RISE OF THE DEMON KING

Chapter 9: The Hunter's Bargain

They barely made it past the first line of trees. The arrow came out of nowhere, so fast it ripped the air, so close that Alba could feel its breath across her skin. Before she even realized what happened, her brother moved. Aeris wasn't fast, not usually, but now he was, almost inhumanly quick. He threw himself in front of her, arms out, like he was daring the world to try and take another shot.

“Show yourself!” His shout echoed in the thin, smoky air. You could hear the old Aeris in it, the fear, the protective fury but something new, too. Something bigger. Something waiting to tear through him if anyone threatened her. He stood there, chest bared, not moving an inch.

Branches creaked. Out of the haze stepped a woman. Maybe thirty, hard-faced, wrapped in battered leather armor. The kind of armor that used to mean something, except you could see where she had scraped that meaning off, the remnants of an imperial symbol just a pale suggestion on her shoulder. A stark scar curved down her face, tracing a white line from temple to jaw. She carried a longbow as if it weighed nothing, and her second arrow was already drawn.

“How interesting.” Her voice made Aeris think of mages, the ones who eyed him up and down like he was some kind of failed experiment. “That was a warning shot. Most people run. But you, I fire, and you jump in the way before you even know what my aim is.”

Aeris’s arms shook. Sweat prickled his skin, but he didn’t back down. “Doesn’t matter what you call it. If you want her, you’ll need to get through me first and whatever’s inside me now.”

Her gaze dropped to his chest, and for a moment, the soldier’s mask slipped. She must’ve caught the trace of black underneath his torn shirt. The Demon Core mark pulsed there. Her eyes narrowed, something clicked in her head.

“Demon Core bond,” she muttered, mostly to herself. “I heard the horns after the ritual. I heard Thorne’s soldiers lose their minds because the plan went sideways instead of going their way.” She started relaxing, just a little. Didn’t lower the arrow completely but allowed the string to slacken. “I didn’t expect a kid would be the interruption, a brother, throwing himself in front of his sister like it was normal.”

Aeris didn't blink. “Not the first time. I’ve done worse for her today. I’ll do it again.”

For a heartbeat, the woman looked like she might actually smile. Not a nice smile, a hard, grim one, but it was something. “Good,” she said. “I trust that more than any answer.”

Alba’s voice wavered, but she spoke up. “Who are you? Why shoot at us at all?”

“Name’s Rhea. Once, I wore imperial colors. I believed what they told us, about rituals and sacrifice. I learned better. Those rituals, you saw what they do to villages.” Her jaw clenched. “I didn’t fire at you, exactly. I fired to see if your brother would leave you, or whether he’d stand. I’ve been betrayed by people who seemed loyal before. It’s not a mistake you get to make twice.”

Aeris didn't let his arms down, not all the way. His eyes kept darting, still on edge, the demon's presence coiled tight inside him. “A test. For what?”

She reached into her pack and pulled out a battered-looking sheet of parchment. Didn’t hand it over yet, just held it so he could see.

“Three years back, I escorted Thorne’s ritual convoys. I thought they were protecting villages. I watched them harvest four before I realized what ‘protection’ actually meant. I deserted after that. Ever since, I’ve chased the Seven mages who design the sacrifices. I track where they run, how they hide, what weaknesses they nurse. I know where six will be holed up within the week. I’ve spent three years trying to get close enough, but I never have. You did tonight.”

She gave the parchment a little shake. Aeris could see names, all written in careful ink. It looked like a list someone read over and over, keeping it safe, knowing it better than their own reflection.

“You killed one of Thorne’s Seven. You did what I haven’t.” Rhea’s eyes were nothing but serious now. “I have leads. You have power the Empire never meant you to hold. So let’s stop doing this alone, and do it together.”

Aeris felt something cold and sharp uncoil inside him. It wasn’t the demon’s wild heat this time, it was his own purpose, icy and clear. His hand hovered near the parchment.

“What’s the catch?” he asked. No point in pretending alliances came without a price.

“No catch,” Rhea said right away, but Aeris saw the way her jaw tightened. That’s always how it started. “Not in the way you’re thinking. I don’t want money. I don’t want you following my orders. I just want to take down the same six mages like you did. And, I’d be lying if I said your sister wasn’t part of the bargain. The Empire isn’t giving up just because the ritual went wrong. You’re running out of ways to keep her safe on your own and they’re never going to stop coming.”

Aeris bristled at that. “She’s my sister. I’ll keep her safe.” The words felt like steel, but he knew how thin his armor actually was.

Rhea didn’t argue, but she didn’t step back either. “I believe you. I saw you tonight. But fighting alone, against six mages and an army, is a different calculation. I’m only offering a better chance.”

Alba’s hand found Aeris’s. He squeezed it, grateful for the weight of it, something steady, something he couldn’t lose.

He glanced at the list again. “So, what aren’t you saying?”

The scar on Rhea’s cheek twisted as she almost smiled. “The catch isn’t what you think. The seventh name on that list, it’s not even a person. It’s a place. What’s waiting for us there, No one’s ready for it. Not you, not me. But we’ll have to face it together if we want a shot at finishing this.”

The woods seemed to hold their breath. Aeris felt the weight of what came next pressing down, but he straightened, hand tightening around Alba’s. He looked right atRhea.

“Then let’s go see what we’re up against.”