She hoped she took just enough from each house that they’d wonder but wouldn’t raise an alarm right away. She doubted it but she still sent prayers toward the Void for it.

She ate another piece of cornbread as she climbed back up to the boulder and retrieved the dork. Safely tucking it inside the stolen bag.

Instead of going through the field, which she might damage in the dark, she crept around to a lane that had been walled. If it was like Ampheil it was to drive the animals up to their pastures but keep them out of the fields.

She’d just reached the first pasture when a fire lit up abruptly to her right.

Nearly dropping her bag she held very still, heart pounding with renewed fear. The suddenness of the fire told her it was a lighter up there. A good one. With lots of umph behind their ability.

She continued to hold still for a long while, not wanting the person to spot her. Not especially when she realized that it wasn’t just the glow from the fire casting red onto the person. Taking a deep breath, she lowered herself into a crouch and watched him.

There was only one demon she knew of that would openly light a fire like that. She’d never seen, never heard of another that lit anything. They always made humans find human lighters to do the job.

Taiken Vaughn.

What in all the voids was he doing here?

Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes. Held them closed for a few more breaths. Then opened them.

He was here for her.

She knew it, like she knew her own skin. He was here for her.

To what purpose? She bit her lip as she watched him settle close to the fire, pulling a blanket over himself as he prepared to sleep. Was he here for Sheldon? Or…

She grimaced and bit her lip hard enough to taste blood.

Or Diana Veran? Those men had said the reward was very good. She could see Taiken hunting her down and using the reward money to help the troupe. Yes, she could see that.

Clenching her fists she had to take another steadying breath.

You guessed the right direction, Taiken. Lets see you figure out I doubled back.

Viciously she picked up her stolen goods and moved slowly up the hill, looking over her shoulder occasionally to reassure herself that he wasn’t following.

He hadn’t moved.

***

Diana Veran sat back, arms crossed as she watched Lloyd.

The shopkeeper was being stubborn. Even with his son and his grandchildren huddled together in a cell just a few feet away. She could smell Lloyd’s growing anger as the man kept his mouth closed.

It was a waste of time. Time she was confident they had, though. Even if she couldn’t get any information from the prisoners, with her human and demon trackers out there she was sure they’d find Lita within a couple of days. If not by tonight.

So she’d decided that she wanted to see how Lloyd would handle the interrogation.

It would be useful to her. She could watch for anything that might tell her if the man was her enemy or not. Could smell for reluctance or just about any emotion that might give her some hint.

Lloyd abruptly slapped the old man across the face and grabbed him by the shirt. Eyes flaming as he growled.

He'd spent too much time around demons if he was growling. She almost laughed.

“You were seen with the spy not two weeks ago,” he spat. “Tell us where Lita would have gone?”

She smelled his anger. Poignant, explosive.

The problem with scents was she could know what they were feeling. She just didn’t always know the cause.

“I have many customers, sir. How am I supposed to remember a single incident?”

Lloyd stepped back and picked something off the stone table. Only to slam it down in front of the man.

“Recognize this?”

The old man dropped his eyes to the parchment, read a little and looked back up.

If Diana couldn't smell the spike of surprise in his scent, she never would have known he’d recognized the Ronda plans.

“It’ll interest you to know that this was planted for Lita to find.” Grimly Lloyd leaned closer to the old man. “We’ve rounded up several spies just from this plant. And we know she went to your stall with the information.”

The old man raised his eyebrow and Lloyd revealed the secret of the tracking. He tapped his nose and looked pointedly in Diana’s direction.

“Where would the girl go?”

“I don’t know her and I don’t know where she’d go.”

Lloyd raised a hand to hit the man again when Diana stood up and grabbed his wrist.

“Enough.”

The shopkeeper had been the most likely of the people they’d rounded up for this, so she’d yet to reveal her hand. Now she withdrew the Will Bender from her side pouch.

“Hold him while I snap this in place.”

The old man didn’t resist, watching in puzzlement as she snapped the ring around his forearm before returning to her seat on the opposite side of the table.

“A test first. Raise your hands.”

The man’s face blanked but he raised his hands. Not resisting, she realized in his smell. Alright. She’d have to have him do something that would convince everyone present that she was in charge. And reassure herself that the thing was working properly.

She was no lighter. She had no way of telling if the magic within it was working. It could have expired and she wouldn't know.

“Thank you for your cooperation.” She smiled coldly. “Now, tell me your granddaughter’s name.”

“Halen.”

The name was slipping out before he realized it. She smelled his spike of fear.

“Very good. How old is she?”

“Six.”

He was trying to resist now, the words coming out strangled and almost indecipherable.

“Now, tell me, when was the last time you saw Lita?”

“Eight, maybe nine, days ago.” He coughed violently and tried to stand up. “What is this?!”

“You are experiencing what demons call Compulsion. Sit down.” He sat, clenching his bound fists on the table. “Back to your granddaughter. Does she know you work as a spy against demons?”

