Demon Heart | Prince of the Barren Sands Volume 1

Chapter 8 (Part 2 of 3)

Dutifully tending his post at the storefront once run by Kaden's father, the soldier saluted perfectly as the Karo Shar, his commander, approached in the depths of the night. Although well past sunset, torches lined the Main and flared their light into the darkness.

No words were exchanged, and Kaden entered to the clanging of the doorbell, a sack over his shoulder. It sounded louder and more harsh in the silence of just past midnight.

"You do realize," Sahl griped as he dozed wearily on the counter. "Some of us prefer sleeping at this luck cursed hour?"

"I want to test something," Kaden said. "And it needs to be done away from prying eyes."

"Well, there certainly aren't many about at this time of night. Or is it technically morning? Except those looking to steal something. Even though we're in the Upper Ring, people still fear the threat of Black Rohs coming over the walls."

"And when was the last time that happened?"

"In the Upper Ring? Or the Lower Ring?"

Kaden eyed the testing stones on the shop's floor. "I've come up with a new idea about how to use essence. More correctly, how to deliver it to the body."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Breathing it in is quite effective, but after Touran applied some of his salves to my wounds, I've been thinking." Kaden rubbed at his plate covered chest. "I could feel the strength my body received when he shoved what was obviously a highly diluted dose of Rage into the open wound on my chest. The power I derived was great. On par with what I felt when I inhaled the vapors down in the Abyss before fighting the Night Terror or the Lesser Koronai. Did you bring the Rage I asked you to?"

"Yes." Rather than a wooden tube, Sahl pointed to a frail glass capillary capped with a sliver of cork on the counter. "Right there. In the quantity and pressure you requested. One tenth of a stone."

Kaden approached and considered the minute amount, so minute that could barely be seen. "It's so small," he observed.

"Well, if your theory is correct, it won't matter."

"No, it won't." Kaden removed his chest plate, stripping down to his urk. In so doing, he revealed the increased definition his muscles had in gain in a short time with exercise compounded with the Royal Physician's balms.

"Other than your still boyish face," Sahl said, "you hardly look like the boy I knew not that long ago."

"Outward appearances can change. But what's inside remains constant."

Sahl shook his head at the claim. "So those who change outwardly always profess. Fill me in on your plans."

"Well, I've got this." Kaden produced a small harness he'd fashioned out of leather and other material from his sack. There was a piece of round metal running from the center up to what would have been the left shoulder. The metal stuck through the centerpiece to be placed over the wound in his chest by about an inch. "Going to put it on and do a test. We attach that sample of a Rage to this end here," he pointed to the end of the metal on the shoulder. "And see if we can inject it directly into my heart."

"How?"

"Well, the metal is actually hollow. See?" Kaden brought the rig close enough for Sahl to thoroughly examine. "It's a tube. I had the palace metalsmiths make it. Had to convince them of my idea, but they accomplished the task nicely, if not crudely. When the vial of Rage is broken and the pressure is released, it will allow the essence to come out here." He pointed to the other end. "Which will be inside my chest."

Sahl gave a disturbed look. "That sound dangerous."

"If it works the way I think it will? I'll worry about the safety aspects later."