Gravel flung askew beneath my boots, and trees and houses whipped by in my peripheral. A ruckus came on my left—goats were throwing themselves into the fence, bleating out screams, as farmers attempted to corral them. One of the Sitaklasa Guardians was there too, yelling something to them and gesticulating wildly at the nearest shelter.

Then the rain came harder, obstructing my vision. My footsteps pounded the ground, and my breaths came in strangled rasps. I veered toward the jailhouse and shoved open the door.

The human working the front desk sprang to her feet, mouth flapping open.

"Get underground, and stay there!" I yelled to her.

I careened toward the stairs. The single Guardian outside the cell brandished his mace, then lowered it halfway.

"Brother, what are you—"

"Everyone's in danger, and we need the Demon."

Without waiting for him to process, I snatched the key ring from his belt loop. He sputtered a protest but did not stop me. I slotted the key into the door and barged into the cell.

Isalio slouched in the corner, knees tucked up to his chest, hands digging into his hair, shaking uncontrollably. But it was the sight of his shirt that twisted my gut. The monochrome masterpiece I had kissed was now covered in red and brown from dried and fresh blood.

When his eyes met mine, his shaking slowed. "Remgar."

My whispered name on his lips sounded like a prayer—or maybe worship—and my heart throbbed in response. "I'm here, Isalio."

But a fresh wave of fear pinched his face. "I can't control it, Remgar. I'm trying, but the cuffs are—I can't. I'm sorry." His words jumbled together, fast and uneven, and his shaking intensified. "I told Kardki to do it, but she wanted to get you instead, and I didn't—I didn't want it to be you."

"Didn't want what to be me? What are you talking about?"

"You have to kill me."

My blood ran cold. "Why would I kill you?"

"I don't know what will happen when I die, but if I live, it's only a matter of time before—this could be your only chance to stop the Morgabeast. You have to kill me before—"

"Isalio, stop!" I clamped one hand over a shuddering shoulder and cradled his neck with the other. My thumb gently pushed his jaw, encouraging him to meet my eyes. "Pull yourself together. Whatever you're talking about is not going to happen. I have the key, ok? I'm going to unlock your cuffs, and you're going to send the beast away."

A flicker of confusion breached his expression, but then he shook his head. "I don't know if I can, and even if I do, it will just delay the inevitable." He swallowed. "Please, Rem, just end this now."

"Kardki wouldn't kill you, and you think I would? You clearly don't understand..." How I feel about you, I wanted to say, but that still felt like dangerous territory, and not something we had time to discuss now. Instead, I said, "How much we need you."

"No, you don't understand. Danif is right—I'm getting weaker."

"Don't you dare tell me Danif is right. Danif doesn't deserve to be a voice in your head."

His shoulder beneath my hand stopped shaking, but his breaths still came in shallow rasps. "It's not just Danif, though. I don't know if I can do what you need me to do. "

"It doesn't matter if you know, because I know. And I have the key."

I snatched his hand from behind his back and, ignoring his futile tug, worked the key into the lock. When the first cuff unlatched, Isalio hissed a protest and pushed back against the wall, but I quickly wrestled his second arm out from behind him.

The next innocuous click signaled the release of the world's most powerful Demon.

He pocketed the cuffs slowly, shakily. Then he drew a breath and closed his eyes, fisting his hands. I stared at him, listening to the rain battering the ground outside, waiting for something. Ten agonizing seconds later, Isalio sucked in a wet gasp and coughed on his sleeve, hacking up a glistening glob of blood.

"I can't," he wheezed.

My heart clenched at the sight of all that blood, but I forced a deep breath. "You can. Do you need more lifeforce?" I reached toward his hand. "I can help you."

He jerked back, shoulders smacking the wall behind him. "Stop! If you touch me, I'll kill you."

"But maybe you could save everyone else."

"Back the fuck off, Rem! If I can't save you, I'm not saving anyone."

The venom in his voice shocked me into withdrawing. "Ok, then how can I help? Would you have more power above ground?"

"Maybe."

'Maybe' was better than any of our other options right now. "Get up," I ordered sharply.

He clambered to his feet, eyes wide. I flung the door to the cell open and shoved past the Guardian posted there.

"Brother, what are you—" He cut off with a yelp when Isalio appeared behind me, free from all cuffs. Stumbling backward, the hulking Guardian cowered in the corner beside the human from the front desk.

