Empire of Demons (The Moonstone Chronicles Book 4)

by Sara C. Roethle

  “I would not suggest it if there were any other option. In the meantime we can have the Makali march toward the Capital. We will lose no time on our quest.”

  She had nearly forgotten about the Makali in her panic. “Perhaps it would be better to send them to Faerune. They could protect it should we run out of time.”

  He put a hand on her arm. “Saida, we have agreed to kill the emperor. That is our plan. Once we have Elmerah, we will re-join with our army and march on Galterra.”

  She licked her dry, cracked lips, thinking of her meeting with Egrin. She could protect Faerune. She didn’t have to rely on this wild plan. But if she gave the emperor the circlets, then what? Could she doom the rest of the land to protect her father and her home?

  “How soon do we go to the portal?”

  Malon seemed almost in pain at her answer, and she wondered just how bad going through a demon portal would be. She didn’t have to wonder much. She had seen the Ayperos and the giant boars, and they were just lesser demons. They would surely run afoul of things far worse.

  Movement caught her eye beyond Malon. She looked up as the tent flap opened, and Brosod peered in.

  “We require privacy,” Malon snapped at her.

  Despite his words, Brosod stepped into the tent, letting the flap fall shut behind her. “I would ask that you bring me with you on this quest.”

  Malon stood abruptly to face her. “You were eavesdropping?”

  Brosod bowed her head. “Forgive me, I overheard.”

  Saida climbed to her feet, placing a hand on Malon’s elbow to stop whatever he would say next. She looked past him toward Brosod. “Why would you want to venture into a demon portal?”

  Brosod lifted her gaze. “You are the only people who can bring life to the desert. If you went into this portal and perished, and I could have done something to stop it—”

  “You know nothing of demons,” Malon interrupted. “You would simply be someone extra to protect.”

  Brosod lifted her chin proudly. “I am a hunter. I have hunted all my life. And I am a better tracker than either of you could ever hope to be. I can be useful.”

  Saida squeezed Malon’s arm before he could continue lecturing Brosod, then she shook her head at her friend. “Brosod, you do realize how dangerous this mission is?”

  Brosod nodded sharply. “I am not afraid of death. If this is what you must do to rescue your friend, I will help you in any way I can.”

  “Fine,” Saida decided. “You can come.”

  Malon let out an irritated huff. “You are absolutely impossible.”

  She wasn’t sure whether he was talking about her, or Brosod. Probably both.

  “We must begin preparations immediately,” he went on. “I believe there is a portal near Fallshire. I will gather supplies there, and we will detail the route which our army must travel.”

  Saida nodded, though inside, her gut twisted. Fallshire was not far from Faerune, but they did not have the time to go to Faerune. They did not have the time to go and check if Egrin had kept his promise. If there was even anything left to save.

  Brosod stepped back toward the tent flap. “I will go to the clan leaders. What would you have me tell them?”

  Malon considered for a moment. “Tell them that once we reach Fallshire, the three of us are going to scout ahead. They may not react well to us using a demon portal.”

  Brosod nodded. “Yes, they would think us mad.” She stepped out into the darkness, letting the tent flap fall shut behind her.

  “They would think us mad,” Malon sighed. “And they would be right.”

  Saida remained quiet, thinking once again of her conversation with Egrin. She could not fully dismiss the possibility that Malon was manipulating her, but in this new deal, she simply could not see how that might be. For what might Malon gain by entering a demon portal? All he stood to gain by helping her, was death.

  Alluin

  “Where is my sister?” Elmerah groaned over the sound of rain and lapping water.

  She lay flat on her back on a piece of wood from the ship while Alluin paddled them toward the nearest island. He could see nothing below him in the dark sea, and all around the loudest sound was the waves.

  “I’m sure she’s fine,” he consoled, his breath coming out in harsh pants, fogging the air before him. “I saw her jump ship before it went down.”

