I Tamed The Twin Demons

Chapter 3 — The World's Worst Negotiation B

Davea stared at him as though he had suggested adopting a poisonous snake. “You are defending a thing that threatened us.”

“I'm defending the possibility of asking questions before we start destroying things. It's a radical idea, I know.”

“You have nothing to offer us,” Davea said. “You are a confused human occupying a dead man's body.”

Marco nodded solemnly. “You have information.”

“You have confusion.”

“I have an impressive amount of confusion. Some of it might be useful.”

Devana's lips twitched.

She moved closer to Marco, her golden eyes narrowing with interest. “And what do you want in return?”

Marco glanced at Devana's sword, then at the fading construct, and finally at the altar where he had nearly died.

“To remain alive.”

Devana regarded him for a moment. “How disappointingly ordinary.”

“I'm new here. Give me time to develop more ambitious goals.”

Davea laughed, although there was no warmth in the sound. “You believe you can negotiate with demons?”

“I believe that threatening me has produced very little useful information so far. I'm proposing an alternative.”

“You have no leverage.”

“I have a body that apparently contains two occupants, a magical circle that reacts to my movements, and a mysterious entity that seems very concerned about what happens to me. I might not understand any of those things, but I suspect they're worth more than the price of killing me.”

Davea's smile disappeared.

Devana's expression, by contrast, became thoughtful.

“He may be right,” she said.

Her sister turned toward her. “You cannot be serious.”

“I am perfectly serious. The circle reacted to his presence in a way neither of us anticipated. The construct also recognized him, and its warning suggests that the original victim was investigating the same phenomenon.”

“Or it suggests that the creature wants us to keep him alive for some terrible purpose.”

“Which is another reason to investigate before making a decision.”

Marco slowly raised his hand. “I would like to point out that the person being discussed is standing directly in front of you.”

Davea ignored him.

Devana did not. “Very well, Marco. Let us discuss terms.”

Marco blinked. “You know my name?”

Devana smiled faintly. “The original body's memories are not entirely inaccessible to us. Your name was among the details we discovered.”

That explanation raised several questions, but Marco decided to save them for a time when nobody was holding a weapon against him.

“Fine,” he said. “Here's my proposal. You help me understand what happened to this body, and I help you investigate the construct and the Unwritten. In return, neither of you tries to kill me until we reach the surface.”

Davea looked offended. “You want us to swear an oath that prevents us from killing you?”

“That's the general idea.”

“Why would we agree to such a ridiculous arrangement?”

“Because the alternative is continuing to guess about a situation that has already melted part of your wall.”

Devana folded her arms.

“There is a problem with your proposal. Infernal bargains are binding when their terms are sufficiently clear. A promise that one party will refrain from killing another can be interpreted in many ways.”

Marco frowned. “Such as?”

“Davea could decide that drowning you is not killing you, but merely allowing water to perform the task. She could arrange for someone else to kill you. She could abandon you in a place where death is inevitable and argue that she never directly harmed you.”

Davea considered this. “I like the drowning idea.”

“Please don't encourage her,” Marco said.

Devana continued as though neither of them had spoken.

“An explicit covenant prevents such evasions, provided that the terms are properly defined. Demons do not consider bargaining a weakness. A poorly worded agreement is simply an invitation for the other party to exploit your stupidity.”

Marco looked at Davea. “I'm beginning to understand why you two get along so well.”

“We do not,” Davea replied.

“Another mystery solved.”

Devana lifted her hand, and a small golden flame appeared above her palm.

“If you wish to proceed, we must establish four conditions. First, neither twin may intentionally cause your death while we investigate the resurrection. Second, you must assist us in identifying the cause of the anomaly. Third, all parties retain the right to defend themselves against immediate threats. Finally, the covenant expires when we reach the surface unless all parties voluntarily renew it.”

Marco considered the proposal.

It was not perfect, but it was a considerable improvement over the current arrangement, which involved being held at swordpoint by two demons who regarded him as a suspicious medical condition.

“I agree to those terms,” he said.

Davea stepped forward. “Not so quickly. I refuse to surrender my right to protect myself simply because you happen to be standing nearby when something attacks me.”

“That falls under immediate self-defence,” Devana explained.

