Des ground his molars together. Aurelie had been his responsibility, and he should see this through. Finish this assignment, one way or another. Put an end to what would someday be a footnote in the story of his life.
He closed his eyes, which was a mistake. All he could see wereshrewd green eyes, a pert nose, a mouth that made him lose his senses. He should have kissed her while he had the chance, because she’d been right: they were never going to see each other again.
Once Commander Yew knew the truth about Aurelie Blake, she wouldn’t be seeing anything but the inside of a prison cell for a very long time.
He rose, unable to meet Daisy’s questioning gaze.
“Do it,” he said, and left like the coward he was.
Chapter 17
Des
By early December, things felt almost normal in Wisteria, though it was a quiet he wasn’t sure he could trust. Yule was in just a few weeks, and with it, Des’s promotion ceremony. Nothing changed at the Iron Fortress, but the city proper was festive, with families strolling the streets to buy wooden toys, roasted chestnuts, or glass baubles from vendors’ carts. There were no more day-walking demon sightings, Gareth had moved on to working with Jasper, and Daisy was training a new guard (a girl far too timid for this line of work; Des didn’t give her more than a month before she was moved to clerical).
Most of Des’s days were spent training with the Iron Swords. He had thought himself in peak physical condition, but he quickly learned that there was another level to him. What little fat he carried was whittled off his muscles. He was sore everywhere.
In the evenings, he studied all the available texts onverita, none of which were particularly helpful, since they were mostly witness statements and crude renderings. Des and his nine squad-mates, all older and more experienced than him, were becoming a well-oiled machine, however. Shifts were clean and straightforward. He’d never slept better in his life. Everything was going as it should.
And if every now and then he caught the scent of Aurelie’ssoap, or he found himself remembering the way her braid swayed between her shoulder blades as she walked, or how green her eyes were up close, he quickly put her out of his head. Daisy had never told him what her punishment was, and he’d never asked, though he no longer relished the thought of her languishing in a prison cell. Perhaps her uncle had returned and spoken with Commander Yew on her behalf. So long as she wasn’t causing trouble, he didn’t care what happened to her.
Des was in the armory cleaning his weapons one evening when Aspen, another of the Iron Swords, appeared in the doorway.
“Whitlow. Gear up. There’s been averitasighting near the university.”
Des lowered his rag to his lap. “Any injuries?”
“Not yet. But the campus guard raised the alarm. Meet me at the front gate in five.”
It took Des less than three minutes to get fully suited in his armor and meet Aspen. He willed his racing pulse to slow down, telling himself he was just excited because tonight he might finally have a chance to catch averitaalive.
“You seem tense,” Aspen said as they crossed the street toward the university’s iron gates.
She was almost as reserved as Des, only communicating when necessary, which meant she must be concerned about his behavior if she was bringing it up. Des forced his shoulders to relax and took a few deep breaths. The dean had to be back by now. It was well past dinnertime, and the lights were off at the cottage. Aurelie would be in bed, not creating demons, if she were here at all.
“There you are,” the guard said, lifting his lantern up so that it shone directly in their eyes.
Des raised his hand to block out the glare. “Where’s the demon?”
“Still on campus, far as I know. I lost sight of it out near the cemetery.”
“Who else is on campus tonight?” Des asked, earning an arched eyebrow from Aspen.
“Just Miss Blake.” Des was beginning to grumble when the guard continued. “And one of her professors. Sheldrake, I think. He’s been known to conjure the odd demon or two; by accident, of course. It’s been years, though.”
This was no accident. Des was going to murder Aurelie, if she wasn’t already dead. And then he was going to tell Daisy off for clearly not handling the problem like she’d promised.
“What’s that?” Aspen asked, pointing to a light in a tall tower.
“Professor Sheldrake’s office. But like I said, the demon was near the—”
“Cemetery, got it.” Des stalked past the guard onto campus, wishing he’d seen it in daylight so he had a better sense of the place.
“Where are we going?” Aspen asked.
“To the tower. I think we should question the people who conjured the demon and find out what we’re dealing with first.” It wouldn’t get far with the iron gates surrounding the campus, and he didn’t want to give Aurelie a chance to cover her tracks.
Aspen nodded. They were quiet as they approached the old building housing the tower, which listed precariously to one side. It should have been condemned years ago.