Authors: Calista Fox
“Fine,” he conceded as he pulled her to him and she rested
her head on his chest. “But I do think we should address the village tomorrow
regarding your new post. It might be something they find comforting.”
She agreed, yet asked, “What about the impending threat of a
rogue demon army heading this way?”
“I don’t believe it’s necessary to alarm anyone just yet. I
want to know more of their mission and whereabouts before I raise any hackles.
Can you understand that?”
Jade grinned. “Don’t you mean, ‘can I abide by that’?”
“Yes,” he said as his fingertips drew abstract circles on
her bare arm. “Precisely what I mean.”
“Fine. I’ll leave the military matters to your discretion.
I’m now promoting goodwill amongst the species.”
The quest had a very nice appeal to it. And for once, Jade
embraced an optimistic outlook. Though in the back of her head, she didn’t
forget their world was a dangerous one no matter what good intentions were
verbally expressed…
Chapter Fourteen
The meeting hall was packed when Jade arrived with Tanner
and, not surprisingly, Darien. She’d known all along he wouldn’t allow her to
speak to the villagers without him when it came to her new post. He’d want to
express his own point of view of the position rather than let her pontificate
on something that had grown so exponentially in her mind overnight, it led her
to believe she was on par with reestablishing a peace sanction akin to the
United Nations.
She was brimming with excitement as they entered the hall
and walked in unison to the front of the room. Tanner placed an additional
chair at the head table and he sat to the right of Darien, while she sat to the
left.
It wasn’t an everyday occurrence to be appointed an
ambassador of peace by a king, so she felt the butterflies in her stomach were
justified. The fact she still needed to reconcile her newly discovered
demi-demon status aside, a heady sensation of purpose and direction consumed
her.
In truth, she felt more alive than ever before. More a part
of something significant and bigger than herself, and certainly in tune to
possibilities she’d never dared dream of—like the opportunity to discuss with
Darien advancements that might improve human life. And the potential to
strengthen relations so the demons within the king’s alliance—who obeyed his
rules and did not prey on mortals—could be free of persecution and, in turn,
the humans could be released from fear and tyranny.
A win-win was so close at hand, she nearly vibrated in her
chair as Tanner tried to get the crowd under control. Speculation about the
king’s presence, however, had everyone whispering and chattering in terse
voices.
Finally, Jade jumped to her feet, as she was prone to do
when she’d had enough of the speculative conversation.
“Everyone, please,” she said in a strong voice, “take your
seats.” They did, and the talking dimmed. “Now, allow Tanner and me to
recognize King Darien’s presence at our meeting.”
Darien stood and the congregation knelt in front of their
chairs as they’d done the last time he’d visited the hall.
“Thank you, Jade.” He slid a sideways glance her way. He
clearly found it amusing her patience with the villagers’ anxiety always
snapped when there was important news to discuss. He gestured for the group to
return to their chairs. Then he said, “I appreciate Tanner and Jade giving me
the floor for a few moments to dis—”
Alarm gripped Jade as a movement in the anteroom snagged
Darien’s attention.
Seconds later, Morgan swept into the hall, his cloak
swirling at his feet. He wore a tense expression that made her instantly ill at
ease. The villagers turned their gazes from the king to his general and
bewildered whispers ensued.
“Excuse me,” Darien announced before joining Morgan in the
far corner.
Jade exchanged looks with Tanner, then he stepped closer to
her and ventured, “This must have something to do with the rogue army.”
Her heart sank to her knees. “Let’s hope there aren’t more
casualties.”
But she wasn’t one to be left hanging. She moved away from
Tanner and insinuated herself into Darien and Morgan’s conversation.
Darien stopped mid-sentence and glowered at her.
She said, “I’m supposed to be an ambassador now. I believe
that entitles me to hear news that clearly impacts the village, given Morgan
came directly to the meeting hall with his report.”
The general appeared confused by her statement. He asked,
“Ambassador?”
“I’ll explain later,” Darien said. Then he added, “Continue
with your update.”
Morgan did as requested. “The renegade army has split up and
I believe they’ll be outside Ryleigh’s borders within a day. Two at the most.
The tracks they’re leaving are scattered and intermittent, indicating they’re
still vanishing. This throws off our detection of them. But they will
materialize.” His tone turned grave. “And when they do, I suspect they will
have surrounded the village.”
