Chapter 38

  Metsa and Staja both saw Balgoth at the same time. They surged to their feet. Neither carried their usual hunting weapon, but Staja drew out a long knife from a hidden pocket. Metsa made the same gesture, but she didn’t appear to actually have anything in her hand. Her fist was clenched around open air, and she stood exactly as if she were holding a weapon. Without a command from Dalex, his armor analyzed the air currents around Metsa’s hand and confirmed that there was an edged weapon present; it was invisible.

  Hitasa and Dava were both sitting in a position where they couldn’t see Balgoth, but they saw Metsa and Staga’s sudden preparation for violence and turned around. Hitasa seemed to immediately recognize what Balgoth was. She stood and backed away from the demon. Dava just looked on in alarmed confusion.

  Balgoth quickly became aware of the air of hostility waiting for her and tucked her notebook into a pocket. She crouched and hissed at the two knife-wielding elves. Her irises turned into slits, but the rest of her body kept its normal human features.

  “What’s going on?” Dalex asked, jumping to his feet.

  Staja pointed with his dagger at Balgoth. “That woman is a demon.”

  “Yeah, so?”

  The young elf looked at him like he was stupid. Dalex got the impression Staja didn’t like him much.

  “Dalex,” Balgoth said, her voice threateningly tense, “you told me I could find you here. Why do your companions threaten me?”

  “Do you know this demon, Dalex of the Expedition Seven?” Metsa asked.

  “Sure, we met earlier today. She’s a bard that used to be on Michel’s payroll. Her name is Balgoth the— well, let’s just say Balgoth. And she wants to write songs about me. By the way, while we’re shortening names, just call me Dalex. The full name is a mouthful to use each time.”

  “And you accepted this demon into your company?” Hitasa asked, sounding flabbergasted. “Knowing full well what she is?”

  Dalex shrugged. “I did. Should I not have?”

  She opened her mouth, probably to tell him he was an idiot, but then she looked thoughtful. “I suppose, where you come from, there might be no demons.”

  “That’s kind of true,” Dalex said, “though we more or less know all about them.”

  Hitasa frowned. “Then yes, you should not have made friends with her, idiot.”

  “Hey now, that’s uncalled for. I was with her all day, and she was perfectly peaceful.” He paused. “Well, she did try to scratch my face off, but it was only the one time, and it was because I made what I understand is a very offensive social faux pas.”

  Metsa gave him a long-suffering look. “You don’t think a demon entering our presence while we discuss resistance is suspicious?”

  It was Dalex’s turn to question his companion’s wisdom. He put a hand on his hip and gave her a withering glare. “I didn’t until you said that just now. She probably had no idea what we were talking about.”

  “You are na?ve,” Metsa said. “Demons have excellent hearing.”

  “I was not listening to you,” Balgoth interjected. The longer the confrontation went on, the more demonic her features became. Her clawed nails extended two inches beyond the tips of her fingers, and her cheeks and eyes were sunken into her skull. Her skin even took on a devilish red hue. “I have no interest in the petty disputes of elves and humans.”

  Dalex walked out of the couch pit to stand between Balgoth and the elves. He put his hands out to both parties and said, “Let’s all take it down a notch or two, yeah? Balgoth, why don’t you retract your claws? Metsa and Staja, you can put away those knives.” He raised his voice just slightly to add, “No one is going to be cutting anyone else tonight.”

  Every eye in the group moved to Dalex. All of these people had seen him in action. They knew he could stop any violence before it started. Metsa was the first to react. She slipped her invisible knife back into its hiding spot and sat down again. Staja immediately followed suit. Hitasa sat down as well. Dava, who had not decided to stand yet, simply let out a sigh of relief.

  It took a moment for Balgoth to switch into her relaxation mode. She continued to stare at Dalex as her claws retracted, and her skin filled out again. The red coloration vanished as well. She stood straight and adjusted her dress.

  “Now, Metsa,” Dalex said, “do you really think Balgoth is a risk to your movement? Are demons as interested in the subjugation of elves as humans and dragons are?”

  She raised her chin and said, a little defensively, “No, they are not like humans in that regard.”

  “They do eat elves though,” Staja said.

  Dalex clapped his hands. “A worthy detail, Staja. Balgoth did mention to me that her people were known for their gruesome appetite, but she also told me there was something binding them from eating elves anymore. Was that a lie?”

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  He looked at Balgoth for an answer.

  “Demons cannot lie,” she said, her tone indignant.

  Dalex turned his attention back to the elves. “What do you say to that?”

  “It is true,” Hitasa said. “Demons are incapable of telling direct lies.”

  To Dalex, that sounded as if they weren’t totally trustworthy, but, as long as one stayed on one’s toes and didn’t take a demon at face value, it would probably be difficult to be deceived.

  “And,” Metsa broke in, “it is also true that they have not been able to eat elven flesh for a thousand years.” She raised a finger before Dalex could award a point to Balgoth. “But demons are mischievous. They like to interfere in the affairs of others and sow chaos. Even if she cannot devour us, Balgoth would likely delight in causing us suffering.”

  “And what do you say to that, Balgoth?” Dalex asked.

  “I only have two delights,” she said. “Poetry and music. As I said, I am not interested in this resistance you spoke of. For the time being, I am only concerned with recording and putting to song the deeds of this off-putting human.”

  “Come on, Balgoth,” Dalex said. “I’m on your side here.”

  Staja scoffed. “Surely you don’t want her to write songs for you?”

  “I’ve actually made it quite clear I won’t be paying her for any work she might do,” Dalex said, and then he shrugged. “Though I’ll admit, I was interested to see what she might produce.”

