Half-Demon's Fortune

by Lina J. Potter

  Ak-kvir wasn’t perfect, either. During the day, his speed and endurance weren’t the same, and he had to carry two people instead of one. He would last for half the way, and then we would have to make do without him, which is why I needed the dress—for that one night.

  By the way, I would have never summoned Ak-kvir while in the dress, even if it meant my death. I would have to stop being a necromancer afterward, as demons would never stop ridiculing me, and the rumors would have spread throughout the dimensions.

  And so, Ak-kvir got us to a town called Viltim that was located just halfway to the capital. He didn’t use the roads. Running through the woods, gullies, and driftwood was hard even for a demon. He even leaped over a wall so we wouldn’t have to go through the gate and pay the entrance fee. Then he disappeared until nightfall.

  We found an alley, where Innis helped me change. A man and a woman went in, and two women walked out, hoping to find shelter for the night.

  Gods, how can women move in these sacks!

  Innis was the first to notice the Duck and Drake tavern, but I wasn’t in a mind to argue. The house seemed cozy enough. It was situated in a respectable area and had a tidy garden around it and barely any beggars. It would have to do.

  The innkeeper met us on the doorstep and bowed.

  “What would the charming ladies want?”

  “A room, one for the two of us for the night, and a dinner.”

  Innis stayed quiet while I talked. The innkeeper escorted us to a room on the top floor and asked if we wanted to dine in the common room.

  We didn’t. We preferred to eat in our room.

  As he closed the door, I collapsed onto the bed and cast off the veil—what a disgusting thing! It does look quite enticing on women, but after you try it on...

  “Innie, dearie, how do you manage to wear this stuff?”

  “With some effort.”

  “But it looks so pretty from the outside!”

  Instead of replying to me, she stuck out her tongue.

  ***

  After nightfall, I summoned Ak-kvir once again, and we went hunting. Walking the streets at night is just the thing for a lady with a dog. In two hours, we scored twenty bodies for him and fifty gold for me. We could have continued, but both of us needed rest, so I released the demon and went back to the tavern.

  Innis was there, and she was terrified.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She turned toward the window and rushed to embrace me.

  “Alex! I was so scared!”

  “I said I would come soon.”

  Under her thin nightgown, I felt her skin, warm and soft. It didn’t look like Innis was thinking about something like that, so I strained my muscles, trying not to lose control. I wanted to squeeze her tighter, press her against me, slide my lips down her smooth shoulder that peeked out from her shirt, so alluring and tantalizing...but no. I had no right to ruin her life.

  “Not you.”

  “What, then?”

  “There was somebody behind the door.”

  “Really?”

  “He was walking, panting, but I was as quiet as a mouse, and he left. But I think he came back, and I was noisy...”

  “I s-see...”

  I considered her words. Could it be that the innkeeper had a dirty business on the side? Two women, seemingly not very rich, without any connections... If they were to disappear, nobody would make a fuss. And if they kicked up dust at the local brothel, the owners knew how to handle unruly girls.

  But wouldn’t it be easier to feed us sedatives? There was no reason to complicate matters. We could have caused a disturbance, maybe even hurt someone.

  “He’s back!”

  I heard steps behind the door and without further thinking, pushed the girl away from it.

  “Stay in the corner, please.”

  Innis obeyed and fell down into an armchair, and I flung the door open.

  Two lads reeking of wine were standing there.

  “Hello there, l-lady!”

  After listening to his rambling, I realized that the guys had set sights on us back on the first floor and had decided to help us pass the time, or make us help them do it. They had downed a few bottles, then a few more, and had struck out. They had passed by our room several times, as they had no clue which room we had taken, while the innkeeper had refused to tell them, instead, recommending they sleep it off. That’s why they had been stumbling around and listening in.

  Promptly, I butted their foreheads against each other, making them collapse onto the floor. Then I dragged them to the staircase and left. Let them sleep. If they got lucky, they wouldn’t roll down and count the stairs with their ribs.

