Adara blew a strand of loose hair out of her face as she surveyed the alleged heretic’s room at the inn. While most of the sisters from her order were hunting for Piper in the city, she’d been assigned to search the young woman’s room at the Dancing Gnome Inn.

  Not that she expected to find anything. To be honest, she didn’t believe that Piper was the heretical caster. While the young woman possessed a strong hunter class, she paled in comparison to the powerhouse she had faced days earlier. Regardless, no heretic in their right mind would have allowed themselves to be captured without a fight and brought to the Dawn Citadel.

  I hope I don’t run into the real infernal caster.

  The sheer power the woman had possessed still chilled Adara to the bone. She’d briefly tangled with the summoned harroth demon, and the thing had tossed her across the street like a child’s plaything. She felt much safer searching a room at the inn rather than risking another encounter with a demon.

  Still, the sooner the infernal caster was captured, the better. Until the heresy had been purified by cleansing fire, the inquisitor would continue to run roughshod over Kalmyros. With the heretical threat ended, Adara and her sisters could go back to cautioning people for using false god’s names or building shrines in the hopes of earning boons.

  Before Elissa’s arrival, there hadn’t been a single burning for over a century. And now dozens of heretics had been killed for merely using a false god’s name. The entire thing disgusted her, and she knew the inquisitor’s actions would eventually turn the populace against the empire. Yet as a simple nun, she could do nothing to stop what was happening.

  With a mental shrug, she continued searching the room. Already, she’d gone over every inch of the walls checking for hidden compartments. Now, she would take apart the beds to see if she could find anything concealed in the frames.

  Maybe there’s a demon hiding under the mattress.

  The sheer ridiculousness of the thought made her giggle. At best, she expected to find a few coins that had been tucked away by the aspirants using the room. Though even that seemed unlikely, since most of them always hovered on the edge of destitution.

  Adara ripped the blankets off the bed and tossed them aside. Then she did the same with the sheets, revealing the lumpy mattress underneath. She spent the next few minutes pulling the straw out of the mattress and tossing it aside. Once she was done, she climbed under the empty bed frame to see if she could find anything.

  But after a few minutes of searching, she’d found nothing. With a sigh, she wriggled out from under the bed and turned her attention to the other one on the far side of the room. She repeated the process of pulling off the blanket and then the sheets.

  When she pulled off the mattress, she froze in shock. Sitting underneath was the gleaming symbol of Infernus. Her mind immediately returned to the report of the young girls wearing the symbol of a false god at a nearby tailor shop. That must have been Piper and Ophelia.

  “Zoe!” she called to the nun standing outside the room. “I’ve found evidence of heresy!”

  The nun popped her head inside. She hailed from the southern desert and had a broad face with dark, curly hair. The young woman had only earned her robes a few months earlier and had been assigned to shadow Adara.

  “You did?” Zoe exclaimed. “Abyss take you. I just lost a silver piece in a bet.”

  Adara picked up the medallion and walked over to Zoe. She handed the necklace to the young woman. “Hang on to this until I’m done.”

  Zoe bobbed her head in reply. She lifted it to examine the flaming symbol, her eyes wide with wonder.

  Returning to the bed, Adara redoubled her search. If there was one heretical object in the room, there were likely more. Had she been wrong about Piper? Was she really the infernal caster?

  She carefully pulled apart the mattress, inspecting every piece of straw. But she didn’t find anything out of the ordinary. Turning her attention to the bottom of the bed, she bent down and felt around on the floor.

  Her hands struck something invisible, and made her recoil in shock. After a moment to compose herself, she got down on all fours and crawled forward. She tentatively reached out, her hands striking something again.

  There’s something hidden behind an illusion back here.

  “Zoe,” she called out. “Summon the inquisitor immediately. Tell her I found an illusion hiding an object in the heretic’s room.”

  The young woman popped her head back into the room before stuffing the medallion into her pouch. She turned and raced down the stairs, her footsteps fading into the distance.

  Twirling a strand of hair around her finger, Adara peered at the spot where the illusion sat. She knew the smart thing to do would be to withdraw and wait for reinforcements. But she might redeem herself in the eyes of the inquisitor if she discovered what the heretic had hidden under her bed.

  She reached out again, before freezing with her hand half extended. What if it were a trap?

  Adara shook her head, feeling foolish. If the heretic had planted a trap, she would have placed it near the room’s entrance, not underneath her bed. Anyway, who in their right mind would sleep over a trap? What if it went off while a person was asleep?

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  In her mind, the best thing to do would be to discover what was hidden under the bed and then present it to Elissa when she arrived. That way her reluctance to burn heretics might be forgiven or at least forgotten. She had no desire to fail the inquisitor again and risk immurement.

  Adara edged forward and extended her hand; she touched something soft that shifted slightly. Flinching away in shock, she shuffled back. Was there something alive under the bed?

  With growing horror, she realized exactly what she’d discovered. It wasn’t some lockbox filled with heretical items. The infernal caster was hiding under the bed. And she’d just touched her body.

  “Oh no,” Adara whispered.

  She frantically pushed herself back, trying to escape. She had to get out of here and find help. Why had she sent Zoe away? She’d left herself alone with an incredibly dangerous caster.

  As she scrambled back, something clamped shut around her neck. The bed frame exploded upward, and she was lifted into the air; her feet dangled below her, barely scraping the floor.

  Her eyes widened as she looked down to see an enraged demon holding her up with a single arm. Rather than expose herself, the caster had summoned a demoness to do her dirty work. The cursed creature had pure white skin, long dark horns erupting from her forehead, and silver hair that gleamed in the dull light.

  “What have you done with Ophelia?” the demon snarled, the youthful feminine voice not matching its form.

