When he didn’t answer, when his scent didn’t change at all to say that he was listening, she reached forward to grab his face in her claws. She forced his chin up and he opened his eyes to look at her.

His expression was so vulnerable that it immediately echoed her first memory of him. Reminding her of the child that he’d once been.

“Please.” He looked so much like Cheryl, it made her want to cry. “I beg you. Don’t make that same mistake.”

He smiled. It was Cheryl’s old smile. Except in addition to the old fierceness there was sadness, too.

Gently he pushed her claws away and rolled to his knees.

“Tell the Brethren. No. Tell, Aridon, that if they want Lita they will have to find her first.”

Diana Veran swore loudly. A stream of obscenities she hadn’t heard since the Separation locked out the human nations. Taiken got up as she swore and she followed, hand on her sword.

“You’re an idiot!”

“If I retrieve whatever it is she stole, I’ll send it back,” he promised. “But Lita’s mine. I’ll deal with her, including punishment if necessary.”

“Fool!”

Diana ran out of words. She was so angry she could have lashed out and shredded the stubborn, stupid demon.

“You’ll destroy your standing with the Brethren!”

He smiled. “I don’t think so. I still hold the trump card.”

But you don’t know. You don’t know what you’ll be handing over if you return the weapon. What use is your ability to destroy us if you’re dead?

And I can’t tell you.

Helplessly she watched him walk away. Calmly. Voids on him!

***

“We’ll need more oats, jerky, and beans. Fish… buy it already smoked if we don’t have time to do it ourselves.”

Sheldon didn’t drop his chin from contemplating the sky as he talked, hearing the scratching as the supply mistress made notes. He was sitting outside the supply tents in the Inner Complex but he kept looking toward the entrance to the Outer Complex.

He’d seen Taiken leave in a hurry behind someone Sheldon knew should’ve been guarding the main entrance.

“We’ll need lengths of cloth as well,” the woman reported. “Costumes are beginning to get old enough that not even the Master can fix them.”

Sheldon smiled, trying to force himself to concentrate on the conversation. “I doubt that. But it might be better just to make something new.”

“Not just better. There are a couple of the girls who are dying to try out a new design for the acrobats. And Shiba wants them to redesign her costume as well.”

“Very well. Buy a few hundred yards of whatever fabric you think we’ll need. And get a basket, no, two, of raw wool for the Master to work with.”

Scratch, scratch, scratch.

Voids! He glanced again at the Outer Complex gateway. Pay attention, Sheldon. He looked back to the supply mistress.

“How are the wooden supplies and tools?”

“The Master keeps us in good repair for most of them. But there’s only so much he can do without any raw materials to form. We’re running low on wood. There’s maybe half a season’s worth left.”

“Buy a small trunk.”

The supply mistress made a face. “There’s a general shortage, it’ll be expensive.”

“All the better to get it now.”

She nodded and added that note.

Sheldon glanced again at the entrance then quickly stood up. The Master was coming back with his lips pinched together in the kind of serious expression Sheldon rarely saw. He wrinkled his forehead in concern as he watched the demon stalk to his tent and disappear inside.

“Is something wrong, Sheldon?”

The supply mistress had followed his eyes and pressed her lips together in concern.

“I don’t know. Sorry, please continue. Is there anything else we’ll need before leaving town?”

They’d only been talking for a couple more minutes, with Sheldon nervously wiggling his fingers and glancing at Taiken’s tent, when the demon reappeared. Slung over his chest was the strap of a heavy looking bag and, with a quick glance around, the demon began walking purposefully their way.

“I’m sorry, one moment. I’ll be back.”

Sheldon didn’t wait for her to reply before quickly going to meet the Master halfway. To his surprise the demon grabbed him by the shoulder then started dragging him along.

“What- Master Taiken, what’s wrong?”

“You have no-smell, right?”

Sheldon sucked in a breath and didn’t answer. Allowing himself to be dragged into the Outer Complex.

“This is not an interrogation, Sheldon. I don’t care that you have it.” Taiken glanced, slit eyed, at the man. “I knew your father. There's no way he didn’t teach you how to make it.”

“What do you need no-smell for?”

For the first time Taiken’s energy died and he stopped walking. Staring at his feet while clutching Sheldon’s arm.

I wonder if he remembers he’s digging claws into me?

“Lita’s in trouble. I need the no-smell to help her.”

A giant crushing his stomach in a fist wouldn’t have knocked the wind out of him more effectively. For an instant Sheldon couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. Then it was he who was tugging Taiken along.

The demon let him go and silently followed the man to his tent.

It was a small tent, meant for only one person. So Sheldon had to crawl inside, push his pack over and dig feverishly through it until he found the little bottle down at the bottom.

“I haven’t remade it in a couple months.” He wriggled backward out of the tent and held it up to the demon. “It won’t last as long as a fresh batch.”

“I’ll know when it begins to wear off.”

The demon opened the bottle and sniffed it. Wrinkling his nose in discomfort.