Jade’s pulse hitched. “Tanner and I can’t defend the village
against a hundred and fifty demons.”
Darien nodded at her. “Thank you for actually acknowledging
that.” As though he’d feared she’d be foolish enough to try to fend off the
demons.
Then again… If it was her only choice…
She asked, “What do you want us to do?”
“Stay out of it.” Morgan was the one to respond. “You’re
minus a slayer, and even if you wanted to be a stand-in, which I know Darien
would never permit, you—”
“I’m more than a stand-in,” she bristled. Tugging on the
sleeve of her sweater, she showed him her bracelet. “The king signed the papers
last night.”
Morgan’s shocked gaze flashed to Darien.
The king raised a hand. “Again, I’ll explain later. The fact
she’s a registered slayer has no bearing on the current state of affairs. This
isn’t a fight to include the villagers’ or the slayers’ involvement. It’s
between my army and the fire wraith’s.”
Regardless, Jade felt panic swirl in her belly.
Darien continued, saying to Morgan, “I want you to recall
your patrols and have them come upon the perimeter of the village slowly, so as
to thwart a retreat by the invaders.”
“Certainly.”
“We’ll assemble an army to barricade the border and advance
on the renegades, pushing them outward. Station your troops at least a
half-mile from the woods, so the wraith’s soldiers can’t penetrate the
boundaries and scatter in the forest. The slayers will stay within the village.
We’ll drive the wraith’s army back, or toward the castle, but certainly away
from Ryleigh.”
“Wait,” she interjected in a quiet tone, so her constituency
didn’t hear her. Her heart pounded erratically. “I can’t just accept you
surrounding the village with your forces. You’re talking about two demon armies
right outside our borders, encompassing us. No human is going to be accepting
of that, including me.”
Darien’s brow jerked. “You doubt my intentions?”
“Of course not.” Though dread mixed with her panic. “But put
yourself in our position.”
The word “our” made his eyes narrow on her. He clearly heard
“the humans’ position” instead.
She rushed on. “What I’m saying is, you’re trapping us
within the village boundaries.” A sense of claustrophobia seized her, but
helplessness turned out to be a greater fear. “Come on, Darien. I can’t tell
these people they’ll be the centerpiece in a demon-demon war. I don’t care that
your army is bigger and more powerful. Even I feel threatened by being closed
in.”
“
You
?” he demanded in a voice that held disbelief.
“You would doubt me?”
“That’s not what I’m saying. I just—”
He turned sharply and stalked away. Jade’s distress
escalated. Yet a thought sprang to her mind, and without second-guessing the
obscure notion, she said, “Wait. I know how to ensure the villagers’ safety—and
bolster their confidence—so you can deploy your army.”
She turned back to the melee in the meeting room. “We’re in
a very precarious situation, and the threat does not come from the castle above
us.” Jade spoke loud enough to her neighbors that a hush fell over the crowd.
“The fire wraith that attacked me twice leads an army headed
this way. The king and his general will do everything in their power to keep
that army from breaching our borders. But they have to barricade the perimeter
of our village with demons in order to do it.”
Malcolm Carter, the blacksmith, shouted, “It’s a trick!”
This caused an outbreak of panic from the men and
terror-filled shrieks from the women and children.
Jade leaped onto the seat of her chair and whistled loudly.
Then she said, “I can assure you, this is no trick.”
When the din quieted enough for her to speak, she continued.
“I’ve seen the fire wraith. I’ve been injured by him. Badly. More so than any
of you know, with the exception of the king and his staff.”
Her gaze slid to Michael, who merely shook his head and
averted his eyes. While her heart hurt because of the strain on their
friendship, she didn’t waver from her duty. “I understand how difficult this is
to reconcile in your minds. I’m struggling as well. As my father did, years
ago. But the fact remains, we’re in jeopardy from demons outside the king’s
alliance. And if he offers his assistance to us, I cannot, in good faith toward
all of you, refuse it.”
Jade allowed the villagers to squawk and fret. The men were
outraged and she didn’t blame them. Tanner folded his arms over his chest and
gave her a curious look, as though to indicate she’d stuck her foot in her
mouth and had worsened their troubles.
She disagreed.
