"Hold on to me more tightly, Your Majesty."
Ulrich's voice came out as a whisper between one breath and the next. He was afraid of her slipping even so slightly from his grip because only one detail and she could be cut down.
The demons remained spread before him, their white-lined masks cutting pale shapes through the barrier's darkness. Five of them still stood. Five blades caught the thin light at different angles. Black mana clung to their weapons and sleeves, breathing out that foul scent of ash and old blood.
Ulrich had the dagger in one hand.
His other arm remained around Kaliantha.
He could not fight properly while holding her as he had before. The demons had become too fast, their attacks too coordinated. They were no longer testing where his limits lay. They had seen enough to understand that Kaliantha was unreachable while he kept her close.
Now they intended to break him first.
Kaliantha did not answer immediately.
