Bandur caught me staring, and with a smile, he vanished from the battle. Knowing I’d made a mistake, I hurried after Edan. Too late. I screamed when Bandur materialized, breaking Edan and me apart.
“You!” I cried. “I…I killed you!”
“Didn’t you listen to your Lord Enchanter?” Bandur mocked. “You can’t kill one who’s already dead, girl. Though I applaud you for trying. I do enjoy a good chase, and it has been too long since I’ve been able to leave that accursed island. Unfortunately, it will cost you.”
The dagger at my side trembled. Edan was calling it to him. It flew to his hand, then shuddered and shook—as if confused.
“Silence!” Bandur shouted. His mouth formed a cruel smile as Edan’s weapon clattered to the ground. “Your power is weak, Edan. You shouldn’t be so far from your master.”
Edan picked up his dagger. “You cannot have her.”
The demon’s terrible red eyes turned to consider me. In the wicked gleam of his pupils, I saw a reflection of the claw marks on my neck. “She is marked. You are a fool to open your heart while under your oath. She will not be free of me unless I will it.”
“Then tell me what you want. I shall pay it.”
“No!” I shouted. “Edan!”
The demon raised a hand to silence me. A low groan escaped my mouth, but my tongue no longer moved—I was frozen in place.
“Do not fancy that you have something I want, Edan,” continued Bandur. “You knew the price you would pay when you drank the blood of stars. You gave your freedom, and it will not be yours again—not in the girl’s lifetime. There is nothing you can give me while you are under oath. Unless…” Bandur retracted his claws. “I doubt you would sacrifice so much for a mere girl.”
“She is not a mere girl,” Edan spat. “I love her.”
“But she is free, and you are under oath.”
Edan blocked me with raised arms. “I am of more value to you, even under oath.”
“Are you, now, Edan?” Bandur taunted. His hollow eyes bored into me. “I can sense magic in her. It is still weak, but as you said earlier, she is no mere girl.”
“Tell me what you want in exchange for releasing her, and I will do it—oath or not.”
“You know what I want, enchanter,” Bandur said harshly. “I grow tired of being a guardian. You will take my place.”
No! I wanted to shout.
But Edan nodded. Slowly. “Give me a year,” he said, “to return Maia safely to the palace and see that peace is established under Emperor Khanujin—”
“You have until the red sun, Edan,” Bandur interrupted. “Take the girl home, then return to the Isles of Lapzur before sunset. If you run from this debt, the consequences will be great. I will come for her and tear her apart, scattering her remains across Lake Paduan so she lives the rest of eternity broken. She will never leave the island.”
“I understand,” Edan said unflinchingly. “The red sun, then. Upon my honor and sigil as a lord enchanter, you have my word.”
“Fine,” Bandur rasped. If a demon could be giddy, he was so. His claws pierced the tree behind me. It withered, the bark graying and the leaves wilting brown into dust. “You have accepted. We are done.”
“We are done,” Edan echoed.
Bandur grasped his amulet and, along with his army of ghosts, vanished. The forest rustled again with life, and but for Vachir’s fallen men, it was as if Bandur’s shadow had never touched it.
My fever was gone, but I was shaking, rocking back and forth, hugging my arms to my chest.
“What did you do?” I whispered.
“Nothing I wasn’t prepared to,” he said. “Let’s go.”
I grabbed his sleeve. “Edan, you’re hurt,” I said, pointing at his wounds.
“Let’s deal with it later. I want to get out of this damned place first.”
Mutely, I nodded. We collected the horses and the trunks and set off for the Autumn Palace. My heart was heavy, and it only grew heavier as we rode, for Edan didn’t speak to me. Rain pattered down, slicking back his black hair. His eyes were normal now—blue as the sea. But he held his reins so tightly his knuckles were white.
“Bandur…was your teacher, wasn’t he?” I asked finally. “The one who became a demon.”
At first I thought he hadn’t heard me, he was so slow to reply. “Yes.”
I leaned over to touch Edan’s arm. My throat grew thick with emotion, and I swallowed. “How did