“Very well. You may go-”

Feyald intended to go on. I didn’t even have time for an inward sigh of relief before the heavy double doors burst inward, smashing two of the guards like flies on the wall. Several details became clear: unnatural shadow filled the doorway where sunlight should have streamed – a darkness now pooling into the chamber – and the king was screaming something. I allowed my left ear to turn and attend him.

“You led her back here?”

I felt a twinge of injustice, but there was no time for a retort. My fiancé had resolved into the center of the room, her slender form corrupted by a distortion of power that both terrified and enraged me.

Unfortunately,the demon’s nearest target was Halstead. The goat put up a good fight, stamping and kicking for all his worth once his sword was brushed aside like tinsel. Feyald was retreating with his guards. As Halstead got tossed, I snatched the cup, throwing it forward. The demon dodged, allowing Halstead to take the magic liquid full on in the face.