Return of the Runebound Professor

Aylin waited until the sound of Rekeba’s panicked footsteps faded down the street before turning and walking back to his tent. Vrith followed at his side. Neither of them said anything. There were scouts from other gangs watching from the rooftops, and any conversation would have done nothing but give away information.

Shoe scuffed on stone as they departed as quietly as they could — but not nearly quietly enough to escape Aylin’s ears. They all had to hurry back to their gangs and report on what had happened.

Something told Aylin he probably wasn’t going to get challenged again. Not in the same way, at least. He highly doubted the other streetlords would be willing to let a single victory give him and Spider rule over them. That would be a problem for later. For today, his work was done.

He woodenly pushed the tent flap out of the way and held it open for Vrith. Once she’d entered, he trudged over to the center of the empty tent. It struck him that they’d forgotten the chair outside, but he couldn’t be bothered to get it.

Aylin flopped down onto his back and stared up at the ceiling of the tent. Vrith squatted beside him. “Ready?”

“Yeah.”

Vrith placed her hands on the sides of his neck, just above his collarbone. A tremor ran down his body as Vrith released him from the connection they’d formed just before heading out to meet Rekeba. The breath caught in Aylin’s chest and his heart bucked in his chest.

He ground his teeth as fear slammed into him in a wave. Aylin jerked upright, nearly slamming his forehead into Vrith’s nose, but she yanked back just in time. A chill raced down his back and the beds of his fingers prickled as his heart thumped furiously.

Aylin inhaled deeply through his nose, pressing his palms to his lap as blood coursed through his ears. The sensation was sudden and violent, but it passed in just seconds. He blew his caught breath out with his mouth and shook his head.

“Do you have any idea how difficult it is to consume on the emotions of another demon, much less one of your own rank?” Vrith asked irritably. “I ate all the fear I could from you. I wouldn’t have been able to take much more than the dredges if we hadn’t had such a strong connection. If I could have eaten more, I would.”

“I’m not complaining,” Aylin said, raising his hands with a small laugh. “It worked. It’s a bit odd not knowing how scared I was when I was facing her, though. Was there a lot of fear?”

Vrith shook her head. “Surprisingly, no. I was expecting you to wet your pants, but the amount of fear was barely enough to give me a good meal — especially as time went on. The only reason it hit you so hard at the end was because a connection like that leaves some pent-up emotion rolling around when it snaps. You basically got a few minutes of concentrated fear in a second or two.”

“Weird,” Aylin said with a grimace. “And you like that?”

“I don’t like being scared. I like when people are scared of me. You have to know what I’m talking about. The only emotion of yours I was eating was fear. Didn’t you feel a thrill when Rekeba looked at you in the end?” Vrith shuddered and a grin snaked crossed her lips. “Gods, what I would have done to have that directed at me instead. I hate her. Her fear would be the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted, I just know it.”

She’s really into this. In a way, it’s a little endearing, but I can’t help but feel a splash creeped out. I’m glad I didn’t get her emotion. Still, if we’re going to be working together a lot in the future, it’s good to know more about Vrith.

His mind subconsciously brushed across hers at the new understanding. Energy trickled into Aylin. Vrith flinched. She glared at him and his cheeks heated. “Sorry. You got so into it that I couldn’t help it.”

“Stop taking bites out of me, you little shit,” Vrith said. She crossed her arms. “And especially by accident. I could almost tolerate it if you were just flaunting your power, but do you have any idea how embarrassing it is when someone accidentally steals your hard-earned power? It’s like you’re cheating.”

“I’ll do my best to stop,” Aylin promised. He hesitated for a second before giving her a sheepish grin. “But I like learning about you.”

“Egh. Look at you. Just one meeting with Rekeba and you’ve turned into a flirt. I’d probably take that as more of a compliment if learning about me didn’t involve sucking down my hard-earned energy. Keep your grubby mitts off unless you’ve got a whole lot of extra food to pay me off with.”

“I mean… I do. I probably shouldn’t, though. I don’t want to get too greedy. A lot of people need that food to survive. I can’t just use all of it for myself.”

Vrith squinted at him. “You realize it isn’t your responsibility to distribute all that food, right? As long as there’s enough for the people in your gang, your job is done. All the other gangs we’re bringing in will have enough food of their own.”

“That’s true, but what about the people living on the streets near us that aren’t part of the gang?” Aylin asked. “There are a lot of them and even a single small meal is enough to make a huge difference.”

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“You are an awful streetlord. Your job is to amass power, not give it away.”

Aylin’s thoughts drifted to Spider. The powerful demon hadn’t even so much as blinked at the thought of giving food away. Spider hadn’t bothered hoarding anything. It was beneath him. Real power wasn’t found in hoarding supplies.

“I think that’s the wrong kind of power,” Aylin said. “And I don’t think Spider wants me to be just some normal streetlord. We’re bringing a lot of attention to ourselves. I don’t know if anyone has tried to bring together all the streetlords before, but it won’t be long before stronger demons start to take notice. We can’t be content with the power of a normal streetlord when that happens. It won’t be enough. We need more, and that means changing how things work.”

Vrith sent him a surprised look but didn’t speak immediately as she mulled over his words. Then, slowly, she nodded. “That’s a take I didn’t expect to hear from someone that only became a streetlord a day ago.”

