Isalla’s back was healing well, Kanae saw, though she felt both shame and pride when she saw the scars where Isalla’s wings had been. Soon there would be no sign of the wings, which was a testament to her skill, but also was a sign that she couldn’t undo what had been done to the angel. Not many people would be able to tell Isalla apart from a human anymore, though some could. The musculature of an angel’s back was unusual enough to be distinctive if compared to a human’s back.
But even the knowledge of what had happened, how Isalla had nervously tried to seduce Kanae… all of it paled before the revelations which Isalla had unveiled.
“I hope I’m wrong,” Kanae murmured, her worry growing stronger. Isalla stirred slightly at her voice, and Kanae made herself still, not wanting to wake the angel. She didn’t want to worry her, either, so it was a delicate balance, talking to Isalla.
She knew more than she’d admitted to Isalla. Kanae didn’t exactly try to forget what she knew, but she didn’t like admitting it, either. The amount of misinformation that both demons and angels claimed was the truth was staggering, and that was an enormous part of why she’d abandoned the war in the end. But now, if the conflict was truly waking once more… Kanae shivered at the thought of what might be coming.
Kanae hoped that she was wrong, but more than that, she hoped that Isalla wouldn’t be drawn into a conflict like the ones she remembered. There was a reason why there’d been peace for so long, after all.
Looking at Isalla’s profile again and listening to her slow, deep breathing, Kanae gently leaned over and kissed the angel’s back. She did enjoy Isalla’s company, even if she knew it’d probably never last. Then she closed her eyes and tried to sleep. She imagined it would be a long time in coming.
Morning came too quickly, and Kanae had already gotten to work by the time Isalla woke, preparing breakfast and getting ready for her day. It was fortunate that she’d inherited the reduced need for sleep that both of her parents had possessed, or Kanae might be almost dead on her feet.
“Good morning, Isalla. Did you sleep well?” Kanae asked warmly, taking a moment to dribble a bit of honey into the oatmeal she’d prepared. Both the oatmeal and honey were rare in the hells, but after the night they’d had, she thought it was worth a treat for both of them.
Isalla blinked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, and then the angel slowly blushed. It was adorable, and the blush deepened as Kanae smiled. The angel fidgeted, then cleared her throat and headed for her usual chair.
“I did. Very well, as a matter of fact,” Isalla replied, watching Kanae intently. “What about you?”
“Not as well as I’d like. I enjoyed our time together, Isalla,” Kanae quickly said, trying to head off the angel’s disappointment, and it looked like she succeeded as the angel smiled shyly. “It’s more that I’m worried about what you told me. I was in the last major war, so the thought has me concerned.”
“Ah, of course,” Isalla replied, blushing a bit more. “I… I enjoyed myself, too.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Kanae replied, pulling out a pair of spoons and taking their breakfast over to the table. “Here you go. A bit of a treat today, at least for the hells. I suspect you’ve had food like this plenty of times, though.”
“Um, maybe so, but it’s certainly a change from porridge,” Isalla said, taking a bite, then smiling happily. “Are oatmeal and honey really that rare, here?”
“Not exactly,” Kanae said, shaking her head. “Oh, oats don’t grow down here, so that’s imported. The problem is that most grains in the hells are poisonous, and even those that are edible don’t taste as good as what grows in the mortal world. As for honey… well, trying to harvest it from the swarms we have down here is taking your life into your hands, and even if you survive, it’s probably not worth it. Our bees are closer to wasps the size of my hand. Sure, they make a lot of honey, but you have to get it out afterward.”
“Eek, that… would be unpleasant,” Isalla said, blanching visibly. “Are there many things that are… well, I hate to say better, but you said that most grains don’t taste as good as what comes from the mortal world.”
“Mm… I think some of our fruit is better, and particularly some of the wines we make sell for remarkable sums above. I wouldn’t claim it’s that much better, but it’s different,” Kanae said, sitting back and considering as she savored her food. “Meat from some of our animals is also prized… but for the most part, I’d say that the food from above is better. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s an enormous part of why so many demons want to go up to Hragon.”
“Huh, that’s an interesting thought. I’d never considered that food might be a large part of why demons are so involved in the mortal world. If that’s the case, why don’t you just trade for it? You said that metal is easy to come by down here,” Isalla said, looking speculative. Kanae envied her comparative optimism, though she’d thought the same once upon a time.
“We might have, in the beginning. However, the hells are immensely larger than the mortal world, and at some point, war broke out between the heavens and hells, and the mortal kingdoms got embroiled in it. I’m not certain how it started, Isalla, but neither side is willing to give up an inch of ground anymore,” Kanae said gently. “As it is, we still import as much food as we reasonably can. The journey is difficult enough that it’s less than even the nearby domains would prefer, unfortunately.”
“I suppose you’re right. It was just a hopeful thought,” Isalla admitted, shaking her head slowly, looking a little disappointed. “Well, there’s nothing to do about that, I guess. So, what’re you planning to do today?”
