Descent

Raised voices rang out, of two people arguing. One was Jinai.

Musa left me, creeping ahead.

He returned a few minutes later. "She brought a troop of Oko men, but they won't let her into the gate. We can still go over the wall."

Musa helped me forward through the thick brush. I was still weary from the night before. Hours of walking had already left my feet blistered. Despite my pain, when we got near, we dashed through the trees to where one of my guards watched on the inner wall. He crossed a ramp to the lower, outer wall and tossed down the rope. Musa helped, hoisting me up. As I planted my foot, it slipped on the wet stone, and I nearly fell back upon the bowman. But the sentry grabbed my cloak.

Someone shouted. A pair of Oko warriors ran around the corner of the wall towards us.

"Stop, Lady Keya!"

The sentry hauled me atop the outer wall, which was twice the height of the men. Musa scrambled up agilely behind me, his bow bobbing over his shoulder as he climbed.

"Keya."

I turned. Jinai walked towards us through the grass, following the men she had brought. She must have come around from the front gate.

"Your mother has called for you. You cannot stay here."

I looked squarely at her as Musa gained the top and, with the sentry, stood by my side. "I'm not leaving, Jinai. Musa, go up to the terrace. Shoot anyone who tries to come over the walls."

Musa nodded and crossed over the ramp to the inner wall to go inside.

"Keya, this is madness. Your brother is mustering a cohort of warriors. You can't hold this place with seven men."

"Hold the wall, at all costs," I said to the sentry, loud enough that those below could hear.

"I know about Blossom. I know you have the summoning stone. The demon is controlling you, Keya! I will not let that rutting beast have you!"

I made for the ramp, refusing to let her see my tears.

"Remember what I told you this morning," I whispered to the sentry.

Once inside, I hurried up the winding steps to my chambers. Lila met me on the lower flight of stairs. I embraced her, relieved she was safe.

"What can I do?" she asked.

"Help me gather my scrolls. I need as much as I can carry. I opened the study for her and climbed the last flight, catching up with Musa, who had strung his massive bow and gathered sheafs of arrows. We tramped through my bedchamber and onto the terrace.

Blossom was waiting there. "Lady Keya," the black-skinned demon gave a mock bow. "Your slaves are remarkably loyal."

Musa arched an eyebrow, taking in my apologetic expression and sending a wary look at the demon. Then he strode to the railing on the edge of the platform, looking over the wall for the best vantage points.

"By my count, Jinai brought at least ten men," he observed. "Maybe she hoped to be let in while you were away."

"There are more coming," I told him. "Many more. Make sure you are seen. Threaten them, but by the ancestors, Musa, please do not shoot anyone."

I turned to Blossom. "I hope you have a plan."

The demon nodded. "Hold out until dusk at least. Find your way to the Point and bring an audience. And take off those accursed baubles you wear." Blossom nodded in the direction of the cliff. "I will do the rest."

I stared helplessly towards the promontory, swallowing a burst of fear. "By the Seven Fathers! How am I supposed to make it out there?"

Blossom gave what could best be described as a shrug. "Your slaves will help, no doubt. This is a strong defensive position. Bleed your attackers from behind the walls. Once darkness falls, you will have a chance. Just get there."

Blossom would sacrifice its slaves, just as it had when I had it surrounded in the tomb. But I would not throw men's lives away. There had to be another way.

Jinai called my name from below. I winced, trying to ignore her, judging the distance to the Point. It was rugged ground, slightly uphill, and the light would be faded or gone. I would have to get over the walls. I couldn't outrun the slowest warrior.

Help me walk the path.

"I'll be in the study with Lila," I said. For a moment, I feared that Blossom might be a danger to Musa, but the bowman wore wards that I had consecrated. "Call me if anything arises."

Blossom leered, tongue curling between its lips as I passed. Despite everything, I felt a throb of lust, instinctively responding to the demon's nearness.

