Justice For The Fallen ✓

9. Sannarah

I stared in rising panic as Zurgrun narrowed his eyes. He was the most powerful demon out in the Human World, and a simple disguise would not fool him. If he realises an Archangel of Justice is snooping around his business and, more importantly, that I brought him here, he'll probably kill us both. I had no chance of stopping that now.

The showdown between an Archangel and Pride Demon would surely be fun. You could wait, watch and see what happens. There would be lots of collateral damage...

I ignored the voice and quickly looked around.

What I needed was a distraction.

Without thinking twice, I unfurled my whip. My hand struck forward and the leather strips coiled around the leg of a demon carrying a tray full of tankards. I pulled back and the poor sod crushed down on a nearby table with a surprised cry, spilling ale all over the group of grumpy-looking Gluttony Demons.

The Fallen were not a very forgiving bunch, so as I expected, the soaked guests roared in rage while the table flew and crashed into the crowd, aggravating even more demons. The room exploded with furious shouts and the clatter of drawn weapons.

Zurgrun turned to see what happened, and Golden Boy managed to slip away from his grasp. I grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the door.

"Run!"

We dashed out of Parlour of Dreams before Zurgrun could get back to us, and I pulled Golden Boy along through the crowded streets towards the slums. Only when the tidy little houses turned into the more forlorn and weathered neighbourhood did I slow my pace and stop in a side alley to catch my breath.

"You... are fast," Golden Boy gasped.

I realised I still held his hand, so I quickly let go. "And you are an idiot!" I hissed at him. "What were you thinking getting Zurgrun's attention like that?"

"I have no idea who he is, but he was threatening you," he replied, frowning.

"So what? That's nothing new. It's his way of saying hello."

"But you were genuinely scared, and I thought...." He stopped himself midsentence and looked away. His ears tinted red.

I sighed and rubbed my brows. "Gods, you have to be a dashing hero. Look, I appreciate the thought, but don't do that again. Do you have any idea who that was?"

"No." He shrugged. "A Pride Demon, probably."

"The Pride Demon," I corrected, annoyed. "Zurgrun is the most powerful Pride Demon currently residing in the city. Believe me, you don't want to piss him off."

"Oh." The realisation seemed to dawn on him. But he only clenched his jaw and looked even more determined. "That doesn't change that he had no right to treat you this way."

I waved my hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. It's a normal state of affairs every month. I struggle with my quota, he threatens me, I do my bit, and then all is good until next month."

He crossed his arms and stared at me for a long while with intensity in his golden eyes, making me nervously shuffle on my feet, so I asked. "What?"

"Why are you doing that?"

"Doing what?" I asked, confused.

"Serving the Fallen God. You hate it."

I blinked and tried to comprehend if it was a joke. But Melkyal wasn't smiling. His mouth was drawn in a thin line, and his eyes were full of mixed feelings: confusion, disbelief, worry.