15

"Cover, if you wouldn't mind, Your Highness!" Isidora shouts, glancing over her shoulder at a demon circling above her head while she tries to manuever another one into the path of her guards. It's the second time she's been so directly threatened, and you wonder if the demons have recognized her as a leader. They might even be passing each other information about her—some of the shrieking must be genuine demonic communication. Evander gives a decisive nod and steps into place.

Waiting for a moment when no one is looking at Evander isn't as difficult as you might have feared, with all the other distractions in the air, but demons are unnatural-looking enough that it's hard to summon a definite image to replicate. Your creations from three years ago were pale imitations of the real thing, and they feel insufficient now. You do manage to create a form in front of Evander, but it wavers and vanishes as you try to hold it in your mind. Evander blinks, confused but not deterred from his purpose, and sends a streaking bolt of lightning into the demon above Isidora. He strikes true, and the demon falls to the ground with a rumbling cry and a rush of smoke.

"Many thanks, Your Highness," Isidora calls as her guards spear their original target and it, too, descends to earth. "Seems to me you might follow your fellow mages' example, Jun."

You've been too distracted trying to trick Evander to send any false spells of your own, you realize, and several of the less-occupied guards are glowering at you. Evander, too, is staring at you, eyes enormous. With a sinking feeling, you suspect your attempts might not have gone unnoticed so much as they were recognized and ignored, though surely Evander shouldn't be able to recognize you for what you are. Should he?

Verity and Isidora rally the guards around the few remaining demons, and you know the battle is nearly over. You have a moment to breathe, to reflect on your actions.

Why did you try to mislead Evander? What would you have gained, had you succeeded?