“Of course not!”

The effort he was putting into resisting caused blood vessels in his nose to burst and blood slowly trickled into his beard.

“How about the others in the cell? The rest of your family?”

“Nnnooo. I wasss working… alone…”

Dragging out of him. More blood. Ah. She’d have to be careful and to the point. There was no sense in killing the man by slowly bursting all the vessels in his body. Not before getting her information anyway.

“Captain, I brought down some vellum and ink. Over there. Bring it here.” While Lloyd retrieved the items she noted the heightened smell of unease in the room. Most especially from one of the human enforcers behind the old man.

Diana shot one glance in that enforcer’s direction then back to the old man. Lloyd arranged the vellum and ink for her and she stuck a finger in the ink bottle, putting it in the middle of the parchment.

“Now, sir, do you know where Lita might’ve run to?”

“No.”

“Pity. Would have made my job easier. Now, I want all the names of the people who contact you. The ones that bring you information. Many of them in the Palace, yes?”

“N-no. I-”

She didn’t know where the blood was coming from, probably his lungs. But when he coughed it flecked onto the table.

“Just give in!” Lloyd grabbed the old man’s shoulder. Furious and distressed, though he did a good job hiding it on his face, his grip was firm but not harsh. “You’ve risked the lives of your family enough. Just tell the Mistress what she wants to know and I’ll personally speak with her about releasing them.”

The old man batted Lloyd’s hand away with his bound wrists.

“You’re a traitor to human kind!” he yelled at the Captain. “A voided demon lover!”

“We live in the same place, you old idiot! There’s no reason to fight. Not when demons do us no harm when we offer none.”

The old man snorted a laugh and Diana noticed several enforcers stepping closer. She smelled caution, distress, anger. One of them, the one she’d noticed earlier, smelled nervous.

“You sound like that moron from Ampheil. Don’t tell me you believe that crap!”

Lloyd raised a hand to hit the old man again but Diana intervened.

“Stop, Captain. I’m not done with him yet.”

Clenching a fist Lloyd reluctantly backed up.

“Pay attention to what’s going on, Captain,” she told him coldly. Then she cast a cool look over the other enforcers, pleased to see him also look around. Then she focused back on the old man. “I won’t tell you again. Tell me the names of your contacts. Starting with the ones in this room.”

The enforcer she’d been watching abruptly lunged forward, knife in hand. He didn’t get to bury the blade in the old man’s neck as he’d intended because Lloyd got in the way, knocking the knife out of his hand and throwing him to the ground.

Two other enforcers, a little slower than their Captain, helped him pin the would-be-assasin down.

Diana smiled coldly.

“Well? Go on.”

A little while later the old man was dumped, bloody, into the cell. Where his family gathered around him, the little girl crying. The spying enforcer was dumped into the next cell.

She tucked the Will Bender back in her pouch and turned away.

“Next.”

Hours later they’d sent men out to drag down other spies, including three more enforcers. It made her sick. But they had names. Dozens of names. It pleased her. They’d also been able to release the innocent prisoners.

A lot less blood.

They were no nearer getting Lita but she was closer to ending the quiet rebellion.

As they made their way upstairs Diana realized she was also surprisingly pleased that her Captain hadn’t been named.

She hadn’t expected him to be. Not really. Not when he’d so willingly interrupted the assassination attempt. But, still, she felt unusually light that it hadn’t happened.

It wasn’t absolute proof, but-

“Mistress, if I may?”

“Hmm. What?”

Lloyd hesitated, eyes straight ahead. “The family wasn’t involved.”

Her pleasure dropped and her nose rose in a snarl. Which she turned away from his sight.

“What are you asking, Captain?”

“That you pardon them.”

“And let the old fool go, too, I suppose?”

Captain Lloyd took a deep breath. “Not at all, Mistress. I merely suggest you punish only the one who’d actually done the wrong.”

“If I leave the others alive they will only fester with the injustice of what was done here.”

“There was no injustice, Mistress.”

She glanced sideways at him. “It doesn’t change that those children, and their father, will likely decide to take a stance against us.”

“As will anyone who hears about it.” He went silent a moment, bowing his head as he watched the corridor in front of his feet. “Do you wish them executed with the others, then? Or leave them down here with the other innocents the Brethren can’t let go?”

Executed. Unjust imprisonment.

A six year old little girl shaking in tears and fear.

It made her sick. The whole thing made her sick. But what in all the Voids was she supposed to do about it? She had a duty to perform. Who else was going to do it?

Voids it!

Frustrated, she clenched her fists, letting her nails turn into claws.

Letting them dig into her flesh and draw blood.

“What happens to the family I will leave to your judgment, Captain. Free them or kill them as you deem wise.”

“Thank you, Mistress.”

She couldn’t help a parting, biting comment. Made from fear and frustration. “If you betray me, Captain, I’ll make your fate worse than anyone Aridon has executed.”

Quiet for what felt like a long time.

“I’ll remember that, Mistress.”