I led Isalio up the stairs and out the front door. The rain pelted our skin now, sheets of water that blotted out the path just feet from us.

"What about here?" I yelled over the roar of the storm.

He hesitated. "If this doesn't work, you have to promise me you won't stay here. Hide underground, and whatever you do, don't touch me!"

"Isa, I can't—"

"Promise me!"

I scrubbed a hand over my face, slick with pouring water. "I won't touch you while you're uncuffed, fine."

Apparently realizing that was the best promise he would get, he turned his back to me, tilted his head to the sky, and lifted his palms.

This time, I didn't have to wait long. Almost immediately, his fingertips glowed like embers. Then a bright flash burned my retinae and knocked me back a step—like lightning, except it was coming from him. He radiated chaotic, throbbing light.

My eardrums pounded with distorted waves.. I instinctively clapped my hands over my ears, but this was not a sound—it was a forcefield, like the one surrounding the palace. The rain curved around him, repelled by the shell of energy. Terror and awe burned bright in my chest. I wasn't sure how I had expected him to call off the beast, but I certainly hadn't expected this.

Then, like a shower knob cranked shut, the rain vanished. The dark clouds dissipated into gray wisps, and the sun peeked through on the horizon.

Isalio staggered, arms dropping. I lurched toward him to help him catch his balance, then remembered my promise and forced myself not to touch him.

"Is the beast gone?" My voice rang unexpectedly loud in the sudden silence.

Isalio inclined his head in what could have been a nod or a rush of vertigo. "I think it's—" He broke off and wheezed into his arm. A fresh clump of blood quickly washed pink and trailed to the ground with the water seeping from him.

My gut constricted. "Are you alright?"

It was a stupid question—he clearly was not alright—but Isalio wiped his arm over his mouth and managed a weak smile. "Yeah, fine." He pulled a cuff from his pocket and snapped it over his wrist.

"Hey, don't put that on," I chided. "You need every bit of lifeforce you have left."

"You already almost touched me. I'm not risking that again."

"You've taken my lifeforce before, and I came out fine."

"You got lucky."

"I don't think it was just..." But I trailed off as a streak in the sky caught my attention. "What's that?"

He squinted in the direction I was looking. "What's what?"

"It looks like a flock of birds, but the V is backwards. The one at the point is flying at the back of the flock."

His eyes widened. "The Queen's Scouts. Is your team ready?"

No, we weren't, but the relief of not facing the Morgabeast was too powerful for me to feel properly concerned. "Fraschkit just sent most of our fighters underground," I said, "But there are a few left in the courtyard who can..." The warmth of relief faded a little as I tracked the approaching beasts in the sky. "Wait, how many Scouts are there? I thought you said thirteen."

"How many do you see?"

"Thirteen in the V, but behind that... twenty? The ones behind are coming in rows, and they have four wings like a—fuck, are those Demons?"

Isalio tensed. "What are they wearing? Can you see that?"

I focused harder. "Robes, or... torn blankets? A rogue pack? But why would they be here now?"

"They must have followed the Scouts here for the easy lifeforce supply. They'll try to pick off one Guardian at a time while we are focused on the Scouts."

Fear shot through me once more, but this time, the adrenaline fueled me instead of debilitating me. I had killed Demons before, and now Isalio was here to help.

This time, I would not freeze.

"We can do this," I said.

"We... can." His voice was too weak, turning the statement into a question.

I scanned him. "Are you well enough to run? To fight?" When he hesitated, I said, "You need more lifeforce. Please, just take a little—"

"I'm well enough," he grated out. "But if I show up in the courtyard right now with only one cuff, will your people really trust me to fight on their side? Or will they see me as another enemy?"

"They'll know you're on our side when they see you helping us."

He shook his head. "What if they don't wait to find out? If one of the Guardians attacks me unexpectedly, I might not be able to stop myself from—"

"They won't attack you. I won't let them."

He raked a hand through his hair and released an uneven exhale. "Ok."

His response didn't please me. He wasn't convinced; he was submitting. Whenever I resorted to a forceful tone, he resorted to appeasing. He could turn away the Morgabeast more easily than he could refuse me.

But right now, I didn't have time to question his response or to work on actually convincing him. I drew a breath and ground my heels into the mud, pulling in all the energy I could from the air and the ground. Then once again, I began to run.