“I like your confidence in me, Kas,” I said.
As we started walking, the music from the festival faded into the distance.
Legion’s black eyebrows knitted together as he looked at me. “The Asmodean quarter…don’t you find it a bit…”
“Haunted?” asked Kas.
I glanced between them. “Do you two always finish each other’s sentences?”
“We’ve known each since we were little boys,” said Kas. “Since before the city was founded.”
“So you’re older than Orion?”
“Old and wise,” said Shai. “Exactly why they’d be perfect to help you prepare for the next trial.”
My gaze flicked between the two male demons. “What if I lose? And what if Orion takes out his rage on you two?”
“We survived the mad king Azriel,” said Legion. “We can survive the mad king Orion.”
“All things being equal,” said Kas, “we’d prefer someone sane. That’s why we’ll help you.”
The wind rushed off the river, giving me goosebumps. On our right, we passed a stone building with turrets and windows lit up with warm light.
“What do you think of Orion, then?” I asked.
“They know he wants to murder all the mortals,” said Shai. “Because I told them.”
Legion’s dark eyes slid to me. “I remember what it was like back then, when the mortals invaded our City after the war. First, they weakened our magic. Then they cut off the heads of the Lilu who resisted and stuck them on pikes. Anyone who survived was marched past the remains of their families. We thought the Lilu were being led to their deaths. None of us ever imagined some of them survived. We never spoke of them. We all felt guilty. We had no clue Orion was still down there. The idea that someone was locked up by himself in a dungeon after all that—there’s no way he could be sane.”
Kas ran a hand through his messy hair. “Honestly, the thought of someone enduring that is unbearable.”
“Stop,” I said. “You’re going to make me feel bad for him, and then I’ll lose.”
“Just remember,” said Shai, “he said you were boring. It’s really the worst thing a person could say, even if he didn’t mean it.”
Kas’s brow furrowed. “King Nergal told us that the mortals’ revenge on the Lilu was the price we had to pay for losing the war. It was a sacrifice. But the truth was, he wanted the Lilu gone, too. They were a threat to him. They were too powerful, and he had no conscience whatsoever. And that is why, sometimes, I wonder if the mortals have it right. Maybe we should, I don’t know, vote for a leader instead of letting people decide it by ripping someone’s heart out of their chest.” He smiled at me. “But if I have to support someone’s brute strength, let it be yours. You’ve at least lived among the mortals. You know how they think. They modernize. We don’t. You have that advantage, don’t you?”
I narrowed my eyes. “And why should I trust you two ancient demons?”
“Because I said so,” said Shai.
“Well, that’s your first lesson.” Kas’s expression had turned serious. “You shouldn’t trust us. In the City of Thorns, you shouldn’t trust anyone or anything except your own senses.”
“And sometimes,” added Legion, “don’t even trust those.”
“True,” said Kas. “You can hide things from yourself. Like, you didn’t know you were a demon, right?”
“When did you first feel your magic?” asked Legion.
I bit my lip. “I guess the night my mom died was the first time. I saw the reflection of my demon mark in a puddle. But I lost that memory for years, so yeah, you can’t always trust your senses or your memories.”
“Ah,” said Kas quietly. “Gaze no more in the bitter glass.
The demons, with their subtle guile
Lift up before us when they pass,
Or only gaze a little while;
For there a fatal image grows
That the stormy night receives.”
His words made my skin tingle, and a hush fell over us for a moment.
“No quoting Yeats,” said Legion, breaking the silence. “I’ve had enough of random poetry from you.”
Kas leaned in close, his voice low. “The thing about demons is that we keep most of our powers hidden until we really need them. It’s part of our culture. We all do it.” Kas crossed in front of me, walking backward to keep his twinkling amber eyes on me. “Everyone keeps secrets here. I’m sure you have some of your own.” The wind caught his hair as he walked, his movements graceful as a dancer. “So don’t trust anyone. Not even me.”