By late afternoon, Lila and I had packed notes on demon classification, everything I had written about summoning stones, and what little I had transcribed from Amankar's writings about the Thandi witches into two satchels that I could carry. I secreted Blossom's stone in one.

I was still debating whether to bring Amankar's seminal history, Musings, when a guard found us.

"Your brother is here," he said.

When I gained the top of the inner wall next to the front gate, my heart sank. I could see how many men Zahar had gathered. A cohort was one hundred men. It seemed as if that many warriors were here, entirely surrounding the villa. They were in full harness, with red lamellar cuirasses and oblong shields painted in gold. Most carried spears and short stabbing blades. Many were hard at work, chopping down trees for makeshift ladders.

There was no way past them in daylight. But even in the dark, my chances would rise from impossible to almost nonexistent.

Zahar, armored, with an ostrich-plume headdress, stood with Jinai outside the gate.

"It is over, Sister. Open the gates."

"What wrong have I committed?"

"Amankar is under Blossom's spell. It is said that he talks of nothing but the demon. Both Jinai and I know the effect well."

"You have seen it," I agreed. "So tell me. Am I under Blossom's spell too?"

My brother and my lover glanced at each other.

"Ahh," I said. A small triumph.

"You must be," said Zahar, disgust and confusion evident in his expression.

Jinai whispered in his ear, no doubt pointing out the amulet visible at my throat. I raised my hand, showing the gold bangles around my wrist.

"Keya, what in the infernal hells are you doing?" Zahar growled.

"I am doing what I have always done. I study demons, Brother. For so many years, you and I worked together, learning. But you are more interested in destroying than understanding. You are a scholar, but your quill is a sword, and your ink is demon's ichor."

"You know what that creature did to me, and to the other men. By the ancestors, Keya, the men guarding you were its victims!"

I knew, better than my brother thought, what Blossom had done to him. "So you will have justice, and we will achieve nothing," I said.

"What do you want?" Jinai asked me. "How do you expect this to end?"

"Send these good men home," I replied, gesturing at the warriors. "Then we will speak together as family."

In truth, I was surprised that Zahar had not ordered the men to tear down the gates and come over the walls already. I craned my head behind me, to see Musa with his bow, peering down.

The warriors arrayed outside the walls saw him too, eyeing him nervously. His skill was well known. From his perch, he could kill dozens of men as they climbed over the walls. Zahar had no archers that could match him.

No one wanted to see this end in blood. Except perhaps my brother, who looked ready to kill. Zahar's blocky jaw was set, eyes flashing with barely suppressed wrath.

Jinai whispered in his ear again. The two backed away, speaking closely to each other. I looked up at the sky, and mouthed a silent prayer. The sun steadily sank through the trees to the west.

Zahar and Jinai began to argue. I couldn't hear their words, but their gestures said enough. On the terrace above, Musa still prowled. I wondered where Blossom was. The creature's starlit skin would be easily visible in the daylight.

This is not going to work.

Jinai came forward again. Even from atop the wall, I could see the pain etched in the lines across her brow.

"I beg you, Keya, to see reason. I have known you since you were an unblooded girl. You have a gentle heart. You would risk your life for any of these men."

Behind her, Zahar reached into his cloak and pulled out his mask. He put it on, concealing his face behind a shroud of gold.

I knew my brother. It was the demon he wanted above everything. In Zahar's mind, Blossom was trapped within the district warding stones. But there were other compounds and houses in Coral Sands. The demon could hide for days if it slipped through past the Oko troops. Zahar would not back down. He would not send the men home.

"If this goes any further," Jinai went on. "Someone will be hurt. You wouldn't see your men hurt for the sake of your pride. Order them to open the gates."

"They are loyal to me," I shot back. "That is more than I can say of you."

Jinai's sharp features twisted in anguish, wrenching my heart. "What are you saying?"

"You told my mother everything!" My voice broke, despite myself.

"I serve House Oko!"

"I thought you served me. I thought I could trust you."