  If they did...no big loss.

  “Will we sleep?”

  Innis looked at me strangely.

  “Alex...”

  “Mmm?”

  “Can we...move the beds closer?”

  “H-how much closer?”

  I almost stuttered as I heard her words. What does she want? Put them together and sleep with our arms around each other? Does she realize what she’s saying?

  Innis turned as red as a beetroot.

  “It’s just...could you hold my hand?”

  Phew. Anytime.

  Innis fell asleep quickly, while I lay in the darkness, squeezing her wrist and thinking how hard it would be for me to leave Riolon. To whom can I entrust this little treasure?

  They say that the temple befits the priest. If it was His Highness Darius who had framed me, then who, in that country of sleazebags, could be charged with taking care of Innis?

  ***

  The morning started with a small ruckus. One of the guys really did fall down the stairs, but as the Bright favors fools, he got off with just a few bruises. Innis and I packed up and left. We still had to leave the city, summon Ak-kvir, and reach the capital.

  We passed through the gates together with a crowd of townsfolk, followed the road for a while, and then went off the path into a nearby grove. When the town walls were nowhere to be seen, I stopped, got rid of the dress, and stretched in pleasure.

  “So, how about a sprint to the capital?”

  “Alex, what are we going to do there?”

  I smirked.

  “Does your family have a house there?”

  “No. It’s too expensive.”

  “Then we’ll rent a house so you can live there in peace until everything sorts itself out, and I will deal with Andago. We’ll sic the Church on the warlocks and wait out their battle...”

  “A house in the capital costs way too much, I don’t have that kind of money.”

  “Don’t worry about that.”

  “And...you’ll leave me?”

  “For a while. We’ll find you a chaperone, so your reputation won’t get hurt.”

  “Fine. You know best.”

  Innis agreed, despite the doubt in her voice. I touched her chin and pushed it up.

  “Cheer up, child. We’ll have time to consider and discuss everything. I promise. Right now, the most important thing is to get to the capital and shake up the Church.”

  “As you wish.”

  “Sit down, please. I have to summon the demon again.”

  “Why do I have to sit down?”

  “Yesterday you almost fainted, didn’t you?”

  “Well...I haven’t ridden demons before...”

  “Only my neck, yep.”

  “You!”

  She was amazingly good at kicking, even despite her long skirts, and I barely had time to jump away.

  “Hitting demons is forbidden!”

  “Tell that to the Church!”

  “Innis!”

  “Alex!”

  She didn’t chase me for too long, however; only two minutes. After that, she sat on the grass and watched me summon Ak-kvir, and this time, she was much calmer.

  Ak-kvir bared his fangs and bristled his fur, trying to scare her, but to no avail.

  “Aren’t you scared?”
>
  Innis stared at him, not quite fearless, but then stood up and came closer. She had to ride him anyway, so why not take a closer look?

  “I am scared. I’d be stupid not to be.”

  “Right. Are you scared of him, then?”

  “No. Not him.”

  “But he’s also a demon.”

  Half-demon, actually.

  “I’m not afraid of him. He’s a good man.”

  “Really?”

  Ak-kvir was clearly shocked.

  “Are you sure, female?”

  Innis nodded, and it was like a weight had been lifted. It’s nice to know that someone is not afraid of you. The demon grinned in a very human-like manner.

  “All right, sit down, or people could take notice.”

  We obeyed. I put Innis in front of me, put my arms around her waist, and the demon darted off.

  The capital of Riolon awaited us.

  ***

  Apparently, I was a patriot, or maybe it was the twilight of the evening, but Riala didn’t produce much of an impression on me. It was an ordinary city, a pretty one, but nothing more than that.

  Alethar was much more beautiful, which is what I told Innis.

  “Have you been there?”

  “I have.”

  “Then...”

  “You’ll definitely visit it one day. I could get you there, if you want.”

