City of Dust

Chapter Sixteen

The City of Dust is surrounded by a towering, jagged crystalline wall in shades of grey and black. On the outside of the wall, the remnants of tall buildings, dead trees, and old power lines lay where they fell ten years ago, cleaved in two when the wall punched through the ground. A sprawling tent city has sprung up nearby, cobbled together from steel beams, slabs of concrete, and wood carved from downed trees. A sign on the road proclaims this to be "Kirkwood".

"Don't you have business here?" I remind Glaris pointedly as he guides his black stallion deftly through the congested road.

Displaced humans part easily for the demon-hunter and his massive warhorse. They give equal berth to Winston and me, throwing themselves up against wobbly partitions to let us pass through.

Glaris looks at me over his shoulder. "I ... yes, yes, you're right, I do."

Does he really expect to accompany us into the city? And here I am just beginning to think that he has more sense than that. What demon-hunter in their right mind would casually walk up to a demon lord's citadel and ask for permission to enter?

"Well, kid, here's where we part."

Kayleigh stares up at him, lower lip trembling as she does her best to rein in her emotions. "I'll see you again?"

Glaris's yellow demon eyes crinkle in amusement. "Of course."

God, he can't lie his way out of a paper bag, but the kid buys it hook, line, and sinker. Was I ever that naïve? It's hard to remember.

Glaris maneuvers his stallion close to Winston so Kayleigh can easily climb between the two. Winston flicks an ear back but doesn't react to the added weight.

Just as I put my heels to Winston's sides, Glaris reaches out and touches my wrist. My eyes fly open; no one has ever dared to touch me so casually. Even Keaton knew better.

"What?" I growl between clenched teeth.

The demon-hunter ignores my ire. "I'll hang out here for a while, in case you need me."

"I doubt that. This is a simple delivery job. I'll be out the other end and on my way in less than an hour."

Glaris holds my gaze steadily. "I'll be waiting," he repeats.

There's something about the way he says that which makes me pause. I don't like second-guessing myself and I certainly don't like the feeling of walking into a trap. Why does Glaris make me do both?

I slam a wall down on my worries and lift a shoulder indifferently. "Sure thing." I cluck to Winston. "Let's go."

The big bull walks on. I can feel Kayleigh turn around, feel her move in a manner that tells me she's waving to the demon-hunter. I keep my eyes on the road.

"Aren't you going to—"

"No."

"You didn't let me finish," she points out.

"I know what you were going to say. I'm not going to miss him."

The kid pauses, and I'm certain she has a smug smile on her face. I scowl and readjust my seat in the saddle. I hate being proven wrong—especially by a child.

Hovering over the entire city is a massive, donut-shaped dust cloud. A constant stream of endless dust flows like a river from the revolving cloud, but strangely, nothing falls on us. I tilt my head back, staring. As I watch, there's a sound like a rushing train and a great burst of dust explodes from the cloud, rocketing down the coast. At the end of this burst, the stream is suddenly cut off—only to start off two seconds later.