Return of the Runebound Professor

“Someone’s heading in this direction, but we’ve got a little before they arrive,” Aylin said, his ears twitching as he picked up on noise outside the tent. He licked his lips as he tried to place the taste, but there were just too many in the camp to make out any details now that everyone had come back out of their tents.

He and Vrith rose from where they sat and Aylin brushed the dust off the backside of his pants. Looking like a bumpkin when some new arrogant demon showed up was not high on his list of things to accomplish.

“You still owe me more food. Don’t think an interruption is going to get you out of the rest of it,” Vrith said. She paused for a second. “Given in the way we agreed on, mind you.”

Aylin suppressed a laugh. “I know. You can have the rest of it once I make sure everyone that wants food can get it. I still need to give the other street kids time to hear the word. I doubt the demons I sent out to announce that people can have some food have gotten to everyone yet.”

“Do you really think they’re all going to take you up on it?”

“No. Just the truly desperate ones. It’s fine. It’s not about if they take me up or not. It’s about keeping my promise.”

“Some streetlord you are.”

“Are you really strong if you have to lie to protect what’s yours?” Aylin asked. “Act like what you want to be, not what you are. That’s how you achieve your goals.”

Vrith pursed her lips and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Don’t start spouting off fancy quotes to me. I was around literally less than a day ago when you were shaking so much that you probably raised the temperature of the air around you by a bit.”

“Anything sounds knowledgeable and wise if you’re cryptic enough. The words you speak manifest the reality you experience. See? I can do it too.”

“That’s a pretty good line, actually.” Aylin scratched his chin. “I’m taking it.”

Vrith let out a long-suffering sigh. “All yours, boss.”

Aylin’s ears twitched again. He nudged her shoulder and nodded to the entrance of the tent as his features turned serious. “They’re here.”

Vrith adjusted her stance and stepped back to let the shadows at the corner of the tent wash over her. She didn’t quite completely disappear, but even though Aylin knew where she was, he could barely see her.

Aylin tasted the air again. There were two demons headed toward the tent. He recognized one of them instantly. Goosebumps raced across his skin as his chest tightened.

Spider.

The demon was likely coming to check on how his investment had gone. Aylin quickly ran through everything he’d done. He was pretty sure he’d handled things exactly how Spider would have wanted him to.

That didn’t stop the fear from setting in. There were some things in life that were wise to fear. Fear didn’t exist for no reason. It was the most primal of warning systems. It kept people alive.

But the fear Aylin felt was tinged with something else — curiosity, and not just toward Spider. The other demon with him felt strange. Familiar, but at the same time, different. It was a mixture of flavors that he didn’t have nearly enough experience to place before the tent flap was pushed aside.

Spider stepped inside and held the flap open for a female demon following after him. She was on the shorter side, with beautiful ivory horns that curled up around her head to end in razor-sharp points. Lean muscle covered her body and she seemed to walk in the same manner as a rock sliding down the side of a mountain.

There was a moment of silence as the two groups stared at each other. Something tickled the back of Aylin’s head. The taste of familiarity grew stronger. His eyes widened as he finally realized who the second demon was.

“Violet?” Aylin exclaimed in disbelief. If he’d been sitting in a chair, he would have leapt straight out of it. His eyes shot over to Spider and he hurriedly gathered himself before he could cause any offense. Greeting her before the unbelievably powerful demon was definitely disrespectful. “Forgive me. I was surprised. Master Spider. I hope you have approved of the work I’ve done in your name.”

Spider let out a laugh and waved his hand. “I’m pretty sure I’ve already mentioned I don’t care about honorifics or any of that shit. As long as you listen to my orders, I don’t care if you say my name first or second. And I’m just a fly on the wall. Ignore me. You’ve done a great job, but I’m only here to escort Violet.”

Aylin found it doubtful that Violet had done anything to earn an escort from Spider himself, but he wasn’t about to question the other demon. He stared at Violet, taking in every detail as his mind fought to overlay her new form with the one in his mind.

