Cass gasped as she regained consciousness.

CASS! Salos's relief hit her like a wave, rolling over her and pulling her under. He could barely breathe and neither could she. Are you alright? What happened? You fainted out of nowhere!

She lay on a narrow bed with bleach white sheets. The air smelled of lime and citrus. Salos sat on her lap, his big, gold eyes staring up at her with concern.

I got a visit from another god, Cass said, briefly explaining her newest divine encounter and the rewards she had been given. Are they usually this chatty?

Salos shook his head. The gods rarely interact with their people directly. That is one reason they pick Champions. They are supposed to handle their patron's business in this world.

Otherwise, one might receive a blessing or boon if one has devoted oneself to their patron's service. That isn't uncommon, but is still rarely accompanied by a long conversation.

Cass scowled. I don't know I'd go so far as to call it 'long' or even a 'conversation'. Conversation implied a back-and-forth. So far, her interactions with the gods had mostly been the gods one-sidedly declaring things.

Should I take this one at face value? Cass asked Salos. Could he have really just wanted to reward me?

Salos hummed in thought. It's hard for me to say. If it were my god of Dexterity, I would say, probably. But this wasn't. This was this era's 'Demon God'. His title is, Salos hesitated, ominous at best.

Cass could not disagree. But there was a second title that had come up. Do the gods have multiple titles?

No, Salos said. At least, they didn't. Not Godly Titles anyway.

Godly titles being? Cass asked.

He of such-and-such, She of this-and-that, They of object-and-ideal. Titles that describe their domain and their interests. They should only have the one.

And Dexterity is He of Consuming Shadows and Slicing Betrayal? Cass said.

That is what Alyx said, yes.

So 'He of Shifting Shadows and Stalwart Stone' should be someone else? Cass confirmed.

Salos froze.

Salos? Cass poked him gently.

He shook his head, his eyes refocusing on her. What did you just say?

'He of Shifting Shadows and Stalwart Stone'. That's a different god, right? Cass repeated.

Salos's eyes unfocused again. Absently, he said, Probably.

Hey. Cass snapped in front of his face. What's going on?

Salos blinked again. What?

You keep zoning out. What's up with that?

I—I am? Oh. Apologies. I—what were we talking about?

Cass pinched the bridge of her nose. Something was going on. Something System-y and/or demon-y if she had to guess.

Oh, the demon god, right? Salos said.

Cass nodded.

I think, as far as the rewards he gave you go, you can trust them. You did not agree to anything in exchange for the 'rewards', correct?

Cass nodded.

As far as I am aware, a god would need to set specific terms to compel you to action. As for anything else they may have said—he shrugged—I would be suspicious.

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Cass skimmed through the things Dexterity had said again. For as much as he'd talked, he hadn't said much. But he had referenced three other gods: Perception, who he seemed to confirm had an interest in her; Alacrity, who he was apparently on good enough terms to bet with but bad enough terms that he was going to delight in gloating to; and Strength, who he suggested had rejected her as a champion.

Was Strength the god Perception had 'traded' her from?

But that priest had said Strength had a Champion already. Moreover, Strength had supposedly picked their Champion years ago.

Maybe that Champion had died recently and the news just hadn't gotten to Vaisom? Maybe the priest had lied to her? It was a weird thing to have lied about, but that priest had also tried to sacrifice her to Fortitude, so who knew.

Alternatively, maybe Dexterity was the one trying to mislead her. She didn't know what goals the gods had. It wasn't unreasonable to assume he wanted to steer her toward Strength's worshipers for his own reasons.

Once again, she didn't have enough information. And once again, she didn't have nearly enough reliable sources to research her questions. Just speculation and superstition, over half of which was based on data an entire era out of date.

Cass sighed and flopped back on the bed. The mattress was hard, the sheets starchy. The smell of blood and sweat surrounded her. They must have just dumped her here when she'd fainted.

