Every man, woman and child seeming to become aware of her presence within a breath of each other. Most of them didn’t look at her as they continued what they were doing.

Some of them discreetly shrank away. Especially if they could duck into their own doorways.

Children were the bravest of them.

Because she was looking for their father her eye strayed to a pair of girls. They were playing with little figurines, ones she’d made herself on Contract, and openly peeking at her.

Her perceptive Captain caught onto who she was looking for and stood up from where he’d been crouching next to them. Hands on each of their heads he stepped between them and toward her.

With two fingers she waved for him to follow her and turned around.

Glad to get away from the pressure of all the human… awareness of her.

If the humans only knew how nervous groups of them made most of their demon masters. That, not superiority, was why many of them rarely left the Palace.

Just another reason why a demon would be next to useless to her.

She sighed.

The Captain paused, hesitating when they turned down the forgotten hallway.

“Is there a problem, Captain?”

She didn’t stop walking. Unfortunately, her mind didn’t stop wandering. Lloyd. His name was Lloyd. She tried to banish the knowledge, successfully refusing to follow those thoughts to the two girls.

She would not remember their names.

“No, Mistress.”

No, I just surprised you. You weren’t expecting to be invited to my private office.

She smiled grimly to herself, listening to his steps speeding up to catch her.

At the door she grimly waved him inside, tensely waiting for a reaction to the cluttered and messy interior. She wasn’t sure if she should be pleasantly surprised or disgruntled that there was no reaction.

He just calmly made a space for himself next to the wall facing her one chair and waited as she closed the door.

She didn’t sit. She stood in front of the chair. Because it had the most room and because it allowed her to face him directly. But she didn’t sit.

The Brethren, and some of the other more stable and powerful demon, used sitting as a way to say ‘I’m confident. I can face you squarely even though this gives you a perceived advantage.’

They weren’t bluffing.

She was.

Successfully bluffing but it meant she had to do things a little differently to ensure she didn’t put herself in a situation that left her feeling too vulnerable. That meant she stood, hands on hips, to look the man over.

“Did I do something wrong, Mistress?”

Cautious. She took a deep sniff. He wasn’t really worried. No, he hadn’t done anything intentionally wrong and felt secure in that. She wished she felt that way. Secure.

But, no more delaying.

“No.” Pause. Instinctively she wanted to swallow against the fear rising up her stomach. She couldn’t do that, couldn’t let on she had any fear at all. “I have a task for you.”

“Yes?”

Still cautious.

“Today I followed a known spy. In hopes of finding the creature’s contact.”

Lita had stopped at almost a dozen places and talked to several other people. It had been a hot, miserable and annoying affair. But, he didn’t need to know that.

“I have a list of places and people I want investigated as possible spies.” Now the annoying bit. “I’d do it myself, or have one of my fellows do it, but then our leads would end there.”

“You’d alert the rebels of your activities and the next in line would vanish.”

“Precisely.”

Captain Lloyd was uncomfortably preceptive and as he thought over what she wanted done she wondered, uncomfortably, if he was catching what she refused to say.

If we’re to follow the line up to the person behind it all, I’m forced to trust this task to you. To a human.

It made her feel sick.

To be put into a position where she was exposing herself and her fellow demons to one of these creatures.

“I won’t be able to do it myself without causing the same kind of stir, Mistress.”

She closed her eyes. Yes. As a well-known enforcer, Captain Lloyd would be too obvious. So would most of her enforcers, come to that. She should have thought of that-

“I have other ways of gaining the information, Mistress. If you’d like me to use them.”

Her eyes snapped open and she focused on the man. Now he smelled a little nervous. If she couldn’t smell it she wouldn’t have known. His expression was as serious and impassive as ever.

“Other ways?”

“Do you remember my asking for a bigger budget for my enforcers?”

“Yes.”

She’d approved it. As a way of gaining more of the enforcer’s loyalty.

“I used it to hire… not spies. But to put people in places where they could get me information if I need it.”

“Those would be spies, Captain.”

He shrugged. “As you will, Mistress. Mostly they just keep me informed about any trouble they find among the human population. But, without something specific for them to look for the information hasn’t been helpful.”

She stared at him for a long, long time. He respectfully bowed his head, waiting for her judgment.

It was unexpected. Frightening and unexpected.

“I should punish you for doing something like that without asking me first.”

He didn’t even shiver under her quiet menace.

“Yes, Mistress.”

It occurred to her that she might be looking at the rebel leader. Someone audacious enough to use her own funds to pay for his spying. Then to tell her about it and pretend that it wasn’t what she thought.

Audacious enough for her to jump to thoughts like, this man wouldn’t endanger his girls by admitting something like this.

It made her sick.

This inability to trust.

Not the other demons, not Aridon, not this human man or any human.

That was her real vulnerability. And long, long centuries was all she had to try and understand that. And to make the best decisions possible.

Resisting the urge to rub her face and the headache beginning behind her eyes, she tapped her foot instead and thought.

“Fine, Captain. Use your people.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“If I find you’ve betrayed me-”

“I’m sure both me and my girls will be executed with all cruelty, Mistress.”