“Well, since you discussed what happened above, I figure I’ll go to the trade house and see if I can’t figure out if there’s any recent news that’s particularly relevant. I’m also going to see if it’s possible to get a message to your friend, but I’m not holding out a lot of hope there,” Kanae explained, smiling at Isalla in encouragement. “Smuggling is a bit too much to ask for directly. Now, asking if someone is able to smuggle some of the produce from the northern continents to Hragon, and then having it brought down through the portal… that’ll tell us if anyone is able to get there or not.”
“True!” Isalla’s expression brightened, then she laughed as she added, “You know, I’ve never had to hope that there were smugglers managing to get back and forth before! I was always trying to stop things like that, since they could be spies.”
“I can’t say that I blame you. It isn’t something I put a lot of thought into, either. I’ll see what I can find out, I promise,” Kanae told the angel as her mood improved.
“Thank you. I guess I’ll keep up the exercising… I’m almost back to what I’d consider normal. Weaker than I was, still, but at least fit enough to practice with a real sword,” Isalla said, nodding at the sword in the corner.
“A good idea. Just be sure to not stray too far from the house. You’ve seen the damage that some of the creatures in the woods can do,” Kanae cautioned, though she was confident that Isalla didn’t need the warning.
“That I have. I’d tell you to be careful, but I suspect you’d be safer than me if you were in the middle of the forest, and I was here,” Isalla said, her tone teasing.
Kanae shrugged and smiled. Isalla was right, but there was no need to brag. Instead, she continued to eat her oatmeal and enjoyed her company.
Samantha Joy sat in the back of the hall, wondering what the summons was for. There hadn’t been a general summons in the assassin’s guild since she joined nearly a decade before, making this one of the most unusual events she’d seen. Nearly fifty other assassins were present, at least half of which she’d never seen before. More interesting was that none of the trainees were present, which told her a bit more.
The room they were in was large enough to contain nearly double the numbers within, and there were plenty of exits. If there weren’t, Samantha suspected that most of the others wouldn’t have come. She certainly wouldn�
�t have, and she doubted Thomas, who was at her table, would have either.
It amused her how open Hragon was about there being an assassin’s guild. The building was in the open, and they took jobs of anyone who could pay their fees, though the kingdom did regulate who they could take marks on. The guild didn’t force the assassins to come out publicly, though, which was fortunate, considering how many people would likely try to kill them in turn.
“Hello everyone, thank you for coming.” An echoing voice broke through the conversations throughout the hall, drawing attention to a raised platform in the front of the room. The voice was magically augmented so everyone could hear it clearly without being heard outside the room, Samantha knew, which had been frustrating when she’d been a trainee.
Standing in front of the hall was the Minister, as the one who ran the guildhall was called. Wearing a set of voluminous tan robes and a mask, the name and gender of the Minister was purposely obscured, and they took a step forward.
“What’s this all about, Minister? It isn’t like these meetings happen often,” one of the men near the front called out, and Samantha nodded as a rumble of agreement echoed through the room.
“The guild has received an open request, one which is believed to be moderately dangerous,” the Minister said, looking around the room through their mask. “The request is unusual in that it has a significant reward for not only the target’s death, but also for confirmed information on where the target is. A servant will be handing out a copy of the request momentarily.”
Samantha could see a couple of servants passing out sheets of paper, but they were taking their time to get to her. She was intrigued, but since she was near the back, she chose to let one of the people who was closer ask the question she was thinking.
“How significant of a reward are we talking about?” a female assassin asked, someone that Samantha didn’t recognize.
“The client is offering one thousand gold for the target’s head, and fifty for their location and associates,” the Minister said simply, and Samantha whistled softly.
“I’ve taken jobs for less than the information on their location,” Samantha said, and Thomas nodded.
“Agreed. Makes me wonder what the reason for the price is,” he murmured, smirking at her.
One of the servants reached them and offered a pair of paper sheets, which each of them took. Samantha took it and her eyebrows rose as she read quickly. “Around Hellmount, through the portal? I guess that would explain part of it. Let’s see…”
The description was of a blonde woman who’d appeared from nowhere, was quite beautiful, and who might be unusually weak. The information was simple, and there was a sketch of her appearance, which would help.
“Before you ask, there is a bit more information which might assist you in finding the target, should you choose to seek her out,” the Minister spoke again, their voice calm. “It is known that the target is an angel, but she has lost her wings. It’s believed that she’s a spy, which would explain much, but the client insists that the target be silenced. While information on her location will be rewarded separately, it will only be granted up to ten times, once per individual reporting. If she is moving from location to location, the payment will be granted beyond ten times, but only if an assassin swears they are not deliberately allowing her to move in order to get additional funds. I will repeat, this task is not being assigned to a single assassin, as the location of the target is unknown. Should you decide to take the job, good hunting.”
The Minister stepped down from the platform, and Thomas looked at Samantha in interest. “An angel spy? That’s interesting, and not a strategy I’ve heard of them employing before.”
“That just might be why they’re paying so much to eliminate the target,” Samantha murmured, then smiled. “What do you think, should we team up to search for her?”