Her facial features were all similar. Her horns had definitely gotten nicer, but the more Aylin looked at her, the more he realized that Violet hadn’t truly changed. She’d just become the demon she was always meant to be.

“What happened?” Aylin asked. “You look so… well, you. It’s like someone added you to yourself.”

“Eloquent,” Violet said with a huge grin. She strode up to stand before him and grabbed him by his sides. Aylin let out a yelp as Violet effortlessly lifted him into the air and spun him in a circle before setting him down again. “And I’ll give you three guesses as to what happened.”

“Spider?”

“Maybe I should have given you less guesses.”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“It’s kind of a freebie,” Aylin agreed. He glanced over to Spider before returning his gaze to Violet. A flicker of trepidation twisted through his stomach. “What did you have to pay for this? You’re okay, right?”

“I’m fine,” Violet said, clasping Aylin’s shoulders and giving him a reassuring smile. “We’re all wrapped up in this anyway. Spider just gave me the power to defend us. Your job is definitely a lot harder than mine.”

“If you think keeping this little crazed thing alive is easy, then you’ve got another thing coming,” Vrith said, but the sarcasm in her voice was overshadowed by shock. “Are you really the girl that was here earlier?”

“I’m her and more, courtesy of Spider,” Violet replied. Her eyes narrowed and she set her jaw. “Why are you still hanging around? Don’t you have a gang to be managing?”

“I do not. Aylin invited me to be his second and I accepted. A new second will have to be chosen for the Ravagers.”

“What?” Violet exclaimed. She spun back to look at Aylin. “You chose her? Why?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Aylin asked. “She’s been really helpful. If it wasn’t for Vrith, Rekeba would have completely crushed me. Vrith isn’t as intimidating as she looks. She’s actually nice.”

“She’s an assassin,” Violet said, the suspicion in her tone evident. “It’s good that she helped, but I’ve got your back now. You don’t have to keep a monster like her lurking at our backs.”

Vrith’s eyes narrowed. She took a step forward, her lips pressing thin. “Keep your words to—”

Aylin lifted a hand. Vrith’s mouth snapped shut.

Huh. I didn’t think that would actually work.

“I love you Violet, but you don’t know Vrith yet,” Aylin said, picking his words carefully. “Jumping to conclusions like this isn’t going to help anybody. Vrith and I have a pretty good deal going, and we need all the help we can get.”

“But can you actually trust her?” Violet asked, thrusting a finger in the furred demon’s direction. “A deal is only good as long as both parties get something out of it. How do you know she won’t just turn and stab you in the back at the first opportunity?”

“Because I’m not trying to get eviscerated by Spider,” Vrith said. She stepped out of the shadows and walked to stand directly before Violet.

The two demons stared each other down. Aylin went to open his mouth but caught Spider’s eye. The masked demon shook his head and, wisely, Aylin let his mouth close.

“So the only reason you’re here is because you’re scared,” Violet said. She crossed her arms and matched Vrith’s stance. “That’s exactly what I was saying. You’re obviously competent, but I don’t see any reason to keep someone around that’s only looking out for their own skin. You don’t have anything in the game other than not wanting to die.”

Vrith’s eyes narrowed. “Yes, I do.”

“Yeah? What is it?” Violet pressed.

“I’m not saying,” Vrith said flatly. “It’s none of your concern.”

“Then how do we know you’re actually on our side?”

“Because I said I am. Aylin and I have a deal that I can’t replace elsewhere. That’s the only explanation you’re getting.”

“You can’t expect me to believe that any deal is irreplicable. That’s not a convincing argument in the slightest,” Violet said. She looked at Aylin expectantly. “You can’t tell me I’m wrong here, can you? I don’t know what this deal is but making her your second is a huge commitment. You need to be able to trust your second more than anyone else. A bad second can completely destroy you and everything you’ve built.”

