My heart hammered against my ribs as I jolted awake. The sickly-sweet stench of gas still clung to the air. Panic spiked. Mother, Aurora, and Eamon lay sprawled across the carriage floor. Motionless.

  Are they...?

  Dropping to my knees, I scrambled over to Mother. My fingers shook as I pressed them against her neck. I waited. One second. Two.

  Thump.

  A heartbeat. A ragged exhale escaped my lungs. Just a knockout gas.

  But... Daemon.

  White-hot anger bubbled in my gut. He had been standing outside. He had watched it happen. Observed us choking on the fumes like lab rats in a maze. Where was he?

  I pushed the carriage door open. It creaked slightly. The moment my boot hit the dirt, the blood in my veins turned to ice.

  The forest path was gone.

  In its place, jagged spikes of black, gleaming metal tore out of the earth. A forest of Blood Steel. Bodies hung from the tips, skewered like insects on pins. Some dangled ten feet in the air, impaled by a single massive thorn. Others were quite literally torn apart, their limbs scattered among the metallic vines. This wasn't a battle. It was a slaughter.

  Morning had already broken. The sun stung my eyes, but the carriage guards were nowhere to be found. Bending down, I picked up a broken splinter of Blood Steel.

  Daemon had fought. Had he won? Or had they taken him?

  Then, I felt it. A crushing weight bearing down from behind. No thoughts. Just pure instinct. I spun around, gripping the metal shard like a dagger, and thrust it forward. Aiming right for the shadow's throat.

  My opponent didn't even flinch. He simply raised a hand. The splinter struck his palm but didn't pierce the flesh. It melted right into his skin.

  "Finally awake?"

  I looked up. Daemon stood over me. Not a single scratch. Not a speck of dirt on his black coat. Beside him stood one of our guards, nursing a light wound. Daemon let go of my arm.

  "What happened here?" I asked.

  "An ambush," he replied, his voice dead flat as he surveyed the field of corpses. "Not your run-of-the-mill highwaymen, either. These were professionals." He kicked one of the bodies. "Top-tier gear. They were hired to take us out."

  "And my comrade didn't make it, unfortunately," the guard mourned.

  "I'm sorry," I told the guard. "But who attacked us? And why?"

  "Use your head," Daemon snapped. "We are the royal family. Returning to the capital." He narrowed his eyes. "It's highly likely it was the same client who sent the demon horde after Morhenhall two years ago."

  "The Demon Queen," I whispered.

  Daemon shot me a razor-sharp look. "What makes you say that?"

  "Just a theory," I lied smoothly.

  "Keep talking," he ordered.

  "Well..." I started, letting a calculated hint of uncertainty slip into my tone. "Kai... the demon from back then. When I had him cornered, he mentioned he was an emissary of the Queen." I met Daemon's gaze. "At the time, I thought he was just bluffing to save his own skin. Trying to scare me. But now... I think there's more to it."

  Daemon fell silent. He stared off into the distance. "I see," he finally said, his voice lowering into a dark register.

  Good, I thought. Now he's not the only one with that theory. This will fuel his distrust of the Queen. Let's just hope he trusts the judgment of a ten-year-old.

  "Go on ahead," Daemon commanded the guard, who gave a quick nod and hurried off.

  "I share your theory," Daemon said. "It reeks of treason." He looked at me. "So here is a piece of advice, Kael: Watch your back around the demons in Aeloria." He paused. "There is a reason only humanoid demon races are permitted inside the city. Any other demon race carries evil in its very blood. They are destined to betray."

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  I nodded mutely. A prejudice, I thought. But one that plays perfectly into my hand.

  "Come," he said, turning back toward the carriage. "The others have slept long enough. We're going back."

  "How is it that you didn't pass out like the rest of us?" I asked on the way back.

  "I am immune to all poisons," he replied. "My blood contains the most lethal toxin in existence."

  "Blood Steel?" I asked, frowning.

  He nodded. "Liquid Blood Steel has such a high toxicity that a sufficient dose could kill a full-grown dragon."

  I marveled at the thought. "I see."

  We reached the carriage. "Get up," Daemon barked.

  Mother was the first to stir. She blinked, deeply disoriented. "Kael? What... what happened?"

  "Everything is fine," I said, hauling her to her feet. "Come outside. The fresh air will help."

  She leaned heavily against me, her legs still trembling. We stepped out.

  The exact moment Maelis lifted her head, she froze. Her eyes locked onto the jagged forest of Blood Steel Daemon had conjured. She spun around. "Daemon, what happened here?"

  "WHOA!"

  A small shadow darted past us. Eamon. He was wide awake in an instant. He skidded to a halt in front of one of the largest thorns, where two archers were skewered together. His green eyes lit up with sheer awe.

  "Did you do that, Dad?" he cheered.

  Daemon gave a curt nod.