“And what if I decide that his existence itself is a threat?”

“Then the covenant would be meaningless.”

“Exactly.”

Marco rubbed his forehead. “Could we perhaps agree that you won't kill me unless I'm actively trying to kill you or someone else? That seems reasonable.”

Davea considered the wording. “And if you deliberately cause the ritual to collapse again?”

“Then I would expect you to stop me.”

“By force?”

“Preferably without decapitation.”

Devana's golden flame flickered.

“Then the terms shall state that neither twin may intentionally kill Marco while the investigation continues, except when lethal force is immediately necessary to prevent an imminent threat to life. Marco must cooperate honestly with the investigation to the best of his knowledge and ability. All parties retain the right to defend themselves, and the covenant expires upon reaching the surface unless renewed voluntarily.”

Marco hesitated at one word. “Honestly?”

Devana's eyes gleamed. “Do you intend to lie to us?”

“I intend to avoid telling you things I don't understand.”

“Then the phrase 'to the best of his knowledge and ability' protects you from being punished for ignorance. It does not protect you from deliberate deception.”

Marco thought about the memory that had flashed through his mind: If the body wakes again, do not trust the twins.

He had no idea who had spoken those words or whether the memory could be trusted. He certainly had no intention of revealing it to two women who had already demonstrated a remarkable enthusiasm for murder.

Still, the covenant did not require him to explain every suspicion he possessed. It required him to assist them honestly.

He could do that without pretending to understand what he did not.

“I agree,” he said.

Devana extended her hand. “Then place your hand in the flame and speak your consent.”

Marco stared at the golden fire. “Is that going to burn me?”

“Only if you violate the covenant.”

“That is not a reassuring answer.”

“Would you prefer a dishonest one?”

“No, but I would appreciate a warning before any additional body parts become involved in magical experiments.”

He reached forward.

The flame felt cool against his palm.

Golden threads curled around his wrist, forming a delicate pattern that resembled the closed-eye symbol from the altar. A second thread extended toward Davea, and a third wrapped around Devana's hand.

For one breath, the chamber filled with the scent of rain on hot stone.

Then the light sank beneath their skin.

Marco felt a gentle pressure close around his wrist, like an invisible bracelet tightening into place.

Devana lowered her hand. “The covenant is sealed.”

Devana inspected the mark on her wrist with obvious displeasure. “If you betray us, human, I will find a way to make you regret it.”

Marco looked at the golden symbol on his own skin. “I'm starting to think our friendship needs some work.”

“We are not friends.”

“Excellent. At least we've established that.”

Before Davea could reply, the stranger in the doorway began to disintegrate.

His coat dissolved into drifting particles, and cracks of white light spread across his face. The projection turned toward Marco, and for the first time, its expression seemed less angry than afraid.

“The Unwritten is waking,” it said.

Devana hurried toward the doorway. “Wait! What is it? What does it want with him?”

The construct's body flickered violently. “It wants what was stolen.”

Marco's throat tightened. “What was stolen from whom?”

The stranger looked directly into his eyes. “You were never meant to inherit this body. You were meant to remain beyond the boundary.”

A final pulse of light passed through the doorway.

The construct began to vanish, but its voice remained long enough to deliver one final warning. “Don't let them take you to the city.”

Then the stranger disappeared, leaving only a few fading sparks suspended in the air.

Devana slowly turned toward Marco. “We were going to take you to the city.”

Devana's expression transformed into a smile that revealed the tip of one sharp canine.

“Well,” she said, drawing her sword back into its sheath, “now I want to know why we shouldn't.”

Marco looked at the sealed doorway, then at the two demonesses who had just sworn not to kill him.

He had survived death, interrupted an ancient ritual, and negotiated a binding agreement with two demons.

Yet somehow, he had the uncomfortable feeling that his situation had just become considerably worse.

Because the stranger's warning had not sounded like a threat against the twins. It had sounded like a warning about them.

And as the golden covenant mark tightened around his wrist, Marco noticed something that made his stomach drop.

The symbol was changing.

A thin black line had appeared through its centre, slowly dividing the closed eye into two halves.

From somewhere deep beneath the altar, the second heartbeat answered, and this time, it sounded suspiciously like laughter.