  “Dalex,” Hitasa said, “have you heard any demonic music?”

  “No. Why? What’s it like?”

  She grinned and shook her head. “I won’t spoil it for you.”

  Dalex’s eyes widened. Hitasa must have been in remarkably good spirits to spar with him like that. It made him smile.

  But he turned back to Metsa. “What’s the verdict? Do you still want to kill Balgoth? I for one think she’s friendly enough.”

  Metsa let a long sigh. “If you take no issue with her presence, then I will protest no further. However, if you’re going to keep her around, I would prefer if you stayed close to her. She may yet be up to something nefarious.”

  “I am only up to lyrical perfection, she-elf,” Balgoth said.

  And with that, calm was restored. Balgoth produced her notebook again and Dalex and the hunters settled back into their discussion. They resumed talking about the defenses of the city of Ulenbeter and what an attempt to seize the Waterfall Portal would look like. Metsa and Dava gave Dalex a vague outline of their resources and their hopes.

  Dalex told his allies what he was willing to offer.

  “I will defend the city,” he said, which was the least he could do after interfering so much in Batulan-bar’s status quo, “and I will be there to fight any human or dragon force that gets in your way.”

  More than that, he did not promise. Because he knew so little about the wider worlds of Gaia, he didn’t want to commit to too much.

  Metsa and Dava, the elven and beastkin leaders of this burgeoning movement, seemed satisfied with his level of commitment. They would be relying on him quite a lot over the next few days. While they ramped up recruitment and spread the word of their resistance, they were vulnerable.

  “What can the resistance do right now that would be of use to you, Dalex?” Dava asked. “I’ve been thinking about posting some watchers at the edges of the city to report if they see Castreier or the next wave of the Wolf Brigade. You can’t be everywhere at once.”

  Dalex almost told him that wouldn’t be necessary, but he stopped himself. While the {golems} and other summons would probably spot any threat long before beastkin or elf eyes, it couldn’t hurt to have backups.

  “I think that would be useful?” Dalex said. “There is one thing I could use some advice on. Where could I find a job?”

  “A job?” Dava asked, incredulous.

  “I could use some cash,” Dalex explained.

  Staja butted in, “Haven’t you been stealing human fortunes all day?”

  “Not at all. Except for the money I transferred to their servants and slaves, I let them keep their wealth.”

  Though Dalex almost certainly wasn’t finished draining them for his purposes; the humans of Batulan-bar seemed like a great source of income for the resistance. Still, he didn’t plan on keeping any of the money for himself.

  “It seemed like Lodge Mother Sarnai has had something on her mind recently,” Dava said. “She hasn’t told me any details, but it’s a job she can’t assign to any hunters. Sometimes the lodge will pay outsiders for certain jobs, mutt related or otherwise.”

  That sounded perfect to Dalex. Gaia Eta didn’t have the ubiquitous adventurer’s guild from his favorite fantasy stories and games, but the Mutt Hunting Lodge was close. If they threw him the occasional job, he might have a tidy little career lined up.

  “You should talk to Yesui,” Dava said. “She can probably tell you more.”

  “Oh,” Dalex said, his heart flagging. “I don’t think she likes me much. Can’t I talk to the lodge mother directly?”

  Dava shook his head. “Lodge Mother Sarnai won’t talk to you unless you go through Yesui. You’re out of luck, friend.”

  Dalex sighed. Before he got up to go confront Yesui, a thought occurred to him. It had been a while since he had asked Hitasa that all important question it seemed she couldn’t face: Why are you following me?

  What he asked her now was, “What about you, Hitasa? Where do you fit in this resistance of ours? Are you going to be the voice of the rebellion?”

  A quiet settled over the group. For a moment, the only sound was the crackling fire at the heart of the main hall and Balgoth scribbling notes. It occurred to Dalex that, while it had been a while since he had seen Hitasa’s catatonia, it was not necessarily gone.

  But Hitasa did not withdraw into herself. She looked at him and said, “I will be helping.”

  Metsa said, “Before you arrived, Hitasa and I discussed what part we think it is best for her to play. She will be instrumental in recruitment for more than just her ideas and writings.”

  Dalex waited for her to elaborate, but both elves remained silent on the matter. He nodded, supposing he would find out later if it was important.

  “Well, if you get tired of hand writing everything, let me know. I can make the printing process easier.”

  “Thank you, Dalex,” Hitasa said. “I will let you know.”

  Dalex turned away to find Yesui but Dava stopped him by resting a gentle hand on his shoulder.

  “You don’t plan on straying too far from the city for this job, do you?”

  Dalex shrugged. “I guess it depends on what the job is, but don’t worry. Even if I have to travel, I can be back here in a flash.”

  The {golems} would alert him if anything threatening showed up on Batulan-bar’s doorstep, and he trusted {teleport} more now that he had used it without vanishing from existence.

  Dalex’s reassurance seemed to put Dava at ease. He let go of Dalex’s shoulder and said, “I apologize if I’m being demanding. We’ve pinned a lot on you. All of our hopes. I’m grateful for your willingness to help, but I’m also nervous.”

  Dalex gave him a stiff slap on the back. “Don’t worry about it, Dava. You’re not putting me out. And trust me, we’ll make this work. I’ll keep you all safe until you can protect yourselves.”

  At that, Dalex crossed the main hall to the reception desk and approached Yesui. She gave him the death stare, but he pushed through it.

  “Good evening,” Dalex said. “Dava tells me Lodge Mother Sarnai might have a job she’d be willing to pay for.”

  “Dava lied,” Yesui said. “Go away.”

  Dalex sighed. Maybe this was going to be more trouble than it was worth.

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