  "Awesome!" Eamon crowed.

  "Eamon!" Maelis sobbed, covering her mouth. "Don't touch that! There are people impaled on those!"

  Aurora was the last to climb out. She surveyed the carnage. She looked at Daemon. There was no horror in her eyes. But no admiration, either. Just pure, frigid envy. The bitter realization of the chasm between her power and his.

  "You didn't even draw your sword, did you?" she asked, her tone sharp.

  "No," Daemon replied.

  "Mhm," was all she said. She pivoted sharply and climbed right back into the carriage. "Let's keep moving. It stinks out here."

  Daemon signaled the remaining guard. We rolled out.

  One day later.

  We stood before the gates. Aeloria.

  I had seen cities before. In my old world. Skyscrapers forged of glass and steel. But this... this was entirely different. The walls were built of white marble, towering so high you had to crane your neck just to glimpse the battlements. Golden spires pierced the sky, woven together by sweeping bridges. It was breathtaking.

  The carriage rolled to a halt at the checkpoint.

  Two guards stepped forward. Demons. Dark skin, small horns protruding from their brows, crimson eyes. They wore the uniform of the city watch, but their posture reeked of arrogance.

  "Halt," one of them barked, raising a hand. He barely bothered to look at us. "Sorry to say this. But currently, no humans or other races are permitted to pass. Demons only."

  Daemon leaned out the window. His face was carved from granite. "And why is that, if I may ask?"

  "There's a shortage of demons in Aeloria right now," the guard explained with a bored sigh. "The balance is off. That's why."

  "And why, all of a sudden, are there fewer demons than other races?" Daemon pressed, incredulous.

  "Gods, you ask a lot of questions!" the guard huffed, clearly annoyed.

  Mother tried to intervene. "Do you have any idea who—"

  Daemon held up a hand, silencing her instantly. "Please, continue," he told the guards. "I am curious."

  The demon flashed a greasy grin. "Well, it's simple. We demons just don't breed as frequently as the other races. We aren't such a... lustful breed. We have class, and we need to protect our population."

  Daemon chuckled. A dry, humorless sound. "Is this a joke?" He leaned further out the window. "Has it even been proven that the demon population in Aeloria has dwindled? And if so, how?"

  The guard flushed a deep red. He slammed his palm against the carriage window frame. "Listen here, human. Just because you roll up in a fancy carriage and might be highborn doesn't give you the right to talk to me like that! Get lost! Or we'll help you along!"

  Daemon let out a heavy sigh. He reached into his coat and produced a letter. It bore the royal seal.

  "You'd better take this," he said softly. "If you value your life."

  The guard snatched the letter from his grip. "What is this trash..." He broke the seal. He read.

  His complexion drained from angry red to a sickly, ashen gray. Beads of sweat erupted across his forehead. His hands began to shake violently.

  "What is it?" the second guard asked.

  "I-I... I didn't even know you were traveling..." the demon stammered. The letter slipped from his fingers. He threw himself into the dirt. "King Daemon!"

  "WHAAT?!" the other guard screamed.

  "Bow down right now, you idiot!" the first guard hissed from the ground.

  The second demon dropped his spear and face-planted into the dust beside his partner.

  "And stay there," Daemon ordered strictly. He didn't bother stepping out of the carriage. He looked down at them as if they were vermin. "Now, let's try this again. Who gave you this brain-dead information and this order?"

  "From... from the Five Kings," the guard whimpered into the dirt.

  "I see," Daemon said. "I happen to be one of the Five. And you certainly didn't get that information from me."

  "Queen Draelyss!" the guard blurted out in a panic. "She ordered the wall guards, claiming it was a decree from all five Kings, to only let demons pass!"

  "Since when?" Daemon interrupted.

  "Since a week ago! When the Elven King, Caelus of Xerxes, fell ill!"

  Daemon froze. "What?" he whispered. "The Elven King... too?"

  The guard glanced up, confused. "Too?"

  So they don't know, I realized. They had no idea that the Dwarven King and the Goblin King were also incapacitated. Draelyss was keeping a tight lid on that intel. Daemon had been away. Which meant Draelyss was the only one left ruling.

  "You will drop this rule immediately," Daemon commanded, his voice vibrating with suppressed fury. "By order of the Human King, Daemon Aranthor."

  "Y-yes, Sire!"

  "Open the gates!"

  The massive gates groaned open. We rolled through. Daemon leaned back into the velvet cushions, staring at nothing.

  "For two years, nothing happened while I was in Aeloria," he muttered. "Then I leave to fetch my family... and the exact moment I'm gone, the Elven King falls ill and a new rule is implemented."

  I was thinking the exact same thing. None of this could be a coincidence anymore. The attack on us. Assassins who knew exactly where to find us. Queen Draelyss was playing a wicked game.

  And we had just landed right in the middle of the board.