“Sure. I’ve never hunted an angel before,” Thomas replied, grinning and looking at the paper. “It might be worth taking a detour and getting some better weapons, too. I’ve heard that some of the smiths around Hellmount are damned good.”
“True! Anyway, let’s go. I’ll bet that we’re not the only ones interested,” Samantha agreed, standing up and nodding at the crowd of other assassins. Several had already vanished, which was telling. “It isn’t like they’re going to wait for us.”
“Yeah,” Thomas agreed, looking his paper over again before standing up. “Neither is this Isalla, assuming she’s still using the same name.”
“Agreed,” Samantha said, folding her paper and slipping it into a pouch.
She’d never killed an angel before, but there was a first time for everything. Samantha knew she was smiling broadly, but that was alright. That was the reason most of the others called her Smiles sometimes. Well, that and her favored way of killing people.
Chapter 23
Isalla looked up from doing sit-ups as the door unlocked and Kanae stepped inside. The near-giddy smile that appeared on Isalla’s face was a surprise, but not a huge one. The previous night had been incredible, and Isalla felt both guilty and ecstatic about the experience. Heavens knew how badly most angels would react if they knew she’d bedded a demon, but as far as Isalla was concerned, they had no business sticking their noses where they didn’t belong.
The look on Kanae’s face did give Isalla pause, though. It wasn’t that Kanae looked upset, more that she was disappointed. That was still a strong term for it, but it was the best description Isalla had.
“Welcome back, Kanae! How’d things go?” Isalla asked, sitting up as she drew in a deep breath, mingled worry and anticipation warring inside her.
“About how I expected, I’m afraid. There wasn’t much information to be had, though there were plenty of rumors. I asked about the smuggling, and Rekkal said that he’d have to make come inquiries,” Kanae replied, closing the door and locking it, then setting a basket on the table. “Fortunately, there’s a trade caravan coming back through sometime next week or so, but until then I’m afraid we won’t be able to find out much about what’s going on. I wouldn’t get your hopes up, though.”
“Drat. Well at least there’s a chance of finding out things relatively soon,” Isalla said, letting out a soft sigh as some of her pleasure faded. It didn’t fade much, but it didn’t make the day better either.
“Exactly. I can’t promise a lot, but at least that much I can manage,” Kanae said, starting to pull several jars out of the basket. Most of it was earthenware, Isalla realized, but then she blinked as she saw a small wheel of cheese, or what looked like cheese to her.
“Um, what did you bring back, Kanae? Is that cheese?” Isalla asked curiously.
“It is. Since I was at the trading house, I decided to pick up a few luxuries,” Kanae said, smiling as she touched the cheese gently. “This wasn’t the most expensive thing I got, but it’s close. I have jarred tomatoes, pears, and some pickles as well. I also got some flour, enough to make some pasta and a few other things… I figured a few nicer meals are in order.”
“Really? I suppose that would be nice, down here,” Isalla agreed, returning Kanae’s smile. In all truth, she had no idea how much it might have cost Kanae for things like that, but considering their previous conversation about food, she suspected that they were far more valuable than she’d think, coming from the heavens. The idea that Kanae had gotten them specifically to share with Isalla improved her mood immensely, and she resisted the urge to kiss the demoness.
“It is. I’ve considered trying to move to the mortal world many times, but I’ve never felt like it was a good idea. Maybe I’m just afraid of change… that’s something I’ve heard of many older demons running into,” Kanae agreed, looking at Isalla contemplatively. “Unlike me, even if you decide not to go back to the heavens, you could live there without drawing too much attention. Your species isn’t quite as obvious as mine.”
The comment made Isalla blink, then she flushed slightly, shaking her head as she replied softly,
not happy about the idea. “I… I don’t know about that. I might be able to fit in, but losing the ability to fly permanently? That would be horrible, and I don’t know that I could stand it.”
“I understand, at least as much as someone who hasn’t ever had the ability to fly can,” Kanae replied, nodding in sympathy. “I’ve flown a few times in my life, sometimes with magic, and a few on the back of a drake, but those aren’t the same as what you’ve experienced.”
“No, they wouldn’t be. There’s nothing in the world like the wind against your face as it rustles through your wings on a morning flight…” Isalla said, her voice trailing off slightly as she remembered what it was like. The memory was a bit bitter, though, and she shook her head as she continued. “Never mind that. While I can’t express how wonderful it was, now it’s somewhat… depressing to think about. What did you have in mind for the evening? I think I’m getting my strength back where I want it to be.”
Kanae allowed her to change the subject, fortunately, and the demoness smiled as she replied. “Oh? That’s good, at least. I was wondering how long it might take you. Heavy injuries can take a lot out of someone, even without the poison that you were dosed with.”
“I believe it. I haven’t seen many injuries like this and haven’t had much to do with recovery afterward… that was the responsibility of other people. It’s strange to think about, but our legions separated duties heavily,” Isalla explained, considering the idea for a long moment, then smiled warmly as she added, “That said… I think that I could use help with my recovery, if you wouldn’t mind.”
“Oh? How so?” Kanae asked, an eyebrow arching curiously.
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