“It does.” A forkful of eggs entered our mouths and we chewed, appreciating our last few moments together.

Olrus swallowed and sipped from a glass of orange juice. “How long can you hold it?”

I shrugged, using my hand to cover my mouth while I spoke. “The most I’ve ever tried is a few hours. Guess we will find out.”

Olrus’s brows pinched, deepening the permanent wrinkle in his skin there. “I don’t like that. They’ll kill you if they find out you’ve been impersonating a Kormánzó, or turn you into a fallen female. Or worse, they’ll exploit your magic and turn you into an assassin.”

I laughed, having to use a glass of the freshly squeezed juice to force my food down. “What an adventure that would be, don’t you think, Olrus?”

A sparkle returned to his eyes. “An adventure indeed. Who knows where they would send you and who they would want you to kill.” He sobered at the reminder of the previous day’s events.

“What will you do? If I never return?” I asked, trying not to think about the risks that would come with being discovered—though turning into an assassin held a certain allure I couldn’t deny. It was definitely a much different life than the one I had been born into some two hundred and twenty-four years prior.

“I spent much time thinking last night while I waited to wake you. I will tell Priestess Anara that I came to the manor and found it empty.” Olrus set his fork on his plate, then leveled a serious gaze at me. “After a few weeks of your being gone, word will be sent to Vagach, at which point, he,” Olrus raked his gaze over my new form pointedly, “will be most upset that his wife has vanished without a trace. Vagach will tell me to continue tending to the estate in his absence.”

Chewing slowly, I digested his words, agreeing with the logic. “And if I should desert the army and try to lead a life for myself?”

“Then a new Kormánzó will be chosen by the Kral since Vagach has no heirs,” Orlus stated, picking up his fork and shoveling another mouthful of eggs. He swallowed them down with a sip from his glass. “Promise me you’ll take care of yourself. You are still so young and have so much ahead of you. Forget about us old Demons in this small, insignificant village. With power like yours, go be someone important.”

The last of my food disappeared into my mouth, and I allowed my magic to drop away momentarily, so Olrus could see the sincerity of my gratitude coming from me, Assyria. Reaching across the table, I covered his hand with mine and squeezed. “I will become someone, Olrus, I promise. My life will be worth living because I make it so. Thank you for giving me this fresh start, for helping me free myself from this depressing life.”

His cardinal eyes glistened, and his chin wobbled as he beheld me. “It’s time for you to go.”

“I know,” I whispered, drawing back. The chair scraped as I rose, and within moments, I’d crafted Vagach’s form around me once more. When I opened my eyes, Olrus had retrieved the pack laden with clothes, coin, and other items Olrus insisted I needed. Tucked safely away in the coin pouch was my mother’s ring as well. I couldn’t leave it behind, not when it was all I had left of her.

“Let me help you with this,” he said, and I raised my arms, allowing him to slide the straps over my shoulders. The weight was unfamiliar, heavy, and slightly annoying, but I’d need to become accustomed to it sooner rather than later.

Olrus walked with me to the front door, unlocking it but not opening it. I paused, taking one last moment in this house that had felt more like a prison than a home since my arrival.

To think, I will be free of it within a few moments.

Olrus opened his arms, and I walked straight into them, memorizing his citrusy smell and drinking in the fatherly love that emanated from his pores. Tears burned my eyes and the back of my nose, and I sniffed, trying to smother the sob that wanted to break free. I was so tired of saying goodbye to the people I loved. At least Olrus wasn’t dying, though this would likely be the last time I’d ever see the old Demon. “Take care of yourself,” I whispered through the knot in my throat.

“Stay safe, stay alive, and may your thread hold strong,” Olrus offered, unashamedly shedding a tear as we broke our embrace.

Then, he grasped the knob and turned, revealing the first rays of dawn and the first moments of my new life.

The center of Stryi overflowed with males boasting full packs and grim expressions. Still more hefted crates and burlap sacks into wooden wagons, filling them to the brim and causing the body to sink deeper onto the wheels from the weight. Corralling them were the soldiers I had seen yesterday, dressed in their leather uniforms, while the leader with the metal armor stood off to one side, surveying the scene.

“Vagach!” he called out to me, and I strode in his direction, nerves shaking my hands as my mind raced with possibilities.

Would I be caught out before we even left the village?

I gripped the leather straps in an attempt to steady them.

Fates, I don’t even know the officer’s name.

Vagach would surely have known, and I’d look like a fool for not. “Morning,” I offered by way of greeting, kicking myself for how breezy and friendly the word slipped out. Vagach had neither of those qualities.

But would the male know that?

From what I had observed the previous day, Vagach and this officer hadn’t seemed familiar, and the interaction I had witnessed was entirely formal. The villagers, however, would recall Vagach’s temperament, which meant they posed more of a threat. My thoughts swirled with anxiety, causing me to miss the question the metal-clad male asked me.

“Sorry, my mind was elsewhere,” I apologized, hoping that he would repeat himself.

He offered a salacious grin, his cherry eyes sparkling with amusement. “No doubt on your wife,” he chuckled. “I stated that–”

“Százados Jaku,” a leather-clad male interrupted from my right, drawing both our attention. He stood, hands folded behind his lower back while waiting to be addressed. The male’s hair was cropped close to his scalp, and his cherry eyes held a hint of jovialness despite the seriousness of the current situation. Underestimating his abilities as a soldier would have been a mistake, as his arms were thick and bulged out of his sleeveless tunic.

“Yes, Dromak?” Százados Jaku responded, his tone almost bored.

“All the recruits have arrived, sir. We are ready to depart.” Dromak lifted his fist to his forehead and stamped his foot before turning on his heel and striding toward the gathered group.

Százados Jaku—thank you Dromak for offering his name—regarded me again. “As I was about to say before we were interrupted, you’ll receive an officer’s rank since you are head of a noble house. Today, you’ll march at the front with me.”

“We’re not flying?” I questioned. All Demons possessed the ability to conjure membranous, black wings using their magic. It was far faster than riding horses, though I hadn’t flown in months, if not years.

Jaku’s eyes narrowed on me. I resisted the urge to squirm. “No, because not everyone has the power to keep up. Those with cardinal and crimson eyes wouldn’t be able to fly half a day, and they need to save their magic and their energy for the battles ahead.”

“Right, of course,” I stammered. Then, mimicking what I saw Vagach do the previous day, I knelt, resting my forehead on my arm. “It is an honor to serve under you, Százados Jaku.”

“Rise,” he commanded, and I did. “And when we’re not in front of the recruits, you may call me Jaku. No need for formalities when technically you rank above me in society. Though you will be under my command.”

“Understood,” I replied, falling into step with him as several of the leather-clad males, including Dromak, shouted directions at the hundred or so gathered villagers. Horses waited at one end of the square, some stomping their feet as if their insistence on getting moving would hurry along the mass of Demons preparing to march off to war.