  “I’ll hold you to that.”

  Innis smiled and bid a friendly goodbye to Ak-kvir. Then we started to turn me into a woman once again. She helped me get into the dress, I put on the hat, and we went looking for a place to sleep.

  We got lucky once again. We didn’t find an inn, but a nice old lady in a bonnet bumped into us, literally—a thief wrestled a basket from her hands and tried running away right past us, and with a familiar gesture, I grabbed him by the collar.

  He really should have thought better.

  After sending the robber into the nearest alleyway with a swift kick, I was left with the basket in my hand and a torn dress.

  “Thank you, my dear!”

  I handed the old lady her belongings.

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Oh, the thieves here have lost all shame!”

  I gave a ready nod and even brightened up. I still had to feed Ak-kvir his due. Little by little, we learned that she was Lady Madie Veraunt. Call me Auntie Madie, girls! She had been left alone after her children had gotten married, and her live-in cousin had left to attend the funeral of her uncle twice removed.

  Madie had gone for an evening stroll and to get some balm for her back.

  I didn’t waste time, especially since the old lady seemed smart and looked at me as if she was implying something, and asked her if she could rent us a room—or, even better, two—for a month or so.

  She paused to think and agreed, naming a fair price, which I promptly doubled.

  Not just for the hell of it, mind you. It’s hard for the elderly to live alone, and the woman wasn’t lying. She was in her late sixties, and even if she seemed to be keeping it together, I couldn’t help but notice her swollen joints and shaking hands.

  I’m no templar and won’t say the whole world isn’t worth even one tear of one child, but neither am I going to harm strangers or innocent people. If I can, I will help.

  Lady Madie tried arguing, but I shook my head and carefully took her hand into mine.

  “Auntie Madie, please.”

  That sealed the deal, and she proceeded with the usual, But I don’t have anything to treat you with, girls. We had to visit a local shop and buy some food. There really wasn’t much to eat in the house. A classic story: her son had his own family and thought that his mother could handle everything by herself, while her daughter...

  Oh, her daughter was married to a servitor of the Church and lived at the temple, constantly praying and making every effort to save her soul, only visiting her mother once in ten days. She just didn’t have the time.

  The cousin who was out of town helped Madie around the house, but...she wasn’t riding Ak-kvir. Her trip was a long one, and she would only return in a month or so. What would Auntie Madie do until then?

  That’s right.

  She could either complain to her children or try to deal with her problems herself. She couldn’t carry a lot, with her swollen hands, so she had to buy a couple of carrots and several potatoes per visit, and then, there was the cleaning issue...

  Auntie Madie’s house was cozy enough. It was on a quiet narrow street and had a small garden. Still, the roof was leaking, and the fence needed mending, while the people who had worn a path through the palisade deserved a severe beating. I will get around to it tomorrow.

  “Should I make your beds in one room or two?” Auntie’s subtext was clear enough.

  “In two, of course.”

  Innis blushed, while I smirked and took off my hat.

  “Innie, our hostess might be elderly, but she’s not blind or stupid. Auntie Madie, how long have you known that I’m a man?”

  “I realized it almost straight away, dear. Few women can deal with a thief as well as you.”

  I felt dumb and started to remove the dress.

  “Auntie Madie, please don’t think ill of us. Innis is my cousin. It’s just that she has trouble at home. Her family wants her to marry such an idiot that she’d rather die. That’s why I brought her to the capital to find her a husband here.”

  Auntie looked at us with suspicion. I fluttered my sincere blue eyes. Go on, check it yourself. She calmed down.

  “You don’t look like cousins.”

  “Our great-grandmothers were sisters, we aren’t related that closely. Actually, I’m from Tevarr...”

  And I relayed to her Alex Belient’s biography, avoiding mention of Innis’s family. I called her Innis Andio, just in case anybody heard us. While the Morales family remained in the world, Innis was in danger.

