The dungeons dug deep into the ground, deep enough that she was sure there should’ve been more water and dampness. Demon magic probably kept it dry if not warm.

She’d explored it before and pretty much knew her way around. But, she hated going down there because there wasn’t anything she could do for the poor souls imprisoned there. She avoided being in the lit areas, which were few. And avoided as much as she could looking into any cells.

There really weren’t many prisoners and most of them near the entrance. Making her wonder why the demons felt a need for such a large area. Maybe they’d once practically kept the whole population down here.

What prisoners there were were often sickly. Some injured from torture.

All with eyes deadened to hope.

The sounds of people walking, and Eric’s chatter, was what led her on and she took different passages that paralleled theirs to keep out of sight.

When she was sure they’d stopped she carefully peeked into the central room they’d chosen. Eric was crawling around on all fours with his legs half transformed into something scaly and strangely bent. He sniffed at everything while not even fighting the rope tied around his neck.

Aridon and Diana were watching the insane demon.

“Are you sure you want to try it on him?”

Diana didn’t look at Aridon. Her voice was tense and she held the rope so tightly she could feel it digging grooves in her palm.

“For him it would be a mercy.”

“But-”

“What’s your objection now?”

Diana sighed and rubbed her forehead with her free hand. “I still think you should be communicating your intentions with the others.”

Aridon growled. “Planking might agree but Jersard will argue that it’s dangerous to have such a thing if it works-”

“It is dangerous.”

“And Harv is more interested in his wine of late than ruling.”

Pause. “I’ll give you that about Harv.”

Aridon stared moodily at the creature now sniffing his leg. Then Eric began rubbing his forehead into the other male’s thigh like a cat. “When we chose to come to the physical plane, I don’t think any of us realized the curse of being immortal.”

“Aridon-”

“Planking and Harv are bored, Jersard complacent.” He turned to her and grabbed her chin in a gentle hold. “You’re frustrated on so many levels that that’s all I smell on you now.” He said it quietly, pressing his forehead to her’s.

“And you are growing more and more paranoid.”

Aridon laughed. “Am I? Or am I just showing what's always been there?”

Diana rolled her eyes. “You’re stalling, Aridon.”

“Yes.” With a sigh he crouched to look Eric in the face. “Eric?”

“Aridon crazy. Diana kind. Eric hungry. Always hungry.”

“Eric is tired.”

“Yes!” The creature leaned it’s head into Aridon’s shoulder and shuddered out a loud and abrupt sob. “Eric tired. Eric tired. Eric don’t like needles.”

“No, Eric doesn’t like needles.”

“Or knives, or-”

“Aridon might be able to help you.” Aridon patted the creature’s back. “But, I have to use a knife. If it works, Eric won’t be tired anymore. Do you want Aridon to try?”

Eric’s sobs turned into wails as the mad thing wrestled with the question. “Eric don’t like knifes.”

“Eric like’s Aridon.”

“Aridon likes Eric.”

“Yes.” Aridon wrapped an arm around Eric, still holding the dork, and pressed the creature’s face more firmly into his shoulder. “If Aridon holds you like this, can Diana try to make Eric not tired anymore?”

“Diana-Diana kind. Diana like Eric. Eric don’t like needles. Eric like Diana.”

Lita, from the shadows, could now see the weapon that Aridon was holding against the creature’s back. It’s black blade gleamed in the lamp light.

No way.

No way!

Back there. He’d told Taiken that, “It's designed to kill. On the penetration of a few heartbeats.”

“Diana can try.” The creature finally sniffled, pressing his head harder into Aridon’s shoulder. “Diana can try. Eric so tired.”

“Really?” Diana mouthed irritably as she took the weapon from Aridon’s hand. “Why me?”

Lita held her breath, eyes wide, heart pounding. It felt like forever that Diana readied herself then plunged the dork into the creature’s back. Not far enough to go through, just far enough to lodge firmly.

The impaled demon didn’t move.

Just sat there, face pressed into Aridon’s shoulder as it abruptly stopped breathing.

At first Lita thought it was going to act like a normal dork. Like the one Lloyd had brought and Diana had put aside. Freeze the demon, making him a living statue that couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move, couldn’t speak.

But then, creeping out of the rags that was the creature’s clothing, his skin started to blacken.

Aridon tightened his hold on the creature and closed his eyes for an instant when he noticed the blackness. It crept up and up, turning even the creature’s hair from red to black.

When it was done it looked like he was holding an obsidian statue with clothes.

“Can you pull it free?”

“Did it work?” Diana’s voice was hoarse as she looked at both of them.

“We won’t know until you pull it out.”

With a yank Diana pulled the dork from the statue’s back. Eric still didn’t move and Aridon, with a little difficulty because Eric had been holding him hard, extracted himself from the statue’s grasp.

They both stared at it for a long time.

Lita could barely breathe. I just saw a demon die. I just saw a demon die!

I have to tell the Chief.

“It worked.” Aridon’s voice was flat.

“And you’re not celebrating.”

The demon sighed and ran a hand through his red hair. “We’ll need to keep it a secret. I can think of a number of demon who’d take this way out if they can.” He smiled then and laughed quietly. “And all I’d have to do to get rid of that headache Taiken is-”

“Aridon! The others will never agree.”

“He’s a danger to us, Diana! Voids, I thought you understood. All we’d have to do is say he’d finally just left.”

Diana spun on him, still holding the dork with a scowl. “He’s useful to us. You wouldn’t have this damned thing without him.”

They glared at each other.