  “But the Akkeri,” Elmerah muttered.

  Judging by her weak voice, she was about to lose consciousness. “I need you to stay awake, Elmerah. We are almost there.”

  He could see the shore not far off. Distant tall trees swayed in the light of the half moon. He had no idea what the island might hold, but it was their only option. They had lost track of everyone else. It was impossible to see if there were any other survivors amongst the waves, but hopefully those who still lived would make it to the same island.

  “The Akkeri,” Elmerah said again, her voice barely audible over the choppy waters. “Where did they go after they sunk us?”

  “I don’t know,” he huffed, the cold air burning his tired lungs with every inhale. “Don’t worry about it now. Just talk to me about something else, keep yourself awake.” He was terrified that if she drifted off, she would not wake again. He couldn’t say how much blood she had lost, and the water was so cold he worried he might not even make it to shore.

  “It’s my fault,” she lamented. “It’s my fault this happened. When I tried to reach for my magic, I froze. I was too afraid.”

  He pulled himself further onto the board, closer to her. “Afraid?” he asked. It was difficult to speak with his heaving breaths and chattering teeth, but he needed to keep her going.

  “After what I did to the Dreilore. I couldn’t control it. Couldn’t control my fire. I’m so frightened that it will happen again. I was worried I would sink the ship myself.”

  He remembered her wide eyes, the fear shining so clearly when she tried to summon her magic. He hadn’t realized what she did to the Dreilore affected her so deeply. “They would have sunk us either way,” he soothed. Just keep kicking your feet, he told himself. We’ll get there. “Their ship was immune to your sister’s magic. There was nothing you could have done.”

  “My sister,” she muttered, her voice faint.

  “She’s fine. She’s a survivor.” Just a little further. We’ll reach land and we’ll get warm, then we’ll find the others. Vessa was a survivor too. She would make it. She had to.

  “Alluin?”

  He snapped back to the present. “I’m here. We’ve almost reached the shore.”

  “You were so quiet, I was afraid you were gone.“

  He would have given anything in that moment to hear her make a joke. She was never this candid. “I won’t leave you. Now you need to hold on tight. The waves near shore will be rough.”

  She went quiet then, or maybe he just couldn’t hear her over the water. He kicked his legs, his toes entirely numb. Almost there.

  The waves whipped his body, nearly tearing him away from Elmerah. He clung to the board, his breath raging in his lungs, and continued to kick.

  And just like that, they were beyond the rough waves. His boots hit sand. He used his new foothold to propel Elmerah the rest of the way toward shore.

  Once she was secure, he rolled onto his back in the sand, the surf still lapping at his legs. He wasn’t sure how long he lay there, trying to catch his breath, but the next thing he knew, Elmerah was standing over him, dragging him the rest of the way out of the water.

  He managed to get to his feet, then nearly fell, but Elmerah kept him standing. And he kept her standing. Together, they staggered further inland, then both collapsed onto the sand.

  He stared up at the glittering stars. Any hint of the Akkeri fog was gone, as was Rissine’s storm. The night shone bright and clear before him. The stars were almost dizzying. “We need to get warm, I can’t feel my hands or feet.”

  Elmerah’s hand shifted across the sand, weakly patti
ng his shoulder. “I know a place where we can go, if we can manage to walk.”

  “Are you as delirious as I feel? We are on a remote island. How can you know a place?”

  She struggled to sit up in the sand, leaning heavily on her uninjured arm. “I’m exhausted, and bleeding, and mad as a whipfish, but I know exactly where we are.”

  He sat up and looked at her, still not comprehending. “How can you possibly know where we are?”

  She rolled her tired eyes. Her skin was sickly pale. “Because this is the island I escaped to when I first fled my people. I was living here before Rissine had me kidnapped and brought to the Capital.”

  His jaw fell open. “Are you sure?”

  She nodded. “I’ll need to start walking to find my bearings, but I recognize this shore. If we start walking now, we may find shelter before the night is through.”