  Adara used [Greater Identify] in the hopes of learning the summoned demon’s level. If the creature was weak enough, she might have a chance of defeating it. Alternatively, she could use her wind magic to blast the demon back and try to make a run for it.

  Her mouth dropped open as she read over the text in her vision.

  Shadeling, Level 52

  Deceiver (Epic), Level 52

  Shadowflame Temptress (Legendary), Level 1

  Her heart skipped a beat as she searched for the word ‘Summoned’ but failed to find it. She shook her head, not believing what she was reading. It was impossible. It couldn’t possibly be true. In front of her stood an actual demoness who had somehow pierced the veil.

  And not just any demoness; she had an epic and legendary class. Why hadn’t the Sainted Host been called to deal with this threat? Sending nuns against a powerful demoness was like pitting a toddler against a bone monarch. There was only one way a battle like that could end.

  “Please…” she gasped, the world growing dark. “I… can’t…breathe…”

  The grip on her throat loosened slightly, and she kicked her feet, trying to find her footing. She drew a strained breath as she stared into the burning eyes of the demoness. All she could see in the dark pupils was her impending doom.

  “Where. Is. Ophelia,” the demoness said through gritted teeth. “Tell me or I’ll snap your neck.”

  “Taken…” she whispered, the fingers tightening around her throat once more. “The son of Ares took your friend. I can show you their manor if you’ll let me live.”

  “Why should I show you mercy? Don’t you burn innocent people alive?”

  “I fought against Elissa doing that!” Tears streamed down her face as she felt her bladder loosening. The sound of liquid pattering against the wooden floorboards made her cringe. She always thought she’d be braver when she faced her end. Apparently, she’d been wrong.

  “Show me!”

  The demoness released her neck, and she dropped to the floor, weeping openly. “Please don’t kill me.”

  “Not another word. Clean yourself up and then we’re leaving.”

  The demoness’s form shimmered, and she transformed into a woman with long dark hair and sharp features. She paced back and forth, looking like a caged animal. Holding out one hand, a demonic bow appeared in her grip, while a quiver looking very much like it had been fashioned from a human face materialized on her belt.

  Adara staggered to her feet and walked over to the washbasin. She took the towel and dabbed at the front of her robe. She would never be able to get the urine out though. If the demoness wanted her to guide her through town, she’d have to do it with a large stain on the front of her robes. Still, the alternative probably meant death, so she’d gladly live with the humiliation.

  “You’re Piper, aren’t you?”

  The demoness’s gaze snapped over, and she took a threatening step toward Adara.

  “I swear your secret is safe with me,” Adara exclaimed. “I’m not a follower of the Imperial Cult.” She placed the towel down as she came to a decision. “We’d never burned anyone before Elissa arrived. If you could somehow get rid of the inquisitor, Kalmyros would be a better place.”

  Piper seemed to soften slightly. “I’m not evil, you know. All I want is to be left alone.”

  Adara was momentarily taken aback by the change in Piper’s demeanor. She’d expected a real demoness to be a bloodthirsty monster. Then again, thinking back, the harroth hadn’t killed any of her sisters when it had clearly had the chance to do so.

  “I… know a lot about the Dawnward Host,” Adara babbled. “All you have to do is let me leave here alive. I could give you information from the inside…”

  “All that matters right now is finding Ophelia.”

  “I can help you take down Elissa—”

  “How dare you betray our order!” Zoe shouted from the doorway. She must have returned while they were talking. “And who is she?” After a second, recognition seemed to dawn on the young nun, and she fumbled for the metal fan on her belt.

  “No!” Adara called out, lunging forward to stop Zoe. The young sister had no idea what she was facing. Even with her powerful shadow magic, she was no match against a demoness.

  Before Zoe could even tug the fan free from her belt, Piper’s bow twanged, and an arrow lodged in the nun’s throat. Zoe pawed at it, her eyes wide with panic, as she sank to her knees. She looked terrified as she toppled onto her side.

  “What did you do?” Adara shrieked. “I thought you said you weren’t evil?” She rushed over to the nun’s side and pressed her hands against the wound, trying to stem the bleeding. “No, please don’t die. Please don’t die.”

  Blood spurted out through her fingers as the young nun gurgled on the floor. If Adara could just get Zoe to a healer, she might still survive. All she had to do was convince Piper to let them go. She would promise to return afterward as a hostage if that’s what it took. Surely, a demon who claimed not to be evil would show mercy.

  Turning to ask, she froze as a spasm wracked Zoe's body. Then the young woman lay still, her unseeing eyes staring up at the ceiling.

  Adara scrambled away, her stomach rebelling. The nun had been under her protection, and now she lay dead on the floor of an inn. She’d failed to keep the youngest member of her order safe.

  “Why did you kill her?” she screamed. “I could have stopped her from attacking you!”

  Piper looked at her with cold eyes. “I needed you alive,” she said simply. “And if she used her shadow magic in here, you might have died.”

  “That’s not a good reason…” she trailed off as Piper nocked the bow and pointed the arrow in her direction.

  “I’ve lost a lot of friends over the last few days,” she said in an icy tone. “If you want to stay alive, I wouldn’t push your luck.”

  “I don’t care what you claim; you have the cold heart of a demon.”

  “Now,” Piper continued, ignoring her words. “I believe you were going to take me to the place where I can find Ophelia.”

  Adara glanced over at Zoe lying dead on the floor. Scrubbing away the tears on her cheeks, she stumbled to her feet. She would take Piper to Ares' manor in the inner city. Hopefully, this cursed heretic would meet her doom there for murdering Zoe.

  But Adara doubted she would be that lucky.