“Work?” He looked around dramatically. “I don’t see Mistress Diana anywhere. Does she have some special tasks for you right now?”

“I have to serve her when she comes.”

“And after?”

She gritted her teeth and glared down at the table. “I still have work to do.”

“So unfriendly, Lita.” She turned her face away, unable to get away when he stroked her cheek. She could feel a claw forming as he moved. “I’m just trying to be friends.”

One of the other two demon laughed.

“She’s a stubborn one. When you break her down, can I have her?”

Unable to stand it any longer she tried to yank her arm away. “Let. Me. Go.”

She might as well have been trying to move the whole Palace. All she did was jerk her arm while Clophas didn’t move at all. He grinned, showing just a hint of fang.

“No need for that, Lita. I just wanted to give you something.”

He reached into a pocket of his tunic and pulled out a little glass bottle. He stuck it in the hand he still held captive. “For the bruises.” He indicated around his mouth and she flushed with anger.

With a laugh he finally let her go and she hurriedly backed away. The crazy demon didn’t try to follow, turning instead to again talk to his friends.

“What did you think of Lord Aridon’s entertainment last night?”

He said it loudly and with a sly look in her direction.

Her stomach lurched and she half ran from the room. Standing in the hallway, heedless of the other servants occasionally going by with carts and trays, she dropped the medicine bottle into her apron pocket and covered her ears.

Trying to block out Clophas’s commentary.

It echoed right out of the dining room and into the corridor. Voids!

Tears burned but she didn’t let them fall this time.

She’d been standing there for a long time. Long after Clophas had finished with his disgusting recital. Just trying to breathe. She jumped when someone tapped her arm and she looked wildly around.

Gima.

The other girl looked as tired and frazzled as everyone else this morning. She mouthed, “Diana Veran” before hurrying away with the empty cart.

Lita took a shaky breath and went back into the hall. As she took a plate from one of the carts she thought of the medicine in her pocket.

It would be stupid not to take medicine. No matter where it came from. Still, she left it on the cart anyway and purposefully kept her eyes off of Clophas and his friends while she walked to the head of the dining hall.

Diana Veran was sitting in her usual end seat. Idly looking around and shooting frowns at Clophas.

“Good morning, Mistress.” She put the plate in front of Diana. “Did you sleep well?”

“If you really cared, Lita, I’d tell you I slept very well.”

Of course you did.

“Is there anything you want me to get for you from the kitchens? There’s some cider-”

“No.” Diana picked up a piece of flatbread, stuffed with beans and fish, and scowled at it. Instead she pushed a letter, which had been sitting on the table, across to Lita. “I have business today and won’t require your services. Take this to Taiken Vaughn, wait for an answer, then take the day off.”

The demoness looked sideways at Lita while the girl picked up the letter.

“I suggest some extra sleep.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

I’ll never sleep again.

She swallowed, the stolen plans heavy in her pocket.

“What?”

Diana Veran may not have been in the rage she was last night, and she may have slept well, but she was still sour. Lita swallowed hard and slowly withdrew the parchment. Hand shaking.

“I found this earlier. Is th-this what you were looking for yesterday?”

With a frown and a wrinkled nose. Diana took the parchment and opened it. For an instant she didn’t say anything before refolding it and placing it next to her plate.

“It is. If there’s nothing else, I want you to leave.”

“Y-yes, Mistress.”

She curtsied to the demoness and left the hall. Glad to get away. To survive one more day.

Now she just needed to get rid of the other evidence.

***

The marketplace was busy today.

And her head was fuzzy from the aftermath of stress and lost sleep.

Lita had to turn sideways more than once just to get through a crowd and her steps and maneuvers weren’t as light as they usually were.

Human goods tended to be food. But anything else, roughly woven blankets and cloth, chunky jewelry made from fish bones and colorful stone, clay pots… if it was human made it tended to be cruder than a demon’s creation.

And more expensive.

A subtle protest against the better made demon items and their creators.

Occasionally she saw a demon. The crowd would part around the red-haired fiend like grass being blown over. These demon tended to be the officers on duty. In charge of keeping order.

But not always.

More often, the enforcers keeping order were the humans who sported Palace colors. Lappers, every one of them. And like their demon masters you couldn’t disrespect them without consequences.

Twice she had to curtsy to a demon. Six times she bowed her head respectfully to an enforcer.

There were a lot out today.

She clenched her fists every time she bowed or curtsied, remembering Nako’s cries and pleas.

Anger was easier to bear than fear. Or grief.

When her destination came in sight she slowed, taking her time and looking at the goods within the stalls lining the street. Behind each stall was a demon raised building. A place for the merchant to store their goods and sleep.

As she got closer to the stall she wanted, anger gave way to fear. It took everything she had not to shake as she picked up a shawl and inspected it.

“How much?”

“Four pebbles, dear.” The old woman smiled. “I have pins for it, too, if you’re interested.”