"You lied to me!" Jinai said. "From the moment I saved your life, you have been lying!"

You didn't save my life. You brought me back to this one.

Bitterness gnawed at my insides. I held my tongue, because to say more would have only tormented both of us.

"Enough," Zahar sounded weary. His carven face stared up at me. "Sister, this is your last chance. Do not let our father hear of this shame."

He received only a glare from me.

Zahar raised his voice, calling each of the names of my guards. "You men inside! Lay down your weapons and open the gates!"

Silence fell over the wood, now steeped in shadow. Below and behind me, out of view of those surrounding the walls, all of my guards except Musa waited, unarmed. Their faces betrayed their distress, but none moved towards the gate. I said a prayer for them.

Zahar raised a hand. Behind him, a boy with drums strapped to his shoulders began to beat them. In the woods, other drums sounded, picking up the same rhythm.

Jinai sagged, forehead in her hands. My heart withered along with her. I knew she was only doing what she believed to be right. She was trying to protect me from myself.

Not this time, my friend.

There was no escape. The warriors still ringed the entire villa. I could not get past them, even in the dimming light.

"Warriors of Oko!" Zahar cried.

As one, the men surrounding the walls barked their response. Ladders towered above the walls, ready to drop into position.

Someone screamed.

At first I thought it was the cry of someone climbing over the wall. One of the drums faltered, falling off beat. There was another scream, a sound of terror. The warriors glanced at each other, uncertain. The drumbeats stopped, no longer covering the sound of bodies crashing through the bush.

"Demon! Demon in the trees!" Someone yelled. More screams came. Many more.

Was it Blossom? I couldn't see how. The men knew what Blossom looked like. They had come prepared to face the demon. But now it was clear that even warriors were running away. Even as Zahar mustered his troop leaders, warriors from the rear of the villa fled by, throwing down their weapons.

"Blossom!" my brother shouted. "Face me!" He drew his sword, dark metal gleaming in the dying light.

Along the front wall, the warriors still stood firm, but chaos seemed to flow around the perimeter like a wave. I strained to see into the woods. Then I spotted something. A hunched ape-like form, quilled like a porcupine, crackling through the underbrush.

It wasn't Blossom. As I tried to focus on the thing, it seemed to disappear, and the noise stopped. Tree trunks shook. Leaves fluttered down. A few men threw spears that clattered into the wood.

A group of warriors lowered their spears and charged into the bush after the apparition. But it seemed they were pursuing shadows. At the far corner of the wall, another group cried out in panic and scattered into the woods, the same creature chasing them away.

Zahar's warriors were in complete disarray. From what I could tell, those to the rear of the villa had broken and fled. Most along the front wall had either fled or went searching through the woods for the elusive beast.

This was my chance.

Clutching my satchels, I hurried down the stairs and around the curved walls of the house. My brother's frustrated shouts faded behind me.

When I reached the rear wall, I ran up the stairs to the top. I yanked the cord on the wooden ramp, which dropped and locked onto the outer wall. In my haste, I nearly slid going across, but regained my balance.

The wood outside the wall was empty and twilit. I climbed over the edge, hanging by my hands and dropping the distance. I managed to keep from twisting an ankle on the uneven ground. The earth was still soft from the morning rain.

Discarded spears and shields littered the wood. I pushed through the trees. Unseen branches whipped across my face, as if chiding me. The steady pound of the surf oriented me as I forged ahead.

Terrified screams dropped away behind me. The salt breeze chilled my bare legs. My limbs were weary, shoulders burning with the weight of the scrolls and sheafs of paper I carried.

My heart was nearly broken.

I panted as the trees began to thin out and my sandals struck the rockier soil of the Point. Somehow, I was almost there. I yanked off my bangles and amulet as I climbed over the stony ground, stuffing them into my satchel. But when I scanned the promontory in the faded light, Blossom was nowhere to be found.

"Blossom," I cried. "Where are you?"

I sank to the ground, beyond exhausted.