  “And what about the others?”

  She watched him for a moment, her indecision clear. “We all must have one priority for tonight. Get warm, and don’t get caught by the Akkeri. We can’t make a fire anywhere they might see.”

  “Are you strong enough to walk?” he asked, doubting his own abilities.

  “I’m going to have to be.”

  Isara

  Isara collapsed upon the dark shore while her brother remained standing, but just barely. He looked down at her, his expression unreadable as water dripped steadily from his hair and clothing.

  She sat up, still trying to catch her breath, then removed her spectacles to shake off the droplets clouding her vision. It was a miracle she had managed to keep them on her face during the long swim. Her brother’s gaze was heavy upon her. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “Honestly, I’m surprised you didn’t let me go down with the ship. As soon as I heard the chaos above, I thought for sure I would be forgotten.”

  Her jaw hung open. For him to think she would even consider leaving him behind, or that she would forget entirely . . . she shook her head. Daemon had never understood her, nor she him. As soon as her allies had started jumping ship, she had risked her life running below deck to free Daemon from the brig. It was only luck that had her easily finding the keys hanging from a hook on the wall. And even acting swiftly, they had barely made it up to the deck while it was still above water. By the time they jumped into the sea, her allies were all just shadows in the water swimming toward the distant isles. She had lost track of them as soon as she hit the cold water, and any thoughts beyond survival had left her.

  She could only hope they had all made it.

  Daemon watched her for a moment longer, then offered her his hand. She took it and stood, her legs feeling wobbly like thistle jelly. While she was relatively fit from farm work and traveling, she had never been a strong swimmer. If Daemon hadn’t pulled her along half the way, she never would have made it. He could talk about being forgotten all he wanted, when it came right down to it, he’d refused to leave her behind, even if he risked drowning himself.

  He dropped her hand and observed their dark surroundings. There was no sign of life on the shore, and the shadowy trees leading inland seemed ominous.

  “We should seek shelter,” Daemon decided. “Now that we are away from your witches, I’m sure Egrin will find us.”

  She gasped, stepping back until her boots were in the surf. “Does he have a way of locating you?”

  Daemon smirked. “He can locate anyone. I do not know why you continue to labor against him.”

  “He’s a demon,” she hissed, though she knew the argument would fall on deaf ears. They’d had it many times already while he was locked in the brig.

  “And your friends are Shadowmarsh witches. It’s debatable which one is worse.”

  She crossed her trembling arms. She needed a fire and to be out of her wet clothes, but she could not let the conversation go. “Those witches are the bravest women I’ve ever met.”

  Ignoring her, Daemon started wringing water out of his dripping wet locks. Without the use of an iron to straighten them, they would be just as curly as Isara’s, something Daemon didn’t want anyone to know. It gave her a small amount of satisfaction that whoever saw them next would see the true texture of Daemon’s hair. His ridiculous, long-guarded secret would be out.

  “Fine,” she huffed. “Let us seek shelter. Elmerah and Rissine are likely somewhere on this same island. If Egrin comes, I will nullify his magic long enough for them to come kill him.”

  Daemon flicked the water off his hands. “You sound like a child.”

  “And you act like one,” she grumbled, and started walking.

  They walked down a path within the trees, and didn’t have to go far before they found a small abandoned shelter. Even with just the short walk, Isara’s legs were fully prepared to give out beneath her.

  Hands on hips, Daemon observed the shelter with a look of distaste. “This will have to do for the night. Judging by how easily we found something man-made, this must be an inhabited island. We’ll search for civilization in the morning.”

  We will search for my friends whether you like it or not, Isara thought. Even if I have to drag you. Scowling at her brother’s back, she followed him into the shelter, which was little more than four walls with no door. The thatched roof overhead showed the trees above in several places. She shivered just thinking about how much cold air the holes would let in, not to mention the missing door.

