Chapter 24

  - But…

  - Sorry, Nimus, I lied a bit. I’m not a succubus… But I’m not fully human either! Half, to be exact. Hey, if you’re such a hotshot healer, you should’ve figured that out!

  - Ha, what’s this little shit mouthing off about? Nimus, what kinda roleplay nonsense is this?

  - Shut it! You’ve got no clue who you’re talking to. Or are you so useless you can’t tell a human from a half-breed? Heal me, and my father will reward you handsomely.

  - Your father?

  - The Demon Lord! I’m the lord’s son. My mother was human, though… You can see that, right? Humans don’t grow horns.

  The demons gaped at me, bug-eyed, unable to spit out a word.

  - Good thing I ran into you, Aiden. You’re the only one who can back me up.

  - Elon?

  - Sorry, Nimus, it was necessary. Too much at stake.

  - The lord can’t have kids with humans. – Aiden couldn’t let it go.

  - It’s not your place to say what the lord can or can’t do. My father kept my existence a secret. What I’m about to tell you stays between us. It’s state-level classified. Can we find somewhere more private?

  Aiden hesitated, but my bullshit game was too strong. I’ve had a knack for talking shit since my past life. Keeps proving invaluable. Finally, the healer waved us along and led the way silently. Spilling state secrets in a crowd would be dumb. As we walked, I frantically tried to cook up those secrets. Good thing I’ve got a buff for quick thinking.

  We entered a house, sorta furnished with something resembling furniture. Dim firelight flickered on the crooked walls, playing with shadows. I don’t get why they need houses here. Never seen it rain.

  - No one’s eavesdropping?

  - Seems not.

  - Seems? I’m not here to tell fairy tales. What I say can’t leave these walls. This is serious shit. Check again!

  - Alright… – Nimus was still reeling from the bombshell. He didn’t know how to act and seemed to defer to Aiden. So, I needed to convince the hunchback. Which begs the question: convince him of what?

  - Checked?

  - Nobody’s here.

  - Check again.

  - Why?

  - Can’t be too careful. (Or too short on time to invent stories.)

  - All clear.

  - Look outside for suspicious types.

  - There’s no one, I checked twice.

  - Really? Fine… So, to make it clear, I’ll start from the beginning…

  The two demons sat across from me, holding their breath, eagerly awaiting epic revelations. Before starting, I took a small pause. A tiny one. Just a few minutes for dramatic effect.

  - So… – Nimus couldn’t wait.

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  - Don’t interrupt!

  - But…

  - Quiet! – Looks like they’re buying it, ‘cause that was enough to shut a demon up. – My pathetic mother died in childbirth. She was human. But my lord was merciful. He raised me as a true demon. Because of my weak-ass mother, I was too frail, so I had to train harder. No results. I was ready to give up, but my father saw potential. I look very human. Makes it easy to blend into their society. The lord was fed up with those damn succubi. They’ve only got one thing on their minds, and you can’t rely on them for serious stuff. So, he sent me to the surface, where I spent years gathering intel. Nobody in hell, except my father and his inner circle, knew I existed. Thanks to that, I uncovered a traitor… The master of these lands made a secret deal with humans and elves. He’s supposed to backstab the lord during the war and take his place. They’ve already set aside land on the surface for a future demon kingdom.

  - What? Ksiron’s a traitor? No way! – Nimus shouted.

  - Shh! Someone might hear! This is his domain, and every demon answers to him. I hate to think how many spies he’s got. I know it’s hard to accept, but you’ll have to take my word.

  - Got proof? – Aiden asked.

  - No. Couldn’t get any. Couldn’t waste more time, so I rushed back to report to my father. But Ksiron caught me on the way. (At least I know his name now. Tired of “master” this, “master” that… Makes me feel like a fuckin’ slave.) He tortured me for ages and eventually figured out who I am and what I know. He was scared the lord might’ve caught wind of his plans, so he sent a message to the surface to warn his allies and speed up preparations. But he underestimated me. I’m not as weak as he thought. I was guarded by two demons from the last generation, so escaping wasn’t that hard. Ksiron panicked. He thought I’d head straight to the center. That’s why he made up that lame runaway-human story and put a bounty on me.

  - So that’s why you went the other way? To avoid him?

  - Not just that. The message Ksiron sent… I’ve got a shot at getting proof.

  - But… You’re so weak you run from kitties. How’re you gonna pull that off?

  - That’s why I need your help. Plus, my disease… It’s actually from the torture. I’m getting weaker every day. A bit longer, and I’m dead. They tortured me with succubi.

  - What!?

  - Holy shit… That’s banned by the Geneva Convention!

  - Chill, Nimus. I just need healing.

  - Aiden! Heal him quick!

  - This is all weird… – Aiden mused.

  - You don’t believe me?

  - No… I mean, yeah… It’s not that. The whole runaway-human story seemed fishy from the start. Nothing like it in thousands of years. Honestly, Ksiron never sat right with me. Weaker than Ksafraks, in spirit and body. Don’t get why the lord made him general. Vain, narcissistic, and totally unfit to lead. I could see him pulling a dirty betrayal.

  - Great, then…

  - What if Ksafraks is telling the truth? What if he’s innocent? There’s gotta be a way to weaken demon blood. If the master’s tight with elves and humans, they could’ve given him a poison that fucked up the last generation. – Nimus had a sudden epiphany.

  - Can we get back to my healing? – I tried to interject.

  - Totally possible. – But they ignored me. – They could’ve made progress with poisons. Only Ksafraks might be immune. Or maybe it’s a spell or artifact.

  - The sword!... – Nimus’s shout froze the demons, mouths agape. – That’s when he forged Ksafraks’s sword!...

  - It adds up… Why’d Ksiron come here from the center? Not many demons do that willingly. Mostly freaks. But it makes sense. The gate’s basically under his control. All supplies, all info—under his watch. If not for Elon working in secret, we’d never have known about the betrayal!

  Silence fell again.

  - Alriiight, so maybe…

  - What do we do? – Nimus cut me off again.

  - Heal me!

  - We gotta warn the lord. – Aiden replied.

  - But who’ll believe us?

  - You’re right. First, we need that proof. We gotta intercept the message. (He said “we”? Good sign?)

  - Nimus, you’ll go with Elon to catch the messenger. They usually use succubi, so you shouldn’t have trouble. I’m no help here. (Fuck that, you’re a huge help! You gonna heal me or not?! My dick’s about to fall off! Looks like it was used to put out a fire after Chernobyl.) I’ll stay here, or Ksiron might suspect something. I’ll dig for more info. Plus, I’m pretty good at spreading rumors. The lord won’t ignore this when it reaches him.

  - You sure?

  - Yeah. You two need to get out of here fast.

  - Yeah, but can we first… – I tried again.

  - But every demon on the arc’s hunting him! It’s too dangerous!

  - Staying here’s way riskier… Wait, I’ve got an idea. Stay here, I’ll be back. – Aiden bolted out, unusually spry for him.

  We were alone. Nimus paced nervously, gnawing his massive claws. His intense thinking was heating up the room. It worried me. What else could this hothead come up with if I don’t steer him right? My words might cause a butterfly effect when your bullshit stat’s maxed out. Should’ve gone into politics…

  The screams of pain from the square suddenly got louder, snapping me out of my thoughts and reminding me where I was. Aiden slipped back in, glancing over his shoulder three times. Looks like he’s enjoying this conspiracy shit.

  - Here. – Aiden held out his hand. – This should help.

  - What’s that? – I asked but answered myself. I’d seen it recently. It was on that poor bastard Xerox’s head in the square… It’s his face.