I entered via the back door and walked past the Elemental Soldiers’ quarters, which now included my new room. The Death King’s official Fire Element got some pretty swanky perks, and until recently, I’d never have believed I’d go from living in a hovel to an honest-to-god castle, even if it did belong to the King of the Dead. Not that I’d had much chance to enjoy the accommodations yet, because I’d spent most of the time waiting for the other shoe to drop. Or zombie horse, as the case may be.
After walking down the wide stone corridor, I pushed open the oak doors to the main hall and approached the wooden dais on which the Death King stood. Tall and cloaked in armour the colour of the night and with his face hidden by a dark mask, his very aura radiated menace. His voice was cold and echoing when he spoke.
“I need someone to go to the House of Fire,” he said, without preamble.
My heart missed a beat. “You want me to go to the House of Fire?”
“I was under the impression that you had contacts there,” he said.
“They also want me dead,” I said. “If I set foot in there, I’ll be deader than one of your liches. Several times over.”
He gave me a cold stare as though he didn’t appreciate the joke. It was kind of impressive how someone without a visible face could pull off any sort of expression, but he managed to. “This is your job. You signed up for it.”
Not really. I’d signed up to work as the Death King’s soldier, not his spy, especially where the House of Fire was concerned. Let’s just say we had an unpleasant history, the least of which was that they’d recently jailed Tay, my best friend. I’d felt that was the best outcome for her after she’d betrayed me, but it still hurt to know she’d put her own needs ahead of our friendship and my survival. She was probably safer behind bars than walking free, but that didn’t mean my presence there wouldn’t elevate the risk for both of us.
More to the point, this job was the first stable employment I’d ever had in my life and going back to the House of Fire might land me right back where I’d started. Admittedly, I’d fallen into the position by accident, but my third rule for living in the Parallel was to adapt to my surroundings. I hadn’t expected to be removed from the castle so soon.
“It’s my belief that the inferno cantrips used by the saboteurs during my Fire Element contest may have been developed by someone connected to the House of Fire,” the Death King added. “I can trust you to ask a few questions, can’t I?”
From the warning note underlaying his tone, I suspected that if I didn’t, I’d find myself envying Tay’s fate. “I have no idea whether anyone in the House of Fire might have been involved in creating those cantrips. Nobody I know there will tell me anything either way.”
“Then you’d better find a way to get through to them,” he said.
This dude made a soul-sucking phantom look reasonable. “I really don’t think this is going to work.”
“Then endeavour to speak to them and bring me a report on your progress, regardless of whether you’re successful or not,” he said. “Take your lich friend with you, if you like.”
I doubted Harper wanted to set foot near the Houses either, but I wouldn’t be able to argue further without risking drawing his ire and getting myself fired or worse. They said the Death King conscripted anyone who crossed him into his army of liches, and while he’d offered me this coveted job, the last person to wear the Fire Element’s armour had ended up turning traitor and having his soul ripped out as a punishment.
“I will, but don’t blame me if this goes wrong.” I turned to leave, and almost collided with a small humanoid fiery person on the way out. “Dex, want to come with me?”
“Where?” said the fire sprite.
“The House of Fire.”
“I have to join Liv to help with her D&D game,” he said. “The House of Fire? That sounds like fun. What is it, a contest to see who can start the biggest bonfire?”
“D&D?” I said. “Oh, your Dungeons & Dragons game. How can you play? I mean, you don’t have hands.”
He made a sharp noise of indignation. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear you say that.”
“Didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” I said. “The House of Fire, though, it’s hardly a party.” Especially if they did create those inferno cantrips.
They hadn’t, though. I already knew the culprit, and it was someone who made a night in the House of Fire’s cells seem like a relaxing day at the beach.
Dex flew off, pouting, so I left the fire sprite and made my way out of the castle. I found Harper and Felicity beside Neddie, who seemed quite serene now I wasn’t trying to tame him.
“See?” said Felicity, petting him. “He’s harmless when you’re nice to him.”
“I was being nice,” I objected. “Nicer than the liches, I reckon. Anyway, I’m not gonna need a ride where I’m going.”
Even a transporter spell wouldn’t get me out of the House of Fire’s cells if they decided that I’d be better off joining Tay behind bars.
“What did the Death King want?” asked Harper, as Felicity vaulted onto the horse’s back and cantered away across the swampland.
“He needs someone to go to the House of Fire,” I said. “I know. He’s got it into his head that the people at the House know the origins of those inferno cantrips.”
“Ugh,” she said. “Count me out.”
“I wasn’t gonna ask you to come with me,” I said. “I know you hate that place.”
Not that I was keen on a trip down memory lane myself,