“I’d rather have a p-pullover. Do you have those?”

The woman motioned to the other end of the stall, taking Lita a couple steps further away from her aim. I’m a coward, she thought. Ashamed of the relief those steps caused.

The pullover shawl she chose was longer than the first. More cloth, more expensive.

“Five pebbles, dear.”

She pulled the new shawl on, glad for the extra warmth in the still cool morning hours. Alright, let’s get this over with.

Taking a deep breath she pretended more confidence than she felt as she strolled on.

The old man was sitting on a blanket, surrounded by his goods. Demons tended to make jewelry that was delicate and fine. While most people couldn’t get away without heating and other necessary goods from the demons, jewelry wasn’t a necessity. So most preferred the gaudy and bulky stuff sold here.

He didn’t look up as she pretended to inspect some bracelets with several other girls.

“Back again, miss?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Anything in particular you want?”

Shifting, she looked around. No enforcer uniforms, no red heads. “I’m actually looking for an ornamental rattle.”

The old man finally looked up, a gleam in his eye as he smiled. “Celebrating your wedding, dear?”

The question was so unexpected that she blushed. “I- no. No! It’s for a friend.”

“A pretty woman like you ought to be thinking about it. I’m sure you have many suitors.” He winked. “If only I were young again.”

She flushed. Shameless old man.

“Do you have any rattles?”

“There’s a few over there.” He waved to a blanket across the aisle. “But, I have some better ones I just bought from the craftsman this morning. Inside. Do you want to see those?”

“Y-yes, please.”

With a labored effort, the old man slowly got to his feet. It looked so hard that Lita held out a hand and helped him up.

“Boy, watch the stall!”

“Yes, Grandfather.”

She saw the young man abruptly leave a lazy post at one of the canopy pillars to stand in the middle of the stall. Now grinning widely.

Inside was dark. The old man lashed the curtained doorway up, letting in light, then slowly moved to some of the shelves. There he opened a bag and spilled out a few rattles.

“Enforcers have been patrolling about more.” He sorted through the rattles without looking at her. “Keep your voice low.”

“I don’t have anything to actually say.” She glanced at the doorway.

“A letter?”

“Yes.”

The old man clucked and sighed. “Dangerous. Here, look at this one.” He thrust one of the rattles at her.

It was made of bone, carved with ancestral symbols down its length. Symbols few, if anyone, could read anymore. Dull colored beads and feathers hung off it on leather thongs.

“Not quite what I’m looking for.”

“You really wanted a rattle today?” The old man raised an eyebrow and took it back, replacing it with another.

“I thought it would look more suspicious if I didn’t leave with something.” She paused. “And if I’m getting one of these stupid things it might as well be one I like.”

“Ah. No prospects but preparing for your wedding anyway?”

She flushed. “Will you stop that?! I’m not getting married.”

“You say that now. You just haven’t found the right man.”

Lita couldn’t help it. She laughed, letting go of some of the tension. The old man was good at that. “What are you? A matchmaking old woman?”

“You’ve got the old part right, deary.” He winked. “I can be a matchmaker for you if you wish. My grandson wouldn’t object.”

She thought of the man they’d left outside. With a smile she shook her head.

“No?”

“He’s nice but not for me.”

She examined three more rattles before picking one with white feathers and white beads. Then she pulled out her pebbles, wrapped them in the copied plans, and passed it over.

The old man took them with a bow.

“This is my last time.”

She hadn’t known she’d really decided to say it before it came out with a burst.

“Is it?”

The old man shrugged and started hobbling toward the doorway.

“You’re not going to try and talk me out of it?”

“My dear, who am I to tell you not to save your own life?” He looked over his shoulder at her and paused. With a sly smile he added, “Since this is the last time I’ll see you, you should know that Pita and his family are safe.”

She sighed and closed her eyes. “My message got to them in time?”

“Yes.”

She stood there, taking deeper breaths as a new sensation curled through her. Someone else didn’t lose their family.

“You don’t have to do any more, my dear. We all know the risks and sometimes the price is too high. I just wanted you to know that what you’ve done has made a difference.”

She cracked open an eye.

“You’re trying to make me feel guilty for quitting.”

He shrugged and smiled, waving a hand toward the door. “Perhaps just one more would’ve saved all of us. Perhaps not. It’s up to you, though. I can’t make that choice for you.”

She stepped out ahead of him and walked away from the stall.

One more. What if it’s just one more? She clutched the rattle tightly. Heard Nakos’ screams.

Fine. One more. Just one more and I’m done.

“Lita!”

She dropped the rattle and spun around. Strolling toward her, grinning from ear to ear, was the most handsome man she knew.

“Dalius?”

With hurried movements she picked up the rattle and faced him as he came to a stop in front of her.

“I tried to catch you last night. How are you?”

She opened her mouth to reply but he quickly hushed her, looking around. “Come. Have you eaten? There’s a food stall here I love to stop at whenever I get a chance.”