It took some coaxing but Sarinknell convinced the guard to fetch her uncle. He arrived with several soldiers in tow, and left the door open behind him. With a sniff, he adjusted the collar of his yellow silken shirt. “You have an offer for me?”

I leant back against the wall. “Sure do.”

Lord Sarinknell’s eye twitched and I reminded myself that he could kill us both with ease. “Don’t test my patience. Speak plainly.”

“I, uhh, meant no offense.” I gestured for Elmidath to speak before I screwed things up for both of us.

“Uncle, we want to serve you.”

His face may as well have been carved from stone for all the reaction it displayed. “And why would I want that after you tried so hard to destroy me?”

The young Demon Lord took a breath. “Because you need us. Your forces are depleted and divided. And you know as well as I do that the other Demon Lords won’t overlook your weakness.”

“You presume much.” He fixed us both with his icy stare.

Undeterred, Elmidath pressed on. “Maybe. But is anything I said wrong? Even with our help there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to retain your position.” She raised her index finger. “Besides, I’m not just offering our aid. I met Lord Biustarn while he was observing the attack on the city and he agreed to assist me.”

“A reasonable proposal. And what do you ask in exchange for this aid? I can’t imagine you’re doing it out of the kindness of your heart.”

“My terms are simple: you won’t marry me off, you’ll free us from this cell and allow us some freedom while we’re in your service.”

Lord Sarinknell steepled his fingers. “And what is it you plan to do once your service is finished? Go right back to trying to overthrow me?”

“No. I’m not sure what I’ll do next just yet, but I’m done trying to take back my home.”

Shaking his head, the Demon Lord chuckled. It was a dry laugh, devoid of amusement. “Elmidath, I’ve known you all your life. Did you really think you could deceive me so easily? The only thing that will stop you lusting after my holdings is death. That or marriage, which is a near second.” He smiled at his own joke.

Elmidath didn’t seem to know how to respond. Not wanting us to lose out on our best, and maybe only shot, I tried to provoke him. “Are you really so afraid of her? Surely she’s more useful than dangerous.”

“Afraid?” he raised an eyebrow. “I do not fear my niece, but I’d be a fool not to respect how dangerous she can be.”

“Then why not put those capabilities to work for you? It can’t be that hard to keep her in line.” I couldn’t see any way he’d buy that last part. I wouldn’t believe that and I’d only known her for a few days.

“I have my doubts about the latter, but it does seem a shame to waste her. Perhaps there’s even a chance that she’ll see reason and stop trying to steal what is lawfully mine.” He pressed his lips together and turned to his niece. “Very well, I accept your offer. With one caveat, you will allow me free use of your servant here while you remain behind in the manor.”

“Done.”

I was a little shocked that she agreed so easily but I couldn’t blame her for it, it was a good deal considering the circumstances. We were lucky to have gotten anything. Lord Sarinknell nodded, a blank expression on his face. “Good.” He pointed at me. “Come with me, I have a task for you.”

I hesitated but Elmidath shooed me off and I followed her uncle out of the room. The guards stayed behind, and we proceeded alone. Walking behind him down the hallway, I was struck by how vulnerable he seemed. If only I had my sword, I could dispatch him before he knew what was happening.

Without it… I didn’t fancy trying to grapple with someone who’d burnt me so badly, especially when he’d done so at a distance. I wouldn’t be surprised if he could char the flesh from my bones with a touch.

Not far from the cell, he passed a demon wearing a sword at their hip and gestured for them to follow. We went up three sets of stairs, stopping at a study on the top floor of the building. He left the other demon outside and closed the door. I sat down in the chair he indicated and Lord Sarinknell pulled open a drawer. He withdrew a length of cloth and said, “Stay still.”

Not wanting to spoil the arrangement or be incinerated, I did as I was told. He wrapped the cloth around my neck and I recognised as being similar to the one attached to Elmidath. “This wasn’t part of the deal.”

“Wasn’t it? I believe this falls within free use.”

I sighed, already regretting that having agreed to something so open-ended. But what choice did we really have? “Fine, if you say so. Is there anything else?”

“Indeed.” He sat down behind the desk. “While I am familiar with my niece, I know very little about you. How did you come to serve her? You’re clearly not a demon by birth.”

I shifted in my chair, wondering how much I should tell him. Was there any point in trying to keep my origins a secret? There wasn’t much chance I could successfully fool him into thinking I was a resident of this world. Not when I barely knew a thing about it. “That’s right, I was human before Elmidath summoned me here and bound me to her service.”

Lord Sarinknell nodded. “As I suspected. And how do you feel about having to serve her? I can’t imagine it’s a particularly desirable state of affairs, for a demon or a human.”

“It hasn’t been great so far.” I shrugged. “But it doesn’t seem much worse than the other options in this world. Definitely better than some.”

“A fair assessment. I see that you can be reasonable, so let me extend you an offer. If you’ll forsake Elmidath, I’ll gladly give you a place at my side. Then we could do away with these crude things.” He gestured toward the cloth around my throat. “And you’d be free to enjoy all the hospitality my holdings have to offer.”

I swallowed, it was a tempting offer. It wasn’t like I owned my current master anything. But I couldn’t abandon them just like that. And could I even get out of the arrangement? Or was Lord Sarinknell just testing me? “I’ll think about it.”

“As you wish. Then it’s time to prepare you for your first task as my servant by proxy.” He went out and nodded to the demon waiting outside the study. “This man shall be working with us for a time, take him to the armourer and see that he’s properly outfitted.”

As the demon approached, I stayed where I was. “Wait, what about my sword?”

“Ah, yes. I’ll see that it’s brought you shortly, along with your first instructions.”

His response was better than I’d hoped, though I wasn’t sure he was telling the truth. Would he really hand Shotensho over so easily? Without any reason to delay further, I let Lord Sarinknell’s lackey take me to see the armourer. The gruff old man barely said a word as he picked out a set of appropriately sized armour for me.

He helped me get the padding on and the armour itself, cautioning that it wouldn’t fit too well. From what he said, it’d be a long wait before I could have something made to my specifications, so this would have to do for now. The mail was a little loose but it covered most of my body.

I tried moving around, despite the weight of the armour it didn’t seem to make much of a difference. At least I had some protection now, I’d taken more than my share of cuts in the last battle. Were it not for unnatural vitality I’d been granted, I would’ve taken a long time to heal. Holding my open-faced helmet under my arm, I waited for my instructions.