  Auntie, of course, didn’t believe me right away, but I didn’t insist on it. I chose a room for myself, put Innis in the next one, so I could help her if anything happened, and went to sleep. That night, I summoned Ak-kvir, and we went for a walk.

  Our catch was only ten thieves and thirty gold in various coins. Not bad. It would be enough for Innis for the short haul, and the next day, I would repeat the exercise.

  Or should I not waste my time on trifles and start with the Church, followed by Darius? He might know why his sister is so happy with her husband missing in action.

  ***

  After I returned to Auntie Madie’s, I didn’t go to bed. Three o’clock was the best time for summoning, allowing necromancers to release their power freely. It was our time, when our magic could shield us from the Church and its servants. Nightfall gave warlocks and us free reign. Detecting our spells became much harder with no daylight.

  I used only my power and my blood, however, so Auntie Madie had nothing to worry about. No templar would knock on her door; and even if he did... Well, the best thing about the capital was how easy one could hide a body there.

  Anyway, I needed to learn the situation Innis and I found ourselves in, which is why I opted for summoning ghosts. Spirits were smart and useful. For starters, I called upon Tidann Andago and questioned him about the goings-on at the estate.

  After learning that we had successfully reached the capital, he gave me an honest answer—all Andagos were out for blood. How could they not be?

  Innis had left for a walk, her horse had come back, but Alex Belient had disappeared as well. If the second made sense, the first didn’t. She couldn’t ride on her cousin’s back, could she?

  No horses had disappeared nearby, but there was no sign of Innis.

  Sidon was shocked, Amorta furious, and the Moraleses were scouring the region. In short, we had chosen the best time to escape.

  I promised Tidann I would send templars after the Moraleses and took my leave. My next summoning would have to be Radenorian ghosts.

  That would be much harder. The di
stance was longer, and ghosts were no demons; they could move across other dimensions, but not especially well, so the farther they were from the place of their deaths, the weaker they were. Still, I had no other options.

  Martha was all right, I knew that, but I needed to find out the situation inside the palace, and thus, I got to work. I didn’t even need a ghost, anyway. I wanted to call upon Radenor’s royal snake, the spirit of the palace. Not for long, just to see everything with its eyes and let it go with instructions for Martha.

  Or should I go home for a spell? Sort it out and get back to Innis?

  I needed to think. But first, I needed information.

  ***

  The time of summoning had come.

  Auntie Madie’s house was peaceful and quiet, and I locked myself in my room, put a bowl on the floor, and went to business. I cut my vein and dripped blood inside the bowl; not much, just half a cup to draw a protective circle.

  Not for myself, no—I had to shield the others from any possible consequences.

  By drawing the circle, I would lock myself and my power inside it and become powerless to the one who came, but nothing would happen in the capital.

  Innis seemed suspicious, but she was too tired to argue. She made me promise not to leave without her and went to sleep.

  Before midnight, I didn’t do anything other than draw the circle, prepare the candles, sleep an hour or so...

  Was it dangerous to sleep in a room with a ready summoning circle? Not really. Until you charged it with your power, it was nothing more than a picture. You needed talent, you needed the gift. Without it, a song was only a howling, and necromancer’s drawings were just dumb scribbles.

  But finally, the bells struck midnight, and I woke up.

  I entertained the idea of getting properly dressed. True, necromancers looked much better if clad in ceremonial robes, but trust me, I can be good enough even in my underwear. There was no need to waste time; I would go to sleep later anyway.

  I entered the circle, cut my wrist, lit the candles simply by looking at them, and I called. I remembered the altar, upon which I had spilled my blood, the black serpent coiled around my legs, and just five minutes later, the room became enveloped in a freezing cold, while a stream of darkness gathered around me. It wrapped my legs, nuzzling up to me like a puppy, wanting my attention and care. It needed me, after all. Radenors—true Radenors—were an inseparable part of their home.