Ferdinand knew not to trust that girl. He’d learned long ago never to trust a creature of Light—not even one such as himself.

He stumbled across the desolate landscape in an effort to return to the city he’d cowered in for so long. Leocivat wasn’t a sanctuary, it was a prison. He squinted his painfully bright gaze into the depths of shadow that hid his destination. Onyx shards skewered the skies and malice crunched under his sandals. He’d been like Nile once. How he wished he could share those days with that boy. Nile had no idea what he’d been like, and no matter what, he could never know that his master had once been just like him. He’d been an Outcast, one of the many who longed for a place without death and shadow constricting breath from the world. If Nile ever knew what he was, he’d never speak to him again.

Ferdinand had been in a situation much worse than Nile’s. He averted his gaze when he came upon crusted bones that betrayed the cost of malice. Demons ruled this world. And when demons ruled, families could run from them… or join them.

He’d been a servant to the demons long before he’d served Leocivat. That was the painful truth he couldn’t allow anyone to know. Such traitors died in a most gruesome way. Burned at the stake, fires to purge their unforgivable sins.

Ferdinand still sensed their shadows on the horizon, even now. The pull to his old demon master called to him to return home. He’d partaken in the ritual that gave his family unnatural life and power. He’d drank of the vial that slipped a demon’s blood down his throat. He’d been but a child, yet he’d survived.

Because he was Hallowed, it didn’t change him like it should have. But he hid that dark part of himself deep inside. He wasn’t meant to contain such malice, but it attuned him to this world outside of Leocivat. It was his compassion and empathy that kept him human. And like Nile, he protected that part of himself. He’d never join the Coterie. He’d never become Changed.

As if the ancient creature that had once been his master had sensed the memories, a shadow appeared in a gust of icy malice. “Ferdinand,” the demon said his familiar friendly lilt. He appeared through a puff of dark mist. Ferdinand knew not to expect scales or fangs. This was Xorn, the demon who’d tricked him into believing that such creatures held hope of being saved.

Xorn straightened and ran his fingers through dark hair, curling his touch around the metallic horns that protruded from his head. His eyes hummed with ruby red power and his tongue slithered out like a snake’s when he spoke. “Why are you all alone?” A vicious grin. “It’s dangerous. Demons are about.”

Ferdinand frowned and leaned onto his staff. He was so tired. His body ached with the need to give in to the malice that roiled in his stomach, but he’d learned to suppress its whispers long ago. He’d broken that bond between master and servant and he’d never succumb to the Darkness again.

His eyes flashed with stubborn gold as he retook command of his soul. “You taught me well,” Ferdinand said and pointed west. “The mass of your brethren are on the sulfur deposits looking for melted onyx. I heard you lost a general today.” His hand dropped to his side. “What a shame.”

Xorn didn’t flinch at the bait. “Yes,” he said with a sigh. “I told him to stay away from Anark and the strange child.” Another toothy grin. “You know me, Ferdinand. I’m not all death and destruction. I’m not looking to take a child away from her family.”

The old Hallowed frowned. “Well, now her family is dead, and she’s a broken, wingless angel. She’ll either turn into one of you, or she’ll die. Neither outcome bodes well for us.” A child like Valeria in Xorn’s ranks would upset the balance in the demon’s world. The demons fiercely fought over territory and another general in their midst wouldn’t help matters. Ferdinand didn’t want the demons to fight among themselves. When demons fought, outlanders died. “I’m going to take care of it,” he said. He wasn’t sure if he meant that he planned for the Coterie to kill the girl, or if his heart believed she could yet be saved.

Xorn raised an eyebrow and looked into the misty distance. Even though they couldn’t see the golden sphere that protected the ancient spires, Leocivat emanated a low hum of power that warned malice to keep away. “You think the Coterie can kill her?”

Ferdinand paused. Xorn turned and appraised him, but he knew that a Hallowed couldn’t be read. Light bled from his soul and as long as he kept his face relaxed, the demon wouldn’t know his heart. What he wanted more than anything in the world was to eradicate the Darkness that flowed in his veins. Out of all the “Yes,” he said after a moment. “They won’t bring their entire force out of the protection of the city, but I’ll be able to convince a few that leaving the broken angel out there with my apprentice is more of a risk than it is to leave them alone. They’ll come out of their cozy nest for this one.”

Xorn scratched the base of one horn. Ferdinand found it strange that the demon hated his horns and behaved as if the features bothered him. “I’ll do what I can, then,” Xorn said. “I can’t speak for the other generals, but if they sense that members of the Coterie are about, they’ll strike.”

It couldn’t be helped. Ferdinand knew he had few allies remaining among the demonic ranks. If there was such thing as a level-headed demon, Xorn was one of the few. Although that didn’t mean he could be trusted. “I don’t care what you’re planning,” Ferdinand said as he stabbed his staff into the crusted soil and resumed his trek. “Just stay out of my way.”