“Different perspectives,” Aylin said with a chagrined grin and a shrug. “And it helps that doing things differently means there’s so much more to learn. I don’t want to get stuck as what I am now forever.”

“Unsatisifed already?” Vrith arched an eyebrow. “Do you even realize how many demons would give up everything they had and then more just to get a fraction of what you’ve been gifted?”

“That’s the problem,” Aylin said. “I’m thankful to Spider for everything he’s done… but he’s given me more than just power. He gave me potential. I can be so much more than I am now. There’s so much in this world to learn about. I refuse to just sit around and be content with what I have when I could become more. Anything other than my full efforts at improving would just be a waste of the gift I got.”

“I can’t argue with that. You’ve got the mindset of a powerful demon. I see why Spider chose you… but it’s odd,” Vrith said with a small frown. “I expected to taste a lot more fear from you when you speak of him than I actually can. You were more scared of Rekeba than Spider. Why?”

“Spider is so powerful that being scared of him is almost pointless.” Aylin shrugged. “He does what he wants and he’s made it clear that he’s fair. Spider hasn’t treated me wrong a single time. He’s only given to me. There might be a day when all that gets cashed in and I die, but I can’t do anything about it. All I can do is focus on what I can control. I’ll learn everything I can and make the best life possible for myself and my siblings.”

“Blegh. You’re so… sappy.” Vrith scrunched her nose in distaste. “It makes me feel a little sick.”

“Too sick to eat? I did just take more of your energy, so I think I owe you something, but I could always hold off. I guess you did just eat some energy from my fear, so maybe you don’t need anything else right now.”

Vrith sucked on her lower lip, then cleared her throat. “No, no. It was a passing spell. I don’t feel sick anymore. I’m not wasting any energy you promised me. Hand it over.”

***

Taleel stood in a sea of shadows. Shapes twisted at the edge of his vision, begging for his attention, but he didn’t dare let his gaze stray. He’d seen what had happened to the demons that had let their concentration falter, how their eyes had turned a dull blue, how they’d never been quite the same afterward.

The shadows held death, but the solitary beam of moonlight in the center of the room didn’t promise much better. A lone demon sat in the light with his knees pulled up to her chest. She barely sat taller than Taleel’s waist and had flowing, silver hair that pooled beneath her like a glistening lake.

While she was no taller than a child, there was no mistaking the demon for one. Her features were hauntingly striking in the way of a corpse prepared for a funeral. A cold air sat about her with such intensity that Taleel struggled to properly draw breath.

He kept his eyes firmly fixed on the demon's forehead. It was the closest he could get to respectfully meeting her gaze without letting himself peer directly into her flat, empty eyes. She chewed on the end of a thumb and watched Taleel approach without a word.

“Mistress Yoku,” Taleel said. “Do I have permission to speak?”

Her head inclined so slightly that he nearly missed it. Taleel swallowed, then continued.

“The rumors of a demon attempting to wrest control of all the streetlords in the city are correct. I haven’t verified the information personally, but there are too many accounts of it to ignore any longer. The streets are more alive than they have been in years. There is a growing belief that he may succeed. A belief that I can assure you is false. No such thing will—”

“Spider,” Yoku said, the words slipping from her lips like a single drop of summer rain. “The Silent Silvertooth will fall to him. Many other gangs will follow should nothing be done.”

Taleel stiffened. “Then, should you will it, I will act. Simply give me the command and I will deal with Spider myself.”

“The balance of power in Treadon is already unstable,” Yoku murmured. “Such a shift will destabilize it even further.”

“Forgive my impudence, but how could Spider succeed?” Taleel asked, choosing his words carefully. “Taking over a few gangs is possible, but all of them? Belkus would not allow such a thing to happen. As unimportant as they are, he has measures in place to make sure he maintains control of every part of the city.”

“Which is why losing the underground will smart. The lowest creatures in Treadon remain part of its populace despite their weakness,” Yoku said. She took her thumb out of her mouth and tilted her head to the side. A flicker of darkness passed behind her monochrome eyes. “If Belkus loses the underground, he will be weakened.”

“What of his enforcers watching the situation? They will doubtlessly act when they realize that Spider is succeeding in his goals. He will die before he gets a chance to do anything, and he may destabilize our own plans in the process.”

“Nothing is set in stone.”

“Then what are your orders, Mistress? What should I do?”

“Nothing. Belkus’ time sets like the sun below the horizon. His end is inevitable, but he will not go gently. I will watch, as I have always have. And he will kill, just as he always has. Let Spider do as he wills. We will witness his true measure soon enough. You will be my firsthand witness.”

Taleel swallowed. “Belkus will act, then?”

“It is a matter of time. He will send enforcers, but I do not believe they will be enough. The future is mutable, but after Belkus suffers his first defeat, he will find that everywhere he turns only holds more. It does not matter how he suffers it. Be it Spider’s hand or mine, the day is starting to dim.” Yoku lifted her gaze to the light bearing down upon her and raised a hand toward the ceiling. Streamers of pale energy twisted around her fingers like coiling snakes. “The moon rises over Treadon, and it cannot coexist with the sun. Nightfall is near.”

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