When did Violet learn so much about gangs and how they operate?

Aylin fought to keep his powers repressed. The last thing he wanted to do was accidentally take a bite out of Violet’s energy.

“This deal is irreplicable,” Vrith said before Aylin could say anything. “It’s not something I can get anywhere else. I won’t claim anything to the rest of the guild, but I have Aylin’s back and he knows it.”

Aylin was slightly surprised to taste the truth on Vrith’s words. He’d believed they had a working agreement, but her claim went beyond just that.

“She’s telling the truth,” Aylin said.

Violet blinked in surprise. “How do you know?”

“I can taste the truth,” Aylin replied. “I’m a knowledge demon. There’s a lot I haven’t had a chance to completely catch you up on yet, Violet. We need to fix that as soon as we can, but you can trust me — and you can trust Vrith as well.”

Spider’s head tilted to the side at his words. Something had caught his attention, but he didn’t say anything and Aylin didn’t ask.

Violet studied him and Vrith quietly for a few seconds. Then she uncrossed her hands and let them fall to her sides. “Okay. If you trust her, then I’ll trust your judgement. I can’t say I like it. I’m the one that’s going to protect all of us.”

There was more in her voice than just sisterly care. It was the drive that only a demon could understand. Aylin clamped down on his powers, but it was too late. His mind brushed across Violet’s and her eyes widened.

“What was that?”

“Did you just take a bite out of her?” Vrith demanded.

“No,” Aylin said, letting out a relieved breath. “But I may have subconsciously tried to. Sorry, Violet. I learned something big about you and almost stole energy on accident. I’m still figuring out how to keep my strength under control.”

“She’s immune? You’re kidding me,” Vrith muttered as she looked down at her hands. “Does that mean her Runic energy is stronger than mine? Spider is unfair.”

“I think we should sit down and really discuss what we’re capable of,” Violet said slowly.

“That might be a good idea,” Aylin said.

Vrith glared at him. “Of course you and your sister think it is. You aren’t the ones that are going to get chunks bitten out of them from sharing. I’ll pass.”

“Oh?” Violet raised an eyebrow. “So much for that loyalty. Spider ordered me to keep Aylin safe. That includes knowing the abilities of his subordinates.”

“Then I’ll tell you in private,” Vrith said. She shot a glance at Aylin. “When he isn’t there.”

“You could lie. Aylin is the one that can tell if you’re speaking the truth or not,” Violet countered. She crossed her arms again. “I believe Aylin, but I also won’t let myself get blindsided because you decided to hide something from me. I’m taking this seriously. Are you?”

“Violet, it’s fine,” Aylin said. “We don’t have to—”

“No,” Vrith said. She let out a weary sigh. “Violet is right, and I’ve seen demons like her before. She’s a Hoarder.”

“A Hoarder?” Aylin asked. “You mean her feeling? How do you know? And what does that have to do with our conversation?”

“Because Hoarders are some of the best damn guards there are. I’ve done jobs on noble houses that use them, and they’ve never gone well,” Vrith said as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Hoarders are great at protecting things. They don’t like giving their hoard away, after all. And given how Violet is speaking, I’m pretty sure her hoard is us.”

“It’s the people I care about,” Violet corrected. “Don’t include yourself in that.”

Vrith opened her mouth to respond, then let out a pained hiss. She glared at Aylin and he winced.

“Sorry.”

Vrith just sighed. “I figured it was going to happen. Either way, Violet was right. I haven’t gone up against a Hoarder that gathers other demons, but I’d imagine she’ll be a damn effective guard if you let her do what she wants. If this is part of it, then I’ll do it — but sitting down rather than standing. I get the feeling it isn’t going to be very fun for me.”

Violet gave Vrith an approving nod and sat down across from her. Aylin hesitated for a second before joining them on the ground.

I might need to start allocating more food for Vrith. And time. I’m going to have to feed her a while to make up for this.

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