  Daemon glanced around the dark interior, then plopped down upon the hard-packed dirt floor. He looked up at his sister. “You’re shivering. I’d offer you my coat, but—” he gestured down to his sopping wet clothing.

  She was utterly exhausted, but the sea water had been icy, and she couldn’t let herself freeze in the night after all she had gone through. “I’ll find materials for a fire.”

  “We have no fire-striker.”

  She couldn’t help but lift her nose a bit into the air. “While you sat getting pampered in Galterra, I was traveling on my own. We will have a fire soon, but we should keep it small in case the Akkeri are searching for us.”

  Daemon crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

  Isara stalked back out into the night, intent on proving her brother wrong, in more ways than one.

  Daemon

  Daemon sighed as he stared into the embers of their small fire, Isara fast asleep across from him. Foolish girl had gotten lucky . . . though he was eternally grateful for the fire.

  Unable to sleep, he got up and went outside to relieve himself. He wouldn’t go far. As vexing as she was, he wasn’t about to let any Akkeri kidnap his sister.

  He went further down the small path, then off into a copse of trees. He was about to undo his breeches when he sensed a presence beside him. When he turned, he wasn’t surprised to see Egrin leaning calmly against the nearest tree.

  With arms crossed, he looked Daemon up and down. “I’m surprised to see you’re still alive.”

  Daemon straightened his shoulders, then brushed imaginary lint from his fraying sleeve. “It’s about time you came for me. Although you could have come while I was locked in the brig of that ship.”

  Egrin smirked. “Now why would I do that when having you taken hostage was so convenient?”

  Daemon turned to fully face Egrin, crossed his arms, then leaned against the nearest tree. “Something tells me I’m not going to like what you’re about to say.”

  Glancing in the direction of the shelter where Isara still slept, Egrin stepped closer and lowered his voice, “I don’t care if you like it. Here is what you’re going to do.”

  Chapter Three

  Alluin

  Alluin was up before the sun, rifling through the abandoned supplies in the small home. Elmerah’s home. He could hardly imagine her living in such a place, all alone. The wooden walls were thin, the furniture sparse. At least there had been some dry clothing for her to wear, and bandages for her arrow wound. But no silverleaf sap.

&
nbsp; They would need to find a way to disinfect her wound before infection could set in. With the remaining bandages, he had rewrapped the worst of her burns, which would heal more slowly now without Vail’s salve.

  With a heavy sigh, he continued his perusal of her belongings, noting hints of her personality here and there. There were a few gathered shells on the windowsill, and other bits and bobs she must have found along the coast. He pictured her in this place, alone, hiding from her past. He couldn’t imagine what it must have felt like. Even in his darkest moments, he’d always had his clan, and once they were lost, he’d had Elmerah.

  He glanced toward her, still asleep on the small bed as the sun began to rise. Her new coat was pale gray, stained in some places, but warm. Her breeches were black, like what she usually wore, topped by the black boots she’d slept in, just in case they had to flee quickly. She had offered him the coat first since he had lost his cloak, but he was more worried about her staying warm, and the coat wouldn’t have fit across his shoulders regardless.

  He froze at the sound of movement outside, and whispers. He glanced at the bed, finding Elmerah’s eyes now open.

  She sat up and looked over her shoulder, her attention on the door.

  Alluin lifted a finger to his lips, and she nodded. The only weapon they had was the dagger at Alluin’s belt, everything else had been lost to the sea. Elmerah had made no further mention of her magic since her admission while they were still laboring toward shore.

  Clutching his dagger, he crept toward the door, then pressed his back against the wall directly next to it. The door swung open, and he whipped the dagger out, placing it against Celen’s throat.

  Celen didn’t move except to lift his hands in surrender. He looked past Alluin toward Elmerah now climbing off the bed. “Not quite the greeting I was expecting.”

  Alluin lowered the dagger, allowing Celen to step inside. Merwyn waited just behind him.