“Is that why you made it?” Diana’s voice rose in a furious growl. “So you can get rid of Cheryl’s son?”

“He’s a menace-!”

“He’s done nothing to undermine us!” Diana’s claws grew and her fangs showed. “He’s helped us in countless ways. Voids! And that’s even after all you’ve tried in the past to break him. Your obsession, Aridon, will destroy you if you don’t let this go.”

He made a grab for the dork she still held but Diana was the better fighter. She danced out of his way, holding the thing out of his grasp.

“Diana Veran!” His shout made Lita jump as it echoed through the dungeons. “Give that back!”

“Not until you swear you’ll leave Cheryl’s son alone.”

“No!”

“At least until he actually does something to deserve this fate.”

They glared at each other, fangs bared. “You’re making a mistake, woman.” Now quiet, Aridon's face softened. Slowly he stepped toward her. “I don’t want to fight with you, Diana. What if I promise to wait until we’ve discussed it again?”

“Not. Good. Enough.”

“Diana-”

She swirled around him, picking up the forgotten freezing dork in her swift movement and turning to face him before he’d even had the chance to react. He once again turned to her with Diana now holding both dorks.

Lita could see the difference between them. The one that had just killed a demon was a smooth, white surface. The other black as midnight.

“I’m holding onto this, Aridon. Until you promise.” He growled and she raised her voice. “I swear I will not give it back until you promise. Promise you will not use it on Cheryl’s son until he deserves death. That’s a Contract.”

Pause. An angry silence.

“Then I will be watching for a chance to steal it from you.”

Diana’s face fell with grief. “Your obsession will destroy you, Aridon.”

Fangs and claws vanished and for a long, long time, they just looked at each other.

“I love you. I won’t let you destroy yourself.”

Diana spun away and left.

Was she crying? A demon crying?

Lita stared after her Mistress and jumped when Aridon growled in fury and frustration. A growl that turned into long yowls. He began pulling lanterns off the walls and throwing them across the room.

Lita backed away and fled as quietly as she could down the corridor.

So she wasn’t there when Aridon accidently threw a lantern at Eric’s stone head.

It exploded and the rest of the body crumbled into a fine, black dust.

***

Tired, Lita served at the head table. No one was speaking and she was avoiding Dalius’ eye. For now. When the chance came she would tell him her decision.

Her stomach churned and she tried to remind herself that he couldn’t be hurt by her rejection.

He was never short on lovers. What’s the loss of one?

“I wish the two of you would just get over yourselves.” Harv banged down his goblet. He’d started his wine early. Then he poked Diana in the side. “Must’ve been a big fight this time. Your scents overpower everything else.”

“Harv.” Diana picked up her fork and deliberately took a bite of food. “Hasn’t anyone told you it’s rude to use other people’s scents as a gossip starter?”

Harv snorted a laugh. “Human!” He turned in his seat, putting his arm out so that he blocked Lita’s progress with another plate. “Fill it up.”

“Yes, Master Harv.” Moving the plate to one hand she took his cup with the other.

“So, what was the fight about?” Harv now ignored Lita as she first delivered Jersard’s meal then went to fill his cup.

Diana stabbed her fork into the fish sausage and took a bite, not bothering to cut it up first. “Harv, the polite thing would be for you to drop it.” With a dangerous glare she added softly, “It’s none of your business.”

“Ooh, scary! What will be my punishment if I don’t listen?”

Diana smiled. A smile that sent chills down the spines of every human sitting across from the Brethren. Even though she didn’t look at any of them.

“I’ll think of something. Meet me in the training hall?”

Harv pretended to blanch and began backpedaling dramatically. “Uh, no. You’re right. It’s your’s and that fiend’s business.”

“I heard you, Harv.” Aridon abruptly stood up, pushing his chair back with so much force that it banged into the wall behind him. “If you’ll excuse me.”

He didn’t say anything else as he marched from the room.

Lita paused to watch the bad tempered demon leave and, as she turned back to her task, accidentally met Dalius’s eye. He raised an eyebrow and she, feeling sick, mouthed, talk later.

He nodded and went back to his food.

It was as though Aridon leaving lifted the clouds from the sun. There was only a slight pause before someone laughed at one of the lower tables. Then the room filled with quiet chatter.

“Mission accomplished,” said Harv with self-satisfaction as Lita put his cup in front of him. He picked up the newly filled cup and took a long drink. “Fill it again!”

“You shouldn’t bait him.”

Harv snorted while Lita again took his cup. “Don’t tell me you wanted him to stay and ruin everyone’s meal, Diana?”

Diana Veran sighed and stood up. “Lita, when you’re done with these idiots, meet me in the training hall.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

Lita noted that the Mistress had only eaten three bites. She put the cup back in front of Harv and nearly ran for the next two plates. Determined to be almost to the other end of the table before he demanded another refill.

“Master Jersard.” Everyone’s attention came back to the lead human delegate. He cleared his throat nervously. “About the taxes-”

“We’ve already settled that.”

“I just wanted to know if I’d get a signed Contract?”

Jersard raised an eyebrow, an amused smile playing at the corner of his mouth as he waited for the human to begin squirming. Then, with a dramatic sigh, as though it were a huge burden, the demon reached into his belt and produced the desired Contract.

He tossed it across the table and the delegate caught it with a relieved look.

While Lita waited on the table she thought furiously about how to approach the subject with Dalius. Especially as he tried to touch her hand when she served his plate. Pulling her hand hastily away was not the first clue she wanted to give him but it happened that way and her face flushed.

She couldn’t meet his eyes and hurried away.