There was a stunned silence in the room as the party processed Inara’s declaration.

  “You tried to kill him?” James repeated.

  “Badass!” Desiree crowed. “I mean, definitely messed up, but way to go, mom! Why’d you do that?” Her voice lowered. “Did he try to touch you?”

  Inara rolled her eyes at her daughter. Her tension softened. “At first, he was like you, James. He fought for the good of Grimora, and I thought he would slay the Demon King who reigned at the time. As we traveled together, however, he grew corrupted. His motivations changed, and he started to think less about how to kill the demons and more about how to use them to his purposes. He got it into his head that the most important thing he could do was not eradicate the demons from our world, but to destroy the summoning circles. That, he believed, was the true source of the Demon King’s power, and if he could use the demons to accomplish that goal, then so much the better.

  “Because of this, the Hero killed the Demon King — but instead of saving Grimora from the infernal scourge, he took the throne for himself and became the next Demon King. I couldn’t stand by and watch that happen. I had to do what I could for my people and my home. I had been loyal at his side for so long that it did not occur to him I might not agree with his new agenda. I certainly didn’t dissuade him of that. Though I tried, occasionally, to change his course, I never pushed so hard that he thought I might turn against him. Maybe if I had been more persistent, more persuasive… But it doesn’t matter. What’s done is done.

  “When I was certain he could not be reasoned with, I tried to kill him. I thought, if I could just kill the nascent Demon King myself, I could save Grimora from another cycle of death and despair. I approached him when I thought he was at his most vulnerable, but even then I was unable to complete the mission. He was stronger than me, and far more aware than I had suspected.

  “The only reason I am still alive is because he showed mercy. Even twisted by the demons and with his goals corrupted, he still cared for me. I think it helped that my class broke immediately after, and he knew I would never be a threat to him. Letting me live was a mercy he could afford because I could never make a second attempt.”

  Inara took a deep breath and finally met James’s eyes. “I may not have my class now, but if I can regain it by saving your life, then I will do so. And if you, too, get corrupted in your goals, I will gladly repeat my past transgressions. Grimora deserves to be free of the Demon Kings.”

  James swallowed hard. “I understand,” he said. And he did. In fact, he admired her courage. Not everyone would be able to maintain that presence of mind and fight back against a close ally. But he would be lying if it didn’t color his opinion of her too, just a little. He would have to watch himself. And if he ever did stray from the path of the Hero, he knew she would be there to correct him.

  A part of him wondered, too, why the previous Hero had made that choice. Was there some rationale that made it make sense, or had the growing infernal affinity twisted his mind? James had noticed after he gained his fire affinity that his emotions felt a little more volatile, and after his earth affinity, low as it was, he felt a little more solid on the ground. The changes were slight enough that they could have been in his imagination, however, and he hadn’t felt any different from the infernal affinity.

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  “Why did he think that destroying the summoning circles would weaken the Demon King?” Virgil asked.

  James looked at him in surprise. That was a good question. He kicked himself for getting wrapped up in the emotional aspects rather than focusing on what might actually help him with his goal. Namely, as much information as possible about the Demon King.

  Inara eyed him warily. “It was something he learned in the first dungeon,” she answered. “The final boss told him that the circles were created to bring demons to Grimora, and if they could be destroyed, he would lose his army. The difficulty there, he learned later, was that all summoning circles are connected, and they would have to be destroyed simultaneously, or they would not be destroyed at all.”

  James reeled. “You didn’t think that was good information to share?” he asked. “Why is this the first I’m hearing of it? I understand why you’d hesitate to share that you might kill me one day, but you could have at LEAST told me that destroying these circles would make fighting the Demon King easier.”

  Virgil frowned thoughtfully.

  Inara grimaced. “Perhaps I should have. You have certainly proven so far to be a more trustworthy Hero, but… The trouble is, at this stage, he also seemed so reliable. I couldn’t be sure that if you learned this truth, then you might join him.”

  Desiree crossed the room and pulled her mom into a hug. Since she was still giant-sized, Inara’s head rested on her shoulder.

  Virgil cleared his throat. “I believe it is incorrect to say that the summoning circles relate to the Demon King’s power at all.”

  Inara jerked like she’d been slapped. “What?”

  The scholar bowed his head, looking every bit the shy introvert in that moment. “I could be wrong. My memory is still only coming back to me in bits and pieces. But I seem to recall that before the circles existed, demons were still able to come through to Grimora, only more randomly.” All the confidence seeped from his voice, and he held his hands up. “I could be wrong. But I think this matter deserves more scrutiny.”

  Inara closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath. “If it’s wrong, and he threw our life away for a lie…” She huffed a laugh. “But it still could be true. All we have to go on otherwise is half a memory. Please let us know if you do remember anything further.”

  Virgil nodded seriously.

  James shook his head. There was just too much unknown. The only thing he could be certain of was that the Demon King was bad, he needed to get strong enough to fight him, and that meant getting through this dungeon, ideally with a full clear so he could reap the quest rewards that went along with that.

  “We’ve all got a lot to think about,” he said. “What do you say we find the floor boss and make our way toward the next level?”

  “Yeah!” Desiree pumped a fist — and then, like letting the air out of a balloon, she shrunk back down to her normal size. “Aww.”

  Everyone laughed. Virgil handed her a set of basic leather armor he’d found in his search of the library.

  “I think I know where to find the boss,” Virgil said. “There are likely to be some small monsters between here and there, but my suspicion is that we need to find the librarian.”

  James nodded. “That makes sense. Let’s be thorough. This place is a bit of a maze, but you know it pretty well. Lead us through in a way that gives us a full clear of all the little mobs.”

  The team did a once-over of all their gear, and they were off.