85

You find your mansion just as you left it—including the wreckage of your treasure room, which you never got around to cleaning up before you left last time. The thought of straightening it up now is daunting, both because the revelation of your demonic nature still weighs on your mind and because you'd rather not confirm yet again that the Demonsight Stone is gone.

Some of your books were torn nearly to shreds, but others are hardly scratched. That might be worth considering further when you aren't so tired, assuming there's any pattern to this destruction. For the moment, you curl up in a corner with an Eldriyan history that never says a word about demons.

You're asleep by early evening, and consequently ready to return to the palace with your traveling bags and meet the others almost before the sun's up the next day.

Next

You arrive at the palace courtyard to find Min and Alvis already waiting. Min waves a cheerful greeting. Alvis nods at you, rolling his eyes at Min behind their back.

The three of you are quickly escorted to Princess Despina's private quarters. Letha isn't present this time, and the princess seems to be in something of a hurry, rifling though the papers on her desk even more quickly than usual. "I know keeping promises isn't your strong suit, Jun, but I have something to ask you and I need to beg you to take it seriously," she says. "Evander is back in the city. Apparently he's been talking at the Academy about how we ought to be taking a more proactive role in fighting the prophecy than simply leaving things up to you, and he intends to invite himself along on your journey to Elith."

Princess Despina sighs. "As it so happens, this time, I want you to let him. By all means, bring him to Elith and let him sling spells at the demons there. Just…" She hesitates, then shakes her head, as if dismissing something. "Just make certain he doesn't distinguish himself, if you take my meaning. That onlookers have reason to be disappointed in his performance, or that perhaps he doesn't see the things he'd need to see to fight properly. Do you understand what I mean, Jun?"

You suddenly understand why the princess is directing this request at you rather than Alvis or Min. "You want me to use my illusions to…mislead him? Humiliate him? In the middle of the battle?"