"Keya."

My heart broke.

Jinai was there, just at the base of the promontory behind me, picking her way uphill slowly, trousers and tunic stained and torn.

"No," I gasped.

I couldn't go back. I turned away from her, stumbling now, close to the edge.

This is my path.

"Keya! Talk to me!"

There was nowhere to go, nothing ahead but the sea. Blossom was not there.

"By the ancestors, Jinai. Let me go!"

I felt empty. Ready to collapse.

"I love you," she said.

Finally, I stood and faced her. I'd seen Jinai snap a man's bones without flinching. I'd never seen her cry, until now.

"I love you," I said.

I had to say it. As impossible a love it was, it was true.

I sensed a presence looming behind me. Before I could turn, something jerked on my cowl, and I tumbled back, into air. The world spun, shrieking.

Dark sky.

Boiling sea.

Black rock.

Blossom's hand covered my mouth. The demon cradled me against its body. Its other limbs clung to the rock on the underside of the Point.

White caps broke against the wall of the cliff, far below. The pale pages of scrolls that had fallen out of one of my satchels drifted like ghostly leaves towards the water. The satchel itself had fallen away when Blossom grabbed me, and must have been beneath the waves. I was on the verge of fainting.

It was several moments before I recognized the sounds I was hearing as Jinai's screams. Every one seared my soul.

Blossom remained still until the wailing stopped. Then, ever so slow, the demon began to edge along the side of the cliff, hands and feet somehow holding fast to the stone, even holding my weight. The young moon watched us, causing Blossom's bright whorls to glow like constellations.

"Was that you?" I gasped. "Frightening the men?"

"That, my precious Lady Keya, was a lowly sanju demon."

I drifted in and out of consciousness.

I woke bouncing on Blossom's shoulder as the demon clambered over the rocks of the shoreline, carrying me like a sack. The infernal plodded the length of a bone-white beach, and finally lowered me gently to the sand. My cheek stung in the grit, but I was beyond caring. I just wanted to sleep, and forget.

"Have you ever been rutted on the beach?"

I groaned. The waves pounded the insides of my skull. The demon helped me to my knees. A stiffening cock slapped against my face. I opened my mouth weakly, and gagged as the shaft slid in.

Even now, my traitorous body responded to Blossom. Cloying warmth bloomed between my thighs. Perhaps, if I was rutted to unconsciousness, I wouldn't recall the knife cuts of Jinai's screams.

Blossom drew its thick cock from my throat, dragging threads of saliva along with it. The demon yanked up my tunic, baring my pale breasts to the salt air. Then it fed me its cock again. In my desperation, I sucked it in.

"Yes, Lady Keya," Blossom murmured. "Now you are where you belong. On the end of my cock."

I whimpered, slurping on the ebon shaft, craving only oblivion.

Blossom pulled away, and I nearly fell on my face.

"Someone comes," it said. "The witch. We shall continue this conversation later."

All I could manage in response was a moan.

"Say my name, Lady Keya."

My voice, hoarse from weeping, only rasped.

"Thabjhana," I finally managed. I rolled over onto my back.

The demon faded away, dust in the moonlight. My fingers found the remaining satchel, and felt the comforting shape of the summoning stone, still inside.

Zhura stood over me. She set her staff down. Bending over me as I lay on the sand, she examined the scrapes and scratches on my face and legs, the bruises from the night before.

Zhura arched an eyebrow, appraising my exposed breasts and then pulling my torn cloak together to protect them from the breeze. "I should like to meet this demon of yours. But not now. Are you hurt?"

I shook my head no.

"Can you walk? We have a long way to go, to get home."

I shook my head again.

"I can't believe it. Even I thought you were dead."

"I am dead," I groaned.

It wasn't meant as a joke, but she chuckled.

A smile crept across my lips. Underneath the hollowness and grief lay awareness.

I was finally free.

Zhura sat down on the sand beside me, laughing. Her fingers wove between mine.

Held tight.