“If you’re done,” she said in a sharp tone that garnered
attention. She hopped down from the chair and addressed everyone as they
returned to their seats again. “I have it on very good authority, with personal
stakes involved, that the king and his general will keep their word and drive
back the invading force—without harming any of us.”
“How, Jade?” This statement, laced with incredulity, came
from Max Wilkins, the butcher.
She pulled in a breath, then surged forward. “First, I’ve
been appointed by the king himself as an ambassador of peace between the demons
and humans.”
Anticipating the eruption of dialogue, she waited a few
minutes, then added, “In addition to being a slayer, I’m committing myself to
improving relations between humans on this continent and the demons in the
king’s alliance. What we don’t have control over, but which I am confident the
king eventually will, are the renegade demons that make their random attacks.”
Malcolm was bold enough to ask, “How can you trust them,
Jade?”
Without hesitating, she replied, “Because I know the king
and his general. I’ve seen the lengths to which they’ll go for someone who
lives outside their castle walls. I know their goodwill can stretch much
further. And I will give you my personal guarantee that we are
not
in
danger from the king or his men.”
The challenging looks were impossible to miss, but no one
else seemed courageous enough to demand further explanation from her. Not while
they were in the king’s presence, that was.
She answered for them. “I trust the king’s judgment. And the
general’s. I also have an agreement with the king that we’ll work together to
support his peace efforts. And, if that’s not assurance enough…” Jade took
another deep breath, then jumped off a cliff. “You can be confident in that
he’d never intentionally let anything endanger this village when it means so
much to his,” she swallowed hard and said, “
wife.
”
The uproar made her roll her eyes. She let it go on and on.
Sliding a glance toward Darien, she found him shaking his head and appearing
astonished by her audacity. Michael looked duly stricken.
She’d deal with both men later.
When Lisette finally stepped forward with her arms lifted
and an expression of utter shock on her face, Jade quieted the group once more.
“I realize this is stunning news,” Jade said. “And for the
record, we haven’t exchanged vows yet. However—”
“You’re a demon slayer, Jade.” Lisette stated the obvious in
an incredulous tone.
Jade fought the natural hackles creeping up on her. “I’m
aware of that. And my fiancé is a demon, yes. But he is not the enemy,” she
insisted.
Darien approached her. She could see he fumed, though he
tried to hide it from everyone but her. In his commanding voice, he said to the
villagers, “I understand this comes as a surprise. But the bottom line is that
Jade is correct. I will do everything in my power to protect Ryleigh. And other
villages. You have my word on that.” His gaze slid to her. “And we’ll talk more
in private.”
She sighed. He stormed away and she focused on the outraged
group.
Finally, Tanner exerted himself and announced, “Meeting
adjourned!” He turned to Jade and added, “You could have warned me.”
“I hadn’t accepted his proposal. Until now.” She shrugged,
though guilt ribboned through her. “What choice did I have? I had to prove to
them Darien would never willingly let anything happen to these people when he
knows how much they mean to me.”
“Jade,” he said between clenched teeth, “you’re talking
about marrying the Demon King, not having a fence built around our village.”
“Actually, there will be a fence around our village. A demon
fence.” She smiled at him, despite her own anxiety over having pissed off her
fiancé once again. “I’ll admit the thought freaked me out at first, but face
it, Tanner. There isn’t a chance in hell Darien will let that rogue army
penetrate his forces.”
The other slayer gave this due consideration, his eyes
clouding. Eventually, he said, “I agree.” He took a step closer to her and
said, “But you just committed yourself to marrying him, Jade. How do you plan
to reconcile
that
with the villagers?”
* * * * *
“She certainly knows how to twist the knife, doesn’t she?”
Morgan commented as they mounted their horses outside the meeting hall.
Darien said, “I do vacillate frequently between wanting to
kiss her and wanting to shake some sense into her.” It was unfortunate that he
found Jade’s cunning intriguing and that he respected her determination and
nerve, because those things also infuriated the hell out of him.
“Can we count on her to follow your direction and stay in
the village?”
“She knows the extent of my patience and tolerance.” He
hadn’t missed the flicker of dread in her eyes while his temper had simmered
over her unexpected announcement of their now-impending nuptials. She’d known
she’d aggravated him. Yet again. “I’m certain we have nothing to worry about
with her or Tanner. Jade
will
obey my command this time.”
“I still can’t believe you allowed her to take the slayer’s
oath,” the general said as they rode through the woods.