I exhaled, not realizing how long I’d been holding that breath.

“If I ever found myself on the Halálhívó’s bad side, I’d just kill myself right then and there,” Dromak snickered from Izgath’s other side.

“He’d probably enjoy watching you do that instead of doing it himself,” Izgath sniggered.

“Does he truly kill his own soldiers?” I whispered back, not wanting to draw too much attention our way but dying from curiosity.

“Aye. Mostly for breaking his precious rules. One time a male–” Domak began, a hint of bitterness in his tone, but Jaku hissed at him.

“Gossip later.” The glare he offered us had our teeth snapping shut immediately.

Again, I watched the Halálhívó, the leader of the entire Demon army. Understanding of why the others were so enamored with him crept into my mind. Facing him in battle would be horrifying if the intensity of the chill nipping at my bones was any indication. His sheer size was intimidating, but the aura that surrounded him intensified it tenfold.

Yet an ember of rage ignited in my chest the longer he stalked through the lines. If it weren’t for Kral Xannirin and him, I’d be allowed to retain this position as a female. Without this Fates-damned war, the plague wouldn’t have swept through the realm and claimed thousands of lives in and around Stryi. My marriage to Vagach could have had an end once he began abusing me. Olrus wouldn’t have had to lie for me, to risk his life so I could escape with mine. Fuck, my entire life could have taken a different path if it weren’t for the two of them.

But most importantly, everyone I loved would still be alive.

I gritted my teeth around the grief that clawed its way up my throat, burning the backs of my eyes. In the distance, the Halálhívó paused to inspect another group, all of whom straightened to a painful point. The remainder of the viewing ceremony passed with my eyes tracking his every movement, like prey observing the movements of a predator in a desperate attempt to survive.

Only when he smashed the ground beneath his feet, rumbling the loose rocks beneath mine as he returned to his horse was I able to rip myself away. Brilliant rays of gold speared through the sharp peaks in the distance as the sun began its daily descent, casting everything in an ethereal, dreamy light.

But this wasn’t a dream; it was a nightmare come to life.

“Once we return to our section, settle in for the night. Tomorrow morning, Parancsok Olet will gather those of you selected for enhanced training to take to your new location,” Jaku explained, shouting over all the other Százados relaying similar information to their squads. “You already know who you are, and I expect you to be at attention bright and early when he comes to collect you. Your service to the Kral is important, but your worthiness before the Fates is moreso. Show the Parancsok what you are made of and why the Giver blessed you with such immense power!”

I beat my chest in time with the others, then saluted Jaku. We fell silent, poised on the moment as he examined our two thousand strong group one last time. “Dismissed,” he commanded. Like the mountains had exhaled, the entire group relaxed, laughter and chatter soon filling the air as males grouped up with their friends and picked their way back to camp.

I fell in step with Izgath and Uzadaan, strolling behind the group, in no hurry to return to the chaos that awaited. At least the Lovak Squad was situated on the periphery, and not toward the center. Even from a distance, it looked like nothing more than a sloppy mess. Somehow, despite the rocky terrain, the thousands and thousands of footsteps pounding around the camp had torn the ground beneath it to shreds. Perhaps the capital would be able to feed itself after all, since the boots had so readily tilled the earth.

“Are you worried for your family, Izgath?” I asked him. Parancsok Olet had mentioned that the Angel army neared Lutsk, where he’d told me his family lived. I thought of his mother’s chickens too and wondered if they’d been snatched by the Demons army as a means to feed the soldiers.

His garnet eyes were hard and downcast, as if the weight of Parancsok Olet’s news dragged him toward the earth. Rather than respond to my question, he said, “I suppose one last dinner is in order before the two of you go on to greater things?” A touch of bitterness filled his tone, and I wondered exactly what he was feeling, first learning that we’d be separated and then learning that the Angels had overrun Lutsk.

Uzadaan groaned and rubbed the back of his neck. “Only if we find Ur. The rest of the cooks near us are terrible.”

“How do you know that? We’ve only been here a day,” I pointed out, my attention still locked on Izgath. He refused to look at me, despite my subtle attempts to garner his attention.

“The squads normally arrange themselves in the same order when we’re all together. Anytime we’re near Madar and Kutya, we get terrible cooks. When you’re out there,” Uzadaan jerked his head north, “you want good food and a comfortable bed more than anything. Though both are difficult to come by.”

Yet another reason I needed to slip away among all the chaos.

“Will you miss Izgath and Dromak?” I asked Uzadaan.

He snorted as Dromak sauntered up, hands stuck deep in his pockets. The wry grin he sported spoke of nothing but trouble. “I will not miss Dromak’s boulder-sized ego or the way he flexes constantly after training,” Uzadaan said, louder than necessary.

“Hey! I heard that,” Dromak grumbled, his face falling immediately. The three of us burst out laughing, though the smile on Izgath’s face didn’t reach his eyes.

“Come on, Dromak, we’re going to get food.” I gripped his thick shoulder and steered. “I know that’s your favorite.”

“Aye, and don’t you forget it when you and Uzadaan go off and leave me all alone with Izgath,” he retorted. The aforementioned male rolled his eyes.

“You’ll finally have him all to yourself. It’s what you’ve always wanted, after all,” Uzadaan teased, grinning widely. To see him opening up before the four of us were separated was bittersweet.

“I swear to the Fates, it’s not like that,” Dromak huffed, but his face lit up as we continued to tease him.

“I will miss this,” I said honestly. Their camaraderie had gotten me through the worst of this transition, and they’d welcomed me as a friend despite knowing nothing about me. For which I was grateful, because I’d done a terrible job at pretending to be Vagach. The three of them were easy to talk to, and I’d never had friends like them before—mostly because males and females didn’t mingle much thanks to Priestess Anara’s sharp eyes and sharper tongue.

Izgath’s stare bored into me. “I will miss this too.”

Heat crept up my neck and I secured my gaze on a sharp peak in the distance to avoid being caught with a mix of emotions written across my face. Breezy conversation flowed the rest of the way to Ur’s food station, though the volume of it increased as more and more males surrounded us in an attempt to eat, bathe, and settle in for the evening before everyone was split in the morning. All the while, I scanned our surroundings, looking for any path out that would keep me mostly hidden, and even more so, for the priestesses I had spotted earlier. If I was being honest with myself, that was the only way out of here without raising too many questions. So long as I was far away before they uncovered the stripped female, I would be safe. I had a few coins left in the pouch Olrus packed for me, hopefully enough to purchase new attire, food, and possibly even transport to another part of the Demon Realm.

Olrus.

The thought of the old Demon reached between my ribs and squeezed my heart. How could I have gone so much time without thinking about him? My stomach twisted around the food. I’d never received the raven he’d promised to send speaking of my disappearance.