She couldn't decide if she was glad for her modesty they hadn't changed her clothing, or disappointed not to have been given a clean hospital gown. Did they use hospital gowns here? Maybe not.

Did he say anything else? Salos asked.

Oh, yeah. He left me with a cryptic message for you before kicking me out.

For me?

Cass shrugged and repeated the god's words. 'Ceriven does not blame her shadow for any of what happened.'

Salos frowned. 'Ceriven'?

I'm pretty sure that was the name, yeah, Cass confirmed. Any idea what that means?

Salos shook his head. Ceriven was a… Well, I suppose you would insist I call him a 'friend'. We both served the same mistress. Before.

So, the 'her' here isn't 'Ceriven', Cass guessed.

Unless he was hiding more from me than I expected, I doubt it. Salos knew more. Cass could feel his thoughts turning slow but deliberate. There was only one 'her'. And her shadow…

Was you? Cass guessed.

Salos nodded. But what could he possibly be 'not blaming' me for?

You have no guesses? Cass asked.

Salos shook his head. None.

I think Dexterity was hoping you wouldn't, Cass said.

So he's messing with us? Salos snorted. I should not have expected otherwise.

I guess. That wasn't the sense Cass had gotten, but that could have also been part of his act. She let it drop for now. Did I miss anything while I was out?

Nothing interesting, Salos said. You startled Alyx. You should have seen her face.

Cass doubted it would have been more panicked than he'd been when she'd woken up, but let him hold his dignity.

I heard they were going to the arena to have the other dragonling choose her knight.

That made sense. That should be exciting, but honestly, she didn't care who earned the other dragonling's favor. Alyx had gotten a dragon, and she didn't really know the other contestants.

If the gossip she'd overheard yesterday were true, Fioreya would probably be the second knight.

Where are we, by the way? Cass asked.

Palace infirmary, Salos answered. Alyx made them take you here. She wants to talk to you, by the way.

Cass didn't quite groan.

Did something happen between you two?

What did she tell Salos? That Alyx wanted to kill him? Did she still want to? She couldn't imagine him taking it well.

Hell. Actually, she could. He might do the 'oh, I'm a horrid demon only deserving death, you should kill me' bit again. She almost hoped he'd be upset instead.

Except, if he was upset, he might try to hurt Alyx in return. Or, more 'practically', he might decide he needed to silence her.

I was looking for information on the other Champions, Cass said, sidestepping the meat of his question. The priest I was talking to decided I was a demon and that I should be sacrificed to Fortitude. The dragon said they used pieces of his soul to do that, but didn't get into the specifics. Any idea how that works?

Hiding their demon status had never seemed more important. If any priest could look at her and divine her connection to Salos, they were likely in trouble.

No. Your guess is as good as mine, Salos said.

Weren't you part of some fancy demon-hunting organization? Cass poked him. You all must have had tricks for finding them.

His tail flicked in annoyance. Maybe we did. But I don't know them.

Something else unsaid bubbled behind his thoughts, tinged in anxiety.

Nothing? Cass pressed.

His claws flexed in her sheets. Nothing.

Really?

His tail thrashed. Really! Look, it is hardly strange, alright. Most of the demons we hunted were the raging murder-y kind. The ones leveling cities. The ones with no reason or empathy. They were affronts to nature, the system, and the gods. There was no reason to sniff them out and no need to confirm their status.

Did we also look for hidden demons? Probably. Should I have been involved with that kind of operation given my skill set? Almost certainly. Do I remember working on that? No.

He got quiet, his words coming slow and shamed. Not in any detail. Not like I should. Was it a skill I lost? Or are they just memories she took from me?

Salos, Cass ran a hand down his back. His claws kneaded at her sheets. I'm sorry. It's okay that you don't rem—

It's not though! Salos hissed. He flinched, his breath hitched. He shook his head. Sorry. He looked away, suddenly finding the tile floor of the infirmary captivating.

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