She didn’t mean to but her breath escaped in a rush and she had to turn away to hide her expression. Cruelty? When had she ever been cruel in her executions? Did he think she’d been part of Aridon’s display the other night?

“Indigo is head of that division, Mistress. I’ll inform him of what you want to know and he’ll get it done.”

Indigo? She searched her memory but couldn’t come up with a face. And division? Her Captain had made an entire division from the extra pebbles? And didn’t tell her?

She’d process that later. For now, for now, she’d stand by her decision to trust him. To try and trust him. To ignore the fear.

“Very well. Should I take him or you to see who I want investigated?”

“Me, Mistress. So we don’t accidentally destroy Indigo’s character and he can’t do his job.”

She silently agreed and waved for him to follow her.

This time walking into town was a lot pleasanter. She wasn’t wearing a cloak that was only comfortable until the sun started going up. She wasn’t trying to avoid people seeing her face so it was easier to navigate the growing crowds.

And she wasn’t trying to keep that stupid human girl from noticing she was being followed.

They didn’t say another word to each other until the first vendor she discreetly pointed out. Then it was only to say, “That place.”

They were at the eighth place when she said something extra. “The spy actually went inside here. I especially want the merchant and his family looked into.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

“What’s the name of the magistrate from Kahnay? Bulbous fool?”

That surprised a laugh from the Captain and she whipped her eyes on him. It was the first time she could remember him laughing.

“Sorry, Mistress. His name is Dalius. He might be a fool but, unfortunately, not bulbous.”

“Tell me about him.”

“My people have named him as suspicious but they haven’t been able to find out anything for certain. Other than his reputation.”

“His reputation?”

Lloyd nodded and sighed. “He’s only been in the Capital for a day and I’m told he’s already had two of the serving women up to his room. That seems to be typical behavior for him. And while he seems to be competent at his job there are whispers that he takes more than he’s supposed to.”

“Does Leo know about this?”

“My people don’t look too closely at demon activity, Mistress. I had to promise them that they wouldn’t have to. As insurance that they’re families won’t come under demon vengeance.” He looked sideways at her. “You’d know better than I what Master Leo knows and doesn’t know about his magistrates.”

She wasn’t sure if she believed him but decided to drop it for now.

“I’ll have a message sent to him to look into Magistrate Dalius’s accounts. Meanwhile, I want your people to dig into him as much as you can. No more vague whispers.”

“I can’t promise anything but have them focus on him.”

“Good enough.” She started walking again and a couple minutes later nodded across the street. “That eating stall is the last of them but I think the least likely. She didn’t actually talk to anyone running it.”

“I’ll make sure Indigo knows.”

“Good.”

With nowhere else to go, unless Taiken the rogue was also a traitor, she headed back toward the Palace.

They’d left the market, gone through town, and entered the small space between the rich human dwellings and the Palace, when her Captain spoke again.

“Mistress.”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

She stopped walking and turned her chin sharply toward him. “What?”

He kept his eyes respectfully on the ground. But, while he was cautious there was no timidness in either his smell or his stance.

“For trusting me to take care of this for you. Thank you for the opportunity.”

For a long instant she just stared at him. Perceptive. Too perceptive. Did he actually know about her internal debate or was this an honest expression? Was he manipulating her or being sincere?

She didn’t know whether to be annoyed, grateful… or terrified.

Instead of answering she grunted. “This is far enough. You’re dismissed, Captain. I have other things to do."

***

Lita couldn’t find DIana Veran right away. Finally she found out that the demoness had left with Captain Lloyd some time ago and no one knew when to expect them back.

Not daring to do much of anything until she’d delivered Taiken’s message, Lita wandered around. She was tired. Fatigue was finally starting to hit her in a way she couldn’t ignore and every step was an effort.

When Diana didn’t come back before noon, Lita finally gave into her exhaustion and went to her cubby.

At first she slept in utter blackness. No dreams coming to haunt her. Then, as she began to come close to waking, they were full of nightmares.

Horrible mixtures of Kelly falling dead, a bloody knife hitting the ground with an audible thunk, and Lita running.

Running and hiding. In a hole that was too small for her but kept her hidden from… something she couldn’t remember… something that didn’t know where to look for her. Hidden from the screams outside. Hidden from the darkness that came and went several times before she heard Sheldon’s voice.

Sheldon’s voice. Full of pain and tears and anger.

Sheldon’s cries. Over and over again

She sat up quickly, shivering violently and crying.

It took awhile to calm down. By then she was leaning against the back wall of her cubby. Using the bundle that was both her pillow, extra clothes and a few keepsakes to support her back.

When this is over, I need to leave the Palace.

But, where would she go?

There was a thud somewhere down the hall and Lita jumped.

“Hurry! Or we’ll be late for dinner.”

“I know, I know. I didn’t drop it on purpose.”

Lita stood up and peeked through the curtain. At the two women carrying a long, heavy bundle of laundry. Probably several rugs along with linens.

Dinner!

She glanced in a panic at the arrow slit across from her room and bolted down the hall. The sun was starting to get low.

Voids! She’d slept all day! And she still had to deliver her message to Diana Veran.

And beg to be the escort of a demon she despised.