Page 7 of Her Demon Mate
A customer.
I swallow a sigh of relief as Tonnolun rushes to right his clothes and go assist the customer.
I guess today is not the day,I think to myself as I wipe his spittle off my cheek.But you might need to think about finding a new job.
4
AZRON
“Don’t say anything, Azron. Just come with me.”
My eyes follow my old general out of the room as he sidles past me, slipping through the gap in the doorframe. Without thinking, my feet tread behind his through the desolate cobblestone streets, the sound of our feet ringing out in the noiseless chaos.
It’s late. Well past the hours of the bars letting out. Occasionally, out of the corner of my eye, I can see a beggarly zonak poring through garbage, jars and bottles clattering against the hard metal containers. And I feel a tinge of pity. They didn’t choose their lot in life… but it’s better to not engage.
When I’m up at this hour, I really don’t feel good about myself.
Our walk is suspiciously long. We pass the bakery and several bars, neither one of us daring to say anything. Whether that is for privacy or for circumstance, I can’t tell.
My gut tells me where we’re going, but I don’t want to believe it.
No, I think,Gel’ged knows I’m out. He wouldn’t expect that of me.
But crossing over bridges and past numerous rocky buildings, my fears are only confirmed once we arrive at our destination.
The barracks stand just as decrepit and poorly funded as I remember them. The rock-like exterior is eroding away, the various bits of wood that decorate its facade moldy and crumbling.
“No.” I shake my head.
“No. I’m sorry, sir. I won’t do this again. I won’t go back.”
“Don’t be stupid, Azron,” he says. “Come inside. I’ll pour you a glass and we’ll have a chat.”
He leaves me outside to think.
Deserting him now would be treasonous. I had thought that the forces wouldn’t be reaching out again. Gel’ged had even issued me a half-promise on the day of my return.
“Aren’t you hot out there? Come on in. I’ve got your favorite.”
I shuffle inside the building reluctantly, against my own wishes.
I’m not a coward.
I shake my head and clear my thoughts, staring at Gel’ged as he uncorks a bottle.
“You like paquir, right? I still have this from when you left.”
I nod. He pours it into a tall glass and watches the glass fill up.
“It’s been a while, kid,” he says. “You doing well for yourself? Finally settling down?”
“What is this?” I watch him pour the bottle, unable to hide the fear and the severity from my voice.
“No ‘hello, sir, how are you?’ It’s right to the same hostile undertones?”
“I already told you that I’m out,” I tell him. “So what is this? What are you dragging me back into?”
He smiles wryly, pacing around the room with a full glass, my glass sitting at the table in front of him.