“Are you sure we should have accepted Biustarn’s deal?”

Our host had treated us to dinner and given us one of the lower floors of his tower to stay in. The dusky red glow of the stars above illuminated little of the room, leaving most of it in shadow. Wedged between our bedrooms, it was barely large enough to accommodate the chairs and table of carved stone.

Elmidath shrugged. “It’s not like we had any choice; he was right about that. To be honest we were lucky he didn’t want more from us.”

“Is that why you agreed before we had a chance to discuss it?”

“No, I did that because there was nothing to discuss.”

“Then you’re okay with your followers being killed off just to help him with his scheme?”

Elmidath shot me a glare. “I never said that.”

“You don’t have to; you’re letting it happen.”

“Only because I don’t have a choice. Is that so hard to understand?’

I sighed. This was quickly turning into another pointless argument. As much as I hated to admit it; Biustarn’s offer was our only option even if it didn’t sit well with me. “If there’s any way we can help them, then we will, right?”

“Do you even need to ask?”

“Good.”

Elmidath’s voice sounded in my head, taking me by surprise a little. “And if things go well, we won’t have to worry about his plans at all.”

Figuring that she didn’t want anyone overhearing, I spoke using the link between us as well. “What things are you talking about?”

She winked at me. Then, while I was still trying to figure out what she meant, she got up and went to her room. Seeing that she clearly had no intention of continuing the conversation, I followed suit and went to bed.

Staring up at the ceiling, I was drifting off to sleep when there was a knock at my door. It was a quiet knock, so I assumed it wasn’t an emergency. Opening the door, I was surprised to find a woman on the other side wearing a flimsy red gown.

She batted her eyes at me, and I belatedly recognized her as Biustarn’s daughter.

“Um, what was your name again?”

A scowl flashed across her features, before her soft smile reasserted itself. “Miusin, try to remember it this time.”

I yawned, to remind her that she was the one disturbing me at this late hour. “Well, Miusin, what do you want from me?”

“I was hoping we could help each other out.” She glanced theatrically over her shoulder, then leant in and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Are you and Elmidath really going to work with my father?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“Are you both stupid? You realize he’ll dispose of you the moment you’re not useful to him, right?”

I blinked, surprised at the accusation coming from the man’s own daughter. Though given my experience with the demons so far, I’m not sure why I expected them to have any loyalty to their family. Or anyone other than themselves for that matter. “And? I imagine he treats everyone that way.”

“It’s not the same. He wants to get rid of you two.”

“What makes you say that? We’re his allies, why would he want to get rid of us?”

She narrowed her eyes and looked at me like I was an idiot. “Even if he was willing to work with you temporarily, Elmidath will always be a rival he wants to get rid of.” She shook her head. “How do you not understand that?”

As much as her tone annoyed me, she was spot on about my ignorance. “Look, I already know he can’t be trusted. Do you have any proof that he’s actually planning something?”

“I overheard him talking with Vorisen, he was telling him to be prepared to dispose of the two of you when he gives the order.”

That was certainly worrying. Assuming I could trust anything Miusin was telling me. Biustarn had only helped us so far, while Miusin hadn’t done a thing for us. “Why are you telling me this? Aren’t you on your father’s side?”

She laughed in my face. “Don’t be ridiculous, I’m on my own side. And I’m telling you this because I want your help.”

“With what? Are you in some kind of trouble?”

“A bit, though not much as much as you two. My father’s been acting strangely lately; I think he’s losing his mind.”

That was far from the reason I’d expected, and it took me a second to process. “What makes you think he’s losing his mind?”

“I’ve heard him talking to himself when he’s alone, and he spends almost all his time now locked away in his room. Before you came, I hadn’t seen him in days.”

Biustarn’s behaviour certainly sounded strange, but betraying him for it seemed like quite the overreaction. “Are you sure he’s not just busy with something? It doesn’t sound all that crazy.”

“That’s not all, there’s one other thing that bothers me.” She looked down and took a deep breath before continuing. “I checked his room after he finally left and I found something. There was a circle carved into his floor with a symbol I’d never seen before.”

Despite her foreboding tone, I didn’t see what the big deal was. “Is that so unusual?”

“Of course it is, he’s never done any sort of magic like that before. I didn’t realize he even knew how.”

“Okay, so maybe he’s just been learning magic then.”

“That’s definitely not what it is. But even if it was, it would still mean he was up to something. Something he wants me to know nothing about.”

Given how quick Miusin was to betray him, I could easily understand why Biustarn wouldn’t share his plans with her. “Assuming you’re right, what do you want us to do about it?”

“I want you two to help me find out what he’s up to, and stop him if need be.”

“That might be okay, but I’d have to talk to Elmidath before we could agree to anything.”

“Why?” Her lip curled and mockery seeped into her voice. “Does she have you on that short of a leash?”

“Of course not, this is just something that’s too important for me to decide on my own.” Not to mention that I just didn’t know enough to make an informed decision.

“You mean you need to get her permission. Fine, talk with your master as much as you want. But I can’t afford to wait for long. If you two are interested, then I need your answer by tomorrow night.”

Without waiting for my reply, Miusin turned and strode out. I watched her go, then returned to my room perplexed. For all her warnings, none of the information she’d given me seemed all that pressing. Elmidath was probably already asleep and this wasn’t worth waking her up for, so I resolved to tell her in the morning and went back to bed.