The Thief (A Tale of Heroes & Demons Book 2)

Chapter 17

Old Friends

The light filtering through the clouds danced and twirled between the stalls, illuminating the weathered grains of the wood, rich burgundies and swirling maroons in intricate patterns. As the clouds shifted, the rays fell across the woman's face, glinting off her onyx eyes.

"Hello, old friend." The voice, wrapped in dripping malice, glided through the air towards Saege.

"Lilith."

Trailing a hand over the edge of a stall, Lilith grabbed a small trinket and rolled it over in her hand. "You are far from where I expected you to be." She replaced the trinket and flicked her eyes towards Saege. "But here you are."

"Here I am."

Shifting back, Saege edged along the side of the stall, eyes scanning the world around her, but she couldn't distinguish the path she had taken through the stalls. She was lost. "Why are you here, Lilith? I thought you left centuries ago."

"I did, no thanks to you." Lilith barred her teeth and shook her head. "But I am back now, and I could not help but visit my old companions, but you are the only one I have found so far. It appears time has not been kind to anyone but you, my dear."

There. Empty space fell away behind her as Saege edged further along the ground. "As much as I'd love to stay and talk, I really must be going." With a flourish she spun and darted down the slim path.

Head throbbing, Saege spun a path between the vendors, never going straight for too long before swinging down another path. There were so many stalls selling such similar goods that it was nearly impossible to tell them apart.

Just as she whipped around another corner, she slammed into a muscled wall.

"Woah, what's wrong, lass?"

Sagging in relief, Saege met Rhett's gaze and gave a brief explanation of the last few minutes' events. On high alert now, he led her through the nearby stalls until they came across Raenen.

Together, the three travellers slipped away from the stalls and into the forest.

"Why would a demon be here?" Raenen leaned against a tree and kept his gaze on the forest around them.

Saege braced her hands on her knees where she sat at the base of a nearby tree. She clenched her hands to stop the shaking. Sweat beaded on her brow—not from fear, though. No. The rush, the adrenaline that had briefly pumped through her veins...she needed more herbs.

"Saege?"

Blinking, she lifted her head to see both Raenen and Rhett staring at her. "Right...Lilith." Her mind shifted over all the angles she could explain the situation before settling on more recent events. "She was at the mountain when the archer and the others came to retrieve the flame."

"Is she like, tracking you down or something?" Raenen raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe?" Colours shifted as the world spun around her. Saege leaned her head back and shut her eyes, trying to block out the sounds of the forest and the market that drifted through the air. "Either way, she won't stop until she gets what she wants."

Rhett rolled the hilt of his dagger in his hand. "Then I guess we should get moving."

They collected the few supplies they had managed to procure and readied their horses. Rhett and Raenen slipped onto the saddles, but just as Saege swung her leg over the side, darkness ripped across her vision, and a force tore her through the air.