- “she froze. The soldiers downstairs were on the move again. We got back into our positions and I watched as another demon, armed with a sword and shield, climbed the stairs.

It was hard to tell the difference between the helmeted figures, but they weren’t quite the same shape as the others had been, perhaps a little smaller. I tried another two-handed downward swing. Though they did raise their shield as if to intercept, instead they took a quick step back, leaving them out of range.

Before I could recover, they darted forward and I felt a sharp pain in my chest. The blade had gone right in between my ribs, deep enough that it almost went out the other side. The soldier yanked his weapon free and swung at my head. Clutching the hole in my chest, all I could do was stumble out of the way.

Was I really going to die, just like this? Out of options, I called forth Shotensho’s magic, dragging the blade along the ground in a horizontal line before me as I retreated. I couldn’t wield the blade effectively with one hand, but I could still draw lines with it. The blade’s freezing touch numbed my hand as a chest-high wall of black, barbed ice appeared.

It appeared so quickly that my opponent had no chance to react. Though the ice’s points couldn’t penetrate his armour, they snared on his clothing and mail. The wall changed shape, shrinking as it moved to envelop its new victim. Breathing heavily, I watched the demon scream as the ice reached his flesh, flowing around his armour.

The barbs dragged across the exposed parts of his body as it grew, tearing flesh from bone. When he stopped moving, I willed Shotensho’s magic to recede. My right hand, the one holding the sword’s hilt, was completely rigid. Straining, I passed the sword to my other hand as I heard another soldier coming up the stairs.

So, this is it, this is where I die. Glass shattered behind me and I spun around. It was another demon, he’d leapt through the window and taken Sarinknell by surprise. One of his arms was wrapped around Sarinknell from behind, while the other held a dagger to her throat. I pointed my sword at him, but there didn’t seem to be anything I could do. There was no way I could strike at the man without hitting Sarinknell, especially with only one arm. Her captor took a step back and tightened his grip. “Drop your weapon.”

I looked to Sarinknell, who shook her head, looking determined. She mouthed the words “Trust me.” I held onto my sword and she jerked forward, out of his grip. For a moment I was confused, how had she gotten away from the blade? But then I saw the red line across her throat. Blood poured out, far faster than was natural.

It surged toward the demon who’d held her hostage, wrapping around his head and squeezing. With a sickening crunch, his skull collapsed. Sarinknell released control of her blood, letting it fall across the man’s corpse. The bleeding of her throat slowed to a trickle, but she’d lost a lot of blood. Her red skin was already turning pale. “I think that might have been a mistake.” She spoke in a slow, stilted manner, trying not to move her neck too much. “But I wasn’t sure what else to do.”

I shook my head at the insanity of it all. “Do all demons prefer death over surrender?”

She smiled. “Only those with a backbone.”

My opinion of her sanity seemed to worsen every time she opened her mouth, and we were probably going to die… but I found myself smiling back at her. As objectively horrible as this world and her seemed, working for Sarinknell had been thrilling. Far beyond anything in my old life. That all seemed like a pale imitation compared to what I was going through now. Sarinknell sat down in the corner, handkerchief pressed against her neck. “Do you smell that?”

I sniffed. It was smoke. I looked out toward the stairwell, smoke was rising from the ground floor. It seemed his contingency plan was to smoke us out. That, or burn the building down with us inside. I should have been afraid, but all I felt was exhilaration. He wanted to force us out? Fine, we’d go to him. If I was a demon, it was time to act like one.

Realising Sarinknell wouldn’t be much good in a fight, I left her behind to figure out things on her own. If I somehow survived and she still needed rescuing, I could always return to her side. I stepped up to the window and saw a group of perhaps a dozen soldiers, closely packed. With what I like to think was a manly yell, I hurled myself out the window at them.

Just before I landed amongst the surprised demons, I activated Shotensho’s magic and swung the blade around in a circle. There was little real force behind it, but I wasn’t trying to cut them. Ice snared four of them before they knew what I happening. The others reacted in time, getting out of the way. They readied their weapons, preparing to end me then and there.

My arm was freezing up already, but I held the sword so it pointed straight down and spun it around me. The frozen shell around me turned aside their weapons. Not only that, it caught hold of them, tearing them from the demons’ hands. I was doing it. I was actually winning.

Ignoring the fact that I could no longer move my arm, I willed for Shotensho to dispel just the ice that had protected me. I wasn’t sure it would work, but the ring around me faded away while the other formation remained intact. Rotating my arm using only my rapidly freezing shoulder, I charged the other soldiers. They scattered before me, fleeing out of reach, but not before I caught two of them in my blade’s icy grip.

My breath misting, it felt like things were moving in slow motion. I was keenly aware of the six soldiers I’d trapped, well on their way to dying. But I was also aware that I was spent. My whole body was going numb. Vision fading, I dismissed the sword’s magic and closed my eyes, waiting for death.