Page 55 of Dream in Darkness
I use my magic to push the water back into his mouth, effectively drowning him for a moment. He coughs dramatically, glaring around the room in an attempt to find the culprit, but comes upshort.
I don’t think anyone here who isn’t from Haeresis knows that I have magic. I wonder if they know about Draven.
“Can we please get back on task?” Uri asks, and Zada nods.
“Socially, we’re doing fine. We’ve had some lupion join us, fleeing mostly from Violenta, but not much else of note.”
Uri’s lips create a flat line. “Very well. Things are progressing on Gula. Some of The Legion popped up, and there was even an assassination attempt on my life. Other than that, not much of note.”
Other thanthat?As if attempted murder is nothing to these demons.
“Clarify?” Draven asks.
“A member of The Legion applied to be a server at Hel’s Restaurant and poisoned my personal meal. Luckily, I have taken poisons regularly for the last five-hundred-years to build up a tolerance, so it did not manage to take me out,” Uri explains.
“Did you figure out who it was? How do you know they’re Legion?” Reina asks, and Uri looks over at her respectfully.
“We have the culprit in custody.”
Murder might be legal, but murdering one of our seven leaders is not. This half-demon will most likely be punished by death.
Uri clasps his hands together. “Avaricia?”
“Oh, we’re always doing great,” Micha says, one corner of his mouth curving up in a smug smile.
“Still stealing money from your citizens?” Zada asks, clicking her tongue.
“I wouldnever.” Micha feigns ignorance, winking at his sister.
“Ira,” Uri cuts in, not wanting to fuel the fire.
“We lost a substantial portion of our employees at Hel’s Caves, so I’m trying to come up with a solution,” Cavan starts. The sound of his voice feels like poison being poured into my ears. “Thinking of designing safety precautions to ensure more half-demons want to come work for me.”
“Do the felion not deserve those precautions?” I ask before I can reel the words back into my mouth.
I fuckinghatethis demon. More than anyone.
“Listen, lady. I cut corners when I can. Diving is the only employment option I give the felion, besides freelancing, so it’s not like they have much of a choice,” Cavan answers with a shrug.
It makes my blood boil. I want to drown him in those same diving caves. I want him to suffer like so many have under his watch—under his instruction. If it weren’t illegal, I’d take him out myself, but I can’t risk it. Not when so many felion depend on me.
“That’s literally like… indentured servitude.” Draven scowls.
“Which, correct me if I’m wrong, is not technically illegal,” Cavan retorts.
Uri cracks his knuckles. “Legally, you cannot murder anyone who cannot ormay notbe able to fend for themselves, including but not limited to people with disabilities, children, and the elderly. You also cannot sexually assault anyone. Tyranny is also illegal, as well as?—”
“Is indentured servitude on the list?” Josina asks.
“No.” Uri frowns.
“So we’ll add an amendment,” Raph suggests, a big goofy smile on his face, and my heart skips a beat. “That’s what the government is for, right?”
I adore that ridiculous demon.
“You can add an amendment to your continent’s constitution, but planet-wide legal change would require a majority vote,” Gabe adds.
“I would vote for it,” Zada says, giving me a comforting nod.