“What’s going on with Lita?”

Taiken didn’t answer right away, putting the stuff on his wrists, neck and ankles as Sheldon anxiously made fists and relaxed them.

“I don’t know the whole story. Apparently she stole something from Aridon.” He told Sheldon what he knew and added with a growl, “That girl is going to be the death of me.” He shoved the bottle into his bag then slung it back onto his back.

“What do we do?”

“You will do nothing about this.” Taiken pointed a finger in Sheldon’s face. Sheldon scowled and backed up a step. “You will stay here and take care of things as usual.”

“She’s my sister! I need to find her. I can’t just leave her like this!”

For lack of a better target Sheldon slammed a fist into his leg. It began to pound with his heartbeat and he winced. The Master’s face softened and he put a hand on Sheldon’s shoulder.

“You misunderstand. I need you to take care of things while I go find her.”

I should’ve gotten that. Sheldon looked again at Taiken’s pack.

“Then what? We can’t hide her for long.”

Taiken hesitated then again maneuvered his bag so he could reach into it. “The Brethren will make some noise but they won’t break Contract with me as long as I don’t break Contract with them.”

He pulled out a folded vellum, fingers tightening on it for just an instant before holding it out to Sheldon.

Confused, Sheldon took the vellum and opened it. The instant his mind caught up to his eyes he understood what old Contract he held. He stiffened.

“She’ll never agree.”

“It’s the best way.”

“That I agree with. But she’ll never agree.”

Taiken shrugged and took the vellum back. “Then I’ll be bringing back her body.”

For an instant the two men stood there in silence. Both of them with grim and worried expressions. Then Sheldon took a deep breath. This wasn’t the time for him to lose it.

If he lost it he knew Taiken would. The demon was already taking more initiative than he was used to.

“Lita knows the wilder lands. She’ll be able to keep out of the way of most people. At least for awhile. Even the demons, I think.” Taiken looked up then back down with a forced grin. “She gave me a good run of it before.”

“How will you be able to find her?”

Taiken tapped his nose and winked. “I have an advantage.” Then he lowered his voice in a dramatic whisper. “I know all her hiding places.”

Sheldon took a deep breath. The demon was trying to make him feel better by acting it up and Sheldon knew from experience that Taiken thought better when he wasn’t stressed. So, he tried to force a smile, too.

He had no idea it looked more like a grimace.

“Then get out there and bring her back. And, voids! Be careful, alright?”

“Why? Not a soul can hurt me!” Taiken flashed a smile and pretended nonchalance as he bowed.

“They can do a lot to Lita.”

Taiken’s false cheer vanished, despite his effort to keep hold of it.

“They have to find her first. Let me fill the rest of this thing with food and I’ll be on my way.”

Sheldon nodded then watched the demon go. He struggled to breathe through the tightness in his chest and the bile rising up his throat.

Lord of the Void, let him find Lita first.

***

What lie should I tell him?

Diana pondered as she stared at the empty doorway to Aridon’s private rooms. Right now it was sealed, the wall blankly staring back at her. She tapped the floor with one foot, lips pressed together.

Irritated and tired.

She‘d decided it couldn’t wait. She had to interrogate the prisoners now, today. Before any more time had passed.

She’d actually already made this trip today. For this purpose. Instead of finding Aridon she’d talked to the prisoner.

Another stupid mistake. It was always a mistake to notice creatures she didn’t want to notice. Because she might end up… Well, might as well admit it to herself, even if she can’t say it aloud. She might end up caring about what happened to them.

It was probably already too late for her to stop that happening with that one. She was the one who fed the voided human, after all.

Somewhere she heard dripping. The rhythm of the drip was steady and she unconsciously began to tap along with it.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Finally, she put a hand on the stones. They moved aside and she paused only long enough to retrieve a lamp and reclose the opening.

This was not going to be a pleasant interview.

Aridon was at one of the tables and didn't bother looking up from the book he was perusing through. He had several books laid out around him. An intense look of concentration on his face. She glanced briefly at the prisoner along the wall and scowled.

“Do you realize how useless it is to just keep that man here? Why don’t you order him to silence and put him to work?”

Aridon sighed dramatically and snapped his book shut.

“Are you here to lecture me on how I keep my pets?”

“You don’t keep him at all.” She sat down on the edge of the table. Casually giving herself the disadvantage of having to twist her body so she could look at him on the other side. “If I didn’t bring him food and water he would’ve starved already.”

He gave her a fanged smile. “Maybe that was my way of making you visit.”

For an instant, a brief instant, something tried to brighten inside of her. Then her face fell and she turned her back on him. “It has nothing to do with wanting to see me, Aridon. And you know it.”

“Diana, I am very fond of you. Even when you stab me in the back.”

She bit off what she really wanted to say.

Fond of me? I’m a convenient replacement. I know, I know, that I’m not the one you’re thinking of when it’s just me and you. Do you think I’m stupid?

But that wasn’t why she was here. None of the banter was.